The start of Jaime Lannister!

Well, my laptop is still working! I also had a fantastic holiday, I didn't want to come back, who would with pictures like this?

Porto Cristo, Mallorca

The day after I came off holiday I decided to make my back yard a usable space, it's a good suntrap for the afternoon and early evening, and it was just a dumping ground before. Now it's nice: 

Anyway, I've not done much art again since coming back (and I did zero on holiday), but I've been working on Jaime Lannister today:

I did do another Cersei Lannister test on the new paper, and I really didn't like it, so I've gone back to my original paper that I did Cersei Lannister on, and I'll be using that going forward. Plans for next week it to just carry on with this project :) There's a website coming back online, I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, it's called Briefbox. They were hacked last year, and took the opportunity to sort out their security, and upgrade the website too. I'll have a look at it when it's back online. The owners post briefs online for you to work on (ie logo design, graphic design, illustration, etc), but they're made-up. It's quite good to use to practise. The old website is still accessible: http://briefbox.me/

I've also come across a concept I like the look of: A bullet journal, you can read more on it here:  https://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelwmiller/how-to-start-a-bullet-journal?utm_term=.do6YMLDBQb#.brOxvy6M3A

Anyway, I'm off to watch the Canadian Grand Prix (my favourite, Jenson Button has just dropped out of the race as his engine set on fire), so I'll leave you with my Pinterest of the Week: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/314548355205688849/ For once it's not anything arty, but I feel like since just before my holiday and after my tolerance to idiots is improving!

Game of Thrones Season 1

Well, I just about have everyone I wanted to draw finished, and I've composed them onto a banner:

Not looking too shabby! I've just got one small detail to sort, I want to double check my composition, and then I'm going to get round to colouring them in.

Aside from that, I've not done a great deal again all week. I had my brother round last night, and we played Call of Duty all night, then had the family round for a Sunday roast. Watched the Formula 1, and now I'm just chilling out. I'm so tired, and I don't know why.

Nothing planned for the rest of the week either, just counting down until holiday now, I really need a break, I'm so tightly wound at the moment that every little thing is affecting me, when really I should relax. I'll leave you with my Pinterest of the Week, I hope when I get round to trying water colours that they look this good: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/314548355205683068/

Struggling with Cersei Lannister

I've spent quite a bit of time on this, but I'm struggling with her face, and also her hand holding the wine glass:

I've spent more than an hour on this

I also know I need to sort the wrinkles out on her sleeve. I'm not sure if I'll get round to finishing her tonight, I went out for a meal and drinks with the family last night, and I'm feeling a little tired from it :)

As it turns out last weekend I managed to play 14 hours on Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, as well as do other things such as cook a Sunday roast and wash the windows! I've only managed a more respectable 5 hours this weekend.

I've seen something else I'd like to buy in the future. I have some good conversations with my boyfriend on my drawing skills, and he's always telling me I'm better on paper than I am digitally. The Wacom Bamboo Spark seems like a good investment, and I will probably buy it one day. There's a review here: http://www.creativebloq.com/hardware/review-wacom-bamboo-spark-11618921

Something else I've agreed with my boyfriend is if our 3 numbers come up on the Irish lottery again then we'll go to the British Grand Prix this year.

Well, that's it for this week. I have no plans during the week, but I'm going out with my workmates for an afternoon in Sheffield on Saturday. I don't think I'll get too drunk, but you never know!

And before I forget, here's my Pinterest of the Week: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/314548355204907532/ I've bought a watercolour set, I wonder if I can paint something as nice as this?

A full-on week

2 days left of the Schoolism subscription, and I've done nothing since last Sunday. I watched the last video on finishing touches, but there's a book excerpt at the end I've not found time to listen to yet.

I travelled to Center Parcs at Longleat on Wednesday on a business trip, and had a wicked time :) This was the view from my apartment:

It was a couple of long days though, the traffic on the drive back was horrendous.

I've been back to Center Parcs today (this time to Sherwood Forest) with my friend's family, and had a wicked time, although I didn't feel like we did much. Totally shattered now, watching the Formula 1 before going to bed.

So I've struggled to do any art this week. I'm still keeping in touch with it though, I finished the TV series of Landscape Artist of the Year this morning while doing the week's ironing. I live such an interesting life...
I've added my colour to my dragon a la Bobby Chiu, however I cannot get it to look anything better than washed out. I don't understand his technique enough to fix it, so I'm going to figure out a different way. This is the best I have so far:

Anyway, as is the norm now here is my Pinterest of the Week: http://theultralinx.com/2012/06/art-colour-coordination-infographic/

I've also come across some more relaxing music here for anyone that's interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCYk9CRx0g8

Starting my landscape piece & Schoolism

Well, what a wonderful week of weather we've had here in Blight! (That isn't sarcasm) We've been going for a walk every single evening, so I've not had any time to do art or research going freelance this week! That and the fact I committed to spring cleaning the house the next weekend we have crappy weather (which is this weekend).

I did however start my new painting on Sunday last week, as we didn't get the internet back until Monday. I bought a new easel from our local stationery shop, and now I have something to rest my canvas on.

I've had an idea for painting a bigger picture for a while, and last Sunday I had this dilemma with my spare time in the evening; play South Park's The Stick Of Truth, or start my painting, so I did the latter, and I'm glad I did:



Believe it or not that's supposed to be a sunrise!

I've spent 2 hours on that piece so far, acrylic on canvas, and I'm hoping to work on in some more today. I did do another piece before this, on a tiny canvas, it was a Formula 1 car, but I forgot to take a photo of it (I'm writing this at the in-laws so no option to take a photo either), and it's rubbish, I could not get the cockpit to look right! I'll post the picture next week.

I've also signed up to Schoolism's Kickstarter campaign, where I get 2 months' of access to one of their online courses. I've been interested in Bobby Chiu's stuff for a while, so it's great he's making his courses so affordable.