Lily Line

Oil on Canvas
1ftx2ft

I dont think I will ever be able to photograph my paintings decently,  I cant avoid the glare on atleast one corner of the canvas no matter how I place the camera, canvas or myself:(

Rain check

Rain check

Oil on canvas
12"x16"

Its really hot even in Bangalore and I'm waiting for the rains.. to play my favourite songs and go for drives:) I dont want to be fooled by obese grey clouds that look like they are going to burst into showers any minute only to fly away like cottonballs at the slightest breeze with the promise of returning another day.

I have also been taking too many rainchecks on my painting. I owe this one to Rajesh, who took it upon himself to make sure I did an oil after so long, calling me every other hour to check on what I was doing ("Have you started...Yes yes, I have... Good good, I'll call after an hour to check") What has my art life come to:)

Months of colored pencil works have affected the way I do oils. It took me quite some time to get back to the more relaxed free strokes with the brush as against the carefully planned moves with the pencil. Looks like in order to do one, I may need to undo a little bit of the other!

My cute Cuticura family:)

Dont some fragrances always take you back to those "good old days"? Being pampered by mother with an oil bath, baby cream and then 'powder':D The bottles have changed but the fragrance continues to remain as wonderful as ever and I continue to use it to this day. Its an attempt to bottle up the memories of childhood and preserve them forever:) I bought these three together simply because they looked like an inseparable family to me!( Now I have to think of how to get myself to throw them away when they are empty)


Colored pencils on Paper

Peppers

Prismacolors on Paper

pots n pans

One of my secret ambitions has been to run a kitchenware shop:D I'm always fascinated by the one zillion utensils on sale, esp the large baking pans used by bakers and restaurants - just imagine the huge cakes!

Back to my garden!

Its been so long since I did anything, partly due to lethargy and also because my drawing tables were piled with other things that I just couldnt be bothered to clean.
Then when a friend asked me yesterday why I hadnt posted anything in my blog this year, I realised, I havent made a post in 2009! Ok, hoping this breaks the lazy spell and brings forth atleast a few sketches  more often:)

This is prismacolors on paper, a Monarch butterfly from my own reference pics taken at Karanji Lake at Mysore where they have a butterfly park of sorts besides a beautiful walk through aviary.

Colored pencils on paper

Fruits of patience

Graphite on paper

I think I've mentioned sometime back that my dad loves gardening, but nothing bears fruit in our place. Well, we are really going bananas over this bunch! Finally, an almost mutated version of the sweet long green variety which is called 'chingampazham' in mallu. (ours are only half the size of the ones sold in the market, but STILL..)How could I not immortalize it on paper?

I am sorry for not replying to a single comment made on my blog, for a while, it will be done in the next couple of days.

Cooling off..

A plate of hot puris cooling off atop the 'customized table':D. I have decided I'm not eating fried stuff for sometime, so let me not drool at this for long.
I made this sketch for Indira(sorry!), but am posting it here since I dont know when I'm going to get around to sketching and posting everyday as I used to... in some prehistoric era:(

Sunflower

 11"x14"

Prismas on  Stonehenge

There are so many paintings I want to do.. but somehow I end up doing something botanical. Landscapes I began are lying around incomplete. No time for casual pencil sketches. (I have to do them soon.. I say this to myself everyday)
In botanicals too, I end up choosing subjects that are minimalistic, just a flower or bud..cant imagine starting something with too many elements and details. I wonder whether my preferences are changing or I'm plain lazy.

Posted below are some of the stages of this bud I clicked.

Wild figs

My frequency of posts is falling faster than the sensex. For one I'm never at home on weekends. On weekdays ..well, the usual routine. Anyways here's the latest one, a bunch of wild figs (loved their colors, shades of peach that I'm crazy about!) which most probably look prettier than they actually taste:D

11"x14"
Prismacolor pencils on Stonehenge paper

Lily again!

9"x12"
oil on canvas

After the nightmare of the last painting I wanted to take refuge in my comfort zone..the water lily! Ok, the primed canvas sheets on which I did the orchids.. I have decided that I dont like them as much as stretched canvas since they seem to suck up paint and make it dry within seconds which totally kills the flexibility of the medium. I struggled to blend the colors and had to lay down more than three coats to get a vibrant effect. At the moment I've signed and let it rest. Will look at it again tomorrow for obvious errors (or someone can please do the honors:)
I may attempt the same picture with my prismas just to compare the media.

Ridge tomatoes

I had this whim to paint something with lots of red and something easy (or so I thought) until I actually started painting these strange un-tomato looking tomatoes. Its not easy to make each one look different from the other....this one is done until it dries a bit more for some more highlights maybe?


Oil on stretched canvas

Ornamental Cabbage

Colored pencils (Prismas) on paper

10"x10"

Orchids in Oil

Oil on canvas
9"x12"

Apologies for vanishing! I was away and left without any art materials for 2 weeks:(

Back now, just completed this and wanted to post right away.

This is done on canvas, I got this nice canvas book which has primed sheets (about 10 I think) that can be torn off just like sheets off a sketch pad. Planning to go bonkers painting flowers:)

Gaping Dutchman's Pipe!

Colored Pencils on Paper

Also called Pipevine, this is an amazing plant that I found in my neighbourhood.

Tagged again by Easycrafts

- What was I doing ten years ago?

Studying in Cochin

- Five things on Today's "To do" list.....

The day has almost come to an end, the "to do" for this evening would be-

Book tickets to go to Cochin

Try out something authentic with couscous in it (I have a packet I recently got from a trip)

Find the cat that was seen hanging around the neighbour's house last evening and lure it with some milk (and cream):D:D

Fold clothes (I hate it) 

Eat some chocolates that I've been trying hard to pretend are not there. ( Ah diets! Do they ever work?)

- I am addicted to......

my pencils and paints, blog, laptop, cats..and how can i forget flowers:)

- Things I would do if I were a billionaire.....

Get the people I love anything they want, that I can afford,

Free supply of milk and fish, home delivered to all cats,

Art gallery for artists and craftsmen to display and sell their work,

Get a HUGE greenhouse with all my favourite plants and flowers inside it. ( and ofcourse, build house for myself next to it)

- Places I have lived ...

Kochi, Bangalore

I'm going to tag Manisha and Shilpa

Trying out a new background

Colored pencils on paper


I normally blend my strokes and smoothen them out. I did this one to try out a different rendering of the background in a 'painterly' way. Where the strokes are hazy and no emphasis on details. I dont know if i like it on botanical sketches. I did something similar on the Ganesha background as well.

Pretty Pitcher Plant Painting

PPPPllease excuse the alliteration:)


6"x8"

Prismas on ordinary paper

Meme

I was tagged, so Veda, here goes:)

1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATER?
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na

2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING?
1000 Places to see before you die.

3) FAVORITE BOARD GAME?
Snakes and Ladders

(4) FAVORITE MAGAZINE?
Femina, Outlook Traveller

5) FAVORITE SMELLS?
Camphor in the temple

6) FAVORITE SOUNDS?
Waves

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?
Helplessness

8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE?
Where am I? :D (Not a hangover please)

9) FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE?
Cee Gees, Bangalore

10) FUTURE CHILD'S NAME?
Will be decided when the time comes

11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY
‘Lot’ is relative, its all about trying to be content with what you have at any point.

12)DO YOU DRIVE FAST?
In games, yes... as fast as I possibly can without losing my life.

13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?
We are all social animals and most of the time we over-eat..

14)STORMS–COOL OR SCARY?
Cool in reel life, Scary in real life

15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
Maruti Swift (It still is:D)

16) FAVORITE DRINK?
Right now, Iced lemon tea.

17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD
Be proactive in keeping in touch with all my friends and relatives.

18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?
Yes.

19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?
Black, mine is going brown now.

20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN?
Cochin, Bangalore

21)FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
WWF

22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
So passionate about the things she likes to do.

23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED?
Travel bags

24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN??
Yes

25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?
Both

26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP?
????

27) FAVORITE PLACE TO RELAX?
On my bed, watching TV

28) FAVORITE PIE?
None

29) FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
I’m crazy about all the ‘yoghurty’ flavors.

30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND
I havent decided whom to tag!

Pomegranate - 2

Colored Pencils on Paper

Another one from the same tree that I did this red one

My garden turns two:)

To everyone.. who paused to look, took time to read, made the effort to comment, for all the compliments and the criticism, *Thank You*. I hope I will continue to draw, paint and make hearts happier and smiles brighter for many more years:)

On the Temple Steps

Prismacolors on Stonehenge Paper
(Colored pencils)
11"x14"

Poppins

Colored pencils on paper
4"x5"

Drawing Day 08

Drawing Day Lily

8"x6"
Colored Pencils on paper

Yikes!

colored pencils on paper

Ok ok, am not entirely jobless. I just wanted to sketch this guy! I mean, my prismacolors have been standing in this holder for a while and today Mr Skeleton just wanted to be sketched! I think he looks friendly. (Uma, this post is dedicated to you:D)

Mango Manthram at Mahanandi

Mangoes
Watercolor
8"x9"

Mango motif
Indian ink
8"x9"

These are my entries for the Food Art ~ Mango Manthram, Indira's beautiful idea for a food-art rendezvous.

I've no confidence when it comes to watercolors, but i couldnt think of a better medium to bring out the luscious shades of semi ripe mangoes:)..hence the attempt.
The second is a typical Indian motif often seen on fabric. Its done using Indian ink which is almost like transcluscent watercolors.