Robert Baratheon finished

I've finished Robert Baratheon:

But now I've run out of paper, and the paper I've been using is now obsolete! Not sure what I'm going to do... I'm pretty certain the paper is 160gsm watercolour paper as it has quite a thick grain on it, but for now I can't do any more drawings without them being consistent!

I'm still finding the Shaw Academy Graphic Design course a bit useless, out of the 6 lessons I've had so far I've only found 2 useful, as the other lessons are tutorials in Adobe CC (and Shaw Academy also have courses for these programs). I've already done courses for the programs themselves. I'm hoping tomorrow's course is more informative. I'm glad I haven't paid for this course or I'd be really annoyed.

I genuinely enjoyed my introduction to yoga on Tuesday, so much that I've signed up for an actual lesson on Tuesday! I didn't think I was stressed out or anything, but when I left the yoga centre I felt like I was on another planet, I was that blissed out.

Not really much else going on with my life at the moment; July is shaping up to be a quiet month, but then it's all systems go from August through to mid-September. I've booked some tickets for Alter Bridge in November, so I've got that to look forward to, plus my break to Center Parcs in September, and I've just used the Jongleurs Comedy Gift Card my colleagues got me for my 30th (going for the bank holiday weekend in August).

Anyway, for this week's Pinterest of the Week is to showcase other artists: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/314548355206883532/ I love the amount of detail that goes into some of these works; it's the reason things like Studio Ghibli films are so popular and why I love them too.

Robert Baratheon started, and Shaw Academy course started

I've only managed to get an hour in of colouring this week for Robert Baratheon, but I really enjoyed doing his face. I think it's the closest likeness I've achieved so far, and I especially liked colouring his beard:

I'm really going to struggle to get any done this week. I started the Shaw Academy Graphic Design course last week. Lesson 1 I found pointless, as it was talking about the lessons due in the course, and a quick overview of Photoshop layers. Lesson 2 I found immensely helpful, and Shaw Academy have saved the slideshow as a PDF which I've since downloaded (I really wanted this as it has lots of good information on it). Lesson 3 was an on-demand lesson which was released on Friday, and I've only just got round to watching it today (Sunday). The first half I already knew (how to basically use Photoshop), and the other half how to make composite images, and using things like filters and effects. I thought this week's assignment was to make a composite image, but actually it was a test (I passed, 85%), but I decided to make a composite image anyway:

Who doesn't love penguins in the desert?

Anyway, I have 2 more lessons this week, plus I'm attending an Introduction to Yoga course on Tuesday. Together with catching up with friends will leave little time for finishing Robert Baratheon, but I will try!

Anyway, for my Pinterest of the Week, it's kind of art, but also a tattoo idea I've seen: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/314548355206637476/

Renly Baratheon colouring finished

I managed to do this one in 2 takes, not sure if I'm getting quicker, or more slack with my detail (I can be such a 'glass is half empty kind of person sometimes):

I've done the line drawing for Robert Baratheon, which I'll be colouring in this week.

The big news of the week has been the referendum in the UK, whether to stay in the EU or leave. After the votes were counted 52% (just over 1.2 million votes difference between remain and leave) were in favour of leaving. I voted to stay in the UK, and feel a bit disappointed that the UK will leave the EU. However, both my boyfriend and myself are still confused even though everything has happened (he voted leave). I've been of the opinion 'If it isn't broke don't try to fix it', but other countries in the EU now want to leave the EU, which suggests the EU has problems. Also, my boyfriend now regrets voting leave, as do many other people who thought their vote wouldn't count! It just feels like people voted to leave to stick it to the man and didn't research the facts (although from the Leave campaign they didn't have many facts to research). It's all a bit weird, and even now people are quitting the Labour party, and over 3 million people have signed a petition calling for a second referendum (where were these people when voting was happening?!). I'm not happy with the decision, but that's democracy for you, but I feel like the margin that the leave campaign won with should've been more than 52%, it just seems a bit indecisive to me.

Anyway, apologies for the political post this week, I wouldn't normally do it but the referendum could seriously affect my future. Something a bit more relevant to my blog, I'm starting a free graphic design course with Shaw Academy tomorrow, it runs 2 webinars a week for the next month, and I'm excited about starting!

I'll sign off with my Pinterest of the Week, it's good to see with practise and dedication you can improve in what you want to do: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/314548355205789845/

Stannis Baratheon finished, also Renly Baratheon is done too

Well, I've really got my skates on this week, I've finished two characters from my Game of Thrones epic drawing quest:

Stannis

Renly

That's all of the Baratheon brothers finished! I totally forgot to draw any poses this week though.

Hopefully some of you more eagle-eyed readers noticed I changed the theme on my blog. I've gone from the vibrant, orange, in-your-face colour scheme to something more muted and subtle.
Some of you may have noticed the theme change, but did any of you notice the new web link I added to my blog? It's in the menu on the right-hand side. I have my own website now! Granted, it's a free website, and it's very basic, but I have one, and it showcases some of my work. Go check it out: http://kimberleykirk.wix.com/illustration

Something I bookmarked a couple of weeks ago is the following web link: http://www.creativebloq.com/illustration/master-art-figure-drawing-new-artists-model-21619041 I'd love to get one of these but can't stretch financially to afford it. Especially as my wooden mannequin is rubbish. Guess I'll have to keep using my pose app on my phone for now.

Also, the amarylis has come back to life, and looks better than before! not sure why it's come back, but it's welcome in my house:

And on a final note, here is my Pinterest of the week: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/314548355204907501/ Daffodils are my favourite flowers, and I have a bunch in bloom where I live. Also my boyfriend bought me a bunch last week, and they've all opened. You may remember a post where I sketch a daffodil on my tablet using a free app, I didn't realise how grey I made the final picture! http://kimshibbybob.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/the-lady-in-greyscale-and-daffodils.html

Robert Baratheon finished, Stannis Baratheon started

Another week, another Game of Thrones character's is complete:

Although I barely got this finished in time for the blog! I've also started on Stannis Baratheon's body:

But this has now stalled as I write my blog and chow down on steamed edamame beans :)

I forgot to mention that as well as wanting to go to a life drawing class I've also started drawing quick poses from Pixelovely, all of the below took 2 minutes each, guess which one I didn't sketch out the skeleton initially:

Well, I don't have much more to report on this week, caught up with an old friend on Thursday, won some money on the Irish lottery which means we can start our mortgage savings a month early :) I'm also going out to an awesome restaurant on Friday with my work mates, I'm really looking forward to it :) I've also downloaded some screen capture software, so I did a recording of starting on Stannis Baratheon, however I need to sort out some video editing software so I can speed it up. No one wants to watch me do a drawing in real time ;)

I'll leave you with my usual Pinterest of the Week: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/314548355204907483/ what can I say; I love multicoloured artwork :)

Daenerys line art done, next up: Robert Baratheon

Well, the Game of Thrones characters are moving along, I've spent a bit more time on them last week and today (including managing to fit in this weekend: visiting a friend, deep cleaning my kitchen and wasting hours on Call of Duty Black Ops 3). I finished the line drawing of Daenerys (although it looks nothing like her, I'm hoping when I colour her in it will resemble her a bit more), and I've got the body sorted for Robert Baratheon: 

Daenerys Targaryen

Robert Baratheon

The idea is not to have the lines when I colour it in. I don't want this to look to cartoony, although if this looks crap coloured in with pencils then I may resort to cell-shading digitally XD

I'm still being a hermit this at the moment (saving for a house), so I haven't got much to report on. I'm gonna be seeing a few people this week I've not caught up with for a while. Hopefully I'll be able to get some more drawing in. It would be awesome if I can finish Robert Baratheon and get another character started.

Someone who I work with highly recommended going to a life drawing class. We have one that happens every Wednesday in my home town, I'm out this Wednesday but hoping to get to it next week. At the moment I use a Pose app on my phone to draw poses from (my wooden mannequin is shite), but I've been told that nothing beats drawing from real life. I can kind of relate to that; drawing still lifes at home is much better than drawing it from a 2D picture. 

Anyway, that's enough for this week. I was hoping to draw more of Robert Baratheon (maybe half an hour more), but after playing CoD it's made me pretty tired, so I think I'll have a bath as it's a cold day today, and then read in bed.

Last but not least is my Pinterest of the day: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/314548355204907481/ If I could get my GoT characters to look half as good as this I'd be happy