Life

“Life’s a climb. but the view is great!” – Miley Cyrus

Mountain range Collage

This is meant to be an inspirational image of a mountain view, although I think more work is needed to pull the effect off. I felt very Bob Ross (ask an artist!) when I was painting the snow on the mountain.

I have been listening to a lot of Dolly Parton recently. I was told Miley Cyrus sounds a lot like Dolly. I think her current song Flowers, does have a Dolly feel. Dolly is my cooking music. It is very relaxing and while I am cooking I can forgive the dated sounding tracks.

Do I admit now that I also listen to Leo Sayer? Again while cooking.

The final frontier

Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny – Stephen Hawking

The celestial prompt was a good one for me to flex my artistic muscle on a space themed image. I love the NASA image of Earth pictured from the Moon.

It has only been recently that I have found an app that show the position of the stars. I’m not sure what the neighbours must think. I’m out in the garden staring at my mobile phone pointing it in all directions, including windows to track Uranus, Jupiter, Mars and Venus.

Next thing I am using the same mobile phone with the flash light to find Luna’s leavings. Picking up the poo before returning to my perusal of the sky.

Making of video.

Photograph

A picture paints a thousand words, but a photo, well that’s just a photo…

collage image of three photos hung on a wall

Photograph was a tricky prompt to create an image. Fortunately I found an old watercolour that I was able to use to frame 3 small photo’s on a wall. Proving again how worth while it is to keep your failed work.

I have started to create a collection of photos that I want as starting points for some abstract images. A future post maybe.

Run Forest, run.

Being an idiot is no box of chocolates.

Nike blue trainer collage image

How well do you know film quotes? Tom Hanks famous line – ‘Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get’, was changed from the novel. Tom Hanks never visited Space or became a professional wrestler, as written in the book.

A follow up story was written entitled Gump and Co but it never made it as a sequel film.

The making of video…

Busting makes me feel good.

I love Ghostbusters. Is there anything more to say?

ghost buster car image in collage

During the films original release, Director Ivan Reitman published a real Ghostbusters phone number. When called a pre-recorded Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd would answer ‘leave a message we are out fighting ghosts…’

The film is inspired by real paranormal investigators who are alleged to be related to Dan Aykroyd – Can you prove that fact wrong?

Simple figure painting exercise

I have decided to make my 64 million Artist posts and video’s available as tutorials. One of my favourite exercises was creating figures from watercolour splashes.

Figure painting can be difficult, and people often make the figures too large and unbelievable. Adding a random element to figures will help your work enormously to look more natural.

People are more than head, arms, and legs. They carry stuff, walk awkwardly and in a crowd look like a many headed beast!

Start this exercise by flicking paint onto your paper, don’t try and make things neat. Next look for patterns, start to add legs and arms. Finally add a pavement for them to stand on.

So, the next time you are painting figures think Chaos.

Devotion

No Crown?

collage 50 pence piece

King Charles faces the opposite direction on the new 50 pence piece as part of a tradition dating back to the 17 century. Breaking with that tradition was the brief reign of Edward the 8th who preferred his portraits facing left. And he was the King.

The transcription around the edge of the coin translates to ‘By the grace of God, defender of the faith’.

Introduced in 1969 the 50 pence piece replaces the 10 shilling note, and although smaller than the original coin, its shape was revolutionary to distinguish it form the existing 10 pence piece.

The making of video

Get off the highway, Ben Stone…

A sort of quote from one of my favourite films, Doc Hollywood, and slightly valentines in nature!

Road signs work really well as they are simple and present information quickly. I love the colours used. I do find it irritating when hedges grow over signs. I think I am getting old.

collage image of a road sign

The making of video

Sugar Tax?

The toothbrush doesn’t remove six months of tartar 30 minutes before your dental appointment!

We’ve established a very bad routine of eating kit-kats in the evening. This is usually followed by an ice lolly. I think this started in the summer when it was very hot in England. We are not used to a Summer of more than 3 days.

Kit Kat Collage image

I have to say, (why do people have to say that?) I’m against the sugar tax that the government is so keen on. It will reduce choice and force people to pay more for basic foods. And, at the end of the day we are what we eat and we have the choice to make good decisions.

The making of Kit Kat.