Reflection...

Drew this a few days back... While Tanush was sleeping .. He has started noticing that paints make color marks on anything that they touch and that mommy has some lovely colors in a paintbox, and a few different bright colored pencils, a few pens that are colored.. He pulled out his own paint set (which my Mom in law and I bought for him, not knowing that he wasn't still old enough to use them...). Even if he's not old enough to use them, he is old enough to understand what they are and what he can do with them!!! :)

What Tanush's readding these days

... or what we're reading him these days..

Music

Tried some serious watercolors here... Shedding all fears of applying washes... I am kind of impressed though as a self critic I realize that I still have a long way to go here... I am also impressed that I could cook up such an imagination.. I am weak at that!!

This one was before I put in the outlines in the end.. I debated for 3 days on whether I should really outline..

I think this one looks better.. and I am not happy with my scanner either :( The true colors just don't show up!!

2 Cakes, 1 Pizza, 1 Birthday and 3 Father's Day cards!!!

I gained an year more today! Had a wonderful day.. Well, actually, since yesterday.. It was my star birthday too yesterday! So I had a real looong birthday!! Manu's gifted me a lovely pendant... A kind I've been dreaming of owning, but have never discussed with Manu (so I was actually surprised to see it!!)

Nishanth and Swetha came over yesterday midnight and we had a small cake cutting.. That was actually 2 cakes' cutting!! Swetha had baked a lovely egg less cake, made with dates and walnut... She has an absolutely brilliant hand when it comes to making food... Manu had also brought a cake - a Red Velvet cake.. So we each had a piece each of both the cakes and watched Alice in Wonderland on a DVD... We then finished with the dessert - fruit salad with ice cream... Of course there were some Cheese and Nachos to neutralize all that sweet..!!

Today Madhavi came over with another surprise -  a freshly baked homemade veggie pizza! And.. I cut that too (LOL)... She is one more awesome cook...! Had a nice time with friends and phone calls... and managed a sketch..

Father's Day: Well, there were a couple of Father's Day cards in Manu's pocket (from me... and from Tanush!!) and another Father's Day card in my Dad's email.... But this needs a whole new topic!! And some card scans!! For now - this was what I drew for my Dad... After much consideration about what I should really draw, I gave in to this image that just hung on in my head saying this was one of my fondest memories of my childhood - long relaxed walks with Appa, in the evenings... 

This one's for you Pa... Wishing for your long life and good health... You Rock!!!!

Face Study - 1

I practiced making some faces from the book Facial Expressions: A Visual Reference for Artists. Wonderful book with an exhaustive collection of faces of all kinds, shapes, ages and emotions... Just opened up a page and pointed out to a face with my eyes closed... Then drew it! :) :)

Same Pinch

I hate it when Manu and I end up wearing the same colors... He hates it too!

Anne - Julia Kay's Portrait Party

Another one for the JKPP... I am having some good fun, though I am now very short of time.. But whatever I can, I am trying to fit in.. This one is Anne (Reference Photo here).. While sketching it, I just fell in love with her earrings LOL!!

I had always sketched only from B&W photographs; there was a time, till just a couple of years back, when I would convert a color snap into B&W and then sketch that... But with drawing so many portraits I think I am slowly getting comfortable with just sketching out of a perfectly colored photograph...

That's ME!!

Drew Before and After portraits of my face, yesterday... I welcome the change with open arms (though I wanted my hair slightly shorter still... we ladies will never be satisfied... 'cause satisfied means stagnant.. LOL)!!

Last Bite..! (Yumm)

Drew the last piece of my croissant!! :) I had a nice day today.. Though it did end with a bit of spice - our car had a minor fender-bender (Manu is pretty upset.. though it wasn't his fault, and nor was it the other guy's fault..), and Tanush had a bad fall.. it bruised up his face just above the eye... 

I had a good day otherwise.. made 2 self portraits and had my look changed...

The pictures would be up tomorrow - pencil sketch don't scan well.. so I take a picture with my camera whenever I pencil sketch..

Kuttus says.....

Some words that Tanush says now... Add to this list Pizza, Dyilla (Nila - as in moon), Mooo (for moon), Mooo (for moose), Mooo (for cow)...

This is Tanush's Kungfu close up... 

Ripple - IF

This one is my submission for the Illustration Weekly's topic 'Ripple'.. I drew it out on a 3.5" by 2.5" card, as was instructed, and this one's towards the Gulf Oil spill.

I know, I have taken the lighter expression of the oil spill, but there is really absolutely nothing funny about the disaster.. It is heartbreaking to see how many animals have been affected by the horrors of the incident.. And the worst part is that we hear more of the bad news as each day progresses!

Julia Kay's Portrait Party!!

 

Following Raena's trail, I joined Julia Kay's Portrait Party.. and has it been fun so far..
Well, here is how it works. You join the group, and then upload a few snaps of your for the other members to view and draw/paint/make any art from.. and in return you get to make some of the faces of the other members! Simple! And fun!! Here are my first two sketches.. Hoping to make more of them!

Thanks Raena for introducing me to the site!

Pleasant Surprises

Had an interesting week last week. Had some good pleasant surprises too! Some documented, some not... Some documented with pictures.. Now when I look back I think that the week was nice!
1.. For starters, we were on vacation in Canada, on Monday and Tuesday... So Manu's week began only on Wednesday!

2.. When we reached Quebec, suddenly it was French everywhere! The boards, and signals.. all in French! It was an amazing and interesting thing, that in the same country, by just crossing the borders of a province, you reach a place, where it is a different language (and no English alongside, as a second language either...)! Well, I felt it was interesting!

3.. Prune juice tastes yummy! Do you agree!?

4.. My picture says it!

 5.. A R Rahman is doing his concert in Silverdome, on Jun 19!!! That's like a 5 minute drive from my home!!! And it would have been a great b'day gift for me! And I am not even going for it :( :( :( talk about horrible horrible luck!

6..

7.. My dear dear friend mailed me with a good news! Now 5 of us friends join up the mommy-gang!

8.. This one is in parts:
      a.   I finally found a nail color that looks lovely on my skin tone! I was sure that there is NO TONE in the cosmetic world that will go well with my skin tone - be it lipstick or nailcolor.. And here I find one after so many years!
      b.   My new sandals, don't bite! Relief!!!
      c.   My sketch of my foot looks nice! I wasn't ready for a good one!!

 

Men's Fashion wear Pre-Independence India..

I stumbled upon this photograph when I was trying to find out about middle ages..
This is not from the middle ages in India, but I was awed by the fashion that existed at the time when this photograph was taken..
The game that they are playing is Pachisi.. And the men's fashion-wear is well... you can see it for yourself...