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BLOG: PENCILS, PONIES & POOCHES
Light-hearted ramblings from my day-to-day life, together with a few minor rants (mainly about the weather).
APRIL '24
Another month, and yet another moan about the British weather; at least I’m predictable! We had a couple of weeks with some lovely warm dry, almost tee-shirt weather, which was fabulous. We all acclimatised very quickly, then winter came back. I don’t know what the weather has been like in your corner of the world, but here we seem to have had March winds and April showers on and off since about October!
The two Collies portrait was very well received over the other side of the pond, and may be bringing two further commissions off the back of that, which is lovely, and very flattering. The liver-coloured Spaniel was also very well received, but is being gifted, so I’m unable to share it for a while, and I also fitted in a small terrier portrait, which is a gift for someone, so I can’t share that, either. My client with the poor photos has now sent me some better ones, so I’m hoping to be able to start another commission in the next few days. Whilst I had a gap in commissions I also drew a Clydesdale. This was from a free-reference photo, and one which I’m very pleased with, so I shall have to get him mounted and framed ready for exhibiting.
Can you believe it has been a whole year since we moved house‽ It’s ridiculous how the time passes, but we’ve settled in well, and love the place. Our lovely old boy, Oscar, has settled in easily too, and having had four months of peace and quiet, being an only dog, I have now completely turned things upside down. With absolutely no intentions of getting another dog whilst we still have Oscar, I received a text, out of the blue, about a two year-old Golden Retriever bitch needing a home. Long story short, I saw the text about 10 o’clock, and by 2:30 that afternoon I was on the way back home with her! She’s the same type as Oscar; long and lean, with a silky coat, and facially she looks very much like he did as a youngster, just paler in colour. It was meant to be, we’ve named her Mabel, Oscar adores her, and even Hubby didn’t seem to mind when he got back that evening, either! She’s a little anxious at the moment, but that’s to be expected with her back story, so we’ll see how things develop as she settles in.
Back on the subject of exhibitions, and my first one this year is with the Clare Art Club, over the first weekend of May. The full list of Exhibitions I’ll be showing in this year, is as follows:
CLARE ART CLUB - Friday 3rd to Monday 6th May – The Old Goods Shed, Castle Country Park, Clare, Suffolk.
SUFFOLK ART SOCIETY - Saturday 25th May to Sunday 9th June – Lavenham Church, Lavenham, Suffolk.
SUFFOLK ART SOCIETY - Friday 19th July to Sunday 4th August – Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford, Suffolk.
SUFFOLK ART SOCIETY - Thursday 3rd to Friday 11th October – The Cathedral, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.
Do pop along! JT
MARCH '24
True to form, I’m going to begin this month’s post with a rant about the weather. They say March “comes in like a Lion, and goes out like a Lamb” and this year it duly arrived all wet, blustery and unsettled. But if February was anything to go by, I’m not in the least bit surprised. My Birthday is in the first week of March, and the weather that day was beautiful; warm, dry, sunny and calm, we all happily declared it was now definitely Spring, but then it was back to typical March the following day. There have been several days this month when I’ve been soaked to the skin even with my waterproofs on, and the high winds always unsettle the horses, and make them stroppy to bring in, so let’s hope we’re in for some calmer days in the not too distant future.
I managed to finish drawing the two cute little Collies at the end of February, but then realised I had drawn them a size smaller than the client had wanted. I was so annoyed with myself, but what could I do, but reduce the price, and charge them for the smaller size. I’m not in a position to re-draw the portrait, as I don’t have the time. I don’t think the client was too unhappy, but I still feel very bad for getting it wrong. Lesson learnt; double check before you get started! As soon as it’s signed and ready, I’ll be shipping it off to the USA!
The next project on my drawing board, is a gorgeous little Cocker Spaniel. This is for a returning client that I first drew for a few years ago. It’s liver-coloured, with the most gorgeous eyes, and I can’t wait to get started. I love getting repeat work, it’s a real confidence boost! Actually, I should have been drawing a completely different breed, but sadly my Client has been unable to get clear enough photos for me, so the Spaniel is going in their spot, and I just hope they can get me decent pictures in time for the end of the month, or I’ll have to juggle things again. Fingers crossed!
Stay warm and dry peeps! JT
FEBRUARY '24
Well, it’s that time of year when I wonder why on earth I have an interest in horses, let alone work with them! The weather has been nothing short of appalling for most of the last two months, and I’m totally fed-up with wind, rain and mud.
Although, it’s not all doom and gloom; having moved to a house with ‘proper’ heating and decent windows, this winter has been so much more bearable than those of the previous decade. Coming home to a warm dry house, had made such a huge difference!
The horses, however, don’t seem to mind too much, as long as they get to go out and stretch their legs for a few hours each day, they seem quite happy. Although we do have a few 'special' characters on the yard that like to get down and wallow in the mud like Hippos, and come in completely covered in the stuff; disgusting creatures!
Oscar now accompanies me to the yard most days, although he is also happy to stay at home on his own for the morning, if need be. He now gets more regular walks, and is getting fitter again. He seems to be enjoying the company of the various other dogs at the yard, and gets plenty of attention from everyone else, so is back to his happy, bouncy self again, which is a relief.
I've finally cleared away all my bookwork, which has cluttering my desk, and been keeping me very busy over the last couple of months or so, and my pencils are now back out again. I’ve been drawing two lovely miniature Collies for a new Client in the USA, and I’ve really been enjoying drawing again! They're such a cute pair of dogs; mother and daughter, and I hope to have the portrait finished by the end of the month, and will keep you posted!
Hope you’re all well, and hope the weather improves soon! JT
JANUARY '24
Happy New Year everyone!
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas break. We hosted festivities this year, now that we have the space, celebrating with my In-Laws on Christmas day, and my family on Boxing day, with Paul, my Husband, producing a fabulous feast on both days. He really does make the best Christmas dinner, which is one of my favourite meals, and he often cooks it throughout the year too, just to keep me happy! Having relatives come to us was a lovely change from tearing about all morning to get things done, then having to rush back for the animals in the evening; I think we'll be hosting it here again in the future.
New Year's Eve was, by comparison, quite a different affair, with just the two of us, and Oscar, sat in front of the telly, scoffing left-over goodies from the week before. In my younger years, I used to love a New Year's Eve fancy dress party in one of the local pubs, but I'm now of an age where I can't be bothered with it all, and most years we don't even see in the New Year.
As I mentioned at the end of December, we said goodbye to Roxy, our female Golden Retriever, who was probably around fourteen years of age. It was very strange without her for quite a while, but we are all gradually adjusting, and Oscar is coping as an only dog again, and enjoying some extra privileges, like sleeping on the sofa! For the last few weeks he has been accompanying me to the stables each morning, as he hasn't been left on his own for the last ten years or so, so we're going to be working on that gradually. In the meantime, he's enjoying making new friends, and getting plenty of extra attention, and exercise, and now really looks forward to his new morning routine.
January's weather hasn't been exactly kind; alternating between warm, wet and windy, with the horses being fetlock-deep in sticky mud, and sub-zero temperatures with the ground so frozen you'd break your ankle trying to walk across the uneven parts. My car appears to be full of coats, jackets, boots and trousers of varying degrees of warmth or waterproof ability, in case I get caught-out by the forecast; which wouldn't be the first time!
Reynaud's syndrome update; I'm finding if I wear my big ugly EquiDry coat, I can survive happily, down to zero degrees wearing just fingerless gloves with surgical gloves underneath, to keep me dry, which is a huge improvement on previous winters. I did order some heated gloves, but the seller was out of stock, so I didn't get them. Also, the power units I had ordered for them, were supposedly delivered to a 'safe place' that I don't have, and I have no way of tracing where they went, so I didn't get those either, so it obviously wasn't meant to be.
I'll be getting my pencils out again in the next day or two, as I have a lovely pair of dogs to draw for someone, and I can't wait to get drawing again!
More soon! JT
DECEMBER '23
December began cold and dry, which, for me, was lovely. However, it didn't carry on that way, and we had some severely wet and windy spells, too. I've had enough of mud, already.
At the beginning of the month I was invited to have a stall at a local village Christmas market. Now, I can't remember when I last did a market stall; it must be at least six or seven years, maybe more, so it was lovely to get out and about, and to meet new people. The venue was packed, and people were very kind and complimentary about my work.
Most of December was taken up by either carting horses in and out of muddy gateways, washing mud off both them, and myself, or sitting at my desk, catching up with my Husband's bookwork. For various reasons, I took a much-needed break from Social Media, which I like to do from time to time, so apologies to anyone who usually follows either my Facebook or Instagram accounts, I will get back to normal when I have something interesting to post.
The middle of this month saw the 13th Birthday of Oscar, who was the 'Puppy' that led to me taking up drawing again after a break of many years. Sadly, the end of the month saw us saying goodbye to Roxy, Oscar's companion of the last ten years or so, whose health was failing, and we decided it was kinder to do the decent thing, than to prolong her suffering.
I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas, and would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Thanks again for following, see you soon! JT
NOVEMBER '23
Well, November blew in and blew out with alarming speed this year, and was a largely very wet and wild month, weather-wise, with lots of flooding and plenty of mud, even at the start of the month. Our two dogs seemed to be constantly filthy, as did the horses. My car was rapidly turning brown, also, and I was finding it almost impossible to get laundry dried, and even commented more than once, that I'd quite like a cold dry spell for a change.
Art-wise, the month began with the end of the Suffolk Art Society's Exhibition in Bury St. Edmunds Cathedral. Attendance was good, as were sales, and a good amount was donated to E.A.C.H. East Anglia's Children's Hospices, which was the Society's chosen charity for this year. I was without my car for a while, so a very kind artist friend of mine took my work in for me at the start, and collected it again for me at the end of the event. She also drove us both when we did our stewarding stint in the middle of the exhibition. I did her horse for her, in return, but I do feel I still owe her, so I shall offer to do the same for her for the next exhibition, next year.
Our newly adopted village had it's annual Bonfire event, and it was extremely loud, being only a field away from us. The weather held, so unlike several other events, this one went ahead. We didn't attend due to having to sit in with our dogs, who are terrified of fireworks; and there were A LOT of bangs. I watched from the bedroom window for a few minutes, and it was a truly fabulous display. I can thoroughly recommend 'calming cookies' for anyone whose dogs also hate the event, as they worked a treat for ours, both of whom slept through the entire event!
The colours in the local countryside this autumn have been absolutely superb, with the trees and hedgerows putting on a stunning display; I do love autumn. There has also been a glut of wildlife on my very short commute, with three types of deer, rabbits and hares, numerous game birds, and birds of prey. We're lucky enough to regularly see Buzzards and Kites here in the north of the county, and it's always such a pleasure to see them.
Someone must have been listening to my complaints about the mild wet weather, because we then had a longish sub-zero spell, where everything froze and stayed nice and clean for a week or so, which I much prefer. My old Nan used to call it 'Clean Weather' and I rather like that term. My unattractive Equidry coat came into regular use, and I found I only once had an issue with my Reynauds hands, instead of it being a regular problem, so that's a big win! Just as well, really, because at one point I had four Horses on full livery, as well as my own one to do, and all the other little jobs that always need doing; consequently, I didn't get very much time at my desk this month, and my daily step-count was over 16,500 on one particularly hectic day!
I have managed to get a Commission drawn this month; a lovely double dog portrait, which I thoroughly enjoyed doing, and am very pleased with how it turned out. It's a joint Birthday and Christmas Gift for a young Lady, and I won't share it on my social media pages until after it has been gifted at Christmas. So, you'll have something new to look forward to at the start of next year.
November ended with my Husband getting most of the shed finished, with me as occasional labourer, so hopefully we'll soon be able to 're-home' everything that has been taking up space in the Dining Room until now, and I can start thinking about how to get the room arranged and decorated for Christmas, which we are hosting this year, now that we have the space. I suppose that will come round with alarming speed, too!
Thanks again for following, and have a fabulous month! JT
OCTOBER '23
Blimey, don't the months come round quickly!? I've spent a lot of this year procrastinating, which tends to be my default setting, to be honest. If I can put something off to a later date, I will. Then there's a mad rush to get it all done, which is both stressful and unnecessary. You'd think, at my age, I'd have learned to get my act together by now. But sadly not.
After the tabby/tortie cat, I got stuck in to drawing a trio of Icelandic ponies. Their bodies are a sort of gingery mustardy colour with a chocolatey liver colour in the shadow, and a pinkish colour to the highlights. They also have creamy silvery manes and tails. A very interesting colour combination, and great fun to draw. Then I decided to tackle a Jaguar. The cat, not the car, although, I have drawn cars in the past, and quite enjoyed them. I was told by a friend, that the spots would drive me potty, and she was right. I ended up plotting out all the spots in advance, so I didn't lose where I was on the animal. I took lots of progress photos with this one, and had plenty to post about on my social pages, but I forgot to take one of the finished picture, before I put it away, so had to share a 'before tweeks' one instead. I must remember to dig it out and take a proper photo.
Both the dogs have been to the Vet this autumn, Oscar to have one ear cleaned out, as we'd been trying unsuccessfully to flush it out at home (he has long ear canals, apparently!). Then Roxy had an upset tummy, and had to have antibiotics to sort that out, and probiotics to re-populate her with good bacteria. Oscar has also been prescribed Metacam to help with his arthritis pain, and is now boinging around the garden like a youngster again. Roxy has also been prescribed the same, and is also much more content, and more mobile. Their decline has been so gradual, that I hadn't really noticed, but I'm feeling guilty that they must have been uncomfortable. However, on a positive, it has prompted me to start using paracetamol to aid my own aching joints, and, whilst I'm not boinging around like a youngster, I'm definitely feeling a lot more comfortable. One funny anecdote; I took what I thought was a very pale urine sample in to the Vet, when Roxy was incontinent, only to discover it was the dishwasher leaking, and not the dog! It gave the Vet staff a good giggle, and it'll take me a while to live that one down!
We've had Scaffolders here, and then workmen came and replaced all our leaky guttering, so now the noise doesn't keep me awake at night when it's raining. In fact, I now hardly hear the rain at all, and consequently I now find it even easier to oversleep in the mornings!
I celebrated reaching 600 Instagram followers, this month, which isn't bad since I only joined last spring. Although, that number promptly dropped over the next few days, as various spammers had their accounts deleted. It's a weird world. A couple of weeks later, and I reached 500 followers on Facebook. If only my sales figures were as promising!
This month has also seen my Car go in for the dreaded MoT, and, as usual, she needed some extra work. I had planned to get back on my bike, only it had a flat tyre, and my pump wouldn't work, so my very kind Sister rescued me, and even loaned me her car for a couple of days. Bless her!
I was feeling smug at getting my artwork ready in plenty of time, for the Suffolk Art Society's Bury St. Edmunds exhibition, and a friend and fellow artist, who was also exhibiting, offered to deliver my work, to save me a journey. Only to discover I had forgotten to put hanging strings on my framed pictures; honestly, if I had a brain, I'd be dangerous! Fortunately, all was remedied, eventually, and my work made it to the exhibition. I will report on the results next month when I know what has or hasn't sold. Fingers crossed!
Our weather has been extremely variable here, this autumn, too. One week it plummeted from warm tee-shirt temperatures, down to overnight frost, in about a two day period, and caught me by surprise. The boiler kicked-in, so I guessed it was colder, but hadn't really noticed, as we were busy. The next day, I was so cold, I went out to do the horses in my waterproof over-trousers, as my legs were freezing! I even had to wear gloves, as my poor old Reynaud's fingers didn't want to work. An hour later, after some manual labour, and the sun coming up, I was over-heating, and shedding layers like mad! A week or so later, and we had about a week's worth of rain in about 24 hours, and I had to get my long waterproof coat and waxed leather hat out.
At home, we've had a couple of really exhausting weekends getting jobs done around the place, including building the walls of the new shed. We're now trying to decide on the roof surface, and pricing up our options. We've also been really enjoying following the Rugby World Cup, too.
I'm not taking any more Christmas commissions, as I'm currently busy with horse jobs, and I'm also behind with other work, so if you haven't booked in already, I'm afraid commission slots are now only available from February next year, onward.
The clocks will be going back soon, and it will be Halloween, Bonfire night, and dark evenings. I don't mind winter, and am looking forward to spending this one in this lovely warm cottage instead of that horrid cold damp bungalow. We've been here six months now, and already that old place seems like a previous life, in another world. Funny huh‽
Thanks for following, and look out for more pointless rambling from me next month! JT
SEPTEMBER '23
This month sees the continuation of the little shetland sheepdog that I started toward the end of August. He had such a darling little face that I honestly couldn't resist him. I've been wanting to draw either a 'Sheltie' or a rough collie for quite a while, but hadn't been able to find a suitable reference photo until now. It went extremely well, and I was very very pleased with the final piece, and even received several compliments. My only error was, I over-used the slice tool when trying to create some of the finer hairs over the darker colours. The ear tips were the worst, and I didn't notice the issue until I looked at one of my progress photos on my iPad screen; it's amazing what you can see differently on a screen that you don't notice on the actual drawing. Fortunately, I managed to remedy the problem a fair bit, and I swiftly changed the blunt blade for a new one. I then promptly sliced the side of my thumb with it. D'oh! Is this going to be another accident-prone month?
On the subject of clumsy, and this is a good one; Bearing in mind I have already had a badly bruised leg and squashed toes about six weeks or so back. At the end of last month, I was leading my horse, and he did that excited head flick thing that they do, and because I was right beside him, his nose sort-of brushed my cheek, but quite hard. Honestly, I was so bloody lucky, it's unreal. Ok, I did hit the deck, I bit my lip, and my glasses were pushed into my nose, making it bleed, before they too hit the dirt. And for the next two weeks or so, I had the biggest, and most colourful bruise I have ever had. It spread from where the bottom of my glasses sit, down my entire cheek, to my jowl (although, I don't like admitting I now have jowls!), and under my chin. Amazingly, though, I lost no teeth, had no headache at all, and I didn't even scratch my glasses! I massaged the bruise, and it eventually went, but my cheekbone remained very tender for several weeks. I gave up being embarrassed about the bruise, but I did get some really funny looks from people when walking around at Burghley Horse Trials! Oh, and the very first thing I did at Burghley, was to spill my coffee down my shirt! Accident prone; I'm a bloody walking disaster, I tell you!
We finally seem to be getting our summer weather, at long last, and I'm finding working in my new workroom to be so completely different from my old one. In the old bungalow, the room faced north, and had very little natural light. The only time it was a comfortable place to work in, was during the hot summer months, when it was a reasonably pleasant temperature. My new workroom is upstairs, south facing, and flooded with fabulous natural light. So much so, that I don't need a light on to work by, for most of the day. It is however, extremely warm, and I'm having to use a sheet of glassine paper to prevent my drawing hand from sticking to, and marking, the drafting film. We all know heat rises, so with this being an upstairs room, and the house having 'proper' central heating, I'm probably going to be as warm as toast when working in here over the winter. Or at least, I probably won't be needing my new heater too much. I do need to try and re-arrange things in here though. It's a much smaller room, with lots in it, and a bit cramped at the moment.
Following on from the gorgeous little shetland sheepdog, I started on another fluffy cat; I really am a glutton for punishment, aren't I? This was a sort of tabby/tortoiseshell mixture, and was a lovely reference photo. I chose it because it had several different fur types, and I wanted to see what I could do with it. There were a few challenges, but I didn't have very much trouble with it at all. I managed to get it completed reasonably quickly, and I was very pleased with him when he was done. Cat drawings are often popular, so fingers crossed he sells.
My social media following seems to still be growing slowly and steadily, with Instagram follower numbers overtaking Facebook, and growing at twice the rate. I've noticed I'll get a flurry of followers, then a couple of days later the number will drop again, as the 'spammers' gradually get deleted. It's a weird world. I follow a lot of different people on there, including several artists, and there's some great work being shared; it's so encouraging to see all the fabulous work being created.
This month has also seen the start of the Rugby Union World Cup. Now, apart from a few horsey things, I'm not really a sports fan. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the effort all these dedicated people put into their sports, and I can occasionally sit and watch half an hour of golf, motor bikes or touring cars, and I love watching the olympics and paralympics, but I'm not one of those people who glues themselves to the telly to watch any sport, on a regular basis. However, I do like a bit of Rugby, or even a lot of Rugby, so yes, I am going to be glued to the telly on and off for the next few weeks.
I hope you've had a fabulous summer, and autumn is now blowing in at an alarming rate. I'm enjoying waffling on about nothing much, on here, too! Thanks for reading! JT
AUGUST '23
Well, what a successful exhibition that was. Not only did I sell my parrots drawing at Long Melford, I also sold my horse drawing, and a print, too! Talk about chuffed! I later discovered my highland cow, although it didn't sell, was voted visitors' joint second most popular artwork at the exhibition, and that has certainly put a spring in my step!
I have finished drawing my lovely little puppy, and am very proud of him. He took a while, because of the gap for moving house, but I'm pleased with how he turned out. I now think he may be a ridgeback, but I'm not sure. It looks like one, but has no ridge, although, I have discovered they can be born without the ridge that they are named after, which I didn't know. After I had finished him, I started something different. When trawling the internet's free reference sites, looking for inspiration, I came across a couple of photos of really cute field mice. Right, I thought, time to draw a harvest themed piece. So I played around with the photos, and came up with a sweet composition. It went without a hitch, and I was very pleased with the result.
On the subject of harvest; we've been inundated with harvest spiders indoors, and I've been struggling to keep on top of them and their bloody cobwebs, since we moved in. With two golden retrievers in the house, we already get collections of blond hair (I call it tumbleweed) in the corners of the rooms, and around the legs of furniture, but with the harvest spiders making webs everywhere, hair seems to be amassing in other areas too. Luckily, we have an industrial vacuum cleaner, and it makes short work of the ruddy things, when I have time to have a blitz. I'm going to forgo my usual rant about the weather this month, as I think we've all had enough for now. But one positive, is I notice we now have a proper BIG house spider indoors. I don't mind; I'm absolutely fine with spiders, always have been, even as a kid (weirdo), and since she moved in, we have far less of a harvest spider issue. She lives under the telly cupboard or the spare armchair, when we're in the lounge (the dogs give her a wide berth), but the rest of the time she has the run of the house, and appears to be earning her keep. She can stay.
After the harvest mice drawing, I started on another dog portrait. This time it was the photo of cute a little Chihuahua that caught my eye, and I got stuck in right away with much enthusiasm, and that's the way the whole picture progressed. I think I'm on a roll! It sounds daft, but I've hardly drawn a wrong pencil stroke since we moved. That comment is certain to jinx it now! Actually the only thing that happened, was my social media enagement just seemed to cease completely; it went from several interactions per post to nothing, overnight. I got a right strop on, and posted a couple of snotty 'don't know why I bother with this' posts, at it seemed to be a complete waste of time. A day or so later, and normality had resumed, people were commenting again, and all was well again in social media land. I think the algo-gremlins had just forgotten me for a bit. Who knows!
The 'is it a hibiscus' shrub in the back garden turned-out to indeed be a hibiscus, and its flowers are a stunning sort of pinky-magenta colour that changes to bluey-mauve as the blooms fade and die. It's full of buds, and I love it. Such a shame Hubby wants to build a shed there! I think we need to make a proper plan, because I've never been successful with hibiscus in the past, so I don't want to risk moving this beauty. Looks like Hubby's shed will have to be built elsewhere.
I finished the Chihuahua by the end of the month, and it went without a hitch. He has such a cute cheeky little face, and is now looking for a home. After him, deciding I was on a roll, I started on another dog, which I'll tell you all about next month. All I will say, is he's going really really well.
Finally, and I really hate to mention the 'C' word just yet, but I'm now taking bookings for Christmas commissions, should anyone be interested. So, book early, because I don't do too many, so spaces are limited. I do have Gift Vouchers, too, not that anyone was interested last year, so we'll see what this year brings.
Thanks for your time! JT
JULY '23
I have to say, this month has been very changeable, weather-wise; no wonder foreigners always say us Brits are obsessed with the weather! I know it's usually unsettled around 'Wimbledon' fortnight, but this summer, so far, has just been ridiculous.
We're really settling into our new cottage now, and it no longer feels strange being here; it's already home, even after just a couple of months. We're both sleeping so much better, and life is so much more relaxed. Possibly helped by the fact that I'm not spending anywhere near so long driving back and forth as before. We have fabulous beech hedges, front and rear, which I love, and we keep finding new gems, such as beautiful roses in bloom in the south-facing front garden, and their scent is just delicious. In the back garden there is a yellow and white flowered honeysuckle, and its scent, in the evenings, is divine. It wafts in through the toilet window, and makes the most fabulous natural air-freshener, and the bees love it, too. A large cherry tree dominates one side of the back garden, and I've recently treated myself to a tree seat. It's one of those old fashioned style circular metal ones, that wraps around the trunk. I've always wanted one, and I'm very pleased with it. I like to sit out there, with a cuppa, and a book, or I watch the dogs playing in the garden.
We still have plenty of boxes to unpack, and probably will for a while yet, as work has had to recommence, and time has been limited. I have recently been given a new, bigger work desk. It's actually a second-hand desk, that a friend was throwing out, and it's great having the space to work again, as my temporary small desk was very cramped, and I've had no drawing space since we moved. I had been working on our dining table, with both extensions pulled out, when we were in the old bungalow, as we had no room to use it as a dining table, but here it has been repurposed in the dining room. Ok, it's currently hidden under a dozen or more, as yet unpacked, boxes, at the moment, but that will change, eventually. I managed to sort out all my drawing boards, and have recently dug out my pencils, too, and carried on with a drawing I had started at the art workshop, before we moved. It's a cute hound-type puppy, and it's going very well so far.
I was at the stables recently, in the paddock, and my friend's horse spooked, and sent me flying. I landed on my side against a fence post, bashing my leg. No harm done, and very little pain, but I did have the most amazingly colourful bruise on my thigh, as my phone and some horse treats were in the pocket, just where I had collided with the ground. As I say, very little pain, but the bruise took two weeks to go! Two weeks later, and my horse carelessly trod on my foot. Again, no harm done, just a squashed boot. I think I've been a bit accident prone this month!
This year's art and craft fair at Ashen church was a good one, as it usually is, although sales were again low. However, they run this each year, to raise money for the church upkeep funds, so it's good to support it, and the effort is always appreciated. I have also had a lovely evening out at the wedding reception of a girl who used to be a fellow livery, until she moved away. It was lovely
to catch up with her and some other friends. She was a beautiful Bride, and Gosfield Hall is lovely, and a fabulous setting for a wedding. Despite having lived in this area all my life, and having driven right past it dozens of times, I had never actually been there; it's beautiful!
The Suffolk Art Society's Summer exhibition is being held in Long Melford, from Friday 21st July through until Sunday 6th August. I forgot to mention at the last exhibition, that this year's chosen charity the SAS is supporting, is the East Anglian Children's Hospital (EACH), so do pop along and support in any way you can. I am exhibiting there, so wish me luck!
I've just heard that I have made a sale at the exhibition, so I'll report on that next month, once I have the details. Bye for now! JT
JUNE '23
This month started with the sale of one of my pictures at the Lavenham exhibition, which was a big confidence boost. It was one of my older pastel pencil drawings of a black cat on black paper. It was quite an atmospheric picture, where all you could see was the light on the soft long hairs of the body, and the cat's two big green eyes. It was actually a picture I had forgotten I still had, until I was sorting through what to exhibit. I'm so pleased someone liked it enough to give it a new home. It was a very good exhibition, and was well attended. There is a really decent second-hand bookshop in the Church, and prices are incredibly low. So naturally, when the exhibition is quiet, and being a bit of a bookworm, I can't resist the temptation to wander over and have a browse. This time I came back with a couple of fabulous hardback gardening books for about £3 each, but I was good, and donated a bag of our unwanted books at the same time, so I don't feel too guilty.
Having lived in bungalows since 1997, I was unsure how well either of us would cope with now having stairs, and I have to confess, the first few days, when I was up and down a dozen or more times a day, my old knees were finding it quite a challenge. However, as time wears on, we've both noticed how much stronger our legs are. We also have four big steps down from the back door to the garden. Both the dogs fell down these a couple of times, and I was quite worried that they were going to hurt themselves. They were used to just bounding out the door, in the old place, but here, they need to take more care. But I needn't have worried, as a few weeks in, and they're bounding up and down them with relative ease, and it appears to be doing them good, fitness-wise.
The back garden is providing us with some gems. There are no flower borders (yet!), but there's a couple of shrubs near the bottom hedge, and all sorts of colourful things are emerging from the thicket beneath. Including what looks like the most exquisite purply-magenta coloured gladioli type flower, and one of the shrubs looks to me to be a Hibiscus, which I adore, so it will be interesting to see what colour that turns out to be. I'm going to live with the garden for a while, and see what's there, before planning a makeover, so that's probably going to be next year's project. We'll see!
Our weather here has still been quite changeable, sometimes hot and sunny, sometimes incredibly wet and windy. I'm having to keep a variety of clothing in my car, in order that I don't get caught out. I recently went to the stables in just my usual jodhpurs and polo shirt, as it was lovely and warm and sunny, and an hour later, I got soaked to the skin; even my socks were wet! A few days later, and I'm back in a hoody, and debating gloves, and a short while later it got so warm I actually contemplated driving back home to get changed.
Whilst on the subject of the stables; a few months ago, my friend who has been doing livery services at the yard, gave up her loan horse, and has now moved on. So I decided to offer my services, now that I'm living so much nearer to the yard. To be honest, I'm not at all sure I'm fit enough for all the to-ing and fro-ing that will be involved, but I've often been a sort of 'spare pair of hands' to help whoever has been doing it, certainly for the last few years or so, so thought I may as well take it on. We're hopefully moving into summer, just in case nobody has told the weather, so it shouldn't be too taxing to begin with. I'm not sure I'll be so keen when it's blowing a gale with hail coming horizontally across the fields, and the horses flying around like kites, but time will tell, and at least I can now say I have the right sort of clothing to deal with the weather!
We've had a lot of hares in the local fields this year, and I recently managed to get a short video of a group of six of them all playing together in a paddock. When I parked, they just sat there watching my car, so I took a photo, then videoed them before slowly driving off. They're so lovely to see. We've also seen the welcome return of swallows to the yard. We used to get loads each year, nesting in the eaves of the stables (covering everything in poo), and raising their babies. But over the last few years their numbers have reduced drastically, and I'm not sure we saw many at all, last summer. This year however, there are lots!
Instagram seems to be the place to be, social media-wise, and amazingly I'm already up to 500 followers in just over a year. I can't quite believe it; the audience growth rate is so much faster than on Facebook, and I already have more followers on Instagram than I do on Facebook. Bonkers. I'm still not going to join TikTok or SnapChat or any of the others, so if you want me, you know where to find me.
Sadly, I still haven't had that much time for drawing recently, but I have had a repeat commission, from the friend who I drew a horse for, last summer. This time it was a really beautiful tabby and white cat, for a friend of hers. I struggled a little with it, but got there eventually, she really was a beautiful cat, with a very particular expression. I think I managed to capture it.
That's it for now, I think. Thanks for popping by. More next month. JT
MAY '23
Sadly, I missed exhibiting at the Clare Art Club event, as I couldn't find everything I needed, due to not being sufficiently organised, when moving house. I was really disappointed to miss this exhibition, as I had plenty of works I could have exhibited, and they had a very successful event, with plenty of sales, and lots of positive feedback. To be honest, I had got my dates in a muddle, and the exhibition weekend came around a week sooner than my brain had it logged at. I was very disappointed, but hopefully that will teach me to be better organised for next time.
The house move has been completed, and I've had just about enough of packing, moving boxes and unpacking, now. Hubby has rebuilt our wardrobes, which he had to dismantle in order to move them, and I've started sorting our clothes into what we want to keep, and what we don't, as I didn't get round to doing that before we moved, so in the end, I just bunged everything into bags and moved the lot. Unfortunately, we had to burn some items of furniture, as well as clothing, and some soft furnishings, as they were just too damp and mouldy to save. I've had to wash curtains and some other items twice, in order to try and get them mould free. It's quite disgusting just how damp that old house was, and once we had cleared our belongings, we were amazed at the cracks in the structure, probably caused by subsidence, or 'clay-heave' I would think. There's definitely some money needing to be spent there. It feels so good to have finally put that awful place behind us, I was beginning to wonder if we ever would!
After all the to-ing and fro-ing, and seemingly endless phone calls and emails, and LOTS of stress, I can announce we FINALLY have a proper, decent internet connection! Honestly, you don't realise just how much you use something until you don't have access to it, it's just bonkers! When I have the time, I can catch up with zoom meetings and tutorials with ease, and our connection, so far has been faultless. Long may it continue. Strangely, it's also cheaper than our old BT deal.
We've had some lovely warm dry weather, recently, which has been very welcome indeed, and the dogs are happily enjoying their new garden. It's so much more peaceful than the previous property, which had a footpath running alongside it, so our dogs were frequently disturbed by the local dogs and walkers, who regularly used the path. Here, there are far fewer disturbances; our new neighbours on one side have a couple of chickens, who don't make much noise at all, and the other side have a dog that doesn't ever bark! This means a much quieter and more relaxed life for our two, which is great now they are advancing in years. They have already chosen their favourite spots in the back garden; Roxy likes to lay in the centre of the lawn, in the full sun, whereas Oscar prefers to be in the shade beneath the cherry tree.
Bonny Snowdon has now created a 'virtual' art gallery on her website, which you can visit for free. It showcases a large selection of her students' artworks, and she will be changing it quarterly, so everyone's pictures will be on display for around three months. I submitted my black Labrador that Bonny was so complimentary about earlier this year, and it's wonderful to see it displayed alongside everyone else's work. I'm really quite proud of it. Do check out the exhibition at www.bonnysnowdonacademy.com/bonny-snowdon-academy-virtual-exhibition, it's definitely worth a look!
The Suffolk Art Society's Spring exhibition runs daily from Saturday 20th May until Sunday 4th June. It's in the Church in the beautiful village of Lavenham in Suffolk. A large and very diverse exhibition, with plenty to see and buy, in just about any media you can imagine. Do pop along. I am actually exhibiting this time, as I gave myself a good talking to, and got myself organised. Lavenham itself, like lots of Suffolk villages, is worth a visit any day, with some fabulous old timber-framed buildings, and good pubs and eateries to tempt you. The church that hosts the exhibition is beautiful, too.
In case you're wondering, I am still doing 'Dry January' even though it's now May, and I'm not planning to give it up any time soon. OK, I do have the occasional G&T; if we go out, or if I feel like it, but not on a daily basis like I always used to. I can't believe how much better I feel, and I'm sticking with it. My other dietary issues seem to be lessening at the moment, so maybe it's a reaction to the change of environment. Time will tell.
Finally, my lovely Hubby has his Birthday at the end of this month, so we've been really busy trying to get the back garden organised, and the garden furniture cleaned and ready, so we can have a barbecue, and invite his family round. He's been working his tail off these last few weeks, it's been a very busy period for him at work, and with the house move on top of that, he definitely deserves some time off. Although, he does love to cook, so he'll probably do all the food prep, and all the cooking, anyway!
Thanks for popping by, and I hope you're having a fabulous spring! JT
APRIL '23
After the hellebores of last month, I decided to test myself by drawing another fluffy cat, just to try and get over my 'mental blank' issue with long fluffy fur. This time I chose a full body picture of a long-haired ginger cat, and at the very least, I didn't overwork the film, this time. I actually drew this one from the bottom up, so I got all the long fur in before starting on the face, and it turned out quite well. I was a little disappointed at the lack of realism, but it was not a bad picture all in all.
The weather here has been very changeable, with some lovely sunny 'proper spring' days interspersed with some horrid and very wet, windy days; like April showers, but wetter and heavier. My fabulous EquiDry coat is being well-used and very much appreciated. That, together with my new neoprene-lined muck boots, that I recently bought with a discount at a closing-down sale, and I'm sorted for now, against the worst of the weather, when I'm outside. Indoors, however, is still what it is, but not for much longer!
Yes, we have viewed the cottage, and loved it! No, it isn't completely perfect, as the driveway is much smaller than we are used to; it would be fine for two small cars, but it's cramped for our two larger ones, but it is something we can work with. So, to cut a long story short, we applied, were accepted, and are currently in the process of moving in! It's just SO exciting, I have to keep pinching myself! I'm like a small kid at Christmas, and my face hurts from smiling. Having to sort all your belongings into boxes is both therapeutic and stressful at the same time. It's definitely true when they say you really don't realise how much 'stuff' you have until you have to pack it all up. It's mainly down to me, as Hubby is busy with work. Wish me luck!
Because of the house move, I'm sadly not finding time to catch up with tutorials or zoom sessions, at the moment, and I'm not getting any drawing time, either. So my social media feed is full of revisits and a recent border terrier commission, that I'm really really pleased with. Well, that's when I can get on-line. There's no BT service at the new place, so I'm having to use the connection at the old place, whilst collecting stuff, or my mobile connection when I'm at the new address. We were hoping to have a connection through EE in the first week or so, but, as luck would have it, there's no EE signal here either; you'd think they would have checked this before sending all the equipment out, wouldn't you!? But no, just more time wasted, and more cost. Stop me before I get back on my soap-box, for heavens' sake. I've been trying to update addresses with seemingly just about everyone on the planet, and have no connection; quite frankly it's been driving me daft; I may have to start drinking again!
On the booze front, I had a few G&Ts in the evenings, when we moved, partly because we'd both forgotten to stock-up on alternative soft drinks, and partly for celebratory purposes. I have to say, I really really enjoyed those drinks, as my lovely Nephew had bought me a bottle of Gin for my birthday, and it's delicious! Having now not been drinking for over three months, I have noticed that when I do, I feel sluggish and achey, with higher blood pressure, and interrupted sleep. Very interesting. I think I'll keep 'dry' for a little longer! My whole body seems happier, and I'm having far less dietary issues than normal, too. I had a bowel resection back in 2010, and have discovered various dietary issues since then. Probably because my shortened digestive tract finds it harder to digest certain things, now, that it used to cope with, previously. For example, I've always been Fructose intolerant (I love fruit, but break out in spots), but have now realised I'm also lactose intolerant (which turns out to be genetic), and if I don't eat a good amount of nuts, seeds and vegetables daily, then everything just stops! Same if I eat too many carbs. It's very interesting, but annoying, too. You probably didn't want to know all that, did you?
Now, I mustn't forget to remind you about the Clare Art Club's annual exhibition at the end of this month; 29th April to 1st May. It's in The Old Goods Shed at Clare Country Park, Clare, Suffolk, and is open from 10am to 5pm each day. Do pop along to see (and buy!) all sorts of original art works; drawings, paintings, prints, greeting cards, jewellery, pottery, textiles, and more. I'm sure there's probably cake, too! Have I mentioned before, that I love cake?
Thanks for popping by. JT
MARCH' 23
March starts, for me, with my Birthday, on the fourth, and guess what; my first ever batch of greeting cards arrived on my Birthday! They're quite a small size, so won't be too expensive, and I'm very happy with both the print quality, and my choice of card stock; the smooth silky texture is very nice indeed. There are thirteen different pictures, so hopefully something for everyone. I'm now going to have to sit down and do a 'promo' photo session to get them advertised. It's so exciting!
I recently treated myself to a birthday present of an EquiDry coat, for when I'm at the stables. They're the 'latest thing' in the horse world, and I'm not really that kind of person. I think they were based loosely on the DryRobe coats that you may have seen. They're definitely not the most attractive of garments; looking more like a baggy padded bin-bag than a coat, but several people I know have them, and they swear by them for keeping you warm and dry. So, I treated myself, and I have to say, it has been a real game-changer! Friends warned me that I wouldn't need so many layers of clothing on underneath it, and they were right. My hands are happier, because my body is warmer, so my blood is warmer, and that's keeping my fingers warmer. Money well spent. Win win! I have also bought one of those cheap oversized fleece hoodies, to wear over the top of my other clothes, when I'm sitting at my desk. It appears to be making a bit of a difference, too.
This month I have drawn a Maine coon. The cat in the reference photo had a very stern, almost studious kind of expression, and the most fabulous long tabby coat; he really was a beauty. I found I was enjoying myself with this one, and its face and head were going extremely well. However, I somehow managed to mess-up the chest and shoulder fur. I just couldn't seem to get it right; my mind was obviously elsewhere, and I stupidly overworked the drafting film. I was annoyed, because I haven't made that mistake for ages. Try as I might, the surface simply wouldn't take any more layers of colour, and there was nothing I could do to remedy it. I've done this a couple of times in the past, and it's really quite infuriating. I had considered binning it, but a friend at the art workshop suggested just cropping off the lower portion of the picture, to show just the head and neck, so I did that and it looked perfectly ok. Phew!
One of the many things I've learnt so far from Bonny Snowdon, is that drawings often don't go right when there's 'something' going on elsewhere in your life. She says it's just the same as 'writer's block' that authors get, and that things will all level out again when life gets back on track. It sounded completely bizarre to me at first, but I'm beginning to subscribe to the same thought, and I think this is what may have happened when drawing this cat.
As you may have gathered, we've been house-hunting for far longer than I care to remember; renting when you own dogs is not easy, and having a small budget, and a limited target area like we have, for various reasons, really restricts the number of properties available. I have a friend who says I'm too fussy, but I think fussy is important when it comes to where you spend your life, and if you're not happy where you live, I believe wholeheartedly, that it impacts hugely on your welfare, even if you don't realise it. We have looked at several places over the last few years, but haven't found anything that really suits. They're either great, but in too built-up an area or too far away, or they're in the right area, but there's no secure parking, or not enough garden, or perfect, but the rent is far too expensive (and rents are bloody expensive), or they're right in every way but no pets allowed. It has been very frustrating up to now. However, I think I may have finally found the right one! I don't want to jinx it, but I have a very good feeling about this one. Please keep your fingers crossed!
Having become despondent with long tabby fur after the Maine coon, I decided to have a complete change, and started to draw the hellebores that have been growing in our front garden. I photographed them a couple of weeks ago as they were looking absolutely beautiful. I had planted one plant a few years ago, under an ageing and very woody buddleia. The plant had naturalised beautifully, and spread into an attractive clump of purple flowers and glossy green leaves. I made up my own composition from a couple of different photos, and really enjoyed drawing them. I don't think I quite achieved the delicacy of the petals, but when I shared them on my social media pages, they were very well received, and I had some lovely comments. Maybe I will draw some more flowers.
This year's exhibition dates have now been released, for both the Clare Art Club, and the Suffolk Art Society, both of which I am a member of. The Clare Art Club Exhibition is Saturday 29th April to Monday 1st May, in Clare, Suffolk. The Suffolk Art Society's Exhibitions are Saturday 20th May to Sunday 4th June in Lavenham. Friday 21st July to Sunday 6th August in Long Melford. And Friday 20th to Saturday 28th October in Bury St. Edmunds. I have added these to my website and social media pages, along with location maps of each of the venues. Hope to see you there!
I had a couple of G&Ts on my Birthday, but other than that, I'm still not drinking, and I really can't believe how much better I feel; I have lost some weight, I'm sleeping so much better, and I have much more energy, so I'm sticking with it for now. Sadly, whilst I'm much warmer outside, thanks to my new coat, I'm still suffering with the cold temperatures indoors, and I'm drawing with gloves on, a blanket on my lap and my trusty new heater on. Hopefully April will bring some respite, and even if it turns wet, maybe it will be a little warmer. Roll on spring!
Thanks, as always, for your time. JT
FEBRUARY '23
This month, I began by drawing a lovely little Irish terrier, which went very well. The rich orangey colours really shone in the reference photo, and his dark eyes were really quite expressive, I just had to draw him. He didn't take that long to draw, and I started him at the art workshop, one cold bright morning, and then carried on with him at home that afternoon. I then finished him over the next few days, and I was very pleased with the final piece. It was a good size, and would look lovely all framed up and ready to go. Suddenly, I remembered there's a lovely lady who goes to the same art workshop as me, who owns an Irish terrier. I recalled that she had kindly commissioned me to draw him for her (in graphite), a few years earlier, when he was a puppy. Anyway, the following week, I showed her a photo on my iPad, of this new drawing, and she immediately insisted on buying it! She said it looked exactly like her dog now he was an adult; how lucky was that!? I mounted and backed it, and delivered it to her the following week. Could this be a new selling tactic?
Unfortunately, we've had ongoing issues with our BT 'Superfast' broadband connection over the past year or so. It was superb when they first installed it, but as more and more properties in the village have been connected, the service has become less reliable. We noticed it dropping out occasionally, a few months ago, but it was something we could just about tolerate. But, just recently, it's been going on and off like a Belisha beacon. I haven't been able to follow any zoom sessions, or watch any video tutorials without it going off part way through, and not coming back on again. It was eventually 'fixed' by the end of the month, but not before I had blown a gasket on more than one occasion. Curiously, contacting BT via Facebook Messenger was the best way to get it sorted out, and I would recommend that route for anyone else who may be having issues with their connection. Interestingly, do younger people not know what a Belisha beacon is? I've had two people look at me like I'm daft when I've mentioned them, recently. Is it me?
Self-centred misery alert! Yes, I'm going to have a bit of a moan now; my darling Hubby has had a cold (I can moan, as I don't often catch them), so consequently he's been snoring like mad at night, and I've not been sleeping well because of the noise. It has added to the stress of living in a very cold and very damp house, and the issues with the internet haven't helped my mood much either. First world problems, I know. Anyway, roll-on spring, my patience is waning!
Bonny Snowdon has set another 'mastermind challenge,' and this time it's a close-up of a cat's face, with the nose area in sharp focus and the rest very blurry. It was definitely a challenge, but I really enjoyed drawing it. I then decided, after watching Bonny's coaching and confidence building videos, that I would join in with the zoom meeting, this time, and actually take part. I would talk through my attempt at the drawing, saying which pencils I had used and go through any issues I had encountered. I practiced talking to the camera in my iPad, and even wrote down bullet points, so I didn't get flustered; I was confident that I was well prepared. Yeah. Right! On the day, I think I must have got stage fright; I was all tongue-tied and just babbled on, with nothing coherent actually coming out. How embarrassing was that? At least I had a go, but it's something I definitely need to work on
Back to the drawing board, and a chestnut horse was next. I tried really hard to stay light, but I was a little heavy-handed on the cheek area, and had to correct this where I could. I was pleased with the result, as I had managed to achieve the kind of shine on the coat that I had wanted to create. Following on from that, I drew my own horse, Flynn, who is a grey. It was from an indoor photo, taken in his stable, and with less vibrant light and detail than I would have liked. But when I enhanced the photo, it brought out lots of colour, so I ended-up drawing a grey horse, with yellows, pinks, greens and blues in the coat. Interesting, but effective. I didn't particularly like the finished drawing, not sure why, but probably because it didn't turn-out to be the style that I had wanted. However, friends say it does look like him, so that's a positive.
I am still not drinking, and I've noticed I have no more hot-flushes, and I'm sleeping so much better (apart from when Hubby is snoring, obviously), so that's all good. And finally, I have placed an order for some greeting cards of my own drawings, and I really can't wait to receive them, I'm just so excited.
Thanks for reading! JT!
JANUARY '23
Happy New Year! I hope you've all had a fabulous festive holiday, and are ready to hit the new year at full speed. No!? OK, I actually feel the same; it's really just another day, isn't it? And life, as always, will be what you make of it. I've decided to try and post monthly now, so if you're already bored by my inane waffling, look out, there's going to be more!
I have to say, my year has started off quite well, art-wise; I found a fabulous photo of a black Labrador, when searching one of the internet's free sites, and there was absolutely loads of colour detail to work from. I barely made any mistakes, and it just flowed; I was definitely 'in the zone' and I thoroughly enjoyed working on it. I was so proud of the finished drawing, I submitted it to Bonny Snowdon for critique, and no lie, she absolutely gushed about how lovely she thought it was; I was in tears at all her lovely compliments. For once, I really was lost for words. I must say, that was a real high point, and a huge confidence boost - thanks sooo much, Bonny!
There have been several low points though, due to the extremely low temperatures we've been experiencing here, this winter. I have really struggled with the cold, and my poor 'Reynaud's' fingers not working. To cap it all, my bloody workroom heater packed up! I bought the heater not long ago, from someone in the village. It was advertised as 'barely used,' and I have to say it looked nearly new when I collected it, and I was thrilled at my 'bargain.' However, it only lasted a few months, and I really wasn't happy at having to fork-out for a replacement quite so soon. Fortunately, my lovely Hubby took pity on me, and came home a couple of days later with a shiny brand-new one he'd bought for me in the sales! And, it's actually much more efficient than the previous one, so it's not all doom and gloom, as I'm now warmer than I was before!
Then my black Labrador drawing was featured in Ann Kullberg's Video Showcase on Facebook, which was another huge confidence boost. Ann Kullberg is THE coloured pencil person in the States, and she showcases other artists on her site, to encourage and promote coloured pencil work. I was hesitant entering, after being so disappointed with previous competitions, so I was absolutely thrilled to have this piece included! It means it would have been seen by thousands of people around the world, instead of just the usual handful that see my work through social media sites.
I also took part in Bonny's latest 'mastermind challenge,' and this is the first one I have done. She gives us all the same photo, and we can choose whether to draw all, or part of it, in any way, on any surface. Then we submit our version, and Bonny showcases them all in a zoom session, and you get the opportunity to discuss your methods, high or low points, and more, on the group meeting. It's yet another fabulous reason to join her academy. Sorry, I'm sounding like an advert again! This challenge photo was an elderly-looking bay horse, in a tatty looking head-collar, with some extreme shadow, and some vibrant colour. I wasn't going to enter, but I really got stuck into it, and enjoyed the drawing, so I entered, and it was lovely to feel part of the community. There were lots of entries, and it was fascinating to see how differently everyone had interpreted the piece.
So far I have avoided talking about health matters, but something I have done this year, is to take part in 'Dry January' so I haven't had any alcohol since January 2nd, and so far I'm not missing it. Hooray! The end of the month has arrived in a flash; I really don't know where the time went. I don't want to wish the time away, but I am really looking forward to some warmer weather.
Thanks, if you're still reading; I'm actually enjoying 'blogging' even if I don't have much of an audience. I'm already enjoying reading back and reminiscing. JT
WINTER '22
I have finally, just about, finished my portrait of Oscar. I'm really quite pleased with it, and I will be using it to update my business logo.
Unfortunately, winter is upon us again, and the colder weather is definitely affecting my productivity. Unfortunately, I have Reynaud syndrome, so my fingers don't want to work when they get cold, and sometimes they get incredibly painful. Sadly, this house appears to have little to no insulation, and that, along with its poorly fitting glazing, and old and very inefficient storage heaters, means it is almost impossible to keep warm when sitting still. I tend to work dressed-up in several layers of clothing, and gloves, and with a heater under my work table. I'm ever hopeful that one day soon, we'll find somewhere a little less primitive to live. But funds being what they are, and the rental market being somewhat annoying (we have two well-trained and obedient dogs, don't go there), it looks like we're sadly going to be stuck here for a while longer.
I'm still completing Bonny Snowdon's coursework, and even if I can't draw, I can wrap up warm and watch the videos and zoom sessions. I've already learned absolutely loads, and I think I said previously, the 'Foundation Course' ends with a german shepherd tutorial which went on and on, and was incredibly detailed. I did make several rookie errors, but I have been learning how to deal with them, too. As I'm definitely not new to drawing, I got cocky, and decided to test myself, and I actually drew this portrait in reverse, with him facing the opposite way, and I am extremely happy with how it turned out. There weren't many times where I struggled with doing it the other way round to the tutorial; I think it's just one of those things that my very visually-oriented brain finds easy. A great tutorial, and a great course! Thanks once again, Bonny!
This year, for some unknown reason, I decided to enter the Wraptious competition. They are an art-based business, who have their own in-house artists, and they produce things such as prints, cards, cushions etc for artists from all over the world. I entered five pieces, and my entries started off quite well, with my work being voted quite highly in the ratings, but as hundreds more people entered, my entries were overtaken by many others as it went on. So I ended up, as I expected, being an also-ran. The competition runs twice a year, and, to be honest, it is so over-subscribed, I don't think I shall bother again. It's not 'sour grapes' on my part, it's just that I'm not good enough, or different enough, to stand out in such a huge field, and I can accept that. I think I've said before, I'd like to produce my own range of items in the future, but that's just a dream at the moment. However, I have ordered some prints and cushions of my entries, as they were offering them at a discount, so I'm excited to see how they will look when they arrive.
My next piece was a fabulous Otter, from one of Bonny Snowdon's tutorials, although I drew it on drafting film instead of the Pastelmat that she used. I know I'm stubborn, but I have decided I want to get completely proficient on drafting film, before I attempt to use another surface. Most of the time, with this one, I drew along 'live' with the zoom sessions, but there were a couple that I had to catch up with later, as I was busy and couldn't attend the 'live.' The drawing went extremely well, I was very pleased with it, and I can't wait to get it advertised as soon as I can afford to get it framed. It was lovely to be sitting at my desk, with the live lesson on zoom, and dozens of people from all over the world, all tuned-in and drawing along 'together' at the same time. It's a very very enjoyable thing to do.
I have recently decided to copy what some other artists do, and introduce Gift Certificates ready for Christmas. I have advertised this on my social media pages, so let's see if they are popular or not. After that I played around with a couple of other pieces, namely a cute little tabby Kitten in a tree, which Bonny was very complimentary about in her critique, and also a Hare. Oh, and I have re-vamped my website a bit, too.
Lastly, I have opened my commissions diary for 2023, and started working on some potential greeting card designs. I'm excited to see what 2023 brings.
Have a great Christmas! JT
AUTUMN '22
As you know I have been avidly consuming as much as I can from Bonny Snowdon's YouTube channel, and at the start of September, I decided to bite the bullet, pay my money, and join her 'Ignite' academy. Since then, I have been following the coursework, drawing lots, and learning loads. I love the relaxed way she teaches, and drawing along with her whilst she's teaching, is an enjoyable way to work. I've been drawing cat ears, dog noses, curly fur samples, straight hair samples, and all sorts, in the coursework. The final piece is a german shepherd head, which looks very detailed, and I really can't wait to get started on it.
In between Bonny's 'Foundation Course' tutorials, I began work on a double horse portrait of my own choosing; one bay, one skewbald. I stuck to the method I had used when drawing the sea lion, but it wasn't going as well as it had before. I decided, about a quarter of the way in, that I wasn't going to finish it, and that I had over-faced myself again; blimey aren't we great at self-sabotage!? Then I realised I had mistakenly used the wrong blue in an area of shadow; it was far too vibrant. I only noticed my error the following day, when the light in my workroom was better. That's the down-side of working under artificial light in a dark north-facing room. I tried, unsuccessfully, to erase it, and then I tried going over it with a better colour to tone it down, and that didn't seem to work too well, either. Deciding it was probably going to go in the bin anyway, I then applied the same 'wrong' blue to the dark area on the other side, in an attempt to try and balance it out. I'm not sure it worked, but I decided to stick with it for the time being.
One of the things I'm learning from the membership, is that drawings can often not be as bad as we first think, and, even if they are, we should keep them as a kind of 'progress report' to look back on, in order to see how far we have developed and improved. More good advice from Bonny Snowdon; she's very good at that! So, common sense prevailed, and as I had spent so long on this piece, I decided that I was not going to bin it after all, so I finished it. It has been a huge learning-curve, and I'm glad I persevered, because the finished drawing, now I can look back on it with fresh eyes, is actually not that bad after all!
A cute little bay foal was next, which I struggled with quite a bit. No matter what I tried, I just couldn't seem to get the shadow to look right. In the end, though, I was quite pleased with it, and I submitted it for critique with Bonny. She was very complimentary, and she advised me what colours to use to create more realistic shadows; that woman really is a gem! After that, I was feeling a new-found surge of confidence in my ability, and decided to attempt a re-draw of my dog, Oscar, and, if it went well, I was planning to use it to update my logo. It's going very well, so far. Keep your fingers crossed.
I know this is going to sound like an advert, but Bonny Snowdon gives her members access to a huge library of business advice and confidence sessions, as well as critiques and tutorials. I've been binge-watching as much as I can, and listening to them whilst I'm drawing. Her knowledge and advice is invaluable; I'm so glad I made the decision to join; it has definitely been money well spent. She also now has a podcast, which is a worth a listen, too.
It's interesting that my Instagram following is growing much more quickly than Facebook, and I already have in the region of 250 Instagram followers, compared to 350 on Facebook, where I've been posting for several years. Commission enquiries are coming in more frequently now, and I've recently drawn portraits of a couple of fabulous dogs for local people; A very handsome husky, and a gorgeous little border terrier, both from lovely reference photos. Both drawings were a real joy to work on.
I've been thinking, now that I have a few different drawings finished, that I'm happy with, I can start to put together a proper portfolio of works, and I may order some greetings cards, as soon as I have the funds available. I'd like to do calendars as well some day, and maybe cushions or mugs, too. We'll have to see.
That's probably it for now, thanks for reading! JT
SUMMER '22
Things have finally warmed up a bit more now, and we've been having a very nice warm summer. Some days it has actually been too warm for me to be out in the full sun, so I've been taking advantage of the cool of the indoors, and I've been getting down to some serious drawing. Summer is the only time this house keeps a comfortable temperature, and I seem to be able to get more done.
Over the recent summer months I have drawn a german shepherd, which I was very happy with; the reference photo was superbly detailed, which always makes it much easier. Then, from photos I had taken, I started a german wire-haired pointer, but I do think I over-faced myself with that one; I suppose I just wasn't ready for that much untidy, scruffy hair detail, and I may re-visit it at a later date to tweak it, once I have learned more. I'm finding I seem to do one very good drawing, followed by a poor or mediocre one; it seems to be a kind of cycle, but I'm not sure of the cause of it yet.
I was then commissioned by another friend to draw her daughter's ex-racehorse. This was a challenge, because although he's a grey, so not much colour was needed, my client wanted him drawn without the bridle he was wearing, and without the person standing in front of his shoulder, with her arm round him. I also had to add in some mane, which couldn't be seen in the photo, but needed to be there in the drawing, to balance it out a bit. I really enjoyed drawing him, the portrait was very well received, and is accompanying its owner to her new home in Australia. So that's now two drawings in the USA and one in Aus; I can joke that I'm going global!
A really cute little wire-haired fox terrier was next on the drawing board, and that went very well, despite him being mainly white (my nemesis at the moment), although I did get sidetracked, and haven't yet finished the drawing. He still needs to be 'grounded' onto something, as he looks like he's sitting floating in mid-air on the paper. The thing that side-tracked me from finishing him, was a fabulous photo I found, of a wire-haired dachshund, and I just had to draw him. I removed his harness and lead, and ignored the fact there was a person running alongside him, and just drew the cute little dog. He turned out really well, and I was very pleased with him. Someone suggested I call him 'Happy Feet' which seems to suit him perfectly.
This summer, I was lucky enough to be invited to exhibit again at a local church exhibition, in a village about half an hour or so, away. It's where I go to the art workshops, when I can. It was an extremely hot weekend indeed, and attendance was poor, so not many people sold any artwork, sadly, but that's the way it goes sometimes. You can never tell what will sell, and what won't, and when attendance is poor, sales will generally suffer.
Around that time, I decided to draw from a fabulous photo I had found, of a fox cub. Like most things I draw, I shared it on my social media pages, and soon sold it to a gentleman a couple of villages away, as a gift for his partner. That was a real confidence boost!
I've been a member of the SAA (Society of All Artists) for several years, and, feeling confident at this point, I decided to enter their competition to draw a Squirrel. I was very pleased with my attempt, and submitted it proudly, but it didn't get anywhere in the competition, wasn't featured in the magazine, and received no recognition at all. I don't remember ever entering a competition before, and I can't say this one has done much for my confidence! However, I can say, that they were flooded with entries, there were literally dozens and dozens, so there wasn't much chance of mine getting noticed among such a huge number of fabulous artworks.
Then recently, I drew a sea lion; wanting something smooth after all that hair, and I was very very pleased with the outcome. It took me quite a while, and I was extremely pleased that I had managed to achieve exactly the effect I was after, purely by accident. His shiny wet skin turned out to look very realistic, and that gave me a huge confidence boost, as I realised I was beginning to learn through experimenting, and not just from following somebody else's methods.
I have been avidly following Bonny Snowdon's YouTube tutorials, and have discovered her facebook groups, too. So I'm learning lots, and enjoying the process.
More next time! JT
SPRING '22
At the beginning of this year, I was commissioned to draw a horse portrait as a birthday present for a friend, so I grabbed a random sheet of paper, and my lovely big tin of coloured pencils, and began to experiment. I honestly don't remember what the paper was (I have lots), but I quite quickly realised I didn't like its grainy surface, and I was going to start again on another, smoother piece. However, the practice portrait was going really well, and I didn't actually want to start again, so I persevered, finished the portrait on the unsuitable paper, and was pleased with the result. Once I had mounted and framed it, it was gifted, and was very well received. Being my first proper drawing in my newly chosen medium, this was a great confidence boost.
Following on from that success, I experimented with a cock pheasant on drafting film. I had been reading about drafting film, and the same friend who had originally introduced me to the workshops, had suggested I give it a try. I drew the bird too large, and didn't particularly like the finished piece, but it was good to experiment with the all those bright colours after drawing a brown horse. After that, as a contrast, I drew a zebra mare and foal, which actually turned out reasonably well, and I soon found I was really enjoying using the drafting film, despite its limitations. I then decided to draw the a new foal owned by a horseman that I was following on social media. The finished piece turned out much better than I had expected, and I was really quite pleased with it, so, on a whim, I sent it off to him and his wife, in America, and in due course, I received a really lovely email in response.
I'm one of those people who finds social media takes far too much time and effort, and I don't have the enthusiasm for it that other people seem to, so a few years back, I gave up all my various accounts, with the exception of Facebook. However, I recently decided to rejoin Instagram, in order to give my following a much-needed boost. There's no point churning out artwork and not advertising it, is there!? It will be interesting to see whether it is effective or not.
After the little palomino foal, I started on Hamish, the highland cow. Unfortunately, at around thirteen hours in, I accidentally picked-up my slice tool, instead of the blusher brush, that I normally use, to remove pencil and eraser dust, and I swiped a stripe right through the picture! I was absolutely furious with myself, and tried for a whole afternoon to repair the damage. But, the blade had actually sliced right through the surface of the film, leaving a deep scratch, that no amount of work could repair. I was gutted, but had to admit defeat in the end. I've rarely drawn something twice, so it was quite strange to be starting again. On the second version though, I decided to change the horns, and found I much preferred these to the first version. I was surprisingly pleased with the finished picture, despite having been a little bolder than normal with the colours I had used. It had been an experiment, and I had enhanced the colours on the reference photo, to see what effect I would get. I ended up with a predominantly pink and orange cow, however, it doesn't look as bizarre as it sounds!
I then decided to run a 'Win a Portrait' competition on Facebook, in an attempt to increase my social media engagement on that platform, and to try and encourage new followers. I have seen many other people do it, and thought maybe I should do the same; you never know unless you try. To be honest, it was a real struggle, if people don't want to engage, they just won't, even if there's the chance of a free portrait, so I don't think I will bother with it again. The winner, drawn from the hat, had a really cute little tabby kitten, which I drew, and sent off to her in the USA. The recipient was very grateful, and extremely complimentary about her prize. So that's now two of my drawings living in the States!
It has finally started to warm up a little bit, weather-wise, so I have spent quite a long time sitting at my desk and drawing. Having Reynaud's means my hands don't work properly in the winter, and this house is like a fridge indoors, so I don't get much drawing done when it's cold. I started off by drawing a male lion, and although I wasn't really happy with it at the time, I have since revisited and tweaked it a few times, and am now quite content with the finished piece. Following on from the lion, I then drew a pair of blue and gold macaws, which were not fabulous, but they were better than the pheasant, by a long way! After that, I started on my horse, Flynn, from a photo I took whilst sitting on him. It was a little different; his neck, mane and ears, from above, and I have no idea if it will be popular or not, time will tell, I guess.
I have also recently discovered a really good coloured pencil artist called Bonny Snowdon, who has the most fabulous tutorials on YouTube, so I'm going to watch some more of those and see if it helps me to improve.
Thanks for following, if you are. Hope it's not too boring. More soon!
INTRODUCTION TO MY BLOG
Well, here we are; I keep debating starting a Blog, and I have actually started once or twice, but then decided it was a daft idea, and given up. That's been partly due to lack of content, but also the feeling that people wouldn't be interested in anything I would write about. This time however, I'm going to stick with it, and record my progress, now that I've decided to devote some real time and effort to improving my art, and to try to make some kind of earnings from it. If nothing else, it will give me a record of proceedings to look back on in the future
There's a short Bio on my Home page, which you may or may not have read. But I will set the scene, for anyone who may be interested. I have drawn since I could hold a pencil, and I always drew in basic graphite; it's what I had, and what I was happy and comfortable with. Later, at school, we had to use paint, textiles, and all sorts of other media to create art, most of which I had no interest in at all, and very little aptitude for. I can't say I wasn't encouraged at school, because I was; my art teachers were always incredibly supportive and full of encouragement, but I suppose they were naturally limited by the constraints of the school curriculum, and we had to use what we were told to use. I did however, have a huge fondness for three dimensional work, so I thoroughly enjoyed it when we got to work with clay, for example (despite it being messy), and sculpting things is something that I could easily have gotten in to, had I had more opportunity. I do still contemplate it, from time to time, but time, finances, and too many other interests have always prohibited it so far.
After leaving school, I used the full range of graphite pencils, and played around with charcoal (also messy), and I gradually improved, becoming quite immersed in drawing horses, mainly, as well as dogs, and the odd car or building, often as gifts for friends. In my early twenties, a friend talked me into accompanying her to evening classes for about a year, which I thoroughly enjoyed. However, real life (and my Horse obsession) got in the way of my art time, and I stopped drawing in my late twenties.
Many years later, after a chance conversation, I started attending a regular art workshop. I don't suppose I had drawn a thing for something like twenty years, yet I felt totally at ease as soon as I had a pencil in my hand again. After a short while, our tutor encouraged me to experiment with colour, and she lent me some pastel pencils (yes, also messy!) to try. This was quite a challenge at the time, because with pastels, you work light over dark, which is the opposite to what I was used to doing with graphite. However, I really took to it, gained some confidence, and soon became reasonably proficient. I got to the point where I was even exhibiting works, selling one or two, and gaining a few commissions, too.
It was at that art workshop that my love of drawing was reborn. After a few years, I decided I wanted to go back to the much cleaner medium of coloured pencils; they were what I had always wanted to try, but somehow, had never got round to. For my Birthday the next year, my Husband bought me a huge tin of coloured pencils, and I dived right in; all those fabulous colours, I was like a kid in a sweet shop!
Had I started this blog sooner (or continued with one of my previous attempts), you'd have had me waffling on about my pastel pencil works, but because I didn't, I'm going to start from now, when I'm switching over to coloured pencils, and we'll see where this journey goes.
As a self-confessed, life-long horse addict, I will almost certainly write about Flynn, my Irish draught, and other horsey things, and Hubby and I share our house with Oscar and Roxy, our two golden retrievers, so you'll probably get to hear about them, too. Who knows what else? So far, that's pencils, ponies and pooches, maybe that's a good title.
As they say, watch this space!