Cats

There's no stopping me now. I'm trying all the things that I think I can't draw well. Ink bottles, mugs, and now, cats!

I started with Willow from a photo.

Here are a few of Sumi from life. He was in the middle of his ablutions.

And two of Sumi from photo

A beloved face

A beloved face. Willow, our beautiful cat, lived to the age of 18. He died last summer and we all miss him. I don't normally draw much in pencil. But no pen could ever do justice to his fluffiness!

Bouquet

More flowers given to me after Willow died - a beautiful colourful bouquet of garden flowers! Again, done in direct watercolour, not even a pencil dot on the page! I like how the poppies worked out, and the purple round flowers. My rendition of the ferns lacks substance. The main thing I regret about this painting is that I didn't leave enough room for the vase. Next time, I must do watercolour dots to mark the overall shape of my subject!

Flowers

We were given lovely flowers when Willow passed away. So I knew they would be the perfect subject for a direct watercolour. As they are white, I thought I'd try some negative painting. Mixed feelings about how it worked out. But this is one of the better ones I've done so far in the direct watercolour challenge. I definitely need a more pointy watercolour brush for details! (that's my excuse anyway...)

Willow

Willow B. - Born 17 March 2000, Passed Away 30 May 2018. We were there at every step of his journey. He made us happy. We gave him chicken. Rest in peace my Willow Pillow.

Timber and Willow

These didn't work out so well. I was getting carried away, lashing on the tailor shapes! Less is more is the lesson to be learned here. Back to the drawing board.

PS: no, Timber's ribs don't show like that. He is well fed, don't worry

As for Willow, well, he does look scruffy these days. He gets quite wheezy when he tries to purr, and he purrs when I brush him (not because he likes it, quite the opposite actually). So I don't brush him as much as I should.

I did manage a nice portrait of Timber later on, as he settled on his sofa.

Willow

As willow is getting older, I feel the need to sketch him more. He's such a long-hair cat that it's actually quite hard to draw him!

Willow drinking from his bowl (bowl not drawn)

Willow settling down on his bed

 Willow sleeping

Willow sitting up to cough.

After that he went for a bite to eat, then a little drink of water, then settled for sleep under my desk, where he knows he won't be disturbed.

He's getting old, but he still enjoys life.

All sketches done from life, using Suhita Shirodkar's method of drawing verbs.

Hoppalong Cat

It's hard being a 17-year-old. Particularly when you have diabetes. And you're a cat. But it helps to have a good Mummy and Daddy (I call them Slaves - they're great at opening doors). And although I hate going to the vets, I strangely felt better after I got home. And I did get to meet Bríd and Linda and Kevin and Sarah (she was wearing a funny hat). There was another cat there, going in as I was going out. And he was making a fuss. Not like me. I'm one of their best patients (I think they mean honored guest), they say. I never hiss or lash out. Except when they clip my nails. Don't like that.

This time, I came home with this thing wrapped around my leg. It catches when I walk, particularly going up the stairs. And it makes getting in and out of boxes really hard (Female Slave came to the rescue, thankfully). First, they wouldn't let me out. And then, when they finally obeyed my orders, the front exit was blocked. What use is that? But then they gave me freshly-cooked chicken breast. Not the boring dry stuff. No even AD. It was so moist and tender. The real taste of chicken. Not organic though.

I heard them call me Hoppalong. Were they mocking me? Surely they wouldn't dare. Come to think of it, I remember Male Slave using that term for Female Slave a couple of years ago, so it's can't be bad. I think I'll just sleep for the afternoon now.

Willow

Willow is getting old. He used one of his nine lives when we were away and he was boarding at the vets. He just wouldn't eat, and that doesn't work very well when you're a diabetic cat and your blood sugar goes too low because of the insulin injections.

We were lucky that the staff at Ark Vetcare took good care of him and managed to pull him back from the brink. Over the bank holiday weekend. I am so grateful

He's right as rain now, eating and sleeping and mooching around as if nothing happened at all. I'm keeping a close eye on him, though, in particular making sure that he is eating enough.

How many lives has he got left now, I wonder? I've stopped counting.
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Willow

When you run out of ideas for drawing/painting, look around you: cat, dog, cup of tea, hand, self portrait, even dirty laundry will do! Actually, dirty laundry is very forgiving, as, once it's in the washing machine, all evidence of wrong angles or lack of measurement disappears for ever!

Cosy

I forgot to post this picture from a couple of months ago. Cats know how to do cosy, don't they? But I find it so hard to draw him. Speaking of which, I really need to get back into my daily drawing habit. There was a time when I was drawing cat, dog, myself, bb, the trees and everything. Right now, although it's the summer, I don't seem to find the time as much. Maybe I'm one of these people who work better when they're under pressure? NOT. Or at least not that I'm aware of, anyway. 

MHBD's Fake Journal - Day 23

I'm a little behind in posting links to Odile's journals on this blog. I've managed to keep up with the challenge so far, and now there is only 5 days to go before the end of the month. I find myself simplifying my pages, or cheating a little bit, so that I don't miss a day. I'm falling behind in my Japanese studies, but hey, life is a juggling act! So for the day before yesterday, I just did a little live sketch of Willow sitting in the drive in front of the house, watching the world go by (and making sure  that that young ginger cat knows who's boss). I used the Pentel brush pen for what was literally a 10-second drawing - probably even less. And I added a two-toned background. I love the reds I can produce by mixing the slightly pink red and the orange yellow that come in the set.

Full text here

Happy Birthday Willow

Invisalign - last day

It's been a while - 15 months and a few days to be - somewhat - precise (that's where you know I'm not Asperger's - I actually don't know the exact number of days since the 3rd of November 2014).

But I've finally reached the final day of my Invisalign!

It was supposed to take 6 months. But on week 18, something went wrong (one tooth started going in the wrong direction, as the aligner wasn't catching it properly at the back), and I needed to go back to square one with a new set. With a break of a few months, as my holidays and the orthodontist's holidays were clashing and we couldn't get an appointment for new imprints any sooner.

And I thought the endless cycle of brushing and flossing and Tepeing the teeth, and brushing the Invisalign trays after every meal, every snack, every cup of tea, would never end. Actually, it was a great way to lose weight (that and walking a big dog twice a day) - I simply stopped snacking, and cups of tea. It just wasn't worth the hassle.

But end it did. And here I am! Delighted with my new smile. Spot the difference!

Before:

After:

And then Willow decided to join me, so that's why you're getting these bonus pictures:

A couple of things they don't tell you before you start:

1. It hurts the gums for the first couple of months (dental wax helps).
2. It's tedious, as you have to wear the aligners 22 hours a day, and you have to brush, floss etc. after everything you eat. Add an extra 15 minutes after every meal or snack. 
3. Forget about eating a nice square of dark chocolate after a meal, as you'll have to brush your teeth straight away and you'll replace the rich chocolate flavour by toothpaste flavour.
4. You cannot keep the aligners in when eating anything or drinking hot or sweet or alcoholic drinks
5. You feel the pressure of the aligners as it pushes your teeth in place, but that doesn't hurt
6. And when you think you're done, you'll need to wear retainers every night for the rest of your life (but I knew that)
7. You might have to wear a little holding bar for a couple of months after you're done to stop the teeth from moving straight back to their original position (that's no big deal, I think)
8. You will have to wear the retainers full-time for a month. So that's an extra month of brushing, flossing and no snacking. I didn't know that. What a bummer. Just as well it's lent!

Sleeping Willow

Exploring what I can do with my new Pentel Brush Pen. If you look really really carefully, you will see a sleeping cat in there!

Family Portrait

The other Willow

Maybe a spell gone wrong?

Cats and Dogs

Lots of sketching in my little books in the last week or so. I've finally tackled the second assignment from Roz Stendahl's class in Sketchbook Skool - live animals. 

A lot learned:

1. Cats and dogs move a lot, even when you think they are asleep
2. A fluffy long-haired cat is particularly difficult to draw. He really is not that fat! - I will try with water-soluble pencils next time and see what happens
3. I like colourful backgrounds
4. The more you practise, the better you get
5. Negative space and plumb lines are very useful tools when you're trying to map a drawing
6. It's so satisfying when you finally manage to draw a likeness that it makes it all worth it
7. You don't need that much time - 15-20 minutes, which is just as well, because by then, your subject will have moved on to another bed!

Fang

As I was waiting for the next module of my course on SBS to become available, I went to the next teacher's website and blog. Roz Stendahl's style is striking. I was inspired by one particular portrait, but also by the many sketches of her beloved Alaskan Malamute, Dottie.

Timber will no doubt be my next subject, but for now, Willow, 15, is the one I'm trying to capture. I'm convinced it's impossible to draw a cat from life. Our guy will move if he sees a camera pointed at him even. So definitely no hope of catching a decent likeness. Even when he's asleep, he's constantly moving. So this watercolour sketch was based on a photograph. I'm glad I took a picture of the different stages. I think I like it better without the green background.

Cat

For years, I've been struggling with how to draw our beloved cat, Willow. I've successfully painted a portrait of him all right, but I would like to sketch him from life rather than photograph. He is 15, so he doesn't have too many years left. And I feel more of a sense of urgency in my quest for the perfect sketch. He is a long-haired tabby (half Maine Coon) so I feel it's important that I catch his tiger-stripe fluffiness! I'm still struggling, but I have a few ideas I want to develop at least. 

Looking at these two drawings, I think my main issue is proportions!