How to Get a Likeness?

Pencil in Sketchbook (A4)

Sketching self portraits and finding that trying to get a likeness is not easy. I see myself differently to what others see.

I suppose there is a vague look of me about this.... though I look too young... skin too smooth. Maybe it's me around 30 years ago! LOL!

It's strange but every self portrait I do is either looking far too young or far too old... can't seem to hit a happy medium, which is where I'm at right now. Never mind, there's always the next one!

Sketching in the Dark

Pencil in Sketchbook (A4)

Whilst waiting to collect my daughter from work I whiled away the time sketching the car parked in front of me. It was dark with only the street light nearby so I couldn't really see what I was doing, but fairly pleased with the outcome.

It was a lovely way to spend the time.

Yay!!! What a day!!!

Acrylics on Canvas 14" x 10"

What a glorious day of painting I have had. The painting that I did in the previous post was an experiment and from it came the above. As I stood looking at my Purple Haze of mountains this scene began to take shape in my mind and so I painted it.

When I visited the Lake District (Cumbria) sometime ago I saw a white house in the valley which I believe used to belong to Beatrix Potter. It was such a lovely scene and appealed to the romantic in me. Ok, it's not exactly like this... after all my memory isn't what it used to be, but this is my white house in the valley.

I may work on it a little more, but I hope you like it.

Just Playing...

I love to play and experiment with paints - it is always a very exciting voyage of discovery.

Today I wanted to rediscover acrylics. First of all using just Pthalo Blue, Titanium White and a little Payne's Grey I painted my Mountains in Blue. I painted on canvas, which was a first for me as I have always used either watercolour paper or acrylic paper for acrylic paints.

Here is the same painting, but I painted a glaze of crimson alizarin over the top. In real life it is actually more purple than here.



It was fun, but now I have been looking at it for a while and have some great ideas to push things further - I have decided to really go to town with this one. Keep watching.... I will post the result shortly.

Best wishes

Reflections

Pencil in sketchbook

When I see reflections on water I always want to sketch... I just wish I were a little better at capturing them, but I'm sure with practice it will all come together.

New Year always seems to be a time for reflection... taking stock of the happenings of the previous year and thinking of the improvements for the future. One of the reasons I love the start of the year.

Positives for today:
1. New doors to replace the old - kind of symbolic I think.
2. Sound of snow melting from trees in sunlight.
3. Watching my dog enjoy the warmth from a blazing fire.

Emily

Emily

I need to colour this as it will improve it no end. I love drawing cartoon figures and I rather like this one - the character of little Emily may be worth developing further... we will see.

Happy New Year!

Pencil in sketchbook

2010 is here! Yay!!!

I'm still practising the trees. This is the latest and I am hoping that drawing them will help improve my paintings also.

I love New Year with all the new beginnings of hopes and dreams, it's such an exciting time. The whole year stretches before me and I see the things I want to happen, now all I need do is make it so!