Golden Retrieval

well, i finished dylan's portrait and am very pleased with him. i think this is the best dog portrait i've done yet: i'm particularly proud of the nose, muzzle and mouth - all areas that were quite tricky with a very blurry reference photo, so i had to use a fair amount of my prior 'knowlege' to help me with the detail.

now i have started on harry, his housemate which, with an even blurrier reference and a full-on facial shot is going to be even more of a challenge, but i am determined to prevail. but i'll save that for tomorrow now!

my am dram news is that following auditions last night, i have been cast as cinderella in my company's annual pantomine! how exciting! i'm hoping to wear my own wedding dress at the end: but i really ought to lose a few pounds, or i won't fit in it!

Golden retrievers

this is my current commission. i'm drawing a pair of gorgeous boys called dylan and harry. there will be an a4 head study of each dog. this is dylan and is a work in progress. as these are very light golden retrievers, i have decided to go with a dark background with the hope that this will push out the highlights and give a less flat drawing than if i had kept the background white. it should also prevent me having to go too dark on the fur.

do you hate musicals?

zoey parkin as 'carrie pipperidge' in 'carousel'

do you hate musicals? i don't, but i've been recently quite surprised at the number of friends and acquaintances who have announced their disdain for musical theatre. but then i thought about it whilst i was on the loo and realised the reason why i enjoy musical theatre is because i was raised with it. maybe it is a bit like the comfort many people find in religion, because they've grown up with it since they were children and can find comfort and strength therein... for me, helping mum and dad dry the dishes after a sunday dinner and singing along with the rest of the family to numbers from rodgers and hammerstein ii's colourful works provide me with wonderful memories: and the tunes are etched on my brain. similarly, the excitement of the impending shows: the sweaty stench of the costumes, seeing men wearing poorly applied stage makeup and rushing about backstage to get to their entrance; being in the shows and feeling that sense of 'we're all in this together' team spirit; remembering your lines or dance steps, and relaxing at the end of the number whilst you soak up the applause. am dram is egos and intrigue as well as friendships and hard work. and there is always that undescribable feeling of pleasure you feel when you sing a song you love with other people.

if you don't like musicals, perhaps you never gave them enough of a chance? - or perhaps you were not indoctrinated like i was as a child! musicals are like opera and theatre combined and 'dumbed down' to be more accessible. however i don't think i would ever attend a musical without familiarising myself with the music first - i know i wouldn't enjoy the show half as much! it's like when you buy a new album - you have to listen to it a few times before you get to like all the songs, and essentially i think this is why a lot of people don't like musicals: they didn't listen repeatedly to the songs! that's just my opinion though....

A scene from "Carousel" which I have just performed in with my drama group: the Gillingham Operatic and Dramatic Society

finished

oooh, my tricep and elbow are sore after applying all those darks to her body. after i had done that, i had to go back over the face and tone down some of the lighter areas so as not to make it look like her head is on a stick about a meter away from the body!