Thursday 26 March 2015

Sketches, a spider, and a couple of roos...

 Has it really been over two weeks since I last posted?!

Doctors, specialist visits, medical tests,
and family birthdays, including my own, were in there somewhere. 
My niece also gave birth to a beautiful 9lb baby girl 
who now shares the same birthday as my own daughter.
Doctors, specialist visits, and tests were more to do with my Mum 
who is dealing with some health concerns right now. 
Life can sure get busy fast around here.

I have managed a few sketches here and there.

One of my favourite cereals is the Be Natural range.
It's low in sugar and has no artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives
 unlike so many of the supposed healthy cereals out there. 
I love mine best with soy milk....no added sweetener!



 I decided to use up the blue water-soluble ink that came with
my Lamy Safari fountain pen by doing some pen and wash sketches.
I didn't think I would but I like the variations with the LAMY blue ink.
I added some definition to Jack with some permanent black ink.
Sadly, for Jack, his skin condition persists
and I am now trying a natural, home-made pest repellent that
includes five aromatherapy oils mixed with water.
I spray it on him every morning before he goes outside to go toilet.
I'll keep you posted on how effective it is.


For the selfie sketch, I sat in front of a mirror
and sketched directly in pen (LAMY Safari; EF nib),
then used a water brush to wet and shade.
You might notice that my hair is now much shorter...
Yep, one morning, the scissors found their way magically into my hands
and, before I knew it, I was chopping away at my hair.
A whole 10" or 12" gone over a spur of the moment decision.
That's how I roll when it comes to my hair.



I didn't intend to go that heavy with the lip outline
but hey, when working directly with pen,
you have to accept and love the mistakes too.



***********************************

OH, and for those wondering how things went with Charlotte
I did go out to look for her the next morning
and was very happy to see her and her web
glistening in the sun.


The view from side-on in the shade...


And just to show that spiders aren't the only creatures lurking around these parts,
I spotted these kangaroos grazing at dusk on a street two suburbs over.
The photos aren't great but I didn't want to get too close
and frighten them off.




 Nature is painting for us, day after day, 
pictures of infinite beauty 
if only we have the eyes to see them.
--- John Ruskin

8 comments:

  1. It sounds like you have been busy for less fortunate reasons than I'm sure you would have liked. I'm sorry to hear that. I hope your Mum will be okay... Meanwhile I love your sketches! That Blue pen is really effective! I'm an 'Unsweetened Almond Milk' gal myself. Cows milk makes my stomach turn... Yyyyyyuck! :0)

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    1. Thanks, Sandra. I'm very much enjoying the water-soluble blue ink. I will always go plant-based over animal-based being that I'm heading towards a vegan lifestyle. :)

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  2. So sorry to hear you have been dealing with so many issues. Hope your Mom's health improves and hope poor Jack is doing better now too.
    I love the blue ink in your sketches......
    I had to laugh because I have done the same thing numerous times to my hair. Sometimes I just get the urge to cut it and I DO! LOL

    Hugs and congratulations for the new baby in the family.

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    1. Thanks, Norma. Life has been crazy that's for sure. So glad to know I'm not the only one who cuts my hair on a whim. hehe

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  3. Oh no! Sorry your mom is having health issues now, too, but very happy to hear about the new baby in the family. The Lamy blue looks like a lot of fun to play with. Glad somebody loves big scary spiders--LOL! Grazing kangaroos. I suppose it's like the grazing deer we have here in the suburbs--a little unexpected, but not really. Or maybe it is even more rare--like our wandering black bears.

    Did you change your site? Or is it my computer? (I'm still having a lot of issues.) I was used to seeing lots of color at the top and now there's none--just black and white. Have you been chopping away at more than your hair? LOL! ;)

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    1. Thanks, Rita. I'm hoping my Mum's results won't require surgery. Yep, we get excited to see kangaroos...we know they're there but we don't see them often. If I was out and about at dusk more frequently, I'd see a lot more of them.

      Yes, I took my banner down and went with basic black and white as I figure the images in my posts can be the splashes of colour. I'm not sure whether I've gone with basic black to reflect my current mood or whether I just wanted a change. I seem to be craving 'simple' of late. xx

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  4. I'm glad to hear of your niece's new baby girl, and the fact you've managed to do some drawing. But I'm sorry about your Mother's health issues, and the fact poor Jack is still having sucha bad time of it with his skin irritation.

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    1. Thanks, Tori. I'm praying that when winter hits, Jack's allergies will clear. I took him back to the vet on Friday and she said they are treating a lot of dogs at the moment with seasonal skin allergies, especially being that March has been quite hot and humid instead of starting to cool. March is the start of autumn and the high heat and humidity is not the norm. :(

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