Warning - Artist networking at the British Library!

Today, I ventured out into the big wide world! Well, London at least. I’ve been living in the provinces so long it’s easy to forget how busy cities are. I joined “linked in” some time ago and joined the group women mean business and  networking meeting was arranged at the British Library. We met in the foyer of the British Library with the intention of going to the Cafe. An officious staff member informed us, rather rudely that we needed to have library cards to stay after 6.00pm. He chose the wrong group of women to mess with and the assertiveness skills came to the fore. We decided to relocate and ended up at St Pancras station instead. There were about 10 of us and we did the usual exchange of cards and introductions. Quite a mixed bag of skills and some interesting potential contacts. May well have been worth the effort.

Creative output today was acceptable. I have two paintings drying, just got to wait for the big reveal in the morning!

As for images…?

Yesterday I submitted my forms for the Stowe exhibition –the deadline was today. Only a little procrastination there then.Afterwards I went in search of my artistic muse. The river and snowdrops, my first subjects, proved something of a challenge. Snowdrops on a steep bank that led to the river. I negotiated that obstacle and produced some arty water shots with the snowdrops in the fore. All without getting my feet and, more importantly, the camera wet! I’m not posting those, however. On the road afterwards I was greeted by the sun on Buckingham Parish church, I had to stop the car and take this! This photograph is completely unedited!

Valentine’s day card – cartoons of the non icky kind!

Much as I love my hubby, (Hi dear!) we tend not to go all gooey over Valentine’s day cards. This is my Cartoon creation for him today – he loved it! Artistically it’s not my best, and if I were doing it again I’d alter a few minor things but overall, I think it works well. The joke does, at least.

The web frustration continues…but it seems to be all working now, finally!

My daughter got bored today and stuck these balloons on the wall using static. I’d just taken them down – only 2 weeks after her party, or is it 3? Yep, it’s 3, never mind. I like balloons and couldn’t resist a picture. Such lovely primary colours.

 

Last night I started a sketch of an eagle  – I’m going to finish it and might create something else new for tomorrow if I get nothing better done today. I’ve created a cartoon figure as well, but he needs a little redrawing and some ink in my pens – time to hit the bottle I think. Of ink I mean, of course!

For now, you have balloons and a Valentine’s day card. What more could you ask for? Did I hear flowers? Hmm we’ll see, if you’re good, VERY good!

The day beckons!

Here I am, sitting at home on yet another day when a child is off, this time due to illness. Fortunately it’s the eldest and he lets me get on and work. I’m a heartless woman!!!!! More snow forecast for later on in the week. Let’s hope they’re a bit more organised with the gritting this time. Talking of snow here are some of the pictures I promised last week.

I think I need to work on lighting!

Today has been far more productive than I expected. I’ve managed to finish some abstracts and a couple of sketches today. A quick one of the dog, amazingly he stayed still long enough, and it’s a paint sketch. So here is Arrow asleep.

I also did one of my paintbox and brushes. It’s a bit more stylised and controlled than the one above

More photography…

A more productive day today. I’ve been progressing steadily with my paintings, but nothing is finished yet. Hopefully they will be dry by the morning so I can remove the masking. I’m posting now so I can continue with the artwork this evening.

As I’ve taken a few more pictures this morning, ice formations mainly, I’m posting one of those. They’re not my best photos, but I quite like them!

Photo Art

The snow saga continues. Children are off again and expecting me to entertain them… Rag rapidly being lost. It hasn’t been helped by the continuing teething problems with the laptop. I spent far too much time this morning trying to get the network connections sorted instead of updating my blog as intended. I finished far too late last night to upload then. Both older children are itching to get their grubby mitts on the laptop and “breathing” down my neck, waiting for me to finish! The realisation that normally this wouldn’t be an issue is painfully real! I want the schools to be open…sob! I finally abandoned the fight and continued with painting that wretched commission…sobs some more! I don’t know what it is about this one, mental block or something but it’s a real battle, yet it shouldn’t be!
Now, I really love my children so, in an effort to remove the frustration I was feeling, I headed out with the camera and took some arty shots. Most of them were “OK” but I managed a couple that I liked. These are my favourites

Must post something, Uma Thurman?

Sometimes I spend time on a drawing and think I've got it, only to find I scan it in the computer and it just hasn't worked as well as I thought. It's the old proximity thing.

I attempted Uma Thurman, I wasn't trying for a caricature but I think I did one. I'm still trying to get to grips with the inktense pencils. Her lips are much darker than I intended. I'm not a happy girl...Very frustrated at the moment.

Having said that, I managed a nice outdoor sketch at lunchtime, might scan it in tomorrow?

I also took this lovely picture of my dog.

Pink panther cake!

No caricatures today, birthday party to organise for my daughter. So here's the cake. I'm quite pleased with it, I'm not that keen on cake decorating, never happy with the results, not like clay or paint. So to be quite pleased is doing well for me. I also made my first pinata (I haven't worked out how to do accents yet-sorry) which is supposed to be a dragon - I hadn't realised it was Chinese New Year, honest - but I did intend it to look like a chinese dragon. I had some help with the painting of the head from Siobhan, I would have done it differently. Not bad for a first effort and definitely worth the effort to see their faces. Especially Andrew!!!!!!!!! He looks a bit worried.

See the picture below!