This sketch has nothing to do with #Inktober2024…I just wanted to draw this papaya before we ate it (and before it went off). This type is called “red lady, is scientifically known as Carica papaya and was originally developed in Taiwan. They have sweet, red flesh…yummy.
Sat-8-Nov-2024
As I sketched this my nose was running and I was sneezing repeatedly – yes I caught a cold again. Goodness knows from where or whom I got it from. My colds are always exacerbated by my dust mite allergy …so it’s not a fun time. But at least I had the energy to draw this – I was given this cap when we joined the Kawit heritage tour.
Mon-9-Sep-2024
This sketch was done on our train ride up to Edinburgh, where we stayed with some friends (I forgot to post this one so this is long delayed!). On our first day we walked around the New Town area and marvelled at the huge Georgian Terraces, which reminded me very much of Bath where I used to live. New Town is not all that new – it was built in the late 1700’s to reduce congestion in the Old Town. I sketched this trying to use a very limited palette of ultramarine and raw umber.
Thu-8-Aug-2024
Here is another sketch of one of my favourite subjects – just some random veggies from the fridge. As is often the case with my sketches, I just started drawing on the left and then ran out of space on the right – but I don’t really care. Somehow the courgette also seems to be floating a bit.
Wed-4-Sep-2024
Since we got back from holiday, although I have been on two sketch-walks, I haven’t done many sketches in the evening (the jet lag didn’t help much with this habit). With this sketch of one of my favourite subjects (and favourite fruits) I was trying to get back into the habit of sketching everyday objects around the house.
Tue-3-Sep-2024
This is the last sketch from our holiday and the last one in sketchbook No.92! Our journey home was uneventful and our layover in Dubai was just long enough for me to sketch this. The teardrop shaped windows (which curve up to a peak) are covered with what seems to be an adhesive screen or mesh, which I guess is supposed to block the sunlight and keep the concourse cooler…it took me ages to copy the pattern!
Wed-21-Aug-2024
On our last day in Barcelona a friend was kind enough to pick us up and take us to see the Tibidabo (a hill overlooking the city) and the Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor (the Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). After that we had lunch at the “7 Portes” restaurant (where Picasso used to eat…I sat briefly in his spot) and then went to the airport where I sketched this.
Tue-20-Aug-2024
The highlight of our last full day in Barcelona (and maybe the highlight of our whole holiday in Spain) was a visit to the Sagrada Família – another Gaudi masterpiece. The church has been under construction since 1882 – he only saw one facade and a quarter of the building completed when he died in 1926, when he was hit by a tram when walking home. We went up one of the towers but the best part was the nave where the columns are built like trees which branch upwards and form a canopy-like structure. It was difficult to sketch as the structure is very complex – but imagine how hard it must have been to design and build!
Mon-19-Aug-2024
After visiting the Palau de la Música Catalana, we went to the MNAC (Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya) This was sketched when we collapsed into a comfortable couch after a long walk through the exhibits.
Sat-17-Aug-2024