New work at Ludlow Food Centre!

Hello poor, neglected blog - sorry it's been so long. Well, January was a bit of a blur of wonderful wedding commissions which I'm not going to share until after the big days (which are in the summer).

So in the meantime, I can say that my exhibition at Ludlow Food Centre has been extended until the end of the month. I've shuffled things around and added some new bits in so do pop up the stairs and have a look if you are passing! 

A very exciting delivery!

Eeeeeek! I had a delivery yesterday! 

Remember #AlicesAprilAviary ?! Well those feathered friends have flown onto some really rather lovely A6, 100% recycled, plain paged notebooks.

They... and four more designs will soon be in my Etsy shop! I'll keep you posted- I plan to photograph them this week and get them listed as soon as possible.

Other designs to be seen soon!

A surprise finale!

Last one for #AlicesAprilAviary ... a #Dipper ! 

I had only ever seen one once before and so definitely wasn't expecting to see one yesterday to finish off this challenge. I confess I had been spending much longer than usual walking the banks of the #RiverSevern  hoping to catch sight of a Kingfisher or Cormorant, both of which I've seen several sightings of before... but neither in April. I decided to just check another river yesterday and was treated to this sighting instead (the much smaller and faster flowing #RiverClun).

Think my May challenge might just carry on being my usual drawing a day, have to see it to draw it... contemplating exclusively nature drawings... but I do love a quick person sketch. I have the rest of the day to consolidate the plan! ...Ideas welcomed- I've had a wonderfully crazy selection from family so far!

(Almost got book when taking the photo,  luckily just the bookmark ribbon went in )

Who is pushing a squeaky wheelbarrow?

The #GreatTit! Seen yesterday and was oh so vocal!

They sound like...
- someone pushing a squeaky wheelbarrow
- someone pumping up a flat tyre
- they are saying 'teacher, teacher!'

Only 2 days left...

A Pigeon

#Pigeon seen yesterday, as I scampered into town after work... to pick up some stationery supplies 

A lot of people aren't fans of #Pigeons but I love looking at them- seemingly a dull grey but they often have shimmers  of green,  pink and purple, shades of which are just lovely.

The sketchbook in the background has 'pigeons on the platform' a drawing a day from December 2014 while waiting for a train.

Note : I'm much less keen on 'pesky pigeons' that disregard personal space, barging past each other to get under the bench you are on and when they flap right next to you... especially if I'm trying to draw them - I jump way too easily...and go very wrong!

An unexpected treat

Two Grey Wagtails were enjoying this stream yesterday afternoon - perching and wagging on the beaches and then flying on and repeating... all the way upstream. 

Yaffle

I had a lovely day in the woods in the sun yesterday and returned happy and smelling of woodsmoke.

I've hardly ever seen the Green Woodpecker... but he laughs and laughs whenever I'm there! Yesterday was no different.

I'm really enjoying learning a bit about each species- I've been looking them up in the evenings.

Also known as the Green 'Yaffle' - a name given to it as it sounds like someone laughing.

A blackbird saves the day!

There were very few birds about yesterday... and so much rain I was getting a bit worried about what I was going to draw for my #AlicesAprilAviary challenge.

Then a blackbird saved the day! He only perched on a post, then a chimney, then an aerial very briefly and then was gone! That was enough to make him the species of the day.

There is also a hilarious little video of the blackbird winking ;) over on Facebook... click here to have a look!

Mr Mallard

Yesterday's drawing for #AlicesAprilAviary is the mallard.

More precisely it is Mr Mallard who was on the River Dee in Chester yesterday, posing while I has a picnic lunch.

It would have been rude not to draw him.

Alice's April Aviary

I decided I needed another monthly challenge following last months March Meet The Maker... and so I've decided on #AlicesAprilAviary - a study of a different bird species each day this month. I'm hoping to draw a bird I've seen that day, ideally with a directly observed sketch to accompany the study, but so far is been studies only apart from this sparrow.

This was initially inspired by the birds seen on holiday last week on the Isle of Mull, Scotland.

I'll have to play catch up and share them here as there are already 10 waiting in the wings (...sorry I know that's dreadful!)