Rediscovering Watercolour and a Promise

Hello!

I've made a new promise to myself this week.  As part of stepping back and re-prioritising my little life, and making it better and easier on myself, I realised that during the self imposed busy~ness I'd created, I had also neglected to do something very enjoyable.

Draw.

The realisation that I hadn't drawn in several weeks was a bit of a shock if I'm honest.  I'm an artist, I'm meant to draw, indeed I LOVE to draw!  I carry a tiny moleskine with me in my bag in case of emergency sketch missions, or if an idea comes to me for a painting or illustration whilst I'm out and about.  But even this has been left untouched.

As I realised how much time had gone by since I last drew or painted, I decided to make a promise to myself, and that was to try and draw at least one thing a day in one of my sketchbooks.  Now you might be reading this and thinking 'does she never learn??? - off she goes again, filling up her life with Stuff...won't be long til we're hearing about how tired and worn out she is etc, etc...(Yawn).'

I promise it's not like that.  This is a gift to myself, because I love making art and it's part of who I am.  Without it, I feel a little bit empty or lopsided.  It makes me whole.
So, for a few minutes a day, I am going to draw because it feels good to be in touch with that part of myself.  And if I get longer, I will paint too.  I can probably do a decent sketch of something in the time it takes to watch an advert on TV.

(brightened up in Photoshop - really like the effect of this)

Just this morning (after being inspired by Springwatch again) I decided to do a quick sketch of a little blue tit that was in my garden, sitting in the eucalyptus tree (which is sadly dead and needs cutting down following that extraordinarily cold winter).  The birds still like it though, and use it to cluster on with their offspring.  I was able to capture one little chap fairly quickly (you have to be fast when it's a live bird you are drawing) and render him in watercolour and ink.

Ah.  Watercolour and Ink.

I used to paint in watercolour very regularly, and then over the last few years I have been working in acrylics more or less constantly.  Now sadly, due to neglect or lack of use (which amounts to the same thing really) most of my watercolour tubes had dried up.  I know you can cut the tubes open to use, but I was feeling frivolous so I ordered myself some new ones (which I'm still waiting for and am going beside myself with excitement about).  However, there were still some that were useable, and my palette still had a few decent colours left on it too!

It's a strange feeling, using a different medium after spending so long with something familiar.  It's a bit like being back in the classroom again, learning and stretching yourself and watercolour is so different to acrylic paint.  The fluidity, the transparency...I'd forgotten just how delicate they can be, but I was soon in the swing of it again.  It's a wonderful paint medium and I think it's fun to step out of the box and test your levels of comfort with something forgotten or new. 


So I'm on my art journey again.  I feel much happier.  My days also seem extra spacious of late and I'm certainly feeling better for the changes I've been making.  I'm making time for healthy breakfasts (although I still need my coffee kick lol)...

...and little bursts of retail therapy (well, when we've been a bit over-run with stuff, and feeling fed up it's nice to cheer ourselves with a small treat, isn't it?)
So I was super delighted to discover this Sarah Smith apron on sale at just £2.50!

Which will complement this, when it arrives:

 (image from Amazon)

By all accounts, this book is one of the best of the moment.  I had a peep whilst I was in Waterstones at the weekend, and I knew it was one of those books that I Just Had To Have on my bookshelf.  You know the kind I mean.  If you click the Amazon link under the picture, you will be able to see some of the mouth watering treats inside!


Well - it's time for some lunch, might even manage to sneak in another crocheted flower in between bites of my sarnie!  The shawl/wrap is coming on great, I'm really pleased with it and it's nice to be using up some of those remnants of wool from my basket at last. 


Right, I'm away!  I look forward to catching up with you soon, sending love
Julia x
 

Inspiring Myself

Hello there.

Before I begin, I want to say a huge thank you to all of you dear souls who stopped by to wish me and the Little One well. Your kind messages made me feel much better, but alas, although the infection has gone, the head cold remains and we continue to wade through oodles of tissues and slurp nasty cough linctus.

Needless to say, I've been in dire need of a Pick-Me-Up. Being ill usually leaves me feeling quite low energy wise, and often I'm not even able to muster the enthusiasm to do a bit of crochet which is usually a cheerful pursuit in itself...I have only had sufficient energy to stroke the RR fondly and wistfully, and so, I have turned to my sketch books and Inspiration Book in order to lift my spirits these last few days - it's quite a tonic to inspire myself with painting ideas I'd forgotten all about, and to look at gorgeous pictures and recipes I'd previously pasted into my Inspiration Book.

The sketch above was done a couple of weekends ago, before the vile bug struck us down. The sun was shining and it was incredibly warm so I wandered off across the road to do a bit of drawing at the allotments. It really is a fabulous little place, tucked in a little dip below a grassy verge and by the riverside. It teams with plant pots, rickety fencing, old buckets and benches, forgotten cups of tea, spades, tipsy greenhouses (you know, the ones that lean precariously to one side defying gravity) and all other such allotment type paraphanalia...including My Chickens.

I say 'My' Chickens...hmmmm....well, I pretend they are mine dear readers, yes I do. I have a crazy love affair with these plump bronze feathered creatures. I can see them from my bedroom window and often find myself gazing at them strutting about and swooning with delight at their doings. One day, I will have chickens of my own, but for now I am playing Pretend and that is Good for now. I have a feeling, as batty as it probably sounds, a few of you will probably understand where Im coming from on that one :D

So I whiled away a good hour or so there with my trusty Moleskine...

Here is a little hand made bench, quite crudely fashioned out of a plank of old wood and two tree stumps!! How completely delightful!! It was covered in a pile of parsnips that had seen better days, and a rusty old horseshoe.

Going back in my book, I found some of the earliest sketches which I drew in preparation for my Little Red character...

...and some more recent ones from this winter, of blackbirds in my back garden.

And then I dug out my Inspiration Book.

Have you got one yourself? Have you the faintest idea what I'm talking about??

My Inspiration Book is a spiral bound sketch book full of all sorts of stuff, clippings from magazines, recipes, photographs, postcards, lovely websites and so on. It is a treasure trove of wonderful things I wanted to remember, Just In Case.

This little home made book never fails to lift the spirits and get me in a creative frame of mind.

Another example of something that lights the creative fire, is this:

My daughter, although only two, is forever drawing. She has a Doodle Draw (otherwise she would go through an entire ream of A4 paper in a week) and is constantly surprising and inspiring me.

The picture above is of herself, singing in the garden with two Buzzy Bees on two Pretty Flowers.

I love how children are a bottomless pit of enthusiasm and inspiration.

I'm also inspired by Simple Stuff. Little pleasures that we encounter through our days, like the perfect candy floss pink of the blossom against a pure (and clear) blue sky...

...I also like things like fresh bed linen that has dried in a warm breeze,

the scent of fields on a summers evening, heady with that special herby smell you only get at that time of year...

...I like scraping out the bottom of the G&B chocolate spread jar with the long handled jam spoon...

...I like walking on an empty beach watching the sea foam hiss up the sand...

and

I like this:

It's not finished yet, but I'm perhaps about half way through. Rainbow Ripple is coming on just beautifully and the wool I'm using (Sublime cashmere merino silk dk) is an absolute dream to work with, and so very, very soft.

This is going to be one of those divine blankets that come on lots of adventures with us. One that will get hauled about on picnics, evenings on the beach eating fish and chips out of paper, and snuggling up on the sofa with on a cold afternoon watching something fabulous like Amelie or Chocolat.

Talking of chocolate....you remember in my last post I told you I was going to try and be very healthy and perk up the old immune system?

Well, I have been trying. I've been trying very hard, eating much more fruit, veg and salad than normal and drinking pints of water and herbal tea.

In all honesty I do feel much better, and I've lost 4lb without even trying.

But.

I have to say, all this healthy eating is Good but it lacks something.

It lacks Treats, and in my home Treats are necessary...and an apple just doesn't compensate for a clotted cream laden scone oozing with strawberry jam.

So, after several days of being Very Good and building up the immune system, I caved in and baked apricot flapjacks with the Little One. Oh my goodness, the aroma as it baked of heady rich syrupy goodness...I could hardly contain myself!!!

So a happy medium is reached. Yes, we will continue to eat much more good stuff than before as we feel better inside and out, but we will also have cakes and flapjacks and puddings because life simply tastes better with them than without!

Sending you love, thank you for popping by my blog today ~ don't forget to drop me a 'Hello' if you do, it's always grand to hear from you!

Julia x

Lazy Days

Did you have a nice Easter?

We decided that we would have a rather lazy time of it following on from the somewhat hectic week before! How nice it was to get up on the weekend and bake a pretty scrumptious 'chocca mocca' Easter cake with the Little One (decorated by her good self too) and then wander outside to plant some new seeds. The sun shone on us and we took a break for snacks and juice on the riverside bench, just the tonic after a good spot of gardening!

On Sunday, we got up slightly later than usual (8am - its a real lie in for us nowadays!) and drifted downstairs to discover the Easter Bunny had been and delivered a bounty of chocolate eggs along with a small fluffy version of himself! Needless to say, our Little One was delighted beyond words and proceeded to eat chocolate for breakfast (ah, just this once - as long as you have your orange juice - you need some vitamin C you know...!).

We enjoyed toasted hot cross buns dripping with rather too much butter and big mugs of coffee and agreed that it was a very pleasant way to begin the day indeed!

Having decided to avoid the coast (for two reasons - pretty chilly temperatures had been forcast, and we couldn't be faffed with the queues) we got a picnic ready, picked up my folks and headed off to Baslow.

A nice brisk walk was in order, and although it was bitterly cold the sun shone regardless.

Our walk eventually took us through the grounds of Chatsworth House, it's very beautiful there and one of our favourite places to visit.

Whilst walking along a splendid thing happened. A little covered trailer which was decorated with streamers and Easter bunting etc, had just dispensed the Easter Bunny from a crowd of cheering children on to the ground. The bunny waved and jumped about as the trailer was driven slowly away and our Little Daughter stood transfixed on the edge of the grass watching in wonderment.

And then a Magical Thing occured.

The Easter Bunny turned around and waved at our Little Daughter who waved back furiously...and then, he beckoned her over...

...under a large old oak tree, the Easter Bunny crouched down and gave our Little Daughter a pink packet of foil wrapped eggs, and a cuddle. It was one of those very special moments that none of us will forget for a long time to come.

Driving home, the landscape away to the Pennines was bright and blue, full of scudding clouds that added to the drama of the scenery. You might just see that the hills in the distance are topped with a dusting of snow, to give some idea how very cold it was this weekend!

And so moving on to other things, our Little Daughter wasn't the only one to receive goodies this weekend...! On Saturday, our dear Postie brought an interesting looking parcel for me which I opened to find this inside:

I was very, very lucky to win a give away recently, held by Vivienne at Green Rabbit Designs.

Vivienne makes the most beautiful bags and corsages from her home in Ireland and her blog is really worth a visit, do please go and see her gorgeous work if you haven't before!

And so I held a wonderful package, wrapped in green tissue and gingham ribbon, complete with a cheery card...

...and what's this inside...?

...a surprise package! I wonder what could be in here? Ah, I needn't wonder for too long - little helping hands are at the ready!

Oh yummy!!! Our favourites!!! :D

...and double yummy!!! Would you look at that delicious hand knitted bag!!! It's the most scrumptious colour and the inside is lined with a beautiful contrasting fabric, the stitching is exquisite too!

Aren't I just so over the moon happy?

Yes I am.

I cannot wait to parade this about. Already it is being filled with Life's Essentials so it is ready for it's first outing. Thank you so very, very much Vivienne! :)

On the art front...yes, it's been a tad quiet on there of late due to one thing or another. However, sketches keep occuring at randomly snatched moments and I have a couple of pieces of work I'm itching to get started on. Due to Other Half's Work Stuff I've not had a lot of time to spend on my painting so I'm sure you will understand that I'm climbing the walls with mild frustration - I do need my fix!! Painting, for me you see, is as necessary as breathing, but a little doodling in the sketch book is better than nothing and keeps things gently ticking over...

Until next time...I send you a jam jar of anenomes and narcissi,

a slice of your favourite cake and much love! Thanks for coming to visit me ~ I'm so glad you did!

Julia x