Back to the drawing board

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An expression meaning many things, but here I use it literally. The past month is almost a blur, with a second trip to Australia to see the youngest daughter, who lives some way out from Brisbane. I had in tow her sister and brother, he from Melbourne, she from Dunedin and me, Mum from Auckland. That explains my busyness, and lack of posts. It doesn’t explain my latest blip which was putting my back out, and although I have been doing regular exercise, I also need to sit down more. Perfect for getting a sketch done!

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I am in love with clouds

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Looking towards the CBD from Devonport waterfront

I often take photos that appeal to the artist in me when out walking. Clouds are a particular favourite of mine to draw or paint and I have sketched them many times using various mediums. A couple of weeks ago the clouds were dark, low-hanging, and extremely threatening, but to look at, they were spectacular. I decided to wave aside any qualms about attempting to sketch clouds which were almost black, and yesterday grabbed a watercolour pad and got stuck in. I sketched the outline of the whole scene quickly, using a dark water-soluble graphite pencil. With a size six watercolour brush I wiped water through some of the pigment edging the clouds and left the work to dry.

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