366 Daily sketch challenge was an epic fail...

...considering we are now nearing the end of February. 

However, I have a darned good reason,  

Something that was out of my control.
More on that further down...

That said, I AM very happy that I did complete 

31 portraits for January! 

The last two January portraits below....

30/366 daily sketch
Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 
BIC Cristal ballpoint pen
Highlights are done with a POSCA white acrylic pen

31/366 daily sketch
Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 
BIC Cristal ballpoint pen
Highlights are done with a POSCA white acrylic pen 


I'm linking up with Sunday Sketches this week.
You can check out the other participants HERE.

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My big excuse for stopping the challenge so early....

I had carpal tunnel release surgery on Feb 4th
on my right/dominant hand. 

The theatre nurse only called me less than a week prior 

so I knew that February would be out of the question 

as far as my sketching and other hands-on activities went.

I came out of surgery with a bright pink hand and forearm right up to my elbow.
It's the solution they paint your hand/arm with before the procedure.
I had open surgery done with local anaesthetic using a tourniquet block.
It felt SO weird being awake for it all.
Thankfully they covered me with a tent so I wouldn't have to see it.
Watching a procedure done on YouTube was enough to turn my stomach.

Day 9 after the surgery
That bruising mid-forearm was actually individual finger marks
that were merging into one big bruise.
I'm not surprised because I could feel my arm
being forcefully pushed and pulled around
during the procedure.
It looked pretty gruesome under that dressing
so I've spared you the photo.

I was able to drive again at two weeks thanks to power-steering,
however, sharp turns and reverse-parking can be a little awkward
as my hand is still healing.
The surgeon said it can take up to three months
for it to be fully healed.
I've read some horror stories on the net
where some people are still not healed after seven months.

The stitches came out at the two week mark and
a couple of them were very painful. OUCH!
Obviously, a lot of healing still going on under the skin.

I'm now just past the three week mark and things are going pretty good.
I can touch-type again and I can write,
both for short periods of time.
I can't lift anything heavy though,
nor can I do things like open heavy doors
that require pushing or pulling.
My hand lets me know when it's had enough.
It feels very tight at the suture site
and the surgeon said that will be due to
the healing and scarring process.

I am also on the waiting list to have my left hand done next.
It was actually worse than the right for carpal tunnel syndrome
but I noticed the right hand more being that it was the dominant hand.

At least, I'll know what to expect now
so I'll be better prepared at home
by making some freezer meals prior to surgery.

SO!

In light of the fact that my 366 Daily Sketch challenge
was abruptly interrupted by hand surgery,
I have decided to just go month-by-month
as far as challenges go.
I'm hoping to kick it off in March,
my birthday month.

On another note, I was so limited and bored while waiting for my hand to heal,
I bided a lot of time in the first two weeks watching YouTube videos.
 I came across some great home organisation channels and caught the bug!
I've been crazy busy following through with some of the ideas/tips
so will share more on that in a later post too.

Stay tuned.....

366 Daily Sketch challenge - more portraits

What a week! 

It's been unbearably hot and humid 

which makes me feel like a badly wilted flower. 

We don't have air-con so we make do with ceiling fans. 

Weather aside, I have continued to sketch daily.

To pick up where I left off, 

here is the lovely daughter of a Facebook art friend. 

Reference photo used with permission.  

24/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

Graphite and watercolours 

Highlights are done with Art Spectrum gouache

A couple of process images 

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Next up is Sktchy artist/user, Katya Khodyacheva. 

In the original image, Katya had a scarf wrapped around her head and face 

but I instantly saw long hair billowing in the wind. 

25/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

Graphite, watercolours, and Lamy water-soluble ink. 

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For the following portrait, 

I used another of Ashley Goeltz's images.
I have done a few of sketches of Ashley via Sktchy.
She has a unique style which makes for an interesting model.

To start with, a simple graphite sketch
and a splash of watercolour.

More watercolour

a couple more layers and the final result

26/366 daily sketch
Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 
Graphite, watercolours, acrylic gouache, and Lamy water-soluble ink. 

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Day 27 and another Sktchy subject - iam ALVA. 

The image speaks of love and trust to me.

It was adorable so I just had to sketch it.
It makes me think of the relationship
I have with my own fur-kid, Cody.

Early stage 

and finished 

27/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

Graphite, watercolours, acrylic gouache, and Lamy water-soluble ink. 

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I only had time for a very quick pen sketch on Thursday. 

You guessed it...another Sktchy artist/user. 

This one is Jonathan Kalema. 

28/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

BIC ballpoint pen in black

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And last one for today's post anyways... 

Sktchy artist/user - Jessica Aguirre 

29/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

graphite and watercolours

I'm linking up with Sunday Sketches again this week. 

You can check out the other participants HERE.

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Apparently, there will be no relief from the heat
over the next few days.
Instead, it's going to get even hotter....NICE!
As if I'm not melting enough already.
Winter can't come soon enough for me.
I'm definitely a cold weather gal.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

366 Daily Sketch challenge - more portraits

It's nearly 5am on Monday morning 

which is my usual time for waking up  

and I realised I'd forgotten to do my Sunday post. YIKES!!!

Better late than never, I guess.

My sketches so far....

For the record, I normally sketch directly with pen/ink 

unless I want soft edges in a particular piece. 

I will then use a graphite pencil. 

Week 3 - male portraits

I'd like to thank all the Skchy artist/users 

who put up images via the app for us to sketch.

First for this post is Sktchy artist/user - Thyago PLAY 

18/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

Sketched with Platinum Carbon pen and watercolours. 

White highlights are done with Art Spectrum gouache.

The following one was a little embarrassing/confusing for me. 

The Sktchy user is Esther Michelle and 

I thought this was a case of her putting a pic 

of a boyfriend or male relative up on Sktchy. 

I did the sketch but,
after reading a comment by another artist, 

who also sketched the same image,

I am now thinking that this 

could possibly be a female subject 

...sporting a very short hairstyle.
The suit threw me off a little too.

If that is the case, my sincerest apologies to Esther Michelle 

for her ending up in my 'male' portrait week.

19/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

Sketched with Platinum Carbon pen and Lamy water-soluble ink. 

I then used white acrylic gouache to tone down the ink which I had gone 

a little heavy with on the face.

Next up is Sktchy artist/user, Martin Rodriguez. 

20/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

Sketched with graphite, Prismacolours, 
and BIC Cristal Pocket Scents ballpoints pens. 
Highlights are done with Art Spectrum white gouache.

Next up is Sktchy artist/user, Eden Suoth. 

21/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

Sketched with a ZIG Millennium 005 ink pen 
and Faber-Castell PITT pens for the solid blacks.

And so ends the seven days of male portraits.
The next seven days will be a mix.

The following sketch is Sktchy artist/user, Fancy DRAW.
Sorry for the poor lighting in this one. 

I love dreadlocks so just had to try my hand at sketching them. 

Boy, were they tricky! 

22/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

Sketched with a ZIG Millennium 005 ink pen and LAMY water-soluble ink.

Last up is a dear artist friend from Facebook, Chelle Mayer

who gave me permission to sketch one of her photos. 

First layer of watercolour

Final layer

23/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

Graphite and watercolours 

Highlights are done with Art Spectrum gouache

I'm a little late with Sunday Sketches but thanks to time-zones 

I can sneak in the back door before anyone notices. hehe 

You can check out this week's participants HERE.

I'll be back with more soon....

I hope you all had a beautiful Sunday!

366 Daily Sketch Challenge - male portraits and a special event

The portraits continue...

This week, I thought I'd sketch 'males'. 

I don't know this guy's name as 

I'm assuming his girlfriend, Megan George,
put up his photo on Sktchy.
My apologies for the poor photo quality.
I took this under artificial lighting at night.

15/366 daily sketch
Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 
Sketched with Platinum Carbon pen, then painted with Lamy water-soluble ink. 
White highlights are done with Art Spectrum gouache.


I liked the following guy's hair and beard.
He is Jül Züs from Sktchy.

16/366 daily sketch
Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 
Sketched with brown Faber-castell PITT pen, 
then painted with Schmincke sepia watercolour. 
White highlights are done with Art Sprectrum gouache.


Another Sktchy user, Ashkan shyrzady. 

17/366 daily sketch
Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 
Graphite and watercolours; 
White highlights are done with Art Sprectrum gouache.

I'm participating in Sunday Sketches again.
You can check out this week's participants HERE.

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Today, was a special worldwide event.
Vegans united in a global day of activism.
We committed to a 24 hour vow of silence
to raise awareness for animals
and to promote peace over violence.

I wore my printed T-shirt
and Bradley and I headed to the local shopping centre for the morning,
hopefully, a few a people took note.
One lady came up to me and said she loved the T-shirt
so I'm guessing she knows of James Aspey, the event creator.

Bradley and Aaron got a kick out of my charades all day
because I couldn't speak to them.
I discovered that Aaron is darned good at lip-reading.
For Bradley, we communicated mainly by text messages.

I did so well at not speaking in the morning
but I did slip up a few times
in the late afternoon, early evening.
All in all, I felt honoured to be a part of such an important event.

I'll be back with more sketches in a couple of days.

366 Daily Sketch challenge - more portraits

I am happy to say that I have been sketching daily 

since my last post so let me get you caught up. 

Up first is the lovely Makenna Stardust, a Sktchy user. 

I used BIC ballpoint pens, 

the Cristal Pocket Scents range to be exact.

For the blacks, I used Faber-castell PITT pens for the blouse and glasses,

and a mixed black in watercolours for her hair. 

11/366 daily sketch
Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 
BIC ballpoint pens, blacks are Faber-castell PITT pens and a mixed watercolour.
© Serena Lewis

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Next up is Nicola Fletcher, from Sktchy too.

Here is the initial pen sketch,
fast and loose.

I decided to use the BIC Cristal Scents ballpoint pens for adding colour to this one too.
The blacks are Faber-Castell PITT artist pens.

12/366 daily sketch
Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 
BIC Cristal Scents ballpoint pens and the blacks were done with Faber-castell PITT pens.
© Serena Lewis

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Next up is a sketch of Alexandria Bryant, another Sktchy user.

After the initial line sketch in pen,
I decided to play with some Lamy water-soluble ink.
Below is the first layer.

And the final results

13/366 daily sketch
Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 
Sketched using BIC ballpoint pen and Platinum Carbon pen, 
then brush-painted with LAMY water-soluble ink in black.
© Serena Lewis

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I had so much fun with the water-soluble ink,
I tried it again with today's sketch.
Subject is Susana Norzagaray from Sktchy.

First, the line drawing in pen

Then the first and second layers of water-soluble ink

Then the final results.
I really liked the painterly feel to this one.

14/366 daily sketch
Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 
Sketched using BIC ballpoint pen and Platinum Carbon pen, 
then brush-painted with LAMY water-soluble ink in black.
© Serena Lewis

I really do enjoy working with the water-soluble inks
despite having two mishaps in the studio today.

One - I actually had a different sketch under way this morning
until I pulled the lid off my Platinum Carbon fountain pen
and it splattered ink splotches all over my sketch. YIKES!
I should have been more careful as I've noticed
this particular pen seems to leak inside the lid,
not sure why??

Two - I had an ink spill while working on the sketch above.
I had reached across the table and
accidentally knocked my water tub over
which then spilled water into the ink reservoir
and it overflowed onto the table. SCREAM!!
Luckily, I have paper towels at the ready
so was able to quickly mop it all up before it poured over
 the edge of the table and onto the carpet. PHEW!
That was a VERY close call!

Black ink can be a scary medium to work with.
That said, I am loving the syringes for ink transfers though.
I learned about them from my pen guru, Rita McGregor.
I highly recommend them.
Easy to use and no mess!

So, that's about it for now.

I'll be back to share more daily sketches soon...

More daily portraits for the 366 Daily Sketch Challenge

After seven days of sketching my own face, 

I was a little over it so decided to move onto 

sketching other females. 

I'm thinking that I've already done seven days of me, 

I'll now do seven days of female portraits, 

seven days of male portraits, 

and perhaps seven days of children's portraits
in the last week of the month,

or maybe just a mish-mash.

There is a mobile app called Sktchy 

especially for artists who can upload photos 

of themselves to inspire other artists
to sketch or paint them.
It's such a great idea!

The app is only available for Apple products, iOS 8 or later.

I have it on my iPad and I love it! 

So, on Friday I was inspired to sketch Ashley Goeltz, 

a Sktchy artist/member. 

I love her uniqueness! 

I've always admired people who 

march to the beat of their own drum.

8/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

graphite and watercolours

© Serena Lewis

Yesterday (Saturday), my chosen subject was 

Susana Norzagaray via Sktchy. 

Another unique young lady.

9/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

graphite, Platinum carbon pen, and watercolours

© Serena Lewis

Today, I didn't have much time available 

so it was just a quick pen sketch of another Sktchy member,
the lovely Valerie Torres.

10/366 daily sketch
Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 
Platinum carbon pen, Faber-Castell PITT pens, and watercolours
© Serena Lewis

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I'm back to participating in the Sunday Sketches group.
You can check out this week's participants HERE.

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Bradley (son) and I have been watching the Star Wars movies
to get caught up before we see the latest one.
I've never watched Star Wars before,
except for The Phantom Menace around 14 years ago,
but Aaron, my youngest, went to see the latest one
and just had to watch all the rest. hehe
We're enjoying them so far.

I'm managing the daily sketches just fine at the moment
but the daily blogging was making me feel pressured so,
from here on, I will be posting two to three times per week.

Stay tuned....

Day 6 of the 366 Daily Sketch Challenge

Thankfully, I managed to stave off the migraine last night 

although I did need to take medication for it.

Needless to say, I was a little foggy-brained today.

I believe it's due to tension from a stiff neck 

which I'm still dealing with.
Not sure of the cause.

Anyway, a simple black and white sketch for today. 

Not a great photo because I took it under artificial light. 

6/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

Platinum Carbon fountain pen,  Pentel pocket brush pen, 

and Faber-Castell PITT pens in greys.

© Serena Lewis 

It was quite a warm day today. 

Michelle popped over with the girls for a visit.

We watched 'Homeward Bound'
which is such a sweet movie.
The girls did some painting too...what fun we had!

That's all for today
...stay tuned.

Day 5 of 366 Daily Sketch Challenge

Just a quick post and run tonight. 

I have a migraine trying to get a grip on me.
Another self-portrait.

Just close your eyes and relax....

5/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

Platinum Carbon fountain pen,  

Watercolours, LAMY black ink, and white gouache.

© Serena Lewis 

Just to give you an idea on how I work, 

below is the loose pen sketch I did 

before applying the watercolours and detailing. 

Now I'm off to bed to hopefully
get rid of this looming migraine
before it gets a hold on me. 

Day 4 of 366 Daily Sketch challenge

Today was hair wash day.
Another self-portrait loosely interpreted.

4/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

Lamy Safari fountain pen with Lamy Blue water-soluble ink, 

I also used a Derwent watercolour pencil in Ultramarine blue.

© Serena Lewis 

Stay tuned for another sketch tomorrow....

Day 3 of 366 Daily Sketch challenge

Another self-portrait...

I thought I'd paint a background first, 

then sketch over the top.

3/366 daily sketch

Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 

Fountain pens; watercolours; gouache.

© Serena Lewis 

I will continue to do my daily sketches 

but not sure if I'll post them daily 

or two to three times a week. 

I'll play it by ear.... 

Stay tuned for more daily sketches.

Day 2 of the 366 Daily Sketch project - another self portrait

Yesterday, I couldn't decide on which sketchbook 

to start off the year with. 

I've stocked up on quite a few over the years.
All varying sizes and papers.

Just a few from my stocks

I opted for a Hahnemuhle D & S Sketch journal. 

I hoped it would take watercolour okay

being that it is more designed for pencils/pens. 

The paper is also quite thin at only 140gsm. 

However, the natural white paper appealed to me 

and I wanted to play with a new book.

Another quick self-portrait today.

2/366 daily sketch
D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 
Drawn directly with Platinum Carbon and LAMY fountain pens 
painted with watercolours. 
© Serena Lewis

As for my opinion on the D & S Sketch journal?

So far, I like it a lot.
I'd prefer the paper to be a tad more thick
because I can slightly see the previous page through it
but not bad enough to be a problem.
The ink doesn't bleed through which is a plus for me
and it takes light layers of watercolour just fine.
Can't complain....

Stay tuned for more daily sketches

The 366 daily sketch challenge begins

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Bradley and I welcomed the New Year in at midnight
and managed to stay awake ALL night long.
I went off to bed around 8am
but was up again by 9:30am.
I find it hard to sleep if it's morning time.

I hope everyone enjoyed their new year celebrations.

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I was invited by a fellow vegan
to participate in a Facebook event
called Vegan Sunrise 2016.
Basically, we were to take a photo
of ourselves at sunrise,
post it on Facebook
and reaffirm our reasons
for becoming vegan.
Sunrise in Brisbane was just before 5 am.

As my T-shirt says, I'm vegan for the love of ALL animals!
The health aspects that come from being vegan are just a bonus.
I am now a committed vegan and will never go back.

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As tired as I have been today,
I did manage my first sketch
in the 365, oooops!
Better make that 366 daily sketch project for 2016.

1/366 daily sketch
D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 
Drawn directly with Platinum Carbon and LAMY fountain pens 
painted with watercolours.

It's supposed to be a self-portrait,
obviously a loose interpretation.
I'm thinking 'self portraits' may be the theme for January.

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It's now 8:30pm and I'm fighting to keep my eyes open
so I'm calling it a night.

Stay tuned for more sketches.