My Marvellous Mermaids

Drawing is one of my favourite hobbies. When I don't have any other necessary things to do like eat chocolate and sew socks into toys I like to pick up my drawing pencil (or any other pencil that happens to be at hand) and scribble away in my sketchbook. In fact sometimes it's more like the pencil hops into my hand. I don't always decide to draw. I just sort of end up doing it.

My newest theme (I like themes) is mermaids. I wanted something new, something fresh and I hadn't tried mermaids for sometime due to a lack of variety in clothing. But Then... something pretty with fins and a tail and quite a nice cardigan appeared on my page.




Me being Charlotte I did something no one else in my family would do. I coloured every single scale seperately... and enjoyed it. But one mermaid wasn't enough so I draw another one.

Still being crazy me I did the same to this one. But instead of rainbow scales I made her scales blue. I don't like mermaids that just stick to one colour so I went totally wild on this one. No blue mermaid for me. This one has enough colour to blind you.

But just mermaids floating around the page wasn't enough for me. I want my mermaid to be doing something. So I drew one leaping into the sunset. After stealing pencils from everyone I set about the sunset sky. Admitedly I'm not sure whether it looks like a proper sunset but I like it. Ideas for clothing just kept pouring into my head. A floaty shirt? Why not?

My last mermaid is quite different from the rest. I did a full background for her and got my hands rather covered in pencil while attempting the night time scene. I have a love of sparkles so in a picture covered with stars and glowing mermaids I just had to add a couple or twenty. For some reason this one ended up being mysterious. I suppose the glow and the flowing white dress has something to do with it.

So these are my latest pictures.

Wonderful NaNoWriMo Pictures

It was only when Mum downloaded a copy of 'No Plot No Problem' that Imogen and I started to think seriously about joining in NaNoWriMo. Before that I'd never really thought about it before. Write a novel in a month? I've only ever finished one story before and that was hopeless. But it sounded so fun. We thought a little bit and when were we finished our little bit of thinking we said,

"Why not?"

So we booted up the computor, opened a word document and... were interrupted after a few minutes when something else for the wedding needed to be done. Over the week I continually tried to plot out my story and every time something happened. We had people to dinner, the wedding happened, we all got sick and so on. But the day before NaNoWriMo started I sat down and remained glued to my computor screen until I had banged out a sort of plan. Then, feeling very pleased with myself, I switched off the computor and went to do something else.

NaNoWriMo started, I hit the power button, opened up my plan and... it wasn't there. I'd deleted the whole of my plan by accident. Only a few notes on the characters and the story remained to show that I'd spent ages planning. NaNoWriMo was upon me and I had no plan. I flipped to my empty word document that was waiting to become my novel. I clicked back on the missing plan.

"Oh well," I thought. "I'll just have to make it up as I go along. I didn't like that plan much anyway."

I had a vague idea what was supposed to happen in my story so I just shrugged and began to type. Words started to trickle out of my fingers and onto the page and I giggled quietly to myself as some ridiculous characters jumped into the story with both big feet.

When we were finished for the day Imogen and I decided to do some drawing for a break. Imogen whipped out her sketchbook and was happily drawing away but I had no ideas. If I didn't want to draw a fairy or anything like that, what did I want to draw? I just sat there doodling away. As something vaguely head-shaped appeared on the page I started to take a little more interest. A roundish body joined the head and I added some stick thin arms. When a couple of huge feet and a mug of hot chocolate on a tray appeared I knew who it was. It was one of my NaNoWriMo characters, big nose and all.

Over the next few afternoons and evenings I added similar pictures to the first. My main character turned up, a few sidekicks joined her. I whipped out the inking pen and drew over my sketchy lines. I tipped out my colouring pencils and picked out suitable colours but I wasn't satisfied. I wanted more colours. I needed at least three shades of red on one picture. Finally I had a cast of crazy, wonderful, magical characters sitting in my book.

Since I'm so pleased with them I decided that I'd scan them and share them on my blog.

Party Hats and Fairies

It all started with my birthday. For my birthday dinner, everyone wore party hats. Pink party hats with funny fairies on them. Even while I was laughing at the sight of Dad in a tiny pink hat, my mind was working.

"That fairy would make a great picture," I thought. "Or maybe I could make my own picture based on it."

As soon as possible, I sat down and began to draw. With a party hat in front of me I started to copy the fairy into my sketchbook. With some minor changes, a couple of additions of my own and plenty of silver and gold pen my fairy appeared. But she didn't occupy me for long enough. I grabbed my pencil and started to sketch again, working out how to draw the body, arms and legs and try to avoid making a dirty grey mess of my page.

Later I discovered that my new small drawing-on-the-go notebook was the perfect size for my fairies and I started filling the first page. In a few minutes I had a fairy in pleated skirt with tall boots standing on the page. I drew my colouring pencils towards me and rifled through them. I pulled out a yellow and looked at the dress. I decided that this fairy really did need a yellow dress and started colouring. Orange boots? Of course. Why not make the wings orangey-red at the tips and make them fade into yellow? When the last bit of skin was coloured and the last strand of hair was brown I ran to show Mum my notebook.

Since then I've drawn even more fairies. Ballerina fairies, party fairies and butterfly fairies and just about anything else I can think of. While supposedly watching a movie with Gemma-Rose I asked,

"What should my next fairy be?"

"A party fairy," she replied.

I thought I might draw her in something puffy, maybe with frills and quite a lot of pink but Gemma-Rose had other ideas. Our fairy ended up in a long light blue dress with purple frills, gold and silver dots and pink hearts. On my own I don't think I'd have ever thought up a fairy like that.

There are more fairy pictures on my artworks page.

Drawing Paper Dolls

When Imogen and I started our first blog 'Paper Dolls by the Serendipity Sisters' we decided to post up a paper doll every month. At first we posted up paper doll after paper doll, each one a variation on the same doll. But, after some time I started to lose interest. Each one was just another Annie Belle. Ideas were getting scarce and I missed some months, nearly forgot others and eventually just forgot to draw one at all.

Months past and I couldn't be bothered with drawing paper dolls. No Annie Belle paper dolls were posted and the artist (me) had a very long rest. But on the first day of spring Mum declared an official art day. An idea popped into my head. Why didn't I just invent a new paper doll? Something different and interesting.

We piled paper, pens and paints onto the table and I grabbed a sheet and my pencil and got drawing. Ideas started to flow in and I was hard pressed to remember them all. Why not a fairy? I'd never drawn a fairy before. How to attach wings? What should the dresses look like?

"What do you think?" I asked Imogen at last, holding up my sheet of paper.

"It looks really good," she said.

I looked down at my fairy and mentally compared her to the last doll. She certainly was different from Annie Belle.

"I like it," I decided and started drawing clothes.

A cloud dress? Why not? Every fairy needs a set of wings. Finally I had four fairy dresses and one set of wings. I handed it in to Imogen for scanning and colouring. While she was colouring the clothes on the computer she asked,

"What's her name?"

I hadn't thought of that. We searched the Internet, begged Mum for advice and rummaged through our own brains for the perfect name but nothing seemed to fit. Finally we thought of one that fitted.

"I like the name Francesca," I said when Imogen suggested it.

So the fairy ended up as Francesca the Fairy and finally 'Paper Dolls by the Serendipity Sisters' has a new paper doll. Admittedly she is very late and I did take a rather long holiday but at least I drew one.

Distracted

Imogen comes in at eight thirty for bed. She finds me sitting on the floor in my pyjamas, sketchbook in hand scribbling away. I look up and grin sheepishly. I've 'been in bed' for half an hour all ready.

"Why aren't you in bed?" she asks.

"I got... distracted," I say, holding up my sketchbook.

She takes a look at my half finished picture and (very kindly) doesn't get upset.

At seven fifteen in the morning Imogen comes into our bedroom. Again I'm sitting on the floor sketching away. She comes over and attracts my notice.

"What are you doing?" She asks me.

"I got... distracted." I grin, close my sketchbook and stuff my pencils away. "I'd better get moving."

Lunch time arrives and Imogen wanders into the bedroom and would you believe? I'm sitting on the floor putting the finishing touches on my picture.

"What are you doing now?"

"I got... distracted. Look! I've finished my picture," I say, not very bothered by being caught drawing.

Imogen takes a look and praises the picture sky high. A grin spreads over my face from ear to ear. Ideas start flowing through my head for other pictures. What amazing outfit should I use? I flip to a blank page and start scribbling.

Today Imogen, having seen my newest pictures, said, "Why don't you post your pictures on your blog?"

"That's a good idea,"I said. "I'd like to do that."

When we counted up my best pictures there were so many that Imogen had another fabulous idea.

"You should make a separate page for your drawings," she said. "I'll set it up for you."

So she pulled out her laptop, clicked a few buttons, scanned my drawings then called me over.

"Would you like your page to be called "My Artwork?"

"Yes please," I replied.

Imogen clicked a bit more, uploaded all my pictures and clicked on my new page. There, arrayed in all their glory were my drawings in the order they were drawn.

"Would you like a new blog background?"

I nodded. She opened a new window and began clicking. With amazing patience Imogen lasted through my uming and ahing and found me the perfect, pink (of course), beautiful background.

Thanks to Imogen I have a new page on my blog, a wonderful blog background and all my drawings on my blog. I have the best sister ever.

Bandits and Princes

I like fiddling around with a sketchbook and a pencil. I have sketchbooks filled with some pretty horrible drawings done two years ago and a few recent pictures that don't turn me red. Finally I have sort of mastered proportion. Anyway, Imogen decided that my pictures were good enough to post so I have. I have put up my two best pictures.
First is Princess Khaleilia. She is heir to the bandit throne. When her grandfather dies she will be the ruling queen. She leads the bandits on raids in the kingdom.
The other picture is of Prince Corin. He is Crown Prince of the kingdom that Khaleilia raids. In the picture he is dressed as a bandit though.

Corin didn't scan very well but Mum fixed him though. He was far too pale to begin with. Hopefully he is dark enough now to be seen properly. At least I've learnt to colour my pictures in darker.

Khaleilia went a lot better. She was darker to begin with but Mum and I still made her a bit darker on the computer.

What do you think of Corin and Khaleilia? They are my best pictures in the whole of my sketchbook.