Tale Untold

K 2009. Study in coloured pencil.

Isaac wasn’t a happy child. Nor was he unhappy. He spent his time reading or lying in the grass looking up at the sky and the trees. He didn’t show much interest in playing with other boys and hated it when his grandmother invited them to play.

He had no patience with those whose mind wasn’t as quick as his own. Apple sauce for brains, he called it. One day, one of his unfortunate visitors lay under the apple tree laden with ripe fruit.

As the apple fell, Isaac crowed: like calls to like!

The idea of gravity was born.

* * *

The 100-word-challenge-for-grown-ups at Julia’s place: …as the apple fell… With apologies to Isaac Newton.

Lucky Charm

It would be alright. He’d done this a hundred times before. Today he was guiding a group of geologists searching for an underground river in the caves beneath the Jokakichua mountain, or Dragon’s Head, named for its distinctive shape and it’s sudden “flames” of fog.

He knew the greenish algae-produced light helped adjust your senses to the surroundings; it felt eerie nonetheless. Irrelevantly, he wished he hadn’t lost his lucky charm.

Suddenly he stopped, senses on red alert. It was quiet, too quiet. Where was everybody? He heard a deep rasping breath, and felt a hot draft on his neck.

T.Mastgrave’s story challenge: Unnatural silence.

Quick Colours

K ’03. 15 min sketch done from photo on sketch paper.
I see the flaws, and I like it.

I recently came across a lovely art-blog by watercolour artist / teacher Jana Bouc with beautiful ink-and-watercolours, especially her wildflowers.

It reminded me of an art group I went to years ago. I wanted to improve my drawing skills, and spent hours (or so it seemed) labouring over pencil drawings. I know you need to practice, but it gets fairly tedious, so I used to finish up with a quick ink-and-watercolour study, just for fun.

The pencil drawings weren’t that bad. Yet somehow, I was always happier with the spontaneous watercolour sketches than with the drawings that cost me so much effort. I wonder why. Was it just that I prefer colours over line drawings? Or because in my mind one represented work, the other play? Or did the my impatience with one and joy in the other somehow seep into the drawings?

Not so bad, I guess.

You can see I was totally lost, trying to do the reflections here.

Crazy

One of the zentangle habits is to name the patterns one puts in a doodle. The one I personally call “Crazy” (like crazy paving) is good for covering up pattern ideas that didn’t work out. Can you spot it?

In the Depths

The Rose

Perception

Our eyes may calmly look upon this earth
Perceive its beauty, and admire its wonder,
And wander fitfully around its girth
Dividing elements and parts asunder.

For all that we behold we seek to name,
To understand. We always want to know
What’s different, similar, and what’s the same,
Why mountains bulge and whither rivers flow.

But as we grasp the world, our own ideas
Stand in the way of what our eyes can see.
Our stories, superstitions, hopes and fears
Do not allow our judgement to be free.

Know this and your vision will be clearer:
The world’s but your reflection in a mirror.

Patterns of life

The latest 100wcgu challenge is to write a sonnet, possibly including St.George. I gave poor old George a miss. Conversion-at-dragon-point is not really my cup of tea,  and I rather like dragons anyway, see an Elizabethan dragon, and it’s clan.

Small Talk

Twenty questions again. How he hated it.

If at least people asked directly it would be a clean death. These oblique questions were torture. He’d tried evasion. “I work for the government.” It didn’t help, just drew the painful process out.

Unfortunately, he was a bad liar: he’d stammer or choke. He blushed to recall the amazed and unbelieving looks. “I work for a business consultancy”, whatever that meant. Once, in a panic, “I’m a funeral director.”  Well, everything was better than the truth.

The shifty looks. The mumbled excuses.

My name is Peter and I am a tax inspector.

This week’s challenge from T.Mastgrave: Taxes.

Rainbow Trail

Leroy bet me
I couldn’t find
a pot of gold at the end,
and I told him
it was a stupid bet
because the rainbow
was enough.

Rita Mae Brown

Round and Round

Tangling Away

Last year I came across a doodle movement: Zentangle / Tangle / Zendala / Zendoodle etc. Quite simple really:

• draw four points for the corners
• pencil lines between them
• pencil a loop or string to break it up
• fill each of the resulting areas with a different pattern.

Tried it yet?

Splash of Spring

Felt in need of some colour today. Somehow watercolours bring out the pure joy of colours beautifully, don’t they?

Drifting Off

That’s what he would do. Gerald heaved a sigh of relief.

The decision had been driving him crazy. He hadn’t been able to sleep for almost a fortnight. There were so many factors to consider. So many things that could go wrong. But now all that was over. He’d made the decision, and all would be well. It was a great weight off his mind.

He turned over in bed: now for a good night’s sleep. He closed his eyes, ready to drift into oblivion. It was several minutes before he heard the niggling voice.

What if he was wrong?

Another challenge from T.Mastgrave: Doubt.

Turning over a New Leaf?

Spring: time for new things

Feeling Prickly?

Easter Doodles

Easter eggs? Bertie's nose prints?
With modern art: who knows?

Happy Birthday

Bertie loves fireworks.

One month of Berties today. In dog reckoning that’s like a year, so we’re celebrating. If you were born today: Bertie and I wish you a very Happy Birthday. And many happy returns.

Making a wish.

Exercice de Style

I admit to being an art book junkie, and I bought myself yet another one for Christmas, Drawing with Imagination, by Bert Dodson. Plenty of ideas there, and I’m not through yet. This is exercise n°1, and in a small way it reminds my a bit of Queneau (see it in English), and of Madden.

Sleeping in style.

The Scribbler

Feeling scribbly today?

I  just found this adorable online scribble tool. You do a quick doodle, and then it scribbles it in. You can adjust colour and randomness. Addictive.

Make your very own valentine’s rose.

Just a random scribble…

Scepticism in the Nursery

Is the owl really wise?

From my childhood I remember “The animal fair” by Alice and Martin Provensen. Beautiful illustrations,  cute stories and rhymes. One my favourites questioned stereotypes.

“…And though the owl is known as wise,

he’s never won a spelling prize.”

So who really knows? Bertie doesn’t.

Which Witch?

Another rare sight: a flying witch

How do I know it’s a witch?

See the flaming cat on the broomstick? Only witches have cats like that. Bertie could have told you that. Speaking of which. Why do curled up dogs and cats always look so cozy and warm?

Makes you want to curl up yourself, doesn’t it?

Just can’t bring myself to close the flame painter.

Mating Flight of the Phoenix

Bertie the blog-dog as abstract art.

Lazy sunday. I spent all day playing with my new app, the Flame painter. Wow. This is art. Not the results, but the pure joy of playing with colours. I encourage everyone to try the free online version. Peter Blaškovič other simulations are also worth a look.

A splash of spring.

Just playing with lines.

Rare sight: the mating flight of the phoenix.

The male circles, showing off his magnificent fire-tail to impress the female above. If she descends, he’s in with a chance. Rarely seen, phoenixes in mating plumage are thought to bring luck, and the male display seen from below is probably the origin of the “angel” myth and shape.