Still Here

Hi all,
Just a quickie to let you know that I am still here,but have had quite a bit to do over the past few weeks which has kept me from the puter. Also I have not been feeling too well due to this pain in the ass problem I have had, but hopefully I will know more soon as I went for a Barium Swallow last Friday, which was kinda of interesting. Got to say it does not taste as bad as I thought it might !
I will have a bit of art to show later on as I am just putting the finishing touches into a piece, and have just finished another one for someone that is a bit hush hush so cannot show it yet. Thanks for your comments as always much appreciated.

Ying Yangs

Hi all,
This week I have not been doing too much of anything art/computer wise, as I have not being feeling too well and I have got me mum coming for a long weekend, so my limited energy has been taken up with getting my home in order,bathing and giving a haircut to my dogs,washing and ironing and a bit of painting too...ya know all those things you leave till the last minute, but feel you need to get done because Mum is coming to stay...lol....but it is all done now, so I am content.
The reason for feeling unwell is that the new tablets I got from the doc, just did not agree with me, I ended up with really bad headaches,nausea,tummy ache so I have stopped taking them and have to go back next week to try and sort this out. I have cut out my curries...god I have missed them lol...all the things I was advised to give a miss, but my appetite has gone down quite a bit, however I can live with that as a bit of weight loss is ok. Keep you posted on that one.
I found time to do a few small mandala type drawings, seen on the left, just a bit of fun done in CPs and Ink.

Patterns,Lines,Doodles

Hi all,

No animal art to show today, instead something of an Abstract piece done in my sketch book. I have got to say doing work like this is a real passion for me and a creative release, I just love the idea of combining patterns, shapes, doodles, and curves to create funky abstract art. I use mostly black pigment pen and to add colour it will be CPs, Ink or Coloured gel pens, perhaps even watercolour. It is all still a bit experimental, but like the mandalas there is not too much pre planning that comes into it I just do what feels right. My plan is too fill my sketch book up with this type of art, as I think it will be fascinating to look back over it all in time, and who knows when I kick the bucket someone might find it interesting.

On a completely different track, I have for sometime now, been having some problems with my digestive system and have for the past few weeks had to make some changes to my meds,which in turn has played havoc with my arthritis. I went to the doctors yesterday for another review and am now having another change in meds, and worse still a change in diet. Now I am a gal who loves her food, and although I am not too overweight,(size16)I do tend to be a bit of a muncher as well, but I have got to calm that down and to my horror stop eating Curries ! In fact not just curry,tomato's,mayonnaise,acidic fruit,vinegar,chinese,garlic....anything spicy and acidic etc...instead it has to be plain old boring food. My appetite has dropped off since this started, I reckon it will end being nil having to stick to this diet, but thank god it is only for a month! On a more serious note, I want it sorted,because it does cause me some pain and is uncomfortable and if there is no improvement then it will be the tube down the throat.......oh joy !

Pups Done

Hi all,

As you can see I have now finished the first two drawings for my puppy series. I am still not entirely happy with the basket ones, but feel it is time now to leave it alone, as for the other, I like this one alot. I was not aiming for too much realism in this, it was more about creating a Xmas feel with a bit of cute factor thrown in for good measure, and I think there will be one or two others in the same vein.

Xmas Pups update

Hi all,

This is where I am at with my Xmas pup image so far, and it is coming along really well. This will be added into my series of puppy pics that I am doing, and would of been the second one, but have moved it into Ist due to the basket pups not turning out quite so well. I am really enjoying the idea of adding backgrounds/things into my pictures, as this something I really wanted to do as mentioned in a previous post ......standalone portraits are great if that is want one wants, but it is nice to be able to add in extras, create backgrounds etc. I am still not very good with landscape and perspective but it is something that I am getting to grips with.....as the old adage says"practice makes perfect".

I am finding myself increasingly spread thin when it comes to Internet stuff, and have been thinking that I am going to have do some cutbacks soon. This blog has always been central to me, to be able to share art,tips,info etc, and one that I want to continue with, as is my website as this is a place for my work to be stored, but running three blogs,two websites,and numerous other web things is driving me nuts. I need to make creating my art no 1 priority and cull some of the other things. Sadly if I am honest the AIP has not taken off as expected, I am always behind with the updates on the blog and the shop is very static.....I do hold myself responsible for that, and as I am not sure what to do with it all, I will be putting it on hold for the moment. There are some other personal things that play a part in this too, and need to be taken in consideration and I will update as I go along.

Senior Moments of three weeks.

Hi all,

Ok got to own up to having some major senior moments for updating this blog....like three weeks worth ! Time has just flown by and I have been so busy with one thing or another that this got put on the back burner...but I also think subconsciously I needed to extend that blogging break. My pencils/pens have been super busy with some abstract art, mandalas and doggies....I have a cat to do for my niece, and a few other things that I need to keep hush about for the moment. The puppies in the basket as you can see are a disaster, I am so not happy with the this image so that will go in the crap pile, but I have also started a new Xmas type picture and am tying out a new paper for this.....Goldline Cartridge, Fine Grain and so far got to say I quite like it, you can see that on the right.....more on that later.

Thanks to everyone for your recent kind, they are always appreciated and for sticking with me.

Puppies

Hi all,

Firstly I would like to thank everyone for their kind comments, it means alot to me and more so as an artist, as we do like to know what other artists/people think about our work.

Okey dokey on to my next subject. I have in the past blogged about working on a series of pictures, and this has resurfaced again. I did start on a series of Big Cats last year, and got as far as completing two only, finding that I was not really happy as to where they were going....by that I mean I felt they needed more than just a head pic. I really like the idea alot of doing a series of pictures, all the same size, interrelated but different, and my subject matter that has got me obsessed at the moment is puppies....lots of them. As you can see in the current picture I have two in a basket (reference photo from a friend), but I have made some changes, by doing a different style of basket/bucket, and by adding in the ribbon. At the moment this is coming along quite well, my only gripe is the back/foreground...this is where I fall down every time, because it is my weakest point. So what do I do, add in something extra or just put in some background colour as in the Jack Russell pup...what do you think...all thoughts welcome ?

Returned

Hi all,

I am back from my break and although feeling a little tired, am ready to pick up my pencils and start creating. For those of you who follow me, you will understand the reason why I needed to have this time out, and I will be writing about that on my other blog AIP.

I have to say that the last three weeks computer wise have been a nightmare as I have upgraded my puter and at the the same time I did lose a years work and photographs in the process. I always have two hard drives one main one and one that I use to store all my pics/wips and photos, but on taking the second drive out we noticed that one of the pins in the back had broken off, and there was no way that we could get a secure connection, so my stuff is intact but in inaccessible ! On doing a bit further research there is a possibility that we might be able to save it, so that is something that I will let you know about later. Needless to say my puter is up and running and as it was my birthday a few days ago, my hubby did this as my part of that as well as getting me a new snazzy keyboard and mouse, a superb a wide screen TFT, and I finally have my daylight lamp for the winter as well, so me is a very happy bunny indeed. Cant quite believe that next year I will be 50 years old lol !

The picture you see here is of a Border Collie Cross called Brandy, size 12 x 10 inches in CPs on Stonehenge, which is a paper I still love to use, actually it is my most used paper.

I have been thinking about where I want to go with this blog in the near future, I have so many ideas that sometimes I get very sidetracked and lose my way in what I am doing. My strength is Animal Art, and this I want to develop more by not just doing a head shoulders picture but adding in a bit of a background, whether it be another animal,landscape or toys etc. The other concept I want to explore is doing a Montage, having done a couple a few years back I like the idea of these greatly.

Thankyou

Hi all,

I would really just like to say thank you for all the lovely comments since my last post. When I read through them all, I realised why I love blogging so much.....you "meet" great people, showcase your art, share tools,tips and advice....what more can an artist ask for! I have decided that I will return to this blog, but it wont be until sometime mid Oct, as I really need to take this time out, which by then I hope to be refreshed and rejuvenated with new ideas and art. Sept is never a good month for me, and more so this year as we approach the Ist anniversary of my sisters death....time for my family and memories.

Once again my thanks, and also for sticking around, and will see you on the flip side soon.

Leaving Blogger for a While

Hi all,
It is with great regret that I will be leaving Blogger for a while. My posting over the last few months has dropped off and I am finding it quite difficult to keep up with making posts which in turns is causing a bit of blog fatigue. There are also some more personal reasons which I don't want to go into, suffice to say that they contributed quite a bit to this decision. I will leave the blog intact for a while, but perhaps if I don't return it will be deleted at some point.
I would like to thank everyone who has followed me, made comments and contributed in some form or other....it has been fun, interesting and a great way to make new friends.
Bon voyage my friends, keep making great art .
Vic