Sunday 27 March 2011

When the going gets tough

I've been meaning to start this painting for weeks, but in true fashion have left it until the last minute. Shh... don't tell, but it's a present for my twin nieces. I'm hoping that when finished it will be pretty enough to hang in their bedroom for a good few years.

Thought I would share WIP with Sunday Sketches. I am not entirely happy with progress so far - there has already been much rubbing out and adjustment I can tell you my friends. The fairies are being fickle with me today. I've already got rid of loads of green - while it looked rather lush and verdant, I wasn't sure it was exactly going to match the delicate pastel shades of their bedroom. I decided to have a glass of wine and a browse around some other artist sites to see if that helped.

It didn't.

So why we wait for the sudden splash of magenta I added to dry (so I can paint over that too), let me tell you more about today - today being Saturday, though I shall probably post the day after.

I felt it was about time I left the house and ventured further afield than the supermarket. I've tried many cures for this cold, and while it finally seems to be packing its bags and heading out of the door with a forlorn expression, it was still lurking up the garden path. Desperate measures clearly called for. I did what all women do in such a scenario.... I went clothes shopping!

I took this project very seriously - driving to the next town where the shops are large and bountiful. The fates were smiling on me as I bagged one of the rare 'free parking' spaces. I entered the busy mall with a clear plan in mind. Knowing my general state of fatigue, I would have to limit browsing and hit the minimum of stores with hopefully the maximum output.

Success dear readers, success. One tunic, one pair of trousers, one pair of sandals (£10 off - even better), a few art supplies and a pack of M&S Yum Yums for 'im indoors.. All this in under two hours. Clearly this illness is worse than I thought - just two hours spent shopping... What was I thinking?

When I got back I had a little snooze... (in case you are wondering - the little fella is away with his Dad this weekend!).

Right, I'm off to see if that paint has dried.

Hmm, it appears that my little girls look the size of dolls - either that or their fairy godmother is a giant. Why didn't I notice that before? Back to the drawing board... More paint and how about some bits of flowery tissue paper... 
Some things are just not meant to be. I am rather happy with this though. It won't be a present for little girls, but I can see something dramatic forming out of this - a change in direction...

While I'm here and in full waffle mode, thought I would share with you that since I switched off the 'captcha' thing for my comments, I've had no spam whatsoever. It does make commenting less laborious when you don't have to fill out those letters. I think blogger have improved their spam filters a great deal, so might be worth a try to switch yours off for a trial period - hint, hint....

Now, how on earth am I going to tackle this painting? Hopefully by the time you read this there'll be another (much better sketch) posted below all this writing!

24 comments:

  1. hahahaha!!! they should add a dash of retail therapy in antihistamine :) it will cure any flu in one dose!

    hah! no worries about the painting ... i'm sure it will get its "wow factor" when the time is right :)

    take care my fren!

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  2. I'm sure your twin fairies will turn out terrific with as much love as you are giving them. About your cold. I haven't had a major cold in over 7 years. The reason is that I found an actual cure that works for me and everyone I recommend this to. It is simple. Go to the drugstore and get a bottle of Zicam. Make sure you get the kind you just let melt in your mouth-it comes in lemon. Taken at the onset of a cold, and I mean immediately when you get the first sniffle, it will squelch your cold in hours. Honest..and I don't work for them or get a any bonus for the telling. It's the zinc compound they use that is so effective.

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  3. I can so relate to what you are going through this week ~ I've been sick all week with a nasty cold/cough and barely made it to the grocery store. The clothes shopping sounds like a great idea...maybe I am getting a tad bit better :)

    I know your fairy godmother painting will come together nicely. Your nieces will love it. Funny how some paintings go together (relatively) effortlessly and others are a trial to get right. Don't forget to show us the finished piece!

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  4. Good Morning, hope the cold gets on it's way. You really had me giggling this morning. The painting will eventually tell you how it wants to be. I have not had the verification words active on my blog for a very long time and I have not had any spam or negative anything (knock on wood).

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  5. Don't you hate it when your WIP is fighting with you?! You did exactly what I would have dont--forget about the cold and everything--go shopping!!
    I get this way too--it's like I'm overwhelmed with too much art that I don't know what to do, but your muse will come back (maybe she's out shopping too:)

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  6. Lisa, you have made me giggle - you brightened my day. I am not sure which of the two painting your are still doing but I really like the white one. It looks like something interesting is happening there. I hope you feel better soon.

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  7. can't wait to see them finished, thanks for sharing your whimsical WIP.

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  8. Lisa!!! you always have a way with words!!! thanks for the smile today....and I love these pieces....may you get all better really fast...I woke up not feeling so well this morning....

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  9. Nothing good comes easy...well, not often. I guess the trial and error teach you new things...flexing the muscle til the magic happens...I am jealous of your shopping trip! If new clothes don't cure you-what will?
    And thank you for the "suggestion" I never used the verification and now all the spam goes into a file...great job Blogger!
    xox

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  10. I too have heard good things about the Zicam. Only issue is you have to take it just as soon as you feel an inkling of a cold and you have to take it A LOT.

    As for your fairies. . . I've faith the they will turn-out just fine and I look forward to seeing the finished piece!

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  11. I'm excited to see where your new direction takes you!

    xo
    Kristin

    p.s. I took the hint & turned off my word verification too :)

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  12. You made me chuckle. Love the little peek into your mind while making these lovely paintings.

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  13. hummm, my comment just disappeared, I will have another go at it.
    Their faces are lovely. And it is so interesting to see the light and then the brightly colored one. I hope you share it with us when you are finished.

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  14. Great to see all the WIP and processes your mind mind goes through when working.

    I agree on the captcha. Never used it on my own blog but I suspect I leave other blogs sometimes without doing it when I should be and then it's as if I never commented... :S

    But I do use the approval. Not sure if that is necessary either. Seems to be working fine on PPF without either.

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  15. Interesting piece... love the concept, can't wait to see it when it is finished. Curious to see your new direction.

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  16. I love the way you cure the flu! Nice job on the fairies, can't wait to see them finished. I too, turned off the word verification, thanks for the tip!

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  17. they are looking very good so far. I am sure that when you are finished they will be a treasured, heirloom piece! :-)

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  18. I've had lots of paint over days, myself. You may end up like the new direction it takes more than your original idea. The m&ms should help. :)

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  19. Well, glad you got out of the house, and you were successful with the shopping.
    interesting about the captcha thingy...blogger is annoying me today...so i won't even try to change anything, but i agree that part of leavng the comments is bothersome, considering with my new keyboard i have to enter it like 3 times, since i can't spell a darn thing with it!hee!
    I love the idea of a "free" museum too. madeline and i will definitely it to the list! Would love to meet you!
    and I like the paintings, dont let it get to you - move on and come back when you are 100%.
    xoxo

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  20. Blogger has gotten better with their spam filter. I get spam comments but blogger filters them out well.

    Shopping sounds like it was a success.

    It's been interesting to see your work in progress. The right one looks ethereal

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  21. Awwww....at least you were able to get out for a bit. Hugs! Loving your fairies...and your nieces are going to be so happy! hee :)

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  22. Ha! You cracked me up with the constant adjustments and paint-over senerio. I can sooooo identify! I know that your fairy will turn out great, it's just that sometimes they take a little longer to manifest than we'd like - hang in there! And isn't amazing what a great hit and run shopping spree can do for your spirits? Hum, I could sure use one of those!

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  23. Oh I know the feeling! Best of luck with the paintings--they're going to be magical! How lucky those little girls are to get such a gorgeous gift!

    Much Joy,
    Molly

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  24. Hello my dear friend! Sorry to have missed this cute drawing - it will be fun to see how it developes! I love when a piece sort of leads you (eventually) to where it wants to go!

    Now as to your health, I continue to be worried about you - I really hope this darn cold has chucked it in for good and you are firmly on the mend! I missed visiting while I was away, and thought about all my SS friends, wondering what you were all up to.

    You have your retreat to look forward to in May, so think healing thoughts and I will send powerful ones your way too, and hope you get better and better!

    Smiles and hugs, and lets chat soon!

    Julia

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Thank you for your comments - I always love to hear what you think :)

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