One Down, One To Go...

I'm Painting As Fast As I Can...

Whilst I am really enjoying this commission - I always love to draw and paint dogs - I am also champing at the bit to get on to the next one as it is something that excites me.  The trouble is, you just can't hurry a painting like this, it has to be done with as much care and attention as ever.  Black dogs take twice as much time as other coloured dogs as it takes a lot of effort to get the depth of colour required.  Thankfully the other dog in the painting is a tan coloured German Shepherd, so might be a tad quicker to do.

Currently on the needles: working out patterns for small things...

What Have You Been Up To?

 Although I've been quiet here, it's been a busy week at home.  The grape vine in the garden has once again produced a bumper crop, so I picked about half of the grapes and made some grape jelly.  I wasn't too sure of what to do with the rest - I don't think we can eat any more grape jelly, so I though I would boil them down to syrup in the Greek fashion and try to make some mustakouloura (must flavoured biscuits.) Got to do something with them as the dog keeps eating the ones that fall.

 We've paid another visit to the UK Wolf Trust, this time with decent cameras.  I was very pleased to have got some great shots with no wire fencing showing up.

 It was a bit of a blustery day with the odd rain shower, but we stayed for an hour or so and notched up over 300 photos between us.

So I have plenty of reference material for the winter months should the paid work dry up!

I've been knitting & stitching a couple of things...for the little animation that goes with this year's Knitting & Stitching Show.  Watch it here and see if you can spot my sewing machine and poodle!

Bear Cub

I completed this today - I could have done more to it but was beginning to get bored and very conscious that I have commissions lining up as from tomorrow.  I started this as a study more than anything - when I draw or paint an animal I learn so much about the way eyes are, the way the hairs grow, the structure of the skull, etc.  This one is not perfect by a long way, but it was valuable for future reference.  Watercolour on paper.

We've also been away on holiday - Alderney in the Channel Islands.  It was idyllic...