Guest spot video

In the absence of finding time to post my own pictures I’m resorting to borrowing my children’s creations. This is Hugo’s response to a challenge thrown out by the Zoo York skate-boarding team. If he wins, the whole team will be bearing down on this little English village to visit the winner and I’m going to have to feed them. Believe it or not guys, it’s no longer true that English cooking is rubbish, and I promise I’ll put on a great spread if you make my son’s day*.
*Hmmm I hope that doesn’t constitute as bribery.
Video created by Hugo and friends

Colour version

Like a child I can get quite absorbed in simply colouring in an existing line drawing
Watercolour added to existing pen drawing in sketchbook

The last life drawing of the day

My delightful funny daughter

No the pictures aren’t of Flo, but she displays almost as much bravery as a life model if she thinks it will get a laugh. The other day she cajoled most of the sixth form to turn up at school in fancy dress. They don’t have to wear uniform once they are in their final two years at school and she thought it would spread a bit of delight before their examinations to see their teacher’s faces as they came into classrooms and for no apparent reason were confronted with a motley collection of fancy dress characters. Flo borrowed most of Xavier’s Buzz Lightyear costume, but as the trousers didn’t fit she completed the costume with a borrowed pair of white long-johns and some white wellington boots. She cycles to school and at first thought that she would look less silly wearing the t-shirt, long-john, welly-boot combo and then put on the wings, headgear, gloves etc when she arrived at school. However we convinced her that cycling in half the costume would simply make her look slightly deranged, whereas the complete costume did look as if there was a purpose behind it.
Watercolour on watercolour paper

Ruth in odalisque pose at the paper mill

A gorgeous sunny weekend. I didn’t really feel like going to the life drawing session on Saturday. I think sometimes as a mother I spend so much time doing things for and with my children I feel a bit at a loss doing things on my own.The thought of a few hours of drawing without having to break off to clean something or cook something can be almost intimidating. I am glad though when I make myself do it.
Watercolour and pencil 21 x 13 inches on Winsor and Newton rough watercolour paper

Knees-up Flo

Flo watching with increasing incredulity the bumbling idiocy of one of the teams on ‘The Apprentice’ who – despite the fact that one of their team claimed to be half Jewish – seemed to think that a chicken blessed by the Muslim butcher would do as a Kosher chicken. It was a truly hilarious catalogue of disasters. Our TV highlight of the week. Some of the highlights can be seen here and here
Brushpen in sketchbook

Swimming sketches

A few seconds to draw each person. Barefoot parents sitting around the pool while their offspring splash away. Xavier is on the right in his very long swimming shorts.
Pen and ink in small sketchbook

Cuckoo pint in the hedge

Another phone camera picture, tweaked so you can see both the foreground and the background

Look what can be achieved with a camera phone!

Oh I do love my new little phone. I can walk miles and miles listening to radio 3 or 4. I can ring up members of the family if I need to and I can capture images like this one. This photo hasn't been retouched or cropped. Pretty amazing I think.

After the haircut

Spring is in the air, the bluebells are out, the meadowlarks are making their nests, the sun is shining and the notice saying ‘A case of headlice in the class has been reported’ has been hung outside the classroom door. So all in all a good time to let Robin loose with the home barber kit.
Gosh when I had three little ones coming home from school for the nth time with entire headlice civilizations living in their hair there were times I’d have quite happily stuck their heads in the microwave if it was going to solve the problem. Touch wood there’s nothing in Xavier’s hair… yet.
Pencil in sketchbook

Daddy long legs

Brushpen in sketchbook

Moving head

I don’t bother to ask Xavier to stay still. There’d be a greater chance of Robin announcing that he’d had enough of sport and was going to take things easy from now on. So I sit there quietly waiting for moments that I can hold in my mind’s eye and scribble down on the paper. As you can see my mind’s eye seems to think I have four different five year old sons.
Brushpen in sketchbook