Housekeeping

Actually, I'm house-ignoring, because there's a sick man inside mine, and it's always a good idea to stay clear. BB, bless his fuzzy little ipod-giving heart, picked up a dental infection in Norfolk Island (serves you right for leaving home, I told him) and is lying in bed with one side of his face blown up. It's not so bad that he needs nursing; he's always happier being sick alone, and I'm always happier leaving him alone when he's grumpy. As long as I get home in time to make him a delicious -- mushy -- dinner, he'll amuse himself with audio books and his crackberry. And thus a happy marriage progresses.

So I just thought I'd bring a few dot points together before they get overwhelmed by the busy-ness of next week.

-- I visited Mummy Crit on Friday, who has cleverly doubled her mumminess. Took her some smelly flowers and little yummy things, and had a cuddle of the lovely little new animal. I love the mewling noises and wriggles of newborns. Felt very proud of myself for not going home and getting emotional, as has been my habit with newborns for the last few years. (Not that the visit was a personal test or anything; just realised that night that I seem to be coping better with the reality of other people's babes in arms.) He's a lovely little baby, and I hope that you get a good night's sleep before too long, Crit :)

-- I went to the life drawing group yesterday, and had a fabulous female model who had lots of bulk and knew how to drape it in interesting ways. I mentioned in my last drawing post that

if C was a short, round woman, I would have packed the soft lush black charcoal. If tall, male and boney, it would have been the 2B pencil.

But it didn't work that way. I pulled out the soft charcoal, but it was so broad that I felt that I was missing out on all the interesting bits, and also felt like I was drawing a cartoon character. So out came the hard pencil, and I LOOKED. She had such great angles, even though most of her body was round. I haven't got the scanner or sketchbook next to me (I'm at the Bookstud), so I'll try to put a picture up tonight. It blew all my notions of models needing set materials completely out the window. I quite enjoy changing my mind about things.


As promised. Apologies again for the split image, it's a large sketchbook! This was a 15 minute pose, and I got so obsessed with the body that I forgot her head, something I hate doing. Come on, Jahteh, you could fit on my page, couldn't you?! ;)

-- One of the students (I always want to type studnets, and it would work, wouldn't it?) here has launched a new drawing website called The Flat City. He's been working with this drawing structure for a while, and is very excited about this project. Go in and have a play -- and if you submit your drawing in the next couple of weeks, you'll get to be part of an artist's book. I like the colour palette choices, especially the wood panelling. The launch was on friday night, in the art school gallery, with huge computer projections and other such interactivity, and cheap beer. Apparently it went off, and only finished when the security guards kicked them out.

-- I saw The Painted Veil last night (by myself, of course, BB being wurty), and thoroughly enjoyed it. I've always been a big fan of Somerset Maugham. He was trying to tell people in the 1930s that they really shouldn't be so hung up on the material things of life, that there are better values and approaches to take to life, and he tried to pass that message on in a non-preachy, very popularist way. I think that the gist of what he was trying to say in broad brush strokes is very relevant today. It's about being *useful* on a personal level, about caring less about what is 'in' and whether you're keeping up with fads. And Ed Norton looked fabulously authentic, with his funny-shaped head and high pants. I think he's a marvellous actor. And oh, the scenery! That was the real star of the movie.

OK, time to get printing. Have a good day y'all.