And back to cats, patterns and photo editing

Posted on August 3, 2020August 3, 2020 Posted in Cat, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Cat, Celtic cat, Design, Drawing, Filters, Instagram, Photodirector, Pictures, Sketching, StylesLeave a comment

Sometimes when you ‘tidy things up’ with photo editors, you lose some of the character of your art work. Yes it may look more interesting in one way but you can lose colours or small details that you might have struggled to get into the image in the first place. I guess it’s a matter of choice. The first photo here has been enhanced slightly with filters in Instagram. That’s because the drawing I did originally is about twenty years old and hangs on our stairs. The inks I used to draw it have faded so i had to try and restore it slightly back to how it was. The second is another one that I’ve adjusted in Photodirector.

It’s down to personal opinion if you like them or not?

Cat in a box

Posted on August 2, 2020 Posted in Cat, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Black and white, Black and white cat, Blogging, Cat, Drawing, Life, Sketching, Urban sketchers Stoke on trentLeave a comment

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Urban sketchers Stoke-on-Trent challenge today was to draw an animal. It was easy to choose my cat. He loves sitting in his box in the kitchen. He’s got a few boxes around the house he sleeps in. He likes putting his paws out and was after my pen as I started to draw him. He didn’t stay very still, but I’ve got a good idea of what he looks like.

Portfolio

Posted on July 30, 2020July 30, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Blogging, course, Design, Drawing, Illustration, Learning, Life, Not right size?, Portfolio, Sketching, WorkLeave a comment

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I’ve been working on my portfolio for college today. I’ve got to upload it soon to show what I’ve been doing. I was halfway through when I found out I should be uploading images at 72dots per inch (dpi?) and I’ve set it at 300. I think I will have to delete all the images and save them all to the lower size limit…. So annoying because it was looking good. But at least I’ve found out in time. I need to go back and read the course instructions.

I think I’ve taken on too much sometimes. Not because I can’t do it but because I’ve got so many other things going on. I like writing here because it acts like a diary and also let’s me get ideas down that aren’t part of the course. Plus with limited contact with people it’s giving me some freedom.

Prompt ‘hanging’

Posted on July 30, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Blogging, Colour, Design, Drawing, Picture, Sketching, Usk challenge, Usk Stoke-on-TrentLeave a comment

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Back yard colours. The Usk Stoke-on-Trent challenge today was ‘hanging’ so I got my new permanent markers out. I tried not to do any black outlines to make the colours jump more!

The picture includes our hanging baskets and a dream catcher that hangs in our back living room window. There is a little glass angel hanging in the dream catcher. When I asked my hubby what he thought he said it was a bit amateurish!

The only problem with permanent markers is that they dry up quickly. You can be half way through shading something and they run out. More in a couple of days.

How to depict cuts in arts education?

Posted on July 29, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Drawing, Idea, Illustration, Important, Learning, Life, Picture, Schooling, Sketching, Teaching, Work in progressLeave a comment

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I thought I would try and share my idea about possible cuts in art education. It’s along the lines of the hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil images. In this case the image is of a school child. Maybe with one eye peeping out. Covering his head are the hands of other children, stopping him seeing art equipment, or hearing music or poetry. Stopping him speaking things like lines from plays or novels.

Art and creativity are so important to the world. Maybe you can push a button and get a car design? Maybe not. At the moment it still takes the efforts of designers, artists, illustrators, musicians, and much more to bring out the creativity of the world.

What are we doing if we consider removing Art from the curriculum? If we make it just the perogative of the rich? What happens if normal, ordinary people aren’t taught to have a critical eye, to have the ability to see beauty. I see a world which is almost turning into a 1984 situation. Dumbed down and quiescent?

Going a bit ‘van gogh’

Posted on July 27, 2020July 27, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Drawing, Edited, Fun, Inspiration, Instagram, Mobile, News, Photo app, Photodirector, Sketching, Van gogh style2 Comments

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I looked at last night’s sketch and wondered what I could do to maybe tie it more together? I decided to use one of the style options in photodirector. This is a phone app that allows you to edit your photos and drawings and change their appearance.

I was very pleased with this. I definitely think it has a Van Gogh feel to it. Probably having the chair there with my easle on it adds to that feeling.

The new normal?

Posted on July 23, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Black and white sketch, Black ink fine line pen, Drawing, Fine Art, Friend, Life, Lockdown, Sketching, Usk challenge, Usk Stoke-on-Trent, Visit8 Comments

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Visiting my friend today who’s a fine art student. Because we were inside her house we both wore masks. This is the final Stoke Urban Sketchers challenge for this run but I don’t think it will be the last. This was so good, to be able to visit someone. I feel like crying, I felt nervous, I felt touched that someone would let me in their house after all this time. I may dream about it! It was an honour to be allowed to draw her. I hope she does well in her fine art degree.

USK challenge 21.7.20

Posted on July 22, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Black and white, Drawing, Hill, Picture, Sketching, Staffordshire, Stoke, Usk Stoke-on-TrentLeave a comment

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Out and about. A local street I have not walked down since March. Got to it by going up our very steep hill. It was only a couple of miles but I’m shattered. Black and white sketch taken from a photo. I wish I had drawn it in situ, but I didn’t have my sketchbook with me.

The plant really was growing out like a triffidcacross the pavement. I really liked it. Very interesting.

Today’s variation

Posted on July 21, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Design, Drawing, Fun, Illustration, Playing, Sketching, Tarot, VariationLeave a comment

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Work for my course. Take four images, a person walking, an animal, a recognisable plane and a building or part of a building. Three of them are mine and the fourth is a fellow student. I turned the images into tarot cards this time. I enjoyed doing this one. I tried to make it more coherent than the other three I’ve done. I’ve also got an usk challenge to do. I might try and get it done today.

Backgrounds

Posted on July 18, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Backgrounds, College work, Decisions, Drawing, Ideas, Illustration, Landscape, Portrait, Sketching, VariationsLeave a comment

I’m working on a background to place my four images on fro my illustration course.