Learning to draw week and Christmas box gifts

What a busy week! Spent a lot of it drawing things as practice as I really could not draw but have been learning with the aid of a book: Drawing on the Right side of the Brain. Also because on my course the tutor did say that my sketchbook and general lack of drawings was a ''WEAK'' area and needed a lot of work!

First things first though: here are the leaflet details of the Christmas Boxes we do every year.

I made a scarf and hat this week: similar to last year and using the same yarn and the same pattern- from my blog this time last year-here- but finished the scarf with a fringe instead of pompoms and the hat with a big flower and button.

The button ''here'' above takes you to the FREE PATTERNS FOR THE HAT AND SCARF if you would like to JOIN IN?!!!

For the flower: with 7mm hook and Marble Chunky: Chain 3 and join with a slipst.

ch4 and work treble into circle,*ch1,tr1,repeat from * until you have 5 trebles, then chain1 and slst into 3rd chain to close the round.

Now you work the petals: I did: 1dc,1htr,2tr,1htr,1dc in each of the 6 chainspaces thus forming 6 petals. Finish off with a slipst and sew in the ends. Sew onto brim of hat but only through the upper fabric so the brim remains adjustable and add a sewn on button.

Should fit most girls aged 4-9.

Then I went shopping today and bought the other gifts: pens,pencils, a ball, paper, coloured paper,felt pens,crayons,soap,colouring pencils and a few hairbands. A crocheted puppy will go too. I'll wrap it all up tomorrow and show you before it all goes to school on Monday.

Oooooh I have spent ALL the hours the kids are at school DRAWING this week! Mind you it DID get more fun as time went by but it didn't start out as fun...

First a sheep drawing from Henry Moore: it was a set excercise so I had a go after googling this and printing one out. Top is the real macoy and the one below is my efforts at copying it!

By hand! A LOT of sweat and tears... Learning to switch my left brain OFF!!!

Ta Dah!!!! Actually I'm just a bit oh such a bit, very very pleased with it. Just about 90 minutes of studying and sketching.

Then we had to do ''HUMAN FORM'' from an art period- so I spent happy hours browsing in Modern Art books and the internet- googling images again- before choosing the above: 3 women by Picasso in his Cubist period. NB All the previous and next drawings look too pale BUT they are CLICKABLE so you can see it properly if you CLICK on the picture......

We had to do 45 minutes, then 5min, then 2 and then 30 seconds....

Well I got fed up after 35 minutes so having done the sheep for so long I called it a day and did the quick ones: BOY that was REALLY HARD! Especially the 30 seconds: it's really NO TIME at all! I 'd set my kitchen timer and nearly had a heart attack when it went off!!!

To stop me smudging and adjusting I used a felt pen for the 30 seconds one, far right.

Clockwise from top left: the original as photocopy from a book, my 35 min, 30 seconds, 2 minutes and 5 minutes.
I also did another Henry Moore- lambs this time and some nudes which are to be used for collage....
As is this Igor Stravinsky portrait below by Picasso again. A 45-60 minute copy of it in pencil on loose cartridge paper-sorry the photos are bleached a bit by the flash but turn very yellow and more blurred without...

And a 5 minute one to be used for more collage techniques.

Still can't decide, which is better, with or without flash, but no worries I'm not showing anymore!
On Friday I was painting fabrics and constructing cloth with bonding methods and on Monday I spent the day monoprinting.
Social activities included a lovely walk on the South Bucks Way on Thursday with a friend and fellow dogs- they actually got on very well together- !!!Friday attended a school function and got blown across a car park it was sooooo WINDY!

Still working on the cowl for the magazine and the santa bear suits.....Will share soon if College homework permits...

Happy Hooking and Stitching! ( maybe I should be adding Sketching too!LOL)