Ink and Graphite

Soul Comes Out - ink & pen in VAPD

I'm really loving working with ink and pen lately. I've also rediscovered my passion for graphite drawings.

This first ink drawing was an impulsive drawing and I think it was influenced by those face mugs you see around. Revolting things they are.

Abstract Female Form - 2B, 4B & 8B graphite in VAPD

This second drawing is more or less inspired once again by the armless "Venus di Milo", and Brett Whiteley, and many of my previous odd nude drawings. It's not finished yet, but I'm doing a series of works similar to this for a body of work at school: I think. I've not decided yet. If I do, I think they'll be a mixed media work.

The world seems a little better since I got my muse back :)

Child Art

As part of IMT's theme of "Child Art" this week, I've created a child-like drawing inspired by my own childhood drawings. I used pretty pink paper like I would have, and a felt-tip pen. Gosh. I really love felt-tip pens when I was younger.

I thought about the way I used to draw, and soon I found - almost straight away - that I had channeled my inner child and crafted something that could easily have been mistaken as something I'd done aged 4 or 5. It was amazing, to pick up on that.

I used to draw like mad - almost obsessively - as a child. Pens were my main tool, and paper. I grew up in an office, basically. I often made little books aswell, and asked Mum how to spell illustrated, so I could scrawl on the front of these stapled pages "Written and illustrated by Sarah I...".

We still have many of my drawings and the little books I created.

A later entry in the week, but I've really enjoyed this topic and getting to re-visit my child self.

IMT

While I haven't created anything just yet, I'm really stoked that my suggestion of "Child Art" was chosen for Inspire Me Thursday this week.

I really hope everyone has fun with this topic, as I know I will. I'm really motivated this week to create something messy like Aelita Andre, or something primal like the drawings I made when I was little.

I can't wait to see how everyone interprets the theme :)

Poem: "Letters"

I've been experimenting with poetry lately, as part of one particular challenge in my Day Zero Project. Number 27: Write a poem a day for a month. This wasn't for the challenge, but one of my other tasks is doing IMT everyweek for the duration of the 1001 days (143 weeks). There are more poems on my other blog, if you'd care to have a look.

Here goes.

...

"Letters"

If I were to post this today
Dear Postmaster,
would this fragment of my sould reach my
Dear John,
in time?

Do you think that it could arrive tomorrow
Dear Postmaster,
if I were lucky?
Dear John
don't think I didn't get yours.
It was the fault of our
Dear Postmaster
that you didn't get it back straight away,
if only it were to be: the very next day,
as I had yours.

Inks & Lino

Just a quick update. I'm rather glad, you see, as I'm beginning to find a bit of inspiration again. Hoorah! This Queen's Birthday long weekend has been going quite well.

Pen & ink experiment.

On Saturday Mum and I went into Newcastle to buy some art supplies. One of the new goodies I bought was an ink nib and pen to work with at home. I've always had an interest in inks, but it wasn't until this year at school that I developed one for pen & ink. I'd only ever used brush & ink. A totally different method really does alter the image you create. I'm having fun working with cross-hatching. It's a strange way to shade, but it's growing on me. The ink drawing above was something I crafted this morning, just randomly. A quick sketch, and then it was inked.

Lino print equipment.

I also bought some lino printing materials: silk-cut linoleum squares (30 x 30 cm), block ink, lino carving tools, and rollers. I really should have made a point of buying some paper while I was there. It took me until we arrived home at 4pm that day (we did make a point of staying in town all day) to realise my 11 x 14 " VAPD would be large enough to print on. Silly, silly illy.

In addition to all of these I got some charcoals: willow and compressed. I've never had proper charcoal at home for drawing, so that's really nice too.

I've suddenly got a lot more motivation and inspiration on the art front. Part of it, I think, is staring the Day Zero Project; in which I will attempt to complete 101 preset tasks in 1001 days. My blog that will be journalling my challenge and all it entails is located here.

Things are going alright :)

Sunny's Cafe

On Saturday, Mum and I went into Newcastle for a while and what was originally intended as being a quick run in for art supplies soon turned into a long, yet really fun day. One of the highlights was having lunch at Sunny's Cafe, in Islington.

Sunny's is an organic vegetarian and vegan cafe, who do serve gluten free meals. All the ingredients are bought locally, so you know they're fresh (and you can certainly taste it). The eggs used in the restraunt are free range and come from the Tilligery area, not too far away.

The restraunt is owned and run by a lovely lady named Amanda, who is a vegetarian herself. She happily chats to you as she gets her many tasks done, and you can really tell she has a passion for what she does. The atmosphere is really cozy, calm and you immediately feel at home. There's music playing softly in the background and a number of rotating works on exhibition by local artists, which you are able to purchase. The restraunt also does catering and cafe hire!

So now on to the best part: THE FOOD.

The meals are scrumptious, and even meat-eaters (like my Mum) who dine in are amazed at how fresh and tasty Sunny's cuisine is. As a vegan, it's nice knowing that I can get a delicious meal pretty fast, either dine-in or take-away, at Sunny's. There is a set menu, but also a variety of specials so there's plenty of variety. The lunches mum and I had were on the regular menu.

Sun Pocket Wrap - vegan style

I had the Sun Pocket Wrap vegan-style (the vegetarian version of the meal has cheese), which was very yummy. The salad in the wrap was so crisp, and really complimented the lentil patty and hummus (all "home-made" :D) which were just to die for. Seriously.

"The Feast" - vegetarian

My Mum, who is neither vegetarian or vegan, really enjoyed her "Feast" of Tilligery eggs, fried vegetables and salad; with a side plate of avocado on multigrain toast that I did not photograph. She also really enjoyed her coffee. All the coffees and teas at Sunny are fair trade too :)

I would have loved to try one of Sunny's fresh juices or a smoothie, but I was a bit full after my meal. I had a Phoenix organic cola with my lunch, which was really nice. Next time the juice is on the agenda.

Long story short, Sunny's Cafe is great! If you are in Newcastle - regardless of whether you eat meat or not - definitely rock up at Sunny's for a good meal, or even a quick coffee.

Sunny's Cafe logo

Sunny's Cafe:
86 Maitland Road,
Islington, NSW
2296

Phone: (02) 4962 1304

Open Wednesday - Sunday.
Wednesday : 9am - 4pm
Thursday : 9am - 4pm
Friday : 9am - 3pm
Friday (night) : 6pm - 9pm
Saturday : 9am - 3pm
Saturday (night): 6pm - 9pm
Sunday : 9am - 4pm

"Venus" Coloured

Linocut print & oil pastels

We were told to colour one of the poorer prints we made in class with out linocuts. So I got out the oil pastels. I think I'm going to touch up the yucky bits that didn't print good with some black paint.

I've had to cut some of the prints to fit them in my VAPD.

I'm going out to buy my own lino squares and carving tools today, as I've mentioned before, I'm quite fond of this medium.

"Venus" Linocut Print

Linocut print 2 /3 (so far). Approx 30 x 30 cm.

In my art class at school we have been creating artworks that revolve around the human body. One task we have had to complete recently is designing our own simple linocut prints of a size of approx 30 square cm (1 square foot); obviously featuring the body or body parts.

I researched Linocut printing on Wikipedia and apparently it's a modern and cheaper adaptation of the comparatively ancient woodcut printing. So there you go. It's an altered ancestor.

I'm truly sorry that this has nothing to do with one of my beloved oldies, it's simply that at a time like this - one when I've got no inspiration - when I still want to participate in IMT I have to twist things a bit. I think this printmaking exercise has really combatted my creative block.

I love lino printing now. It's awesome fun. The designing, carving the block, inking and printing. Well. I love it all except for the cuts I've gotten on my hands from my own stupidity at times. Hem-hem. I really want to keep making lino prints. I'm going to Eckersley's to buy my own pieces of linoleum and some carving tools, block ink and rollers. AND good paper, of course.

This is one of the best prints I've gotten thus far from the linocut I've designed. Print number 2 / 3... thus far. It's inspired by the Venus di Milo.