The door to 2015

Happy New Year and may Janus the god of beginnings and transitions be good to you. It doesn't seem possible that Val and myself have been doing this blog for a year but it's been a fascinating challenge to produce work each week even though the Muse is sometimes hard to find.

We're already into the first month of the year and although the birds are feasting at the bird feeders and the squirrels are inevitably fighting with them for the peanuts, most wildlife is keeping as warm as it can out of sight and  it takes a brave soul to be prepared to stand outside sketching the red kites and occasional hare that we see on our dog walks.  So this week I have been keeping warm myself and turning back to my favourite subject of all.....our little lurcher Poppy.

Through an interest in gilding, I was searching through some medieval pictures on line and saw one from the Duc de Berry's Book of Hours. My eye was caught by the hound in the corner of the picture ....

 

Of course, I couldn't help comparing the rather stylised image with some pencil sketches I've done of Poppy

 

 

 

 

 

There's definitely a close affinity to those medieval hounds though, don't you think? No doubt she lives in luxury in comparison but because of the all round wonderful being I think she is, she deserves it and is my beautiful beast to start 2015.........

 

Suicide run

A difficult week this week as the computer had to go and have several viruses removed but things seem to be better now......until the next time. In a funny way it's been quite pleasant having more time  to do other things rather than look at e mails and get side tracked by all those wonderful [and not so wonderful] things on the world wide web. One of the more pleasant pastimes we have is sitting outside in the evening and catching a glimpse of a little mouse who regularly runs between the greenery on both sides of the step which leads to the lawn. We call it the 'suicide run' as our lurcher Poppy is often just passing and takes great delight in burying her nose in the vegetation as she tries to sniff it out.

 

  Quick sketch of our mighty mouse racing across the step

 

 

I think I will develop the image and try a print using some new vinyl tiles I've found but this time instead of a reduction print, I'll make several blocks, one for each colour and see if the registration will be easier with some tips I picked up at Art in Action.

 

 

  

'Where's that dog?!'

Pen and ink sketch for print

Dogs at last.....

I'm surprised it's taken me this long to get another sketch of our lovely lurcher onto the blog but I suppose I'm biased in thinking she must be one of the most beautiful beasts when there are so  many others.

 I have been working on a commission to do a pencil sketch of another gorgeous and much loved pet, a soft coated wheaten terrier and although I don't know him, I can see from his face that he is quite a character.....

Pencil sketch 

Finally, I've tinted the image with watercolour and I can't help thinking what a fine fellow he must be, a real friend to his lucky owner.

Poppy, our lurcher, provides me with endless hours of drawing opportunities  as she obligingly sleeps between bouts of manic energy.

Pencil drawing in sketch book

Not exactly elegant but comfortable!

 One of her favourite positions is lying on her back with her legs in the air as her chest is so deep it would be uncomfortable for her to lie prone unless on a very deep and soft bed.  Needless to say she has several! 

Repeatedly drawing a subject is a great way of getting comfortable with it, allowing yourself to experiment and the pencil to flow freely.  In the case of an animal, it helps you to understand the anatomy and how the body works together as a whole so I try to take any opportunity I can to really study and record what is there before me. It's always tempting to draw what you think is there rather than what actually IS there so I try and stay in the moment and draw what I see - but I'll be the first to say that's easier said than done!!