Pirate Parrot

Husb and I have been looking after a relative’s Senegal parrot for a couple of weeks. His name is Richard The Bird. He’s definitely a man’s man. He mostly ignores me and sits happily on Husb’s shoulder like a proper pirate parrot. But today for some reason he flew onto me. I was okay withContinue reading “Pirate Parrot”

Skinny Shadows

Still on my self-imposed exile from the digital drawing machine, I carried on drawing from some photos I took on Swansea Beach recently. Although speed sketching is very useful, focussing the attention only on what’s absolutely vital, I want to do some more detailed action drawings and these can’t be done with a model orContinue reading “Skinny Shadows”

Ants In Pants

I carried on with my break from digital drawing today, doing some speedy scribbles of a young relative, who of course can’t sit still for more than a few seconds. But it’s always good practice to work quickly and it’s an opportunity to catch fleeting expressions. I used a graphite stick into my A5 hardbackedContinue reading “Ants In Pants”

Fatty Bum Bum

Sparta Puss has put on a shedload of weight over the Winter! She resists all attempts to put her on a diet so I’m naming and shaming her! I can’t cut down her rations too much because we’re looking after a Senegal parrot for a few weeks while his humans are on holidays and wheneverContinue reading “Fatty Bum Bum”

Distortion

I’m doing some drawings from digital photos I took on Swansea Beach recently, to practice drawing detail and movement. Trouble is, when I downloaded the photos onto the computer and made them large enough to draw from, they have a lot of distortion. It’s not a problem, it just looks a bit fuzzy and thereContinue reading “Distortion”

Almost Manga

We have some little relatives staying for a sleepover and of course, they are scribbling fodder. My little niece was cwtched on the settee watching a film and I tried to draw her. So very hard! All children are aliens! They have such weird proportions – HUGE eyes, little turned up nose, tiny chin andContinue reading “Almost Manga”

Eadweard’s Horses

I rarely work from photographs but I took a series of photos on the beach yesterday and I’m going to use them for sketching for a few days. Drawing directly from life is energising, forces me to focus only on what’s absolutely important in the subject and is good practice but doesn’t give me theContinue reading “Eadweard’s Horses”

Another Night, Another Cat

Another quick scribble at the end of the day: another cat. It’s just so easy when I’m slumped on a chair, panicking because I haven’t done a drawing for my blog yet. She’s slumped on the chair too. I get annoyed with myself because I haven’t produced a great masterpiece, or misstresspiece, but the importantContinue reading “Another Night, Another Cat”