BACK TO THE BLOG!

We've had a rather difficult October and since finishing the 29 Faces challenge I haven't had time to draw, paint or blog.  My BT email is not working, and all sorts of other problems have abounded.  

Last week poor Dev had four consecutive days of hospital clinics at three different places.  On two days he had blood tests and the third a venosection (giving a unit of blood).  At 80 a few days like that are very tiring for him.  

On Wednesday this week he had his second cataract operation, and the fact that it seems to have worked wonderfully has cheered him up.  He is counting the weeks until he gets new glasses for close-up vision and can see well enough to read and draw.  Although I usually take advantage of the hours of waiting all these clinic visits take, I have been so tired with the month's events that I haven't had the energy to use the time.

Last Sunday I found I had just about half an hour with nothing pressing and was determined to draw 'something' - just the thought of getting my pen on to paper was enough, it didn't matter what I drew.

For days I had been looking at the little pots of mini-clematis I had bought in the hopes of drawing them.  Clematis are my favourite flowers, so lovely individually and as groups, in pots or in the garden.  In the little woodland area at the end of our road, less than 10 minutes away, small groups of tiny clematis nestle among the greenery at the foot of the trees.

I bought three little 4" pots of mini-cyclamen from Morrisons supermarket a week or two ago at 50p each, lovely strong plants full of flowers and buds, each plant a different shade of pink.  They look pretty on the kitchen windowsill.  The ones I have drawn were the contents of just one pot - what good value.

Each flowers is lovely, like a butterfly, but when the flowers group together in a mass it's difficult to see where the individual flowers are.  I find the only way to do it is to start with one petal, and then keep adding another, then another and so on, rather than thinking of the whole shape.  It's quite difficult and takes a fair bit of concentration.

There was just time for another quick sketch, and on my desk there was a tiny photo from a magazine of a Roman mask/helmet.  I didn't try to copy it, but just let my pen take on the general air and added my own twiddles.  Just making those two quick sketches made me feel better.

Yesterday I decided to add a little very quick pencil colouring, simply because after phone struggles with BT, the bank and then the pension company I felt exhausted and colouring inside the lines with coloured pencils is so soothing and relaxing.  I'm just hoping that the pace of life will slow down now - just one clinic visit for Dev next week to check on the cataract operation.  So I'm hoping to get back to visit and commenting on as many blogs as I can.  I hope life is treating you all well.

Linking to Paint Party Friday and Manon's Paper Saturdays