Dennis the Menace

Back in January I wrote about pet portraits – this week I have tried a different medium and a new method. I find that a successful portrait relies upon a good initial drawing which I normally do straight on to the final support. This time I drew the dog (that’s Dennis, the 9 month old Border Terrier who is true to his name) on to plain paper and set out my drawing on the canvas using transfer paper. Working on a canvas is new to me, and this is the first commissioned portrait I have completed in acrylics. The finished picture is 30 x 40, lightweight and a little easier to post than a pastel painting. I really enjoyed setting out the composition, the ability to work inside without making a mess (or in this weather, overheating in the greenhouse) and completing a picture of the full bodied Dennis

                  

                                                   

Bob and Bert go shopping

This week I’ve opened a shop! Well, an online shop on Etsy. It’s lightly stocked at the moment, but with something extra added every week it should soon fill up. I’ve found a childlike pleasure in laying it out, designing packaging and planning what to put on the shelves. My bee has been transferred to an ink stamp and a die for an embossing machine and I have delighted in stamping everything in sight. There may be 800,000 others from all over the world on Etsy, but there's only one Bittern! Please click on the photo below to enter my shop......

Letting go

Over the last year we have been having a good clear-out – trying to make some space and reduce the clutter. I’ve experienced the pleasures and horrors of ebay, braved the throng of a regional car boot and discovered the value of scrap metal. I’d have expected to see some “empty space” for all this hard work by now, but not yet. Perhaps we’ve managed to fill those spaces with new things purchased from the profits of our sales! The most recent clear-out session uncovered a little brown trunk housing my childhood toys – probably the first of my special boxes! The little toys will probably be rehoused and the box repainted for filling with newly purchased art materials….mmm… net space gain, zero!
                          

Afternoon teas

The new pastel box has arrived, and this morning I set about filling it until it was transformed into a little treasure trove of beautiful colours. The rest of the day has been spent socialising with friends, admiring the veg patch and sipping tea with a slice of homemade Victoria sponge. Not a lot else has got done, the waistband feels a little tighter and I’m starting to feel a bit sleepy – but, isn’t that what Sundays are meant to be all about?