Sketchbook – July 2017

Sketchbook 2017 - Beach Huts Watercolour | Whims And Fancies

 

Beach Huts At Sunset

 

After a fairly rough summer, my husband and I were able to take a long holiday to recharge and finally celebrate our 25th anniversary, which was in July.  Considering it is September and I have not shared the sketchbook pages from July yet, it became an easy choice, besting all the finishes and WIP-s I amassed during that time.  I have been experimenting with different watercolours alongside markers and exploring new subject matter as well.

We have been having heatwaves, which might explain why my sketchbook is filled with cold weather paintings.  I started the July sketches with the colourful beach huts of Northumberland basking in the sunset colours by the cool water.

 

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Dance Copic Marker | Whims And Fancies

 

Dance

 

Dance is not a theme that comes easily to me, so I picked it specially to push myself a little.  I started sketching the figures and slowly it became a dream sequence.  I am not much into poetry, but there are a few poets that I like.   The words of W. B. Yeats seemed to befit this piece, so I added them with a silver pen.  I did take the liberty to change the context a little.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Birch Trees In Snow Schmincke Horadam Watercolour | Whims And Fancies

 

Birch Trees In The Snow

 

I love walking in the snow.  Everything gets so quiet that you can almost hear yourself breathe.  The white birch tree grove standing tall invites me to explore a little further into the woods.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Dala Horse Winsor Newton Ink Painting | Whims And Fancies

 

Dala Horse

 

This was another experimental piece.  I was going to paint a folk-art piece, but the painting had a different intention.  My Dala horse decided to take on the grunge colours instead.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Bridge Daniel Smith Perylene Green Watercolour | Whims And Fancies

 

The Bridge

 

My Pride And Prejudice friends will recognise this bridge, I am sure of it. My personal addition was the Willow Tree.  Perylene Green is one of my favourite colours, and the colour was perfect for this scene. 

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Windmills Sennelier Watercolour | Whims And Fancies

 

Windmills From Sweden

 

When we travelled across Sweden, we came across an area dotted with windmills, relics from days gone by.  It really pleases me that they are protected and hopefully will continue to stand tall for many a year to come.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Canoe Prismacolour Marker And Copic Marker | Whims And Fancies

 

La Belle Discordia

 

If I had a canoe, I imagine it would have its own mind and take me places where I dare not go.  The idea for the painting came from the canoes I saw in Lake District, England.

 

Previous Sketchbook Pages

June 2017

 

Squares Plus Grid WIP | Whims And Fancies

 

On the sewing side, I am continuing to finish a few WIP-s.  This mini is almost finished, only the binding needs to be stitched on.  I enjoy hand stitching the binding, so hopefully, now that things have settled down here a little, I will be able to work on it while listening to a favourite story.

I am glad to have these distractions given the current situation everywhere.  Hopefully you are able to enjoy a bit of creative time too.

Stay safe,
-Soma

 

I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page.  Please pay a visit to some of them, they are a lot of fun!

 

 

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Sketchbook 2017

Sketchbook 2017 - Lost Pages Bookstore Watercolour | Whims And Fancies

 

Lost Pages Book Store

 

Every year I get this notion of doing a long-term project to improve a certain skill.  Last year I did the Wandering Camera daily photo project to explore new photography ideas.  This year, I wanted to keep a sketchbook, but with one thing or another, time passed on.  I finally got tired of waiting and decided that June was going to be THE month to embark upon my Sketchbook 2017 project.

Lost Pages is the very first painting in my little sketchbook.  Although it is a make-believe book store born in my head, I would love to own a real one by that name.

 

 

I am very fond of Stillman and Birn sketchbooks.  The pages of this 5.5″ x 3.5″ sketchbook are the perfect size for playing with ideas.  The Beta sketchbook is also great for pretty much all painting media.  I started filling this book when I was sick earlier in the month.

 

Orange Maine Coon | Whims And Fancies

 

My orange kitty Taffy is my constant companion.  I missed him while he was having a surgery yesterday, it was the ninth surgery for this little fellow.  He is back home now, in pain and a bit battered, but otherwise safe and sound.  I will be busy taking care of him over the next few days.  I love this photo I took of him a few days ago.  He is really as soft as he looks here, and as sweet as his name.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Cat On The Wall Prismacolor Marker | Whims And Fancies

 

Charlie – trying to climb a wall

 

We have another kitty called Charlie who is equally sweet and also very clumsy.   He can’t climb anything to save his life, so it’s a good thing he is an indoor-only kitty.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Sirens Prismacolor Marker | Whims And Fancies

 

Sirens

 

The morbid side of me is fascinated by the idea of Sirens.  I am thinking of expanding this scene into a larger painting.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Dawn Prismacolor Marker & Copic Marker | Whims And Fancies

 

Dawn

 

Once, when we were camping in the Inyo Mountains, I was up early to see a lunar eclipse.  Shortly after that, dawn broke just as the moon was setting.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Vintage Tiles Winsor & Newton Watercolour Marker | Whims And Fancies

 

Rusted Tiles

 

Rusted tiles are quite beautiful.  I was having too much fun painting this one, making random rust spots on these tiles.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Silocon And Gold Prismacolor Marker & Copic Marker | Whims And Fancies

 

Silicon And Gold

 

I wanted to see if I could paint sand with marker, then came up with the idea of sand to circuit boards.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Bristlecone Pine Prismacolor Marker & Copic Marker | Whims And Fancies

 

Looking Up At A Bristlecone Pine

 

California is home to Bristlecone pines.  During the same camping trip in the Inyo Mountains, we hiked the Methuselah trail to see these oldest living beings on Earth.  The colour of the bark on these trees is created by fungus and polishing through ice and wind storms.

 

Round Pencil Case | Whims And Fancies

 

On Sunday, my 14-year-old pencil case bit the dust.  I had become so fond of the round pencil case, I had to make a new one.  I came up with an idea of making it in a certain way.  I made a few prototypes; these two are the final finished ones.  Both pencil cases are lined and the zipper ends are covered. 

The dark green one used to be my husband’s pyjama pants.  I love green tartan, so when he discarded the pair, I saved the leg fabric which was in very good condition.  I used the same fabric both for the outside and the lining. 

The yellow one is a newsprint fabric and I used a pinstripe grey fabric for the lining as well as for the sides on this one. 

I got couple of sweet packages from another friend, Mary as well.  That however, is a story for another day.

Hope you enjoyed my little show and tell!

Until next time,
-Soma

 

Linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page.

 

 

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