While baby sleeps

I love it when my baby girl falls asleep in the car and I can’t do anything else but to sketch the surroundings. We went to a softplay place last Monday, called Piglets in Hersham. She had a play date, but the car journey made her fall asleep. So while waiting for her to wake up, I managed to do a quick sketch of the entrance. The watercolours were added later on at home, as she didn’t give me much time to do it there.

#30lists // wrap up

  
 
 
 
 
 

So this is it! This project seemed a bit daunting at first, and instead it went by very quickly. I found out about “30 days of lists” via Twitter, one week before the start date. I wasn’t really sure what this project was about, or what to expect from it, or if I was getting myself into something difficult to keep up with. But I was very much intrigued. I remember reading somewhere that some people were doing this challenge but at their own pace, so I thought worst case scenario, I will complete it whenever I can. Still wasn’t 100% convinced. Then I did pay a visit to my local art store that afternoon and while browsing around I found a simple A6 notebook…perfect size, perfect number of pages, perfect price (95p+20%off!), not too intimidating to be filled in with 30 lists. And so I was sold. I signed up for “30 days of lists” that very evening and got access to the private blog. In there I found lots of tips on how to make these lists, some printables, a forum, and all the basic info about this project; and most of all, the list of the 30 prompts was ready to be downloaded in advance! I must admit, the thought of working on a daily prompt was making me a bit nervous, mostly because I wasn’t sure how much time was required to do each list. Having the list of the lists in advance was somehow reassuring. I spent the week before the start date to get the notebook ready. I did a bit of planning on how the notebook should look like, then printed out the daily prompts, prepared the numbers, stuck some washi tape, tried to letterpress the front cover. Now I was ready to go; one list a day for 30 days! Some of the lists were easy to write, some others required more thoughts and inspiration from other fellow listers, but it was such fun. Sharing my lists on the blog, instagram and flickr was fun too, but more time consuming than anticipated. I did try to do it once every day as soon as the list was ready, but had to play catch up a few times!
To be honest, having the notebook all set up was the key to easily keep up with this project and to enjoy it. It did feel a bit like cheating, but I couldn’t have done it otherwise. So very glad I joined in, and will look forward to next one.

If you are curious about this challenge and want to know more, check the 30 days of lists website.

Each of my 30 lists can be found here.

From my living room window

 
It is still cold and grey here, and outdoor sketching has been out of question. But my hands were starting to itch, so I sat next to my living room window and started to sketch. The gated area is the Athelstan School car park, which was completely empty being the saturday before Easter. I used a Stabilo point 88 to draw the poles, as I didn’t have a flat surface to rest my arm and it would have been difficult to paint straight and fine lines.
I found the winter poplars a bit difficult to draw/paint. I did some online search before painting them, but didn’t find much. I just added some additional branches with my pencil after painting them, to make them look a bit better. 

13/52

It’s week 13 and loving this project!
Sometimes my little miss O can be so very serious, but it doesn’t last long and that’s why I’ve chosen this picture for this week. It is a bit out of focus, but I love her face and her little finger pointing against her cheek. It was lunchtime and this is her way of telling me that what she’s eating is yummy! 

This week you:

Tasted mama’s face cream and drank some soapy water during your bath. And fun part was that you liked it! I guess we are entering the exploring phase…

Loved taking your socks off and stomp your feet on the foam mat.

Danced to the ‘Grease’ songs, and I loved it so much I made you go to bed a little late.

Enjoyed playing with our friends’ cat “Sunny”. You were not afraid whatsoever, and we liked it (your dad was so proud!).

Have been such an entertainer at our friends’ house. It took you a while to settling in, but after that you were playing hide-and-seek with Ethan and SingStar with Adam.

My favourite portrait from last week was the one of Lamb @ Lamb loves Fox; loved her blue eyes and the ‘I’m not so sure about this’ face. Go and have a look!

If you are curious about this project and want to know more, you can check Jody’s blog @ Che and Fidel.

My posts for the previous weeks can be found here.

The last of #30lists // 30. Mini-manifesto

I don’t have many words to add to this last day of listing, if not that I’m missing this project already. It has been a great project to join and surely I will be looking forward to the next one. My mini-manifesto will be my starting point for what will come next and I’ll make sure to have it displayed somewhere in my working area. 
I still have two blank pages left at the end of my notebook, I’m thinking of adding some pictures or more thoughts on this project before wrapping it all up. And maybe a wrap-up post to go with it.
In case you can’t read my handwriting…

30. Mini-manifesto
  • Be true to yourself
  • Smile
  • Work hard
  • Enjoy the everyday
  • Dream big
  • Don’t be afraid of changes

If you are curious about this challenge and want to know more, check the 30 days of lists website.

All my previous lists can be found here