Today is my 71st birthday (eek... I haven't even managed to get my head around being 70 yet!). The day started badly with my waking up at 7.00 a.m. so I thought I'd get up, but I'd only started to get ready when I felt so tired and in need of more sleep…
SHOSHI'S LITTLE BLACK BOOK, AND SOME GOLD MANDALAS Little Black Book lost and found What I used to call my Rhodia drawing book has now been renamed. Shoshi's Little Black Book. Foz, a member of the art forum I am on, called it that and it's stuck! It doesn't contain naughty stuff though,…
STUDIO TIDYING, TEABAG STAINS, CROCHET AND EMBROIDERY, AND ORGANISING A NEW PAINT BOX - ACTIVITIES DURING ONLINE ART COURSE REST WEEK I saved this as a draft on 1st May and then forgot to publish it. I posted it on 19th May, back-dated to 1st May. What did I do in the rest…
COLOURED PENCILS - A BOWL OF PEBBLES, AND A CASE FOR MY AMAZON BASICS PENCILS In my bathroom I have quite a collection of pebbles which I have picked up on the beach on various occasions. I love the colour and variation, and the different textures, in pebbles - it is surprising how…
ONLINE ART COURSE - COMPLETING THE PASTEL PENCILS MODULE, THE FIRST SHEET OF PEPPERMINT TEABAG STAINS, AND COLOURED PENCIL UPDATE Pastel Pencils Self-Directed Challenge - Facial Features This afternoon I finished this challenge at last. It's been a busy couple of weeks, what with being ill and getting my new glasses and various…
NEW ART MATERIALS, MORE TEABAG STAINS, AND CATARACT NEWS Coloured pencils A couple of years ago I got a set of Derwent Coloursoft pencils. These wax-based coloured pencils are very soft and creamy, and blend very well, but it is impossible to retain a sharp point on them and they are not good…
ONLINE ART COURSE - SELF-DIRECTED CHALLENGE PT 2 Today I completed the second facial feature on the self-directed challenge in pastel pencils. I'm not entirely happy with the result, but the ear is a complicated structure. The lighting on the reference photo was pretty strong, resulting in lots of contrast, but I think…
3-D MANDALA - METAL WITH PINK GEMSTONES, A NEW DRAWING TOOL, AND A HEALTH UPDATE 3-D Mandala Background First of all, I am not involved in any way with the spiritual aspects of mandalas. I just enjoy drawing them as an art concept. The way one builds up concentric circles with different patterns…
ONLINE ART COURSE - PASTEL PENCILS - AVOCADO Now that my pastel pencils have finally arrived, and I had a nice quiet day on my own today, I was able to settle down and work on the first project in the fourth module of the course, which is pastel pencils. I had thought…
NEW PASTEL PENCILS, AND COLOURING SOME OLD DRAWINGS Faber Castell pastel pencils My new pastel pencils arrived today, a day earlier than scheduled, which is excellent. Tomorrow I am hoping to settle down and begin the Pastel Pencils module on the art course, which I have had to delay because my existing set…
