Sketches

I tried to do some sketches of Molly but she kept moving.
It must seem as if I have given up on the oil painting but I haven't - I have been busily doing colour exercises from Betty Edwards book 'Color', and I don't want to do another painting until I have finished the exercises. The exercises are very good and I feel as if I've learnt quite a lot (well a lot more than I knew anyway).

Watching

Sleepy

Gravestone

Yesterday morning was spent drawing this microphone to go onto the gravestone of my lovely late husband Art, who died in 2006. He was a singer, that's why I wanted the microphone, but the drawing the funeral parlour provided was not up to scratch. He would be proud of me for attempting this, because as well as being a singer he was a very talented artist and illustrator, and would have made a much better job of it than me. But I have done my best, as I know he would have been peeved to have a bad line drawing on his grave.

Watching football

I found a Copic Multiliner pen unexpectedly in a Kingston artshop. I haven't seen them anywhere else. I'm really pleased with it. The ink flow is very good. I haven't posted lately, partly because I have been busy with work and partly because I haven't really been in the mood... hopefully I'm back in the flow again now.

Birthday Paraphernalia

It was my birthday on Friday (and Joyce's too - Happy Birthday Joyce!) and I was lucky enough to go out for a meal with my friends and get thoroughly spoilt with lovely presents and cards.

Dog on my lap

Asleep amongst the cushions

Resting

The Selfish Gene

I'm reading this book at the moment and it's very interesting but requires so much concentration it's given me a headache!

Anniversary

D got me these flowers for the 'anniversary' of when we first got together 2 years ago.

Chester on the rug

Walk

It's quite odd drawing something from above and I'm sure the perspective is way out on this drawing!
We've got into the habit recently of going for long walks on Sunday and this old man (he's 13 now) seems to be going from strength to strength. He's perfectly capable of completing 4 miles at a time even though he's got his own agenda and constantly wanders off on a mission of his own!

Toy

This is Molly with her favourite toy, a squeaky snowman.

New pen

Hooray I've got some new pens!

Sleeping dogs and basil

My pen has run out of ink so I have to draw in pencil at the moment. I am pleased with my basil drawing because I have always been useless at drawing plants but this one doesn't look too bad (in my humble opinion). I usually just look at all the leaves and get completely flummoxed! I think working in pen has improved my eye a bit, as once you put a mark down there is no going back so you have to judge measurements and angles correctly first time.

Worn out Molly

Last summer D found a baby rabbit who had been dumped in a box in the alleyway. We adopted him, he is now called 'Binky', which we discovered was a word used in the rabbit world to describe the mad running and jumping that rabbits sometimes do, and which he does a lot. Recently because of the cold we have kept his hutch in the back of the boat and let him run around a bit in the boat. Molly at first chased him everywhere, pushing him with her paws when he sat still because she wanted him to move and driving him to hide under the settee. Now he is a bit older and hormones are kicking in the tide has turned, because he has suddenly decided Molly is the love of his life and he must jump on her back and attempt to mate with her as often as possible. Now it's her turn to hide from him!