Red sand and gulls

Just took a wander down to the beach after dinner. Love the texture the sea left in our beautiful red Torbay sand (yes, it really is that colour!)

This spot between his ears... 

Japanese Anemone Commission

This is a commission piece from last year. I painted it directly from flowers picked out of the garden, which I had in a bud-vase taped to the edge of my easel! It took me about seven hours to paint and they kept me on my toes by steadily moving their heads to follow the sun!

Eva-spin

Eva had obviously had enough of me taking photos here, and was half-way through spinning and hopping away in my final shot of her. A bit of a strange one this, but couldn't resist the opportunity to sketch her 'in motion'.

Quinky-rat

Had a look at the rats in the pet shop this afternoon while I picked up some bunny food, they are so sweet and curious! I would be tempted if they lived longer but I'm not sure I could cope with losing them after only two years.
I was introduced to Quink during my first year at art college and still love it. It's so unpredictable once you bring in the water, so you get some fantastic 'happy accidents'. This was done using a Quink cartridge inside my old Parker pen from school!

Violet shadows

Wanted to try a sketch without my usual black pen...just about managed to resist reaching for it! Used Winsor Violet to create the shadows too, rather than my favourite Payne's Gray.
This is Eva tucking in to a big juicy dandelion leaf.

Biro fox

Naughty Merlin

Good news - I've finished my commission :)
Bad news - I still can't show you just yet :(
So instead, here's Merlin demonstrating why he now lives outside... Normal service shall resume tomorrow (hopefully!)

Clay Fox

This evening I have been working on a watercolour commission for someone, but as it is to be a birthday present for someone who has viewed this blog I'd better not show you just yet...! So instead here is a fox I made earlier this year at a pottery evening class in Brixham. He has now had his first firing, but is not yet glazed as the class didn't run this term. I also made a life-sized crow which, again, is waiting to be glazed, so I'm hoping the class will be back up and running next term. Fingers crossed!

Eva sketches

 From life (a couple of times when she actually managed to sit still for a few minutes)

Dragon Fruit

Still love this one! Loads of fun to paint, rather disappointing to eat...

Sunbathing bunny

This ended up rather moody...but also rather muddy. I overworked the colours so I'm not massively pleased with the result. The original photo was high contrast due to the bright sunshine, which made it difficult to work from, but I just loved how she had one leg stretched out, and the other scrunched up under her tail!

Following day: Actually, I do quite like this one after all ;)

A walk around the garden after rain

peony

poppy bud

single peony

nasturtiums

wild strawberries

slug!

montbretia

cuckoo spit on fuschia

nigella

david austin rose

rose leaves

nigella

Eva Scratching (watercolour, in three steps)

Initial drawing - pencil sketch, followed by fine waterproof pen.

 Mid-way through painting. Started by laying in some colour wet-on-wet, then added in more detail, and texture to the fur.

 The finished painting!

Something old...

           

Bunny sketches

No time to paint tonight, but had to do a little something...

Duck, duck, duck...goose?

Oh boy, I am loving these paints! 

Took photos of these guys at Saltram near Plymouth today, sooo gorgeous! I cannot wait until I can have ducks and chickens of my own - I fear I may become as obsessed with them as I am with my rabbits :)
I've never tried painting ducks before, but had so much fun with these. You may be seeing a lot more!

Oh, the possibilities!

I've been shopping! Well, it is my birthday...in two months...

One unwrapped, twenty-three to go. Can't wait to give these babies a whirl :)

(Also, in my defence, I've had my last box of watercolours since I was eight - think I deserved some new ones)

Birthday card

Just a little something I'm working on for my Mum (it's her birthday on Sunday). I have some card to mount it on so this can be her birthday card. It's only dinky - about 4"x 6" - and on some gorgeous handmade paper I picked up in Grasmere a few years ago on my last visit to the Lake District. I'd like to get some white gouache when I go to Totnes tomorrow, just to pick out highlights. I'm also going to have a look (possibly more than a look) at the bigger trays of watercolours, and planning to splurge on some decent paper as most of these sketches so far have been on cartridge - no good once you start throwing water at it.
ps Maya is the fluffy tabby, Archie is the grey goofball.

Foxy doodle

Feeling knackered tonight so just playing :) The pose is from a photo of my cat Archie, such elegance!

Zig-zag Toucan

Had a little play with my earlier picture and came up with this rather jazzy fellow.

David Austin Rose

First David Austin rose of the year :) Only bought the plant last September and it's already grown so much! Lovely lemony smell too.

Wet-on-wet

Not a technique I usually use, but in the spirit of experimentation...

I have a very talented friend who uses ink wet-on-wet with wonderful results (here) but I think I'm just too much of a control freak!

First Eva painting

Ink first, followed by watercolours. Her fur is much sleeker than Merlins', needed a different technique to show the texture. The weird ground-cover was a bit of an experiment, actually by accident ended up looking like the pvc table cloth they had under their run when they used to live inside!

Introducing Eva

My beautiful girl Eva. Boss-bunny, OCD home-maker; gorgeous, stroppy madam. She is devoted to Merlin, and he to her <3

Merlin Big-ears

 So this is Merlin the day I brought him home. He was an accident, an impulse buy - I didn't have plans to buy a rabbit, it was just love at first sight! I went out to grab a cuppa and have a mooch at the garden centre and came out with a bunny, a hutch, a run, bale of hay, sawdust etc etc... Three months later (following his little trip to the vet for the-op-which-must-not-be-named) I went back to the garden centre to buy him a friend, Eva.
And his name? Big ears, killer cheekbones and an ethereal quality...just reminded me of a certain someone - here!

Toucan

From a photo I took at Paignton Zoo last month. This little guy/girl posed beautifully and was so much fun to paint! Awesome lines and form to these birds, plus that striking colour combination, but I think I can do a much better job of rendering those colours. Will try again...