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 32 Fabric

It's a busy week for me so I needed to stick to line work and not over-do the detail. So ideas of fabric collages went out of the window along with ideas of drawing super macro close-ups of  woven material in pencil or watercolours.

An alternative definition of fabric relates to the walls and roof of a building, and as it turns out there is a London nightclub called fabric. So, here is a queue waiting along the walls of the building.

I started drawing the people at the middle and worked right. When I came to finish the queue I learned that I can draw people better from left to right. Overall, the impression of people is OK even though I would have liked to have time to refine it.

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.

Week 14 Whimsy

Two images 

So this was harder than it seemed, or at least harder than a carefree prompt would suggest - being deliberately and self-consciously whimsical seems as wrong as telling everyone you are quirky. Surely that is for other people to notice for themselves?

My first illustration is based on a picture I remember from my childhood in the 1970's. It was a small picture, quietly filling wallspace in the background of Mindy's apartment in Mork and Mindy. I have always drawn birds based on this shape. I bet no one else even noticed it when Mork was calling Orson.

I drew the outlines of the sun and the bird and the rest just sort of came to me.
Pencils from WHSmith on A4 copier paper.

This one uses little characters who have individually appeared on my greetings cards in the past, but never together. I wasn't sure what their context was going to be, even after I had finished them. I wanted them to jumping around and clouds just didn't seem to be right and a trampoline would have had too severe edges to it - so I plumped on a bed, which felt like a a mixture of the two.
There WERE ten in the bed - what's happened?

Watercolour paint and paper. A3.
The colours aren't quite right as it's A3 and my scanner is A4. I took the picture with my phone and editted in Snapseed.

Week 13 Transport*

Two images 

I started with lots of ideas this week but it's the end of term and Easter, so I have had little energy for anything and even less time.

Here's the first: a dandelion seed transported by its own little parachute.
Fine liner on plain paper

*update and cue happy dance* this picture is one of the picks for the challenge blog!

Transport picks #illo52weeks blog



Sticking with the nature theme, here are a family of geese - the parents are transporting their goslings from the bushes along the path and to the lake for a swim.

Week 11: Green

5 images
A few styles this week!

I did a chalk and charcoal still life on pink sugar papr this week. I had an idea that I would have another go at home, but so far haven't found the time and energy together. I used pixlr editorto change the background instead :)

My son, drawn from a photo using inktense pencils and water wash. I have added the 'before' version so you can see the incredible changes that the water makes to these pencils.

Any fans of Blackadder out there? I really wanted to do this subject but wasn't sure how I would do it until I was reminded of this style by a somewhat cheeky request from a woman I haven't had any contact with for about 6 years.
Fine liners and digitally added block colour using pixlr editor.

Week 10: Night

3 images 

I had lots of ideas this week - sadly not enough time and energy to do all of them. Here are the three I completed.

This me and Nick in the summer on the beach in Exmouth.
My daughter took the photo and is keen to take most of the credit for this - my interpretation is low down in terms of artistic merit!
Black card and antique white inktense pencil.

Corfe Castle. The actual photo was taken just before sunset,
although it was getting dark, it wasn't THIS dark.
I did improve this after I saw the scan, but then I wrecked it by trying to blend it.
Happy I saved this version.
Black card and blending pencils from a high street store (WHSmith).

Sitting around the fire pit with friends on a summer evening but wrapped in blankets and wearing as many clothes as we can find!
From a photo
Fine liners and cartridge paper

Week 7 Farm

8 images

I have tons of photos of farms taken on holidays to Wales and the West Country, and also from photography outings. My favourite location for lavender and sunflowers is Hitchin Lavender Farm.

Here are this week's offerings:

These sheep were on a farm in Dorset next to our campsite. A friend's son found that when he clapped they came to him. There was a whole field of ewes and one busy ram.
I intended to make a very simple line drawing but my fineliners came out, first for the grass, then the trees. Once up loaded I couldn't resist adding some bucket-fill using Pixlr editor.

This is a farm in Llaneglwys, in the Brecon Beacons near the bunkhouse, owned by my children's secondary school which we have stayed in regularly.
I wanted to use my new blendable pencils but found in my first attempt I was over working it and it just looked boring. This version was done in about five miutes and, to me, feels fresher and has more life.

And finally, we have Hitchin Lavender Farm. Maybe next time I will attempt the sunflower field as well.
Again, the quick sketch and wash found more favour with me than the one which I worked harder on and thought about more carefully. Below is the first attempt, before and after I added water to the inktense pencils.

Week 5 Kitchen*

2 images

I struggled to find inspiration this week, so I started with a play one words: a kitsch hen.
Having found my way in, I drew her in her kitchen and she became the Little Red Hen.
Inktense pencils.

For my second drawing I was going to use watercolour or blended pencils and seem to have reverted to my fine liner.
I thought so hard about where I would find my inspiration and was certain I would use either the Queen of Hearts baking tarts or three blind mice, when all of a sudden I found myself choosing to do Monica's kitchen from 'Friends'.

*I am so pleased to add this update :

My Monica's kitchen was featured in the blog!

Kitchen picks #illo52weeks blog

Week 4 Insects

3 images

I thought I would try a few different materials this week and all three pictures are from photos I have taken.

My first attempt I did over a couple of days and is water colour only (ok, a little bit of fine liner before I had a word with myself). A swallowtail butterfly at Butterfly World in St Albans.

The second was a very quick torn paper collage of a ladybird on a sunflower at Hitchin Lavender.

The third is back to my trusty fine liner. A robin with a beakful to feed its chicks in my garden.

Week 1 Theme Fairytale

2 images

The Silent Gondoliers

The Princess Bride