I've been wanting to jump back into doing the photo a day challenge for a while, I think it's such a great way of not only expanding photography skills but also taking note of the little joys throughout the day. You may remember my old attempt where I said I'd do it for the month but it ended up only being that one entry? Yeah. I'd love to say I'll do a full 365 but I have commitment issues, but I'd like to do it every once in a while when the mood takes me.
The day I decided to actually start this photo a day it was already in the evening. It had been too hot to do anything all day other than sloth about, so at dusk I took the opportunity to take a walk around the nearby reservoir and burn off some energy.
My stickers arrived from Decadent West, so I had to put one straight on my sketchbook! Having to listen to dudes act like I only like Pink Floyd to impress them or lecture me about my own vinyl collection is a regular occurrence. Because apparently women only like frivolous things, and if a women dares to like the same thing as a man then it's up to said man to test and approve her or some total BS.
I've had this orange sketchbook for years, it's a Leuchtturm1917 and I've never liked the paper quality. I've been really struggling with my sketchbook work lately, I think in part to seeing so many sketchbook tours on YouTube with perfect illustrations on each page which is such an unrealistic way to work. It's made me develop this idea that everything needs to be perfect in case someone sees it, but the entire point of a sketchbook is that it's a personal space for an artist to practice and develop their skills away from final pieces. Watching TheGothicAlice's sketchbook tours has been a breath of fresh air and helped me to check my priorities. As I'd only used a handful of pages from this sketchbook because I didn't like it much, I figured I'd be less inclined to slip into old habits and try and make it perfect. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have a sketchbook just for me again, I feel like I'm finally getting over my persistent art block and am enjoying drawing again. I hope it lasts and I can get back into the mindset I used to have a few years ago where drawing was a purely personal hobby which I enjoyed daily, instead of feeling like everything has to be shared. Social media can be very toxic for reinforcing that sometimes.
The day was spent at the local seaside, where I ate a lot of ice cream and paddled in the sea in an attempt to cool down. Although all of the warm weather has been nice, I am concerned about what it means for global warming and to be honest can't wait for autumn! I bought some fresh raspberries on the way home and had them with my new sour cherry flavour tea.
I tried to play about with my camera settings to get a good photo of the moon, partly in preparation for the blood moon the following night, and also because it looked so beautiful in the landscape - quite big with a pink-ish glow. I only have a fixed focal length on my DSLR and this was the best I managed to get. I still don't understand how to photograph the moon as part of the landscape! The above was taken with my Canon G7X Mark II at full zoom, which shows the pink but not the lavender sky. If anyone has any tips I'm all ears!
The dress you see in the background was found in the charity shop - an expensive Monsoon dress in pristine condition. And my soot sprite pin arrived from Canada. I love soot sprites, hence naming my social media after them. They feature in my favourite Studio Ghibli film My Neighbour Totoro, but most merchandise uses the Spirited Away imagery. I liked the message on this pin, but I'm never sure how I feel about these unlicensed items. People are often selling Disney, Studio Ghibli, and other licensed and copyrighted characters on Etsy and the like, and I never understand how they legally get away with it without being sued.
Saturday felt like the autumnal weather I'd been craving, filled with thunderstorms and rain. They don't look terribly photogenic, but I felt like something sweet so knocked up some jam and butterscotch tarts which went down very well in my house!
Sunday was more of the same kind of weather, so I set myself up at the dining table with my paints and got on with my travel page spreads from Italy that have been looming over me. I knew I'd be gutted if I never completed them, and they were looming over me and preventing me from feeling like I could draw anything else, so it feels good to have made a good start on them. As I haven't drawn properly in so long, I'm hoping that by the time I've drawn everything I've been meaning to draw will blow away some of the cobwebs and allow inspiration to flow back again. I hope to get back into the habit of drawing daily eventually!
I've always loved the idea of doing a photo a day challenge type thing, but have never attempted it. I love the photo of the pink moon!
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