Despite the radiators being on its really cold in my house today. I’ve also got a heater on. Two jumpers on top of a tee shirt and a scarf. I looked at the inside temperature and it’s 14.3°C (Celcius). That’s cold.
I have been out so I kept the heating off till I came in, so it’s going to take time to warm up.. I might get my dressing gown on later, it’s almost cold enough to see my breath. I think the weather is due to get warmer next week but I heard we are going to have another named storm on Sunday and Monday. What fun!
I like being logical and working things out. I’ve always been good at guessing who the murderer is in films and programmes like Miss Marple (you can tell from this I’m probably not young). I also enjoy trying to work out who is the criminal in novels like the Brother Cadfael Mysterys by Ellis Peters.
I’m interested in medical mysteries and I like working out what problems people have with their eyes for instance . You can tell by looking at how big their eyes look behind their glasses (bigger eyes-longsighted, smaller eyes-short sighted). So I was fascinated by the TV series House, and also the Mentalist.
I love Spock in Star Trek and have generally tried to be less emotional, but lately that has been hard to maintain. Even so my hubby calls me Captain Sensible!
Sometimes I overdo it. I’ve suddenly felt the need to pack my shopping bags precisely. Is this too controlling? I think I’m trying to control the uncontrollable, which is really illogical!
I’m interested in science and would love to have more knowledge. I enjoy learning and finding out things. So yes, this is my favourite thing about myself, which actually surprised me, because I thought I would have said art and creativity. But those are imprinted on my DNA. Knowledge though, intruiges me, and makes me want to find out more.
Looking out of our house, I can see gardens on the side and rear of the house, but a grey factory building in front. I wish we had a view of the sea or countryside. The road in front of our house is on a steep hill, and quite often cars roar up and down it, ambulances rush by with sirens blaring, or motorbikes speed up, exhausts popping and banging. The hill is one of the steepest in the area and seems sometimes to be a racetrack! Oh to see a yatch in the distance, sails catching the rising or setting sun. That would be magical.
From May 2020, when I first started my part time illustration course. I am still quite pleased with this drawing. Physically, I was fitter and could draw without shaking too much. I tend to add less details these days too. I’d like to get back to drawing outside. Maybe meet up with urban sketchers again. Even though I havent caught Covid, it’s done things to me mentally. I guess I got a bit of cabin fever during lockdown, and since then it’s been easier to avoid people – you never know if you will just burst into tears… I think I’m OK, god knows what its like for people living through wars or famine. We can still do things here, well some of us can. I worry for people in food poverty or who can’t afford to heat their homes. It all spins round in my head. which is why I’m writing this at 3.11am…. must go to bed.
In the second world war and afterwards they had ordinary people just writing down their everyday lives in diaries. They were collated to record what had happened. There is a film called “Housewife 55” or something like that, which starred Victoria Wood. If you can find it, it’s worth watching, very poignant. maybe they were their own kind of bloggers.
A few years ago I drew this portrait of Hugh Laurie, (who played House in the medical drama of that name). This was a digital drawing done with a stylus on a tablet but with very simple tools on a site called Sketchfu. It consequently closed and people lost their drawings. Luckily I downloaded some of mine.
This particular drawing always gives me pleasure. It took me a while to master the tools and when I try and draw like this now it doesn’t flow as easily. It’s true what they say – practice makes perfect!
Old digital drawing I did of House, the actor Hugh Laurie.
I remember him from his comedy act with Stephen Fry, and also his appearances in Blackadder with Rowan Atkinson (who also plays Mr Bean).
I’ve watched most of the episodes, I’m fascinated by his characters ability to diagnose the most unusual diseases, and his inability to socialise with people.
Drawn at the old Sketchfu website several years ago.
Enjoyed the virtual sketch out today with #uskstoke ! I drew our house off Google maps, it was too cold and wet to stand outside. Anyone who knows where I live knows my views out of the house are limited so I drew two other places I know from photos too! Oh how I wish I could get out more…. They are Gladstone pottery museum and Penkhull church. Both drawn as snowy scenes so at least they look a bit like the weather today….
Two sketches in Etruria today. A corner house and the White bridge over the Trent and Mersey canal. Both were done in response to an online virtual sketch out with #uskstoke (Stoke Urban Sketchers). There was a zoom meeting, but I couldn’t join as I was out and about and had no Internet access. These are hopefully going to be included in an online ‘street’ of people’s images that represent the city. They were very quick sketches and I tried to draw the corner house a few times, it was difficult to get it to fit on a small sketchpad page…..
Mallaband-Brown 