dog

Christmas 2020

Chatty, Step-by-Step, watercolour

That came round fast didn’t it?

I had bigger plans, as ever, to post more and complete more projects. But overall I think I’ve done well this year. I finished the Beardies in Need Christmas cards (I swear I will post about each one soon), finished some pieces in lockdown and even had a stall at a craft fair. It could be worse.

I have one more day at work and then out of office is going on. I think everyone really needs a break this year.

So, let’s ignore the Tier 4 stuff and the fact that so many of us can’t see friends and family. Instead, I’m going to think about what I can have this Christmas.

One thing is, I hope, plenty of time to just do nothing. Maybe Mario kart, maybe a board game, maybe just ditto watching the with a glass of wine and a fire.

Today after work I finished a long overdue Christmas card. It’s going to my parent’s grandparents and includes their two favourite kinds of dogs. It’s been a while since I did a good old fashioned step-by-step post.

As always, starting with the pencil drawing.
I hadn’t done any blurred backgrounds in a while (you know that Nigella Lawson effect? So it was fun to try something a bit different.
Finally I added in the white highlights and filled in the text.

If I don’t post again before, I hope that you have wonderful break. It’s been a tough year but, we’ll make it through.

Stay safe everyone.

July 2020 Projects

Chatty, Drawing, pen, watercolour

I thought, “oh I really must post before July ends” only to see a Hello August! post on my Instagram feed.

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12 Days of Beardies: Day 1

Drawing, pen

I haven’t posted anything this month because I’ve been SO CLOSE to finishing a big project.

But I’m looking at it and, I know, I won’t get it finished this weekend.

So instead here’s the first drawing in a series I’m going to be working on.

day 1

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Hanging Keys

Chatty, Step-by-Step

Well, quite a lot has happened hasn’t it? Lockdown, pandemic, global crisis…quite a lot really.

My partner and I left London before the lockdown as we were self-isolating and finding it far too difficult to both work from home in our tiny flat. We’re at my parent’s home in Suffolk with my brother and his girlfriend. We miss our little flat and our world together, but I’ve been so grateful to have a garden and outside space.

Truth be told, I’m finding the transition difficult. I worry about work and have been generally feeling quite anxious, which is resulting in over-working and finding it hard to set clear boundaries in the day-to-day.

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Bearded Collie Engagement Party Invite

Drawing, Painting, pen, Step-by-Step

I mentioned before that I’m recently engaged. My partner (fiance? woah) and I are really keen to not get overwhelmed with wedding prep or saving every penny before we’ve properly celebrated with friends and family. We therefore decided, let’s have a party!

I’ve also mentioned that we have a family friend who does a lot of work with Bearded Collie charities. We wanted to invite her but also wanted to make it a bit special, so here’s a quick little invite.

I found a picture on Pinterest to use as a reference and did a quick sketch.

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Once I had a sketch I used gouache to build up some colour in the right shape. Between layers I needed to wait for it to dry. There’s always a risk when relying on colour bleeding but, other than the hat, I think it worked out ok. I know I got a bit impatient before introducing the darkest colours so it’s my own fault really.

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Once I had the basic shapes put in I went back in with some smaller brush strokes.
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And finally I went in with some pens to add teeny details. I’m very aware that that is definitely my safety zone, but I’m kinda glad that I’ve got a go-to option that means I know I can quickly produce some art, however twee.

I think it’s tempting to feel like art always has to be highly thoughtful, detailed and showcasing your skills, but sometimes it’s fun to just do it for the love of doing it and sharing something fun.

Hope you’re all well!

Josh and Bike #4

Acrylic, Painting, Step-by-Step

Guess who left their keys at work? That would indeed be me.

I have a half day, I’m due to finish early, and yet here I am sitting in a Pret waiting to meet my friend and praying that my partner will check his phone so that I can collect keys from him. The thing that annoys me most is feeling like I’m wasting my time. But there’s nothing I can do, so I’m trying to be “in the moment” and enjoy people watching.

I recently FINALLY finished this piece that I’ve been working on for ages. Josh was a rescue dog but the lovely man who rescued him could no longer look after him due to health reasons. He still visits Josh from time to time, which is always lovely. This is for that man as a Christmas present.

The main thing I was working on was detail in the background and just knowing when to leave it. I overworked the dog a bit and I think he began to lose his expression. There’s more I feel like I could add but I think I’d be going overboard at this stage.

You can see the previous post about this piece here.