Here is another Christmas present I got in December. It’s a cuddly toy monkey that hangs from it’s arms and with a pouch inside for a roll of tissue paper. You then pull the tissues out of the monkey’s backside…this just makes me smile every time I look at it!
Thu-18-Jan-2024
This is the last sketch I did on our New Year’s holiday…while waiting in the airport for our flight back to Manila. This Christmas tree was decorated with stars, fans and baubles traditionally woven from rattan or abaca (also called Manila hemp). In the front and to one side (a bit lost in my sketch) are angels blowing trumpets. This seemed like a perfect subject to finish off my Christmas and New Year sketch marathon!
Fri-5-Dec-2024
On Christmas Day we had a family get together at a resort called Sa Kamay Ni Maria Resthouse, Los Banos, Laguna. There are so many of us now (partners, more children, extended family), that there isn’t enough space for us all to gather in one of our houses/apartments, so a nearby resort with lots of space and a pool (heated by natural springs) seemed like the best solution. I loved the resort as it had so many quirky and unusual figurines, statues and objects hanging on the walls…it was hard to know where to start sketching, I could have sketched for days!
Mon-25-Dec-2023
This is my first sketch in a new sketchbook – number 81. For a change it’s not one that I made myself, but one that I won at the raffle with #UskQuezonCity at the sketchbook binding workshop that I did earlier in December. It’s a square format Zen Sangam Watercolor Art Journal with 25 sheets of Cold Pressed 250 GSM paper and was kindly donated to the raffle by a fellow sketcher Ever Villacruz (@pamatayhomesick). These hiking boots are my daughters Christmas gift to my wife.
Sun-24-Dec-2023
Here is another sketch following the #Sketchtober2023 prompts – this one for Day 26. I bought these little tins of cookies for our daughters advent calendar presents (yes we are mad enough to buy little gifts for advent…much easier when they were little girls). I bought these (from #KulturaFilipino) not so much for the cookies, but for the tins in the shape of jeepneys. Happy Christmas to everyone who follows me, likes my posts, enjoys sketching and celebrates this time of year!
Sun-17-Dec-2023
Here is another Christmas sketch – this one done at the mall, when I did a day-long mammoth session of Christmas advent calendar present shopping. Mid-way I had to give my tired feet (and wallet) a rest and did this sketch in the SM Aura shopping mall. I added the colour at home… as well as all the little twinkling lights done with a Posca pen.
Sat-9-Dec-2023
Christmas is a wonderful sketching opportunity! I usually sketch the Christmas tree that is set up in the common garden where we live. In the past it has been made of recycled plastic bottles, but this year it features large star shaped lanterns. My sketch was done during the day (I was leaning against a tree and got a few love bites from the big red weaver ants that live in it), so it might look a little dull – but at night, when the lanterns are lit, it looks very festive.
Fri-8-Dec-2023
For Christmas I was given a set of watercolour markers by my daughters partner (Mont Marte brand). This is the first time I’ve used something like this – they worked very well and the colours blended nicely when I added water, even if my sketch ended up a bit messy.
Wed-11-Jan-2023
Here is a sketch of one of my Christmas presents – a lovely little Schmincke travel painting set from my daughters. I added the sponge and a half pan with cobalt blue but have space to add more. It’s made of good quality enamelled steel and has a little water tank…just lovely!
Mon-9-Jan-2023