Here is a quick sketch of a blossom I picked up the other day. There is a lovely Frangipani tree growing near where I take out our cartons for recycling and the blossoms smell wonderful, so I often pick up one or two for a good sniff! In the Philippines the tree is called a Calachuchi, but is more scientifically known as Plumeria (and is a genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Rauvolfioideae).
Sat-21-Dec-2024
The other day I decided to sketch whatever happened to be on the worktop – a cast iron frying pan, and two thermos mugs (one Bodum brand which I have drawn before and one new one, which my wife got as a present). The numbering of my sketches has gone awry with this one – something that should be simple enough, but that I get mixed up with (and annoyed by) frequently!
Tue-17-Dec-2024
This bottle of booze is not something we bought for ourselves but is a Christmas present for a work-mate. I like to sketch bottles and this Bacardi Gold rum has a beautiful yellow orange colour.
Mon-16-Dec-2024
Here is another sketch of something random around the house. This is a bottle of all-purpose cleaner made by Messy Bessy – we use it to clean the kitchen worktops. According to their website it degreases, polishes and remove stains – and is made from all natural ingredients. Why add to the destruction of the environment when you can use this and also contribute to a social enterprise that helps disadvantaged youth? Not that cheap though!
Sat-14-Dec-2024
Here is an evening still life of some fruit – a nice easy subject when I am stuck for something to draw. According to one website these are botanically classified as Malus domestica and are native to America…so they travelled a long way before we ate them. They are called strawberry apples because they release a subtle berry-like scent that is supposed to smell like strawberries.
Thu-12-Dec-2024
Here is an evening sketch of some art materials … some watercolour pencils (mostly #Derwent) that I keep in an old mug. The mug was given to me by my oldest friends in the UK when I lived in Bath. As you might see it depicts a man with a gun to his head…not something I’d say is a good subject matter for a china mug, but that was the 80’s for you.
Tue-10-Dec-2024
At the end of my work trip to Afghanistan, my colleagues very kindly gave me a parting gift of several bags of different types of nuts. That included whole shelled walnuts…I didn’t know but Afghanistan is one of the worlds top producers of nuts – I was also given pistachio’s, cashew and almonds plus a little jar of precious saffron.
Mon-9-Dec-2024
This sketch was inspired by one of my favourite sketchers, Shari Blaukopf (@sharisketcher). A while ago she painted a box of tubes of yellow paint and as I have been cleaning up my big palette and replenishing the paints I thought I would sketch the bunch of half used tubes which are waiting to be squished into the little half-pans.
Wed-4-Dec-2024
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