studio, sketches, and a lizard

Hello everyone, 

 

WOW! February is just around the corner — this year is already moving fast. 

 

I've only managed a couple of sketches since my last post. 

 

A pelican sketched in ink from my own reference photo. Sorry it's a bit blurry. It was taken in the early morning, still dark outside, so lighting wasn't the best.

Second sketch was of my cat mug which I have in my studio. It holds all the brushes and combs for Kya and Teenie. It usually holds more than 2 items but the rest is currently in the laundry where I normally do the grooming. 

 

This one was done using graphite, watercolour, and a bit of white gouache.

 

Speaking of my studio, we changed the new layout a little bit more. We turned the end desk so it was right angled to form a U-shape to the studio. I loved it before but I love it even more now.

 

Kya wondered what was going on

 but approved the change

 

Yesterday, I heard some hissing coming from our front entrance. I checked it out and found a poor blue-tongued lizard being pecked at by a young adult magpie. As much as I like magpies, I couldn't allow her to be pecked to death so, I shooed the magpie away, grabbed a cardboard box, and managed to get her into it. While blue-tongued lizards aren't aggressive, they have been known to bite if they feel threatened and she was already stressed enough from the magpie attack. She was approximately 15" in length.

 

I released her into our front garden where she had plenty of plant cover to hide and recover from her ordeal. I did try to get a photo of her blue tongue which she popped out here and there but I kept missing the moment. After posing for a few snaps, she moved off under the protection of the ground plants where I hope she remains safe. As for gender, she could well be a he — I did research it but it's not easy to tell, however, I felt it could be female. That said, I'm certainly no expert.

By the way, last week, I attempted to comment on several of my friends' blogs and Blogger wouldn't do anything at all when I hit the Publish comment button. So frustrating! I hope they've sorted it now.

 

That wraps up my post for today. I hope you are all enjoying a lovely weekend. 

 

Love, Light and Peace

AEDM - Day 19 - Purple Turtle and my art studio

Firstly, I want to thank you all for the lovely comments regarding my cat, Kya. I plan to answer each comment but time seems to get away from me these days...in a good way though. I'm so happy to be sketching again!

After a hectic morning, the day flew by and, I found myself sketching this turtle at 7:30pm. I took the photo under artificial lighting so not the best. I prefer to take photos with as much natural light as possible.

Sketched with black ink pen, coloured pencils, and coloured ballpoints.

To see what the other AEDM participants have done for today, click HERE. 

I thought you might like to see my current art workspace. 

My studio has had numerous spots throughout the house 

over the years but I think I like this spot best. 

This is also where I sit to write snail mail letters 

as well as work in my bullet journal.

I painted the artwork on all the walls and you may note that today's sketch 

was inspired by the turtle paintings I did some years ago. 

I LOVE that six drawer unit...so handy for storing large sketchbooks/papers! 

The top three drawers are more shallow than the bottom three.

I store my fountain pen inks in one of the deeper drawers.

This long shelf unit where the Buddha sits is also used for art supplies. The towel on the table in the centre of my studio is where Kya likes to lie and watch me work. She is there right now as I type this.  A lot of times she will fall off to sleep. The centre table and desk come in handy when I need more surface space for bigger projects or for when I drag my sewing machine out to make, alter, or repair items.

What I also like about my studio being in this area is that my bedroom 

is right beside it. Through that open doorway, in fact.

And that's all for today, friends. 

Love, Light, and Peace to All.

Sunday musings

Hi everyone,

I know I said I'd be back with a book review post and I will....just not today.

I moved my workspace yet again so I could have more things at my fingertips. On the wall opposite, there is now a big white cupboard housing more of my regular art supplies.

Here is my main workspace...loving it so far!

If I want more light at my desk throughout the day, I can just pull the vertical blinds fully across.

I haven't been doing daily sketching but I did drag out my sketchbook to work on another Sktchy portrait last week.

Still a work in progress....

I seem to have lost the creative urge lately — maybe because I've been feeling down in the dumps with daily pain — either back or hip, or both. Scribble Picnic is starting back up on Wednesday so that might give me a bit of a boost to snap out of the doldrums.

Speaking of creativity...check out this masterpiece! Spider webs amaze me...all that work and effort! This one has a regular type web above and some sort of conical shape of web just below but both appear to be connected...never seen that before. I wonder if both webs were created by the same spider?

I will leave you with another masterpiece — taken just after we had a spot of rain. The rainbow span was huge and the photo just doesn't do it justice.

I will be back soon with those promised book reviews...

Paint Party Friday - Portraits

WOW! I can't believe it's been over two weeks since my last post. I do love blogging so I will try to do better.

During that time, I have been busy catching up with some online classes. Sketchbook Skool and Craftsy classes to be more precise. While watching some class videos, I sketched two of the teachers. 

Danny Gregory - sketched directly with pen in my Moleskine sketchbook

Nina Johansson - sketched with Derwent Inktense pencils in Moleskine sketchbook. Unfortunately, the Moleskine sketchbook isn't very compatible with water on the Inktense...it wanted to grab rather than blend the colour. Moleskine sketchbooks are definitely better with dry media but I admit to often using watercolours in them as I really don't mind the different effect they give.  That said, I do prefer their watercolour notebooks which are designed for water media.

It's been a while since I've done Paint Party Friday so I will be linking up today. To see the work of other participants this week, click HERE.

We had a couple of foggy mornings earlier in the week.  To me, fog always has an air of mystery about it. I've never experienced a pea soup fog though...have you?

My studio work-space has moved....yet again. It is now situated beside our lounge room where it has been once before. It was in a dedicated studio room but my son has taken up an interest in vlogging on YouTube so needed an area to set up all his filming equipment. We both share that room now so I can still have all my art supplies housed in the wardrobes.  If you are interested in checking out Aaron's blog, click HERE...especially if you love birds.

Note Cody wearing the dreaded cone?  A few years ago, the poor thing developed a wart right between his eyes and it grew quite large to the point of irritating him. He would scratch at it or rub it about on the carpet causing it to bleed so out came the cone. He was not amused. I have been treating the wart daily with castor oil, applied topically after a hot water compress, and the wart has decreased in size dramatically so, hopefully, he won't have to put up with the cone for too much longer. Truth be told, I have attempted this method twice before over the past couple of years but, each time, I had to put the treatment on hold due to my carpal tunnel surgeries. This time, I am determined to see it through.

The animal cards on the wire rack are courtesy of my long-time art friend, Judith Edwards-White. Judy does the most amazing scratchboard art....SO talented!  You can check out her website HERE....well worth a look-see.

That winds up my post for today. 

It's Friday here so I will wish you all a lovely weekend.

A peek inside my studio and a very quick sketch

I have been busy reorganising my studio/office over the past week
with a little help from my sons for the heavy jobs.

If you are anything like me,
you love seeing pics of other artists' studios
so I thought I'd share mine with you.

This is my computer desk area.
I painted that bald eagle many moons ago.
He was done with acrylic paints on canvas.

My storage baskets inside the built-in robe are all reorganised and labelled now
so I no longer have to pull out all the drawers to find something.
SO much easier!

On the opposite side of the room is my art desk (view from doorway)
which is actually two tables from IKEA side by side.
The set of three drawers consists of the following...
top drawer is filled with bits and pieces
such as favourite sketch pens/palettes, rulers, mechanical pencils, erasers, etc.
second drawer is filled with many ballpoint pens all sorted by colour
the bottom drawer is filled with many markers and ink pens.

When it comes to art supplies,
a girl just can't have too much, right?

More art/sketch-related storage in the built-in wardrobe
and a cosy bed for Cody to lie in while I'm working.

A different view of my art area
All those books are art/sketch-related organised by spine colour.
The framed print of the girl and butterflies was done by daughter, Michelle.
It makes me happy and I love it!

And that's about it for my in-house studio.
I do have other art supplies stored in the garage
which are more related to my acrylic painting.

It's still slow going with my recovery from carpal tunnel surgery.
I'm just past week four and
 the wound site is still very tight, lumpy, and tender.
A couple of little mishaps over the past few days have set me back a bit too.
One of them being where I inadvertently put some of my body weight on my hand
when I went to help myself up from the floor.
It only took a split second to realise what I was attempting
because the pain was massive.
My hand was so sore for the rest of the night
and I was getting shooting pains too.
Thankfully, it settled down within 24 hours.
Lesson learned!

I did manage a simple sketch today.

It's the first sketch I've done since my surgery.

It was a little shaky and slow-going

as I have to be careful how I hold my hand to avoid pain.

Writing is easier to manage whereas

I need more wrist/arm movement with sketching.

I can't lean on the wound area either....it hurts.

I'm using a brush case to rest my forearm on

so that my wrist and hand are not actually touching the desk.

Despite the awkwardness

it feels good to be sketching again.

I decided to sketch the tube of ointment I use for the wound site.

Papaya Fade by PURE Phytocare

100% vegan ingredients and not tested on animals.

It's supposed to be great for scars and stretch-marks.

Moleskine watercolour notebook - A5 size, landscape format 

Graphite, PITT pens and watercolours 

I'm hoping to get back into the habit of daily sketching

so stay tuned....

PHOTO MONDAY - My workspace

The photo theme for this week - MY WORKSPACE

Back in November of last year, I made the decision to move my art studio out of the garage. At that time, the garage was in total chaos anyways because we were being treated for our first termite infestation and, after some discussion with Michelle one day, we decided that we could turn my art workspace into a much needed bedroom for Reece. There is a ten year gap in age between Aaron and Reece and them sharing was no longer a workable option so, with Michelle's help, over the next couple of months I did A LOT of clearing out and freecycling of things I had stored in the garage. It wasn't easy saying goodbye to a lot of art magazines and wood pieces I had collected over the years but it had to be done and Michelle encouraged me to sever the ties.....although I did hang on to some of my favourites.  Surprisingly, I haven't even missed any of the stuff I parted with.

So, my then studio space went from this -

to this - Reece's bedroom

It took a lot of moving and arranging but I finally squeezed the necessities from the art studio pictured above to a space directly beside our lounge-room. I still have some art supplies stored in cupboards in the garage but I only access them when I'm topping up the supplies in my new workspace. The newer workspace is smaller than the one I had set up in the garage but I actually like it much better. It encourages me to be more organised, I no longer feel isolated from the kids when I'm working, and it is a much better spot for natural lighting with the large window right beside my art table.  The kitchen is close at hand too so I have easier access to tea or coffee.....definitely a bonus!

So....here 'tis....my new painting area...

well new to me since December-

The shelves below hold paints, mediums, brushes, art books and sketchbooks.

Despite all the ones I freecycled, I still have more art magazines and books stored in the garage.

The second workspace desk, pictured below, is butted up against the couch and faces into the lounge-room.

I mostly sit at this desk when I'm working in my sketchbooks or journals.

Aaron often sits here and works in his sketchbooks too.

The desks are positioned back to back

I LOVE to spend time in this workspace.

Feel free to post a link to pictures of your own workspace.
I'm looking forward to seeing the workspaces of my fellow photo group members too.
 

~ Love, light and peace ~

12 secrets & photo-a-day

PHOTO A DAY - JANUARY 22ND

today, i did some rearranging in the studio and i feel wonderful! firstly, i replaced the old section of carpet that was stained and worn. the new section of carpet looks lovely and dresses the place up a bit.

before, the second desk was positioned to form a U-shape but it made my painting area feel quite cramped so, today, i moved the second desk further across and it made a huge difference in opening up my painting area. the following pics are of two different angles of the new arrangement. i'm rapt!!!


12 SECRETS - #2 - HONOURING MY INSPIRATIONS

this week, we discuss how we honour our inspirations.

first and foremost, we need to listen and recognise them as inspirations. then we can open ourselves to the possibility of exploring them further in whatever creative play we are drawn to. it's a great idea to create a personal space to do this, big or small. years ago, i had a studio in the garage of our house but later, we moved to a house that didn't allow me to have that personal space anymore. i found it very difficult to drag out all my art supplies each time i wanted to paint, only to have to put them away again before dinner....i managed it for four long years. i was overjoyed when we moved again and i was able to organise a small studio space to create in. four years later we moved again and, this time, i made a point of creating an even bigger studio area in our double garage. i love knowing that when the painting urge hits me, i can just go paint. creative rituals are another great way to honour your inspirations.

when did my creative awakening occur? i firmly believe that we are all creative though, sometimes due to our life experiences, many of us are disconnected from it. i guess i've shown creative ability throughout my whole life but never realised it until recent years. i remember drawing regularly as a child. i did a lot of sewing in my teen and child-bearing years. then, by sheer accident in my mid-thirties, i discovered a passion for art in my life.

what talents do i have, naturally? i'm not really sure i understand the question correctly but i think i am patient when it comes to my art. i'm also good at paying attention to finer details which i think helps a lot in my realistic paintings. other talents.....i don't think i do too bad in the kitchen as the kids prefer my home-cooked meals to takeaway food any day. i've been told that i make a good hostess and people seem to feel happy and welcome in my home. i do like to fuss over visitors.

which elements draw me toward them? i feel very strongly drawn to water. i have always dreamed of living in a house near the sea and i adore blue/green colour combinations which i also relate to water.

where and when do i create? i mostly create in my home studio when i'm painting but, when i'm working with graphite or coloured pencils, it's usually in my dining room or, at the computer desk, if i'm using a reference image file. i try to create during the daytime as i prefer working in natural lighting, but over the past few months, i have found i am creating a lot more at night too.

where and when would i like to create? as per the previous answer, however, i have been making changes in my studio because i've been yearning for months now to make my studio a more homely and welcoming place to create. a place that reflects facets of who i am. a place where i can kick back and just relax if i want to.

what activates my creative energy? hmmmmmm, i'm not really sure, to be honest. i think anything has the potential to activate my creative energy. i am very inspired by some of the amazing artists i have met online. i am inspired by nature. i am inspired through meditation. i also find that, by just sitting at my studio table, i will feel the urge to create.

what drains it? busy schedules, or distractions, that don't allow me creative time in my studio. my studio takes up half the space in a double garage while the other half is used for storage and a workout space for my son. the storage space seems to attract items which are no longer wanted in the house and, sometimes, it starts to exceed it's boundaries. when this clutter builds up, i can feel stifled and blocked creatively. thankfully, through the 'soul coaching' program which involved a lot of clutter clearing, i made huge headway in that area and now, i seem to act sooner on clearing away the excess.

do i use creative rituals? i do like the rest of the house to be in reasonable order before i can create more freely in the studio. i also like to tidy up the immediate area of my workspace. fresh water in the brush-rinse jars, cotton buds, blending fabric, paper towels neatly folded for brush blotting, everything i need in its place and at the ready. i ALWAYS have music playing in the background...alanis morrisette - 'the collection' is one of my favourites. any cd of enigma, relaxation music, celtic and many more, however, i must admit that i'm not a huge fan of classical music, jazz or blues. i do like the idea of burning incense or lighting a candle to acknowledge my creative time.

does nature influence my creativity? i find that a walk in nature or a trip to the beach gets my creative juices flowing, however, i need to get more in the habit of noting down the ideas that come to me as i all too easily forget them. i do have an ideas journal for this reason but, sometimes, i'm lazy and don't bother writing stuff down. i need to rectify that.

what has been my greatest creative hurdle so far? i think the fact that it took me a long time to feel comfortable actually calling myself an artist and plus, getting past the fear of not being capable.

what time of day are you most receptive to inspiration? i feel that i can be open to inspiration at any time of the day depending on my mood.

what would you answer to these questions?

My Studio!

Plumbing problems are all fixed now. It turned out not to be a broken pipe but rather, a blocked one so it was an easier fix....YES! The plumbers said that a lot of rubbish ends up down the pipes from tilers and other workmen and it can sometimes build up to a solid block so, when we moved in, it brought the problem to the fore. Also, nearly all new homes have water suppressors installed which cut down the water pressure in an effort to conserve more water. That didn't help the problem either. I'm just happy things are back to normal again. We're lovin' the new house and haven't even missed the old place.

I unpacked and set up my art studio in the garage over the past couple of days. I'm RAPT!!! I have so much more room now as I made sure that my studio was the priority here, unlike the last house, where my studio gradually squeezed its way into a little corner of an already full garage. So, here are pics of how it looks so far ~