[I originally posted this image as early access for my Patreon patrons on 2 May 2021].
097 one of these things is not like the others
...or do you wanna screw?
Day ninety-seven of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
It's no masterpiece and still amateurish (because I am an amateur), but this is a return to a better form after Thursday's leaning tower of honey.
Here's hoping the last three days of the project are more at this standard than Thursday's standard.
The initial sketch was drawn with a 4H pencil and then overdrawn with an HB pencil.
096 hunny
Day ninety-six of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
Yes, I'm aware that if that bee flaps its wings, the building will collapse.
But, after almost 100 days, I've confirmed something I suspected. But possibly wasn't quite as blatant before as it is in yesterday's sketch.
The first line I drew of this sketch was along the underside of the front of the honey shop's roof.
It's actually pretty accurately horizontal.
But then, do you know what I must have done, on auto-pilot, and not corrected for as I was drawing most of the horizontal lines of the shop's walls?
In other sketches, it would be less jarring, but in this one, it's glaring. I mean, the slant of the corrugated roof isn't terrible. Even the slanted-vertical corners of the shop aren't that bad.
What's throwing everything out is the (not) horizontal lines of the weatherboard.
So, I'm right-handed (I know. How boring...) And when I write almost anything, I don't have my writing material square to the desk. I'm going to guess you don't either.
I tilt my writing material probably about 45 degrees so that the top of the page leans quite heavily to the left.
Clearly, this is such an unconscious thing for me to do. And, given I'm using a hardback visual diary to draw in, which has certain constraints versus a flat piece of paper, I'm not really thinking about it. And obviously not correcting for it.
So then you think the honey shop in Wombat Creek has narrowly stood up to a tornado.
Except, in reality, you'd know that wasn't likely because Australia doesn't have tornadoes.
But a little under two months after we drove through here, one of the numerous vicious bushfires that razed rural Australia before, during and after our visit hit the surrounding areas. Thankfully the honey shop survived unscathed.
It definitely fared better in the bushfires than in my wonky drawing.
Maybe if you squint, you can pretend the horizontal lines are actually horizontal on the front of the building. And the correct angle for the perspective on the side of the building has been achieved.
Or maybe just get drunk, and it will all look perfectly aligned?
Despite the poor result, at 70 minutes, this came in as one of - if not the - lengthiest sketch sessions for this year's project. I'm not entirely sure it was time well spent.
The original sketch was drawn with a 4H pencil and then variously overdrawn and shaded with a 6B, 2B, B, HB and heavier weight 4H pencil.
095 acorn
Day ninety-five of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
So, none of this sketch is perfect. Strangely, I think I rendered Simon's index finger most accurately. And, arguably, the acorn is the worst-proportioned of all the elements in it. Go figure...
I drew the initial sketch with a 4H pencil then overdrew it with a mixture of 2B, B, HB and H pencils.
Editing the source photo for yesterday's sketch inspired a bunch of thoughts. At some point, they may become an instalment of one of my "extended play" 100 Day Project projects: postcard from another's life. I would need to find an appropriate photo in my archive or take the right image to accompany the piece of writing. I'm sure it will happen, though.
I'm looking forward to getting back to other ongoing projects after this one ends.
I think I've reconciled myself to the fact the next instalment of my Love Letters to London won't make it online until this project is finished.
I'm planning to try to get back on track as soon as this project is done. So that it becomes a monthly treat for you (and me!) in the latter half of the year.
Similarly, I have plenty of inspiration and impetus for more digital collages.
I have a series I've previously mentioned to start that's just waiting for me to do some manual labour and some fresh photography in between everything else.
My mind has also returned to a medium that's intrigued me for over 16 years. One I've been meaning to learn and master. I need to work that into my schedule this year.
And, hilariously, my mind has already started jumping to ideas for next year's 100 Day Project. No spoilers! Especially as I may not wait until next year to start on at least sporadic experiments in those areas.
But this year just has a way of throwing those curveballs. Just when you think it's done with all that and going to calm the fuck down.
So, you know, I'm not going to turn into George R. R. Martin and take a gazillion years to write the next instalment. But I'll be honest and tell you I'm doing what I can to keep on top of things and get back up to date with things like my Love Letters, but life has a way of getting in the way.
I hope you understand xx
094 anya potato
Day ninety-four of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
No. I did not draw a turd.
It's a small (but one of the biggest we grew last year) Anya potato. Prematurely cut in half before I had a chance to photograph it post-microwaving.
Simon and I each enjoyed half of our first "harvest".
Our harvest of those we grew in a plant pot outdoors equated to an appetiser for one (but we shared them).
We planted some more in the garden, but I don't think they've survived the winter. I should take a look soon. Maybe we'll be surprised.
I don't think our leek survived.
And while the coriander was valiantly battling on, I think it's past saving now. Ironically because of the sun, not the cold.
Our parsley seems to have made a comeback, though!
Not going to lie: I'm particularly partial to all sorts of potatoes. Especially if they're accompanied by butter, cheese or other baked potato toppings. But, even naked, they're delicious.
Now I'm hungry!
Sketched initially with a 4H pencil, then overdrawn with an HB pencil.
093 electric toothbrush
Day ninety-three of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
So, yesterday was a bit calmer personally. I feel like I've got some equilibrium back, at least for now.
My day wasn't as productive as I'd planned. It also "started" later than planned, after some upsetting dreams about family.
But I got the urgent stuff done and had a bit of downtime.
And I was able to be there for a friend going through a tough time. A friend I'd been meaning to contact for months but hadn't, because life. I'm hoping our talk helped and that we'll get the chance to catch up in person this coming weekend.
I won't say this subject was a special request from Simon, but he suggested I draw my electric toothbrush.
I started sketching higher on the page to ensure I wouldn't run out of space for the bottom of the handle. Then, for the first time, I think, I drew on a smaller scale than expected. Consequently, the drawing isn't well-aligned on the page.
But at least it looks like a toothbrush!
I didn't really attempt to get the font right. I just wrote the words trying to make it look more like print rather than cursive.
I drew the original sketch with a 4H pencil. I then overdrew and shaded with a 5B, a 3B and an HB pencil.
092 leaves
Day ninety-two of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
I was looking for a word to describe how I've felt for parts of the past 48 hours.
The word my mind curled around was melancholia, but it's not quite right in that it's a longer-term, more pervasive form of depression.
From my understanding, it's a more extreme version of the anhedonia I was diagnosed as suffering from in 2007.
But the origin of the word still kind of fits with yesterday's sketch.
My attempt to delineate the leaves from the background to better define them (in my mind, at least) makes it look like a bird (or bird skeleton) bursting at the beak and "seams" with black bile.
If you can see two leaves curled into each other in this sketch, then all I can say is that you're in a better place than me.
curling into you was the title I used on Instagram in September 2020 when I shared the source photograph for this sketch and a similar one. The only "bad" thing about that day - apart from the pandemic (though we were able to "eat out to help out" then) - was that I decided not to take my DSLR with me.
And that's why I know I'm not suffering from anhedonia or melancholia right now. Even though I feel exceedingly flat and teary.
Because these thoughts trigger feelings of nostalgia. An urge to return. Thoughts of wandering through Hampstead Heath Extension; exploring the area; discovering a never-opened Tube station; and eating one of our first pub meals after the first lockdown. It still brings back feelings of pleasure.
I guess that's one reason to be thankful. Even if my psyche is a mess of emotions now and on and off for the past 48 hours.
Yesterday was the first time in this year's project that I let myself start again because my first attempt was incredibly off. Not only that but, after the second attempt - starting from a different point - was clearly not going to work, I allowed myself to choose a new source image.
I "wasted" a page (both sides), but it just wouldn't come to me. Not even in an amateur way, like the tuxedo cat.
Maybe it was because I was tired, emotionally distracted or slightly tipsy. (Though that hasn't been an issue in the past. From the point of view of correct perspective, sure, but not to the extent I just can't). Or maybe I just wasn't actually able to process the specifics of the source image.
Maybe I'll try it again before I finish the project. We'll see.
This sketch was drawn with a 4H pencil then overdrawn with an H pencil, a 2B and an HB. The darker shading was done with the 2B pencil.
091 hair grip
Day ninety-one of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
A quick sketch yesterday as I left it to the last minute and had to sneak it in quickly before the live stream of my friend Jane's wedding started at 23:00 BST.
She and her husband, Shawn, had all the luck with a gorgeous May day in Virginia. The live stream didn't show much of their surroundings, but it seemed like a lovely spot. I was pleased to attend virtually, though physically being there would have been a treat, I'm sure.
My mind was occupied for most of the day today. But, now that I've settled into that quiet post-midnight space, I'm finding it hard to focus and feeling an uneasy restlessness I've (thankfully) not felt in a while.
I'm listening to Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Matt Sweeney's new collaboration, Superwolves, to try to unwind and slow my restless mind.
Today's sketch was drawn with a 4H then overdrawn in parts with an HB pencil.
I bought this hair grip when my hair was all the way down my back last time. It's seen very little use, though. So that's dust, not dandruff you're seeing resting on its plastic surface. I really should have cleaned it before photographing it...
Just nine more sketches left of this year's project!
090 beer
Day ninety of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
The home stretch!
I raise a toast to celebrate.
Or rather, Scott did, last Tuesday, as we sat by the Thames. As if I'd drink beer...
It was chilly enough that we were in coats while we ate and drank, but we were comfortable enough in said coats.
We'd wavered about which day to meet but, in the end, chose the best day of the week. The next day, which was initially suggested, was windy and drizzly and altogether horrid. At least we got a bit of blue sky through the haze that lurked about.
It was my first visit to a pub since visiting three in one day on 4 December 2020. And it was the first time Scott and I had been able to catch up in person since 17 December 2019.
While Scott is fully vaccinated, I'm yet to have my first dose, so we settled for clinking glasses instead of our usual hug on greeting and departing.
Scott asked how I decide what to draw each day and proposed I draw his pint of beer. Funnily enough, I'd paused numerous times over this photo of Simon's beer I'd taken at the Harringay Arms in August last year. I'd contemplated drawing it but thought I would leave it until my drawing skills had improved. Primarily, my ability to render the head on the beer. I'm not convinced I'm any closer to that goal, 90 days into the project.
Though I suspected I may not actually be game to draw Scott's beer either, I did photograph it as we sat by the river. I took extra care to obscure the bollard behind the pint (with Scott manoeuvring it to avoid me touching his glass). And lining the shot up to capture St Paul's Cathedral in the background.
Yesterday, in the last 45 minutes of the day, I decided to take my chances. I knew I wouldn't be able to render the foam even vaguely, so I let myself skip that.
I managed to misjudge the width of the glass versus the typeface, so I had to fix that once I had drawn 'beer'.
It's not even vaguely photorealistic. And I'm almost certain, if that pint was placed on that table, in reality, it would slide straight off toward the bottom-right of the frame...
But, for all that, it's a sketch I feel is kind of satisfying. Even if it's beer and not cider. I drew it; I don't have to drink it.
The initial sketch was drawn with a 4H pencil. Overdrawn and shaded with a mix of 6B, 3B and HB pencils.
Want me to attempt to sketch a subject of your choosing? There's still a little time. I can't promise anything, but my suggestion box is open. #NotAEuphemism
089 smoked ceodre
Day eighty-nine of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
I wavered about naming this sketch 'smoked pac-man'.
But, in the end, I fought the urge because it wasn't two-dimensional, as Pac-Man always was.
A super-quick sketch that I snuck in just before the clock struck midnight yesterday.
It was a delicious smoked cheddar. And I gobbled up every inch of it. (Stop your smutty thoughts...)
Looking at the source image makes me wish I had more cheese to savour once I'm done posting, but alas, I'm not so lucky. Oh well.
The original sketch was drawn with a 4H pencil then overdrawn with a mix of 3B and HB pencils. The smudge along the left curve was unintentional. It was caused by a substandard eraser.
088 avocado leaf
Day eighty-eight of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
Our baby avocado plant had some issues since the power outages last week.
I didn't notice on the night, but the next day there was a strange browning on its first layer of leaves. It was generally toward the tips of the leaves but to varying degrees. This leaf was falling off today, and I proactively cut the other leaves off a little later.
I hope it was just damage caused by the scented candle lit nearby to the plant that night and not something ongoing.
Thankfully our first avocado plant didn't seem to be affected in the same way, and the leaves on the top of the baby plant are still okay. A new batch of leaves has appeared at the top of the stem in the past day or two.
I pinched off the new leaves from the older plant this morning to try to encourage wider branching. It felt kind of destructive, but that's what the advice is.
Back to 'a sketchy practice': when I caught up with Scott on Tuesday, he put forward a potential subject for the project. Funnily enough, it was one I'd contemplated doing from a similar photograph I took a while back. I was worried it would be too complicated to render with my still developing skills.
But, I will try to give it a go, even if it's a more minimalist, simplified version.
With only 12 more days left of this year's project: if you have a request or suggestion for a subject for one of my remaining sketches, feel free to comment on this post or any new posts or to email me. I can't promise anything, but if I think I can do it, I will!
Yesterday's sketch was completed initially with a 4H pencil, then overdrawn and shaded with a mixture of HB and B pencils.
087 swizzle stick
Day eighty-seven of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
When I mentioned favourite objects recently, this is the other one. Though it's actually one of five. All identical but for their colour.
I think I had six in my vodka, lime & lemonades that night in June 2005. But one was recaptured by the bar staff at Lambs Go Bar before I bagged it.
There may also have been some ciders consumed beforehand, sans swizzle sticks.
Arguably, these pretty ladies should be, and are, in some ways, a regular reminder of a night I made a poor decision.
It doesn't matter that the decision was made under the influence of so much alcohol. I'll not use alcohol as an excuse for making decisions that hurt others. I wouldn't accept that excuse from others, so I wouldn't proffer it as a way of seeking forgiveness myself.
I did receive forgiveness despite that. Perhaps due to my honesty after the fact.
And, for a while, things were okay again, but that stupid decision was a sign for me.
I hurt him again, twice, but in different ways. Neither was intentional. And the subsequent hurts were more about misunderstandings than bad decisions on my part, at least.
Nevertheless, it's been about ten years since I last spoke with him, which makes me sad.
Despite their tainted history, there's something nostalgic, kitsch and delightful about swizzle sticks that made me bring these with me across to the other side of the world.
Maybe I love them because I'm a '70s/'80s kid.
I mean, swizzle sticks existed well before the '80s, as I found out tonight when checking my spelling and curious about where the name came from. But they seemed to be everywhere when I was growing up. I'm sure my parents had a Tupperware tumbler or similar full of them in the cupboard when I was young.
They're not particularly appropriate for gin balloons or pints of cider. But maybe next time Simon and I mix up a vegan Bloody Mary each, I'll remember to break them out.
The initial sketch was drawn with a 4H pencil and then overdrawn with an HB pencil.
lounging, littorally, in lorne
[I originally posted this image as early access for my Patreon patrons on 20 April 2021].
086 bottle opener
Day eighty-six of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
So, my attempt to render the moose's arse was less successful.
I mean, the moose head-on wasn't perfect, but it was more successful than today's attempt.
There are so many things wrong with this that I can't be bothered to detail. You have eyes ;)
I'm not annoyed. Just tired.
I was up watching my school friend, Nigel's, funeral on a live stream from 3:30 until 4:15 this morning and called it "a night" about 5:00.
Despite my best intentions to start work at 09:00, I just didn't have it in me. But, in the meantime, alarms and Slack notifications and dreams about work-related things permeated that time, so it wasn't a proper sleep-in.
Tomorrow I'm taking the day off to meet Scott. A good friend I've not seen in the flesh since before the pandemic started. Though we've managed a few virtual beers/ciders together in that time, and we're both due to virtually attend a mutual friend, Jane's, wedding on Saturday night.
You bet I'm disappointed not to be at a winery in Virginia, USA, on Saturday to celebrate with her.
Instead, I'll be sat at my desk, likely in my pyjamas, drinking cheap prosecco or red wine, if I'm lucky, while I watch from afar.
But at least I'll be able to be there vicariously. As I was in the wee hours this morning for an old friend who I'd mostly lost touch with since high school, but wish I hadn't.
Today's sketch was initially drawn with a 4H pencil, then overdrawn with an HB pencil.
Hug your people for me, okay?
085 bottle opener
Day eighty-five of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
So, this puppy... or rather, moose... is one of my favourite objects.
I don't know how he found his way into my parents' kitchen utensil drawer. Whether it was from their travels to Canada. Through my Mum's parents' travels there. Or via my Uncle, who lived in Calgary with his family for most of my childhood.
But, eventually, he made his way into the utensil drawer of the flat my parents bought. The flat each of us children lived in for a period in our late teens and/or early twenties.
And, eventually, I "adopted" him. So he has travelled from Canada to London by way of Melbourne and Brisbane, and possibly even Canberra and Darwin.
Not only is he sturdy and stylish. He's functional.
Unless I need to open a bottle stoppered with a cork, I will always turn to his majestic antlers for assistance. I get offended when Simon uses a commonplace bottle opener instead of him to open a bottle.
Not your average tacky souvenir, this one, even if he's not exactly rare and exclusive.
I sketched him with a 4H pencil. Then I overdrew and shaded small areas with an HB pencil.
known unto god
contemplation
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 18 April 2021].
Today was the 120th anniversary of my grandfather's birth.
Some days I marvel that I live within walking distance of the house in which he was born.
For many folks I know, this would be unremarkable.
But my grandfather was born in Stoke Newington, London, England. I was born in Garran, Canberra, Australia.
My grandfather is the reason I can live in the UK.
Our birthdays were 76 years less one day apart.
084 peeler
Day eighty-four of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
On Friday, it was all about sticking together. On Saturday, peeling apart.
Neither constitutes the favourite objects I mentioned the other day. They're still to come.
But this design of vegetable peeler was a revelation to me when I moved to the UK in 1999. We'd always had these ones while I was growing up in Australia.
While they did the job, they were an ergonomic nightmare compared to these ones. And they never seemed as sturdy.
I also can't even vaguely imagine peeling a butternut squash with one of those old-style ones!
A quick Google search to find the old style we used to have indicated this style is much more prevalent now, which is good to see.
I use mine to shave parmesan and other hard cheeses onto my pasta dishes more than I do to peel vegetables these days. But they are a perfect example of design improvements over time.
The initial sketch was drawn with a 4H pencil. Then a mix of 6B, 2B, HB and a little bit more 4H.
083 super glue
Day eighty-three of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
In case you were worried, no, I haven't missed a day!
I was just too exhausted to edit and post these in the wee hours of yesterday morning when I finally stopped watching YouTube videos and pfaffing about.
And I spent the hours I was out of bed yesterday on a long-overdue clean of the flat. There's still more to do, but it's so good to have a (mostly) clean home again.
I snuck yesterday's sketch in about 17:30 between cleaning rooms. Once I was done cleaning the flat and then cleaning myself, I had a video call scheduled with my friend, Erin, which took me into today. So I'll also share yesterday's sketch with you in a little while.
Meanwhile, from memory, this one was initially sketched with a 4H pencil, then overdrawn and shaded with a mixture of 2B, B and HB pencils.
Anyone else starting to get an Andy Warhol vibe from my choice of subjects lately?
082 remote
Day eighty-two of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
Yesterday's drawing is a bit wonky.
Just like life, eh?
Yesterday was calmer. Flat but calm after an emotional early morning.
Working for myself has many advantages. Amongst others, if I need to take time out for self-care, I can. And I don't need to explain it to anyone. I don't need to justify it. Excuse it. Or have an awkward personal conversation with someone I know doesn't care about me beyond the service I provide, the work I do.
I did some paid work yesterday, but I didn't have to drag a tired, emotional wreck to the desk first thing. I didn't have to worry about my manager grilling me for logging on half a second late.
I don't miss that kind of working environment. Where your bum being on a seat and fitting your real life into strict time schedules is rated higher than the work you deliver or the care you take in your job.
Let's not even start on the bullying, chauvinism, sexism and racism (the last aimed at others, not me) endured within working hours in many of my past roles. I don't miss those things at all.
So yesterday I worked as much as I could manage. Outside of that, I looked after my heart and my mind.
I winced to see damage to my youngest avocado plant today. I can only presume it was caused by the candle I lit close (but not that close) the night before to stave off the darkness of the power outage.
Later in the day, I drew my old-school Apple remote that, unfortunately, no longer works with any of my devices.
I used a 4H pencil for the initial sketch, then overdrew with a B pencil for the darker elements and shading, and an HB pencil for the rest of the outline.
Despite sketching it in plenty of time to post before midnight, I prioritised editing prospective photos for the next instalment of my long-overdue Love letter to London series.
As much as I enjoy partaking in The 100 Day Project, it can become a bit all-consuming. Especially while working part or full-time.
When I signed up for this year's project, I didn't have many commitments. So that, and other new projects, like my 'Love letters...' were no big deal to manage. But on top of paid work and life right now, it was probably a bit ambitious, in retrospect.
And the "loser" in this situation is my photography. Which makes me unhappy, as you may imagine.
I'm sure I'll write more about this in my wrap-up post once the project is complete.
That doesn't mean I have plans to "phone it in" for the rest of the project (though some of you may be wondering!) It just means that sometimes I'm choosing more simplistic subjects to take things back to basics and reduce the time commitment each day. I'm still learning with each sketch.
And I actually have more elaborate ideas for sketches once the project is complete and my sketching becomes less time-bound. Again, I'll save those thoughts for the end of project wrap-up.
I actually have some of my favourite objects in the queue to draw in the next week. So please bear with me.
Meanwhile, I hope you're all doing okay. Sending you love, if you need it. Or even if you think you don't. xx