Worked on this study from reference photo-picked for the voluminous sleeve. Tried to get the fabric texture and folds. Fabric is tricky, but I’m making progress.

Thank you darling ❤️      Oh that is kind of you ❤️      Thanks, Ever ❤️      That's an amazing suggestion!!! I love it.      He's definitely got some drama with the wide splayed arms and turned head!    I hope it's okay if I share a bit of what I learned from a figure class I did. It has really helped me and I think it will help everyone here so I hope it's okay to use your figure as an example. So, I think it will really enhance your pose if you start with a gestural sketch. Then conceptualise the torso as two masses (an egg and a block), and the legs likewise as two masses each. Understanding the blocky pieces lets us create a solid, balanced looking pose and prevents tube limbs. Or tube torso for that matter. It also shows us where the body is going to fold and where it will stretch, which are basically cheats to making a body look bodylike.    Here is an example of how I would use gesture and blocks to start a figure piece like this. This is actually how I start all my figures, whether from reference or imagination. (Er, but without colouring in the masses blue. I do use red and blue lines for gesture and blocking, though.) Anyway, it's a really different process from starting with contour AKA outline, and leads to much better outcomes in my experience. Gesture is a few sweeping, dramatic lines with a focus on line quality rather than accuracy. Line quality means one or two big confident strokes, not small, indecisive, and hairy strokes. For the blocking in of parts, it's good to watch a professional explain the shape of the ribs and hips. You need some very basic perspective to show what direction the oval and the block are tilted, but nothing advanced. If you can draw boxes you can do this. I learned this from prokopenko. He has lots of shorter free videos on YouTube under the name proko.  Of course loads of other things need to come together like understanding proportions of the body and stuff, but I think gesture and blocks are such an important place to start.      

Sorry to hear the walk took it out of you. I hope you get the recovery you need. Love your sketch and Bujo pages!! 

Thanks, Dearheart! ❤️    Because of my soft no-spend that is going on this year, the shinies are mostly being left on the shelf. I am having an easy time resisting many things that aren’t stationery supplies but there have been a few things that I have really wanted that I have indulged in. I am feeling okay with the balance I am striking right now, especially because I am making solid decisions with my surplus amounts even when I’d rather be indulging. Good job spending less with the less internet time. That is a huge win.    Yup, that was exactly my face too.    Yup. It’s a whole thing right now.    The work culture at the cafe is very hardcore teamwork. In 10 months I think I have seen less than a dozen shifts get swapped or missed. People are very committed to being there and doing the work. I think Sonjia doesn’t understand the loyalty. Either that or I am misreading the situation and we are all so desperate for money we can’t afford to fuck around. Which might be the case now that I am thinking about it. Bloody capitalism.  Thanks, Radost. We will see how it goes going forward - I don’t think we are out of the woods yet.    Fair. Sad, but fair.    It helps to hear her side of things in a coherent manner. I struggle with her personality and delivery more and more lately, but when she can actually take the time to finish sentences and thoughts my impatience is mitigated a fair amount. This is much, much more about her attitude and decision making than it is about money for me (although I might be the only one in the cafe that is true for because Dave handles our major finances and my paycheque is just for debt servicing; I think everyone else is more dependant on their paycheques with less safety net than I have). This isn’t to excuse her though, she is definitely being inconsiderate.  Yay veggies! Have a great shopping trip! ❤️    RIGHT?????? This was exactly my reaction and that is why it feels like such a slap in the face.    Exactly. We set our tip amounts at 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% for the presets because an 18% minimum is ridiculous and much more for table service than for coffee take out. But a LOT of people leave us fifteen or twenty five cents after they have paid for their small coffee and that adds up over the course of a day. There are also differences with how coin tips are tracked in terms of taxes vs tips that the employer distributes so you have more flexibility about being honest with reporting your cash tips. I totally forgot to claim my tips last year which I feel bad about, so I will be making sure I do it this year.    Thanks, EG!!     I LOVE this idea!! I might start tapping you for input for his Patron then if you are cool with it? We should have tea sometime to discuss.   Doesn’t it just? Ugh.  Thank you, it is helping me feel a bit more grounded and in control.  It really is different. Amazing how the definition of a “treat” has changed so much. ❤️    Thanks, Scaly!     Hi Friends!   We had a fairly severe storm here last night and lost power for about an hour. Dave and I were at Nicole and Bryon’s and it ended up being a very peaceful time as we were all reading or scrolling on our phones in silent company. Nicole returned three of my books that I had been trying to locate a few weeks ago, which was delightful. I didn’t even realize she had two of them and getting them back was an unexpected bonus! An Illustrated Life is a compendium of sketchbook pages from people’s daily drawing habits and An Illustrated Journey is the same kind of compendium but for travel journals. I really enjoy flipping through them when I am feeling uninspired. The third book was Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey which I think @Sea-to-sky might like when you have more energy for a more involved read. It’s one of my favourite books and what inspired me to start trying to write Halcyon.    Two of my new B5 Archer & Olive Bujos arrived yesterday along with nautical washi some of which has squid on it. I am quite thrilled with the purchase and am now feeling a little impatient to be out of my current Bujo and into one of the new ones. I think I have enough room in the current Bujo to get me to the end of this challenge so I am hoping to hop into a new one with the start of the next challenge. It’s only two and a half more weeks. I can wait.  I am excited to be into a B5 again after this A5 adventure. The A5 was fine once I got used to it, but there’s just more room in the B5, especially for laying out challenge spread the way I like to. Funny to me how important my challenge spreads are, they a really are the backbone of my Bujo practice. I had expected to have fallen off the challenge bandwagon after two years, but not yet. That makes me very happy.    I am starting at noon all week which gives me way more time at home in the mornings. Or at least having the extra hour feels like way more time. I did some dishes yesterday and will do more today so my kitchen isn’t such a state. I also need to pull out some meat to defrost for supper tonight. I am pleased to report that my rib has slid back into place of its own accord, so I was able to cancel my adjustment appointment for this evening. Yay lack of pain! I don’t think I am going to have my hedge maze done for Saturday, but we will see. I might be able to pull it off yet. I had expected to work on it last night and that didn’t happen and now I am feeling compressed. But that is okay. I can always do it later, it just won’t be quite as interesting when three people can only see it on camera as opposed to in person.    I hope that you are having a good day today and that a lucky cat crosses your path. Thanks for being here. ❤️     

Missed your week 1 update, so catching up on that as well. Happy belated birthday!   Looks like steady progress on your goals. I am jealous of you seeing the Lion King, I have always wanted to see that!

Been a few days since I posted, and I'm going to be busy, so now's a good time. Been lovely weather here.Sunny and warm, but not hot.  I've had lots of wonderful walks, and a bit of time working in the garden.    I've done well with the calorie tracking.   I've met my water goal on Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday I was very short. It is helpful for me to track it. One of those things that just by tracking,I'm more aware.   Creativity- nope.   Delaying with screen, a little, but also lots of not delaying, and way too much screen time.    Today we have plans to do a little geocaching, and then barbecue with friends, and we are going to see fireworks. I am not tracking food at my friend's house.

Thanks!

Is domherren this one? I LOVE IT!!! Cloudberry jam also sounds amazing. I've never tasted these rarified berries, I have only hear of their sublimity.   

Love the bindweed sketch!

had a a doing day. Got more of by bujo done. Trying a different colour scheme for the monthly. Came out nicely. so easy to draw the graphs and boxes now. Barely need to measure things. Dotted pages are so nice   half way through another page which is the exercise tracker and the sleep tracker. Having a bash at putting them in one page. We will see how that goes, might be too cramped. Thinking of doing lots of succulents in this months theme. See how that goes.      went for a cliff walk with my sketchbook and the kindle i treated myself to last week. Cousin bought one with her last week and i absolutely loved the thing.  I am not a fan of reading books on phones (screen is so small) and its So much lighter than carting a tablet around for reading in cafes. The zero screen glare is what does it for me though.    took the sketchbook to get some sketching in too.    might have a bash adding come colour later. But it came out nicely.  tried a new flavour of sausage roll. Apricot and sage. Wasnt sure if id like it, as i am usually nit a fan of meat + fruit, but it was better than expected.    pushed myself a but too hard with the walk. Normally that distance is fine. Today, i was worried i might have to stop and sit on the way back as i was really struggling.  so frustrating.  have my first choir session this weekend so will have to take tomorrow slow.    walk ✅ darebees ✅