Art-a-Day Challenge. DAY 13

This one needed me to paint a cabin. It immediately bought to mind not a cabin, but an old wooden house that I saw somewhere in Shimla.

I remember, we were on our way to Jhaku Temple and were standing here waiting for our designated driver to arrive...(the temple is quite some distance away from The Mall, else we'd surely have walked) As we stood there, I looked around and was immediately drawn to this old house. At some points it looked almost crooked as if it were leaning forward to look down the hillside. The sunlight bathed the wood in a warm gold and only added to the charm of the house. the greens, browns, yellows and gold.....what a beautiful picture they painted!

The picture I painted lacks some of the light. I'm still struggling with grading of light and shadows, but I think it's turned out quite nice. Not much like the original, but pretty nonetheless. 

Art-a-day Challenge, day 13.......completed!

Art-a-Day Challenge. DAY 12

Draw anything that's metal.

I picked up the metal object closest to my hand. My bunch of keys. The chhalla (key ring) was a wedding gift by an aunt. It's silver and had this little hook that enables me to hook the keys on to the waistband of my sari or jeans. That's how most Indian women used to carry them around. The ring at the back usually holds many keys and opens a number of doors...the main door of the house, the cupboards, the safe, the storeroom etc. Thus, the chhalla was very important and the one holding it was without doubt the boss of the house. 

But that was then. In our house, we women each have our own 'chhallas'. Mum has a simple one comprising of just a silver hook and a ring for the keys. Mine is a little more elaborate and it jingles merrily when moved. The men do not carry around these fancy bits of what can be considered ornaments. They're more than happy with simple, solid leather key rings.

Although I am super fond of it, my chhalla  gives me great grief as I'm quite famous for not remembering where I've placed it. Very often you will find me grumbling to myself as I go a-hunting for my keys. To make things easier for myself, I have now added a little blue clip to the bunch as well. Now, wherever I go, I just clip the entire chhalla to a hook in the bag. That way, they'll stay in one place and not go a-wandering. 

Here's my key-ring......using just waterproof ink and three colours......

Art-a-Day Challenge. Day 12.......done!

Art-a-Day Challenge. DAY 11

Today's Art-a-Day Challenge was fun. It needed me to draw myself as a cartoon.....

My first cartoon of myself

I'd already created a little cartoon me a couple of months ago, but decided to work on another one as

 it doesn't seem fair to post an old pic in response to a fresh challenge. So, out came my sketchbook & just as I was working on this challenge, a friend of mine inquired about the photographs of my brother's wedding (which was two weeks ago) as she wanted to see how I looked in a sari.

Now, she's seen me draped in a sari often enough, but this one was special as she had helped me choose it. Since Lime & Lemon was the wedding theme, this sari was a beautiful piece in fresh lime green net bordered with a soft gold. To make the green stand out, we chose a dark copper fabric for the blouse. 

Considering that it was my brother's wedding, I went all out and bought myself a neat pair of shimmery, copper heels and tipped my toes with a matching shade of nail paint. On the day of the wedding, I slipped my twinkling toes into my brand new shoes, draped the pretty sari as neatly as I could, ensured that my hair was neatly combed, applied a little make-up carefully and was ready to go.

In my head I was walking the ramp with these models gliding around gracefully, with their beautiful sari 'pallus' trailing behind them, their hips swaying from side-to-side. By the time I got through the ceremony, most of those models had left the ramp. It's the middle of summer here and it's terribly hot and humid. The pallu I'd pinned neatly on my shoulder got shrugged higher and higher until it stayed off my arm and hung like a thick rope across my left shoulder. 

By the time we entered the reception hall, the hemline was about 3 inches above my ankle and, in some places,  Sunday was longer than Monday (I trust you know what the phrase means). 

The make-up was long gone and my hair looked like it was inspired by Ari from the Planet of the Apes...and I was stomping around like an ape as well. Absolutely not a pretty sight! 

But I had fun.

And this is me at the wedding........

Not model material at all......just happy and that's all that matters!

Art-a-day Challenge, day 11......all wrapped up!

Art-a-Day Challenge DAY 10

Will coincidences never cease?!!

Just last evening, NatGeo posted this beautiful pic of a fishing boat on Instagram and this morning's topic for the Art-a-Day Challenge was a boat. A sailboat, actually, but I'm not sure if there's any difference between a fishing boat and a sailboat...and since the boat in the pic' does have a sail, to me it was a sailboat.

What appealed to me about this photograph was the sense of calm and serenity. It's not very loud and speaks of the simple things of life.  

Some of my fondest childhood memories are those of me walking to Colva Beach (in Goa, India) and trying to perch myself on one of the many fishing boats moored on the beach. Almost always, these boats were filled with great, tangled heaps of nets, cane baskets and heavy, wooden oars. The wood was rough on account of the layer of sand that stuck to it and it smelled of fish, salt and the wide, open sea. Even now, whenever I visit Goa, I never fail to stop by at the beach and climb onto a fishing boat. I'm no longer a little girl, time has flown by and a lot has changed, but the fishing boats at the beach seem to be stuck in time. They look the same, feel the same and smell the same :-)

So, here's my sketch of a boat.....fishing boat....sailboat.....call it what you will.

Art-a-day challenge, day 10.........done.

Art-a-Day Challenge. DAY 9

My painting material.

This is my little paint box.....it's a Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Color Sketcher's Pocket Box. It comes with 12 assorted Cotman water colour half pans and a pocket brush. It's really compact (fits across my palm) and easy to carry. I'd purchased this one to use when I travel, but I'm so fond of it that it's become my go-to paintbox even when I'm home. 

As you can see, it's fairly well used and the colours are all muddled. The Ultramarine Blue and the Burnt Sienna are almost over while the White and the Viridian have hardly been touched. My favourite colour in this box is the Intense Blue, it's the farthest one on the upper right corner. I happened to see an artist use the W & N Pocket Box on YouTube and immediately signed in to Amazon to see if something similar was available. It was, but it was out of stock. 

A few months later, while out buying some random stuff at Dadar (Mumbai, India), I passed an art shop and was excited to see this Pocket Box on display. I immediately fished out my wallet and the Pocket Box was soon sitting comfortably in my handbag.

On a recent visit to the UK, I did browse through an art store somewhere close to Trafalgar Square and I was amazed at the huge array of art supplies they have for sale. And they do sell individual refills for the Pocket Box....but since my box was almost brand new then, I just assumed I could always buy the half pan refills at a later date from an art store back in Mumbai. Sadly though, refills for the individual pans are not available anywhere here. So if I finish say...an Ultramarine.....I'll just have to make do with buying a separate tube of the colour...or an entire new Pocket Box. 

Since today's challenge needed me to paint my art material, I chose my favorite paint box. Now, I found my paint box and the brushes, but since the sketchbook was nowhere in sight, this little painting is done on a sheet of this morning's newspaper. 

Art-a-Day Challenge, day 9..........done!

Art-a-Day Challenge. DAY 8

This one was tough. I had to replicate my favorite painting. I don't really have any favorites....of anything. I've never been one to go ga-ga over famous actors, funky brands or famous people and I simply fail to understand how anyone can squeal and swoon over stuff. 

Anyway, I browsed through the works of various artists and finally thought I'd try to replicate Van Gogh's 'Starry Night', but then I remembered another artist whose works I often collect.....she's all of ten now, my niece, and draws the cutest of things......

Here's a peek into some of her masterpieces....

I decided to keep Starry Night aside for a later date and replicate one of this little artist's paintings. It's something she sketched on a small scrap of paper while waiting for me to get my tattoo done. Says she saw it printed on her dress. I think it's awfully cute and had a good mind to get it tattooed on my ankle.

This is the great work of art....

I think the bunny is really cute (although how something with such a big head ever got into that tiny car is a mystery) ...and this is what I wanted to work on for today's challenge. I added some colour to my version of 'Bunny in a Car'.....tried making it look as happy as possible.

For this little work of art I made use of watercolor pencils.....not because they're better for small sketches, but because I can't remember where I kept my paints. 

Anyway, Art-a-Day Challenge, day 8......done!

Art-a-Day Challenge. DAY 7

Today, I had to draw a bicycle  but didn't quite like the black one parked downstairs...the only one in our building. It lacks personality, me thinks. So, I turned to the ever helpful Mr. Google and started scanning images for an interesting bicycle. Saw many - simple everyday ones, bicycles bedecked with flowers, vintage bikes on display....but none appealed to me. Feeling a little bored now, I suddenly decided to look for tricycles...... just to see what came up, and that's when I came across this little beauty.

To everyone else, this might seem like a pretty ordinary tricycle, but it spoke to me....of another little red tricycle. 

You see, as kids we had a tricycle just like it and I remember peddling around furiously to make it go as fast as the wind. There was this  boy next door who had a red scooter and he never let any of the other kids near it. I suppose he thought owning a scooter placed him a notch above the rest, and it's likely he wasn't taught how to share with others. As a result, we often left him to play by himself. Who wanted his silly scooter anyway? Our tricycle ensured we always had company since it was meant for two. Although sitting at the back and being driven around made us feel like royalty, it was always a treat to sit up front, steer the bicycle and go 'parrrrp parrp' on the yellow and red horn, a cheap, plastic contraption bought at the fair.

I can almost see myself and my brother scooting around on our little red tricycle. Ah, the memories a simple photograph can evoke!

So, this particular sketch is in fond memory of the joy of childhood...a red tricycle.

Art-a-Day challenge, day 7,  completed!

Paarrrrrp! Paarrrrp!

Art-a-Day Challenge. DAY 6

Wine. That's what I had to paint today. To be more precise, the topic was wine bottles, but all I had at home was a bottle of beer (now empty....hic!). Checked out google for reference photos, but didn't quite like any so chose this pic instead.....

Love the look of the red wine as it splashes out and that's what caught my eye. It's a pity wine doesn't go down well with me. One sip is fine. Two sips, and the stars begin to twinkle in the distance.....three, and I've got stars in my eyes....four, and it's a starry-starry night for me!

The mention of wine always bring to mind the memory of a party I once attended where, all in good spirits, an uncle insisted I have some wine before dinner. Unfortunately, I went a wee bit beyond my four sips limit and started feeling rather uneasy, ravenous and hot all at once. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to sit, run or eat a horse. One look at me and my cousin dragged me out to the bathroom and had me splash a lot of water on my face . Although I looked very much like a drowned rat, the water did make me feel a lot better. Since then, I'm a lot more careful with wine and mentally count my sips on the rare occasions that I do accept a glass.

Getting back to my sketch for today.....as always, I've used watercolor and tried to add a little luminosity to the painting, but still have a long way to go as far as that is concerned. Wasn't very sure of the shading in this particular image, but I guess, when I look at it now, it seems okay enough. I like it.

Here's my painting.........

Art-a-day challenge......wine........done!

Cheers!

Art-a-Day Challenge. Day 5

Well, this challenge needed me to work with unfolded laundry.... but muddle-brained me was certain it said unwashed laundry, so that's exactly what I painted....a bucketful of clothes awaiting a good tumble.

As you can gauge from the ref' pic, we drop all our clothes into a green bucket placed just outside the bathroom door. Every morning, the last thing I do before leaving for work is toss the laundry into the machine all ready for a good scrubbing. Although they do get spin dried in the machine, the maid comes in later to air out the washed clothes. 

Now, it's quite common in India to spread out your underwear on the window grill. One look at someone's window and you can guess at the number of residents in that house, their size & their choice of brand, colour, style etc.

But that's not the case at our place. Sheets and larger outfits are hung out in the balcony to soak in as much sun as is possible in a city crammed with tall structures standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Hand towels and unmentionables are hung on the collapsible stand inside where they can enjoy the breeze generated by the electric fan, away from the eyes of the general passers-by outside.

So, that's the way our laundry goes... from the green bucket, into the washer, out in the sun & then, neatly folded & stacked on their respective shelves in the cupboard.

For this challenge, I made use of my little box of Cotman watercolors and a waterbrush I purchased off the internet. As always, I used Payne's Grey for the shadows, although I do think it's time I figure out other, more effective mixes for shaded areas and shadows.

Here's today's unwashed laundry...

Art-a-Day challenge, day 5.... washed!

Art-a-Day Challenge, DAY 4

My non-dominant hand - that's what I had to draw today. 

Thought this was pretty easy as I've always liked sketching hands of people that catch my interest. As a teenager, I always carried around a sketch pad and, while travelling to Goa I'd spend time sketching hands of my fellow passengers.

There was this one little Bengali girl of around 4 yrs, Shruti, who very patiently held still while I sketched her hand. That was a commendable feat for her since she was one happy bunting of a girl. She kept prattling on and on in Bengali while her mother read a magazine. I remember, back then, I had a little cow-bell hanging around the strap of my shoulder-bag, and every time I moved the bag, the bell would tinkle gaily, causing little Shruti to look around for the source of the sound. This happened each and every time I moved the bag. Finally, after having my fill of seeing the tot searching frantically for the bell, I lifter my bag and proceeded to show her the silver ornament dangling at its side. She stared blankly at it for a while. I shook the bag. The moment she heard the tinkling sound she promptly folded her hands in prayer and bowed low before the bag. I suppose, for Shruti, the only bells she was familiar with were those that called one to prayer.

Anyway, my sketch of Shruti's hand was gifted to her mum and I don't have a pic of it to share....this was long, long ago...much before cell phone cameras took over our lives.

Here's my sketch of my own non-dominant hand - my left. I've done it in pencil because I'm still unsure about mixing skin tones in watercolor and I'm too lazy to step out and fetch my box of oil pastels.

I can't do more than scribble a very crooked line with my left hand, but I've added a pencil just to give the sketch a hint of warm colour. Haven't paid too much attention to the fine details of the hand like skin texture and shadows...this one's just a simple & quick sketch. Honestly, I was more interested in the pencil :-)

That's my non-dominant hand. Day 4 of the Art-a-Day Challenge.......done!

Art-a-Day Challenge. DAY 3

Today's challenge brings back some beautiful memories....that of a favorite pet. There's only one little sweetheart that comes to mind here.....Kittu.

About a year ago, someone abandoned a little kitten at the gate when she was about a month old. A scrawny thing she was, with an injured shoulder & just one good eye. I thought the cat was a 'he' and named her Cyclops. Felt very sorry for her as she was all alone while the other kittens in the building frolicked around with their mother. 

My mum-in-law found her a basket lined with an old towel & the little bag of bones made her home outside our door. When the vet confirmed that Cyclops was in fact female, we re-christened her 'Kittu'.

For close to a year she lived in our building, the favorite of the caretaker, driver and maids. What we all loved about her was her mild manner & the awfully cute way she played by herself, chasing feathers, dragonflies & dried leaves. What was most endearing was how she'd stand on her hind legs in an attempt to grab at my house keys. 

It was a shock when I got home from work one afternoon and was informed that Kittu had been run over by a neighbor's car. I was heartbroken and filled with anger at the callous behavior of the neighbor, who said it was all about destiny. Grrrrrrr!

It's very true....cats walk into your life & leave paw prints all across your heart. 

Here's my sketch of my Kittu.....

Art-a-day challenge - day 3....done!

Art-a-Day Challenge. DAY 2

Today's challenge had me facing my next worst enemy after metal......water. Having decided to paint a glass of water, I filled a glass and walked around the house looking for a good spot to place the glass. It was important that there be just the right amount of light coming through in order to create patterns of light & shade. 

I do not have a picture of the actual glass to display because no sooner did I finish the painting than I drank up the water....it's the middle of summer here and one can't help but keep gulping down this elixir of life. In fact, I have now kept a water bottle in each of my handbags just to ensure I stay hydrated as often as possible.

Coming back to the painting, for this particular one I skipped the blues and stuck to different strengths of  only one colour - Payne's Grey - a colour that I've just discovered in the art store and find extremely interesting especially when creating shadows.  As an afterthought, I guess I should have used a little Raw Sienna to hint at the reflection of the background on the glass, but what's done is done!

Here's the painting....

So, Challenge of the day - a glass of water - done!

Art-a-Day Challenge. DAY 1

Today's challenge was an old pair of shoes. Now, I have quite a few pairs lying on the rack and in the basket under my bed, bu which one should I choose? 

In my mind's eye I sorted through the various pairs and finally zeroed in on this one....black suede with shiny, gold heels. 

I've always had a fancy for high heels, even though I've had really twiggy, long legs all through my growing years. When I caught sight of these peep-toes standing on d shelf at a mall, I was drawn to them like Pooh to honey. At that moment, I had no need for a new pair especially one with heels that glitzy & high, but I walked out of the store with the shoes tucked under my arm.  

Have worn them only twice since, but considering I purchased them about a year (or two) ago, I guess they qualify as 'an old pair'. Placing them on the a stool, I began to deal with the first challenge of the Art-a-Day activity......something to ensure I'm fruitfully busy.

For this little sketch, I made use of a water-brush and my box of Pelican watercolors. painting the black area wasn't as big a challenge as painting the heel. I've never really painted any metal objects and they do make me quite jittery as I'm not sure what colours to mix to get the metallic-look just right. It's all trial & error with me, really. Anyway, for the gold, I tried mixing Burnt Sienna, Ochre Yellow, a touch of Lemon Yellow & a dash of Raw Umber. Stuck to a mix of Raw Sienna & Ultramarine Blue for the shadows. 

Took me about an hour from the time I got out my painting materials until I put down the brush. And here's the fruit of my labour..........

Challenge 1 ..... An old pair of shoes - Completed!