want two

Purse #8. This one is drawn from memory. It's the one that got away. The one I didn't buy. I have a list of purchases that I wish I'd made. Missed opportunities that'll probably annoy me for the rest of my days; that mirror with a beautiful carved frame from a charity shop in Didsbury, a gorgeous green tweed jacket I saw in Manchester, an automaton from an antique shop in Canada, and those Converse (that were the exact same colour as my sepia drawing) from a shop in Norwich. AND they were half price in the sale. Damn. Funny, the things that make it through to the long term memory, don't you think?

More purses and stuff HERE.

want

A couple of sketches from around the house. I've not been feeling too well this week and have hardly stepped outside the door. Luckily I have no problem entertaining myself at home. Everywhere I look I see a new drawing. So I went back to the Everyday Matters list. Above is challenge 58 draw a hat. I really hate this drawing. It just doesn't look right, to me, and lacks any...erm...soul?

I prefer this one. Also, I want to give a little shout out to Atticus Boo, in Buxton, which is one of my favourite shops. I'm guessing it's named after characters from the classic book - and a great film to boot. It's rare that a film lives up to a favourite book, I think, but Too Kill A Mockingbird manages it.

Anyway, Atticus Boo is a tiny gift shop. You can probably get about 5 people in there, at the most, at one time. It is filled choc-a-bloc full of gorgeousness including cards by my fave children's illustrator Lauren Child, fabulous purses and handbags by Orla Kiely (that I drool over and long for the day I can afford) and it even stocks Moleskines. Not only that but it smells wonderful AND it's opposite a handmade chocolate shop. If all that's not enough, you can bet your bottom dollar, that without fail, they'll be playing Rufus Wainwright.

i play dead

Just a little quickie today, more of a doodle actually. There seems to be a theme going on around here - cat toys. And they all belong to this girl HERE.

ooh la la!

Here's one for the girls. Or is it one for the boys? Hmmmm.

strike a pose

Yep, he's back. Last time you got his bum, this time his profile. He's slowly revealing himself to you. I wasn't intending to draw him again but he kept striking poses that were just irresistible to an "artist" (eeek!). Actually, it could be interesting to do a 360 degree set of drawings of an object. This again was an exercise in drawing shadows, however, I don't think it's as successful as the last attempt. I tried to draw exactly what I saw, but somehow I'm not sure that it works. I get my fair share of very lovely comments, and compliments, from you guys which I really appreciate. I'd also welcome any critiques - if you do have any advice or opinions. Thanks.

they're all wasted

I have an addictive personality. That's a fact. If I get into something I just cannot leave it alone. I'm like a dog with a bone. I'm fickle with my addictions though; I substitute one for another on a regular basis. Some of my recent addictions have been Kath & Kim, Flickr, Ben & Jerry's, The Who, Reece's peanut cups, colour pencil and Dettol (it's an obsessive compulsive thing).

taking care of business

I took delivery of my new Moo cards today and I'm liking them a lot! They are very tiny but very cute. There's a few more examples on my Flickr page HERE.

Also I'd just like to thank everyone for taking part in my little competition a couple of weeks back. There were more than a hundred guesses over the various places (here, Flickr and the EDM forum). The winner was Emma Reid who guessed that all the items in this picture were found in a churchyard. She chose the two purse pictures below as her prize.

these are better days

I've been drawing quite a lot this week. Had a week off work which helps. I was going to keep this until tomorrow to post. But I can't wait until tomorrow. I'm proud of this one and I want to post it now. Hope you like it too. It's my wallet.

same but different

Purse #6 above. A little friend for purse #4 below. As Bob Ross says 'everybody needs a friend'.

See my purse collection, so far, HERE.

one more time

A quickie. I think you've met before (here). Little terracotta incense burner. All done in sienna brown and burnt ochre pencils. Lovely colours and lovely names too.

relight my fire

This was going to be a sepia drawing, however, the subject had different ideas. It was crying out for black ink. I still feel nervous about starting a black ink drawing. Weird isn't it?

Oh, and the clue is in the title.

everybody needs a friend

Yes, I know, I'm feeling nauseous myself. This stylish, understated object was a souvenir from a trip to Annecy. The aim of the day was to find the tackiest piece of tat possible. I WIN!!! There is a lot of tat in Annecy as Felicity vouched for in her post on this beautiful town. This is a pot of beaver cocktail sticks. I don't know what the connection between beavers and Annecy is and, quite frankly, I don't think I want to know. This piece is hand finished in beautiful resin (the plastic kind). Charming, I'm sure you'll agree.

i'm too lost in you

(Click on image to view)

Phew! I feel like I've been drawing this for the whole week...er...actually I have. I feel like I've been away for ages. It's the longest I've left it between posts, since starting this blog, and I'm blaming this drawing for that. I've been lost in it. It's a project that I have been working on for...well, I won't tell you what it's for at the moment. That's where you come in.

So here's a little competition; the first person to guess the theme of this drawing (and yes there is a theme to it) will win a piece of artwork by me. I'm not sure how difficult it may be but the clues are there. Have a try if you'd like!

see how they run

Three brown pumps.

every picture has it's shadow

Again, I'm not sure if it's obvious what this is a drawing of. It started as a response to one of the Everyday Matters challenges; either #123 draw a bell or #117 draw something round. However when I started getting into the drawing it became all about the shadow for me. I often just ignore shadows in my drawings. I think it's fear. I usually just place the subject on a plain white background. But a shadow can really make a composition. And I'm pleased with this one. So how about challenge#122 draw some shade?

Oh, and it's a cat toy.