6th november 2020

6/11/2020

It is interesting to be reminded of life before electricity. No quick kettle, no oven, no instantly lighting hob, no internet or TV. We have been so lucky during this year that we have all this entertainment and ease in our lives. Yesterday, the electricity pole in our back garden was replaced because it was rotten, so we had no power for most of the day, and a bevy of workmen milling around the scaffolding they had built round the new pole, while in the road the traffic was controlled by lights - such fun for everyone. Thank goodness it didn't go on until after dark! So of course I had no excuse yesterday for not drawing...

First from Jane: 'I loved the photo of the Three Sheep and decided to try different ways of interpreting it. 1 Crayon and ink 2 Acrylic Ink 3 Mixed Media ( ink/ oil pastel/crayon / acrylic paint)'

Next from June. This is a copy she made from a magazine image by a well known wildlife artist, Mark Adlington. She loves the confidence of his drawing, and in her own attempt used mixed media.

Now for something completely different from Diana - what she describes as three scribbles.
1st. Following on from last week,using double ended felt tips for the scribble, then spraying with water took 7 mins.
2nd. The same subject, (both from photos) these two are from under Stiperstones, but with added collage.
3rd. White acrylic, graphite plus felt tips sprayed with water, this one Bodmin moor.

These two are both from Avril, who says, 'Just done a quick sketch with my new brush pens, only trouble no brown in set so I used my inktense pencils over the top.
'I tried very hard to make some mushroom linoprints, what a mess, still not mastered the technique.' Looks like she had fun trying, though...

Here is Carolyn's drawing; she has been occupied with Christmas card design this week. She tells me she has painted lots of mushrooms over the years as quite a collection grows in her garden.

From Sally P. 'After a slow start this morning......in fact after12.00 Zoom time! I finally got into the studio with some fungi to have some fun!........ Pens, twigs, inks, watercolor and pencils and a variety of paper..... watercolor, flat white (recycled) and yupo. Not forgetting the King Oyster Mushrooms.Thanks Sal for the ideas.'
And thanks to this Sal for the variety!

'This morning I sat in the garden and sketched a little statue we have, inherited from my mother, with one of Rebecca’s (The Bank) fish by her feet. Over zoom Harriet mentioned that by mistake she had bought a sketchbook with black paper, so this afternoon I turned to mine for the first time and used acrylic and finally some ArtGraf and based it on a photo I took on a walk in Brittany last week.' From Frances.

A lovely rendering of sheep on the rocks from Noreen, watercolour with some ink.

From Harriet a delicate study of '4 Mushrooms' and also 'Still life with Money Tree'. Lovely colours in both of these.

And from Lesley, 'Yesterday morning I made a start on Sally L’s landscape with sheep. No sheep yet! I am waiting for the oil to dry before I tackle them and add detail. Could take a while as the rocks are thickly applied with a palette knife and it’s quite cold in my studio, it’s only heated when I’m in it.'
Don't forget to update us when the sheep are added, Lesley...

This week's photos to inspire you, or give you a subject, have been provided by Sally P. They could not be more different from one another, and definitely are something for everyone. I always think that shoes somehow have character of their own, which these certainly do! The colours in the landscape and the light and shad of the portrait should give you plenty to work with. As usual the larger files for working from are below for downloading. Have a good week, and it would be wonderful to hear from some of those who have been invisible for a while (?) in time for next week...