Scribbling!

I've been having fun playing with a drawing tool in the web - the link is in the blog title, have a go!

Easter Ideas Factory

The children's department of the Diocese of St Albans ran a workshop for leaders of childrens groups on Saturday 12th February at St John's Harpenden from 10am - 2.30pm. The day covered Inspiring Worship, Ideas for Storytelling, Food, Craft - creating an 'Easter Tree', Crosses, Music. It was a great day with loads of crafty ideas for workshops and teaching. Here are photos I took to remember the resources. Please contact me if you want to know more.

2011-02-12 Easter Ideas Factory

Photography vs drawing take 2

I have completed it! It's quite fun and I have completely given the game away but enjoy, and have a go yourself! And my daughter has done one too...

Photography vs drawing

Inspired by some images I stumbled upon, I have played around with mixing photography and drawing. Here is my first attempt - what do you think?

SurPRIZEshop

I recently took some of the lifestyles shots for the latest brochure of surPRIZEshop - 'The exclusive golf gifts company'. Here are some of those photos - click on the blog post title to link to the online brochure.

Snow

Face Painting

I painted faces at Nash Mills School Christmas Fair yesterday. I didn't look up for 3 hours and have no idea how many faces I did - but I do remember I was asked for many and varied faces. From the timesless classics of snow queen, butterfly and tiger to the more challenging dolphin paradise and 'I want to be a policeman'. I suggested that the little boy could be a robber instead but he insisted I knew how to do a policeman and he was right - the customer is always right! To the untrained eye he may have looked like a clown with stubble but to him he was a policeman! This is why I enjoy face painting. Forget the no-time-to-breathe and back ache. I'm after the 'mirror moment' A child has come keen to be transformed and wait for ages sometimes in the queue. They sit with hands clenched in anticipation and screwed up faces while parents watch intently (are they checking they'll get their money's worth?) until I finally lift the mirror so they can see what they look like. I love it when the little slightly anxious face breaks into a grin as they recognise their new persona. (i quite like it when the parents smile too1)

Ribbon roses

Today my art club made ribbon roses I didn't take photos but it went well. Look forward to my 'how to' and experience what the children did when having spent some time doing a fiddly bit of careful folding with slippery ribbon suddenly you can see a beautiful rose appear before your eyes! Some of the children got the technique really quickly and made a whole bunch; others needed a lot of help but all had at least one lovely rose to take home.

Here are all my photos from the wonderful Egyptian day.

2010-11-13 Day of Egyptian Dance

St Ethleburga's Centre For Reconciliation and Peace

This is the wonderful setting for the day of Egyptian Dance and Music I attended - and where in the 1950's my grandad was a churchwarden!

From 2010-11-13 Day of Egyptian Dance

From 2010-11-13 Day of Egyptian Dance

From 2010-11-13 Day of Egyptian Dance

From 2010-11-13 Day of Egyptian Dance

From 2010-11-13 Day of Egyptian Dance

From 2010-11-13 Day of Egyptian Dance

Follow the link for information about the centre - St Ethelburga is a church built in the 12th century and almost flattened in 1993 by the IRA. It was rebuilt over 10 years with financial support from the city and has risen from the rubble to become a true haven in Bishopsgate in the middle of, and over-shadowed by, the City.

Follow the link (hidden in this blog post's title) above for more information.

On my way to a day of Egyptian Dance and Music I chanced upon the end of the Lord Mayor's Parade / Show. I even got a wave from the Lord Mayor himself.

What fun! Use the link below to see more photos.

Lord Mayor's Show, 13 November 2010

How to make a tessellating pattern

Shapes that tessellate fit together with no gaps or overlaps Escher (1898 - 1972) was a Dutch graphical artist most famous for his impossible structures and mathematical tessellations. I did this excercise with my Key Stage 2 Art Club tonight. Here's a 'How to' sheet for you to try. Follow these instructions for a simple tessellating pattern and this could be your first step towards something as amazing as Escher! I'm happy for you to print off the JPEG for your private use.

Eiffel Tower

Find more some of my Paris photos on flickr... http://www.flickr.com/photos/69659790@N00/sets/72157625267889690/

Paris!

I'm off to Paris for a night away with the family and I'm hoping for some lovely light and clear skies for sketching and photos. Still, if it rains I might get some arty reflections. Batteries are charging and my camera, 2B pencil, and sketch book are about to be packed! Hopefully some pics on picasa at the weekend.

family learning

What a great way to spend a day. Kings Langley Secondary school has had two days of free art workshops for families. I've been making monsters from socks and flowers from ribbons with children as young as 3 to grandparents who are much older! The feedback was reeally good too - if they're happy, I'm happy! In the summer I ran workshops for Extended Schools making sock monsters, macrame bracelets and paper chefs hats. I really enjoy doing them... I should run my own! Watch this space or contact me if you want an arty party!

I wish I could say the like-nesses are fright-ening but you can at least tell who they are!

This was an almost unique use of colour for me last year. I should do more!

Sleep

My 6 year old daughter sleeping at her grandparents.

I was learning to look for longer than than I was drawing by now and a style is emerging.

More practice needed to get the features in proportion but we're getting there.

Ink pen

Feb 2007

Duloe Mantlepiece

This is one of my first ink pen sketches.

My parents have a more interesting mantlepiece than I do.

Feb 2007

Snow over Two Waters

A very quick watercolour sketch of my snowy view towards Two Waters in February last year

Shell Spiral

Some beaches have amazing coloured shells in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some beaches have one sort of shell that comes in all sizes. Exmouth August 2007

A palace for Eeyore

It's a creation - it may not be very artistic. Having fun in the woods and building camps is too much fun to be left to the kids. Wendover Woods Summer 2007

Messing about by the river

From two photos taken from the river looking towards the shore. Pencil on cartridge paper Hurley, Berks June 2007

Twiggy Sunflower

It didn't take a great deal of artistic endeavour but creating something like this is a simple pleasure and quite gratifying as a post picnic option.

Ashridge Estate Twigs and beech nuts

Spring 2007

Covert Sketch

This is a quick sketch I did covertly while in a meeting (on the corner of my agenda) while one person took longer than most would to make his point.

Ink pen on copier paper!

March 2006

Hole - Wendover Woods

This is a tribute to Andy Goldsworthy. The photo is a bit grainy as it was very dark and I had to lighten it quite a bit.

Made with Susy B.

Concentric circles of twigs found in that space.

August 2006.

Boxmoor Trust Activity Day 2005

A children's activity day which included attempts to get everyone to make 'land art' in the woods around the Boxmoor Trust's Old Barn.

I may have been the only one, young or old, to embrace the idea, but it did whet my appetite.

Andy Goldsworthy can sleep happily in his bed - no competiton here! But I enjoyed the way the twigs followed the same contour and even though the pebbles made very small towers - from small acorns etc...

This is not a sandcastle...

..it's 'Land Art' Dahling!

This 'beach-babe in a seaweed sarong with shells for a belt and matching bracelet' was fun and inspired a few other pebble based creations amongst the sand castles that day.

Summerleaze Beach, Bude, August 2004

Morning Hug

This is an ACEO / ATC watercolour and ink sketch(done very quickly) on cartridge paper designed for Mothering Sunday 2006 and sold on ebay.

Boxmoor CC

What else is there to do during a cricket match? Even in cricket the players move too fast for this very slow technique to capture, so this must be the tea break. Black ink pen on cartridge paper, A6 July 2007