Author: Marina

19/52

We have been adjusting to the english weather back again this week, and trying to make the most of the very few sunny spells. Summer we are still waiting for you!

This week you:

  • Turned 17 months. And again, four weeks have gone by super quickly, and before I know it you’ll turn 18 months!
  • Pointed at yourself, and laughed, every time we asked you where Olivia was.
  • Went back at nursery after a week away and were not impressed, but you survived brilliantly.
  • Started to repeat some of the words we say to you. You really are making progress!
  • You keep calling us both ‘baba’, but if we insist a little you call us ‘mama’ and ‘papa’.
  • Enjoyed playing in our front garden, weather permitting. Picking up and throwing pebbles is still is your favourite game.
  • Had a swollen cheek for a few days. And we wouldn’t have even noticed it if you hadn’t pointed at it so often with your little finger.

I’m loving the light on the portraits of Isabella, Harriet, Billy, Arlo and some chubby little cheeks @24 weeks from Life in our busy household, from last week posts.
If you are curious about this project and want to know more, you can check Jody’s blog @ Che and Fidel.

All my previous posts can be found here.

Cathy Johnson’s Mini-class // Quick Sketching 1 – Lesson 3

   
 
  
It took a bit more time to go through lesson 3, compared to the previous lessons.
The first part focused on sketching from memory, which can be a good exercise as it makes you look harder at your subject and with practice you can learn what to look for, what is essential when trying to do a quick sketch. I must confess I didn’t practice enough on this subject as I was more interested on what was following, meaning thumbnail sketches, visual symbols and big shapes. I think these last three points are the key to quick sketching, and also the points where I lack confidence. I’ve always used thumbnail sketches as a preparatory exercise before tackling a painting. But never realised they can actually be quick sketches on their own. I also learned that it’s a very good exercise copying visual symbols from somebody else’s work. I’ve been recently obsessed with John Lidzey sketches, and looking at the way he drew things, and copying it, made it easier for me to reach a similar effect in my sketches.
Working from a big shapes and adding more details later as time allows has also proven to be a very good tip. When I’m out sketching I don’t always know how much time I’m going to have. Most of the time a big shape is good enough to suggest a view or a movement.
The winter robins demo was an enjoyable exercise, and adding colours to it was for me the most rewarding part!
Sketches from Lesson 1 and 2 can be found here.
More info about Cathy Johnson’s online classes can be found here.

This is life

Starting a new collection of 5″x5″ watercolour cards. Still struggling to find the perfect folder to file them. 

A few holiday’s sketches

Rimessa barche – fine lungomare lato Corace

Quadrivio Nalini

Golfo di Squillace

Tetti – Catanzaro Lido zona Corace

We spent the past week in Catanzaro Lido (Southern Italy), my hometown. The weather was great, sunny and warm, but not too much you get sunburned and your watercolours dry while still on the brush!
Because we went visiting my family, we had baby sitters for my little Miss O basically all day long and that gave me the chance to go out by myself and do some en-plain-air sketching. I had planned to bring with me an A4 Moleskine watercolour pad I bought a few years ago with the plan to fill it in with sketches of my hometown. However, the pressure I felt when thinking about the size and the commitment required made me decided to bring my usual large moleskine pad. It was a good choice, but now I feel I’ve gained enough confidence to bring my larger pad next time. I was hoping to be able to draw a bit more, but feel quite happy with the overall results. All drawings and watercolours were done on location, with only a few touches added later on.  

18/52

A lot happened this week. We’ve been in Calabria, southern Italy visiting my parents and celebrating my birthday. We had such a great time and Little Miss O enjoyed very much spending time outdoor and playing with everyone in the family.
Wearing your backpack during a visit to the Scolacium archaeological park

This week you:

  • Spent a lot of time with your grandparents and aunties and uncles.
  • Went out for a stroll several times during the day and enjoyed the sunny and warm weather.
  • Leaned under every car parked outside your grandparents’ house to look for cats.
  • Kept waking up at 6am, despite the 1-hour time difference between Italy and the UK; meaning when we go back home you will be waking up at 5am?
  • Loved playing on the beach picking up pebbles and throwing them in the water and dipping your feet in the sea.
  • Tried ice cream and didn’t like it! But we are not really worried about this, we are sure it won’t be long until you will change your mind!
  • Spent a lot of time washing your hands in the bidet at your grandparents’ house…shame (or luck!) we don’t have one at home 🙂
  • Learned to read (sort of!). It’s so funny when we ask you to read something and you start blabbering like you are actually reading.
  • Said a few more words, like mamma and papa’, and x (thank you grandma!). We are making some progress, although your favourite word it still is ‘cacca’.
  • Decided to have a picnic in the middle of the promenade and made everyone laugh.
If you are curious about this project and want to know more, you can check Jody’s blog @ Che and Fidel.

All my previous posts can be found here.