A doll in the making

A doll in the making. I am hoping to go for a doll workshop in the US so I am making a doll for that. Hope I can finish her soon. If it turns out the way I want it to I might make a pattern available. It is going to be a hanging doll so it's going to be pretty simple and easy.

Feel like a child

Today I want to show you some very cute pop up books that I bought. I feel like a little child when I look at them. I think any child would really enjoy these books. Here are some pages from the books. They have so many pockets of tiny pop ups which is a joy to open and look.

This cute little nursery rhyme book I found in a charity shop. I love the illustrations in it.  A lot of inspirations for dolls I think 😀

Seed pods

I tried to sketch some seed pods but failed miserably. The sketch looks more like some worms or snakes 😀. At first I thought I would not show this awful sketch but then changed my mind. I did this sketch with Derwent watercolour pencils.

Dead leaf sketch

Painting dead leaves are challenging. I tried to do this one, not pleased with it. So difficult to get the variations in brown colour. At least I find it difficult.

Sketching away

I have a clematis in England which has a very similar flower to this climber. Only the leaves seem to be different and it has no fragrance. This one I sketched is in India. The leaves are nothing like the one I have in England, but it is a climber and it has a lovely fragrance. I don't have a clue what it's name is. It could be an Indian clematis if there is an Indian clematis. I wish I knew. 

I am finding sketching bits of plants and flowers very relaxing. My painting skills are not good though.

De-stressing by sketching

Trying to de-stress by doing some more small sketches. I think I have over worked this one. The unfinished one was supposed to be a geranium but never finished it as I got side tracked with other things.

Another sketch of flowers

I did another sketch of couple of flowers a poppy whose petals had blown away and a dried anthurium flower. I find so hard to paint dark colours in watercolours. I might attempt the anthurium again as I am not entirely satisfied with what I have done.

A little sketch

I had plucked a sprig of lavender and put it in a pot of water hoping to sketch it but I did not get round it for weeks and then when I did remember I found it all withered and dry. So just as I was going to throw it away I thought why not sketch it as it is. So I first sketched it with inktense pencils but I was not pleased with it so I thought of giving it a try with Derwent water colour pencils. Then thought why not try it with water colours as well. So here are the three sketches I did.  It was good picking up a pencil and brush after such a long time

I am still kicking

It seems like a life time since I have been away from my blog. In fact I have been away from many things lately simply because things sort of got on top of me. Trying to cope with everything has been hard and I seem to get exhausted quickly. To top it all we had visitors whom we were taking out and showing places etc. We visited Paris, Rome, Pompeii ,Sorrento, the Amalfi coast Edinburgh , Lake District etc. Then I got a bad cough and cold. It has really sucked my energy.  I don't think I was fit to travel so much. Since I had been to these places already once or twice before  I could not enjoy it all as much as I did before.

Anyway I hope I will get back to my normal self soon. 

Our pond life has grown beautifully. The baby fish are growing up fast. I keep wondering if there will be more baby fish this year. 

The water lilies are beginning to flower

So here are some pictures of the places I have been to this spring.

Spring- such a wonderful time of year

Spring is such a lovely time of the year when the garden starts to burst with colours.

The birds become so busy 

The resident robin keeps following me when I go into the garden. He even comes and peeps through the door of the garden shed and chirps. Don't know what he is trying to say to me but may be he just wants me to get lost as he considers the whole garden his territory :-). Today I almost stepped on him, he was so close to my feet!

A walk in the forest to see some magical works of nature