Beach Pebbles

I have selected and painted some of my pebbles. Each time I go for a walk on the beach I carefully choose a few lovely pebbles to bring home. It might be their colours, or it might be the pattern or it is the smooth rounded shape....but when I find the right one ....I just have to have it. I really like the grey ones with white circles and stripes, they are probably my favourites.
After selecting the ones to draw I placed them in the circular shape on my paper, and I do love this little arrangement, it turned out perfect.
I used acrylic paints. Press for larger view.

Tiny Blue shells

When I go for a walk along my local beaches I collect feathers, shells, leaves, pebbles and seaweed. The shells here are usually tiny, cockles, mussels and crab shells, nothing very fancy. But I like these really tiny striped shells. I like their simple shapes, their pretty stripes and the fact that I found them. These were all blue ones on the stretch of beach I was walking. At a different beach they are brighter colours like yellow, pink, blue and orange stripes.
They are simple and yet beautiful. They are so thin and delicate and yet survive the strength of the sea as they are washed up on my beaches. Just like a child I find them and add them to my treasures. I painted them with watercolours.

Fragments of china and drips of tea

I collected the fragments of china and the old brown oak leaf on the same day. They were found by the lake at Coniston. I love these little pieces of china, what did they used to be and who did they belong to? The answer I will never know but it is fascinating to think about.
I found them together, so they went in a drawing together and then I dripped my tea across my paper...I think it was meant to be, maybe they were a teapot and cups and saucers. They are painted using watercolour paints, press picture for close up.
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Nine Shells

I love shells and collect them whenever I go for a walk on the beach. I have some gorgeous ones from holidays abroad, bought in shell shops. The other day I saw this bag full of twenty pretty striped shells in the craft shop. Of course I had to buy them and bring them home to draw. I have never had this shell before so I was really taken with the colours and patterns. Each one has different colours but they all felt so summery, like striped rock, deck chairs and beach hut colours.
On the bag, it said they were a waste product from the food industry.
I have used acrylic paint to get the bright clean colours, which is what attracted me to them, see the different coloured striped pattern on the nine I chose.
Press picture for more detail. Roll on summer and days on the beach.

Feather

I have been walking on the beach and collecting more feathers. My collection grows as I can't resist picking them up and bringing them home to draw. They really fascinate me and I love the lines and patterns of feathers.
The beach always inspires me, feathers , shells and pebbles all attract me and I arrive home with my pockets full. So looking forward to summer and spending days walking along the beach and seeing what the sea has washed up. Always odd shoes, rope, shells, crabs, seaweed, wooden objects and plastic beach toys lost or abandoned. Then the thrill of a message in a bottle.
This feather is drawn using a HB pencil. Click on picture for close up.

Virtual sketch Date April Challenge

Here is my drawing for the April challenge for the Virtual Sketch Date. It is the beautiful photograph taken by Jeanette Jobson of a Rhododendron bud.
I sketched it out last night and today completed the drawing by using black ink pens.
I have enjoyed doing this challenge, loved the shapes in the bud and the leaves. A good subject for me. I completely missed even seeing the March challenge!
I do like this group as we all start from the same image and yet everyone ends up with their own individual picture. So I am off to see all the others now,
see here

Blue leaf

I have been trying my hand at painting. I bought some canvas boards for acrylic paint. The leaf was a pencil drawing in my sketch book, which I did a while ago. I decided to use blues, mixed with white, green, yellow and a brown. It was painted to try out the board and something unusual for me to paint the background.
I quite like the finished result, a bit of fun as the colours are straight out of my head.

My Moo Cards

I have been seeing Moo cards on other peoples blogs and so I thought I would have a go. It took me so long uploading the images and then messing around with finding the right images to print. I am not the greatest on the computer, so things take me ages to do, that is why my blog is so simple in its layout.
Well I was quite excited when the moo cards arrived. I couldn't believe how small they were. After playing around for a while here is a little arrangement of most of the cards. I think the fish worked really well and the dragonfly and peacock feather. I do have some rejects, it was fun seeing some of my drawings as tiny Moo cards. Whats the verdict? Press picture for close up.

Fir cones

I collected some fir cones when I was out for a walk the other day. I like them as a drawing subject. They have fascinating patterns and shapes. I like the challenge of capturing all the detail and have to really concentrate to record them accurately.
If it is warm they will open up and then make it difficult to finish the drawing as all the shapes and patterns will have changed. So I try to finish them in one go or at least sketch out all the details before this has chance to happen.
This pair of cones is a favourite drawing which I did a while ago. It is done using a HB pencil. Press for larger picture.