027 harvestman

Day twenty-seven of The 100 Day Project for 2021.

Yesterday was a good day:

• I cleared some of my remaining working hours before going to bed.

• I got paid.

• I slept the sleep of the just.

• I woke to the news that over-40s are next in line for the Coronavirus vaccine here in the UK. (For once, I'm thankful for being "older").

• I nattered with Simon on the phone.

• I tended our indoor plants.

• I photographed plants in our front garden coming through with the warmer spring weather now that a lot of the weeds are suppressed.

• I popped out to do essential shopping and caught some sunlight for my vitamin D fix.

• I completed my working hours for the week.

• I consumed some cheeky ciders (the first in days and about half were low-alcohol).

• I completed my daily sketch.

Though I had this sketch finished by about 23:44 yesterday, editing the source photo and importing and editing my sketch took me into today. And then I got distracted by annoying political stuff counterbalanced by a more positive random chat with Simon about plants and insects.

I've learned even more new things (for me) today, and that's always a good thing!

So anyway, this little fella isn't a spider. So all you arachnophobes can just chill, okay?

He's a harvestman from the Opiliones order.

Simon and I befriended him in Theydon Plain, Epping, Essex, not far from Epping Forest on one of our first proper outings as restrictions eased toward the end of London's first lockdown.

I hope we didn't get him pissed...

That day was the first time in a long time that things felt "normal" because I'd shopped the day before for our picnic fare. Apart from having to throw our rubbish in an over-full bin on the way home, I'd not had to furiously sanitise my hands all day or keep my hands away from my face even.

It was late May last year, and it feels so long ago but simultaneously not that long ago.

So, anyway, yesterday, I knew I had a short window to complete my sketch after wrapping up some work for the day. Though it took me a while to decide what to draw, I eventually settled on this fellow.

He's drawn with a 4H pencil, and he's not necessarily proportionally perfect compared to the original photograph, but he's not bad. He does look a little more like a beetle than an arachnid, in my opinion, though. (Pros and cons for you arachnophobes).

I thought my name and sketch duration wording were a bit light, so they are more of a mess from me doing a terrible overwriting job!

I'm hoping I'll do my sketches during daylight hours over the weekend and that I'll be able to bring them to you earlier in the day.

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026 spider plant

Day twenty-six of The 100 Day Project for 2021.

I snuck this little guy in with about twenty minutes left in the day so posting it late.

Yesterday was a mostly positive day, starting with a chat on Skype with Dad before some soup and telly, then bed.

Just as I was about to start work, I got a call from Simon. We were able to talk longer than the previous day, and he was able to send me some photos of the shooting location in Berlin.

Almost halfway through my planned working hours, I took a break to have a long-overdue catch-up call with a former co-worker. Though a lot of the discussion was negative in content (related to our shared workplace), it was a good call as she is always lovely to speak with. It was a pleasant way to break up my workday.

Today's sketch was a calming little flower on our spider plant from late last year. I drew it all in 4H and decided not to go over it with a heavier pencil.

I'm not sure I captured the three-dimensionality of the stamen. Especially as I shaded the tips pretty solidly without thinking about the variations on them, but it mostly seemed to flow okay today.

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025 avocado plant

Day twenty-five of The 100 Day Project for 2021.

Phewf! I'm a quarter of the way through this year's project!

This morning I woke to find our youngest avocado plant looking very much like Edvard Munch's The Scream of Nature as its leaves start to form on its hairy, little stem.

So I decided to draw him now that he's a bit more dynamic than he has been for the past few weeks.

I sketched him initially using a 4H pencil. I then shaded the darker patches and shadows with a 6B. The lighter shadows and patches were filled in with 2B. And then some tweaks and a little outline definition with an HB pencil.

Nothing exceptional, but definitely back on form after yesterday's attempt.

Today was less stressful than some of my recent days. I let myself have a lie-in this morning before starting work as a little act of self-care. Nevertheless, the top of my back feels achy, and my lower back was griping a bit earlier this evening. I need to shake that tension.

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024 tuxedo cat

024 tuxedo cat

Day twenty-four of The 100 Day Project for 2021.

A tuxedo cat, looking justifiably disgusted by how he's been rendered in pencil.

There are so many things wrong with today's sketch that I don't even know where to start.

The less said, the better. So I'll just tell you that I sketched the kitteh first with an HB pencil, then added shading around his neck with a 2H pencil.

I tried to show two levels of darkness in the blacks with a 2B and a 6B pencil, but you can't really tell the difference in the end.

The shading looks like a child's colouring attempt, though it was intentional to go outside the lines and not have smooth edges.

This is a pretty good visual interpretation of the really stressful, shitty day I had today, despite it starting off positively.

On top of everything else, I'd been thinking - short of any further delays to the production he's working on - I'd get to see Simon for the first time this year on 9 March. And then he reminded me today he'll still have to self-isolate when he returns, which will be for 10 days from the day after his return to London. So, even if he returns as planned on 8 March, the earliest I'll likely see him will be 19 March.

Le sigh.

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023 angel

Day twenty-three of The 100 Day Project for 2021.

Another late posting, though the sketch was completed on the day.

This time inspired by a photograph of mine of Melbourne General Cemetery, taken in November 2005.

I took it on the first day I took my very first DSLR - a Nikon D50 - out for a trial run before taking it to New Zealand with me on holidays.

It was the first and last time I got locked in a cemetery after closing time. I have a LiveJournal post about it but it contains a bunch of information about other extraneous stuff happening at the time, so maybe I'll edit it and share it here another time if you've not already heard the tale and would like to.

Meanwhile, getting on to today's sketch: I used an HB pencil for the base and then a 6B for shading and going over the outline. In retrospect, it was probably a little heavy-handed on the outline but I notice that my hand erases/fades some of the lines as I draw. I should probably use a tissue or a small square of paper to lay on the page under my hand to avoid that (I think I recall friends in art class doing that).

Her upper body is a little foreshortened. I started drawing her plinth about 4cm from the bottom of an A4 page. About halfway up her wings, I was worried I would run out of space for the full height of her. I had about 2cm to spare at the top of the page at the end, so if I'd started lower it would have been fine, but alas, I did not.

I also drew the shadowed section of the front of the statue on the left too wide so it's out of proportion with the rest of the drawing.

Drawing the plinth, I thought I'd gone too wide on the right panel but I've definitely thinned it. And the left side is possibly a little wider than it should be. The width of the lower section of the angel seems proportionate though, so there's that...

I realised, as I was doing my quick edit for the web, that I was wearing my glasses while drawing. I'm not sure if that had a positive or negative effect.

I generally dislike editing photos while wearing my glasses because they make everything on my screen look smaller; not right. (Though they do wonders for my figure when looking in the mirror...) If I'm going to be editing photos I always put my contact lenses in.

For those who don't know, I have a prescription of about -3.5 in each eye. I'm myopic (short-sighted) to the point that, without special (more expensive) thinned lenses, my glasses would look like the free ones on the NHS Jarvis Cocker used to sing about. Okay, maybe not that thick. This is a good illustration if you look at the -4 prescription

My prescription got as bad as -3.75 for a while but apparently, people become more long-sighted as they get older so my sight's improving over time (yay!) The last optometrist I saw did manage my expectations though. She laughingly told me that with short-sightedness as pronounced as mine it will never get back to 20/20 through ageing. Apparently, if I have to have cataract surgery later in life (which she assured me almost everyone has to) I may have 20/20 vision then. Something to look forward to in my old age, eh?!

Sorry, another tangent!

So today was another example where it looked better once I photographed it and 'stepped away from it'. Still lots of flaws but I'm learning.

And it was relaxing to draw while I listened to my music collection on random varying from The Cure, Diamanda Galas, Ash, NoFX, Aerosmith, Julia Holter, Jefferson Airplane, U2, Barry White to Madness.

A positive end to a more positive day than the previous two. Even washing a horrendously large pile of dishes is less tedious when listening to old episodes of The Infinite Monkey Cage.

Hopefully tomorrow my sketch will appear online on the day of creation. But I make no promises. I'm just taking things one day at a time at the moment. I hope you understand x

And I'll leave you with a song that popped up randomly on shuffle in the last 48 hours that felt appropriate to my current project. Evident Utensil by Chairlift. Enjoy!

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022 barbed wire

Day twenty-two of The 100 Day Project for 2021.

I managed to finish this about ten minutes before midnight on day twenty-two. But obviously, that didn't leave enough time to get it posted on the day.

Today was a long day, but it ended with some art, so I'll say no more.

This was all drawn with an HB pencil.

I think I did okay, considering that by the time I'd hit the first barb, I'd realised I'd probably bit off more than I could chew for "a quick sketch".

In case you're unsure, I worked left to right on this one, and as may be obvious, when it started getting more repetitive, I lost my nerve and kept making mistakes. But I think I managed to bring it back okay.

I find it funny that often when I'm drawing or as I finish, I think, "Meh, I kind of hashed that today." But then, when I photograph it and look at it on a screen, suddenly it seems to fall together better than I initially thought. Not perfect or exceptional. But more convincingly than I first believed.

I hope you had a lovely weekend. Or at least nicer than mine x

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double-crossed

^{[I originally posted this image as early access for my Patreon patrons on 15 January 2021].}

021 coconut and mango martini

Day twenty-one of The 100 Day Project for 2021.

I feel like I went backwards today. But I'm trying not to be too hard on myself because I was tired and emotionally exhausted as I drew this evening.

Drawing was more of a calmative than a frustrating act tonight, even if I was doubting my ability to actually draw as I did it. At least I was doing it. I was showing up. I was sticking to my daily practice, even if all I wanted to do was collapse on the couch.

Actually, mostly I'd like to have been curling up with Simon on the couch this weekend. But his original intended return date shifted from this weekend to sometime in early March a few weeks ago.

Instead, I spent most of the day doing life admin to keep myself afloat. I didn't even get to the contract work I'd planned for today, so today became my "day off" instead of tomorrow. But without the joys of wandering with my camera or editing copious photos, as I'd planned.

It was exhausting and stressful, but it's done. Or at least back in the other side's court until I have to chase it again in a few days if they don't volley it back to me.

So anyway, this was all drawn with an HB pencil. I don't have a lot else to say as a critique, except it was probably too detailed and complicatedly subtle in variation in parts for my skills.

So I took a high-level view of most of it without going into heavy detail except on the orange where I felt I could.

6/10. Try harder next time.

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020 self-portrait with contouring sponge

...or is it a buttplug?

Day twenty of The 100 Day Project for 2021.

So, it was inevitable that, at some point, I would sketch humans. And inevitably, myself. But I thought I'd start simple with a photo of my hand and a contouring sponge.

There are a number of my photos I want to try to draw. Some are more complicated, including self-portraits. So I want to build up my confidence and skills with shading first. And, also, attempt them on days when I have more time to really focus on the task at hand. Hopefully soon.

This is a drawing of a snap I shared back in November 2018 to capture the amusement I had at the new (to me, at least) shape and design of The Body Shop's contouring sponge.

I used an HB pencil for the base of the drawing.

Then a 6B to shade the sponge. Attempting to use the side of the lead to varying levels of success.

I used a 2B pencil quite ineffectively, in my opinion, for the lighter, longer shadows.

And a little bit of HB for the even lighter shading.

It's definitely not photo-realistic but not a terrible artist's impression.

I hope you're not finding my learning process too tedious!

I'm hoping to get the next instalment of my Love letters to London out to my Patreon patrons this weekend!

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019 tulips

Day nineteen of The 100 Day Project for 2021.

Without having a chance to do any research or watch tutorials or whatnot, I tried out some more pencils in my selection.

I started off with a trusty HB (though a "proper" one without that waxy feel!). Then I used a 6B for the darker shadows (as previously, but a sharper new pencil). I worked with a 4B for the lighter shading.

There was some amateur finger-rubbing to try to soften the lines in the shadows I was creating. It was successful to varying degrees.

I probably did it all wrong in terms of my pencil selection. And my more talented drawing friends can educate me, and/or the tutorials I'll try to watch this weekend will.

And I know there are shape and proportion issues with today's sketch, but I think you'd all know they were tulips even without the source image, so you know, progress.

And the tip of the tulip on the left looks as much like labia as the original source image. So win-win, right? ;)

The source image was taken in St Mary's Churchyard in Hornsey back in March 2019.

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018 avocado plant

Day eighteen of The 100 Day Project for 2021.

Today I opened my new sketching pencils!

And then I only used the HB pencil... What the...?

But, in fairness, I might have had a bit of red wine. And I might have been a bit tired and, either way, I was acutely aware of how much better a "proper" HB pencil felt to draw with.

I think I would describe the pencil I was using previously (gratis from the London Zoological Society, and I thank them for it) as 'waxy'.

Tonight, drawing with a "proper" HB pencil, felt infinitely better (and not just because I actually paid money for it).

In retrospect, the part I initially perceived worst - the leaf top left - is actually not as bad I thought.

There are issues in terms of leaf size. Specifically, the two foreground leaves. And I really want to learn how to recreate depth of field in drawing but, for a sleep-deprived, full-time working, amateur sketcher who might have had a light tipple before drawing... it's not terrible.

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017 keyring

Day seventeen of The 100 Day Project for 2021.

Today I picked something relatively easy to draw. And I haven't yet opened my new pencils because I was short on time.

I'm not sure I quite got there with the ring itself. Though concern about the keyring width not being proportionate seems less of an issue looking at it a few hours later.

I have more hours planned for my contract work over the next couple of days, so I'm not sure I'll be able to crack open my new pencils and explore them properly. But hopefully, I can select a slightly more inspiring subject at least!

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st bernard's well

^{[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 11 February 2021].}

I'm a couple of days late on sharing a travel photo for this week but I came across this lovely lady in my archive and edited her to share with you this evening.

I took this on a wander with friends through Dean Village in Edinburgh all the way back in August 2011.

Set atop St Bernard's Well on the banks of the Water of Leith, Hygieia holds her bowls, allowing a snake to drink from one.

Inscribed on the pump inside are the words 'Bibendo Valeris', meaning 'drink and you will be well'.

I'll drink to that!

016 keys

Day sixteen of The 100 Day Project for 2021.

Ah, baggage lock keys. How many of you have a small collection of these lying about somewhere?

Just me?

This is the only set of keys that appears to work with the baggage locks I have. And the one they pair with isn't the one I've drawn previously.

Thankfully my current suitcase came with its own lock and keys, and when I use my backpack, I use a combination lock or two.

Meanwhile, I finally bought some sketching pencils and a sharpener today.

Derwent sketching pencils were for sale at the same price, but the pack only included six different pencil hardnesses. And while I know Derwent pencils are the shiznit*, they don't need to be mind-blowingly good pencils for the amateur that I am. And a broader range of hardnesses will be helpful for me to learn more shading techniques.

I'm not promising my shading technique will improve overnight but stay tuned to see whether they improve my daily sketches over time.

_{*My colour pencils from my younger days were Derwents.
Which reminds me: I should nose about and figure out if I brought them with me or gave them to my Mum or someone else when I left Australia in 2011.}

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faded love

Happy Valentine's Day, lovers xx

015 hyacinth

Day fifteen of The 100 Day Project for 2021.

I took the source photo for today's sketch the other day. I managed to sketch it this afternoon before the light disappeared.

I didn't notice until I imported the photo of my sketch that I'd overlooked the shading of the lower magenta section of the bulb. Even though I worked on that part first. Oops!

In other places, the shading is variable in its effectiveness. I probably need to be more patient and less gung-ho.

As well as getting those pencils I need and maybe watching some tutorials on shading (which some people have kindly already pointed me to!)

But not my worst effort and sketching was a relaxing interlude today where sometimes it can feel a bit frustrating.

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with open arms #153

^{[I originally posted this image as early access for my Patreon patrons on 7 February 2021].}

014 avocado leaf

Day fourteen of The 100 Day Project for 2021.

I slept through a large portion of the day after a long and pleasant natter with talented artist and good friend, Anna Maria Drutzel, into the wee hours of the morning.

So I went with something relatively easy today.

It's an avocado leaf. But my mind keeps telling me it's a semi-deflated whoopie cushion painted to resemble a human heart with a slight tear along one seam.

I'm also expecting comments on the bit that looks like a rudimentary sketch of a vagina...

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013 padlock

Day thirteen of The 100 Day Project for 2021.

Once again, I've made it thinner than reality, though shorter than the proportions show BUT I feel comfortable that y'all would have known what this was without the source image.

To be honest, I couldnae be blathered creating the textures on the front of the padlock. Maybe another day but it was a bit more than I had the energy for tonight.

Mostly this week has been good, including starting a new contract with a new client for work potentially until June/July. It's so refreshing to be able to work as much or as little as I want/need to per week, being trusted to do it remotely and working the hours that work for me.

I know the pandemic has exposed a lot of self-employed folks leaving them with little support and it's truly shite but I really want to be (at least majority) self-employed. I won't go into the particulars here but it's so freeing even if the money might not be great to start with.

It's also been a stressful week because I've not had anywhere near enough sleep and I'm dealing with lots of financial and housing stuff which will probably work out okay but until it's sorted will continue to stress me.

I trust in getting a bunch of this stuff sorted asap and having a better week next week.

All that to say that I wanted something relatively easy to draw today. I thought about photographing the padlock upright from an angle and then convinced myself to make it easier and lie it down. To give me at least one concession today.

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012 pocket watch

Day twelve of The 100 Day Project for 2021.

No long commentary tonight as I want to sneak this online before midnight but it looks better once imported than I felt it did on the page when I finished sketching.

I probably need to invest in a ruler and the spacing of the numbers is a little out of whack.

I might add more self-critique tomorrow.

Today's subject brought to you by Andrew, a long-time Flickr friend.

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