Sunday’s #bandofsketchers prompt was Myth. Oh what to do? I am in love with gryphons, unicorns, winged horses and many other things, but as my most recent study was about dragons, I chose to draw one. I started out with three pens held together to try and create a triple image, but the middle pen had dried out. So I finished off with two. If you look carefully you can see the outline of two other eyes below the ones I have outlined. Then I coloured it in with metallic felt pens. I might do more to it but this is good enough as a sketch.
Where do mythical animals come from? Do they have a connection with real animals or are they created purely from imagination? I guess some of the creatures come from word of mouth. One person describes a lion for instance with a ‘proud chest’ and it ends up through word of mouth and illustration as actually having beasts! Maybe because this is meant to be a lioness or perhaps it is seen as a mixture of lion and human.
You only have to look at egyptian hieroglyphs to see strange combinations of animals and humans. There are interesting creatures in the histories of all countries around the world. Dragons are known from West to East. They are wise and benevolent in the east, but seen as evil and sly in the West. They vary in shape and size, from snake like creatures in some Asian countries to having two legs and two wings, or four legs and two or four wings. Dragons or Great snakes are also found in Australia and the Americas.
There are too many mythological beasts to describe here but some are very strange. And looking at medieval illustrations gives you an idea of what was in people’s minds at the time. You only have to look at the tryptich ‘the garden of earthly delights’ by Hyronymous Bosch which depicts some weird and hellish creatures. The imagination is a wonderful thing.
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was grumpy. I had two reasons to be grumpy, a big bill, and still feeling ill. So I pulled this awful face (I look disgusted!) and drew this miserable looking self portrait! I really hope I don’t usually look like this. I’ve already deleted the photo I drew it from.
Filtered photo, changed a photo of water and soapsuds by altering the colour of it. Then adding texture. In the end it either looks like crumpled satin or even red cabbage! Or it could be red wine, or a pool deep in the woods as autumn sets in.
You can describe anything by looking at it and deciding what it something you of, imagination is something you can cultivate. If you look closely you might see an eye or the profile of an imp with its mouth open? Bottom left/middle… Or a gorilla or a cat stretching…
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was musical instruments, I drew a recorder. I have a plastic one, but when I was a kid I had a lovely wooden one. The wood was golden and had an amazing grain to it. I’ve tried to remember how it looked. I didn’t do much music as a child and it was one of my sisters that tried to learn more complicated instruments such as the violin.
Sundays #bandofsketchers prompt was close-up. I decided to try and draw a close-up of some plaid cloth. I used a digital filter from photodirector to add some texture. I think it makes it look more interesting.
I wish I lived in a detached house, not one with thin walls and a neighbour who’s TV is right next to the wall. We don’t complain because he is deaf and I think he would struggle to hear if he moved it anywhere else. Also you don’t want to fall out with your neighbours if you can help it. Most of the time it’s OK, especially when we have our TV on, but sometimes we like to read in silence and then, well if there is a football match on next door the volume is so high that we can tell when someone scores a goal!
I think the volume next door has gradually increased over a few years. You get used to it. But late at night it can also be disturbing. I don’t think there is a solution unless we have noise lowering insulation put in.
Thursdays #bandofsketchers prompt was Clue. I only just did this one. I like trying to do the New Scientist Magazine Quick Crossword. I’d like the backgrounds of crosswords to be coloured, but the ones I try and do are always black and white.
