New paintings and regular art updates.
Today’s prompt was Rooves (roofs). I looked out of all my windows and this view from the back of our house came closest to the remit. The sun was low and shining in as I drew this so I had to scoot across the bed so that I didn’t get completely dazzled. Most of the view is taken up with shrubs and trees. A few roofs in the distance, in silhouette. I managed to see more as the sun started to set, but it had to be done quickly. For our #bandofsketchers group.
This was the view I was looking at when I did my Sketch earlier on. As you can see things were a lot darker in reality. I looked more at the shapes, concentrating on drawing them in first, then adding trees and branches afterwards. The silver grey seems to sit back in the background, the tones do not match this photo but does that matter? I keep drawing and hope I’m progressing. X
View out of my front door of Portmeirion pottery. Tried to emphasise the trees. Actually sat in the car as I was letting all the warm air out of the house. I used a gold and a silver pen and a slightly metallic blue and green to make it more interesting. If you’ve got to live opposite a factory I prefer something like this with some trees rather than completely blank walls and nasty smells!
She often looks out watching the cars and vans racing up the hill. Looking at birds flying up to the factory roof, playing with the mobile on the window. Jumping down and clawing my legs under the desk when I go to type things up. This is her territory. She’s upstairs and her brother is downstairs. Both in their individual realms. They sometimes meet to play and chase. She’s a happy cat, she is mistress of all she surveys.
Rained all day,
today,
poured down,
persisted it down,
grey clouds,
lower than the tree tops,
streaks of water on the windows,
birds needing shelter,
sparrows soaked,
don’t go out,
keep warm and dry.
A few minutes ago a young man looked over our gate. He had dark hair and had a scarf or mask on covering the lower half of his face. As he looked over my hubby and I saw him and he say us. He turned away and walked up the hill. Hubby went to the front door and shouted, asking what was he doing and then shouted that he should sod off. The youth ignored him and walked away.
Why were we bothered? Because hubby’s motor scooter is locked just inside the gate. It’s attached to a ground anchor with a strong chain. That’s because it was stolen before but we got it back. It was stolen during a snow storm late at night but my hubby was able to follow the tracks to where it had been hidden! Is it any wonder that we are suspicious of people looking into the garden.
View through the window, from our living room. Our TV is at the bottom of the page. We have a pottery (Portmeirion) opposite where we live. They do have some ground that they garden, but they used to have roses scrambling all up the building. Sadly some of these have recently been cut back so the view is a bit less colourful now. Higher up the hill they are still there, still in flower. This is in a small sketchbook and is drawn with felt pens, some permanent markers a few coloured pencils and a thin black ink pen. The image on the TV is grey because we were watching a black and white film.
Up hill
Steep, hard to breathe
Step by step we struggle.
Into the sunset
Over the ground
Crawling up.
Now we turn around a corner,
Along a street
Looking at stars and planets.
Meander for a while,
Then up again
To the plateau.
Now home
Down hill
Short steps
Teetering down the hill
Steeper to start
Then slowly levelling
Home.
June, before all the leaves had grown on the trees. View out the kitchen window over the main garden. Usually there is a cat in the way but not on this day. The bird feeder on the window didn’t get used. I guess being stared at by an interested looking cat isn’t a good thing when all you want to do is peacefully eat some sunflower seed kernels. This view showed the ripening cherries on the tree, gone and eaten a month later. X
Want to see the stars? You don’t need an expensive telescope. Maybe just a pair of binoculars (you can get monocular too). You just have to get them set up so you can see images clearly. You can use them to look at the moon, where you will be able to see more of the craters and mare (seas). These are not actually filled with water, but flattened areas amongst the craters. There is the sea of tranquility where Apollo 11 landed for instance. Other things that binoculars make visible include some galaxies and comet Neowise which is gradually fading as it moves away from the sun. It is visible above the western horizon below the star Arcturus (follow the stars of the big dipper handle down till you get to a bright star, then look about halfway between it and the horizon. It is an idea to look in a dark sky area, and allow your eyes to become adapted to the dark for about twenty minutes to allow the pupils of your eyes to open fully.
It’s been cloudy here so I haven’t seen it!
Mallaband-Brown