Still here...

  Yes I'm still alive, and still drawing! Here are a few of the sketches I've been doing every day....

I drew this guitar in a couple of minutes late at night (but before midnight) when I had got home from Swing dancing with friends! (Swing dancing is so much fun, you should try it!)

I copied illustrations from my friends book of fairy poems.

The cute little house where I was. I sat under the garden arch which I drew in the picture below.

Copied from Heidi's Children illustrations by Pelagie Doane.

One of two candlesticks that usually sit atop the piano.

Mum's Eternity perfume with my little marble elephant I about for a dollar.

I'll write a proper post soon.... !

365 Day Drawing Challenge

I celebrated my 20th birthday last Thursday, the 15th, and on that date I began a challenge similar to one I have attempted in the past, only much bigger! 

   To improve my drawing skills and techniques I have embarked of a challenge to draw every day until I'm 21! So the goal is to have 365 or more sheets of drawn upon paper collected in my red folders by this time next year. 

   I have wanted to begin this challenge for a while, but doubted my dedication to keep it up. But after the last few months of doing some sort of artwork every day I have got into the habit of it and thought I'd better keep it up now that I don't have so I don't get out of the habit of it. 

   I have a few rules for myself the main one, of course, being drawing every day! But if I do miss a day I will do two drawing the next day. So far I've only been using pens to draw but I may use pencil and charcoal or anything else I can think of to draw with-- pastel maybe. I'm just using sheets of standard A4 cartridge paper for this project, that is easiest and fit into my folders nicely, also I can scan them (I just discovered it's so much easier scanning that photographing my drawings!) I'm also going to try to concentrate on drawing people and drawing from real life, it is somehow more satisfying to draw from life than from a flat photo.

   I've started an album on my Facebook Equine Fine Art Page which I will keep updated with all my drawings, and I have also started a board on Pintrest for it. I'll be posting only the highlights here on my blog as I don't want to bore anyone!

   

Well now I'd better go and do my drawing for today!

Pages from my sketchbook

Here are some pages from my sketchbook in response to Loriann Signori's challenge on her blog. 

I use my sketchbooks as places to scribble when I don't feel like doing a proper drawing but want to make marks with my pencil anyway. Or I use them it for daily sketching challenges which I love or preliminary sketches for more finished drawings or paintings.

 

This first photo is one of several I have done from famous paintings. I find the best way to learn more about a master's work is to copy his masterpieces. I discovered allot about 'In the Conservatory' when I did this page. And also about the artist. Art Project Powered by Google is a great reference for this kind of thing.

On this second page are a couple of sketches I did in preparation for a portrait of the girl. They were really helpful and decided me on the first pose as an open smile really doesn't look good in a portrait.

These last two are from a daily sketch challenge I set myself earlier in the year. I always find my hand eye drawing skills are given a huge boost after I draw heaps and heaps and regularly.