WIP Jessie #2

Jessie.

I have toned down the color a little on the hair, I felt it was too bright. Altered the eyes as  on the photo they were a little too dark so using another photo of Jessie for her eyes which I feel looks better.  More work on the right side and the nose. The tongue needs more layers.  Quite a lot more to do yet.

Jessie.

Arches 300gsm.   21.5 x 34 cms

Well It's a sort of WIP. LOL. I did get carried away and felt I was so rusty with the color pencils. I will have to do lots more practice. Anyway i will see how this goes. I can always do a take two, take 3 etc.

Just checking my portrait. .

Jessie just checking to see how her portrait is coming along. LOL.

ATC Cat

This is an ATC  I did last year for the small PPN group.   A nice catch up with friends and my 1st ATC.
in graphite.    I thought I would show you this while I am drawing out my next project which  is Jessie.

WIP Jimmy Choo

8 x 12"  Arches Smooth 300gsm paper. 

I think I will call this finished.  I Will leave it for a day and make sure there is nothing to change.
It's been fun but curly white fur is always difficult.

WIP Jimmy Choo #3

Jimmy is an Apricot/White Poodle. It's coming together but White fur is so so hard especially when it's also curly. I am getting there slowly. I have decided to mist her out at the bottom of the drawing ...cuts down on all the curls a little with not having a lot of time. Still quite a bit to do yet.

WIP #2 Jimmy Choo . ( Poodle)

8 x 12"  Arches Smooth 300gsm paper. 

I managed to get a little more done on this yesterday. I am hoping to get this finished over the next couple of days so that I can get it in the mail.

Jimmy WIP

8 x 12"  Arches Smooth 300gsm paper. 

I have managed to get down to drawing Jimmy.    He is an apricot colored poodle.  He is so cute.
I am hoping to get this finished and sent off to Perth to my son Greg and his Fiancee Tash for Christmas.
I think I will make it in time.

Busy time of the year

Yes it's a busy time of the year.  Heaps of preparation for one day ;). I love Christmas especially when children are around.  I have spend many years making and fitting out Dolls houses etc. A long time ago now. My daughter and family live in  Townsville Queensland, My son and partner are over in Western Australia (Perth).  Nevs son, daughter and their families are in Melbourne (Victoria)  We are spread all around our huge country. It's not always easy to get together.    We will chat a lot on the phone especially Christmas morning.
So this year is is just Nev, me  and Jessie. this year.  Christmas day we will have Turkey (no fuss a nice Turkey Breast to slice).  Ham of the bone and some King Prawns.  Olive bread and salad.   A bottle of wine.     I have to have Plum pudding, Christmas cake, rum balls mince pies etc... you know all those watch the waistline foods.  hehehe.  Oh when I think of Christmas's many years ago when we had traditional Christmas dinner, it was nothing to have 15 - 18 family and friends around the table.
I am putting up the Christmas tree today which I always enjoy with the help of Jessie..LOL.  I will post a photo when it's finished and the lights are on tonight.
I will be starting a WIP  this week.   A dog....Oh no it's not Jessie YET .  Ity's my son Greg and his partner Tash's dog called Jimmy Choo.    The drawing will be a gift. Ssshhhhhhhhh...

How is everyone's preparations going for Christmas?  

Jessie

We have at last got our Bully.   We got her yesterday.  Jessie was a show dog and has had 2 litters of puppies the last being only 9 weeks ago. She went by the name of Audrey.  We will change to Jessie when she gets settled.   She will be 4 yrs old in January.  
Last night she was very worried and a little stressed.   Today sees a  huge change in her.  very calm and seems well settled.    She ate well at dinner last night and enjoys her walks.  She walks well on the lead.
Now retired as we are...Jessie can enjoy a good life with no work and all play.   We think she will be such a good companion for us and us for her.  She loves the tummy rubs.

Bison (Buffalo) WIP finished.

I think I will call this finished...  I can fiddle with it for ever LOL.  There comes a time to say  sign it and call it done.
I have really enjoyed drawing this wonderful majestic animal.   Now what can I do next.????  I am sure I will find something interesting from our trip.

Bison WIP #2

Canson 220 gsm Paper. 30 x 18cm

Got a little further on the Bison yesterday.  Still lots of detail to do yet.  It's so much fun drawing him with his thick coat     I'm not sure if they look like this all the time or if they are in the process of shedding the winter coat but then we took these photos in August/Sept.

WIP Bison

Canson 220 gsm Paper. 30 x 18cm

Time I started drawing.  A nice free day at last to draw. I am doing the complete animal so it will take me awhile. Lots of hair...  It's good practice.   It's pretty much at the ugly stage on the head. hopefully it will get better as I work on it.
  

Bluey having breakfast on the patio.

Bluey having breakfast on the patio. a video by Nev Cross on Flickr.

My work has been featured. (Big Smiles)

A nice surprise when an online company asked if they could feature my work.  Here is the article.
http://pocketchange.become.com/2011/11/best-of-the-web-no-39.html


Thank you  Max Shpungin.   Also here is a link of interest from the company.  http://tips.become.com/

Have a great weekend.

If this isn't the most handsome little Boy.

More on our trip in Gallery. 

I couldn't show you this before our trip as it was a surprise for friends of ours.  Lee, Charlie who live in the US.  This is their grandson Jake.   He is 3 yrs old now.  and still as handsome.  

I can't remember what size I did this but it was quite large.  It was great to meet young Jake in person.  Our last visit to them was in 2004. 

Photos of our trip.

I am slowly working through some photos to upload to Picasa .   I have created an album for China.

Please click on the Gallery Tab under the header on my blog site and click on the image for China 2011.

I hope to get back to my drawing board very soon now.  I didn't get chance to draw while on the trip...  Hope I have not gone rusty  LOL.     I have so many ref photos but not as many of wild life as I would have liked.

Hope you enjoy the photos.   I will work on the USA next.  this will be a large album as we were there for 6 weeks and visited so many places.  

Back home

Hi all.

I am back home after a wonderful 66 day holiday.  Sorry for no posts during the China trip.  China do not allow access to Blogger or Facebook. Grrrrrrrr

USA 

We had a marvelous time in the USA as we have before. The country and the people. We cannot speak highly enough.  Everyone is so friendly.   It was so sad to leave.
Meeting our art friends was amazing  -   Jan http://petstoposies.blogspot.com/   Gary http://gkeimigart.blogspot.com/  Tom http://silversagegallery.blogspot.com/   It was great to see all  Gary and Toms work in the gallery.
Deb. http://artshtickscorner.blogspot.com/    It was great to meet you all and wish we could have spent more time with you all.   It was also great to meet up with a friend  from Flickr Andrew and his beautiful Bully, Maycie.     Last but not least meeting up with friends Charlie, Lee, Dawn, Mario and young Jake.  It was great to see them and catch up again after 7 years.

UK 

We had a great time in the UK.  My very dear Aunt who I love so much.  Meeting up with a 2nd cousin twice removed whom I had not met before Dennis and Christine. We spent a wonderful 2 days with.   It was just like we had known them forever.
I also met up with friends from my teenage years.  We all had a great lunch.

China

Our first meal in Beijing with the tour group was Peking duck.   which was lovely.  

Beijing.   It was great seeing the Pandas at the Zoo.  The great wall, Tianaman square and the Forbidden City.  I am sorry I do not have anything nice to say about the city in general...It was dirty and the Chinese spit everywhere, the toilets are disgusting except for in the shopping centers. It was difficult to find a western toilet at times.  The Chinese don't seem to have any regard for personal space... they push, shove and they are neither friendly or smile.   The only place we did see friendliness was in Suzhou where they smiled and said Hello.  Came over to us at times to show off their babies, it was so nice.  

We had lunch with a Chinese family in Xian which was very nice.  We also visited a school in Xian where we had morning tea and entertained by dancing and singing from the children. It was a special school for children with learning difficulties.  They were so sweet and we got up and did the chicken dance with them.  so fun.  We bought bracelets that they made and gave donations to help the school.  www.westhuiling.org 

We had two overnight train trips.  15 hours each on the tour.   from Beijing to Xian and Xian to Suzhou.  The first overnight train was a real culture shock with only squatting toilets (disgusting state).  6 bunks to a cabin.  fortunately I was given a bottom bunk.  The old Chinese man opposite me snored and slurped noodles through the night.   Grrrrrrrrrrr.     The second overnight train was a little better after getting over the shock.  toilets the same but we managed to have all the tour group in 2 cabins next to each other so we had lots of laughs together.   We took Imodium tablets to before getting on the train. haha to reduce using the hole in the floor toilets. 

In Suzhou, we had a ride on a rickshaw which was fun and then on the gondola which was even more exciting with the Chinese men and women that rowed the gondolas sang as we wound our way through the waterways. I will post a video clip soon. It was awesome.   In the evening we went with a couple from the group for a long walk along the canal where it was buzzing with life.  went to a wine bar and relaxed with much laughter.   Suzhou was a lovely surprise for us...I could have stayed there longer.  

The Tour we did was the Intrepid. Our guide was Chinese but spoke good English, he was fun. There was a good measure of free time which was great.  We had a mixture of food.... some Chinese ( not sure what we were ordering) LOL   We tried to look for the restaurants that either had pictures or was written in English underneath the Chinese.    We did find some Pizza Huts which amazingly had upstairs al a carte . We could get a steak, Pasta, Pizza.   super desserts and WOW a glass of wine, and a western toilet with soap and hand drier.  Pure luxury.   The Chinese are not wine drinkers, especially white wine was so hard to get.   OMG I think I dried out in China. ...hehehehe.   

Our last train journey from Suzhou to Shanghai was on the bullet train. which traveled at 299 klm hour at times.  We saw the old Shanghai and the New.   We then got the MagLev train. ( Magnetic Levitation). to the airport.  The speed reached over 300 km per hour. When the Maglev was tested it went 500 kmh.   We got to the airport in 12 minutes. a taxi would have taken 1 hour.
Our group on the tour was small....   3 Americans, 2 Canadians, 2 English and 3 Aussies.

It is nice to be home.  We slept well last night in our comfy bed.  In China all the beds are like concrete...they are so hard.

It feels good to be back with my friends on Blogger and back to my art board which I have plenty of ref photos to draw.  I did not get as many wild life photos as I hope to get.  I guess it was not the right time of year .   We did get close to the Buffalo's which was great in the US.

I will post a lot of photos into Picasa and post the link in blogger for you.

Hugs
Dors.  xx

More on our trip.

B&B in Williamsburg.   (Home from Home with great hosts at the Magnolia Manor).

Williamsburg.  of early settlement.

At the Magnolia manor.  dinner on the deck.

Lunch with Deb in most awesome place.  Clydes Willow Bank. 

Deb and I.  It was so wonderful to meet Deb.

An Amish Farm in Lancaster.

I posted this oil painting to our wonderful friends Charlie & Lee in Connecticut about 8 years ago.  Reunion yesterday so I got to present it officially.    Friends for life and beyond.

Charlie, Jake and the drawing I did recently of Jake when he was a baby....  to present to them on this trip. 

Oh wow what a dinner at a wonderful steak house in Connecticut.  We had a great time with long time friends that we cherrish so much. 
You know we have more friends in the USA than we have in Australia.   that's a fact. 

Presenting a drawing of Maycie to a dear friend  in Connecticut.  Andrew and his gorgious Bull Terrier Maycie.
Nev and Andrew met on a Bully site..   We had a wonderful day meeting them and lunch was at an old restaurant which was awesome.   Smorgasboard of fine foods..   most enjoyable.   Thank you Andrew.   

North Carolina

We had a wonderful time in North Carolina.   
We met Jan and Dayle, stayed with them overnight. They treated us to a wonderful homecooked meal with specialty southern food which was so delicious.    Spent some time in Jans  studio which is super.
It was Nevs birthday that night so a special desert was made by Jan even dressed with candles. 
It was sad to leave them as we had so much fun.

At Jans.  Humming bird at the feeder.



Bear at an inclosure at Grandfather Mountain..  couldn'y get a pic of a wild one.

Deer at Granfather Mountain.

Mile High swing bridge.

We are having the most exciting time. 

We are in Williamsburg 3nights.   Not uploaded the camera pic yet so hopefully tomorrow.   Staying at the Magnolia Manor.
We leave Williamsburg tomorrow after breakfast.... yummy B & B breakfast.
Meeting with Deb and Cliff for lunch at a super looking place that Deb  chose.   Can't wait to see them.   Then we have to depart and make for Lancaster to check into our next B&B.

We have become addicted to the WalMart... LOL.   I wanna live here.  :)  They are a super store.