Here's a snap...

...of the first two of four charcoal studies I'm doing in preparation for a painting

More blooming tulips!?!?

All in a day's play...

I spy...tulip-hearts / tulip-parts / tulip art

Do you see what I see?

(Ink & watercolour)

Faded bloom...another work in progress

Painted tulips

So here's the "finished" painting of the tulips. The end result doesn't feel quite right to me, but I'm not sure why and I don't know what to do to fix it. But I'll let it be for now and maybe one day it will come to me. Any constructive criticism is welcomed!

Having a go at painting - work in progress

After not having used my acrylics since painting a picture for my friend Vicky in October last year, I was inspired to try again. So I bought myself some more flowers and pulled my easel out of its dusty box and just started. This needs work until it's "done", but here are the first stages. I'm also going to be starting a painting course soon, done by correspondence with OCA again, the same people I did my drawing course with. The thought of learning to paint scares me, but it's all the more challenging and thrilling for it. I just have to focus on how much I'll have learned by the time I finish the course, and remember how far I've come since I started drawing just 18 months ago. Anyway, I'll be blogging about my journey here.

Drawing dried flowers

Pastel study for a portrait

Self-portraits

The top two are blind contour, the second has colour added later courtesy of oil pastels.

mandala time again...

Getting to know Lotty & Jakey

So, Lotty & Jakey joined our household a few days ago and I got to know them a bit better today. Jakey is easier to draw as he will stay still in one position for a while, and doesn't mind being watched. Lotty on the other hand will either be hiding or, if you're looking at her, she'll come to you for a cuddle and a stroke, so not so easy to draw.

Above are blind contour drawings of Jakey - the first one is in ink with watercolour added later, of him sitting on my computer table as I worked, the second is a blind contour drawing in pencil as he comandeered my chair for his nap - and Lotty (blind contour in pencil, drawn as she was sitting in my lap, the watercolour was added later), and a normal sketch of Jakey in pencil.

To read more about them and to see photos of what they actually look like, go here.

Wired

Billy hated it when his wife wired him up to her home-made lie detector. It always ruined his hair.

Hide for IF

Sometimes, he liked to hide his kisses amongst the folds of petals...

(I know, I know, this is very sappy. I apologise, I got carried away. If it's too much for you then please look away now.)

Ink & watercolour on textured paper

blind contour amenomes

That's the flower, not the sea creature.

Yesterday, I bought myself this bunch of flowers to cheer myself up after the expected arrival of Lotty & Jakey didn't happen as planned. We are hoping it is still going to happen, but who knows when!

Anyway, they're very pretty and I love drawing flowers so I decided to have a go at drawing them blind and then colouring them in with watercolour afterwards. I quite like how they turned out, what do you think?

my week in mandalas

Drawing Paul

Blind Contour 1

Blind Contour 2

Completely blind (drawn while blind-folded, from memory)

Single line drawing

Drawn "normally"

Paul and I decided to have a go drawing each other. These are my drawings of him. My favourite is the one I drew completely blind. Which one do you like best?