Take a break

Posted on June 11, 2021 Posted in Uncategorized, SketchingTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, Bodnant Gardens, Day out, Garden, Life, National Trust, Sketching, Wales, Welsh hills, Welsh mountainsLeave a comment

Thursdays #bandofsketchers prompt was ‘take a break’ so I chose to draw this image from the front of the 2021 National Trust Guidebook. It’d just drawn in coloured pencil, charcoal pencil and fine liner black ink pen.

I need a break! So I would take it at Bodnant garden near Llandudno in Wales. It’s a National Trust garden. A beautiful place which drops into a wooded valley and is surrounded by the Welsh hills and mountains. We are missing the laburnum walk that will be in flower now. I hope to go there soon.

Negative

Posted on June 10, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Covid, fine art shows, Health, lateral flow test, Life, Negative, NHSLeave a comment

We are going to our local University Fine Art shows so we had to take lateral flow tests. I didn’t think there would be a problem but we went and had the tests today to check. The test centre was local and easy to find. The staff were friendly and when we arrived we were the only people there. After giving our details we each sat at a table and were shown a diagram of where your tonsils are at the back and sides of your mouth, not at the upper back. Then we were given a swab to rub on your tonsils and then up your nose (yuk). Then the wait, they said it would be half an hour. My hubbys came back negative by text, but no sign of mine. I had to walk back round and get a photo of the form that said negative so I can prove I’m OK!

Fine art shows.

Posted on June 9, 2021 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Degree shows, Fine Art, Fun, Life, Painting, printmaking, Sculpture, Staffordshire University, Video?Leave a comment

This years fine art degree shows at Staffordshire University are on this week. Thirty nine years after I got my degree. I’ve visited almost every year except 2020. This year it’s on but you have to book a time slot and have a lateral flow test before you can go…. So I had to frantically find somewhere to have one done with enough time to spare to get to the shows afterwards. Anyway I’m looking forward to it. Great to be able to go and see real art in a real gallery space.

Holly leaf

Posted on June 9, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, Arteza metallic watercolours, Drawing, Gardening, Holly, Life, Nettles, Painting2 Comments

Watercolour with Arteza Metallic paints for the #bandofsketchers prompt for Tuesday ‘sunlight,’. A holly leaf caught in the sunshine. The painting was done from a photo, I painted it straight away without drawing it out first.

I need to do some gardening at the moment, the nettles are taking over so I need to cut them back a bit. They are good for butterfly 🐛 caterpillars but if they sting you as you walk past they do need attention. The Holly bushes are a little overgrown too. It’s turning into a bit of a mammoth task, and I’m a bit nervous of taking it on!

Just sat down

Posted on June 8, 2021June 8, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged flag irises, Fun, Gardening, Life, Plants, Pond, Stream, Walking, YogaLeave a comment

It’s been a long day. I went out this morning and I’ve just sat down at 11.30pm. In that time I’ve been out and then later went and collected some flag irises that someone was giving away. They are now in our pond. We got stuck in traffic on the way to the place, so six miles took about forty minutes to drive there. Then later after doing work around the house I went to a yoga class, came home, went on a zoom meeting about college, then a choir practice. We went out for a walk, then I went shopping and finally cooked our evening meal. So that’s why I haven’t been online much today. The odd thing is my step counter doesn’t seem to have included the walk this evening. I know I’ve walked further than it is showing? Perhaps it’s a glitch. I must get a rest. Sorry for the boring post!

Panels in illustration

Posted on June 7, 2021June 7, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Black and white, Drawing, Fun, Icecream, Life, Sketching, speech bubbles, thought bubbleLeave a comment

Now we are learning narrative art at college. Learning how to lay out panels. I think you are meant to have an idea and base the shapes of the panels on what we are drawing, but as usual I did it back to front, drawing the panels first, adding the speech and thought bubbles, then adding the people. The ideas for the story came last! My mind is strange. Anyway it worked quite well. I would try and make it neater if I were to do it again and perhaps import it into photoshop to tidy it up? Overall it was relatively painless to do. Note to self, why has the mother’s dress changed?

Horse

Posted on June 6, 2021June 6, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Animal, bay horse, Day out, Fun, Horse, Life, Photo, Staffordshire, Visit2 Comments

When we were out yesterday we saw this lovely horse in a field. There wasn’t much grass so we pulled some up from our side of the fence and the horse came over and tugged it out of my hand… It soon wandered off in search of some more. I think the colour was Bay, its coat was very shiny and well groomed. It was good to see a different living creature. We usually only see cats, dogs and people.

If we go back we might take an apple, although I’m not sure if you can get in trouble for feeding it?

Doodled faces

Posted on June 6, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Artrage oils, Crowd, Drawing, Faces, Life, Photodirector, Sketching, Thinking, WorriedLeave a comment

Artrage oils and photodirector used to make these slightly worried faces in a crowd. Perhaps I should have given one of them a mask? They certainly feel crammed together. And what are they watching? Why are they there? Is it something pleasant or unpleasant? Who can say. From the depths of my mind to the page. I sometimes don’t know what’s coming!

Cats outside adventures.

Posted on June 6, 2021 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Art, Black and white, Black and white cat, Drawing, Indoor cats, Life, Outdoor cat, Sketching, Tuxedo catLeave a comment

Last night the cats stayed out till dawn. I called them every hour but they were not bothered. The two indoor cats are fine, they love being out now. They sit on garden walls and seem to stick together. They follow the outdoor cat around and the dynamic between them all has really settled down. They are being very loving when they are in. Lots of purring and cheek rubbing. They seem to be staying round the back of the house and garden, keeping away from the road.

If I can find them in all the foliage I will try and post some photos of them.

Pool at Dorothy Clive Garden.

Posted on June 5, 2021June 6, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged carp, Day out, Dorothy Clive garden, Fish, Goldfish, Life, newts, Photo, Plants, Poem, Poetry, Pool, Staffordshire, summer day, Willoughbridge TrustLeave a comment

The one thing that did disappoint me today was the pool, usually there are mounds and shapes of lots of different plants, but with the cold wet May we had things haven’t grown yet. Hopefully on our next visit it will be burgeoning with flowers and foliage.

Still we think we saw a couple of newts in the pond, together with goldfish and dark carp. The waterlilies are growing up and starting to spread. All in all it was a lovely early Summer day out.

Blue sky

warm water

goldfish swim lazily

mayfly dart across the surface

waterlilies open pale petals slowly

the world is calm

clouds float in an azure sky

contemplate

and relax.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Life