random sketching this week

Sometimes drawing directly in ink works; sometimes not so well. The small planter of grasses and a corner of the clinic's waiting room were drawn directly in ink without a problem.

The sketch of my old sewing cabinet began well . . . . until I started on the iron support structure. I tried drawing it in single wide lines with my Hero M86 pen --- as I proceeded, I saw how truly wonky it looks!

I remember sewing at this cabinet as a young girl. It held my mother's machine then and was hidden under layers of ugly brown paint. When she gave it to me, we stripped off the paint and found it to be solid oak with carved designs, without the veneers that so many of these cabinets have.

I'm trying to get rid of things no longer needed or used, so I'm giving this to one of our renters -- a sweet college girl who loves vintage furnishings. I know she will cherish it. (I kept my machine but use it so seldom, it can live in it's portable case in the closet.)

EDM #272 - a line from my favorite song

an Old Irish hymn from the 6th century, "Rop tu mo Baile" (Be Thou My Vision")
translated to English by Mary Elizabeth Byrne, 1905
versified by Eleanor Hall, 1912










Drawing a few more Everyday Matters challenges --- the entire English text in verse to this song was included in a recent sketchbook, shown below:

back to knitting

It seems as the weather cools off a bit, I tend to pick up where I left off knitting. Last spring, I started this cotton bath mat, then set it aside for the summer. Today I finished it, except for tidying up the stray ends.
Now on to a new knitting project: a beret or two.

more from Belvoir Winery

I took a few photos while in Liberty, MO on Saturday --- so I used a couple of them to practice using my new Hero pen. No pencil guidelines this time and I like the effect better than what I drew so carefully on site. The upper sketch is one of the abandoned buildings; the lower shows detail over the main entrance doorway.

sketchcrawl, 15 Sept.

On Saturday, Bill and I drove to Liberty, MO for a sketchcrawl with Kate & Joseph. No one else of the "usual gang" were able to make it this time. We met at the Belvoir Winery housed in old buildings originally home to the Odd Fellows Lodge. Lots of interesting artifacts and photos are on display from the lodge days . . . including the skeleton of George, an early lodge member, in his glass-topped coffin!

I did not get very much down on paper --- there's just so much to draw in this place, it is hard to focus on one thing. We definitely need to return to sketch more. The cup of tea and turnpike ticket were drawn during the 3-hour drive from home in Kansas. (A bit wonky in perspective).

Here, Kate is sketching one of the old buildings that is still in a state of decay and neglect, while sitting on what used to be a twin chaise lounge. Bill doesn't sketch, but he enjoys getting far away from the hassles of work (where they like to call him even on his days off). He brings a book to read and finds places to relax.

Kansas State Fair

Bill manned a booth for the Propane Association at the State Fair last Friday --- which meant free admission for both of us. And during the 4 hours he was stuck behind a booth, I wandered and sketched a bit.

 
I sketched this concession stand, standing under a tree, and the wind blew seed pods down on my head. They hurt a bit when they hit, even through a hat! But fun to draw.

Across from Bill's booth, a merchant, "Soya Essence", sold essential oils made locally in Wichita. I bought a couple of items and they are incredible! No more sinus headaches in the morning since using the "Breathe Easy" at bedtime. I'm going to try a blend they recommended trying for the dermatitis on my scalp.

And of course, our favorite part of the fair is the livestock --- whether exotic babies in the petting zoo, or ordinary farm animals. We both love cows! And it would be wonderful to be able to own some chickens (fresh eggs!) and maybe a llama (I love knitting).

altered Winsor & Newton field box

Flickr pals, Julie, Kate, and Fred have been discussing changes to this little watercolor box:

www.flickr.com/photos/julieparadise1/6371542805/in/faves-...
www.flickr.com/photos/cathy-johnson/7939593486/in/photost...
www.flickr.com/photos/54217873@N04/7952543746/

Mine came with a leaky water bottle so I decided to take the plunge and alter it. But I did not wish to lose that extra mixing space --- so I cut the top of the bottle off and simply inserted a few pencils and a tiny bristle brush. It still fits in place to provide the third mixing area and there's also space for an eraser.

The center bar that held 4 half pans was removed, as well as the plastic tab that held it in place. Now I can choose whether to insert 8 large pans, as shown, or up to 18 half pans as Julie did.

Ceilidh's Wednesday

Yesterday just wore Ceilidh out; she spent the whole afternoon snoozing in this old overstuffed chair.

First, I combed through her shaggy coat -- which she does NOT enjoy. Then I took her to the groomer's for a haircut. While she was there, I drove to a local shop that had replaced our windshield --- it rained last night and the windshield leaked.

They fixed the leak but had not finished drying out the car, so I took the car to pick up the dog, go buy dog food, then take it back for them to finish.

I walked home (only 7 blocks), which Ceilidh did NOT want to do. She is getting so lazy!

This is the final page of this sketchbook; time to go start a new one.

EDM #270 - something I'd like to preserve

I miss my great-aunt Lucile a lot. She was my pen pal when I was growing up, and always did such interesting crafts. And she grew the most amazing strawberries, to make the BEST preserves ever!

Aunt Lucile was the crafter and family history buff -- she traced our genealogy back to Scotland. Her younger sister, my grandmother, was the family artist, painting in pastels. I take after both of them. (My father takes after Aunt Lucile; he traced his dad's side clear back to a knight fighting under William the Conqueror!)

After stopping for over 2 years, I am once again drawing some of the Everyday Matters challenges. Currently, I am doing them in an Earthbound Recycled sketchbook with brown kraft paper --- this is the second of two sketchbooks that were devoted to EDM challenges. I began drawing these challenges in 2007; this is what gave me the experience and confidence to draw nearly anything I want to.