25/01/2021

Hello! I'm laid up in bed with a dodgy shoulder (I've dislocated it a few times in the past so need to be extra careful) after going for a bit of an over ambitious yoga move... So I've been advised to take a few days rest, ice it every few hours and take pain killers... no drawing for a little a while. Today I've taken it *super* easy and slow, read a bit of my book, napped and watched some rubbish reality TV. Hoping tomorrow I'll be able to do a bit of light work or at least go for a little walk.

This week I've gotten one drawing done. My parents have a very lovely garden, which I miss since moving out, and every year they get quite a lot of honey fungus around old tree roots etc. I find fungus quite fascinating; it pops up so quickly it seems slightly surreal and magical. Last year I took quite a few photos of the fungus that I found throughout Sheffield and saved them up for drawing. I tried playing with a black graphic shape behind the very soft, detailed drawing - the idea was to experiment with how I use negative space and play with marrying a bit of a matte, basic rectangle. I'm not sure if it has worked particularly well, but I am pleased to push myself into some very, very small experiments!

Another thing I've been absolutely loving is 'The Great Pottery Throwdown'! I enjoy the series every year, but this year I am particularly loving it (mainly because I'm desperate to eek any tiny bit of enjoyment from the day!) Clay, sculpting, modelling and the 3D in general are not my strong points; I feel much more comfortable with flat surfaces or a bit of fabric at a push... But I'd really love to do a ceramics/pottery course after lockdown and try and improve my skills and stretch myself a bit. This week I ordered some air dry clay and just had a bit of a play with an old Pringles tube...

I was in the process of playing with some different paints on it, but have taken a break to rest the old shoulder! Hopefully by next week I can show you the finished experiment.