Twenty minute sketch, pencil crayons and felt pens on Ingres paper. I used a grey and brown pallette with a touch of blur from a yoga mat on the floor. Sitting on a small stool and a faux sheepskin rug.
Seated figure (back view)
Tag: Life
Life drawing class
Ten and fifteen minute sketches drawn at the Orme Art Group today. We book a life model occasionally and it’s good to practice drawing perspective and proportions. Pencil crayons and felt pens on Ingres paper.
Dorothy Clive is great
The Dorothy Clive Garden is at Willowbridge in Staffordshire on the border with Shropshire and Cheshire. It costs £10 for adults to visit.
At this time of year the garden is coming into bloom. It is planted on a sloping site and the main garden is full of blues, whites and purples at the moment. White and purple Alliums, Aqueigia, Irises, and other plants made a lovely display from the pond at the bottom up to the tearooms at the top. Then into the quarry garden. This is full of rhododendron and azalea flowers, the mature trees are in leaf and the waterfall drops from the rim of the quarry into its base.
We also walked along the Laburnum arch which is in full flower and is under planted with purple Alliums. Then there are ferns and lots of other interesting plants. We’ll worth a visit for the day.
Fridge alarm!
What a day. I was going to relax then do some gardening. I hadn’t had breakfast so made coffee. Then suddenly the fridge freezer started beeping! We knew it was that because we had the same problem a few months ago. The freezer did need defrosting so I turned it off and propped the freezer door open while putting the frozen food into the fridge. But it kept beeping even when it was off, must have a battery in it!
Too noisy, several decibels. We decided to go out. More of that later…
I’d turned the fridge off but it was still beeping when we got in… Argh! So loud! So hubby decided to kick the fridge! Like that’s going to help! He kept pushing it and moving it backwards, trying to get it level. I switched it back on and dried the fridge and freezer. I was shouting ‘just shut up!’ I dragged it forward, something was clunking underneath, the tone of the sound changed. I dragged it further forward, a lower, slightly different tone. One more drag, clunk! It stopped! What!
Happy now. But although I don’t want to I think we will be forced to buy a new one.
Curled up
Drawing in biro of the cat curled up between us. Normally he’s beside us by now but he came in, ate and then went back out again.
In other news, another cat is coming in to eat! I heard my boy cat making purring noises and turned to look. A cat that is mostly black with a very thin white mark on its nose, had come in and was eating my cats food! It’s thin so I didn’t chase it out. Its the third time I’ve seen it. The other two times was outside. I’m not sure we need another cat!
Crosswords
What have I done today? After getting my results I decided to have a go at the new scientist crossword. Er… Help…. I got quite a lot but what is a US term for a bulrush or reed ace (7)? Or slow motion of earth down a slope (4,5)? I think it’s interesting that a ‘quick’ crossword for scientists is a slow one for me!
My head hurts. I sometimes sneak a look at a crossword clue answers page, but I try not to. Wow, the excitement!
I passed!
I have just received my marks and I have passed the MA in illustration!
Now for the anti- climax I guess. The world is still spinning, I still have my difficulties to deal with. Its funny how you build yourself up and worry, then you get your marks and they are still there. But it is an achievement at one stage I wasn’t sure I wanted to carry on. I got a decent mark too and some pointers on how I could have taken my research further. Will I ever write MA after my name? I don’t think so xx
Waiting
Two years of work. The results are out tomorrow. Ups and downs. Trying to produce work that will be good enough for a decent mark. It’s been a bit of a slog, but I’m glad I did it. Time to end, time to move on to something else. I was happy with my final major project, a children’s book. Juxtaposing black and white story pages and coloured abstracts. I hope that this will introduce children to art in a different way. I’d like to get the book published. I must find out how.
Black ink
‘Tiger Cat’, a lino cut I have done, well finished off, today. The top is the lino block and the bottom is the print in black ink onto hand made paper. I’m going to get some blank cards and envelopes and print a few cards off. X
Don’t like being ill
Negative lateral flow
So that’s good
Sore throat and aches
That’s a bit bad
Tired and fed up
But not very ill
Just feeling down
In the dumps
While my brain slumps!
Mallaband-Brown 