twenty to twenty-five

twentieth

Hmm, feel like I'm starting to push out
of my comfort zone now, although
I keep dipping back in.

twentyfirst

Enjoying playing with the line like this and breaking up my face into pieces. Crazy paving/stained glass.

twentysecond

This is now another of my favourites, I do love line.

twentythird

and another, ok, I did the last two on the same day, which was the 23rd as I was at work and no free time on 22nd.

twentyfourth

I did have a different idea behind this one but it didn't really work.

Ah well, more experimentation then.

of course, I still felt that it needed the edge putting in.

Contained within.

twentyfifth

And number twenty-five…. today I was feeling a little like this, head in a bit of a black cloud but after doing the portraits, am feeling much better.

14 - 19

Yup, I've got a few more portraits to post.

fourteenth

playing with new pen,
water soluble.

fifteenth

Hmm, seem to be washing myself away a little with these ones. This one (15) was done without the aid of a mirror, amazing how much can be remembered.

sixteenth

oops, eyes really squint here.
I didn't spend a lot of time on this it must be
said.

seventeenth

New inks to play with on the last two.
This one makes me smile. Generic face.
I wonder how much I can abstract and still have it recognisable as me?





Ok, truth be told, the last two were actually completed on the same day as the next (18), it was a busy weekend.

eighteenth

I wasn't really angry, just using
the old eyebrows to look up at mirror.

nineteenth

and, n n n nineteen. Love soluble pens.

Thirteenth

Very happy today because my computer has been returned to me from the fixers…. whew!

So everything computer based is much easier hence the new self-portrait.

thirteenth

Another line drawing… yes I know… but I like them, and this has the added bonus of being done with my left hand.

Twelfth self-portrait

I did try to post this yesterday but for some reason the computer decided it couldn't see the jpeg, so her it is now.

twelfth

 

This was just a 4b pencil but I do draw quite lightly, really enjoyed this one and I think I went a little over the half hour I allowed myself.

self-portraits

I did say that I would be doing a self-portrait every day and of course I have posted nothing.
But.... I was doing the portraits so here we are from 1/11/14-11/11/14. Todays hasn't been done yet.
Before I post them please understand that there is no deliberate attempt to make them lovely as will be patently obvious. I fact the idea is to try different mediums and ideas.

I don't like them all but I did enjoy drawing something that doesn't have to be correct, or to the best of my ability, the concept is just to draw for its own sake as well as retrain my eyes back into looking.

Here they are:

1/11/14

 

 

 

This one was drawn by looking at myself but not the paper and its actually one of my favourite so far.

2/11/14

 

For No.2 I just grabbed whatever came to hand, ink and a yellow pen.

3/11/14

 

 

A little severe for No.3 but I like the lines.

4/11/14

Not a good day as you can see, the name Smeagol comes to mind.
It was definitely a low.

5/11/14

 

Moving on to No.5 and I'm beginning to relax and most certainly a better day.

6/11/14

 

Today I wasn't feeling well.... Hmm, can you tell?
Although I did also pick up an envelope with pastels in and this is all the colours I had.

7/11/14

I think I was a little annoyed with myself today. Burnt sienna ink,black pen and a little blue pencil.

8/11/14

Soluable ink pen and small paintbrush and water.
There's a little softening going on which I'm glad about.

9/11/14

 

No. 9 and all I used was a white pen. The paper is from an old sketchbook that I'd painted washes on. I like the effect so I think I'll use the rest of the sketchbook up.

10/11/14

 

Graphite stick is the medium this time, and I was
aiming for using straight lines completely which
is a favourite method of mine for helping me look
properly.

11/11/14

 

And now for No. 11, which surprised me.

Just painting in the shadows with a very watered down ink wash, I had intended to then draw into it but then decided to leave it.

Two months later

Yup, two months later and I'm back.
My computer just died AGAIN! so I thought this would be the best time to start posting more.
In fact I reckon it's time to contact Apple, most certainly not the best computer I've had.
When it's working I love it but I've had more trouble with it than any other.
The computer I'm on is at uni and looks like I'll be using it a lot more as essay time again.

Anyway, there will be (hopefully) self portraits being posted.
The rules I've given myself are to allow half an hour only and do a portrait every day for a month.
I have one done but not scanned in as yet, and looks like I'll have to do two today to get myself on a roll. Different mediums, basically whatever comes to hand first, so some weird portraits coming up.

January and February there should be much more interesting posts as I'm away to India with my mother.

Day 28

This is the day we fly out (Sat 30th Aug) and it feels very odd, I think it's going to take quite a bit to acclimatise on our return to Scotland.
I'm now writing this on Tues, haven't had my brain working since I got back.

spare cabling

The last visit to Ioana's and Ana's to pick up our glass icon paintings, quite emotional, hugs all round.

On the way there I remembered to photograph the telegraph pole that I'd been passing almost every day and had kept forgetting to photo.
All the telegraph poles are like this, I assume it's for when other buildings are built but I'm not entirely sure.

Reminds me a little of the wiring in India but that is much more haphazard and random. (I will be posting photos of that when I get out there in January 2015…..so watch this blog)

I've decided to leave my icon painting for a few reasons: It won't fit in my bag, I'm not really religious and it's quite nice to leave it behind for Monica. She might sell it to add funds for a project which I'm very pleased about.
We all went back to the corridor flat (mine and Vik's) and the girls helped us take everything up to their's.
From there, all those who'd finished packing (Me and Vik) went into town for some food, beer and enjoy the market. Was extremely pleasant and we got a little tipsy… oops.

Another picture I'd been meaning to get is the sign at a cafe/restaurant on the way to Piata Mare.

owl

I'd love to have been able to get up close to it and have a proper look at the glass.

Medieval Festival still on and the big puppet was on it's feet in daylight. So much easier to photograph due to there not being really bright lights above its head.



we met up with Monica at around 7pm to go out to the airport. Really don't and do want to go.
Spent the usual hanging around airport time then we were boarded and off at 10.40pm.
Arrived in Luton airport about 11.30pm which was weird as the flight was over 2 hours, bags back quite quickly and taxi to the hotel.
Thanks to Vik for the bubbly that we had as a wee celebration before heading off our separate ways in the morning.

It has been an amazing experience, one where I'm not quite sure how much I've learnt as I'm still assimilating it all. Romania is definitely a place I'd return to.