18/02: FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Why is it that as soon as we (David and I) embark on a healthy eating/weight loss campaign we get bombarded with special deals from local restaurants all trying to lead us astray.   A nice 'middle of the road' local one is offering two main meals and a bottle of wine for just £14!!   But we're resolute.   We've both lost 7lbs in the first two weeks and the next weigh-in is Monday ... we're not calorie counting, just following a low fat meal plan and seriously cutting down on alcohol intake - my target is to lose one stone (drop a dress size) by the time we go back to Fuerteventura on 14 March. 

Dress sizes were on my mind during the week.   On Wednesdays I work as a volunteer for Pilgrims Hospice eBay office.   Items donated to their High Street charity shops which are deemed to be 'better quality' are advertised on eBay so they reach a larger audience and attract better prices.   I have been photographing and listing clothing and many of the garments are vintage 60s, 70s and 80s.    

I find it amazing that vintage items with size label 16 would be the equivalent of a size 10 or 12 today.   One beautiful 60s 'mod' dress had a size 20 label.  When I measured it and compared the results with a current Marks & Spencer size chart it would have been labelled 14 in their store.    

So, I wonder if the UK's well publicised obesity problems would have been lessened if the clothing manufacturers hadn't been sneakily making sizes more generous.   How many of us feel comfortable in our size 12/14 outfits but would be horrified if the labels read size 18/20???   I'd have started my diet far earlier I'm sure :-)

Anyway - when back from holiday I made some adjustments to Charlie's portrait, his coat had undergone a few colour changes and I removed more of the hairs which obscured his lovely eyes in the ref photo.   The portrait was posted on Friday so will be with Charlie's mum on Monday (if not today).

There was a lot of backlighting from the sun in the ref photo which gave Charlie a 'halo' of bright hair which was fun to draw.

I have just finished another dog portrait which I'll post later.  Unfortunately the Vizsla portrait I planned to fit in next has been cancelled as her owner decided she would really like a portrait in oils (which I don't offer).   So next on the drawing board will be a cat and then on Tuesday I will be travelling to a client in Essex to photograph her husband's labrador (belated birthday portrait commission) and also her dad's dog which will potentially be a birthday commission in July.   That will take most of the day as its approx 200 miles round trip.

I'm hoping to make time to do a smallish coloured pencil work to submit for the UK Coloured Pencil Society exhibition at Keswick but the deadline is approaching rapidly so not sure if I'll manage that.    I've got a couple of exhibitions coming up in March and April and need to have some new drawings to add to the 'usual culprits' which I've displayed but not sold at previous shows - perhaps an opportunity to use some of ever-growing library of ref. photos I've taken over the last few years :-)