Trees in winter

Posted on February 26, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Life, muddy, Photo, Photo director, river Bank, River Trent, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Trees, Trent, WetLeave a comment

Reflections again, this time of trees along the river Trent a few weeks ago. Walking in the rain, trying to avoid the fifty yard long puddles on the paths. Stepping through muddy grass with shoes sinking into the earth. It was wet! Subtle hints of green in the bushes that was knocked back when the temperatures dropped and the snow fell. A whole section of the newly restored river bank washed away and the new housing estate on the flood plain is threatened. Why build on the flood plain anyway? Money!

Statue/monument

Posted on February 25, 2021February 25, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, Arteza paints, Day out, Drawing, Life, metallic watercolours, Mow Cop, painting g, Place to visit, Sketching, WatercolourLeave a comment

Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was statue or monument. I’m not sure if Mow Cop, which stands on a ridge above Cheshire is a monument, but its still interesting. It was built as a folly in 1754? and apparently used as a summerhouse. Its owned now by the National Trust. Its open to the public but is accessible by uneven rocky paths. If you are interested it’s worth a visit. The road to it up Mow Cop hill is quite windy and narrow and ascends through the village of Mow Cop, Staffordshire.

Walking…..

Posted on February 25, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #100daywalkingchallenge, 25% done!, Age, belief, Confidence, Exercise, Fun, Life, Tired, Walking2 Comments

I never thought I would be doing this challenge. I used to be scared of walking. If I walked a couple of hundred yards I would congratulate myself! I’m so glad I joined in and I’ve already got through 25% of it!

I used to be fit. I could cycle for miles, but after an accident where I was injured I eventually got a car. That was my downfall. Its taken over thirty years to realise I can do something about it. Don’t be scared, have a go!

Tree

Posted on February 23, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Ash, Climate change, country, Damage, Dying, Fungi, Life, Nature, Oak, Photo, TreesLeave a comment

Trees are huge, yet delicate. Branches, stems, twigs. So much to see, so hard to draw. Mature trees are suffering damage all the time now. Gales blow down limbs, rain undermines their roots. Fungi and bacteria, so small, can lay a tree low. Sudden Oak Death, Ash die back, so many trees are disappearing from the country. Once it was Dutch Elm disease, now it could be any number of infections and lesions.

We are seeing the effect of the anthropocine, the effect of humans on the natural world. We need to change for the good of nature.

A face?

Posted on February 23, 2021February 23, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Faces, Imagination, Life, Pareidolia, Pavement, Phenomenon, ShapesLeave a comment

The door is a mouth, the eyes could be the windows or the lamps on either side of the door… The cross above the door could be a nose. Pareidolia, the phenomenon of seeing faces, figures or animals in other images, be it a building or a mark on a pavement…

For instance I can see the shape of a lion or a cat profile here in this spilt liquid on the pavement….

Zoom selfie

Posted on February 23, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Choir practice, Drawing, Fun, Illustration, Life, Sketching, Zoom4 Comments

I am singing in a zoom meeting choir so I decided to try and draw myself singing.

Black calligraphy pen in my cartridge paper sketchbook. Concentrating on learning the words, singing, and drawing is hard!

Cat drawings

Posted on February 23, 2021 Posted in Cat, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Black and white cat, Cat, Drawings, Food, Illustration, Life, Tuxedo cat, what's for tea? Cat teapot3 Comments

Learning to illustrate means playing with different techniques. Both of these are black ink. One is just using a black calligraphy pen and the other a fine liner pen and a calligraphy pen. The top is called ‘what’s for tea?’ and the second is a tiny ‘cat teapot’.

Nature reserve walk

Posted on February 22, 2021February 22, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #100daywalkingchallenge, catkins, Fenton, Life, nature reserve, River, Spring, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

I’ve never been to this nature reserve, and yet it’s only about a mile away behind the local University. My friend showed it me today. It takes in some hills, a lake and the River Trent. We walked quickly so I feel really tired out. Its somewhere to visit as the spring progresses. We might even have a picnic. X

Views include the river Trent, near Leek Road, Stoke-on-Trent,

Mow Cop limerick

Posted on February 22, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Cheshire, Drawing, folly, Fun, Life, Limerick, mow cop castle, mow cop hill, Poem, Poetry, Sketch, Staffordshire, ViewsLeave a comment

There is a prompt set by Esther Chilton to write a limerick using a particular word. This week it was Mop, which was good because I’d just drawn Mow Cop at Five am this morning.

Mow Cop is a folly of a castle near Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, and stands above the Cheshire plain with views of Jodrell Bank Observatory and beyond.

Sunday paper

Posted on February 21, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Calligraphy pen, Drawing, Life, Newspaper, Sketching, Sunday papersLeave a comment

Another quick sketch. When I’m busy it’s good to just get something down on paper, even if it is only a few lines. This was done with a calligraphy marker pen. I just drew our Sunday paper, although I didn’t get time to read it. So much going on in the world, even without covid19. Planes engines on fire, princesses possibly falsely imprisoned. Politics and uprisings. Tomorrow this will be yesterday’s news….

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Life