Sketch idea

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I did the first drawing on Monday, a simple cat sketch, I  coloured it with felt tip pens, but the ink bled through the paper, so I got a reversed image on the back of the page.

I decided to experiment and added some bright colours with pencil crayons . Then I got a black ink pen and outlined the gradations of colours in the drawing. Made it interesting…. Its something I’ve done before in paintings, I enjoyed doing it. X

Sketching breakfast

If you don’t eat meat, look away now….

 

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If you can’t see what it is, I drew bacon about to be grilled, so I could make bacon and cheese oatcakes.

Today’s USK S-O-T challenge was to draw ‘cooking’. Various pots and pans and foodstuffs have been drawn. It’s keeping me occupied and mentally active.

USK stands for Urban Sketchers, its a world wide movement of people who draw their environment. The rules are, draw from life, not a photo, include background, not just the subject on its own. There are others but I can’t remember them all…. Anyway, I wonder what tomorrows challenge will be. X

Latest USK drawing

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Did a sketch of two new plants in the kitchen, my hubby bought them today. Are they essential? No, but gardening helps his mental health, so to him they are.

Is it DIY? That was the challenge, well I guess it’s the closest thing to DIY that’s happening here.

The green splatter of ink was put on first to give a bit of interest and help filling in the area of greenery.

Not sure if I got the perspective right. The plants are about the right scale.

What are they? A Kumquat and a Plum tree. I’m not sure if the Kumquat is edible. Does anyone know? I think it’s just decorative.

Urban Sketchers Stoke-on-Trent is a group of local people interested in drawing and sketching. The drawings should be a general view, so if you draw something you need to include it’s surroundings. Sketches are from life, not photos, and we try and be accurate as much as we can.

The challenge is based on the one urban sketchers in London is running. It runs for thirty days, and lots of people are getting involved.

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USK S-O-T challenge….day 4

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Today’s challenge was ‘Entertainment’,

I could have drawn the TV or a computer or phone screen, but I just love the way the cat stares out of the window at the birds, he can’t go out, so he likes watching them. Yesterday a couple of pigeons were perched in the cherry tree. Sometimes when he’s washing he’s really comical because he sits on top of our bird food box, he only just fits. The windowledge is too full of houseplants. He likes eating some of them. This is his spot, he entertains me.

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Chore..

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Urban Sketchers Stoke-on-Trent is doing a thirty day challenge. Today is day three and the challenge is ‘household chore’ this is my sweeping brush as my hoover is bust.

Pencil in a Daler Rowney ‘simply’ sketchbook.

In other thoughts I’m trying to think of things to do. So far I’ve got as far as spending half the day looking at social media. I think a lot of people will be suffering from vitamin D deficiency and will look like they have recently been in prison!

Anyway, back to my chores…

Cheering myself up

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I’ve joined a group on Facebook where the idea is to post cheerful things, and not mention the virus.

One of today’s challenges was to post a ‘kettle’ view. I think I took it too literally, this is a view of my kettle.

I posted it, then saw beautiful pictures of kitchens, or views out of the windows of neat and tidy houses.

On a seperate page the urban sketchers challenge was to draw ‘working from home’ as I’m semi retired I’m not really doing that. Craft fairs and exhibitions are off for the time being, and I genuinely have not felt that creative this week. But I wanted to do the challenge, so I drew this. DSC_2386

Washing up waiting to be done..

It’s still waiting…

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Urban Sketchers, draw a selfie…

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Selfie’ portrait, including phone and the canvas of a kingfisher it’s propped up on. Old brushes and easle. Background on the phone is a painting I did in about 1982,of my imagined self, so a selfie of a self portrait? Happy to join the challenge. Why is the photo a mirror image to what was on the screen I was drawing?

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Oh my double chins! How difficult it is to draw while trying to look over your glasses because I can’t see clearly. I need varifocals, but after spending loads on a pair a few years ago I hated them so much I never wore them again!

Sketching with urban sketchers means including the background and having the image in context. Why not do your own selfie?

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Colour that cat…!

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Two year old digital sketch. I’m just posting it for fun. All I’ve done for the last couple of days is moan about the virus or WordPress. Enough!

My love is for colour and pattern. Cats are also in the mix. I’m not saying this is a good drawing. It’s rough and ready, not anatomically correct, but it’s a bit of fun.

I’m going to try and find more apps to draw on. I’ve got obsessed by a colouring by numbers website and I’ve coloured over 200 images in just a few days. I think I’m sticking my head in the sand.

Primary colours, bold lines, pattern = fun?

Knitted drawing

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I loved this drawing app, but when I changed devices I couldn’t get it to load on my new tablet. It was fascinating to see this texture appear in the drawing. I cannot remember where I got it from, and now I can’t even remember it’s name! Over the years I’ve done lots I’d digital art, some of it is more easy to use than others. I think this was relatively simple.

One of the things about art applications is the amount if memory they take. I’ve found that I cannot run all the apps I want to because I mainly use my devices to create art, and that takes up memory on them. I don’t know if I’m unusual in doing this. I probably need to delete a lot of things, it’s just I’m too attached.

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Outside today

I went out with Urban sketchers today and was at an old farm near Eccleshall to draw. I took a few photos. I need to take good pictures of my drawings.

The day was grey, overcast with great rushes of wind that you could hear soughing through the trees. Starting far way you could hear it rushing and pushing the tree branches. Rooks were flying and calling in the air, scooting about and apparently enjoying it. We even saw a murmuration of Starlings flocking in the distance.

I sat on a white metal garden chair, strong but cold. I ended up folding up my scarf to stop my bum going numb with the cold. Within a few minutes I was shivering and then I got used to it although my hands started to go numb with the chill. Luckily there was hot tea available. It was very kind of the artists that live there to let a crowd of about twenty urban sketchers come round and draw everything from trees to stone dogs.

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