Sunday 19 October 2014

Another fortnight of sketches

Another busy fortnight has passed...

Here are more daily sketches for my 365 day challenge.
I always sketch directly in pen unless stated otherwise.

There have been recent changes in my art/computer room. 
I moved the computer desk out 
so that I could fit in a single ensemble bed.
This is for when Mum stays overnight. 
She has been feeling very lonely
since Dad has been in the aged care home.

I'm almost back on my vegan path from being a pescetarian.
Pescetarian - A vegetarian who eats fish.
I regretted giving up on my vegan path
as I believe that going back on dairy
caused me to gain weight.
I'm already feeling the benefits of being vegan again,
not just my health and weight loss but also my peace of mind.




I'm such a slacker!
I still haven't found time to get my foot X-rayed.
The pain comes and goes.


The chickpea curry was DELICIOUS!






It was a sad ending to a busy day.
Bella, Aaron's female budgie, passed away.
We have no idea why...
She was only four years old,
the youngest of our budgie family.
It was a tear-filled afternoon and evening.
We buried her in our back garden.
Bella's mate, Jacob, is looking for her and
we feel so sad for him.
R.I.P. sweet Bella ~ xo

Aaron decided it was best to replace Bella for Jacob's sake
so, after I picked him up from school, we headed off to the pet shop.
Isabell is around 6 months old.
We were told she is female but we are not entirely convinced at this stage.
Not sure what Jacob is thinking...

I signed up for Liz Steel's - Sketching Now - online course!!
She taught a klass in Sketchbook Skool
and it was awesome so I'm quite keen for her class to start.

I decided to sketch the doggy toy for this entry,
as Cody or Jack left it lying on the floor.
I really need to teach them to pack their toys away. lol
Sometimes, it looks like an obstacle course of doggy toys here.

The lovely Pink Lily tea cup, saucer, and side-plate set that
one of Reece's friends gifted me for my birthday a few years back.
I didn't sketch the side-plate.


In my early teens, I remember loving the lemony fragrance
of 4711 Eau De Cologne so, when I spotted it on special
at our local pharmacy, I just had to buy some.
It's retail price is normally around $50 but it was only $19.95 on special.
MY! How prices have escalated over the years....
The retail price was only around $4.95 back in my teens and it was a bigger bottle too.
When I apply it now, the fragrance instantly transports me back in time. 


A couple of months ago, Aaron and I bought some
foxtail palms for our back garden from a roadside vendor.
He had decent-sized pony tail palms at cheap prices so,
yes, I bought one of them too.
I re-potted it into a black ceramic pot and it sits inside the front entrance.
I was quite excited the other day to see heaps of new leaves sprouting forth.


NOTE TO SELF - I should never have used a brush pen to sketch a detailed subject
in a pocket sketchbook.  Brush pens are more suited to larger sketchbooks
for outlining rather than detailing.
Lesson learned.


It's supposed to be Patrick Swayze but I made his face too round/wide.
For this sketch, I tried out some water-soluble graphite pencils.
I wished I had started sketching with pen as
I find that I definitely second-guess myself too much when
I use pencil and I'm constantly erasing.
With pen, I'm more committed to the line and I can't help but feel
I would have managed a better likeness with pen.

I just didn't know when to leave well enough alone
but I did like how the hair came out.
I added a touch of pen here and there for definition.
I will definitely try sketching Patrick again at some point.

This week, I'm linking up with Sunday Sketches.

30 comments:

  1. such a wonderful strand of sketches
    and glimpses of your life
    you have a great style

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow! Your sketches are amazing and how impressive to make a 365 challenge! I love your art!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Interesting mix of drawings feet are always hard for me, everyone wears socks or shoes.
    I think you have a good likeness in Patrick's picture.
    Merle..............

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your work is amazing. LOVE the one of Patrick. Well done. Also enjoyed your Skip-Bo pages. Hee. Let's...loved the tea cup one, too. I haven't been to IKEA in ages! Have a fantastic week. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Alex. I've never played Skip-Bo but I've heard it is almost the same as Phase 10. Wishing you a fantastic week too. xx

      Delete
  5. I just love these sketch-journal pages!! Never heard of the fasting day for the critters. Great idea. I don't eat any meats including fish and have been gradually going off dairy. Cheese and frozen yogurts and yogurts...can't seem to stop everything yet. Maybe I'll get there eventually. How do you eat sushi if you don't eat fish? I thought it was all raw fish. Do they have some kind of rice dishes or something? I obviously know nothing about sushi--LOL!

    Sorry about Bella, but glad the new one is fitting in. I hope you enjoy your new online class and that you get to have lots more playtime and even get to meet up with the urban sketchers. Hope your foot is okay. It's sad to see your parents become so different from who they used to be, but I'm glad your mom is happy to come spend time with you guys. Busy, busy lady!! Have a really good week. :) :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Rita. Nowadays, Sushi is basically cooked vinegared rice combined with any preferred assortment of fillings wrapped in seaweed (nori). Traditionally, Japanese Narezushi rice was cooked in fermented fish but that is not used for Western-style sushi. Bradley and I usually have avocado sushi rolls and inari (fried tofu pillows filled with sushi rice).

      Yep, my days were full before Dad went into hospital and then the Aged Care home but now, my days are filled with a different set of priorities. I hope to get back to urban sketching soon....I miss our bus trips into the city.

      Love and hugs to you....and wishing you a great week too. xo

      Delete
  6. beautiful journal pages, sorry about the budgie!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your sketches are always wonderful and inspiring how you incorporate them into everyday life!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful sketches, Serena! Hugs to your Mom! Nice she has a lovely room to stay over! I think Patrick S. looks just like himself! Great job...seriously great!!! Sorry about Bella. Always so shocking when they just pop off suddenly like that! Hugs to all.
    xoxo- Julie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awwwww....thanks, Julie! Yes, it did come as quite a shock as Bella was half the age of the other two. Hugs to you also. xo

      Delete
  9. I love your sketches. They are awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh my gosh the detail in your sketches is something to behold, Serena!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. amazing journal pages and I love the auto-biographical nature of them.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I LOVE your sketches! What an amazing thing to have at the end of your year - you will remember every day!! I'm struggling to keep up with #Inktober, let alone doing this! Ny the way - I'm a Pescetarian too. Love unsweetened Almond milk! But couldn't go down the Vegan route because I would miss cheese SO much! :0)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sandra! I love the challenge because I get my sketch journals filled up more quickly and they are certainly fun to look back over. I often refer to them to double-check what happened on a particular day. Great that you are Pescetarian! I haven't eaten meat since 2007. Yes, I admit that I haven't found an awesome soy cheese yet. When I went vegan the first time around, I missed cheese for the first few months....I did get used to not having it after that. I don't miss it at all being vegan this time around. Enjoy your day! xx

      Delete
  13. Amazing sketches and tell me about foot pain. I have been there too. Finally found that my arches had fallen and also my back was aggravating it. Lots of excersise helped to strengthen muscles so I am almost pain free now. Hope they find out what is wrong with yours and you are able to treat it soon

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You poor thing! Glad to hear the exercises helped. I think my main issue is flat feet. :(

      Delete
  14. what beautiful drawings- wish i can be that good! love the range of topics and wow to patrick!! love the feet sketch :) just brill x

    ReplyDelete
  15. omg your drawing are amazing!!!! Even the cans are awesome, not to mention Patrick Swayze!!! I am so inspired I may be up all night sketching!!! That is if I can leave your blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for visiting, Marva. I'm so glad you like my sketches. :)

      Delete