Shoe Love (2 x EDM no. 1)

This is absolutely my favourite pair of shoes. I just love the zingy colours and the pink leather thongs that wrap round the ankles and tie with a delicious big bow.

Because I love them so, I really enjoyed doing this picture. I used pen and ink, then watercolours, and finished off with Pitt Artists Pens which gave a little more definition to the colours.

As is pretty obvious, I had a little trouble with the perspective on the shoe at the rear. I can't quite figure out why it's wrong but it definitely is. I think the back of the shoe is at one angle and the front of it is at another. I really wanted to show the stripes at the back of the heel and I think I should maybe have turned it away from me a bit more.

But generally I'm quite pleased with it. And now, whatever happens to them over the years, I'll never forget what fun they were.

Thoughts from the Garden

I often go to sit in or wander around my garden when I want to think about things. Although we're near a busy road I automatically filter out the sounds of the traffic nowadays, and the sounds and smells of the garden come through in sharp focus. It must be this that helps me focus my thoughts.

I was thinking about something that one or two of us had mentioned on the EDM forum in the last couple of days which was about the fear of doing art. It seems I'm not the only one who spends a lot of time thinking about what I'm going to put onto paper, reading about the various methods available to me, deciding which medium would be best and generally prevaricating. I now know prevarication for its real name - fear.

Once I've decided what I'm going to sketch or paint, I spend a lot of time visualizing it in my mind's eye. I can see every nuance of every hue I'll use, each mark I'll place on the paper to form the composition, and exactly what the finished piece will look like. Naturally, it's beautiful, colourful, perfect in every way. And all the time I know that it will never look as good as my imagination has painted it. So I put off starting, think of something else I should be doing; clean the cooker, tidy up my painting materials and put all my drawing pads in a neat pile, take Misty for a walk. Anything that will put off having to put that first mark on the paper. Because if that first mark isn't absolutely perfect the whole thing will be a disappointment; no good, rubbish, fit only for the recycling bag.

And that is what my fear is. I recognize it for what it is and I know, without a doubt, that if I get rid of all that angst and just get out a pen, pencil, paintbrush, marker pen - whatever - and go for it without thinking about it, then even if I do consider it to be rubbish at the end it will have been a step towards being able to produce something worthwhile one day.

But how to get rid of the fear? The answer lies in the garden somewhere, I just know it.

EDM 278 - P is for...

This is my drawing for EDM 278 - draw something beginning with your first name. So this is my can of polish. I really wish I hadn't chosen this because my least favourite colours are brown and yellow and it just won't go with my blog design. So I guess I'll have to post something new soon!

I've got one eye on the football as I write this post - England v. Slovenia, the last of our opening group matches. Football really isn't my thing, except at World Cup time and I'm completely connected. Especially because at last our side are playing like the professionals they really should be. So far it's 1-0 to England...

Cells and Shells

My lovely new cell phone. It's a Nokia E71. Of course, the real thing isn't all wobbly looking like this. It's bright and shiny (neither of which I know how to sketch!) and has white keys and I've hung my little red heart charm onto it. Aahhh! I think I should have sketched the instruction manual along with it because I've spent more time pouring over that than I have using the phone so far. It's SO much easier to text with proper keys - well I think so anyway. I won't say what else it does but suffice it to say it doesn't make the tea... yet...


This painting of my dish of shells was for EDM 207 - Draw a Shell. I think I should have done just that, rather than try to draw a whole bunch of shells! One day I may find my style. In fact, one day I may find out how to sketch :-)

But since I totally enjoy doing it I don't think it really matters what the final sketch looks like and I'm working on the theory that the more I sketch the better it'll get. Mind you, looking back over my sketch book I'm not too sure of that!! Still, gotta keep at it. Going on holiday to Spain later this week and will make sure I keep my sketchbook with me all the time and practice, practice, practice.

EDM 204 - Frosty!

Had a think about this challenge when I went for a walk in the frosty fields this afternoon. It sort of grew organically from thinking about how deep last night's frost was and how it wraps itself around everything above the ground. It turned out looking a bit evil I think but that wasn't intended!

Liquid acrylic paint.

EDM 201 - Stapler

I think I have a long way to go. Trying to do at least one sketch a day because I'm sure it's the only way I'll learn.

Red's my favourite colour!

I really did have a sore eye when I painted this and since I wear contact lenses and had one out I was getting some very funny mixes of perspective. It's OK again today though so I won't have any more excuses!

F-C PITT artists pen again with watercolour.

My Keys - EDM 37

I drew this again with Faber-Castell PITT pen and added some watercolour this time (see, I can do colour Filtil). It's pretty cranky still but I'm just enjoying it so much that I don't really care.

Now I'm going to start a proper journal so everything I do is in one place. Torn between wire-bound or stitched. Aarghh - so many choices to make!

My Kitchen Windowsill

This is the first of what I hope will be lots of pen and ink sketches (maybe with colour washes later) that are supposed to demonstrate my improvement from this to... wherever I end up. I've been reading The Creative Licence by Danny Gregory who reckons anyone can draw with enough practice! Well... we'll see.

Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen and NO ERASER!

Please don't read anything into the fact that I have Omega 3 supplements on my windowsill!!

I've just noticed that my keyboard, which has a sort of soft-feel black finish, has a fine sprinkling of gold dust over it. Seems to be everywhere - must have been left over from my dingbats project. Very Christmassy!