Is this what they mean by Sea Mist!

Appledore, Devon

A short drive yesterday and we visited Appledore.  On the River Torridge this small fishing village attracts a lot of visitor all year round...including locals!

I took a few photos - well actually quite a lot of pics and although I don't usually bombard you with loads of pics I thought this visit was worth sharing.....so sit back and I'll show you some of this place with its estuary view, small streets (cars cannot get through the little streets), so it has a lovely atmosphere (although I think moving house would be a total nightmare!)

See what I mean about the tiny streets!

The chandlery shop...

If these streets aren't quirky enough, I found the even quirkier....

 

with it's false windows!

I think this should have been called Duck Lane instead of Gibbs Lane!!

 this was a very short door!

 and on round to the esplanade and sea

on the right you'll see someone using a cement mixer!

....the cement mixer was actually used for cleaning the shell fish he had caught!

the local Gig club had been training and we saw them bringing their boats out of the water...

and on across the road to their shed

 This must be the smallest fish and chip shop!...no not really, it was

just advertising...

boat parking instead of car parking!

  looking across the river to Instow

the view looking down the river towards Appledore Shipyard

there was a news piece about it yesterday too....

We enjoyed our walk around Appledore...

I hope you enjoyed this visit too.

Pottery piece

I found this broken piece of pottery earlier in the year and now - Eventually - I have got around to drawing it and posting some pics.  Just thought I'd share this oddment with you.  I've no idea what it would have been originally, possibly a vase?....but the pattern is very pretty and the piece itself is fairly chunky... it isn't fine bone china put it that way.

A few jottings

Although I take photos of William, there are times when I need to make a quick note/reminder of something he has done throughout the day...for this I use my sketchbook or, if we are out and about, I often use scraps of paper, they're enough to remind me and give myself a 'brain nudge' as to what I needed to sketch later on.

Occasionally I will have time to add watercolour too, but it is still only a 'note' to remind myself.

you'd never guess who this is - would you?

Surprise Gift!

I love surprise gifts, and recently I was lucky to have one sent through the post to me.    All the way from the U.S.A.  Wow!  I couldn't wait to open it, and what did I find.....

This wonderful surprise came from Robin over at 
Pink House Studio.

Robin has used one of my drawings of William

and made it into this 

wonderful character

- plus he was in a tin with his

picture on the front -

How brilliant is this and how awesomely kind of Robin to have made this for me,

and so cleverly made and packaged.

THANK YOU SO MUCH ROBIN
@

rcwdesign©

He sits on my desk shelf and watches me as I type and paint...

I'm chuffed to bits with him.

Check out Robin's Etsy shop 

and see for yourself her
wonderful creations that range from
Upcycled hand bound journals, stuffies, creatures, puzzles and prints from her original artwork, 'canned' toys, 
and an occasional card.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~

When ink and paint collide

Another submission to Paper, Paint, Pencils and Pens. This time Strawberries

Paint my Photo - Courtesy Tracee Murphy

I used my Lamy Al-Star for the outline and when the paint hit it, the ink ran which gave it a random out of control look....just what I like.  

Lamy-Al Star .... black cartridge
Pyrrol Red .... Daniel Smith watercolour
French Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Yellow .... Winsor & Newton watercolour

when the paint was dry I used White Gouche+Cad. Yellow for the pips.

Remembering

With it having been Remembrance this last weekend, I thought I would add a piece (again) about my Great Grandad.  (some of you might recall this was a post back in January 2012).... I was very fortunate to have known him into my teen years.    This photograph was taken at the end of WW1 just before coming back from France.

on the back of this photo it says: 'AJ Keen  France 1918'   -  He was always known as Jimmy Keen

(unfortunately I don't know the name of the horse)

a very proud and brave man but I think you will agree that his expression shows the strain of some of the things he must have seen.  I do know that on one occasion some of the horses got loose and he went out 'under fire' and got them back.  His Commanding Officer said he would get the highest military medal for that act, but sadly his CO was killed before he could make it official.

His love of horses had been with him from his boyhood years, born in Ireland and coming over to England at about the age of 12 he worked as a stable lad.  This is how he met my Great Granny, Angelina Burrell, as he worked as stable lad to her family of Knepp Castle in Sussex, they fell in love and the rest is history as they say.  Great Grandad then got a job in racing yards.  I know at one time they were in Cranbourne (that was in 1905 when my Gran with born) and then back to Sussex in 1910 and the Downs Stable yard in Findon where he was Head Lad.  He was devoted to his family but also his horses which were so much a part of his life.  

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Sketching to a Theme

Over at Paper, Paint, Pencils and Pens we are drawing to the Theme :  

FRUIT 

until the 15th November.  

Every two weeks the Theme changes

so there is always something new to look forward to.

Here are my contributions so far for this particular Theme.....

I found these berries on the free photo sharing reference site for creative artwork
Paint My Photo and as with any inspiration, they jumped out at me and said sketch me!

Paint My Photo - compliments of Nicola B.

Cherries the flavour of the day ....to which I am adding 2 paintings.  The first one is done in a tighter style, more detail....

Paint My Photo - compliments of Martine van ES

and the second one is Loose.......I went straight in with pen and then the watercolour.  As you see I haven't painted all the cherries...thought it would speak for itself only painting a few of them, gives the viewer the opportunity to work it out for themselves.

Personally I prefer this version...

Paint My Photo - compliments of Martine van ES

The title of this reference photo was 'Pineapple in Window'  again thanks to Paint My Photo, but in this painting I opted to not add the Window. 

Method:

1.  No pencil first

2.  Drew in the outline with my Lamy Al-star

3.  Added darker outlines and shading with my Sailor Calligraphy pen

4.  Used clear water to spread the ink

5.  Added green to the top: ultramarine blue+cad. yellow

6.  Added to the pineapple itself with: burnt sienna+cad. yellow

7.  When the shaded side on the left had dried a little I added more pen to define

Tangarine...

Reference photo from PAINT MY PHOTO thanks to Lillian Bell

Oranges.....I made the most of the ink outline, using clear water to spread the ink and make the shading

I'm also currently taking part in the online classes of Sketchbook Skool.    It's good to take part in something that will take us out of our comfort zones and test us, plus broaden the way we think and see things. The class by Veronica Lawlor showed her sketching a lot with pen (no erasers) hence her work is spontaneous.  Although the lessons are based on people, I have used my own artistic license to follow her technique, but with a bowl of apples.....

This really is classed as a Fruit.....a Tomatoe!

Paint My Photo - courtesy of Irini Adler

 I took photos of the stages of drawing this....

Step 1 - Pencil outline

 Step 2 - Adding colour

 waited for the paint to dry and then

Step 3 - Added more colour to the Red tomatoes, to make them show up as

the focal point

then when that had dried....

Step 4 - outline with Safari Al-Star pen,

adding a dot of White Gouche to the red tomatoes to 

make them shine

Do pop over to Paper, Paint, Pencils & Pens
and join us with some sketching 
we would love to see you there.