Stairs

Posted on September 4, 2022September 4, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, 199 steps, Bay, Bram Stoker, Dracula, harbour, History, Life, North Yorkshire, Steps, View, Whitby, Whitby AbbeyLeave a comment

Look up Whitby steps on the Internet and you find out there are 199 steps from the town up to Whitby Abbey at the top. Dracula by Bram Stoker was set there. The town has many tourists visiting because of this. There is also a history of jewellery making in the town because it is the home of Whitby Jet. This is a black, fossilised substance that was originally ancient monkey puzzle trees. The steps or stairs offer a spectacular view down over the harbour and bay.

For #bandofsketchers prompt today ‘stairs’

Gratitudes

Posted on September 4, 2022September 4, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, gratitudes, Help, Life, Positive, Sharing, Sketching, small things, therapeutic, Thinking, three gratitudes4 Comments

I’m getting some help with my mental health and one of the things I’ve taken up is to do a gratitude diary. Basically you write down three things you are grateful for every day. I do it before bed, and I remember small things that have made me happy during the day. Not big dramatic things (today was a bit of an exception because two things were slightly more important) on other days I’ve included the cat on my lap, or standing in the garden full of flowers.

So why do it? It appears to rewire your brain, cutting down on negative thoughts and turning them positive. I have been advised to do it for at least 28 days. I’m not suggesting anyone else does it, but it’s helping me.

Dodgy man

Posted on September 3, 2022September 4, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged dodgy, doorbell, Hedge, Hidden, Life, man, Police, ring doorbell, Scary?, stolen3 Comments

Dodgy man! We came home today and saw a man looking in our hedge. We asked what he was doing and he said he was looking for a box he’d hidden there so his mum didn’t see it. He said it was a ring doorbell that he’d spent £80 on, but he’d panicked and hid it incase she found out he’d bought it. (he was very scruffy and dirty and said he’d been a tattooist but now he sits drawing outside sainsburys). I helped him look while hubby looked in the garden. I wanted to prove it wasn’t there mostly so he would go away. It’s worrying having people put things in the hedge. We have found stolen things in the past we have reported to the police! He eventually left. I felt sorry for him but it was dodgy! Hubby told him if he comes back we will have a ring the police.

Random dog

Posted on September 2, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged corgi, Cute, Dog, Fun, Life, Painting idea, Photo, Random, shitzu, VisitLeave a comment

A lovely dog we saw while we were out a couple of weeks ago. It was a mixed breed but I can’t remember exactly what? A shitzu crossed with a corgi? It was small and sweet and friendly. I took a photo as I was thinking I might do a small painting including it. I’m not sure what to do in the background. Why are small fluffy dogs so cute? I think it’s the sweet eyes and nose.

For sale, Heron

Posted on September 2, 2022September 4, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Bird, Etruria Industrial museum, Fine Art, For sale, Heron, Life, Middleport pottery, Painting, Reeds, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent4 Comments

I just took my Heron painting to the cafe at Etruria Industrial Museum to swap it for the one of the waterfall that I have sold. I will try and deliver that to my friend soon who bought it from me. I need to do some more work because I have the opportunity of showing some small paintings at a new venue that is opening up in Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent, near the Middleport pottery. I’m trying to grab opportunity where I can.

It’s not real, honest.

Posted on August 31, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged aeroplane, Drawing, Flight, Fun, Hubby, Life, Model, Plane, Sketching, yesterdayLeave a comment

Hubby was playing with a model aeroplane yesterday. The trouble was the shutter on my camera reacted a few seconds after I pressed it, so the plane was not in the picture. I had a silly idea. I would superimpose a model plane on the photo. Problem, I don’t have that sort of software on my phone. So I drew a plane instead. Its badly drawn and I had to erase bits of it to get the general shape. But you get the idea of what was happening in reality.

Watching paint dry?

Posted on August 31, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged dry, Hot, Life, Paint, Poem, Poetry, Rhyme, solidify, Sun, WatchingLeave a comment

Flaking paint scatters

Like dry blue snow

Bubbled by sunight

A patch of metal on show

So scrape off the old

And paint on the new

Go on, be bold

Then damp as the dew

Paint the wall gold

A liquid will run

Until it solidifies

In the hot sun.

Light

Posted on August 31, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, Blue, blue glass, Candle, candlestick, Life, Light, shadow, Sketching2 Comments

Tuesdays #bandofsketchers prompt was light. I drew one of my blue glass candle sticks in felt pen. There’s too much clutter on the shelf so the shadow is imagined as is the candle. I have drawn smoke from the wick which is also visible in the shadow. I could have added a flame but don’t have a memory of how it would look.

Cleaning photos

Posted on August 29, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Camera, Digital manipulation, disorder, Life, Pattern, Phone, Photos, PlantsLeave a comment

I just optimised about 100 photos on my phone, but as usual it’s mixed everything up now. Photos I took yesterday are right down my camera roll and this picture I created digitally is now number 1.

There must be a logical explanation for what happens but I don’t know why. I’m not a computer expert so I don’t understand the ins and outs of what is going on. Still it’s interesting to see old photos popping up again. Mostly ones I have made into patterns.

Red

Posted on August 26, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Childhood, deep red, dress, Life, Maroon, Memories, polkadot, RedLeave a comment

Red is the colour I loved as a child. Not pink. I had to have a bright red polkadot dress. I remember seeing a red setting sun for the first time when I was small. I liked red sweets, though I don’t remember the flavour. Red roses were beautiful, and red toffee apples were tasty.

Even now I like wearing red, but I’m a bit more adventurous, liking deep reds and maroons and bright reds. I still don’t like pink though.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Life