My Creative Side

Sketcher's Block

2005-04-13T17:42:00.000+10:00

I still haven't got back to the sketchbook for a while. I seem to get creative when I have time to relax but our postcard hobby takes up a lot of time organising trades, searching for new postcards, and keeping track of it all. I'm loving it so I'm not regretting the lack of sketching. I will still be taking the sketchbooks away on holiday next month to see if inspiration hits.

Slacking off!

2005-02-26T21:11:00.000+10:00

Just popped in to say how slack I have been. I haven't entered anything for Illustration Friday for two weeks! We have been really busy though and have finally been able to buy our new car so we've been out and about a fair bit. No time to sit still!

Hoping to get back into Illo Friday next week.

Sketching in the front garden

2005-02-18T17:49:00.000+10:00

A couple of days ago I was motivated to take the sketchbook out the front and have a go at the big blob of fungi growing at the base of a lopped palm tree near the driveway. I was sitting in the hot sun so I then moved to a shady area and sketched a garden light and bit of a zig-zaggy plant that grows along the fence...

Closer look at my fungi pic...

Still in the shade, I thought I'd have a crack at a perspective drawing - our house. I've got many sketching books on loan from the library at the moment and had just been reviewing perspective. I'm pretty impressed with this effort, though I know some bits aren't quite right. Who wants perfectionism anyway? :-)

Illustration Friday - Year of the Rooster

2005-02-10T09:59:00.000+10:00

Illustration Friday - Year of the Rooster

Click on the picture to enlarge it for more detail.

Seeing as we are changing from the Year of the Monkey to the Year of the Rooster, Monkey is helping Rooster to see the Chinese New Year in. I used coloured pencil but the colours are a bit dull for my liking.

Illustration Friday - Friendship

2005-02-02T10:38:00.000+10:00

This is my very first entry for Illustration Friday (link button on sidebar).

Illustration Friday - Friendship

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Notes:
I took a photo of my son and daughter holding hands and that became the basis of this drawing (I have trouble when drawing from memory). I sketched it in pencil and when happy with it went over it with two different sized black ink pens. I'm not totally happy with the shading (my weak spot) but like it nonetheless. I grabbed my watercolour pencils and just blended them for the background. This is very different to the basic pencil sketches I usually do.

Experimenting

2005-02-02T10:31:00.000+10:00

Second sketchbook page - experimenting.

Close-up of my baby girl sucking her thumb.

Baby's outfit with hippos on it.

Experimenting with facial features.

Mummy and baby sitting on the bed - I saw us in the mirrored wardrobe door and luckily the sketchbook was beside me. I really like this.

Trying out ink drawing using new pens. I like the whimsical effect of this quick drawing.

Taking notes on shading - an area I'd like to improve .

Trying out the shading tips with this bookmark.

Self-portrait.

Hmmm...I am quite happy with this overall, but the eyes are not me and I can't get them right. I rubbed them out at least 20 times and this is as good as I could get. Frustrating!

Daughter drawing too

2005-01-28T21:47:00.000+10:00

Check out some of the sketches my 7-year-old daughter has done in the last two days while watching me attempt my own sketches. I'm pretty impressed.

Visit Learning Land

As for me...I have been busy sketching and I've started reviewing a couple of drawing books that I've owned since I was a teenager. I'm experimenting with different sized black pens (o.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 1.0 mm) and working on improving my shading skills (or lack of!). Can't wait until Monday for my first Illustration Friday topic!

What's this blog for?

2005-01-26T19:03:00.000+10:00

Well, it seems reading other blogs has sparked off a creative streak and I'm sketching for the first time in ages. I've discovered 'Illustration Friday' (see the link button on the sidebar) and intend to participate with a drawing or two on each week's topic starting from next week! Thought I'd keep this stuff separate from the other blogs even though I guess it is all part of our lifelong learning theme.

First sketches...

2005-01-26T18:43:00.000+10:00

First page of random sketches done today.

Did them in this order:

Sponge Bob and other little character while watching the cartoon this morning. Unfortunately the cartoon finished before I could do the arms and legs...did one arm but don't know if it is anything like it should be.
My coffee cup on coaster, complete with coffee drips.
My foot.
The tape dispenser...Sparkle also sketched this. It didn't have tape pulled out but I added some anyway!
DH was watching an Arnold Swartzeneger body building video and I attempted to draw one of the muscled bodies. Ended up a compilation of several guys and then I used the video cover to fix it up a bit.
Someone mentioned a carrot so I drew one.
While holding 'Little Chicken' I sketched her foot as I was looking at it.
The mother and daughter is a figurine DH gave me for xmas.
One of our surround sound speakers.
While watching Alicia Molik vs. Lindsay Davenport in the tennis I drew the back of Alicia. Her head looks a bit small...or is her body too big? LOL
In trying to fill up the page I drew the whirly-gig from the roof across the road.