Lost mojo, pink swimming costume

Oh dear, I'm getting a bit out of the drawing groove again. The blog is a big help but also a bit of a hindrance in that part of my brain is worrying that what I'm currently sketching is going to be unuseable so what's the point? Of course, that isn't the point of a sketchbook at all. However, I did have to self edit a birthday card I was trying to paint for my dad at the weekend. It was so awful I just had to chuck it and he got a bought card. So this is it so far for March:

 

"Busy, busy, busy, busy...

...there's so much to do..." That's the first line of a song on Elaine's Fisher Price musical activity table. The song does continue but I'm not sure of the words as she has normally pressed several other buttons by that point, treating me to a Mexican-style tune and a snippet of 'Ode to Joy'. This first line certainly describes her day, though. It's typical toddler frenetic action. Draw her from life? Ha! No chance!

 This page is the only one I've managed to do this week as I have been desperately trying to get a baby quilt finished for a friend. The baby arrived just before Christmas so I was late starting and I'm a very slow and unsure sewer. This photo is rubbish but, for my standards, the quilt turned out satisfactorily. I can take no credit for coordinating fabrics as it was a ready made bundle from Fabricworm.

 Am currently quilting a second baby quilt but have run out of thread half way through. So that's my Sunday night sew-in foiled again! There are another 2 friends with babies born in January and another due any day now which I had planned to make quilts for but I think my sewing stamina may not last that long. I'm quite peeved. When I was pregnant, no-one got pregnant to keep me company and now all five of them have produced offspring within a 2 month period without a care in the world for my schedule!  It's most unreasonable!

These boots are made for walking

My latest excuses for lack of activity here: Elaine had a cold, then I had a cold; I have a large backlog of sewing projects for 4 friends with new babies (all in December-February period...most inconsiderate...could they not have spaced their due dates to allow me more time to struggle with binding, bobbins and bumpy bits which require unpicking?). Oh and I got caught up in the first season of 'Prison Break' (yes, I am 7 years behind everyone else).
 
As the babe is now very much a toddler, my few completed sketchbook pages have been focused on footwear.

It's still January...

...so I guess it's still acceptable to wish everyone a happy new year. Had planned to use the first post of the new year to review 2012, mull over my resolutions and start 2013 in a thoughtful, structured way. Unfortunately by the time I get round to doing those things I suspect it will be no longer topical. Here are some of the few drawings I got done over the festive period.

My percieved porkiness was confirmed yesterday by a colleague who, after I admitted to pigging out said: "Yeah, it shows in your face...or are you pregnant again?". Can't even blame German bluntness as she is Italian. Tchah!

It's not almost impossible to draw anything with a toddler roaming in the vicinity

There is another page (yes, I'm soooo popular) but it wouldn't be humble to show it (...ok, I admit it: I haven't finished it).

The drawing is pretty hideous but the reality was very cute and took place every day on the holiday.

Probably Elaine's favourite gift - a multi-coloured push-a-long walker. Which I never did get around to colouring.

No time to be inspired

 So I'm just drawing whatever is to hand. (Sorry...couldn't help myself). Day 19 of Blogtoberfest.

Just a thought...

Day 19 of Blogtoberfest challenge.

Playing with goo in the bath

It's not blood! It's a mixture of cornflour, gelatine, water and food colouring.

Back to black (and white)

I quite enjoyed my acrylics attempt the other day but it took me ages, relatively speaking. I kept getting the skin tone too dark, had to paint over it, then it was too light...etc. The Blogtoberfest Challenge is great for forcing me to draw but I'm (already) looking forward to less time constraints (which will probably result in me doing nothing at all...). This is Elaine with a large hair divider clip that her dad stuck in. She was standing looking up at the camera (just in case you thought the ears are at a weird angle!).

Reincarnation of Lurcio?

The last post was the sketch for this painting. For some reason I talking myself into doing acrylic because I thought it might be easier than watercolour. It's just as difficult, just in different ways. While doing this I had a nagging feeling that the picture reminded me of someone...then it came to me. Frankie Howerd of 'Carry on' and Up Pompeii!' fame. Baby Elaine, I apologise!

Profile sketch

This is a preliminary sketch for an acrylic painting. (In other words, I'm posting this sketch because I'm too tired to start painting now. Have left it too late tonight. Too much faffing).

Smug too soon

I had been feeling slightly smug that I'd managed over a whole week of the Blogtoberfest challenge of a blog post a day. Some days, I even wrote two and scheduled one for the next day. This clever-clogs approach has led to my downfall, however as I thought I'd posted for yesterday but hadn't. Doh. Still, on we go. 
This post doesn't even include drawings because I spent more than one evening faffing around with bits of paper. In a desperate attempt to be organized I've made a start on decorations for Elaine's 1st birthday on the 31st.  (Yes, decorations for a one year old are ultimately pointless, but I feel strangely compelled). I made about 5 of these paper garlands (just strips of paper sewn together - thanks Pinterest!).

 I haven't actually gone for a African flag theme - the colour palette and animal shapes are shamelessly borrowed from a lovely picture book When I was born. The idea of using the book as a party these was in turned pinched from this website. There's no real new ideas in the world, is there? Except at Apple Corp. maybe.

The animals are going to be hung from ribbons - just tauntingly out of reach, ha, ha but I'll let her destroy everything at the end. I have laminated the animals though, so if any survive I can recycle them into a mobile for her room.