New paintings and regular art updates.
Yesterday’s #bandofsketchers sketch was tools, the hammers are a bit rusty. The mole grips are out of the ark. I put them an a cushion as an interesting background. It is only a very quick sketch but I enjoyed doing it. Theres another group I’m in #uskstoke, Stoke Urban Sketchers is starting doing virtual sketch outs because of lockdown. So might be posting some more pictures here from that.
X
Outdoor cat is in again. In fact he’s been in three times today. Mainly to avoid the noise of fireworks 🎇 going off.
He will sit on the settee for an hour then mooch back off to the backdoor, to be let out. He’s also eating in the kitchen now. In the past he was eating in the shed, then by the back door. Eventually he started eating inside the back door with the door open… Now, inside. Next thing I want to do is get him a strong flea collar. He’s worn collars in the past so it should be OK.
Tonight there is more progress, he actually played with a cat toy for a few minutes, then came over to be petted by both of us and purred loudly. I’m glad he’s ‘playing nicely’ he’s twice the size of my other cats. I want no squabbles. So I’ll stay up till he wants out again, just to ensure my other two are OK.
There are of course beautiful places in the UK. This was the view of the river at Llangollen last year. Sometimes you can see people canoeing down through the rocks. On a sunny day that must be wonderful.
Llangollen is also the place to ride on steam trains that run on the preserved railway from the town along the valley. One day we might get there early enough to take a ride on it. There is also the Llangollen canal where you can take horse drawn barge rides across the canal viaduct.
The Welsh hills and mountains may be smaller than Nepal, but they are still beautiful.
We just attended a Zoom talk on Nepal. Our friend went walking there in 2006 to raise funds for eye surgery for the residents of Nepal. The talk included beautiful photos of the mountains including the Anapurna range. They were close to the eighth highest mountain in the world. The scale of the mountains is incredible. The villages in the valleys are tiny in comparison.
Through wonderful photography of the landscape and the Nepalese people my friend gave us such an informative talk about the country. He also included the music of the people with sweet, calm songs. A very pleasant couple of hours with many friends attending.
I drew this back in August, I can’t believe its so long ago! I was mooching through my pictures because what I have on my computer is not synced with my phone ( which has most of my images on it). Whatever happened to digital cameras? Ive still got one in a drawer somewhere, probably with leaking batteries in it, now I just use my phone. How much technology has been discarded because it no longer works?
For instance i have an idea to use little watches in an artefact for a college piece, what I want to find out is whether you can use reconditioned watches instead of buying in new and wasting resources.
So I come back to my little sketch, analogue, ink on paper. I dont know what I was channeling, but it makes sense, dont waste, use less…..
When your hubby
brings a cabbage home
Do you draw
a face on it?
Do you knit a scarf
For your leafy friend?
Hold a leafy party?
Do you dress it
In dolls clothes
Put tiny ballet shoes
on it’s roots?
Blusher on its cheeks?
What do you do
When you’re bored?
Another digital drawing done at sketchfu a few years ago (site now closed). This was a drawing challenge. Artists would post photos and then challenge others to draw the image just using the sites simple tools. I don’t know if the original picture was photographed with ultraviolet light or with blue dye injected into the flowers.
X
I did a drawing in ArtRage oils today, it’s a drawing app with pens and a metallic/non metallic slider so you can add a sheen of apparent oil paint if you want. In this case I drew with my finger although I do have a stylus to draw with if I want. I have this free version and I also have the paid for app with more pens and brushes. I like the freedom it allows me.
Sometimes I go a little abstract, and then I particularly like adding flowing lines and spirals. I guess I’m a pattern lover. This cat painting is acrylic on canvas. I did it in 2008. I do remember painting it but I don’t know if it was ever exhibited, I think perhaps I should have an archive but I never got round to it. I think I can see a hint of of illustration ideas in this. But then Ive always been disorganised. I am thinking of setting up a new webpage which will only be for illustrations so that I can add images that might be for sale, or look into doing tee shirt designs. I’ve heard of places like Redbubble , Spoonflower or Square, is anyone familiar with them?
Each of these photos was put through the photodirector app I use and also Instagram. I do like the effects but only use a few of them. Some of the filters in Photodirector have to be paid for so I limit my use.
What am I trying for? A pleasant abstract distortion. Perhaps a feeling of movement. I might use a couple of filters, and cancel some of them if they are not working. I just enjoy being creative.
Mallaband-Brown