Tag Archives: Fun

Back to the memoir in pictures

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You may have thought I’d never get going on this idea of a memoir of me as a youngster. True, I didn’t get far, but there were other things I had to do. But now I have looked through my initial rough sketches, and have decided to show them to you, I feel it is a small start. My plan, from here on in, is to complete a couple of images in colour on good paper, using watercolour and pencil, as a trial for the finished product. Today however, it’s just more pencil roughs. Except for the photo of me, left, taken on a Brownie camera in the 1950’s. Yes, I’m that old.

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A bit of this and that, or a memoir in pictures

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Possible wrap around cover featuring ME!

This week I started in on some pencil roughs intended for the future graphic novel. Everything is guesswork on my part, completely experiential, as it’s the first time I’ve embarked upon this genre. Over the months I have picked up and examined many graphic novels, by women, mostly. This has been such an interesting exercise, as they are so different from each other and all brilliant.

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Interesting times

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This is a peek of bookseller with books, and wine.

This past week has been rather exceptional, and yes, I am still talking books. My book launch went well, with a good crowd out to support me, and Paradox Books, through whom I am selling my book locally. My old friend Liz, from Melbourne, introduced me and spoke about knowing me from age fourteen. She spoke so well, and was kind, as she’d promised. Then it was up to me to read a passage from my book. Fortunately I love reading aloud, and enjoyed this bit very much. Then came the feeling of being a little bit famous, as there was a queue for me to sign books. I would have posted a shot of me, but decided this image was better.

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The things we do

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It’s been a very busy time with family staying (there were many spread over the weeks), and me working on promotional material for my novel throughout to meet the publicist’s deadlines. But there were nice moments, like drinking Prosecco on the patio with family. It was a brother-in-law who spotted the clay forms clumped on the outside table, and said “what are these?” “You may well ask? I replied. “I made them years ago, as part of my teaching degree.” I was a late starter regarding my education, and began this, my first degree, at fifty. And although I had been tutoring art to adult students for years before this, I decided to give academia a go.

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The best gift

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A few weeks back I posted about my husband Kerry’s special birthday (80th). He received wine, chocolate and song at his party, but when he opened a box-shaped present later that evening he was amazed. For on the wrapping paper sat the most unique, but perfectly delightful gift. Some of you may have heard of, or even owned a tin SPACE PATROL vehicle with Da Da Sound. This model is circa 1970’s and from China, although there were earlier Japanese models through the 1950s and sixties. But neither Kerry and I had come across this toy in our childhood, or vroomed one around a room. I know I was was overjoyed to see the Space Patrol toy, brightly coloured with stars and flashes and a ‘robot’ driver. I immediately planned to sketch this fabulous machine, and finally found the time to spend on it yesterday.

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What a couple of weeks it’s been!

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There is nothing so annoying as the computer when suddenly things go wrong. This was the case when I was compiling my post two weeks back. It wasn’t saving my writing, or images, and despite the best intentions, and help, the problem continued. I did manage to get a limited post out, that you may have seen, by closing and opening WordPress, writing one sentence and pressing save. Sound OK? You might want to think about doing that again and again, and still find the whole post, plus images still wasn’t saved. To top this IT mess off, I accidentally dropped my phone in the bath! I said @#$#@%** and a lot of other four-letter words. 

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The story behind the bookmark

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It began many years back, when I was was helping a ten-year-old with ideas for a story. In a nutshell, her ideas fed mine, and set me thinking of my own story for children. This would of course be an illustrated story, done by yours truly. After writing many drafts, I decided on creating the first illustration; something that might work for the cover. Apart from the grandfather, who features in the story, the drawing above features all the other main characters in The Lost Civilisation. From top left, clockwise; the parrot Herakles, Penelope, Achilles the dog, Helen of Troy, the cat, and Archimedes, the goldfish, all named after figures in Greek mythology.

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Have you ever sketched a stone?

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Last post, I talked about the Heide art museum and Barbara Hepworth’s sculpture. One piece, sculpted from stone had instant appeal to me. While examining it from all sides, and peering into the carved out holes, I decided I would like to draw it once I was back home. Why draw a stone? I hear you ask, and the answer for me is simple. I love drawing texture. I would have liked to sketch in the museum, but that was not possible, so, the next best thing was to take a photograph, knowing I could work from it later. Little did I realise at the time, that I was going to be stuck indoors as Covid came to visit, and thus my promise to draw the Hepworth came to pass.

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Keeping a promise

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Some months back, when writing about my newly published short story collection, l promised to post any good reviews. I did receive a very good one last month, but it was in a newspaper and difficult to copy clearly. However, much to my surprise, another very positive review appeared last Friday in a website Booklovers. Chris Reed reviewed the collection, and what he said brought tears to my eyes – of joy. So, I would love to write about something joyous, when often there seems little to be joyous about (I’m talking World News here). I had to trim the page for a screen shot, but have included the link for the full read below.

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Life Class Week Two

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6B graphite pencil and soft stick pastel

This week, the group were asked to focus on line rather than form for the quick sketches. I was working on A1 newsprint, pinned to board on a painting easel. This was a rather different approach from the previous class, where I sat straddled on a wooden artist’s Donkey. In that situation I could rest my arm when I chose. With all the poses for this week’s work, I was standing, using the arm and fingers stretched and moving the mediums quickly on the page. The first sketch is in the middle, superimposed by the blue pastel sketch, and last, the pencil sketch of the seated model. We did several more quick poses, using charcoal until the break.

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