Gannets & Other Paintings...

 This painting has been sat around for the past four days just needing the poo highlights painted in, but with a bank holiday weekend and everyone home, I just didn't get the opportunity.  Today, with the house to myself and a spare hour, it got done.  I'm very happy with how this one turned out, plus it was a lot of fun to paint.  Watercolour on watercolour paper, with acrylic 'poo'.

I've also been procrastinating over framing my paintings for the upcoming local exhibition - I've had a month in which to do it, but as usual left it to the last minute.  The exhibition starts on Thursday...actually, that makes me a day early geting them done, which is quite amazing for me!

I have a couple of commissions waiting in the wings, but have a few days free to paint something else of my own - not sure what yet, but I do have a new set of liquid pencil to play with...

Moving On...

Finally started on the gannets - bit scary as it could all go wrong now!

Painting Poo...

I'm between commissions at the moment, which gives me a few days to get on with a painting that has been in my head for weeks.  This will be a pair of gannets on a cliff face, based on a fabulous photograph taken by a friend of mine while in Scotland.  I've started by painting the background, because I felt that had to go in first as the birds are so white that I need to be able to see what they are against when they are painted.  This is in watercolour. 

I started with some mixed washes and sprinkles of salt for texture, but I think most of the texture achieved has been lost after painting in the shadows and deeper colours.  Not too bothered about that, if it shows, it shows.  The further the painting progresses, the more I realise just how much guano there is to be painted!  A lot of that is being added with white acrylic on a stick and smeared with fingers.  I love painting...

Been struggling over this - had a real mental blockage, but I think I'm on the right track now.  Can you guess what it is yet?

We visited a shop called The Range yesterday - not been there before, and probably just as well as I came out much lighter in the wallet.  They have a huge selection of art materials, and as well as all the framing essentials I was after for an upcoming exhibition, I found this nifty little tool kit - hole punchers, tweezers, needle nosed pliers, big needles and a dinky little hammer. Because a girl can never have enough tools. 

Meanwhile, the garden is going great guns - discovered our potted Torbay palm has flowers for the first time ever.  Very excited to see how they turn out.

Plus the tomato plants are flowering like mad - praying the weather stays reasonably warm so that we actually get some early tomatoes.  Have to admit, with all the goings on while nursing Clovis over the past few months, I cheated and bought small tomato plants from the garden centre - not much time or enthusiasm for planting seeds this year.  Just as well I think as we appear to have a bumper crop of slugs and snails who are making short work of any seedlings I do manage to grow.

On the needles...nothing, it's all sewing this week!

Whippets - Complete

Just finished this double portrait on watercolour paper using Derwent Drawing Pencils & Derwent Coloursoft pencils, with watercolour wash for the background and white acrylic for the highlights.

Considering the photos supplied were not the best - for the beige dog anyway - I am very pleased with how this turned out.

Hard to photograph these pencils, the camera tends to leach out the colour, so here is one under daylight bulb which is slightly more true to the colours.

I have a short break in between commissions, so intend to get a painting done that I have had in my head for a couple of weeks, as well as having to frame five paintings for the Fleet Art Society exhibition at the beginning of June.

Pugnacious...

 Here's a little pug made of felt...

 ...not made one for ages...

...might do it again.

Whippet WIP

One down, one to go!  This is in Derwent drawing pencils on a watercolour paper with a colour wash background, needed to set off the dog as the colours are so pale.  Happy with it so far, even happier to be starting the second dog as I have been really looking forward to drawing him.

Lots on the go, plenty of sewing to be done and another portrait in the pipeline.

On Slowly Recovering...

 It's been a sad old week, but life goes on and we are slowly getting back to some semblance of normality.  Although I miss Clovis desperately, I certainly do not miss the time I spent cooking food to try and tempt him to eat, and the time spent cajoling him to nibble a few mouthfuls before throwing it all in the bin.  There are a few more hours in the day now, and plenty to fill them with.

 Last weekend Stacie put in a request for some 'flower biscuits' - as it's a bit early for violas in my garden, she had to make do with having primroses on these ones - I heard no complaints!  The butterfly shaped biscuits are flavoured with lavender.

 I've also made a start on the latest dog portrait, a rather handsome pair of whippets.  It's good to be drawing again, not only because I love it but it is also very therapeutic.  This is in Derwent Drawing Pencils on watercolour paper.

Knitted myself a pair of wristwarmers in the leftover 'When Clowns Cry' yarn.  They are not anything special to look at but I have customised them for when I go dog-walking - extra long thumb as that's the part of my hand that always gets coldest, and longer over the fingers too, just leaving the tips free for fiddly jobs.  Of course now the weather has warmed up considerably, but they'll be ready for next winter.

I'm also sewing, some more interesting props for an animation - currently labouring over a gramaphone that is only 4 inches high.  It's a head-scratcher!