Monday 30 December 2013

2013:: A year of Drawing

Hello,
can I start this post by dedicating these pictures to you lovelies. It was a bit scary sharing my novice drawings on my blog, leaving the safe familiarity of yarn for a bit, but I didn't need to worry.
I have been  so encouraged by all your generous comments about about new hobby.

I'm the first to accept they are a long way from accomplished pieces of art, but nevertheless, I like doing them and they make me smile....and surely that's a good reason to keep going.

So shall we go back to that very first drawing, done in my Eldest's old school Art book  , back in February.

It was inspired by a snowy walk I took in January and it took me AGES as I really had done zero drawing for many years before this............

 I remember feeling so proud of this simple drawing, despite it's flaws.You can click on any of the pictures to see them larger.

With a happy drawing in my sketch book I wanted to carry on. Next I took inspiration from a local village hall.........


It was still February and I was yearning for some warm weather to arrive so I let my imagination turn this drawing into a happy Spring scene............ 


 I enjoyed drawing the buildings so much I decided to include some more in my third drawing.....unfortunately I struggled badly with the perspective in this drawing and I decided it wasn't good enough to share here at the time..........

 Looking at it now I'm a bit more fond of it.

Then came more imaginary drawing, very loosely based on a local scene .........


 This drawing had elements of imagination ( the garden ) and still life ( the items on the windowsill ).......


This is one of my favourites, it was the first time I had used a pen to add detail and I loved the effect.........

 This time I created a Summer scene.

Then I had fun drawing a local landmark after a family visit.........

 I even included us in the bottom right corner :0)

Inspiration for my next drawing came from the boys weekly ice skating lessons.........


This is a minds eye drawing of my childhood home, it makes me happy........


 At the end of March we had more snow..........


I thought spring was never going to arrive, but it did inspire my next drawing..........


This one is of my mum in law and her neighbour chatting over the garden fence.........


then it was back to my memories , this time childhood caravan holidays........


In late April we had a short break on the east Yorkshire coast and I was inspired to draw the lovely Withernsea lighthouse...........


Again I was adding imaginary flowers for extra colour


By June the weather had finally improved and the countryside looked wonderful..........

 This is another favourite.

By July we were sweltering and enjoying life outdoors, splashing in the paddling pool and admiring the flowers.........


In August we spent time at the seaside. The weather continued to be glorious and I loved people watching at the beach...........


I spent time drawing little sketches in my small sketch book, then finishing them off back at our holiday accommodation in the evening.........




The highlight of September was a wonderful visit to Yarndale.........


Then Autumn arrived and delighted me just as much as Spring and Summer.
I tried a different, more "designed" sort of drawing. It felt strange leaving large areas of the page uncoloured, but I liked the finished drawing a lot.........


And it inspired another wreath drawing, which I copied to make Christmas cards.......


I'm aware that most of you lovelies find your way here because of a love of crochet. So I'm always touched that you have been so generous with your support for this pencil and paper creativity.....it has really encouraged me to keep going.

If you want to see the original posts for these drawings just click on the" drawing" label in my side bar or HERE
There was certainly a lot of drawing here in the early part of  this year. Now I feel a balance has returned and both hook and pencil are equal in my affections.
I'm looking forward to continuing with both hobbies next year.
Tomorrow it's my final review.....I do hope you will pop by....it's Crochet :0)
Jacquie x

67 comments:

  1. Your drawings are wonderful, you have just inspired me to get out the drawing pad, pencils and my mum's old watercolour paintbox
    Julie xxxxxxxxx

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  2. You have a real talent. You should be very proud. Thanks for sharing and happy 2014. xxx

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  3. I have so many favourites I can't say which I like the best but, June's picture looking across the field is beautiful, and November and the Christmas wreath are fabulous too......and Yarndale.......and.........
    You should be very proud and get them out of your sketch book and into a frame. Who knows selling too? They are that good.
    Love CN x

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  4. I do love your pictures - lovely bursts of colour - you should get some made into cards :)

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  5. Your drawings are lovely, they make me feel happy inside. I espesially like the one with the lighthouse, don´t know what Freud would say about that... :-)
    But really you do have such a gift for drawing! Love them!
    Happy New Year!

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  6. Oh Jacquie, your pictures are right up there with my love of Shirley Hughes and Brambly Hedge. They remind me of the early copies of Topsy & Tim stories, which I pored over as a child. Thank you for sharing your wonderful talent with us, and hopefully one day we will see them in book form or available to buy as prints or cards. :) Looking forward to your crochet posts too, xxx

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  7. They all are very lovely with fine detailing and sweet additional touches :) Your pencils and hooks have not only struck a rhythm with your hands but also with your heart and mind :) Great work!!

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  8. Jacquie, I cannot tell you how much your drawings delight me! I just love them. They make me want to leap right into the drawing :) I LOVED this post! So lovely to see your years work all in one spot!

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  9. Wow, they're absolutely wonderful. I love the caravan holiday one and the first one with all the people and the castle on the hill. And the one with the wildflowers at the front - so many of them in fact. You have such a talent for art, I can't believe you haven't been doing it all your life. And how lovely to see them all set out together.

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  10. It has been a real joy seeing your delightful drawings during the year. I have zero talent in that area, so it is wonderful seeing you discover your love and talent for capturing the simple things around you so perfectly.

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  11. you can really see how your drawings have progressed over the year, how your confidance has grown, there all gorgeous x

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  12. Beautiful!!! You are talented.

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  13. It is a talent I wish I had, sadly I don't. They are very cheerful drawings & quite rightly you should be proud of them.

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  14. Thank you for sharing these - they are wonderful!

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  15. Hi Jacquie You have an amazing talent and I love your attention to detail!!! Missing little Tom Tit in some of your pictures!!! You should really have then turned into cards or calendars!!! They really are stunning!!! Have a fab day!!!
    Love
    AMarie

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  16. Thank you so much for taking the time to post a whole years worth of your lovely drawings. I agree with all the above posts. They are simply wonderful. One of the loveliest things is that you draw simply for the love of it and that radiates with every stroke of colour.
    I could not choose a favourite but I do hope you carry on in 2014 and if you were to publish a Calendar for Charity next year I would be first on the list to buy a copy.
    Happy New Year

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  17. You're drawings are really inspiring.
    I will try this with my daughter, she like to draw and I haven't done this for years.
    I wonder if mine will be even a little as beautiful as yours.
    Happy New Year
    Bianca

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  18. Definitely not a talent to be shy of or hidden away, thanks for sharing i have to say my favourites are the last two xx

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  19. I love your happy drawings and pretty colouring in. I always look for the cat, and if I can't find one, it must be the bird.
    thanks for sharing!

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  20. I'm relatively new to your blog and did not realize you also draw!!! What a delight to see your year in drawings!! I too love to draw, paint, knit, and crochet! your drawings are truly enchanting and give a wonderful view of your world! Keep it up! looking forward to seeing more of your drawings in 2014!

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  21. Wow, great to see these in one post, you can really see how you've progressed! I love the summer scenes and the November & December drawings! Have a great new year!

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  22. Wow, great to see these in one post, you can really see how you've progressed! I love the summer scenes and the November & December drawings! Have a great new year!

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  23. What a year you've had with your art and you can really see the evolution of your improvements and confidence. I'm sure I've commented before on how much I envy your talent to capture a scene and represent it. I have no such ability but would love to learn more and depending on how things go this year I might take the very scary route of enrolling in a class to learn the basics. Well done to you and I look forward to seeing more of what you create in the coming year.

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  24. Jacquie, your drawings are wonderful, I love everyone of them - I just wish I had your talent. If you decide to publish a calender I certainly would love to buy a copy.
    Thanks for sharing your drawings with us.
    luv
    irene
    xxxx

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  25. Your drawings are charming Jacquie.

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  26. I've enjoyed your drawings this year, and you are really talented. I'm looking forward to more...and of course, crochet! Happy New Year!

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  27. Your drawings are some of my all time favorites! PLEASE make them into note cards. I promise I will buy the whole set!

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  28. Hi Jacquie. It's wonderful to see the progress that has come along in your drawing skills in just a year. Your drawings are so fun and whimsical :) glad you're sharing them.

    Always,
    Kimberly

    www.jandkalways.blogspot.com

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  29. Your drawings are wonderful and I see a lot of progress from one to the next. Thank you for sharing them.

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  30. So lovely to see the progression of your drawings through the year, I assumed that you had been doing this for years and years, not that it was something that you had only started in earnest this year. You have an amazing talent, and I look forward to seeing more in the coming year. Thank you for sharing these, they are a delight! xx

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  31. Great drawings! Thanks for sharing them with us. I wish you a happy and creative 2014! Greetings Tinie

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  32. Lovely Jacquie I have always loved your work - it is a gift I have always wanted but have to realise that it is not coming my way. Your lovely work is the type of art which I really do love as it has a simplicity and honesty about it, I would certainly put these up on my walls in my home. I do hope you carry on with your art this year Jacquie as you do have a talent and I am looking forward to seeing more. Have a wonderful evening, big hugs as always
    Dorothy
    :-)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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  33. What a lovely year rich in drawing and special moments. Thanks for sharing the roundup; they are all so great!

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  34. A great review of your pictures ,seeing them again reminded me your lovely posts and the inspiration behind the pictures.
    Sarah x

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  35. Such wonderful and cheerful drawings. Have you considered producing a calendar? X

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  36. Wow! So many pictures - great to see them all here in one place. I've so enjoyed going on this journey with you, the detail and imagination is wonderful!
    Jones x

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  37. Jacquie,
    Such a pleasure to see your drawings and flowers again! It´s been lovely to visit your blog during the whole year. Have a nice 2014!

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  38. So nice to see them altogether, you should get them made into a calendar. Definitely a talent.

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  39. I always love to see your drawings - they are just so cheerful! Happy New Year to you all. Jille x

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  40. So lovely to see them all together I love the window view and the light house so much, what a talent you have. Happy New year.
    Clare x

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  41. They may not be works of art, but I think they are priceless and a lovely and personal way of looking back on your 2013 - recording memories by drawing them is a lovely and I think this will be a treasured collection in years to come and something really lovely to look back on. Keep it up!
    Best wishes to your and your family for 2014.

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  42. Lovely drawings...thanks for sharing.

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  43. what a lovely collection of drawings.........so vibrant and colourful!

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  44. You are right--crochet is what brought me to your blog, but I am utterly charmed by your drawings and I am so happy you have shared them here! Happy New Year.

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  45. They are lovely, happy pictures ... I especially like the June drawing. I hope we'll see more in 2014! A Happy New Year to you and your family. :)

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  46. Hey Jacquie, love all of your drawings, #3 love the tiled roofline, the windowsill pic, the imaginary flowers at the lighthouse.......so many things, I could go on and on. I do love them all.
    They're happy pics and lots to look at in each of them and Novembers' pic....well, so many of my favourite things in there.
    I'm sure you can see how much you have progressed over the year......here's to a new year full of more wonderful drawings.

    Claire Xx

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  47. You have made such progress in your drawings this year! So nice to see them all again here. It's true that I first came across your blog because of your lovely crochet and I shall look forward to seeing your future postings on your creations with hook and yarn!
    Happy New Year, Jacquie!
    Sandra

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  48. Such a good idea to do a year in review of each of your hobbies, this is the first time I have seen some of these drawings and looking from first one to the last one has been a delight. I can see the progress you have made as you have got more confident through the year. I love it when you started to outline with a pen, it really makes the drawings come alive for me. thanks for sharing xx

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  49. Jacquie, your drawings are wonderful and it was really lovely seeing them all in one place. Thanks so much for sharing them again :O)x

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  50. Wow, Jacquie! Your drawings look fabulous all set out together. The colours are simply gorgeous and I just love all the tiny details. It's so difficult to pick a favourite but I'm particularly keen on your 'view from the window'. I can so imagine it as a framed print.

    A very happy New Year to you and your family my friend.

    Heather xx

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  51. I've really enjoyed seeing your drawings since I discovered your blog. I love the details and the fresh approach.

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  52. Beautiful honest drawings, wonderful to see them all together. Calendars and notecards would be very lovely to use. I'd probably end up framing them rather than using them though :o)

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  53. Your drawings are very nice especially as a collection. They would make a lovely calender.

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  54. I love all the crochet....and your drawings....WOW ! Clever you ! Happy New Year !! XX

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  55. Wow! I had to scroll down and up and down again >> did you really grow from this to... that?! I think your 1st and 2nd drawing are great, but I really loved seeing your drawing skills grow and expand! I hope you continue to share your talent with us!

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  56. I didn't realise you'd created so many drawings this year. They are all beautiful, I love your drawing style!

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  57. These are wonderful! I especially love the windowsill. Thank you for all that you share -- Your blog is so inspiring!

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  58. I've loved seeing your drawings; well done! My faves are 3, 6, 7, 13 and 14. You needn't have worried about the perspective in 3, in my view, as the untutored style is a huge part of their charm. Difficult to say that without it sounding like a backhanded complement...intended purely as a real complement, truly! You tackle both textures and light very well; the roof tiles, brickwork, red jug and holly leaves. Have fun and Happy New Year to you all, Jen x

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  59. Wow you have such talent! I wish I had the time to try and improve my (non-existent) drawing skills. I honestly can't pick a favourite but the ones that stand out to me are the caravan , the castle on the hill, looking across the field with the flowers in front, and especially where you've used pen to pick out the details.

    Might I ask what materials you use, exactly? I.e. what pencils, pen, notebook, etc? And how long have you been drawing for?

    Thank you for inspiring me to at least try to do some more drawing!

    Best wishes,
    Lissy

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    Replies
    1. Hi Lissy, thank you for your lovely comment.
      I draw first in ordinary pencil ( there's always lots of rubbing out) then I go over the lines in a very fine pen ( I have various makes..."pilot G-TEC- C4" and "uni pin fine line" are my favourites ) and rub out the pencil.
      My paper is made by "Pink pig" and Caran d'ache pencils are really wonderful.
      I started drawing last February and consider myself a self taught novice.
      Do give drawing a try Lissy, it's challenging but keep practising and you will improve. As well as my big drawings I share on my blog I do little sketches of things around me to try and get better.
      Jacquie x

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    2. Hi Jacquie,
      Thank you for replying to my comment! =D
      I'm definitely going to try and get some of the pens, pencils and paper, as I think the results and colour pay-off are great! Could I ask if you use A5 or A4 paper at all, please? Thank you!

      Lissy :)

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    3. P.S. Just a thought, are you left- or right-handed? I'm left-handed, and while lots of people say that should make drawing easier, I often find it to be the opposite! Just out of curiosity I wondered if you're left-handed because it would give me hope that there is a possibility I could improve!

      Lisst :)

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    4. Hi again Lissy,
      I draw in an A4 book as it's what I had when I first started and it means my pictures don't take too long to draw and it saves on materials.
      I'm not left handed myself but lots of famous artists are/were.....like Leonardo Da Vinci.
      Jacquie x

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    5. Ah I see thank you (tell me if I'm being dim, but wouldn't it take longer to draw in A4 than A5 as the paper is bigger in A4?)
      How many of the Caran D'Ache pencils do you use? I looked them up on eBay and they have different amounts in sets - I'm not sure how many I would need to get a nice range of colours like you do.
      I'm going to try drawing my back garden once a week or fortnight and see if my drawings improve over time, I'd really love to be able to draw on holidays and things to capture places as drawings rather than just photos.
      That reminds me, do you always draw from real life or from photos? As in, when you see a nice view do you take a photo and work from it later or actually sit down there and then to sketch it out?
      I'm so sorry for all these questions!

      Lissy :)

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    6. Hi Lissy, quite a chat we are having here :0)
      Ooops , sorry I got my paper sizes mixed up, of course A5 is smaller. I think either size is fine. I just used A4 as it was the size of my sons old pink pig art book and it had plenty of unused pages. I have a tiny sketch book I keep in my handbag for doing sketches on the go and I've just treated myself to an A5 sized sketchbook , and a new A4 one as my old ones were full (again pink pig... I like the paper and they have a great hard cover to prevent damage)
      About the pencils. Mine are all so old ....mine from childhood and Mum's from years ago, I have about 24 colours in total but I do a lot of blending... putting down a light coat of one colour then adding another colour on top to add depth ( get me, sounds like I know what I'm talking about ! ) There are different types of Caran D'ache pencils...mine are the Aquarelle PRISMALO. They are water soluble, but I haven't tried that much.
      About the way I draw, well I'm so new to this I try lots of different ways. Some of my drawings like the one I just did are completely made up. But I do try and do accurate sketches of things I see to get a bit better. When I was on holiday I did little sketches on the beach which I loved doing. In this case I often take a photo as a reference as I might not have time to finish it or it might change before I've got down the details.
      I think do whatever suits you and most of all enjoy it.
      Jacquie x

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  60. This is so inspiring!! I am going to get my sketch-book out after work today.

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