Back to the Basics

So I haven't been posting much lately, maybe I burnt myself out with the 100 Happy Days posts, because I was posting at least once, but usually twice a week when I was doing those. But what else can I say, it is not as if I have been up to nothing, Dixon's birthday was a big one, and we had a brilliant time. I've gone out for meals, and been to shows, but I haven't felt compelled to write any of it down lately. So here we are getting back to some of my blogging basics, maybe.

I have been doing a bit of re-evalutating what I want to be doing with my life, because as nice as it is working in a skateboard shop, so components of that have been stressing me out. So each day off I have had, I have been trying to get back into drawing and painting. Which has actually happened so yay!

Perhaps a recap another day of what I have been up to, for now some drawings.

The first is from a Dr Sketchy's Edinburgh class I recently went to and I am hopefully going to another one next week, which should be as much fun as that, and the rest of the sketches are just for fun. The painting is from a drawing a did a wee while ago, but I have wanted to paint it for ages.

100 Days Happy 50-56

So I had a weeks worth of holidays to use up and so use them up I did, so this weeks worth of happy has been especially good because its also been very relaxing. I didn't have too many plans but still got out and did stuff too. So its been a good week. And we are past the half way mark for 100 Days Happy, so that is also pretty cool. I can't help but wonder if it is helping me relax and feel happier and notice happy things, this week it would have been hard not to.

1. Started using my Valentines Threads for my cross stitch

2. Bath bombs!

3. The ever growing camera collection, they got some use this week.

4. First photos back from the Pentax

5. Roslin Chapel

6. Botanics greenhouses

7. Dr Sketchy's is back!

Edinburgh Botanical Gardens

So yesterday and the day before have been brilliant days, yesterday Gail and I went to Roslin Chapel on Friday, just outside Edinburgh, and today Daniel and I went to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh and then to The Monuments Men at the Cinema. So it is safe to say I had two excellent days!

Now I would talk more about Roslin, but I took most of my photos with my new Camera so until those come back, I think I will just leave you with this sneaky one I took inside.

I have wanted to go to the greenhouses in the Royal Botanic Gardens since the last time Dixon and I went in 2012, so I got to go this time and one of the main things I wanted to see was the giant lily pads, unfortunately they were not there, but it was still gorgeous inside and interesting. We lucked out with a really nice day, but it seemed like everyone else had the same idea, but luckily the greenhouses weren't too busy.

  

So afterwards we went for an early showing of The Monuments Men which was great, a very worthwhile story and excellently portrayed.

And last but certainly not least, Dixon had got me an new record, just because, and its awesome!

Today I am off to Dr. Sketchy's to hopefully do some sketching, it hasn't been on since I last posted about it so I am glad its back.

From M to R

So December has been a busy beginning to the month so far! I am so full of Christmassy Spirit this year its unbelieveable, so I have been busy getting Christmas presents sorted, even though there are a couple people on my list who are stubbornly not letting anyone know what they would like! So hopefully Dixon and I can figure them out soon!

I have found quite a bit of time lately to do a whole bunch of wee paintings and some secret paintings, that are admittedly, not so secret anymore. I will have to do a post another time of the wee paintings cause for now I have some hints of the next few pages to be sent, though they may not make it out until after Christmas. But by then quite a few of them should be sent over so even if there is a wait at least it will pay off in the end.

 

 

Unfortunately there was no Dr. Sketchy's this month and according to the website, next month doesn't have one either, but I am hoping that because there was no December one that January will step up!

And in other news, I have a green thumb! I don't know if everybody had this but in school when you're young, we got to grow Sweet Peas from the seed in class. Everyone elses sweet pea grew and then they got to take them home and plant them, mine didn't. This was followed by a catcus which I over watered and it shriveled and died. So I am proud to announce my Christmas tree is growing!

Infact this is a little bit of an older picture and it is about double in size! I am going to have to find extremely tiny baubles for it though!

Dr. Sketchy's

On the weekend I went to a live drawing session which some people probably have heard of called Dr. Sketchy Anti Art class. I have been wanting to go again for ages, I went to my first one about two years ago and haven't been back since, mostly cause I was too nervous to draw in public. I personally love drinking and drawing at home, its a brilliant way to spend hours and suddenly look up at the clock and realise you have been drawing/painting/getting pissed for 6 hours. But in public that is another thing  entirely! So I worked up the courage to ask my sister and my husband if I should go! Becuase if I told them I was thinking of going I would have much more of a push to go than if I just thought of going! And lo and behold they thought it was a good idea, so I tricked myself into making the plans to go.

Now I would be more than a little bit of a liar if I didn't say that I was thinking of just hanging out in town instead of heading to the Jazz Bar while I was sitting on the bus into town. In the end I made it there and was still particularily awkward for the first hour or so, some of the people who were there were so awesome, and there I was sitting with a wee cup of tea, scibbling out a mess of people.

Not that anyone was making me feel uncomfortable, just my awkward wee self, I decided a wee Crabbies Ginger beer would be nice and to just doodle something for a bit and out popped the pirate head you see below. I found my groove!

Now I definitely want to go back and do some more drawing so hopefully I make it to the next one in December and then the next in February! It was a really really fun way for me to learn to draw differently and more quickly because you really need to get the people down on the paper before the five minutes is up!

 

 

 So its a good thing I have Caryn and Dixon to tell me to do things because without them I wouldn't have had such a wonderful time!