Quick sketches

A quick sketch tonight...

Fun to do while watching tv - and recovering from the dreaded flu :-) 

Xo L. 

I give my heart to thee

On my desk tonight.
Putting the final touches on.

Vintage lace with old hymn book title...

She has a 1920's attitude I think...

 

Sharing with Sunday Sketches  - I am ever so late ( again!)

xo L.

A violet on the meaodow grew...

Winds wanders, and dews drip earthward; Rains fall, suns rise and set; Earth whirls, and all but to prosper A poor little violet.

James Russell Lowell Quotes , Source: The Changeling

 

We have had the rain, and today we have the sun!

Sharing this little watercolour sketch for Sunday Sketches

Looks rather pretty in a frame...

Loving this beautiful, SUNNY weather....How are you spending your weekend?
 xo L.

Productive Procrastination

 So where have I been?

Here and there

Working mainly

And every once and a while, I scrounge some time to do something fun...

Real soon... maybe... I might just be lucky... and finish some of these ongoing projects?

Sharing with the old gang at Paint Party Friday!

 and Sunday Sketches  and Creative Everyday!
xo L.

One night in March

 

One Night in March

While the night was still young

Reading with feet propped high, lethargic legs stretched.

 The music played, the cats meowed

and I sketched.

 

Been there, watercolours

Been there, Done That...

Been there, done that. Mixed media on arche watercolour paper.  8 x 10"

1. Travelled the world ( in my dreams)
2. Born in Darwin, Australia
3. Married - twice
4. Children - 2+ - Yours, mine and 'ours' - done the whole step mother thing. Not Fun.
5. Got my teachers degree, external, whilst also being mum
6. Homeschooled 1 child right through 5 years of highschool ( and 1 to go!)
7. Raised chickens, hatched chicks, watched puppies and kittens grow, kept a vege garden
8. Sourdough Queen - bread, waffles, pancakes, brioche... you name it!
9. Jumped off a creek ledge into a crystal clear, sparkling rainforest pool
10. Said I'd never get another pet. ever. 2 dogs, and 2 cats later... I still mean it! :-)
11. Seen: KISS, Elton John, Billy Joel, U2, Midnight Oil ( Aussie band) in concert

edit: added just now...
A thought about getting it 'right'.  SOMEWHERE today, I was reading someones blog - but for the life of me I can't rememebr who, where, or what (sorry) but the gist of it all was: don't stress the small stuff, don't wait till everything is perfect, ideal, the stars all in allignment, etc... just do it.  Whatever 'it' might be... and in relation to art - don't worry that what you create is not perfect, creative, be free, make a mark, play and experiment.  That is just what I've been doing.. and I've never enjoyed myself more; or been more happy with the results.  Now I KNOW these are not perfect.  But they were not supposed to be.  I know the eyes are wonky, etc etc (I'm not going to list all the perceived faults I see)... but hey - go look at Modigliani's eyes, or Picasso's faces... it really doesn't matter.  
Wonkyness = character.  It speaks of who you, and I, am as an artist.  Our expressive brushmark.  I hope my left side brain is listening to me!
Final thought: Be kind to your art.

Untitled. Mixed media.  slightly larger, shown matted to 8 x 10 in 11 x 14" frame.

Both works available for purchase, contact me for details.

Start of New Watercolour 1st post here

To find out why I started Watercolour Splash - read it here

A big shout out to  Aimee @ List it Tuesday
Leah @ AEDM: Creative Every Day

Art Intervention Watercolour Spash Challenge!

List of projects to try just seems to grow...


 

watercolour & gouache 

 encaustic anyone?

oils or acrylic?
cards

printing
designing
sketching
painting.... help!!

so... how do I limit myself to just one?

And should I?

Experimentation is fun, and creative, etc... but to develop skill in one area, before moving on, 
 makes more sense, in a developmental and skills building way.

My challenge to myself (and anyone else who needs Art Intervention): Watercolour Splash!

I will try (see, I already have committment issues!) 

between now and Christmas, to ONLY  use watercolour and sketching 

(the two naturally go together anyway)  

In watercolour I am going to include: gouache, and acryllic ink, and watercolour pencils - is that cheating?  (My rules so I can do as I want!)

BUT Only 1 new watercolour tool/supply/ added each week.

(man that's going to be HARD!)

hmmm - wish me luck!

Along the way I hope to share what worked, what didn't, tools, tricks, and things I discover :-)  

To make sure you don't miss out - remember to join the blog here, or like me on FB!

 

linking to Creative Every Day

AED 13, watercolour mermaid

Faced with a decided lack of inspiration this afternoon, I drew the first thing I could see on my desk - a small line drawing of a fish... 

Now don't ask me what type of fish as i have no idea! 

But once I had the fish, then what ? And so a mermaid and some coral. 

 I'm not really a mermaid kind of person and this my first ever mermaid, 

but I had a whole hour of uninterrupted drawing and that's all that matters - right? 

 

This is how she looked part the way through...

whew... love the challenge of Art Every Day... 

apologies for not getting around to everyone, but intend on catching up!  

Birthdays are out of the way, and once groceries are re-stocked (otherwise the troops will be revolting, revolt)... then I can grab a cuppa and have some relaxing time visiting y'all!

Quick fixes & Proteas

Aimee at Artsyville's List It Tuesday suggested topic this week is:  "quick fixes": stuff you know you need to do (and could do in a flash), but for whatever reason, it remains undone.

My, oh my... what could I put on such a list?

My Quick Fix list:

1.  Clean out the fridge... it really only takes a minute every week... but somehow, maybe because it's never that bad, it gets left, and then another week goes by, and before you know it you have a full blown science experiment happening in the back, and it takes you 30 mins to pull everything out to find out, 'Where IS that smell coming from?"...

2.  Decluttering The kitchen drawers: They are a disaster zone all by themselves... we only moved 10 months ago, how did they get so full of STUFF?



3. Filing The Pile: of papers, bills, and other important paperwork that needs to be kept... but which always seems to start as a "I'll put that away tomorrow"... but which ends up as a 6 month humungous pile of every piece of paper ever  deemed 'important' at some stage

4. Culling the Dead Underwear:   Maybe it's just me, but by the time I break in a bra so that it's all comfy, and fits MY shape... I want to hold onto it at least into the next decade...  even though they start to loose their 'oomph', and I know I really, truly need to say goodbye...and it is such a quick, no-brainer type of job, it's far easier to hold onto the old favourites than go out shopping for new!





5. Looking up online to find the nearest insulation installer... as we head into summer I have recently discovered the ONLY room without ceiling insulation is our main bedroom, what the?? 

Some watercolour sketches I did on my death bed, sick bed, comfy chair, while recuperating yesterday, using photos I took at the Melbourne Zoo for inspiration.  I have it on expert advice ( my mother) that the large flower is a protea and not a native of Australia.

If you missed travelling with us on our recent Marvelous Melbourne Mother Daughter Holiday -  the links are here!

Day 1 Marvelous Melbourne Mother Daughter Holiday 2012
Day 2 Arcades and alleys
Day 3 Things overheard
Day 4 The Zoo and pairs!
Day 5 Greek Speaking dogs, illness & Movies
Day 6 Trams and starbucks
Day 7 Markets, owls and home!

purpleness, pouts and watercolours

We planted purple carrots last weekend - at the start of the holidays... and then I saw purple in lots of places... The flowers in the kitchen I had bought last week

.... and the beetroot leaves ( also newly planted)...

And in the pastels... which I hoped to get into...

I honestly thought, intended and planned to actually paint a portrait ( purple optional) for todays entry specifically for PPF... but no, instead I wanted a sleep!
We had a HUGE day out on the coast yesterday, then got  in traffic returning from the coast to the city, and then got caught in the mega huge traffic jam resulting from a car accident on the highway... which meant we didn't get home until after 8.30pm, exhausted. -->

However, today still had promise, and I had planned a nap after lunch, with ample time left to collect my thoughts, and find a suitable brush to start waving around. 

until.

1. I discovered, my eldest, dear cherub, had NOT finished her uni application
   
2. It is due today.
   
3. The computer wouldn't work.
   
4. Yes it's all online.
   
5. and SHE was 5 mins late for work....
   
   
   
   6. SO. Being the good mother that I am, I sacrificed my cosy afternoons, much needed rejuvenating power nap.
   7. And instead spent 2 hours fighting with the computer.
   
   
   
   
   
   8. But success was had, after finishing the section she hadn't completed. ( why can't teens look properly?) I made the lodgement in time. 
   9. Well we did. My dear Husband helped. 
   Probably just as well or I may have fallen comatose over the computer, and inadvertantly changed her first preference to Bachelor of Toe Nail Trimming. Would have served her right. 
   ( I was rather tired and cranky by now - can you tell?)
   
   
   
   
   
   10. we Saved her  $60 in late fees. 
   11. Which, I am rather smug about. She now owes me big time.
   
   
   
   
   
   12. Oh. and she is grounded tomorrow.
   
   Someone has to pay for my lost nap.
   
   
   
   
   I then had my power nap. But it just wasn't the same. And I didn't have time to get out the oil paints either. Pout pout.
   But I did do this little watercolour....in her memory... and...
   
   
   
   
   in honour of mothers everywhere, calming purpleness, and PPF  (Paint Party Friday)
   
   (Love your comments!)