Sunday 1 November 2020

AEDM 2020 - My Octopus Teacher

Hi everyone, 

In recent weeks, my son and I watched a Netflix documentary - My Octopus Teacher - which was so lovely. It was a heartfelt story following film maker, Craig Foster, over the course of a year where he connected with an octopus in the kelp forests off the coast of South Africa. He shows just how clever and intelligent these beautiful beings are.  It was heart-stopping in areas and quite emotional in others. I did cry but definitely worth watching.

So, I thought I'd sketch an octopus for the first day of Art Every Day Month. 

I sketched this beauty with a mix of ink, watercolour, and Prismacolor pencils in a Holcroft A5 sketchbook.





You can check out the work of other participants HERE

On another note, we had a super storm cell move through our area yesterday leaving a fair bit of damage in its wake.  A tennis ball-sized hailstone landed across the street from us but the majority of hailstones were around 1½" in diameter (the larger one in the pic below). Some areas reported hailstones the size of cricket balls! And, to think, we are only in spring. The worst of our summer storms usually hit in January/February. 


I guess we won't know if the roof sustained any damage until we have more rain. Damp bubbling spots on the ceiling are usually a clue. I hope that doesn't happen. 

I hope you all enjoyed a lovely Halloween/weekend. 

Love, Light and Peace to all.

24 comments:

  1. Hi, love your Octopus. I have not seen the documentary but I guess I have to search for it. :)
    Thanks!

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    1. Thanks...check Netflix as that's where we watched it. :)

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  2. You draw and paint SO well, Serena. I am simply delighted to see you joining in again this year. It's been awhile and I always loved your drawings. This Octopus Teacher is a perfect first entry for AEDM.

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    1. Thanks, Elizabeth! I'm happy to be back this year. :)

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  3. I watched My Octopus Teacher too and loved it! What a lovely sketch you've done if such a weird and wonderful creature!!

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    1. Thanks! It was a great documentary and I learned quite a bit. :)

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  4. Your art of the octopus is so beautiful Serena - love your calligraphy too!
    I'm going to look for that documentary, it sounds wonderful.

    Those are huge hailstones - a lot of cars damaged I'm sure!!
    We were made messy again from the tail of the most recent hurricane, Zeta, which passed through on Thursday - lots of small branches and twigs pruned from the oaks, and the remaining acorns came down in showers, now the leaves are falling - yes, Autumn is truly here and so beautiful.

    Stay well - Mary x

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    1. Thanks, Mary! I hope you manage to watch it.

      Yes, lots of cars and homes were damaged. I hope that will be the last hurricane you see for a while. They do made a mess for sure. Our cyclone season is in the summer months. Not looking forward to it at all.

      I hope you stay well also. xo

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  5. I love your octopus! You are the second person I've seen recommend this film. I hope it's still available to watch. That must have been some storm - we're expecting heavy winds here tomorrow and we've just had a killing frost we'll be cleaning up after. Stay well!

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    1. Thanks, Lorraine...so nice to 'see' you! Our storms have definitely been a lot worse over the past 5 years. I dread them because they can be so destructive.

      I hope you stay well too. :)

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  6. Wow that is an excellent piece of art. The color, the depth of him is perfect. Enjoy your Sunday.

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    1. Thanks so much!

      I hope you enjoy your week ahead. :)

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  7. I'm glad you joined art every day - i always looked forward to your art!! That's a beautiful octopus. i'm going to watch that documentary - thanks for the heads up on it.

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    1. Awwwww, thanks, Sandy...that's sweet of you to say. I hope you enjoy the documentary though be prepared for some sad parts.

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  8. This is a fabulous drawing. I've seen that documentary and it is really amazing!

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    1. Thanks, Erika. I'm glad you enjoyed the documentary too. :)

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  9. I've got that saved in my queue and will definitely watch it soon now. :)
    I love your beautiful octopus! An excellent start to AED for November.
    I hope your roof is okay. :)

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    1. Thanks, Rita. I hope you enjoy the documentary. A little hairy-scary in parts and sad in areas too. Still worth watching.

      Stay well, my friend. xo

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  10. Very nice! Great start for AEDM.

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  11. Octopus are pretty amazing creatures. Nice artwork. That hail is pretty big. Sure hope it didn't cause any damage.

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    1. They are amazing for sure.

      I hope we don't have ceiling issues when more rain comes. Cross fingers. :)

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  12. Wow, what a wonderful painting of the octopus. I watched the program, it was fantastic.

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