Things I Don't Know....

There are many things in this world that I don't know

but some are more puzzling than others

the main puzzler at the moment

is how on earth I am supposed to know

what every abbreviation of a country is on the Olympics coverage

and then when I have a stab they Sinus and Phantom decide that can't be right

and go and google it anyway... 

so why not just google it from the start

and leave me to gaze at those fit young men in peace...

After all I am not watching for the sports

because anyone who knows me understands

that I don't do sports 

in any form

and yes I married a golf pro

but that doesn't mean I know the rules of badminton

or understand the intricacies of weightlifting 

though for some reason I find it endlessly hilarious to watch... no clue why

just get the giggles every time I see their screwed up faces

And for the record I have any understanding whatsoever about shooting

table tennis, or that slalom canoeing thing

or most puzzling of all

why the beach volleyball girls seem to be unconcerned

 with having permanent wedgies????

the Olympics is shaping up to be quite a long few weeks

filled with me being asked random questions 

and being reminded that I basically have no clue...

and while we are on the subject of having no clue

some other things I totally don't get are...

Why the dog freaks out when it is windy weather

but loves to stick his head out the car window????

Why there is a person who walks her Shetland Pony 

every Thursday afternoon when I go to pick up Phantom

and how big is that poop bag????

Why boys are wearing their hats sort of half perched on the side of their head

don't they get one side of their nose burnt

or do they even it up by

 propping it jauntily to the other side on alternate days???

And why even though I started out wanting to paint this

gorgeous pastel teacup that my friend Tracey gave me

it still ended up being super bright????

Better go and make another cup and ponder that one at more length

happy Tuesday Tea all...xx

Posts you may have missed...

Bamboo Boo Boos...

Sandblasting my Brain...

Bamboo Boo Boos....

I have had this idea floating around in my brain for the last few weeks

and am on a mission to get it out of the brain and onto paper

mind you my brain must be quite a cushy place

because it is showing no great desire to leave its roomy confines

and is  staying firmly locked in the grey matter

Along the fence near the studio is a stretch of bamboo

which over the wet season has exploded into a riot of shoots and green

and softly clatters in the breeze

and seems to make me feel warm no matter what the winter is delivering

and the bonus is that in the summer it will shade the pool and studio

and keep me cool

All day long I sit and gaze out the window and see it swaying and moving

and it is always in motion

it can be quite mesmerising

and I want to capture it

I can see it in my mind

but just can't quite get it out on the page

But I am hanging in there

and these are the experiments

and rough sketches

all the ones I make mistakes on

which is where the boo boos comes in

which is a bit sad but couldn't resist

and while they aren't where I want them

they are kind of on the way

I am starting to like the effect that gouache is having on the backgound

and think I want to explore that idea

and in my brain it is quite a detailed line drawing over a soft background

so that the background suggests the movement

while the detailed drawing shows the lovely lines and shapes

and obviously these aren't the detailed drawings

but I have fallen into that trap before

doing a detailed involved drawing and then mucking it up with the paint

so I think I have the background down

and so the next step will be to do some close sketches of the bamboo

and then put it all together

It will be fun to watch it come together

because they have already come along way

but that is all in the nature of it

and it is always satisfying to smugly sit back when it works out

and look back on the ordinary beginnings.... xx

Linking up to Sunday Sketches...

My week so far has been about

Sandblasting my Brain....

My Travel Kit with Gatecrashers....

Sandblasting my Brain....

Time to come clean

my husband Sinus Man gets a bit of a bad rap at times

Yes his snores have been likened to everything from

than landing of a 747

to having the ability to suck curtains from windows, and strip paint from walls

but he is not alone is being cursed with dreaded sinuses

I too am cursed, though with a much milder more ladylike form of course

and while I don't manage to produce the truly awe inspiring amounts of mucus

that Sinus does

it is gross none the less and does drive me a bit nuts

so when my local pharmacist suggested I tried this stuff

and he said it would change my life

and that while it would be unpleasant for a few days it would be worth it

I figured I would give it a shot

So I headed home

read the insert, scoffing at things like tingling sensation and a watering of the eyes

and blithely sprayed my right nostril

dear mother of god it was like

someone was trying to sandblast my brain

and I swear I could have broken droughts with the amounts of tears I produced

I ended up sitting on the floor in a half foetal 

holding my nose, cursing the masochistic pharmacist

 and alternately trying to stem the water gushing from my eyes

and disgusting amount of mucus streaming from my nose

with the dog helpfully offering sympathy by licking my elbow

all the time knowing that I was only half way there

Nothing in life prepared me for the second nostril

this stuff could take down a hopped up wrestler

it is the pepper spray of the sinus world

how something made from cyclamen petals could induce such burning pain

is totally beyond me

and from that moment on I knew I would never

 be able to have another cyclamen in the house

their beauty hides pure evil... 

fast forward an hour and horror of all horrors

the stuff actually was working

my eyes were still watering and it would appear 

that there is an endless supply of gross stuff residing in my nasal area

but ears were popped, headache gone and I actually felt pretty good

which meant that the endless cycle of taking sudafed type stuff 

and being completely hyper from it may be in the past

great news , not just for me but for the family who has to put up with me

bouncing around like a maniacal bunny

but the bad news was that it would have to be repeated every day for 7 days

So I write this at the day three mark

and while it is still painful and feels a bit like someone is spearing my brain 

with a pitchfork dipped in chilli sauce

it is indeed giving me relief so I am going to hang in there

and while  I think they should rework the packaging

and that calm looking face

should have someone howling like their brain is exploding

maybe the pharmacist was right and it is life changing

if for no other reason than I now know that 

either I have no pain tolerance what so ever

or that the people who write inserts are lying masochists

either way good to have learnt something from the experience...

happy Paint Party Friday all ...xx

This week I have blogged about

My Travel Kit With Gatecrashers....

Hearts, Peas and Cream of Earl Grey...

My Travel Kit with Gatecrashers....

Not quite pen and ink for The Artist's Play Room this week

I have pens in there and they have ink in them right

so I am making use of the whole close enough is good enough concept

I used to use quills and ink bottles

but for the chronically uncoordinated

the idea of open ink bottles in a studio with carpet on the floor

is so stress inducing that I avoided using them

and don't get me started on how many times I stabbed myself

putting those fiddly bloody nibs in the holder

and then there is the splotching, drips, and running out of ink half way through a line

 and black fingers

or green or blue fingers

and the need for bandaids

basically it was a whole saga

I do apologise to the purists

and yes I love all the bottles and things

and have quite the collection

but I tend to use ink with brushes... 

partly because I never get cuts on my fingers from using brushes

but also for some odd reason I never spill paint

Of course on meeting Sakura Microns

 I am afraid the love/hate thing I had going with pen and ink 

tipped over into the distant memory category

these puppies never splotch or injure... they are just so dependable

So this painting is of my travel kit... no clue why I have pencils in there

because I never take pencils

because then you need erasers, sharpeners etc

and the watercolour pencils rarely put in an appearance for the same reason

plus the watercolour wheel is so much easier to use

but with out them it all would have been a bit boring looking

so not really my travel kit, but travel kit with gatecrashers

The main thing is all my favourites are covered

Microns, the watercolour wheel that I use every single day

whether on the road or not

waterwell brush thingy, and a couple of favourite sketchbooks

those few things and I am set no matter where I am

well set if I also have chocolate, and tea

and I considered throwing in a couple of teabags and chocolate wrappers

but figured you could all do with a rest from them...xx

You might be interested in the last few posts...

Hearts, Peas and Cream of Earl Grey...

Scary Tea...

Hearts, Peas and Cream of Earl Grey...

Tuesday has started with all sorts of wonderful

I am drinking Cream of Earl Grey 

which has heaps of bergamot and a hint of vanilla and is just delicious

I sometimes wonder if I convinced myself to like Earl and Lady Grey

just because of the gorgeous blue ozmanthus petals

it is just a pretty tea to look at

but this one is simply delicious

and it really does have a bit of a creamy taste

even though I drink tea black... that vanilla makes it very smooth... delicious

I think it is extra special because it came with love

and a whole package of wonderful 

from my treasured friend Jenn over at Justaddwatersilly

there were so many wonderful things in the package 

that it would simply be embarrassing to show them all off at once

but you can see the crazy great watercolour painting

which is about to go off to the framers

and there were bookmarks, perfect earrings, tea

and for a brief moment there was chocolate

but by the time you read this that will be pretty much demolished

which is actually a necessity

because Phantom and Sinus have caught on to me hiding the good stuff 

in the vegetable crisper in the fridge

so nothing is safe any more....

Phantom was also showered with all sorts of candy 

and bookmarks and earrings

and as her candy container was simply huge

she declared she was favourite

and retired to her study nook to read something suitably obscure

while doing her best to rot her teeth 

and give herself one of the great sugar highs of all time

in short she was in heaven!!!

So I now sit at my desk

drinking this gorgeous tea from my latest favourite tea cup that was a gift

from Tracey Grigc Potter

and feeling very special as I start to do some little sketches

of teapots and generally trying to finish off some things

like the teapot teabag sketches I started the other week

and playing with some idea for some bamboo paintings

because I sit and look out on a wall of the stuff from my studio window

and it seems wrong not to try to paint it

 all play... fuelled by chocolate, tea and wonderful friends

it simply doesn't get better than that...

Happy Tuesday Tea all....xx

The last few posts are here in case you have been busy...

 Scary Tea....

A Bit of a Step by Step Thingy...

Scary Tea....

I didn't think I would ever write the words scary tea

but I have

scary coffee would be totally expected

after all just recently I had a scary coffee moment

trying Hazelnut coffee in the name of my art

and my friendship with Jen

and when you add that to the more recent 

Peppermint tea and piece of chocolate incident

I think you can start to appreciate why trying chocolate tea

may be making the heart beat just a touch faster.

I was ordering some teas recently and in a complete mad rush of blood moment

ordered a sampler box of chocolate flavoured tea

with the grand idea that they would replace my after dinner scoffing

of chocolate biscuits and/or chocolate

but ever since they arrived early last week they have been staring at me

and for the life of me I can't bring myself to try them

chocolate flavoured tea

it just seems wrong

wrong in the same way that pizza flavoured crisps is wrong

or celery flavoured jelly beans

or tomato flavoured bubble gum

Phantom tried the chocolate and coconut one and pronounced it drinkable

but she is an evil pixie and could well be lying through her teeth

just to be able to see my face contort when I try it if is indeed awful

she is that sort of kid and she has gotten me often enough

like with wasabi flavoured peas... 

not that hot she said

and smiled and giggled gleefully as I turned beet red and had trouble getting my breath

and while they did clear my sinuses nicely... they were freaky hot

so history dictates

that I am pretty much suspicious of any recommendations

I have sat here this morning drawing them in my sketchbook

in an attempt to bring myself to crack open a packet

and take the plunge

and I think my being tentative has bled through into the drawing

which is looking a touch muted and sketchy

maybe I need to do a few more drawings

and once I have a drawing I am happy with then maybe

just maybe

I will be ready to give them a go

in the meantime I am linking up with Sunday Sketches

and sending Alex all my get better soon wishes....xx

My most recent posts have been...

A Bit of a Step By Step Thingy...

Hello Winter Term...

A Bit of a Step by Step Thingy....

I have had a couple of emails lately asking me about my drawing style

and so I thought I might do a bit of a step by step thingy

based on a sketch I have been doing over the last day of two

So step one

find something to draw

never a tough thing when you have tea tins like this sitting around

but just as lazy easy

 is a quick trip to raid the cupboard or fridge 

and then try to get a bit of an outline happening

I draw the outline in pen

so I don't get too precious

I appear to be unable to use pencil without an eraser

and end up correcting and getting hung up on details

Pen also makes me focus

as I do tend to suffer from being insanely easy to distract

so I  just try to get the major shapes in

and then try to get some paint on it as quickly as possible

putting detail in at this stage is completely useless

 as I am pathologically unable to paint carefully in the lines anyway

and if I am honest I kind of can't be assed being too neat about it

and figure I can fix problems as I go

which sometimes bites me big time

but it seems to work more times than not...

I am just sort of blocking in some colour

and yes it really is that messy

you thought I was kind of kidding didn't you

nope the first layer always looks like a dog's dinner

Next is the ugly child phase of the work

if we are honest then we all know

even the best looking kids go through an ugly patch

I remember Phantom having a one sided mullet 

from always sleeping on one side of her head

that was not her most attractive phase

but she has turned out to be completely mulletless and is now pretty gorgeous

and you have no clue 

how hard it is to not post a photo of said half mullet

but she would kill me 

16 year olds have no sense of humour

Where was I ... see what I mean about distracted

anyway....

to get my work through the ugly phase it is all about colour

I try to strengthen it up

and add some shape and a touch more detail

 and if the mood strikes

 a bit of tonal work in the to give some shape

I work from a little watercolour wheel and don't mix quantities of colour

so there are often little pools and uneven bits 

but I try to leave them unless they are too glaring

Once it is dry

I attack it with Micron pens and "tidy" up the outlines

and add details and pick out shapes

and all of a sudden it starts to come together

it goes from ugly child to one you can show in public 

and then it is just a matter

of some highlights in white goauche for the light source

and any other white bits like lettering

that I have inevitably not left and painted or drawn over along the way

and a final lick of micron to add a bit of tone and define the shape

With that it is done and dusted

and before I start picking it to pieces and finding fault

I pop on the kettle on and drink my subject

which is crazy delicious 

while heading over to check out some other painters at Paint Party Friday...xx

This is what has been happening in my blog world this week

Hello Winter Term....

Watermelon Thanks.....

Hello Winter Term....

Yesterday was first day of Winter Term

which got a big two hands in the air WOOHOO from me

I was so ready to wave Phantom off to school with a song in my heart

and give my poor tortured brain a rest

I seriously have no clue where this kid came from

and I think there may have been an alien involved

its the only answer I can come up with that explains

someone who watches crap reality tv, while listening to show tunes

and wants to discuss obscure maths and physics concepts

or the bizarre latest obsession of surrealist theatre and the plays of Artaud

It does my head in to spend time with her

but at least she is never boring... 

All was quickly put back to rights 

and my brain was given the rest it needed

with some therapeutic  pear sketching and painting

for the Artists Playroom

and after giving up on trying to get the three of them to stand up 

so I could draw them in a soldier straight line

I gave in and drew the drunk pear that kept falling over just as it was

first time I have drawn a pear butt

and was quite a fun angle to draw

who knew....

So pears duly sketched up and coloured

I attacked drawing up some new work

which I will be able to do

UNINTERRUPTED

so spoons were duly drawn up

but of course there was an interruption

inevitable isn't it

but it was an order from Republic of Tea

and I am getting quite the collection

I am almost embarrassed

almost...

so Lady Grey was pushed aside

and I said a big hello to Cranberry Blood Orange

you all know what I am going to be drawing and painting 

for the foreseeable future don't you

what a joyous Tuesday Tea....

My last few blog posts have been

Watermelon Thanks....

Saviour Soap and Dream Bars....

which has a yummy recipe in it... just perfect with a cup of tea!!!