Beads and a feather...for The Ragged Ray

A page from my sketchbook from a few weeks ago.
The beads were for a Diva challenge but I didn't have the courage or 'know how' to send it in.
With help from a very kind person I not only started this blog but also now submit pieces to the challenges!
I need to find out how to do those wonderful drop shadows on smaller details. Most things I just look at other peoples fab work and teach myself but the shadows are beating me..  :/

Diva Challenge #279

Meer and Auraknot duotangle for the Diva's Challenge #279.
These are both new to me but then I'm new to it all! I found the woven design to be really fun once I got my wooden head around how to construct it...doh!
Meer had me cross-eyed, I thought I had where to shade then lost it..then found it I think. Not entirely sure that I pulled it off but the practice is very therapeutic.
I used a little watercolour behind because when it was finished it brought to mind looking through a dreamcatcher..so my thought is a sunset through the dreamcatcher. No laughing now..I will improve I sincerely hope lol!

IAST #156

Adele's third birthday challenge and it was our gift to her for all the effort she goes to for us. For the love of encouraging art she gives us inspiration and a stage. I have only been doing this for a few weeks and love it already.
The colour on this image is slightly different in reality, all listed as greys, one looking quite blue.

I have an unmentionable vision in my head as to what this resembles but you'd have to know me well for me to tell lol!

IAST #155

I wrote down the challenge details, picked up a sketch book and drew this. Then I designed three more, taking time to think about them, planning them.
But! I like this one :) the one that just popped out of my pen on to the paper..more instinctive I suppose.

# DC277

Since spending time in New Zealand I have been inspired by the culture, fauna and flora.
They have a magnificent tree named Pohutukawa which is smothered in scarlet puffball flowers. My circles are to suggest the flower closed, from above and then opened.
I think Pixieoze from Margaret Bremner is the only design I have borrowed but apologise if anything else is taken :)

Exchanging "I should" for "I want to".

Exchanging "I should" for "I want to".

 I have collected quite a few brush pens and fineliners now. I kept telling myself that I should make a colour swatch chart as the ink is not always anything like the pen caps. Should, now there's a word, along with 'must' they are guaranteed to make me prevaricate!
After yet another wrong grey I decided to change the should for want :) Then it seemed like fun and not a chore.
I used Helen Williams' Bloom and now have most of my colours for easy reference. When my new inks and watercolours arrive I will think of a way to do a similar thing..very exciting!

Inspired by the red moons we have in Spain. This was my entry for IAST #153, it was in the rubbish bin for a day until a very kind person suggested I revisit it. A dig through the trash and a little bit of fiddling and it grew on me :)...