Rodney Rooster – 4th ATC/ACEO – painted for World Watercolour Month

Did you know that this year, 2017, is the Chinese year of the Rooster?   It began on January 28th, 2017 and lasts till February 15th, 2018.   The Rooster is the tenth in the 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiac sign.

So … what else could I paint for World Watercolour Month but … a Rooster!  Rodney Rooster in fact.

When I paint an ATC (ACEO) I cut a piece of watercolour card bigger than the required size – this is because the size, (2.5″ x 3.5″) is a little small to hold, and you don’t have any ‘spare room’ to hold onto the piece.  So I will measure and draw out the exact size of the ATC, but then cut the watercolour card bigger, so that I have places to hold onto the bit of watercolour card, without getting my thumb prints all over the places I’ve painted.  BUT …  doing this can sometimes be my downfall...  as it was with Rodney the Rooster here.

Rodney Rooster – a hand painted ATC/ACEO #WorldWatercolorMonth

The above photograph shows Rodney the Rooster painted on a piece of watercolour card, which I cut a little bigger than the required 2.5″x 3.5″.  But if you look carefully at the photograph, you can see that I measured and drew in the ‘box’ of the exact size of an ATC, so that I wouldn’t paint any of the details outside the required size.  All well and good so far.

Once I’ve finished painting, and the paint is fully dry, I then cut the ATC’s to the correct size and all’s well in ATC land.  BUT … can you spot where, in my gung-ho state of  ‘lets get this painted’  I made one of the mistakes I am sometimes known to make?

I painted to the size of the ATC …. rather than paint  within  that size.  I’ve mentioned in previous posts about ATC’s,  that I love to ‘frame’ my ATC’s/ACEO’s with a mount – and even sometimes frame them behind glass (raised up off the painting to safeguard the painted picture), and because of this, I have my mounts cut to just a tiny bit smaller than the required mount size, so that everything tucks nicely behind that tidy mount.  And that normally works perfectly,  [sigh] …  but not today.

Rodney Rooster ….  was too big for his boots …. or rather, just a tiny bit big for his mount!

Today I had obviously left my brain on the pillow when I got out of bed this morning.

I had a choice.  I could either hide a bit of his beak behind one side of the mount.  Or hide some of the ends of his feathers on his tail.  Neither was acceptable.  So … I went with choice three…  I used a heavyweight textured paper mount which was cut to the exact size of an ATC/ACEO so that none of his feathers were hidden.  Problem solved.

 

#WorldWatercolourMonth

I prefer the wider mount (the blue one) – but needs must.

Lesson learned?  I doubt it.  I’m a total numbskull and I’ve done it before so I’ve no doubt I’ll do it again  (and again! lol).

But y’know …  maybe I like him without a mount at all.  Ahh, Cobs…   it’s just an ATC/ACEO ….  not World Peace!  Stop fretting.

Thank you so much for coming and allowing me to introduce you to Rodney.  Mr. Cobs is going to have a surprise when he reads this blog post on Thursday morning . . . .  he thought I’d said that I’d painted  “a cockle”.  Bless his bad hearing.  Always thinking of food is perhaps more like the problem!  LOL

Have a truly blessed Thursday.  Be good to yourself.

 

 

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Petunia Piggy – ATC/ACEO No.2 – for World Watercolour Month

In case any of you missed yesterdays post, July is World Watercolour Month.  You can find out more about this, here:-   Doodlewash   <—click.  The challenge is to paint a watercolour a day for the month of July.  Now I know I won’t be able to paint a watercolour every day, but I’m going to try my hardest to paint as many days as possible and share them on the blog here.

Yesterday was a pot of Auriculas. Today is the turn of …  Petunia Pig.

Petunia is a folky sort of girl, a Gloucestershire Old Spot (a pedigree pig) –  who has a love of grass and any thing she can eat in order to keep her fine figure.

Petunia, with all her brothers and sisters, and her mummy.

Aw, enough of me waffling.  I shall share Petunia with you …  She’s painted in watercolours, on 140lb watercolour paper,  and she’s in ATC/ACEO size – so just 2.5″ x 3.5″.

July 2017 Watercolour Challenge PETUNIA PIG #WorldWatercolorGroup

No longer the baby … she’s a big girl now.  😀

Hope your Sunday was peaceful and that you found something to smile about.  Have a lovely rest of your day!

Auriculas – ATC/ACEO – because July is World Watercolour Month

I found out, from my dear blogging pal,  (click—>) Tom,  that July is World Watercolour Month.  I didn’t know this, so I clicked the link in his blog which told me all about it.  The link took me to a fabulous blog called  Doodlewash(<—-click) and I thought:-   if Tom could do this, (as much as he could)  then perhaps I should have a go at this (as much as I could).  Now I know I won’t be able to do a watercolour every day, but I will try as hard as possible to do one on as many days as I can.

I painted my first one late on Saturday evening, so July 1st.  But … I didn’t get to post it till now, and here in the UK it’s now gone midnight, so I’m already behind in effect as far as my clock is concerned.  But I know it’s still the 1st of July somewhere in the world so I’m going to pretend that I got this first one in on time.  😉

Auriculas are one of my most favourite flowers.  You can grow them in hundreds of different colours, (I might be slightly exaggerating the amount of colours there)  and they’re such adorable, friendly looking little things and I just love them.  They’re Primulas, but with personality!

So anyhoo … I thought ‘d take the challenge, but I would take it one step further.  I’d paint in ATC/ACEO size.  2.5″ x 3.5″.  I’m nothing if not daft.   I had Little Cobs with me all day Saturday, and once he’d gone home I thought I’d get into the craft room and paint.  There I was, totally worn out, with two pots of water,  trying to find my favourite little brushes, and …. let’s not forget …. the wonky eye!  ….  and I thought this was a great time to try to paint??.  Did someone say mad?

A tiny bit of watercolour art sized at two and a half inches wide ….

…  by three and a half inches tall.

Painted using Reeves Watercolours – which I’ve had since dirt was invented.

I used 5 different colours:  Permanent Green Light;  Sap Green;  Colbolt Blue Hue;  Medium Yellow;  Chinese White (Zinc),  and painted on  140lb Water Colour Paper.

I love putting my ATC/ACEO’s behind a mount,  as the mount can bring everything together, and makes the painting more ‘tidy’ …. so I thought I’d try different colours to see which I liked best ….  a Blue mount?…

…  hmm.. the blue is quite nice.  How about a creamy white ……

….  ah now that looks  ‘clean’ and kind of smart.  Hmm… what about a Green mount  . . .

. . .   oooOOOOooo!  …. yes, I think I rather like the green frame around it.  It kind of has a conversation going on with the leaves, while the flowers just do what they’re supposed to do: look pretty.

What about you?  What do you think?  Which mount do you prefer?  … do tell!

I have to admit that this really was a bit of a challenge, as I couldn’t get any detail into the flowers, but (even with the wonky eye – which is on the mend by the way – thank you for all your good wishes and prayers) … I was kind of happy with what it turned out like.  It’s SUCH a long time since I played with watercolours, and I’d forgotten how sweet they are.

Well…  here where I am, (in the UK)  it’s now half an hour into the new day of Sunday … so Happy Sunday!

May this new day bring you hope to your heart, and love into your life.

Please, whatever you’re doing today, . . .   please be the reason someone else smiles today.  It will take very little effort from you, and I promise you that it will be so very worth the effort.  Make someone smile today.

Sending special Sunday squidges your way ~

 

 

Say Goodnight, Not Goodbye . . .

Sundays are a kind of big deal in the UK, not to all, but to most people.  It’s a day that families all come together and gather around the table to eat Sunday Lunch, or Dinner – depending on what time they choose to eat this main meal of the day.

It always (normally) consists of a roasted joint of meat, or maybe a chicken, with an assortment of vegetables and other yummy bits and pieces, with lashings of gravy.

However, today, there will be 22 people missing from their families, for these people had their lives ended, without warning, last week, on Monday 22nd May 2017, and it’s the families of these people who I am thinking of today, and sending prayers, heaven bound, for them to be helped to come to terms with their loss.

I know the pain;  the anguish;  the turmoil;  the disbelief … and oh so many other feelings which invade your heart, mind, body and soul as you try to understand what’s happened.  Try to tell yourself to WAKE UP.  WAKE UP!  YOU’RE DREAMING.  Eventually the realisation dawns and you find that it’s not a dream.

For the families and friends of the following people who were there, then gone in a moment,  I wanted to honour their loved ones they lost that night, by sharing a truly beautiful song, written by Beth Nielsen Chapman, and sharing the names of the people who’s lives were ended by a form of  ‘madness’.

• Megan Hurley,  aged 15,  of Liverpool, England UK
• Elaine McIver,  aged 43,  of Cheshire, England UK
• Courtney Boyle, aged 19,  of Gateshead, England UK
• Philip Tron,  aged 32,  of Gateshead, England UK
• Wendy Fawell,  aged 50,  of Otley, Leeds, England UK
• Eilidh MacLeod,  aged 14,  from the Isle of Barra, The Hebrides, Scotland UK.
• Chloe Rutherford,  aged 17,  of South Shields, England UK
• Liam Curry,  aged 19,  of South Shields, England UK
• Sorrell Leczkowski,  aged 14,  of Leeds,  England UK
• Michelle Kiss,  aged 45, of Blackburn, Lancashire, England UK
• Jane Tweddle-Taylor,  aged 51,  of Blackpool, England UK
• Nell Jones,  aged 14,  of Goostrey, Cheshire, England UK
• Martyn Hett,  aged 29,  of Stockport,  Greater Manchester, England, UK
• Angelika Klis,  aged 40,  of Poland, Europe
• Marcin Klis,  aged 42,  of Poland, Europe.
• Olivia Campbell,  aged 15,  of Bury, Greater Manchester/Lancashire, England UK
• Alison Howe,  aged 44,  of Royton, Greater Manchester, England UK
• Lisa Lees,  aged 43,  of Royton, Greater Manchester, England UK
• Kelly Brewster,  aged 32,  of Sheffield, England UK
• Saffie Rose Roussos,  aged 8 years old,  of Tarleton, Lancashire.  England UK
• Georgina Callander,  aged 18,  of Whittle-le-Woods, Lancashire. England UK
• John Atkinson,  aged 26,  of Radcliffe, Manchester. England UK

(the lyrics to this song are below the video window)

 

 

May the families of those lost be surrounded by love, and may not too many Sundays pass before they eventually forget to remember that there is one less plate.  They will never forget who they’ve lost, nor how, but may the pain ease, little by little,  and over-time may they eventually stop having to remember to breathe, and instead just breathe, until one day they are able to fill up their lungs with air once again. 

My love to them, and to you.  Thank you for coming.  May your God go with you.  ~ Cobs. x

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