Opposable Thumbs?

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Greetings, apes. Sparta Puss here, on the ‘pooter box. The bald monkeys that I live with keep banging on about these opposable thumbs of theirs, like it’s such a big deal, and waving them at me and Ming the Merciless and laughing. Well, here’s the thing. They need the opposable thumbs to open the cat food pouches. And to make the factory that makes the cat food. And to build the warm, cosy house with the central heating and beds that I require for living in. They’d be useless servants without opposable thumbs and Ming the Merciless and I would have to kick them out. So I don’t know what they’ve got to be so snooty about. Idiots.

The she-ape has sticks with dirt in that she rubs over bits of paper and then says that they look like me. She’s an idiot.

Allotment Scribblers

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Husb and I have an allotment and we went to the site’s annual general meeting last night and I was really surprised to see two other scribblers there. So I pulled out my sketchbook and scribbled them scribbling others. We have been growing lots of fruit on our plot, but the soil is heavy clay and we have struggled to grow veg. We’ve been building raised beds but they need a lot of filling, which is why we’re often going off to farmyards and stables, shovelling up sacks of manure to enrich our soil. It’s really hard work and I appreciate farmers much more since we’ve had it.

Our plot is behind Oystermouth Castle, built in the twelfth century. We are so used to castles littering our landscape (Swansea has two) that we take them for granted, but they’re quite spectacular really and Oystermouth is a particularly lovely one. Swansea City Council has done a lot of renovations in recent years, including an art gallery and it gets a lot of visitors. At this time of year, when there are no leaves on the trees, the castle is visible from the plot and it’s a great place to spend a few hours.

Lady In Waiting Room

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I did this drawing recently when I accompanied a relative to hospital. They’re not the most cheery of places but they’re very interesting for an artist, with a massive cross section of people who are usually too absorbed in other things to notice the scribbler in the corner.

This lady was quite exhausted and dozed in her chair. The nurses and doctors were lovely. It was incredibly busy but they were cheerful, professional and did their best to see everyone as quickly as possible. Sometimes things go wrong in the NHS and we have to be vigilant and not be afraid to complain when they do, but mostly they seem to get it right and we’re lucky to have a service like this available to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

Dog In The City

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I stopped to sketch some people sitting on benches in the city centre the other day and one chap had a dog with him. I don’t get much chance to draw dogs, as we’re a household of cats and subservient bald monkeys. So I drew this one twice using Faber Castell Pitt drawing pens in sepia. It was a sweet little thing.

Lifeboats And Betty Boop!

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Husb and I spent today with 4 generations of my family at Margam Park where three of the generations were running in the 1k funrun to raise funds for the Royal Naval Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). It’s a really good cause as the lifeboat service is voluntary and relies on public generosity to carry out its work. Unfortunately I couldn’t run becaue my knees are wrecked, too many years tearing around on motorbikes in all weathers in a miniskirt and fishnet tights! If I was a horse, they’d shoot me.

So I did cheering duties and some speed sketching of my youngest relatives, who look like little aliens. Their proportions are all wrong. Oversized eyes and skull, squishy little faces, HUGE cheeks and their ears are in the wrong place! They look like Betty Boop. And they don’t keep still! And you’re not allowed to sedate them these days 😉

It’s lovely to be part of a 4-generation family. I think it’s good for children to relate to older relatives who cover so much history between them and it’s delightful to see the very elderly and very young together.

Scribbled in haste into my A5 clothbound sketchbook with a Faber Castell Pitt drawing pen size F in sepia.

Tiny Art In Cardboard Boxes

30 cardboard cityHere’s something different. I sent a little artwork to an unusual exhibition called Cardboard City which is starting in London tomorrow (Cardboard City was a collection of homeless people in Waterloo during the Thatcher years).  Artists were invited to submit a piece that reflected social cohesion and community spirit. Each piece has been mounted into a makeshift cardboard box and they’ll be released into the wild during the lead up to Christmas. The first cluster is going out on the 1st December and then daily up until Christmas Eve, beginning somewhere near the original site of Cardboard City and heading along the Southbank, right up to the doors of the Tate Modern.

The curator had a trial run today to see if people would open the box and look at the art – they did – and if you look closely at the picture you’ll see that it’s mine, with a lovely view of St. Paul’s Cathedral and you can follow the progress of the little artworks in cardboard boxes throughout December on Twitter here, or on the Collect Connect website here.  Or if you’re in London, go walkabout on the Southbank and enjoy these tiny bits of art.

And apart from this, I’ve had a lovely day shovelling manure on the allotment – gnats still there despite it being nearly December – and watched a cracking rugby international on the TV, Wales vs Australia. We lost but it was a great game, tight to the end.

Got It! Flaunt It!

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Husb and I went for a curry at The Vojon earlier to celebrate that I finished the 20 drawings and prints for my next exhibition. Any excuse for a curry. I had a garlic lamb frezi with sag rice and Husb enjoyed a chicken aloo johl and garlic rice, with poppadoms and a chutney tray. I took my sketchbook and drew this bloke opposite. He is one of the gingerest people I have ever seen. Not only proper carrot-ginger but also curly. And proud. Because he had teased his ginger curls into a marvellous confection of a hairdo. Flaunting it. Nice. Drawn with Faber Castell Pitt drawing pens, size F and B in sepia. And then, Marvel’s Agents of Shield. Marvellous. What a great evening 😀

12 Down, 8 To Go

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I’m working flat out to complete a suite of 20 new works for my upcoming group exhibition. I’m drawing in ink onto ‘transfer’ prints on art papers, Bockingford and BFK Rives, 250gsm. The transfer prints started out as digital photos I’ve taken over the years, printed onto ordinary inkjet paper, placed face down onto art paper and rubbed with cheap nail-varnish remover, then put quickly through an etching press. The chemicals mutate the colours and the pressure transfers the image onto the artpaper. I’ve completed the 12 here and the remaining 8 have been pencilled and I’m inking them up now. I reckon another day of inking and then mounting and framing over the weekend. Here’s some info if you’re on Facebook.

Sparta Puss had a good look too. Now, back to inking……..

Brown Coats And A Ball Of String

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All I wanted was a ball of string. Well, white nylon twine to be exact, a very versatile product that hangs picture frames, threads-up Roman blinds and strings home-made kites. It’s the sort of thing you used to be able to buy dirt cheap in dark little shops with ‘monger’ in the title, staffed by blokes in brown coats with names like Arkwright and Granville. No longer. I’ve traipsed the city centre today; haberdashers, pound shops, market stalls, stationers, post offices, no joy. An upholsterer offered to sell me some by the metre, but that’s a ridiculously expensive way to buy it. I could go and check out the couple of remaining ironmongers in the city, but they’re a drive away, as are the D.I.Y centres.

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I ended up in Waterstone’s first-floor coffee shop, having a hot beverage and sulking. There’s a good, large window overlooking the street, ideal for people watching and surreptitious scribbling. There are some benches opposite and they’re very well-used, especially by smokers. You have to be quick though, they don’t tend to stay long, especially at this time of year, although today was relatively mild. I drew these into my A5 cloth-bound sketchbook with Faber Castell Pitt pens sizes F and S. I’ve tracked down some cheap nylon twine on t’Internet. All is not lost.

Framing And Faffing

Husb and I went to Ikea today to get a load of frames. I used to send my exhibition work to framers but it’s horrendously expensive and there’s no guarantee that a buyer will like the frame anyway. I’ve made a number of sales where I’ve had to take the work out of it’s bespoke frame to sell it unframed, so now I use ready-made frames and sell at a considerably lower price. I use plain black that doesn’t detract from the artwork. I’ll be finishing off the current group of drawing / prints for my new exhibition in December over the next few days and then mounting and framing and mirror-plating next week. One day I’ll be rich enough to employ minions to do it for me. One day………. 😉

26 husb setteeMy daily scribble is of Husb faffing about with his laptop on the settee. I’ve sketched him from above because I’ve done him from a conventional angle so many times that I’m bored. But drawing must be done every day, just as a singer must practice their scales every day. I used a Faber Castell Pitt drawing pen in sepia, size F into my A5 clothbound sketchbook.