September swap

Well, I've just received an email from Reni saying she got it, I'm so glad that the small painting arrived safe and sound and that she liked it, I guess now I can post it and why not as a little step by step?

It is based on one of the drawings I made during my trip to Galicia during early september, we have an old little quince tree there, I have no idea how old it is, sure older than me, it feels great to sit on that wall so what better idea than taking the sketchbook and draw for a while?



And the step by step (ok, I know, it's easier to see them if they're not changing constantly so here are the finished quinces and the former graphite sketch), now I can sit, relax and wait for my own surprise in the mail, can't wait to see who's from!

Back home!

I'm back from my trip to Galicia, had a great time but even if I planned to paint A LOT rain soon disagreed with me, got to stay home more than I'd planned but still doodled some landscapes from there, these 2 are the views from the balcony.



I tried to paint this first one but it wasn't working as I expected so I ended up adding marker instead of finishing the color.





This other was done as an experiment, I wanted it to look like I was making a map instead of a drawing so it's kind of sterilized, not weight in the lines and lots of detailed tiny stuff, my neighbor could tell who lived in some of the houses so I guess the experiment worked, though it doesn't really look interesting LOL.

sketches

These are near my home again, same distance but in oposite ways, the first one is the Glorieta de Quevedo, a beautiful plaza with a fountain and sculpture of the writer in the middle, it looks gorgeous specially during summer since the whole morning the sun hits the water running and it sparkles beautifully. Looks like the second one is currently a building used by the administration, it's funny I've spent all my life thinking it was a church but it isn't, I've just read it was built as a hospital for workers, I guess I'll stick to the fact that it DOES look like a church so I don't look completely stupid lol.





And then a couple at the waiting room again, if I'm lucky I won't have to spend hours there anymore so I'll take these as a celebration for that

backs backs and more backs

I've just realized waiting rooms are perfect to sketch people, but it looks like sketching their back is the only way to sketch them freely without having to worry about time, when they are not backwards they tend to get anxious and run away lol.

I loved the ear of that man, I couldn't make it justice

Saturday doodle on site

Yep, this time my surroundings' journal entry is not even a place per se, I was waiting for the bus again after almost loosing a hard fight against my *gasp* building's gate, yep, it refused to let me out no matter what, do you know how it feels to be let out of your home? (as in forgetting the keys inside) well now think how does feel like being locked INSIDE. At least it wasn't only me, an old lady was there with me trying to get out too.

So when I finally got out and went to the bus stop just to see that the new advertisement there was the promo of Ong Bak 2 I realised I had my journal doodle of the day, because when you feel like kicking and punching something there's nothing like thai style, with your knees or your elbows or your knees AND elbows... while flying! then again I can't do a flying kick to save my life so drawing it should be more than enough.

Couldn't sketch it all since the bus came pretty soon for once. I think this one will remain in black and white.

More sketches

I'm not painting at all lately, it seems that everyday there's something that keeps me away from the painting table so I'm balancing it doing the july sketching, fast, easier and pressure-free, I could get used to it, it's so much fun! I thought after sketching the open MRI it was mandatory to sketch the high field one too.



And this weekend wasn't a painting weekend at all, I've spent it at a friends house taking care of her dog while she and her husband were out, dog's name is Luca and she's really old and having a lot of health problems and she never ever stays alone in a room if she can go with you so it was like having a second shadow somehow, but she's a doll and I had a good time with her and seems like she did too since when I was leaving their house she followed me to the stairs instead of staying home with my friend. I planned to draw a lot of sketches of her but since 95% of the time her pose was the same I ended up doing only one.

Teresa's surroundings

July project with my dear pals, sketching weekly whatever is around us and related to us, I'm liking it a lot so I'll probably keep doing it, I've started it in my new small Fabriano Venezia, it's a good sketchbook to use a lot of mediums plus is small enough to fit even in a pocket.

Last saturday I had breakfast with my brother and my friend Angeles as usual, so while I was waiting for the bus on my way I decided to sketch a bit, it's right next to my house and it looked a good subject, I wasn't as fast as needed and before I noticed the bus was going away, without me, and the bus driver was looking at me with that kind of look.., a mix of evil pleasure and shock, I still got to have my "americano" brunch, YUM!



And these are from the clinics where I work, late at night or early at morning are perfect quite moments to take a few minuts and make a quick sketch:




And the ones from the subway, SHAME! each time I look at those.... EWWW! anyway practice makes perfect, I don't know when I'll get brave and bold enough to take the sketchbook out again in the subway and sketch my fellow travellers.

midnight incoherence

Since I could have had a better day I guess it's time to spice it up with some stupidity that'll let me go to bed with a smile in my face so, here! Rhonda, you thought I wouldn't do it, right? but I did! just in my journal though, it's probably not apropiate for a big banner after all,



And I got some goodies last week that I forgot to post, I was going to smell the aqua fix (yes I had to buy it after all, even if there's a chance I never ever use it) but it happens to have one of those secure caps, stupid thing! one of those that can't be opened just by turning, you need to push and then turn to make sure that children can't open it, well I spent over 2 minutes trying to open it duh', and after all the effort it doesn't really smell! I don't even know why I have to smell all these new products when I buy them lol, anyway I bought some sketchbooks too and a set of Pitt pens that I love, I'm a new fan! And of course the excuse to place the order in the first place, a tube of raw sienna :)

Tooooonta!

It's being a hell of a week at work, it would have been nice if it were just at work but today the world has slapped me in the face again with my inability for being a people's person, yeah world, as if I didn't know before... so I feel like sharing this page of my journal, who's feeling like a fool? I AM! good for me.

When in Rome...

Today was going to be a painting day but it's turned into a completely different beast, instead of painting I've spent most of the day with a visit, baby included, man it's tiring but so much fun having a 1 year old baby around! Then I've been quite some time on the phone talking to a friend I met while working at admission of oncology at the hospital a couple of years ago, she's been through really hard times lately and today she's called to tell me about another coworker of that place who has had a nodule in her breast removed yet she's being so cheerful and positive, we've started talking about that other coworker, then about her and we've ending laughing so hard on the phone, it's good to hear her laugh again; today life is good, I've realized I'm so lucky for having met such outstanding women, I hope someday I'll be able to be such a woman too.

Now I look at the latest doodle in my sketchbook and feel a bit guilty of having released my anger in it... well, no, I'm not, taxes times are hard and that's my way of dealing with it :P



plus these other 2 are more in the reminiscing and everyday stuff

More journal

Well, after yesterday's laundry shock this is what will remain, and yes, it was a batch of reddish clothes so I'm being completely true to reality:



And this one just because it's in the previous page, nothing about it other than I was having a bad week at work, enough said

Art journal doodles

This morning the washing machine attacked me during laundry, it jumped to the sink in front of it throwing everything that was on top of it to the floor on its way, so first it was the shock, then the cleaning, and after that the urge to draw the event in my sketchbook, that has reminded me I haven't posted anything in that journal since the slam dunk, so I've scanned a couple of pages, both of them are about gifts I got on the 3 wisemen day (back on january):

This one is based on a cologne I got that I totally love! From Gwen Stefani collection, there are others that I haven't smell yet but they are as cute looking as this one; it's a small bottle with a big doll lol but I've already included it among my favourite fragances. It started as a doodle just because it was there in front of me, then it begged for color and I started to add things from the box, then adding random harajuku girls lyrics looked like a must



This other one is based on a Starbucks' jar that has became my favourite, I can't help looking at it and read the "my journey begins today" message it has, so eventually I had to sketch it.

Dunk it babe!

On friday I started a doodle in my journal, the idea in my mind had nothing to do with what I've gotten so now I'll keep a blank page there to do another one.

Yet I wanted to finish the one I started first, somehow I got carried away and it ended being a figure drawing, in the most classic way, it took about 10 minutes to finish the graphite doodle and then I had to leave for work, how does that always happen when you're starting to warm up? I have no idea...

So friday's session ended like this



and then yesterday I decided to keep working at it, ink and watercolor, I have this old bottle of ink among 4 others that I've had since.... I can't even remember, before my teens for sure, and never used it mixed with other media, yet I've been keeping it even if it's almost empty because it's the only one that has printed big and clear "PERMANENT INK" on it, wel... IT IS NOT, and I learnt it the hard way, I inked the whole thing and then started to add a wash on the background and IT BLEEDS AN AWFUL LOT!!!! so the page now has ended as an ink figure drawing with a colored wash for the background and that's all, finished, it's growing on me but...

Lesson of the day: Always check your materials on a scrap of paper in the same manner of the technique you want to use them for... before working on the final piece.

The page looks like this now:

YAAAWWWWWWNN······

It's been a long day at work, double shift again, eww, I'm so tired, don't know how I managed to go through this for a whole month u.u

Then I've arrived home to find a package from Artyfolk waiting for me, my new Fabriano Venezia sketchbook has finally arrived! and right next to it my new International Artists magazine, great combo!

If only I weren't so tired I would start my new art journal tonight, the first page will be Tebi, the reason why I had to work 14 hours in a row today (without even a lunch break, I won't forgive you for this my dear!), he's the sweetest 3 years old child ever, he got sick yesterday night and fever hasn't gone down from 39º since.

Get well soon Tebi, you and your truck full of gardens will be the first page of my new art journal!

*off to bed*