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

Challenge 117 - round

This is a drawing of some of my neighbours childrens toys. They play ball adn cricket, etc in the driveway. They are leaving soon to move into their new home. I will miss them.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Knitting

For the Everyday in May challenge I will knit everyday. I can do this while I watch TV, with friends or at appointments.
I copied this drawing as I saw it. Now when I look at it should I "invent" the other knitting needle to make it look better. Usually I draw what I see but should I alter it to make a more realistic and/or effective drawing? Comments on this most welcome.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Everyday in May challenge

I usually only get one drawing done a week and posting it to my blog.
There is a challenge called Everyday in May where people are doing creative work everyday. I can knit everyday but I doubt I can do a drawing every day. I will try and do as many as I can and post them on my blog.
This is the first camelia of many that are budding on my neighbours bush.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Challenge 116 - something green

This little whimsical plastic toy sits on the dashboard of my car. It was a toy I had when my nephews now in their twenties were babies. I boxed all the toys up when all the kids were grown but decided to keep the little green elephant out and put him on my dashboard. He or she makes me happy when I see it.
The little drawing is one of the first I did in my first traveling sketchbook. I was so eager to start the book that when I came out of the art shop I began drawing in the car straight away. I was waiting for my mother to come back from the hairdressers. That's what I love about the traveling sketchbook it has such great memories of my travels.
I have enjoyed the green challenge with EDM as there has been so many different interpretations of the green theme.
Lots of love from Susan

Trolley challenge

I found this trolley in the street so I didn't have to draw it in the supermarket. It is a typical trolley used in Melbourne, Australia. It was a challenge to draw all the details. I didn't fit the wheels in on the page!!!
i use a trolley every week to get groceries and I have to put a dollar in a slot to get it and I get the dollar back when i return it. It gets people to return their trolleys rather than leaving them in the parking lot.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Challenge 37 - keys

The keys were really satisfying to draw getting all the shapes to match up. I don't have a lot of keys - just the house and car keys and keys to my mother's place. I used to have work keys before I retired. I am amazed at how many keys some people have. I often want to ask what they are all for.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Fence challenge

I live in a suburb of the city of Melbourne in Australia. Almost all of the houses, units and apartments are surrounded by fences of all types - high, low, brick, paling, picket, cement, new or old.
The front fences adjoin a cement path and small areas of grass with trees that are called nature strips.
The perspective in my drawing is a bit skewed. I will make another attempt in the future.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Challenge 11 - eyeglasses

These glasses looked really simple to draw but I got the angle wrong on one of the arms.
I started wearing glasses in my late 40s. I tried to avoid wearing them until the words got blurry. I am at the point where I need to wear them more often to read labels and small writing.
I often think of people who can't afford glasses and not being able to read or see properly. I am grateful for my glasses.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Embroidery 2

This is my second little embroidery. I am finding them delightful to do. My embroideries used to take me months to do. It's nice to finish something within the day.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Challenge 70 ...something I'm afraid of

I did this from a picture as there is no way I could do the drawing from a live spider. These huntsmen are very common where I live lin Australia. I have had them in the house usually high up near the ceiling. I have also had them inside my car when I was driving and on the outside.....very scary for someone like me who doesn't like these sorts of spiders. Tiny spiders and daddy long legs are OK.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Little embroidery

I used to do a lot of embroidery particularly cross stitch but haven't lately. I miss it so the other day I got out little pieces of fabric and did some embroidery with beading. I've done three and this is one of them. I'll post the others in the future. It was such a delight to be doing it. I am hoping to do a few more of these little embroideries in the future. I always did my embroidery for a reason -- a watch band, purse, wallet, clothing, etc. it was fun to do it for no good reason other than delight. My brother asked me what it was for. I just said because.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Detail

I am working through a how to draw book that suggested drawing a corner of the room. I drew the cabinet in the lounge. The cabinet is one of the first pieces of furniture I commissioned for my first home. It is made of Tasmanian Oak and has stained glass doors at the top. It is full of all my treasures and favourite glass ware. I have other furniture to match and I have had it now for over 25 years. I want to grow old with the furniture. I don't want to update it.
I really enjoyed doing the drawing because it was one of my first detailed drawings and I am very happy with the result. It was done in pencil but I had to enhance it on the computer so it could be seen on the blog.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Out and about sketchbook

I'm still trying to get the hang of having a sketchbook I carry around with me. I read the EDMers comments about their sketch books and get ideas of how and what to draw. Today I was sitting in the cinema waiting for the movie and I thought there was only seats and nothing else to draw so I thought I'd do the seats. I learnt a lot. I realised I need to pay really good attention to the repetitious details and to see the variations. It was really hard to do and very surprising. I was also surprised to arrive at my leg in the picture. It has taught me to be more open to possibilities in my drawing and practise.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Challenge 8 - watch

Before I retired I almost always wore a watch particularly at work where I always needed to know the time for desk shifts and work commitments and breaks as a librarian. Now I'm retired I rarely wear a watch and love the freedom of being able to take as long as I like to do things. I don't live a scheduled lifestyle a lot of the time and enjoy the flexibility. When I do need a watch I wear this filagree watch which i love. It needs a new watchband and I haven't a clue what sort to buy...maybe another white one. I have loved all the watches I have had over the years. My old work watch I gave to a watch maker.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Challenge 109 - clock

Got the perspective wrong on this one. I was drawing the clock on an angle and yet I drew the bottom as a straight line which I shouldn't have. I love learning from my work and progress.
This clock was a retirement present for my grand father when he left work. There is a little plaque on the front that was polished so much by my grandmother the writing has worn down. The clock has traveled from my grand mothers in England to my mothers in Australia and then she gave it to me. My mum gave me a letter with the clock with the history of the clock on it. It is a lovely story of it's journey which I will pass on in the future.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Challenge 108 - light globe

I was going to ask EDMers if I should have redrawn the lines to make the globe more symmetrical. I have read art books that recommend redrawing the lines whereas I've just left them wrong. Symmetrical drawings are challenging.
The interesting thing about this style of globe is that here in Australia it is going to be phased out in the next 3 years and the more energy saving globes will become legally required. Imagine a whole country changing it's light globes!!!! A town here in Victoria changed their light globes as a test to see how it would go.
A couple of EDMers have drawn the more energy saving globes.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia