week 8

Today was a lovely bright sunny day. This shows some of my finds.

I had a present this week off my sister, this lovely memory from my childhood, the Ladybird book of the Seashore. Now it really did bring back some memories as I looked through the pages. I was busy working on the week 8, when I saw the illustrations in the little book I decided I would photograph them for you to see. I guess as children we see things and become interested in them, this interest can last throughout your whole life. Now you can also read all about the Mermaids purses, just as I did all those years ago.

Last week the tide was completely covering the grassy shore and it was so wet in the afternoon when I went to collect my finds. I was afraid of going too far as it was so slippery and wet. It was also bitterly cold with snow on the hills. I collected the red seaweed and the little shells and the lovely oak leaf. It was enough to fill my double page. In the book it mentions the sucker that holds the seaweed, something I liked about my chosen piece. It was a grey day and the red leaves really shone out. I have gathered quite a collection of the Mermaids purses over the weeks, each one different in some way. This specimen had really long curly strands. It is painted in acrylic inks, not quite complete. Hope you like it.

Today the sun was shining, the photograph was taken about 11 o'clock, on a long 2 hour walk as I wandered along the shore searching. Being aware that I always collect too much I went for smaller specimens this week, it will be fun to see how the picture turns out. When I arrived home my objects were washed and I thought I would let you see some of them, some clues to the next picture. Can you see the Mermaids purses? I have a lovely feather and some small pieces still in my pocket. Some of them will be chosen and appear in the next pages. I will look and decide and of course see how much time I have before it is Saturday again.

Thank you for your comments.

The winner of my little give away was Dan.

Pondside and Melody came out next so will have a little prize too.

If you can email your address.

Week 7

I thought I would let you see my initial pencil sketch and then the beginning of the painting with my number one sable brush and using acrylic inks. By the time I have finished the seaweed has shrunk, becoming dry and changing in both size and colour.

I can hardly believe it is Saturday again, the week has flown by. This collection was found last week on a calm fine day. It was cold on the shore and very wet every where after both rain and high tides. The bulk of items washed up were in a state of decomposition and a bit smelly too.

In my search for something to draw I was instantly happy with the mussel shell encrusted with Barnacles, yes, straight into my bag. Lots of seaweed rotting and long past its best and tangled up feathers and grasses and leaves all were dismissed. I did collect little snail shells and some red berries and two mermaid purses. Then I found this piece of greeny coloured seaweed with white circular shapes, which I have researched and found it is tubes of Bristle worm. You can also see larger white tubes on the Mussel shell. I do not really want to get into all the naming as it is the drawing I am more interested in.

They were a perfect match for a drawing and with the curly shape at the base of the seaweed, one of the snail shells was always going to feature there with a lovely spiral pattern. This was so nice to draw, lots of detail which I love and I am really happy how it has turned out. Only one page of my book, it was perfect as it was. I played around at adding more but sometimes you just have to leave things as they are.

I suspect the mussel and seaweed have some age, for the barnacles to have grown. If that is true then I hope my older specimens have been well treated, I certainly spent a lot of time with them. Hope you like them.
I am just going to collect my week 8 finds. The tide is so high and completely covering the shore with no green grass to be seen. I wonder what I am going to find ?
Thank you for your lovely comments. Time to have a little Giveaway.

Leave a comment and I will pick a winner from all the names, next Saturday 26th February.

A small drawing of something from the sea shore will be the Giveaway prize.
Millyx

Week 6

When I went for my week 6 walk to see what the sea had washed up on the shore, I knew there would be lots to choose from. The tide was very high the day before, with a strong wind and the sea water had almost covered the whole shore. I found the tide line was full of a huge collection of assorted objects. Fresh pieces of seaweed in long lengths which I held up and the dangling branches measured up to about two feet. I did notice lots of new pieces with lovely colourings, a project in itself recording the colours. I loved the long green piece with the three big bubbles, the many little branches and the strange double tip right at the top, it had to go on my pages.

The piece I am painting above is a new seaweed, not one I have found before. I selected a black mermaids purse and a black feather from my many finds to complete this double page spread. I used my acrylic inks for this and decided to stipple over the bubbly seaweed with a fine black ink pen. The black pen was then used for the mermaids purse and for the feather too. I later painted the shaft with my brush and coloured inks.

I found so many beautiful pieces of seaweeds, feathers, snail shells, leaves, little shells and seeds. I did wonder if this project might run out of ideas, but it is only the time that runs out. It is hard to choose what to draw as I keep finding such beautiful shaped objects and rich colours and drawing these objects really makes me understand their shapes and form.

I used the three colours of ink, sap green, yellow ochre and burnt umber for my palette and this week the black ink pen. Hope you enjoy seeing them.

Thank you for your lovely comments, I enjoy reading them . Milly x

week 5

I am glad you like the feathers, thank you to the people who left me a comment. I do really appreciate reading them. This page for week 5 was a real pleasure for me, I couldn't wait to get started and I loved doing it. I wanted to put in the long dark bubbly seaweed and it was the first piece to go on the page, as with all the objects it is life size, so I twisted it across the double pages. Then I chose the other objects, shells, sea weeds and the feather. Above you can see the work in progress and how I added the sketched seaweed, at the left side. Then I wanted to put the mermaids purse in the centre, placed on a little piece of paper to see if it looks right. I like to place the real objects on my paper and move them around until it feels right. This has come from my experience of adding something in a drawing and then wishing I had left it as it was.

I was going to put more shells in but time ran out, Saturday came around again, so I am calling it done. The shells were hard because I wanted to get the details and this paper did not help nor did my tired eyes. I know my shells would be better in pencil but I wanted to show colours and painting with the fine brush was very time consuming.

It has taken me many hours to complete this but I think it was worth it.

I am really happy with this page, it is how I wanted it to be, like a tangled arrangement ....to me it just feels like how you find the objects on the shore, as the sea has left them. The colours are rich and the more I find these objects the more I am enjoying this project. There are lovely decorative qualities in the shapes of the seaweeds, such rich colours and somehow they just cry out to be painted.

Today I have been collecting again, a huge bag full of treasures but I will tell you about it next week with the drawing.

Hope you like them, I would love to know what you think.

millyx

Please do not use my pictures without asking my permission, thank you.