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Inspired by AnnaDenise and Kathrin J-M I wanted to try some drawing in my moleskine planner.
At first my brain objected:
I couldn't possible draw through pre-existing lines!
Que 'Eye of the tiger' and I did it anyway.
Sometimes you just have to do what your brain objects to.
I recently purchased a new rucksack.
Yes, another one.
Some people buy shoes, or clothes, or purses, or gadgets, or games. I buy rucksacks.
Because of my RA I can't carry regular bags easily and shoulder-bags pretty much kill me. No joke, I seriously ended up at the ER once (with Christmas) because I carried one and it gave me horrible tendinitis that left me in so much pain someone had to drive me to the hospital. I easily get tendinitis in shoulders and neck, and a rucksack seems to work best in preventing it.
This one weighs less than a kilogram on its own, has its own rain-cover and it came with a separate pouch you can either hang on that loop on the inside, or attach to the waist-belt.
Bonus-points if you guess who I have hanging on it.
I recently read somewhere to get good at drawing you need to draw something you love.
Well, I love marmite—on ricecakes with cheese, in soup, in sauces—and I love maggi sauce—in soups, in sauces, with canned artichokes (yes, I have weird eating habbits)—I've drawn them both.
Mmm, marmite and maggi sauce. What would I do without them!
I can't tolerate wheat completely, and they make maggi sauce from wheat. Luckily for me, I can tolerate that, woohoo!
I've never drawn my scar before.
It feels quite intimate.
I had to draw it from a photo because I don't have a large mirror in my flat.
I did it quickly, hasted even.
And now, I celebrate.
The writing says:
Scars
They show our power to heal and overcome adversities.
Don't hide them or feel ashamed.
Celebrate.
Yesterday I went to the Efteling, a Dutch amusement-park that I've visited often as a child. It started out with the fairy-tale forest and grew larger, with rollercoasters and fun rides. We did go into those too, and before we went I decided I wanted to draw the dragon in the fairy-tale forest. As a child, I loved and feared it.
In the afternoon, when others went into the rollercoasters I went to the forest and drew the dragon, a musical mushroom and one of the mushroom-houses. These mushroom-houses have doors through which kids can enter and look around. Some have moving parts; the one I drew had a door that opened and a little fellow looking out to see who rang the doorbell.
The dragon has a treasure chest in front of him, and if you try to take the crown, it'll growl, move his head and flap his wings. He also has smoke coming out of his nostrils and his mouth opens while he dives at you.
It moved a lot while I sat there drawing. Some people watched me draw, an entirely new experience for me since I usually try to hide and draw.
I had a great time!
These photos of my latest drawings don't look too great. I took them with my phone; they look a bit dark and skewed. They'll have to do though, for now, until I have the energy to scan them or make better photos.
They do all look like happy little drawings, and I feel very pleased with how they turned out. I tried out a few new things, and liked it. Now that the kitchen-stress has started to subside a bit, I feel like drawing.
I did two sessions today, about half an hour each, and came up with all of this.
After I did the balloon I wanted to keep on drawing, so I ripped out the page from my pocket Moleskine watercolor with the help of the perforated edge. Before, I couldn't do it, it felt like sacrilege. This time however, I just wanted to continue drawing and the page got in the way.
I tore it out, put it aside to dry and continued drawing.
Very refreshing.
Today I rummaged through my rucksack looking for a bottle of vitamins I thought I bought and didn't find it—I still don't know if I actually bought it. Went I dug into one of its pockets I felt an unfamiliar cold shape and took it out.
Surprise! My leatherman micra, lost for years. I bought it at the start at my eurotrip, thinking it would come in handy. It has a pair of scissors that did proof useful for opening food packages and such. After returning home, I misplaced it for a little while and then found it shortly after I moved.
And then I misplaced it again.
Its empty cardboard box lay on my nightstand, for years, as a reminder of it. At times I googled the type, thinking of purchasing another one, but never did.
And today, I found it.
I think I'll put it on my keyring.
I made ice-lollies. I quit sugar last sunday (meaning, refined sugar, not the kind found naturally in fruit, veg, honey and such). The heat wave decided to test me or something.
I used my fancy ladybug shaped vegetable peeler to peel two pears, and added a banana. I blended until somewhat smooth—ooh chunks of fruit in ice-cream!—and then poured the mixture in the ice-lollie-shapes I had. With one left, I added some lemonade, because that always works.
And I made drawings of it.
I stepped out of my comfort zone for this, quite literally. I stood in my kitchen drawing this and found that I prefer sitting down for my drawing. Standing cramps up my other arm, the one holding the book.
But still, here you have it. Instructions on how to make fruity ice-lollies. I did add a bit of maple-syrup though I wonder if I really needed too.
And I love my new vegetable peeler! It slips right onto my fingers and I can use my whole hand to peel.
I bought a little solar panel recently. It lies in my windowsill, with open window, sucking up the sun's rays.
At night it recharges my phone, which works very well. It came with lots of different plugs to charge different phones and even my Nintendo DS. I like that I can use the sun to charge things. It also has a separate attachment so it can charge batteries. I haven't tried that out yet.
I made this drawing while my hand hurt badly and cramped up a lot. Not the smartest thing I ever did.
I went out to the mall (yes, we have one!) for some groceries and somewhat needed purchases and failed horrible in the last category. They did not have what I wanted.
Crossing the large parking-lot to the stores I realised I forgot to bring my hat (or cap). My scalp burns easily—which hurts—so on sunny days like today I wear protection. I hoped into the nearest clothing store and found exactly one hat. A simply grey-ish bucket hat. I now have a full quartet of bucket hats.
It posed nicely for my drawing.
Michael Nobbs' latest book!