Well, I feel as though I've had a pretty unproductive weekend ... we are both a bit 'low' since we got back from sunny Fuerteventura last Sunday evening but I really am struggling with motivation today.
I had to have some nasty dental surgery on Monday with extractions and jawbone augmentation so am 'stitched up' and a little achey but the worst is over and the stitches come out in another week then I have to wait for 7 months for the bone graft to settle
We're going back to India soon so had to have our Hepatitis booster jabs on Wednesday and in between the medical appointments we've been getting things ready for that trip ... sorting out clothes/shoes/hand-gels etc.
I did daily Blog Posts during our last Indian visit and although it was sometimes frustrating dealing with slow/non-existent internet connections, the Blog was invaluable as a means of remembering where we'd been, what we'd done and matching up the photos - that trip was via an organised coach group with 1 week+ in the North and 1 week+ in the South of the country and it was very hectic - we didn't stay more than 1 night in any hotel so were forever packing/unpacking. Friends could follow our progress and comment using: Sue and David in India
However, Blogger in their wisdom have decreed that only people with Google+ accounts can follow Google Blogs now which is a bit naughty as not everybody wants to joing Google+. I've tried using Bloglovin but am having difficulty finding any of my Blogs apart from Pencilpix on that site - does anyone else use this site? Anyway I've wasted several hours and have given up on it. I have set up a new Blog for the forthcoming trip and will just email the URL link to friends and they'll have to find posts that way!
I have got an interesting graphite commission to start tomorrow. Its from a small, poor quality, photo/postcard but the subject matter is interesting to me ... so watch this space. I've agreed to have a go although normally I'd reject something with this little detail to work from - hope I don't live to regret it
Over the last couple of days I experimented with my new Polychromos pencils - drawing a small dog I photographed a while ago in Corralejo/Fuerteventura. I've been working on brown Pastelmat paper and really dislike the combination ... The pencil colours just seem to bleed into the soft surface so despite interim sprays of fixative the work has ended up looking clumsy and not at all what I wanted. I love the pencils though but next time will stick to Fabriano or Derwent WC paper
I've given up with this now hence the half finished curly coat ...
this looks a bit 'washed out' so tried bringing up the contrast a little - still not accurate but I really need to do something useful now .... like open a bottle of vino!
I had to have some nasty dental surgery on Monday with extractions and jawbone augmentation so am 'stitched up' and a little achey but the worst is over and the stitches come out in another week then I have to wait for 7 months for the bone graft to settle
We're going back to India soon so had to have our Hepatitis booster jabs on Wednesday and in between the medical appointments we've been getting things ready for that trip ... sorting out clothes/shoes/hand-gels etc.
I did daily Blog Posts during our last Indian visit and although it was sometimes frustrating dealing with slow/non-existent internet connections, the Blog was invaluable as a means of remembering where we'd been, what we'd done and matching up the photos - that trip was via an organised coach group with 1 week+ in the North and 1 week+ in the South of the country and it was very hectic - we didn't stay more than 1 night in any hotel so were forever packing/unpacking. Friends could follow our progress and comment using: Sue and David in India
However, Blogger in their wisdom have decreed that only people with Google+ accounts can follow Google Blogs now which is a bit naughty as not everybody wants to joing Google+. I've tried using Bloglovin but am having difficulty finding any of my Blogs apart from Pencilpix on that site - does anyone else use this site? Anyway I've wasted several hours and have given up on it. I have set up a new Blog for the forthcoming trip and will just email the URL link to friends and they'll have to find posts that way!
I have got an interesting graphite commission to start tomorrow. Its from a small, poor quality, photo/postcard but the subject matter is interesting to me ... so watch this space. I've agreed to have a go although normally I'd reject something with this little detail to work from - hope I don't live to regret it
Over the last couple of days I experimented with my new Polychromos pencils - drawing a small dog I photographed a while ago in Corralejo/Fuerteventura. I've been working on brown Pastelmat paper and really dislike the combination ... The pencil colours just seem to bleed into the soft surface so despite interim sprays of fixative the work has ended up looking clumsy and not at all what I wanted. I love the pencils though but next time will stick to Fabriano or Derwent WC paper
I've given up with this now hence the half finished curly coat ...
this looks a bit 'washed out' so tried bringing up the contrast a little - still not accurate but I really need to do something useful now .... like open a bottle of vino!
So sorry you've had problems with your Polychromos pencils. Yes, maybe CP is best done on paper other than PastelMat since you dislike them on it. I don't think the dog looks all that bad - just unfinished but know your heart isn't into working more on it.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your blog posts from India!
Hi Jan
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting.
Yes, I'm abandoning this - I had hoped to complete a cp 'animal' picture in time for the UKCPS exhibition deadline but this definitely doesn't make the grade!
But ... one thing I realised today, after spending so much time looking at Blogger (and Pencilpix posts in particular) is how negative my posts often sound ...I'm forever apologising and making excuses.
Sooooo ... maybe the time wasn't totally wasted - I'm going to have to concentrate on being (or sounding) more upbeat! I guess, in keeping with most artists, my expectations are so high that I rarely achieve something I feel proud of ....
There ... that's quite positive isn't it? LOL
jawbone augmentation
ReplyDeleteow ow ow ow *cringes* really hope you only have to do that once
i really enjoyed your blog on India :) was really neat seeing the sights and all the colours
I don't think polys work very well on Pastelmat. Maybe a bit too hard of a pencil for it?
I Sue, hope you are feeling a little better today....I hate dental work, always horrible!!!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that Google had changed their way of seeing blogs...oh well I seldom get any comments on my blog anymore, only you! (Thank you for still looking in). I think facebook has taken over, like with everything else.
I love poly's but only use them on Fabrianno, they seem to go together well. Derwent paper wasn't a hit with me at all, didn't like it and it didn't seem to take pencil very well, had to work really hard to get a good saturation of colour.
thanks Bev, I'll be glad when the stitches come out next week as they're quite uncomfortable now.
ReplyDeleteI'm very disappointed with the polys on Pastelmat but have learned something from it - I've use other cps brands on it with better results (hair braiders daughter for instance) wax based obviously works better than oil based pencils?