Top Banana, Alexander!

I had that feeling, the one where you absolutely, really, totally HAVE to paint! I wanted to paint in acrylics. In my head I paint in acrylics a lot. It's been going on a while now, ever since I painted The Blue Man, which was May 2013, the last time I actually painted in acrylics! I paint all sorts of things, in my head, flowers, portraits, abstract bird filled plains. I paint with brushes, I paint with a palette knife, in lots of lovely colour combinations. Then Alexander wakes up after being asleep for about 10 minutes and I think, just as well I haven't just mixed up those lovely colours or they'd all be about to dry out/get pawed by Loxie now! Yesterday morning though, Alexander had been asleep for 5 minutes and I couldn't resist any longer and decided I'm going to take a chance on starting a painting and who knows maybe I will get to finish it. I'll just do it in the Moleskine, just do a little sketch, small enough that I can paint it quickly before Alexander wakes up. I ran to the kitchen pencil and Moleskine in hand and sketched the three bananas on the table. Then he woke up!

But, today I finished it...in...watercolour, but hey, at least it wasn't Promarkers, I did get the enjoyment of using a brush! And I think it turned out pretty nice. I actually painted it while we were eating our breakfast and Alexander and I chatted away while I was painting. Maybe I underestimated this kid's patience after all?

I must confess that banana number 3 wasn't painted from observation because, on realising that we were out of bread and pancake equipment because I failed to go shopping yesterday, I fed it to Alexander. He ate my still life while I painted the memory of it. Anyway, here they are, bananas, one of which is in baby Alexander's tummy.

Equipment: WATERCOLOUR! (and pencil) on Moleskine Sketchbook

Puffins (Surely the best of birds)

Here are some puffins.

Equipment: Pitt Pen 'S' and Promarkers.

Alexander Sleeping & Eating (Not at the same time)

I have been making attempts to get over my fear of recording my son in ink. I like drawing his long curly eyelashes. This mainly happens when he is sleeping although that does involve me trying to draw while holding the old Moleskine at some strange angles. He's been so congested lately with the croup virus that he breathes through his mouth while he sleeps and I could feel his little hot breath right over my heart. I managed to capture him eating his favourite food - broccoli. The look in his eye here is exactly the look he gives me.

Croup

Here are the latest pages, a collection I call 'Croup'. The clue is in the title as to why I haven't done much in the way of art/posting for a while!