Wood challenge

This Japanese doll is made of wood and is painted and burnt to make patterns. It was very expensive but I bought it for my birthday as a special treat. I'm glad I did and I'm glad I did a little painting of it.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Favourite food

My favourite food apart from fruit and vegetables would have to be cake and coffee. I love cake of all sorts.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Herbs and spices

Another of my doodle responses to the challenge. I can still remember planting out my herb garden when I first arrived at my new home. I had a bare garden and my herbs were the first thing I planted. At the moment I have parsley everywhere as it has all self sown. I love the way gardens get lots of surprises in them and create themselves without me doing a thing.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Something hot - an iron

I love doing the ironing particularly tea towels and hankies and pillow cases. I love washing as well. I am single so don't have loads to do.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Bristle challenge

Now I've finally given myself permission to do the challenges as doodles and abstract instead of realistic sketches I am having more fun. Realistic drawings were more serious and difficult for me and I am wanting more fun and relaxation. The thought of trying to sketch my toothbrush bristles was impossible whereas my doodle drawing was great fun.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia
srhosken.blogspot.com
susanhosken.blogspot.com

Envelopes

I realise that I love doing doodling. A few people who have asked why i haven't been posting drawings is because I love doing doodles rather than realistic drawings a lot of the time. Here is my response to the envelopes challenge.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Something with a handle

I love getting up in the morning and choosing my coffee cup for the day. I have quite a few with inspiring words written on them.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia
srhosken.blogspot.com
susanhosken.blogspot.com

Something soft

I am celebrating 12 months of belonging to Everydaymatters. What an extraordinary journey it has been. So full of surprises with my art work, developing friends, being inspired and even thinking of exhibiting first little piece. Thanks so much to all of you for making it one of the best groups to belong to and helping me so much in so many ways.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia
srhosken.blogspot.com
susanhosken.blogspot.com

Floral grid

One of my favourite occupations on the phone doing my doodling. This was delightful to do because of the fine detail.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Salad challenge

This was interesting to do. After the initial shock of all the detail once I started it wasn't as bad as I thought. I am trying to do the challenge each week as it stretches me into unfamiliar territory and things I wouldn't choose to do myself.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Challenge 134 - a different view

Dear friends,
I bought this little figure for Christmas 2006. I live alone and I wanted someone to keep me company while I put the decorations up, etc.
She has the most wonderful smile and cheeky face.
She is in my kitchen and gives me so much joy.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia
PS I suppose I could do a front view so you can share her smile

A peach

Peaches aren't in season at the moment in Australia so I did the drawing from memory. i love peaches. I used to have a tree at home as a child but it died . I always wanted a peach tree and finally planted fruit trees at my old house.
My first peach for the season off the tree was my greatest joy. A friend watched me once and couldn't believe how ecstatic i got.
Now I have moved I still love selecting my first peach from the fruit man.
I love the white peaches best. I love the fluffy velvety skin and the juicy taste is splendid. It delights the child in me.
I'd love to find someone in the area who grows peaches so I could once again pick my first peach for the season straight from a tree. Until I do I have sweet memories literally.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Another doodle

Loving doing my doodles. Hopefully I can get back into doing other drawings as well. I guess a lot of us go through phases.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Clothes sketches

I have kept sketches of my clothes and outfits. Recently I have started to do sketches of myself in the clothes in the mirror and find the results interesting as compared to my naive people drawings in the post for July 31st.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Grid doodle

Decided to muck around and do doodling in a grid. Rather restrained but I still loved doing the doodling.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Doodling

At the moment I have a doodle page with my journal and daily timetable and I doodle every chance I get. I absolutely love it. The freedom to put the lines wherever I like. I am hoping in the future to express the challenges as doodling rather than realistic drawings. I like the way I can put the lines anywhere I want rather than being dicated to by the object I am drawing in a realistic drawing. All in the journey of discovering my style of drawing and furthering my creative expression.
Enjoy the journey. Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Naive figure drawing

I keep a memory sketchbook of what happens on my daily walks. I often do little naive drawings of people and thought I needed to learn how to draw them properly. Then I realised I love the naive quality and look forward to seeing more of them in my walking journal. Thought I'd share them as they will remind some of the professional figure drawers where they possibly started!!!
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Corn

I used to have a large garden and grew lots of corn each year. When I down sized into a small home and garden I never imagined I'd grop a little crop of corn in a corner of the garden. I did this sketch last Summer and don't know if it will be the last crop or the beginning of many more. We had drought conditions last Summer so difficult to do the watering. I hope to do another crop this Summer. I love the taste of fresh corn. I eat it straight off the plant and no cooking...yummo.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Floral oracle

I enjoy using runes to give me inspiration for living my life. I have used a floral oracle for quite a few years where flowers give meaning and direction to your life. I am making my first deck of flower oracle cards and this winter sweet is my first one. My second card is a violet where I used a lovely piece of cross stitch I did.


I believe in God or a Divine energy and take the flower oracle quite seriously.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia
PS I'll post my other cards as I make them. I am doing it slowly.

Colored doodle

I love doodling while I am on the phone. With this doodle I decided to use water color. I was astonished at all the conflicting colors I used. I usually like painting with nice contrasting colors. Still thought I'd share the results. I am working on some flower doodles at the moment.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Third book

This is my third book and I learnt how to do a basic pamplet stitch. It is a journal celebrating the death of my cat Sooty and it has my journaling and emails sent by many from Ever Day Matters and other friends. I knitted the cover and then embellished with beads. It means a lot to me. I have already chosen my next book binding project...now how to find time to do it.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Bell challenge

This is a little china bell with two figures on it that an old friend gave me many years ago. We are in contact on birthdays and Christmas but we used to see each other every week. It is interesting how friends come and go and are here often then only occasionally. I love the bell because it reminds me of her and our wonderful times together. When I moved house I made it a point to only bring things with me that had special meaning and value. The bell was one of them.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Bird challenge

I did these little bird drawings of my favourite black and white magpies and seagulls in my travel journal. A few of the birds are like children's drawings and I can see I haven't drawn them accurately.
I love the magpies where I live as they are on the nature strips in groups of 3 birds and peck around for food and play around the nature strip. I can get within a few feet of them. Some people tame them by giving them pieces of meat.
I like the seagulls too although they aren't a favourite of a lot of people because of their scavanger behaviour. I love walking along the beach with all the birds.
My favourite bird was my budgerigar Tiger. He used to fly around the room when I was a kid and he would run up and down the shelf whistling and fly on top of my head. He would sit on my hands and whistle away and chat to me. He only lived a few years. I have happy memories of him.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

First book

My first book I now realise is an artist's journal and a healing journal. I made it while I was in hospital in the art room. I painted and collaged various pages torn from magazines and then sewed them together with string and grasses. I made it 4 years ago and only rediscovered it this year when I read about artist's journals and healing journals. I still have a great affection for the little book and it has lots of memories.
As a few people in the Everydaymatters yahoo group also mention bookmaking I thought I would post this photo. I'll post another one next week of a healing journal I made when my cat died.
There is nothing like doing something for the first time. I'm loving my new adventures into book making. As a librarian books are a passion for me.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Memory journal

Green grocer

Favourite foods

Favourite old bags

I go to a music appreciation class and while the lecturer plays pieces of music I do sketches in my memory journal. I am doing things like my favourite bags, favourite foods, my local green grocer, and other things that spring to mind. Next to the sketches I write about the memories as well. I am loving doing it. It interests me how the memory alters things and is often not very accurate.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

DOTRSOTB

Some more drawings from "Drawing on the right side of the brain". I am really pleased with my progress and I am enjoying the various exercises. I don't do as much drawing as I would like as I have lots of other commitments but I enjoy what I do.
There was an Everyday matters challenge of drawing something in the shade but I don't have the skills for it yet. i hope to do it in the future.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Bird bath

This is another attempt at doing some watercolor that isn't precise detail. I enjoy doing this sort of painting but still need to learn how much to put in and how much to leave out.
The bird bath is in my very small courtyard. It was surrounded by pumpkins and zucchinis and petunias. It makes for some nice memories. i love seeing the birds having their baths. When I moved here from my old house where hundreds of birds visited over the years no birds came. Over the months birds finally discovered the bird bath and I am thrilled about it. i have planted some ranunculas around the bird bath so I have the flowers to look forward to.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Challenge 121 - coins

I am really pleased the way I am keeping up with the challenges. I don't draw everyday but love taking on the challenge each week as it leads me to doing things that I normally wouldn't do. When I saw the coins which are Australian currency I thought they would be too detailed to draw but i loved doing them. I loved the intricacy.
I still remember when the new decimal currency came out when I was a child. it was really exciting having new money. The 1 and 2 dollar coins were new in recent years. The 50 cent peice used to be round but now has corners. We used to have 1 and 2 cent pieces but they have been made redundant as prices have gone up. The smallest coin is 5 cents and there isn't a way of buying something for less. A sign of our more expensive times. I remember going to Italy and they had lollies as change which I thought was extraordinary.
I thought I'd do a bigger picture so the detail is better. I don't know how to delete the smaller image.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Challenge 120 - torch

I only have one torch that is constantly being charged in the laundry. I have only used it a few times. There hasn't been a blackout at night in years but I still like to have the torch. I've never thought to have a torch by my bed or in the car as some EDMers do.
Karen suggested sharing the best memories of using a torch. Girl guide camps would have been the best fun. Often we would use lanterns but we also had our torches. We often snuck out of our tents and raided the cooking tent for yummy food at night.
When I did the drawing I didn't know how to show that there was a handle and you could see through it. I shaded it in and then made it black. I need to find a better way of showing that.
Enjoy the journey.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Rock challenge

I pass this rock everyday on my walks at the beach. I used to come swimming here as a child and my playmates used to challenge each other to swim out to the rock. Great memories of childhood at the beach. I love it as much now. This is the only rock along the foreshore.
I haven't managed to get a feeling of depth. The rock is rather flat. Does anyone know how I could improve on it?
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Glass challenge

As I normally do outlines and watercolor inside when i came to the glass I realised I needed some shading. I don't know how to shade. Hopefully I will learn how to do it as part of the course I am doing with Drawing on the right side of the brain.
The glass is one of a collection of glasses that were full of honey. I love the way the glasses are recycled and enjoy using them. I need to get some nice new glasses for when visitors come as the honey glasses are getting a bit used.
I drink a lot of water during the day and love using my glasses.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Here's me

I'm trying to add my photo to my blog profile. Wish me luck. Couldn't do it. I think some changes are happening with blogger as directions are different each time.
The drawing with my photo is one I did 17 years ago when my dad died. I was in a state of grief and copied this drawing from a plate design. I doubt I could draw like this now. How strange that grief heightened my abilities.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Been tagged

I usually put my collages on my other blog....susanhosken.blogspot.com but I have been tagged by my new friend martin from EDM and I don't have time to scan in a new drawing.
This is the second time I've been tagged. I find it fun but some people find it childish.
So what are 7 random facts / habits about myself..
1. I used to smoke roll your own Drum cigarettes
2. When I was at college I wanted to do Librarianship and drama and the co ordinator said no because I'd have to be schizophrenic to want to do both and they were incompatible subjects!!! A few of us library students argued hard and long and we got it approved. I am one of the first students to have passed both subjects in fourth year. It turned out I did have schizoaffective disorder after all. I am so glad I did both subjects and paved the way for other students.
3. I love fresh home grown siverbeet with egg cooked in the microwave topped later with green tomato chutney. I just made my latest batch of chutney and am looking forward to my next meal.
4. I have a friend in Queensland that I phone most Saturday nights and we talk for hours and hours. It's like being a teenager.
5. I used to call my brother Prune and still do sometimes. My mother used to say what lovely skin my brother had and I got jealous and called him prune face. I called him that for years and only recently stopped. My brother is 48!!!
6. I used to have a budgerigar called Tiger that used to fly around the hous. Nowadays I can't stand the thought of a bird not being able to fly free.
7. I am amazed I am doing drawings of simple things in life for Everydaymatters. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine such a happening.

I can't believe I wrote all the above. I just did it off the top of my head. Fance picking such things. I had a lot of fun and good memories came back as well.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Challenge 98 - free choice

I used to collect dolls. This is my doll Stavroula. It lives at my mothers. My mother lives in a gorgeous little white weather board house. It is like a little dolls house. My mum loves color coordinating everything. Her lounge dining area is all soft apricot and soft green with soft turqoise green highlights. It matches the outside green trims on the house and door. The doll matched the house so I sent it to mum's place!!!!!The doll didn't fit into my more chaotic colorful home. It is interesting how we all live so differently.
I still have some of my dolls out in the house. Others of them are stored in a blanket bin and I give them all a turn out in the fresh air!!!
I never intended collecting dolls. It started with my childhood doll Linda and my barbie doll. I didn't start collecting until I was an adult.
Enjoy the journey.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Beach scene from the boatshed

This is the scene from the boatshed I mentioned in my other blog...susanhosken.blogspot.com.
I am needing help with how to develop it. It is the first drawing I have done of a scene. Should I darken the pencil lines and backgrounds? Advice and criticism would be appreciated.It is supposed to be grasses, sand and the beach!!!
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Challenge 118 - hair

This drawing is a bit frightening!!! I did my self portrait as part of the exercises for "Drawing on the right side of the brain". Next time I will smile. I promise I have a friendly smile and sparkly kind eyes. Doesn't look like it with this one. I'm going to look forward to doing portraits as part of my overall growth in art. At the moment I still can only really do outlines as I find shading too challenging at the moment. I am looking forward to doing art courses that teach me how to shade.
I was awake at 4am so did my daily Everyday in May drawing then!! This won't be a regular happening.
Absolutely loving Everyday in May and the inspiration for me to do art everyday.
Most of my life I have had long hair but decided I was getting too old for it a few years ago. I got quite tired of waiting for it to dry after I washed it as I didn't like hair dryers. My grandmother used to love my hair and used to stroke it. She'd tell me stories about her long hair which she had happy memories about. When I wore my hair in a bun she called me top knot. When she became forgetful and couldn't remember me I told her I was top knot and she remembered me. Shortly after my grandmother died I cut all my hair off. I never realised at the time but I did it out of sheer grief. I have read often about people cutting there hair off in grief. After I had the hair cut off I felt strangely calmed by doing it. I could have literally cut it off with my own scissors I was so upset about grandma. I wailed when I heard of her death. I immediately started growing me hair again and had it long for quite a few years. I have always loved my hair and loved doing hairstyles with it particularly threading beads through it. I am now beginning to go gray so that will be the next journey. Hair fascinated me. i'll be interested to see how other EDMers do the challenge.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Drawing on the right side of the brain

A while ago I started the book "Drawing on the right side of the brain". I came up to an exercise I didn't want to do and instead of skipping it I stopped doing the exercises. Anybody would think I had an exam at the end of the book. Tonight I have decided to continue on doing the exercises I am interested in. I thought I would show a few of my drawings so far on my blog.
I am finding the book and the workbook really encouraging and I am learning a lot.

Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Sorting out blogs

This painting is of a piece of my mother's glass from her collection. I'm looking forward to learning how to do shading on my drawings.
I've decided to keep this blog for my drawings and painting and the challenges from Everydaymatters.
My other blog ...susanhosken.blogspot.com...I'll use for my general chatter and my other art work....collaging, photography, embroidery, knitting, etc.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Everyday in May grid

I've been doing grids for the Everyday in May challenge. I am totally energised and inspired by the challenge. Normally I've been drawing once a week now it is everyday. I hope the inspiration continues throughout the year. I never realised how creative I am being with my writing, journaling, collage, embroidery, knitting, etc.
I highly recommend grids to other people finding it hard to draw. The little sketches are such a delight to do.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia