Floating Lemons: Bit by Bit Blog

34: Floating Koi

EDM Challenge 166: Draw a Fish

Floating Koi White Card at zazzle

I've been a bit stumped as to what to draw recently ... so went through my photographs and came across some I'd taken of the monstrous carp or koi at my father's place ... they are huge and beautiful, and so I decided to finally put them down on paper. First time I've used only one brand of pencils for a drawing: Caran D'Ache's Luminance 6901. They're gorgeous, though they're soft and need lots of sharpening to retain the fine points I like to work with. Love them!

Once again I had a problem with the background. After my experience with the artichoke I decided not to colour in a background as yet, but have superimposed the fish onto one of my older coloured pencil textured backgrounds just to see how it looks:

Floating Koi Blue Card at zazzle

I kinda like it ... also have to point out the fact that in the photograph there were absolutely no shadows and the water in the pond was so clear that you could see the pebbly ground (which I was NOT about to draw!), so they really DID look as though they were floating on air ...

27: Tea in Green

Tea in Green Card at Zazzle

I saw the EDM Challenge 162: Draw Your Breakfast. I had it in front of me ... a giant green cup of soothing hot tea. I also had a pre-cut ATC sized card next to me. Add them altogether and the result is the drawing above!

I've obviously been in a bit of a wonky mood lately and seem intent on ignoring the laws of perspective. That's fine, I had fun :)

7: Plastic Pasta

EDM Challenge 152: "Draw something in a plastic wrapper."

Yes, I've been busy :D I decided to take time off and indulge my need to get some drawing done. I haven't done an EDM Challenge in what seems AGES, so looked them up and grabbed this plastic bag of organic pasta out of my teeny 'just-starting-up' larder/pantry. It kept me busy for a bit, and therapeutically soothed my 'stressed-from-the-move' soul.

176: broom

EDM Challenge 149: Draw a Broom

I finally get to do a challenge! I'm still busy but am taking a break (procrastinating? Of course not!) before I tackle the issue of going through my wardrobes and sorting out what clutter/clothes to take and what not to ...

Needed a bit of therapy and though this was a quick and a bit of a wonky sketch, it has done me good. I may actually consider drawing something else as well ... I'm an expert where "later" is concerned, it's a shame no one hires professional procrastinators, I'd make millions:D

165: Hot & Spicy

EDM Challenges 142: Something Hot & 143: Herb or Spice.

Am taking a bit of creative license with the 'spice' portion of this challenge! This was quite a quick sketch in colored pencils, based on photographs I took months ago of these chilies I'd bought specifically because I liked their twisted shapes.

I'm now free of deadlines for the next couple of months but I'm tired, and so much has happened to me in just the last couple of weeks that it's quite drained me and I'm re-evaluating my life and my priorities. Not a small job, but the drawing is therapeutic and keeps me going. Cheers and all the best to all of you!

137: L is for Lemon

 

EDM Challenge 133: draw some seasonal fruit

Can't believe it's been so long since I last posted! I've been busy with two projects but also because my mother decided at the last-minute to make a visit, leaving me to run around like a headless chicken cleaning up house!!  No matter how 'mature' we get, mothers are still and will always be mothers ... got to have the home clean and pretty for them! :D

Now that my mother and her husband are here though, the pressure is off and I finally have time to sit down and draw. My mum is great, she's was the very first good influence on my artistic life, encouraging me when I was very very young and copying from comic books, and is still is a major influence in my life where my art (and much more!) is concerned, so it's  wonderful to have her here now that I'm drawing again.

And I've signed up for beginner's classes in oils and acrylics! Yay. Had my very first oil painting class today and learned about mixing colours and loved the feel of the luscious paints against the canvas strips we were practising on. Am so looking forward to these classes, I feel as though a whole new world is opening up.

I'll leave you with my lemons drawing. They are in season here in Australia now, apparently ... though my wee trees aren't producing anything as yet. You may notice that I've taken some creative license on the leaves ... :) There's a reason for that, and I will explain it eventually ... Cheers!

135: Chain Bracelet

EDM Challenge 132: Draw a chain

I love silver, I love chains and I love bracelets. This is my favourite silver chain bracelet :) There's a little silver heart that hangs from it, so I've wrapped the chain around the heart -- just to make things more challenging of course, so as to confirm that I'm a masochist where drawing is concerned ...

This ended up taking longer than I'd expected. I could have gone on (and probably ruined it) but I thought I'd stop here for the sake of a few hour's sleep as opposed to none!

133: Spray Bottle

EDM Challenge 131: draw a Spray Bottle
I decided to re-draw this spray bottle, with a bit of added creative license -- decided to make the bottle itself smaller as I didn't feel up to colouring in the whole thing!
Disclaimer: If the spray nozzle looks a bit "wonky", it's because it really is!! After one of my dogs had a good twist at it :)

I'd originally in drawn it December 2006 -- of the first ever drawings I did after reading the book that inspired me to take up art again (and pretty much changed my life!): Danny Gregory's "The Creative License", and it was one of the ones I posted on my first ever blog post here. Wondered if I had improved at all since then. Here's the same spray bottle drawn in December 2006:

What do you think? Cheers!

Sharpener

EDM 130: School Supply
Well, it's not exactly my greatest piece :) but it's about time I posted Something. I'd actually been considering drawing everyday objects, just to keep my hand moving, so when Karen posted the latest the latest EDM challenge I jumped at the chance of getting my drawing skills up to par again.

It seems AGES since I got any real sketching done, even a quick one. I've been so busy setting up my little business that it's taken up all my time (and more!) Still, here's a small piece and am hoping to get back into the daily drawing swing of things, so wish me luck and more hours in the day! Cheers.

121: Sponge

EDM challenge 126: Draw a Sponge

A corner of my dishwashing sponge! It's a very rough sketch and I'm not at all happy with it, looks more like swiss cheese gone blue and wrong! But here it is anyway!

117: Bird

EDM Challenge 125: Draw a bird

There are so many gorgeous colourful birds in the area but of course when it came to finding one to capture on "film" (digital camera) I couldn't find any! So I looked up a load of photographs and put this one together from bits and pieces ... it's a lorikeet though, that's the one thing I'm relatively sure of!

There are also pink and grey Gallas swooping around and when I can finally "capture one I'm drawing that too! Meanwhile though, hope you enjoy the colours on this feathered friend :)

This was done the traditional way, coloured pencils in hand!

112: Yellow Lemon ...

EDM Challenge 124: Draw Something Yellow

I've been pretty busy this week, but as I've also been fooling around trying to think up ideas for my Floating Lemons site design, I thought one of those experiments might just fit into this weeks EDM challenge, it being a yellow lemon :)

95: Flashlight

EDM Challenge 120: draw a flashlight.

Am finally beginning to feel normal again.  Still in the middle of a couple of projects but it's far less stressing, so tonight I decided to take a break and get this week's Every Day Matters challenge done!

This is the mini-flashlight attached to my car key, and a few days ago, while I was walking my dogs in the HUGE showground nearby, I discovered it missing from my pocket! A few of the other regular dog walkers and friends helped me search for it but I'd given it up as a helpless task, I mean, this showground is HUGE (have I already mentioned that?) and covered in long scraggly grass, and I'd been running all over it chasing my dog, as one does :)  ... but ... someone actually found it, smack dab in the middle of nowhere, which I considered a small miracle in itself, Thank You Jim "sharp eyes"!!

So here it is, in all its new-found glory!

86: Blue Bear

EDM Challenge 44: draw a stuffed animal.

One friend just had a baby boy and another is about to ... so forgive me for trying to think  up ideas for cards for them! Think this little guy will do? Also does the job for EDM 44 :)

8: Birds Nest done

I'm just not entirely happy with the way this turned out. Need lots more practice ...!!

83 Eyes & 84 Dotty

For Artwords: Eyes, and EDM 33: Draw an eye.
I was going to post this yesterday but ran out of time and energy!

Today I found myself, after a few exhausting days, with free time! Once I'd paid bills, gone through my long ToDo list and piles of stuff waiting for my attention, all I wanted to do was pick up my pencils and play. Therapy. This (no idea why!) is what I ended up with:

No, I'm not crazy about it either. But the therapy worked ... amazing what pushing a pencil across paper can do, I'm feeling much better!

82: Something round

EDM challenge 117: Draw something round.

Have been busy and I'm tired! So this was a quick one ... a pendant and a bauble off a bracelet.  Have a great day, I'm off to bed!
Coloured pencil.

78: EDM 115 trolley

EDM challenge 115: draw a supermarket trolley

I know I know, am going backwards. But I'd taken so many photos of this trolley that I HAD to draw it. And it was fun to do too -- as you can see, I took it into photoshop and distorted it somewhat first. Can't help myself, I just seem to like manipulating objects or trying to see them from another perspective, it's fun to see something so normal look different. Anyway, here it is!

76: EDM 116 Green

EDM Challenge 116: Draw something green

A green bird and a green wall ...

coloured pencil

75: EDM 31 Collection

EDM challenge 31: draw something you collect.
I have to give credit where credit is due and thank Andrea for the inspiration behind the idea of this layout and in the same breath apologise humbly as the end result is absolutely Nothing like her beautiful and brilliant drawings! I am a HUGE fan of hers so pop over to http://andreajoseph24.blogspot.com/ and take a look at her work.

I must confess that I find this layout a bit static and boring, but I did enjoy drawing some of my collection of hand-made (no, not by me!) hand-painted mugs.

FLOATING LEMONS

On another note, I've been busy testing the waters, so to speak, and decided to open up a store on Greeting Card Universe to see what people like in the way of cards -- as far as my illustrations are concerned of course! I was very tentative about starting it up and I'm a bit shy at telling anyone about this as it seems a big and vulnerable step, but I decided to go for it. I've started uploading some of my drawings to be printed and sold by them as greeting cards and as the site is absolutely brand spanking new, I'd appreciate any hints, tips, advice etc from anyone and everyone. I'm doing all this Bit by Bit of course ... learning is a slow process. The site is called Floating Lemons and is at http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/floatinglemons.

72 EDM 113 Fence

EDM Challenge 113: draw a fence

A quick one that I drew last night. I'd taken a photograph of this run-down fence a couple of months ago as it looked like it would make for a great drawing, so looked it up for this weeks challenge. Had to keep it quite simple as it was late and I was 'drawn out' from the all-day art workshop. Am tired today but the workshop was wonderful and I will post the progress photos tomorrow. I haven't even had time to read through all the comments but am too exhausted now and want to go get horizontal on the sofa with a soothing cup of tea. Thank you for taking the time to encourage me and keep me motivated, I'll see you at your sites soon!

70: EDM 112 Fresh Lemons

EDM Challenge 112: draw something fresh

This is actually part of another project I'm working on at the moment. Thought it might be apt for the latest Every Day Matters challenge! As you can tell, I'm experimenting with different mediums for this  and am finding some of them quite tough to control ... I need lessons! Or more practice at least ... And need to work on trying out different styles as these all look too much the same (boringly) despite the different mediums used.

p.s.: that's not my handwriting btw :)

68: EDM 111 Bowl

EDM Challenge 111: Draw a bowl.

I have to confess that I drew the bowl and thought it absolutely pathetic, one of my worst attempts. Almost didn't post it at all but remembered my resolution to post everything no matter how it turned out ... so I fiddled with it a bit, added the background and it's improved; I still don't like it much but it's better than it was before, sigh.

It's a painted enamel bowl. I added the lime as it seemed so empty with nothing in it. I won't make any excuses such as I'm feeling rushed and in the middle of another project, or that I decided that I'd been ignoring my home too much so finally got some gardening done and gave my dogs a well-needed scrub, cleaned up etc etc etc. Nope, I won't use those as excuses :) Will just keep at the drawing practice!

And thank you everyone for such encouraging comments, I always feel that I will finally have the time to reciprocate properly and reply to messages or start visiting new sites, but I'm running out of hours in the day! Soon ...

66: EDM 29 Architectural

For EDM challenge 29: draw something architectural

I used to have so much free time, I should have appreciated it more :). Have two deadlines by Tuesday and an all day workshop tomorrow so am feeling slightly stressed for time. But I'd started this yesterday so I added a few finishing touches today in order to post it.

I took loads of photos of buildings, doorways, etc for this challenge as it interested me. But ended up fine-tuning it down to the more detailed image ... I loved the look of these steps, so drew them instead. One of these days I'll tackle some of the others though, I really like the idea of doing the architectural scenes. Off to sleep now!

65: EDM 30 Chair

EDM Challenge 30: Draw a chair.

I bought this chair at a second-hand store; it has a saggy cushion and sits really close to the floor ... it's SO comfortable! I took a photograph so that I could settle down in front of the television at night in order to finish it off, as it sits out on the deck overlooking the garden. I really enjoyed drawing this one.

BTW that little purple blob by the bottom right chair leg is a cat toy :)

63: EDM 110 Flame

EDM Challenge 110: Flame
RAM March challenge: Light

I decided that I just wanted to have a bit of fun with this one! I hope no one minds that it's doing double duty and is being submitted for two challenges. It's not perfect to say the least but I achieved my goal: had a great and very therapeutic time. Cheers!

58 EDM 108 Lightbulb

EDM Challenge 108: draw a Lightbulb.

I definitely have masochistic tendencies ... went out looking for an unusual lightbulb to draw (naturally!) and found this. aaaargh. Had to do it twice. And I'm a person who prides herself on rarely using an eraser. Well, not this time. Thank goodness it's a good one and the markings can't be seen. sigh. Hope someone likes it now!! Cheers :)

57 EDM 28 appliance

OK, it's been just a wee bit over two months since I started posting my drawings regularly, and I've already learned something ... that I'm far too anal to do a quick, simple sketch! I kinda visualise the finished product in my mind and can't stop till I've got as close to is as I possibly can. So I am going to adjust my resolution accordingly, and take two days to finish a drawing if I find that it's getting away with me as this one did.

EDM Challenge 28: draw an appliance.

My (very space-age looking) coffee machine:

I took a photograph of it and distorted it out a little by stretching it, for the sake of interest. I did hesitate to draw it when I first thought of it and realised that the reflections were, er, abundant. But of course I told myself that I could do it, "bit by bit". hah. Too true. Took me all evening last night and then all afternoon today to complete it. Over-ambitious? Well, I guess the whole point of these exercises is to challenge myself, right?

So how many of you have the same problem ... finding that a drawing just runs away with you sometimes and not being quite sure when to stop? I think it's time to tackle the current EDM challenges now! Haven't even done that lightbulb yet.

56 EDM 27 Book

EDM Challenge 27: draw a book.

I'm pretty busy doing a few illustrations to help out both my sister, and a close friend, so its a quickie tonight. Drawing a book seemed a bit boring though, so I thought I'd embellish a little! Cheers.

54 EDM 26 Vegetable

EDM Challenge 26: Draw a vegetable ...

I saw these absolutely wonderful curled-up-in-spirals chillies at the store so I just had to draw them! Haven't done the spirals justice so I may just have to try them again if I have the time to do so!

53 EDM 25 glass

EDM challenge 25: Draw a glass (the kind you drink from)

Spent the day working on a job for tomorrow, so this was another quickie, drawn just now. I love these glasses, bought them from a store in Byron along with a water jug and wine glasses. They are just so pretty, made of recycled glass and full of imperfections and dabs of colour in the glass itself. I don't think I did it justice and definitely need to practice my perspective more ... but will stop with the lame excuses and lack of confidence, and well, here it is!

52 EDM 24 Fruit

EDM challenge 24: Draw a piece of fruit.

Mangosteen.

My favourite fruit! When I was back in Malaysia a couple of weeks back, I started this drawing but only managed to get as far as a pencil outline. Finished and coloured it in it tonight, and I only wish I had a few here I could eat as they're delicious!

Colour pencil and graphite HB & 2B.

50 & 51 EDM 23 foot

EDM challenge 23: Draw your foot.

I'm feeling tired but much better thank you! Back into drawing mode anyway, though the brain cells are still a bit muddied. A state they're familiar with, so it shouldn't make much difference to my life.

My feet seem to be getting a lot of exposure in my drawings -- I've drawn them twice before but I decided to tackle this challenge again ... and ended up drawing them twice again! The same scene in two different 'looks' ...

47 EDM 22 Clothing

EDM 21: draw a piece of clothing.

I'm feeling very poorly today, under the weather, sicky ...
so this was truly a quickie ... and of an "invisible" friend! Well, her piece of clothing really, while she wore it. Sigh, obviously my brains ill and out of commission too. Cheers.

46 EDM 21 Old

EDM 21: Draw something old, antique or vintage.

I love my tea, especially English Breakfast. So when I saw this old tea caddy in a store, I had to have it of course. I don't know if it can be considered vintage or antique, so "old" it will be. And a pretty straightforward drawing. The tea caddy itself is pewter but I tried to give the whole thing a "sepia" old photograph look to depict age ... (something I may consider for a self-portrait!)

Enjoyed drawing this but upon finishing it I think it looks a bit stiff and clumsy. Still like it though. Colour pencil with a dash of graphite HB. Off to have another soothing cuppa!

44 EDM 107 News

I get my news in two ways ... one's online. But as I've just drawn a computer, I thought I'd try for the second way: my free local papers get delivered. When it doesn't rain I actually get to read them!

Colour pencil and graphite B.

43 EDM 16 Favourite Tool

I was so tired last night that I pretty much crashed before I could finish my 'quick and simple' daily drawing ... so am posting it incomplete as I've no time at present to tie up its loose ends--despite not being happy with the result so far--AND start another AND do other unrelated to drawing things (which I sometimes do ... heh). Obviously, I couldn't just do one favourite tool, oh no ...  so here are a few:

41 EDM15 Tree

EDM 15: Draw a tree or trees, leaves or branches

I've never really drawn a tree before, not this detailed at any rate. This is from a photograph I took on the trip to Angkor ... I liked the look of this tree and wanted to draw it (or at least a part of it heh) and here I find the challenge waiting for me! Did it in a slightly more decorative style, i.e. bit of an outline and less variation in shading. Hope you like it!
Coloured pencils, graphite HB & B.

40 EDM14 Morning view

EDM #14: What you see in the morning when you get up.

I have a lovely room with large glass doors leading out onto the deck and a window overlooking the garden. But when I wake  in the mornings, this is normally the first thing I see! Had fun doing this one and it was relatively quick.

39 EDM 13 telephone

EDM challenge #13: draw your telephone.

I can't pretend to have had much fun drawing this one ... I mean, the mobile phone is a boring object really when you think about it. But it's a challenge and good drawing practice. Still, I thought I'd try to liven it up a bit by framing it. Not one of my favourites but here it is!

38 EDM 105 & 106 Scissors & Sour

EDM challenges #105 Scissors & #106 Something Sour
Am not sure if I'm allowed to combine two challenges into one, but as I've already drawn a pair of scissors on its own I thought I'd go for it!

As usual, graphite HB & 2B and coloured pencils. It's good to be back and drawing again!

37 EDM 12 dinner

I'm back! It was a great trip but short and very hectic, trying to fit everything into a week just isn't enough. As I wasn't on my own I didn't have much time for drawing, so am going to just keep at it now that I'm home again. Took a lot of photographs (Angkor Wat is amazing, beyond words but also too short a visit) so that I might be able to draw from some of them as I go along.

Strictly speaking this was dinner from two nights ago, but I thought it would be fun to do for the EDM challenge #12 : "Draw what you ate for dinner". If it looks bland that's because it, er, was. It's good to be back and I'll be checking up on everybody ... I'm sure there will be tons of drawings for me to enjoy on your sites!

Also, I've been tagged by Andrea to write down six weird things about myself ... can the fact that I can't think of any be counted as one of them? Am racking my blank brain ...

1. I won't kill insects excepting mosquitos ... not even cockroaches or spiders. I'll pick them up somehow and take them back into the outdoors. My sister and friends think that pretty weird, though I don't really.

2. I move the furniture around in my home at least once a month. I just love changing it and consider it refreshing but I'm told that it's slightly weird ...

3. I collect notebooks, either blank or lined. I have so many I'm sure I'll never fill them as I'm always buying more, but I just love the smell and feel of them!

4. I have squished up toes from years of wearing high heels - needless to say I no longer wear them but the toes remain mutated.

5. I'm a couch potato/wannabe computer-geek/insomniac rolled in one. Is that weird enough? If it weren't for my dogs and the need to feed myself I'd be white, flabby, unhealthy, muscularly challenged and probably quite insane.

6. aaaargh. It's weird that I just cannot for the life of me think of anything else. Either I'm just plain boring or weird to me is normal!

Heh, managed to think up 6. Now I have to conjure up six people to tag I think ... will do that later as my brain hurts!

eeek, everyone seems to have been tagged already! Ah ha, not everyone ... so I'm back to tag Deborah, laserone, wagonized, Christeen, sketchpot and za!

34 EDM 11 sunglasses

Here we are, a pair of sunglasses. Not really much to say about it really, as it speaks for itself!

BTW, someone asked me if I was a professional artist ... thank you for the compliment! No I am not. I'm just practising and practising and if one day I do manage to earn some money from all this I'd only be too happy, but right now I am thrilled just to be drawing again!

32 EDM10 Hand

Phew and now for a quick simple one to catch up on my daily delay! For the EDM challenge #10: draw a hand. Here's mine ...

32 EDM9 Organised Chaos

It's confirmed. I'm certifiably insane. After a huge busy day yesterday what did I do? Sit down and start a sketch that turned into a monster. Who was it who mentioned that the problem lay in knowing when to stop? Ah yes, mike. Well, that happened here. I finished it in black and white and it looked SO boring and flat and rigid. So I started adding colour ... sigh. Still think it's boring ...

Anyway, I have two workplaces really. During the day I'm at my desk, an old door turned dining-table kidnapped into doing desk duty. I love it. But in the evenings I settle down on the sofa, roll my trolley with its colour pencils and paraphernalia next to me, settle my sketch book onto my lapdesk and cosy up with the tv on. This is, obviously, my evening workspace, slightly cleaner than it normally is though I didn't do that intentionally. I do struggle against complete chaos by cleaning up after me every night!

BTW the red splatters on the laptop were caused by a kitten leaping up and flicking my red pencil onto the drawing. I decided to erase neither the red nor the cat.

   

31 EDM 104 salt n pepper

EDM #104: Salt and Pepper shakers

Ok, they look more like pawns in a chess game, I know. But this is what I have! Nice and quick this time and am not that pleased with it, but I can move on!!

30 EDM 8 watch!

EDM challenge #8 (again): Watch

I felt a bit of a cheat yesterday, posting an incomplete and unfinished piece so I thought I'd do the challenge again, this time with a quick drawing of my watch. I bought this watch years ago and it's my favourite and has been completely refurbished once already, it's so old.

Really tried to loosen up a bit on this sketch and not be tooooo perfectionist (hah!). sigh. Didn't really work, my hands just wouldn't allow me to alter my strokes so we had a bit of a struggle. Am not too sure of who won, but am happy with it nonetheless.

29 EDM8 Jewelry

Hmmm, I've been asked to do another couple of pieces of jewelry by the same friend whose bracelets I did before, so I guess that would fit into EDM challenge #8: draw a watch or other piece of jewelry. Problem is, it's still a work in progress (ok, I didn't finish it yesterday!) and I haven't added any colour as yet, so I'm posting the unfinished piece and will post it again when it's all done, but this is it for the 29th January daily sketch!

27 EDM103 Exercise Equipment

Drawn for EDM challenge #103: Exercise Equipment

Yes, this is it! If it weren't for my dogs ... I'd be an unhealthy couch potato! They get me out walking and getting my daily intake of fresh air and sunshine. Loads of entertainment and play!
From left to right: Bella, Scruffy, Bertha.

I've been BUSY! Thus the quick sketch, hopefully just in time. Graphite HB & 2B (and a dash of purple colour pencil for the frame!).

26 EDM07 bottle from kitchen

Bottle of Nasturtian Vinegar. Made locally and very yummy. Coloured pencil and graphite HB-3B.

Today was a HUGE clean-up day at home and then a marathon walk with the dogs, and am pretty pooped. So this sketch is another  quickie ... am not too happy about i