Thinking...

my brain seems to be malfunctioning and I can't get an idea together in my head at all. I am a bit distracted, sorry!

sorry...

Things are a bit crazy round here. I'll draw something for you tomorrow!

life drawing

I last went to a life drawing class back in 2005 during my illustration degree. I haven't been back. I'm not that confident about drawing people, nor do I enjoy it a whole lot when I think I'm not that good at something. Today I joined the life group in Ruthin where we had a clothed model. It was good to start drawing again - not just rabbits and silly mammals but something that takes me out of my limited comfort zone. I will be going back in two weeks' time and I'll hopefully post something up every time I go. This week, I stuck with my trusty pencils.

The model was a LOT younger than she appears here. She was a teenage goth girl and quite gorgeous in her voluminous sleeves and long skirt.

Drawn - adulthood 10

Panicking about how much our monthly payments could be if we want to buy another house.

And that's your lot of ten. I've really enjoyed drawing the 'adulthood' series - I will re-visit it again no doubt very soon. I will return with a new series tomorrow or Wednesday, depending on how long it takes for me to think of something new. Any suggestions are welcome!

the weekend

I simply cannot believe that I can walk out of my front door and be in countryside like this. Yesterday was like the last day of summer, with a blissfully warm sun but a sharp autumnal bite in the air. It was cold up on the hill but the view was spectacular, with the Clywdian Hills marching southward into Wales.

Drawn - adulthood 09

I'm not kidding.

Have a good weekend, all!

Drawn - adulthood 08

No matter how hard you try to avoid it, you always end up back in Ikea sooner than you wish...

Drawn - adulthood 07

You know it's the beginning of the end when you look in the mirror one morning and you see something has drastically changed without you noticing it. Now, let me tell you something: I have never had a crease under my bum cheeks. It's just a feature (or lack thereof) of my strangely flat yet square-edged Chinese arse. Words such as 'peachy' and 'pert' have never really applied to it. It's just there, somewhere under the odd folds of my jeans (trousers have never hung quite right on my behind). But I didn't have creases under the cheeks. Not until (I admit, in my increasingly pointless vanity) I deemed to turn round and look at it in the mirror this morning. I'm not gaining weight; I'm not even nearly overweight, but there they were. They were not even the kind of normal creases that some ladies have - you know, a single, well-defined line - but were kind of dry, multiple wrinkles, like my bum's equivalent of crow's feet. I am mortified. I am not even 30 years old yet. Lord help me, I'm dying.

Drawn - adulthood 06

Adulthood is when you realize that it would have been MUCH much better to have been born as a dog.

Drawn - adulthood 05

Every morning is a bit of a struggle. With the husband getting up at 6.30am and me being naturally more of a night owl than a lark, things can feel a bit fuzzy in the mornings. Paradoxically, whilst it takes some effort to haul myself out of bed, I do love being up early, especially in the countryside.

Monday...

Did you have a good weekend? We went to celebrate my sweet brother-in-law's 18th birthday in Leeds and officially welcome him to adulthood. The card I drew for him went along the lines of 'adulthood isn't about freedom, it's about being chained down by your neck by responsibility and shit like that'. I am busy busy this week with so many things that I can barely think. It's time I grew up and got a diary.

I was determined not to put the heating on in the house until October. Last night, the husband cracked and turned it on because neither of us could feel our feet any more, despite socks and slippers.

Drawn - adulthood 04

When you finally get home and unload the car, that's when the real fun begins. Instructions? What instructions? It's meant to be easy.

Have a great weekend all!

Drawn - adulthood 03

(Click image to enlarge)
Once you manage to escape the Market Hall in Ikea, you think you might be safe. That is, unless you have to navigate the wasteland that is the Warehouse. Even if you've carefully copied down the location of the furniture parts that you want, success is never guaranteed. God help you if the thing you are looking for comes in several parts. You will NEVER find all the pieces, in the same colour and undamaged. And if you do, you will have spent half the day and worn out a pair of shoes wandering aimlessly down aisles, muttering things like 'Billy, aisle J, 27a, birch finish...' And then you won't even be able to find the tills without picking up another piece of useless junk. Oh, an ice-lolly maker! I've always wanted one of those!

Drawn - adulthood 02

What the hell happens to people when they go to Ikea? It's like some sort of illness. Hands up if you've ever been to Ikea and left with something utterly pointless (and often hideous) in your trolley...