Week 10 Animal*

Sometimes the categories are so broad it's hard to know where to start - it's a little less broad than last week though!
So we have two smiling animals and one that makes me smile:
a quokka that my son took a photo of when he visited Rotness Island near Perth - they can't stop smiling
a goat and 
an elephant

Quokka

A5 Sketchbook, colour pencils

Goat
fine liner, A5 sketchbook, cartridge paper

Elephant
fine liner, A5 sketchbook, cartridge paper

Week 34 - Japan*

For this 'Japan challenge', I am tempted to draw a doodle character in a kimono, but for now it is something new.
I don't know much about Japan but I wanted to avoid being too obvious. So I have combined two very obvious Japanese symbols with a Japanese art form.
It is called Notan. It represents light and dark, ying and yang.

Now, I am not very adept at paper cutting AND I couldn't find my best scissors, but here is my best efforts with the time and resources I had this week.
*Whoohooo! In the picks :)

Week 33 Mythology

One image

I chose the Mermaid of Zennor
Here is my interpretation of what she looked like based on a carving in the parish church in Zennor.
Photos of the carving and her story can be found on this link.

Week 25 Africa

Two images

I wanted to use Adinkra symbols but didn't really have time or inclination to create printing blocks. This way I was able to use a wide set of symbols, representing qualities relating to the spirit of the challenge:
love, security, safety, perseverance, peace, harmony, endurance, resourcefulness, charisma, persistence, support, cooperation, initiative, enthusiasm, learning from the past, humility, strength, wisdom, lifelong education and - of course - creativity.

Adinkra symbols collage
Made in Photoshop using Adinkra brushes - free download :)  from THIS SITE
and coloured in Picasa





I wanted to draw one of my doodle characters in an African onesie and as I couldn't get a particular song out of my head so the two ideas naturally went together - although  I didn't stick to the simple 'doodle' style this time.
Very, very quick water colour sketch and pencil to outline.

Week 22 Childhood

Only one picture this week.
I have started an acrylic on canvas but just didn't have time to finish it, so I have done a quicker drawing in blended colour pencil.
If I could bottle a time and revisit it, this would be it. This is my children at the sea pool in Bude, Cornwall in about 2004

Week 21 Stripes**

Two images

This week started off with a 'does what it says on the tin' illustration. I needed something bright and colourful after last week's sombre theme.
Simply stripes of watercolour on watercolour paper. The paper is white, but I had trouble brightening the white without losing the colour of the paint.
I haven't given it a title, but I was thinking about the sun rising behind trees in a wood.

The second offering is taken from a photo I took a couple of years ago at Whipsnade Zoo of a group of lemurs. I love how their very stripy tails are fanned out. I always intended to paint the photo at some point but at least this sketch is step in the right direction.
Pencil and fine liner on plain, copier paper.

I have also noticed a great white, untouched patch on the foremost lemur, oops!

I can hardly believe it, both my illustrations were picked this week! 

Feeling a little emotional tbh.