15, 16 & 17 plus a layout

Took a quick break from drawing to complete my layout for this month's Show Us Your Stuff Challenge. Another image prompt. Check out the details here.

Put one of my drawings to good use - printed it on a 6x4 and scrapped it!

Lots of handmade goodies on here....if I could remember where they all came from I'd tell you, but I can't sorry.

But I can tell you the rose was cast from air-dry clay using Moulds By Mel, then painted with watered down ink (Mel was our lovely sponsor this month so all the DT received some!) These moulds are such a great invention - heaps of designs and beautifully detailed. Made of silicone they are so easy to use with clay, fimo, resin or wax - once pressed in, they come away so easily!

I'm a bit behind with 365 drawings.....storms, blackouts and the fact that my internet has been shaped doesn't help with trying to share them either....

So it's day 20 and I'm up to Drawing 17.

#15 Hugh Jackman

The first one I've been unhappy with - but I'll still show it - realising where things have gone wrong is all part of improving.

I do like the shading and the way the facial hair turned out - but the likeness is not there.

Hugh has very small eyes and I always insist on making the eyes bigger than they need to be!

I think the mouth is too wide also.

Looks more like Julian McMahon I reckon!

#16 Platypus Baby

People always freak about doing hands - but I love all the detail in them.

It's just a matter of seeing every crease and shadow and adding it to your drawing.

Draw what is there - not what you think should be there - is the motto I always try to keep in mind.

#17 Ellie

(my MIL's Border Collie)

9 & 10 - 365 Drawings

Ten days of "a drawing a day" and still going strong!

Yesterday I drew one of our lovely cows.....

We have about 140 cattle and they all look different.

Each have their own unique "hairstyle" tufty thing on top of their head. This one was pretty tame - some have quite alarming mops up top!

This girl is a Limousin cross - so a lovely caramel colour with blonde highlights on her face.

Ain't she a stunner?

Today's portrait is my Princess Mia - at 7 years old (last year).

Took ages to get right - I think it's harder when you draw your loved ones cos they need to be SO exact or they just look plain weird!

Really happy with the result though - a very close likeness.

Right down to the freckles and the long long dark lashes Mia is known for.

She is wearing a hoodie - fabric folds are tricky!

See you soon.

xxx

Xmas Challenge + News

Up for a Christmassy scrappy activity?

Then pop over to Show Us Your Stuff - I think you'll love this month's challenge.

Here's my sample:

As much as the girls loved building our Gingerbread House last year - not sure I'd tackle it again. Got ourselves into a right old mess with lollies sliding off everywhere!

Heaps has been happening since I last posted. Let's see.....

BIG news is this:

Kate received an Outstanding Achievement award (for placing highly in more than 5 subjects) at her high school presentation this week.....and.....

Dux of Year 7!!!!

Wow!

Bethany did a gorgeous performance of "Apache" at her guitar concert.

First time being asked to perform solo for this concert.

She's playing her brand new guitar - it's beautiful!

We gave in to Mia's pleading for a "kitten of my own" after her friend's cat had a litter.

Half pure-bred posh Burmese and half feral cat - oh my lordy!!!

Very cute though - and affectionate and cheeky as all baby animals are!

Climbing on the furniture.....and people's shoulders.....and my keyboard while I'm typing.....are favourite activities of his.

 "Whiskey" is his name. Love his snow white whiskers!

LOL'ed at Carl Barron when he came to Inverell with his "One Ended Stick" show.

He doesn't even have to be telling a joke and he cracks me up!

What else? Oh yeah. It has been ultra HOT.

Cooled off at Copeton Dam the other weekend with a bunch of Mia's friends....

A bobcat was here yesterday digging up the place.

Yes - more home improvements happening!

Beth, Mia and friend dressed up for the final Bluelight Disco of 2012....

John Travolta eat your heart out.

Life drawing works from my Art Class I'm still attending every Saturday....

Xmas shopping comely along nicely.

End of year concerts and things already started.

More to come.

Everyone is tired.

Everyone is crankier than usual.

It is hot.

So hot.

I. Think. It's. Beginning. To. Feel. A. Lot. Like. Christmas.

Hello

I won't bore you with why I haven't posted on my blog for WEEKS.....let's just say Life has gotten in the way of Blogging about Life.

And to tell you the truth - that can't be a bad thing.

Some highlights of the past month include:

Hubby and Middle Princess Beth got their faces on the local news with the local Archery Club.

Here's Bethie with her gold medal...

I had a birthday.

My good buddy Linda visited from Kyogle, bringing along her latest charges for plenty of cuddles....

Had to laugh at the sight of them strapped into the car ready for their journey home....

Yesterday I went to a paper-making workshop at our local art gallery.....

......all inspired now to use these beauties on my scrapping pages!

AND the life drawing class I'm a student at was featured in this gorgeous magazine.....

....including a photo of my drawing of Bethany (the one in my blog header)! Wowsers!

See you soon with more news and more photos....

maybe even some scrapbooking.....

xxx

A different kind of sketch

I recently decided to take up DRAWING again after unearthing all my old HSC Art under my bed.

I bought myself a set of graphite pencils and off I went.....

I drew this baby being cradled from an old Anne Geddes calendar......

......my elephant was copied from someone else's drawing in a book.....

.....and my crazy emu I copied from an Artist magazine....

I have a long way to go.......so I'm starting Life Drawing classes.......first one tomorrow morning!

I'm so nervous.

Wish me luck!

Another month-in-review double completed....

......edging the top and bottom with strips used up lots of scraps.

Have a guess what they're lookin' at.......

Some silly woman working out on her new cross-trainer!

Too funny!

Having an audience was a bit off-putting - but I won't complain about the view!



Feb-in-Review

I'm trundling along with my 2011 month-in-review layouts....
I showed you March last post, and here is Feb:

 

I found a packet of old Adorn-It valentines day type stickers and based the whole layout around them - a handy little technique I use when colour schemes elude me!

I'm stealing the wonderful Pip Prosser's favourite doubles design for most of these - just perfect for heaps of photos.

New reads:

I finished this one....

 ....highly recommend it for mothers with girls of any age. Some of her ideas for rituals are a bit out there, but her promotion of the mother-daughter relationship and its importance for raising well-balanced children is spot on.

Started this one last night.....

.....you know how much I enjoy this author (she of the Shopoholic series)....LOVE this story so far! Lots of giggles!

Less than a week left of the school hols....in between working I'm trying to spend as much time with the girls as I can.... this week I took them to see:

.....a gorgeous heartwarming story......definitely one for the girls.......Matt Damon is dreamy.......sigh........bring the tissues.

We now have FIVE sets of twin bubby lambs! Pretty amazing since we only have 7 ewes. One set is so incredibly tiny, they look like white cats running around. Haven't managed to photograph those ones yet, but here are some others:

To all those being affected by floods - keep safe.

Rain rain go awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Farmy news

What kind of an egg do you call this chookies???? 

Mini omelet anyone? 

Oh my - how things are growing down on the farm!

My vegie patch 6 weeks ago...

  

And this week...

Makes me feel all content and happy inside!

And remember my new garden last January?

Here's how it looks now (and needs weeding again)...

My beautiful Milly girl 12 months ago...

And now....

Of our 6 working dogs, I do have a soft spot for Milly. She is so sooky and gorgeous not to mention extremely intelligent (I taught her to shake hands). Thankfully she's turned out to be a good worker too - that means she gets to stick around.

More little feet pattering in the paddock....5 baby lambs! Including one set of twins.
Cute, cute, cute!

The new mailbox I got for Christmas prompted a facelift for our property entrance, including getting around to displaying the lovely sign my Mum had hand-painted for Tim's 40th 18 months ago!

Look who's snazzy now!