Ozzy Osbourne

After my caricature of Sharon the other week I thought Ozzy needed a turn. Black and white of course, what else for the prince of darkness. I think I need to work on my animals!!!!!!!!!!!!

Penelope Cruz

Today's picture of Penelope Cruz is more of a full body pose than a portrait. I liked the pose but as the facial detail was quite small it didn't lend itself to a full portrait. She's still recognisable though. One of the smallest pictures I've done in a while so the flaws are more visible. There's a case for work large and reduce, reduce, reduce!

NEW SCOTLAND HOME JERSEY 2009 NOW RESTOCKED

The new Scotland Home Jersey by Diadora for 2009 is now in stock again in adult sizes Small, Medium, Large & XLarge.

Want to get your Scotland Home Jersey for 2009? Call us at the vancouver soccer shop anytime at 604-299-1721 to check availability!

Keep Your Coins

LONDON: Meek, Australian street artist, specializes in stencil graffiti and has been influenced by the work of Banksy, a British graffiti artist who uses his work to express his views on controversial societal and global issues -

"Some people want to make the world a better place. I just wanna make the world a better-looking place." (Banksy)

Issue #1: Gay Rights & the Law

Issue #2: The Israeli/ Palestinian Wall

Issue #3: Torture

Issue #4: Nuclear Proliferation

Issue #5: Hope

Reece Witherspoon- round 2!

Well, today I've had another go at Reece and I thought it was much better. So I scanned it and uploaded it then I thought, it's still not right, eew that right eye is way off!

So I fiddled some more and here she is. It's OK but I still think there's a lot of room for improvement but I think I need to start again rather than tweak anymore.

How not to draw Reece Witherspoon!

Well, today was a strange day. A mixture of good and bad. I wasted far too much time browsing through books...

Then there was the life drawing class, (moved to Thursday for this week only). A single pose for nearly 2 hours which came out well. Not sure whether to post it - possibly a little too revealing for this post

Feeling flushed with success I thought I should tackle a portrait. So, who to draw, Reece Witherspoon was my choice. This was the result of half an hours work - a quick sketch successful in that it's a convincing person. However, not a good likeness of Reece. I've decided to quit for the night and try again tomorrow!

OK now, time for the reveal, brace yourself for a bad likeness and feel free to laugh at this attempt, I do!

You can start laughing...

NOW!

Amnesty International 2009 Report

Amnesty International released today its 2009 Human Rights Report. The report highlights the effects of the economic crisis on human rights.

Barcelona at the top of Europe

And, there we hawe it , Barcelona deservedly lift the Champions League trophy after beating defending champions Manchester United 2-0 the Champions League final in Rome last night.

Barcas coach Josep Guardiola has once more demonstrated his extensive knowledge of football and showed why they are called by many the best team in the world this season.Manchester United started the game surprisingly open and offensive, but in the opening 10 minutes, they failed to score,especially Ronaldo began the game looking as if he wanted to win the match single-handed and earned a free-kick after only 90 seconds, but Park Ji-Sung's follow up was pushed across for a corner. In moments of greatest pressure from United, however, Barcelona has conducted the first serious attack, which was effectively finished by Samuel Eto'o.

Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o provided the first goal for Barcelona, in the 10th minute, he danced past defender Nemanja Vidic and fired a shot from close range that went in off the hand of Manchester United's Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar........and the rest, as they say, is history.


Cristiano Ronaldo was the among most disappointed after the Champions League final defeat.
Cristiano described the defeat as "one of the biggest disappointments of my career".
"We were always confident before the game but unfortunately we couldn't do it," said the Portugal international. "It is always bad when you lose a final but we didn't play well.
"We did OK in the first 10 minutes but you have to say Barcelona deserved to win."

Impunity

By Oscar Pocasangre - -

Homicide stories are no strangers to the newspapers pages of Guatemala. The homicide rates in this Central American country have reached a disturbing level, with around 16 murders per day. The situation is exacerbated by drug-trafficking, which has motivated and financed many of these crimes and has infiltrated even high government posts.

The stranger in this country happens to be justice – most of these murders are not resolved and the executors of these heinous crimes still roam around the country. Ask government officials about this, however, and they will say that they are implementing programs to resolve this. But the situation is out of control and the population of the country is outraged at the reckless impunity and the passivity of the government.

On May 10th 2009, Rodrigo Rosenberg, a Guatemalan lawyer was assassinated in Guatemala City. His death, most likely, would have been nothing more than a statistic except for the fact that before his death, he recorded a video in which he said that he felt threatened and accused President Alvaro Colom, his wife, and his top assistants of his death. Additionally, he left behind evidence that further incriminated the President and his wife in a corruption scandal.

The video caused uproar among Guatemalans, who, if outraged before, are now ireful and insulted by the alleged involvement of the president – who obviously denied any responsibility – in the lawyer’s death. Rosenberg’s death incited people to go out to the streets and protest against the government which has allowed so much impunity. The protesters ask for the stepping down of the president while an investigation clarifies what happened and brings justice to this case. Additionally, they ask for judicial reforms that would diminish the president’s influence in the judiciary and would allow for a more independent justice system.



It is impossible to continue living with so many homicides, so much impunity, and with a passive government that has been accused of being involved in some of these crimes. This situation strips citizens of a very basic civil right that the government should always guard: justice. Hopefully, protestors who have taken to the streets and to legal means will be able to secure and preserve this right.

The video left behind Rosenberg:





Photo Credits: Carlos M. Pocasangre

Segregated Proms Remain A Southern Tradition

A New York Times Article

Roses

After the bad news on Saturday I bought some flowers to cheer myself up, roses to be precise. They are such a lovely colour I've been itching to do something with them, and here is the result. A sort of semi abstract drawing using the specific colours. I wasn't too happy with it at first but as the day has progressed it's grown on me.

The children are at home so portraits have been a little thin on the ground, feeling more abstract inspired!

Osama Does Winston Churchill

By Sarika Arya - -

Meet Osama. A 5 year-old resident of Jenin Refugee Camp, in the West Bank of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. I posted this photo on my Facebook with the caption, “Osama does Winston Churchill.” I expected a few comments on how cute and round he is, and maybe someone would notice his shirt spells basketball with an "R". Instead, it sparked this reaction:




(Note: Rather than using everyone’s names, I’ve used their Facebook network – where they’re from – in capital letters, which actually adds another interesting dimension to the conversation.)

ISRAEL:

cute
i bet you didn't ask his parents why they called him OSAMA before you uploded 60 pictures of him.
think about his age and what happend probably few months before he was born.......
think about it.. and tell me if you'd be able to give him a loving kiss again
Churchill ? there's another leader comes up in my mind now... and he sure isn't british

LONDON:

ISRAEL, this is a 5 year old boy who is fascinated by a digital camera. I'm not really concerned about the origins of his name. I'm more interested in how he and his family treat other people and how they are treated in return. They were incredibly generous to me and my friends. Ultimately, when Osama grows up how he behaves will have nothing to do with his name but what experiences he had as a child. Hopefully, those experiences won't be violent ones.

ISRAEL:

you're being naive and you prefer to ignore things that may smash you're peacefull reality

MOROCCO:

ISRAEL bro, i have to be with LONDON on this one. He has no say in the name his parents choose for him. and we are nobody to judge that. lets just hope this generation grows up with less pride in their heart on both sides. pride blinds thought and aspirations. i think tis pretty clear israelis dont want to live with the fear of rockets shatering their homes and kids and palestinians dont want to live in the world's biggest open air prison. i really, really hope that one day, the holy land will know peace. until then, i hope your well bro, i miss u.

ISRAEL:

to be with LONDON on this one ? there is no ISRAEL vs LONDON i just want LONDON to understand that the reality she created to her self with that visit is way out of the blue and i have nothnig against that cute kid but trust me there's a reason his name is osama and i wish LONDON would ask for it. that could brake some of the fake prespective she got to her self
beside i wish that kid all the best and i hope i'll grow in a better life than his parents

PALESTINE:

i didn't get it what's wrong with his name osama?

UNITED KINGDOM:

Sorry i don't know you ISRAEL - but just to clear the matter up - the reason his name is Osama is because it was his grandfather's name...Palestinians have a tradition of naming the eldest son after their grandfather....

Now that its cleared up...OSAMA IS ADORABLE...maybe he'll start wearing underwear by the time we go back....xxx

ISRAEL:

yea that's a nice closer for this talk... but plestinians and other arabs have a tradition to name there kids after "great leaders" and shaids and PALESTINE can tell you it's true. now you guys had a very intersting month and like i said you think now you know more about the two sides and the conflict. but you gained only 0.5 present of information cuz that a very short time, spesific place and one side of the story...

PALESTINE:

well ISRAEL that's true but i mean osama is a common ancient arabic name and its one of 77 word that means Lion.
plus its a islamic religious name ,, such as the jewish name that was mentioned in the old testimanet yacov, benjamin jared,, osama was one of the prophet's close men. so u'll find this name a lot ,, and i dont think he's named after osama bin laden,, though in my opinion osama bin laden ain't nothing but an american imaginary charcter that help the super power justifying all its action.

in addition to that you're right, they should've visited tel aviv and enjoyed the night life over there or maybe jerusalem's java street, it's a tottaly different rich open world only short distance farther from where they were

UNITED KINGDOM:

We actually did visit israel...tel aviv, haifa, and jerusalem. We had those nights out and honestly, it felt a little uncomfortable being there when some of our close friends back in Jenin couldn't be there and enjoy life the way we can. We even spoke to IDF soldiers about the conflict and a settlement spokesman.

I'm not going to be so arrogant as to say that I completely understand both sides of the conflict but I will say that nothing justfies the way people are living in Palestine. Putting aside whos right and whos wrong - it is a humanitarian crisis. No human being should have to suffer like they do in Jenin....I am not even saying I am Pro Palestinian...It shouldn't be about sides. At this point it is a humanitarian crisis - I am Pro Peace and Pro Human rights - Aren't you Israel?

ISRAEL:

i'm pro justic and pro israeli as you can guess and as a combat soldier i tell you i'll do anything in my power to let my little brother walk safely on the steert or go on a bus with no fear he may not go off of it in one piece.
tel aviv and haife are nice but like you didn't go to ramallah wich is very nice you also havn't been to sderot and ashkelon where kids just like in gazza were born to a reality they wake up 10 times a night because of the sounds of the qasams landing on them and when they do get some sleep they pee in their pants. jenin sent hundreds of terror atackts into israel straight from jenin !! so maha .. in a way they put them selves in this crisis

PALESTINE:
yeah resistance attacks we're sent from jenin because u mr as a combat soldier willing to do anything to protect people on buses and in the street, they also are willing to do anything to against who is humilating them and taking over their lands and surrounding their city by fence and settelments and checkpoints.

and ISRAEL ramalah is nice i stay there inorder not to cross checkpoint everyday on my way to college, we have some nice places but what is not nice about it that every now and then the idf enters and keep arresting ppl and shooting and killing ,, their like theifs enter in the middle of the night out of nowhere stealing all the pleasure of the night away. already since i got into college 4 ppl i know got arrested and three were killed thats in 2 year the ppl i know!

sorry for the kids of sderot but thats how scary settelments is , they are spread all over the westbank in between cities taking over all the natural and water resources :s...

PALESTINE:

its resistance ,, what goes around comes around it hurts me to say so and i hope for this to end ,,
p.s. you scary as a combat soldier but u'll never scare who were born to be free :)

ISRAEL:

do the math and tell me if the acts from jenin gave them any good ...
the thing is PALESINE that you'll do the same if you were me and you know you'll choose the same way if you only had the chance
p.s.
i had no intention of being scary :)

UNITED KINGDOM:

ISRAEL, something I don't think your accepting is that these things happen on BOTH SIDES...which i don't think excuses any of it. Don't you realize its a cycle?? That the more Israel oppresses a nation, the more attacks palestinians will initiate...And at this point Israel has all the power over Palestine and is therefore the only one who can put an ... end to this whole situation - unless of course palestinians leave their homes (again) when they have NO WHERE to go and are too poor to afford it anyway.

UNITED KINGDOM:

I think the difference between mine and LONDON's experience and yours is that we are on the outside and saw both sides and came out thinking their needs to be peace because if you have any compassion you realise that human beings do not deserve to live like that....the people we met have done nothing wrong and why should they pay for what a ... minority of their nation has done. And i do think that there are a lot more palestinians suffering then there are Israeli's but it doesn't justify it - it just means you should start seeing the other side as well...
I see that those people in the settlements are suffering and like PALESTINE feel for them too. They are however illegally in those settlements and have the choice of coming and going...the people in palestine generally don't. The settlements are in Palestine not Israel.

UNITED KINGDOM:

I know I won't change your mind about anything, I just hope that being a IDF soldier - you will at least consider the other side. Or at least consider that many people feel and experience the same things you do - and maybe worse.

ISRAEL:

UNITED KINGDOM that's very useless... i'm not going to start expalinig the whole conflict now and the 1413562134 diferrences beetwen the so cold facts and statistics you're talking about and the reality. i'm verry sorry UNITED KINGDOM you really have no idea about this conflict and like i said in the time and place you had you probably get 0.5 present of information about this conflict and i believe even my friend PALESTINE would be with me on this one. i also think that's really not and objective experience but that would probably be just me...
and that is why this is very useless the continue this discussion. that's not evan about changing my mind you can ask LONDON and she'll tell you i'm one of the most understanding israelis you can find and very open minded. but your facts are wrong and with that i can't and i don't want to argue...

ps. trust me you should hope that all of the IDF combat soldiers would be like me

ISRAEL:

btw - the settlements issue is so complicated you can't even imagine don't pretend to thnik you can deal with it and again,, i'm not going to get into this with you it has no point.

An Atypical Facebook Chat

By Sarika Arya - -

Summer brings with it bad habits: namely, relapsing into Facebook time wasting. In the face of Facebook (Ba-dump ch!), my summer reading list appears daunting rather than enticing, the prospect of calling up old high school friends to see if they are in town becomes tedious (Why pick up the phone, when I can just stalk them online?), and the idea of checking out that one photo exhibition at that one museum less educational (and definitely less entertaining) than flipping through photo albums with titles like ‘What happens in Mexico stays in Mexico!’

Becoming easily bored with my friend’s album (Nothing happened in Mexico.), I scroll through the list of fellow Facebookers online … a-ha! Lior* is online! Lior is 18, and has just begun serving his compulsory time in the Israeli army. He is a good friend of mine, and I’m surprised to see he is on Facebook rather than at the military base. (*Lior is a pseudo name to ensure the anonymity of my friend, especially in light of his opinion being posted online.)


The conversation speaks for itself.

11:25am Sarika:
lior?

11:26am Lior:
hi

11:26am Sarika:
hey! how are you? im sorry we never got to meet up when you were in ny

11:27am Lior:
im ok… yeah, well that was a long time ago…what have you been up to?

11:27am Sarika:
im done with my second year in college, now im home in london i think im going to cairo how are you? in the army?

11:28am Lior:
you are so lucky… yes, i’m in the army

11:28am Sarika:
are you liking it?

11:30am Lior:
well, i finished basic training yesterday, which could’ve been a bad experience but i took it positively
and with humor
so it was actually kinda funny

11:31am Lior:
but i had a pretty serious breakdown in the course (which took place between november and april)

11:32am Sarika:
wow
what happened?
congratulations on being done with basic training!

11:34am Lior:
thanks… well I had a really big ideological crisis. the war in gaza didn’t really help as well…

11:35am Sarika:
the war in gaza was…
unbelievable
what kind of crisis?

11:45am Lior:
well, think of yourself now as you are…

11:44am Sarika:
yeah

11:45am Lior:
cosmopolite, free to change your views, not obligated to ideals, not responsible… and then you become part of something, part of an army, part of this army
you’re not just yourself anymore…

11:46am Sarika:
did you disagree with the war in gaza?
wow lior i think you’re one of the smartest people i know.
you have such an amazing sense of self-awareness
i think you would be a much better cosmopolite than me haha i don’t know what to do with my freedom
you know exactly what to do

11:48 Lior:
im sorry but i really have to go…
i didn’t agree with killing so many civilians
and im really sick of this never ending conflict that takes so much blood

11:49am Lior:
i really have to go now but i’ll be home tomorrow so we can talk about it… bye, please appreciate the fact you can just live your own life and go to college

11:50am Lior is offline.

FAQ: The Yale Journal of Human Rights

Q. What do a graffiti artist, Tupac, and Harold Koh all have in common?






A. They are all human rights activists.

Q. What does this have to do with the Yale Journal of Human Rights (YJHR)?

A.

Creative Expression + Human Rights = Education, Discussion, Activism = YJHR

The YJHR aims to link arts with politics, thereby giving creative grassroots approaches to human rights activism more legitimacy as effective channels of change. In using creative tools (poetry, literature, multimedia, theater, photography, sketches, and traditional articles or op-eds, to name a few) as mediums for human rights discussion, the YJHR aims to achieve three goals: to educate its readers about human rights, to stimulate discussion about the politicization of human rights (how it figures into political debates and policymaking), and to ultimately inspire human rights activism that is well-informed about the issues it concerns.

So the Graffiti Artist? That’s Banksy: an unidentified British graffiti artist who stencils politically provocative images in London, and infamously, on the Israeli- Palestinian wall.

Tupac? Rapped about everything from poverty to gang warfare, consistently highlighted the continuing racial discrimination in America, despite the Civil Rights Movement

Changes Lyrics:

Come on come on
I see no changes. Wake up in the morning and I ask myself,
"Is life worth living? Should I blast myself?"
I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black.
My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.
Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.
Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares? One less hungry mouth on the welfare.

He also always looked for hope- an important part of human rights, which is often forgotten –

Ghetto Gospel Lyrics:

And you all condemned like Malcolm X and Bobby Hunton, died for nothing
Don't them let me get teary, the world looks dreary
but when you wipe your eyes, see it clearly
there's no need for you to fear me
if you take your time to hear me, maybe you can learn to cheer me
it ain't about black or white, cause we're human
I hope we see the light before its ruined
my ghetto gospel


Those are some pretty tough themes Tupac…

Harold Koh? Dean of Yale Law School, and Human Rights Olympian. The Yale Law School is clearly in awe (and so are we):

Dean Koh is a leading expert on public and private international law, national security law, and human rights. He has argued before the United States Supreme Court and he has testified before the U.S. Congress more than twenty times. He has been awarded eleven honorary doctorates and three law school medals and has received more than thirty awards for his human rights work.

From 1998 to 2001 he served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. And, most recently, on March 23, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Dean Koh to be Legal Adviser to the United States Department of State.

Q. Is the YJHR published?

A: The YJHR threatened to fold in the Fall of 2008 because of financial difficulties and lack of interest. But it on the comeback, and will hit the Yale Dining Halls and the official YJHR website (under construction) in Fall 2009.

Q. What’s up with the blog?

A. Schoolz out. And the living iz eazy. But: Human. Rights. Never. Sleep.
Having a human rights summer?
A human rights experience?
An interaction?
A moment?

Have videos, photos, artwork, blogs, stories, poetry.... any CREATIVE work? Blog 4 Us: Whether you submit something once or a few times, the YJHR is interested! Get in touch, get involved, get IN.

Q. How do I get in touch, get in involved, or get in?
A. Send us an email: theyalejournalofhumanrights@gmail.com

Pencil Portrait

I've been getting to grips with the Inktense and watercolour pencils this week, after a few pointers from someone in the life drawing class. Quite pleased with the result.

This is a portrait of my niece, the likeness is quite accurate and I think I might have cracked the old watercolour pencils.

I spent most of the day at Crick boat show so not much drawing done. Lots of photographs taken though - some interesting animal pics which might be used for paintings at a later date. I'll probably do some quick sketches tonight, need to practice.

I'm feeling more positive after yesterday's downer, must look up the Royal Academy rejects exhibition, see if that's a goer!!

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2009 FINAL SHOWN LIVE WEDS 27th AT THE SHOP & YOU'RE INVITED!

North America Sports the soccer shop will be showing the Champions League Final from Rome between Manchester United and FC Barcelona live on big screen on Wednesday May 27th for all customers to enjoy. Pre-game coverage starts at 11:00 am PST and we invite all friends & customers to join in on the celebration!

Great Image from the website Kitbag

ADIDAS F50.9 TUNIT ROME EDITION TO ARRIVE BEFORE JUNE

The Special Edition Adidas F50.9 Tunit in Cardinal Red, White and Gold are anticipated to arrive before June 1, 2009 at North American Sports, as the latest color in the F50.9 range from Adidas.

Want to be on the waiting list for the Adidas F50.9 Tunit Rome Edition? Call us here at the Vancouver Soccer Store at 604-299-1721!

Summer exhibition reject

The letter from the Royal Academy arrived today! Ho hum - not as gutted as I thought I'd be - really thought I stood a chance but did wonder whether the religious theme was too much. Sometimes you have to go with what feels right and this felt right. So my first acrylic painting - lots of errors, I think if I'd had the time I would have repainted it. Really feeling anti art establishment - mutter, mutter, mutter. Still can't believe Tracey Emin is now an RA!!! Blah! Blah! Blah!

So here is "The Reason"

Quick explanation - don't mean to be patronising but if you're not a Christian it might need explaining. The shattered cross represents sin and human suffering. The central figure represents Christ as the link between heaven and earth in a transient state and the only way through to heaven. All we have to do is take his hand. The background could be anywhere but I like beaches! There are no people in the background as I didn't want to detract from the central figure, but they are there. Some pieces of the cross are blank - these are for sins unknown or personal - the choice is yours!

So, nothing weak and wishy washy! There's always next year. Need to find some more competitions...

Pink

A relatively quick sketch today. Having downloaded the Pink image for the last caricature I thought I'd try her. She looks like the picture I have, but whether the picture looks like her I've no idea. There's one error which isn't too obvious, so I won't say where it is - that way I cover any flaw you may find... ha ha haaaaaah!

Painting today - learning how to handle acrylic mediums - lots of fun, creating textures but especially getting to use an icing bag. I need to improve my piping skills. Fortunately I quite like the wonky squiggles I've produced.

The Queen does Pink!

A little late but here she is at last. I couldn't get the idea of HRH singing the Pink song, but she would alter they lyrics slightly, wouldn't she? Before you think it, yes, it is a young version of the Queen. It was accurate to the picture I found... but I don't know how old that was. I'm sticking to the argument that caricatures always make you look younger and I even added lines to make her seem older.

I found an interesting picture of Pink with the burning paper frame- I just gave her an open top car - far more stylish.

Today I finally finished a scrapbook page I've been working on for about a month - no motivation.

I also completed an abstract. Then there was the life drawing class. Conversation was far more civilised this week. About the state of Art education in British Universities - specifically the poor standards of drawing exhibited by the students. My last drawing was even in colour!

Now, time for bed as Zebadee would say.

This is not a caricature!

A novel idea, do I mean caricaturing in the style of Rene Magritte - like this?

OK so not quite true but I couldn't resist the association when I wrote the title! I also love Magritte's work and any excuse to add him to the blog is a bonus!

So this picture of mine below is called Compass.

It seems to be one of the most popular on the market research study I'm conducting. I might have to include another survey when I've narrowed down the choices.

Today I've managed to do quite a bit of drawing and painting today but the caricature isn't dry enough to remove the masking fluid so I'm leaving it until tomorrow. It's the Queen again, but I'll not give away the concept until tomorrow... wait and see!

The artistic leanings of a Springer Spaniel

I didn't get my caricature finished. Spent too long tweaking the website following some feedback comments.

The dog has been gradually eating his way through my art supplies. Friday he pierced a tube of red acrylic paint, yesterday he chewed a putty rubber to little tiny pieces and today he's chewed the top of one of my fine liner pens. Maybe he wants to try his hand (or rather paw) at painting and drawing.

So I thought I'd draw on previous career experience and look for pointers from my child development work.

Early stages of doggy art.

1. Initial play - mouth crayons and screw up the paper - check

2. Stop mouthing crayons and screwing up the paper and start to make meaningful marks on paper - er, no, still eats everything in sight!

Ah well, back to the drawing board...

He is doing some rather nice conceptual art on the living room carpet though. As indicated above his recent pieces are entitled "Rubber Explosion", "Masticated marker" and "Tube Extrude"

One year on

My diary beeped at me yesterday. It's exactly a year since I started blogging. "Who'd a thowt it!" "By 'eck" and all that! Am I betraying my Northern roots hear by any chance? So the big question is, do I think I've made any progress?

mm Yes!

Am I rich and famous? Nah, I think not but I'm a lot wiser. Careful, I'm beginning to get all philosophical...far too early on a Monday for any of that.

I spent yesterday putting together my market research project and doing some abstracts. Hopefully, I will have a caricature to upload later today. If not there is and abstract or 2.

Ronaldo Wants To Buy A London Bus

Cristiano Ronaldo, has decided to buy a red double-deck bus one of the iconic images of England’s capital London

One of the main tourist attractions of British capital and one of the first associations in England is undoubtedly a red double-deck bus. Symbol of London is apparently taken over the Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who will shortly be buying one.FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldo, wants to give the bus his nieces and nephews when they visit.Ronaldo should be able to buy one for ten thousand pounds, which calculates to be two hours work for the Champions League winner.

Cristiano Ronaldo stated for Daily Star"For me the sight of the red London buses is what my first thoughts of England were,""My nieces and nephews would love to play on one, so I'm going to buy one for them."

London double-deck Bus

CLOSED ON VICTORIA DAY, MONDAY MAY 18 2009

North America Sports the soccer shop will be closed on Victoria Day Monday May 18th 2009. We will be back open on Tuesday May 19th with regular hours 9:30 am to 6:00 pm. Enjoy the long weekend!

Sharon Osbourne

Today I've been painting and spending some time on quick sketches. I'm very pleased with this one of Sharon Osbourne. Yes, there are some mistakes in the body and background but the head worked really well... first time ...as there was no preliminary pencil work. It was all achieved in 10 minutes, which is a reasonable goal for live caricaturing - did I mention I was doing the Bedford show? Oh, yes, I did! OK, press on.

I've also sorted out my editing frustrations from yesterday...use the old software! So now I'm going to post them and finish my market research sheets. Hopefully get some more painting in later - ooh today's working out well. Mmm, should I have said that? I'll let you know tomorrow.

Just post an abstract below to add some colour. This one's called "Fire" Guess why!

Feeling uninspired today

Spent the day working on getting a market research analysis ready. Spent 2 frustrating hours trying to edit some pictures I'd scanned in. They were large so had to be scanned in parts and reattached. Every time I got nearly there the software crashed.

Felt very uninspired but was looking forward to life drawing class tonight. I ended up missing the first 30 minutes due to Andrew's bus being late. Managed two drawing that I really liked. After only three classes I've learnt a lot. Really finding it helpful and partially making up for lack of art school.

No no no, I must write something interesting. But NOTHING interesting has happened apart from a discussion about body piercing in relation to a potential model for life drawing class. We decided that we would all probably not want to be forced to look at a piercing of that particular size ,in that particular location for any length of time. The male tutor felt the need to sit down at this particular time... and made an executive decision.

I've decided to try and do some more public stuff so I'm planning to book a table at Bedford County show and do some live caricature drawings. Just got to complete the forms, me and paperwork... I must not procrastinate!

NIKE WOMENS MERCURIAL VELOCI FG IN STOCK FOR WOMEN SOCCER FOOTWEAR 2009

The Soccer Shop received with their Nike Soccer Spring 2009 footwear the Nike Womens Mercurial Veloci FG in White with Orange. Sizes available in this model range from Womens size 6 to 8.5.

Call us for more details or for your size availability at 604-299-1721!

Michelle Pfieffer

Another pencil portrait today. I'm about 75% happy with it. It was 100% until I tried to burnish it and ended up smudging the marks around the face. Although I did manage to improve it to this level ,I think it's lost some of it's spark as a result. I'm reluctant to fiddle with it anymore as the paper won't stand too much erasing. Mental note- burnish as you go along in future!!!!

I've been given the details for one of my commissions so I'm going to get started on that today. There's no rush as the deadline is August! It makes a change. The other deadline is June 1st, not quite so relaxed.

ADIPURE II & PREDATORS IN FOR ADIDAS SPRING 2009 SOCCER FOOTWEAR

The soccer shop has received the Adidas Spring Soccer 2009 footwear. Now available are the Adidas Adipure II in black with white stripes, the Predator Absolutes TRX FG in White/Lead/Gold, as well as several other firm ground & indoor models.

Call for your size at 604-299-1721 or drop by the vancouver soccer store North America Sports today!

Website activated

Well, today has been taken over with website building. The good news is I've finally got a working version up and running on google sites at Cathy Read Art. There may well be some teething problems but I think I've got it virtually there. I'd much rather be drawing but I need to promote myself as well as hone the skills. I've also joined a committee looking into creating an art gallery in Buckingham, very much a feasability study at the moment but from little oaks...

I'm hoping to get a bit of drawing done tonight so I may have something more to post later, if not in the morning.

Model Abstract

A portrait today. I like combining the portraits with the background effect. I decided to leave the shoulders off, it would have lost something if I'd included them. You may recognise the face from an earlier post here. I've been thinking of painting her for a while. I spent a very long time on the hair - it was a bit like painting the Forth Bridge and, sometimes, I felt I was making no progress.

Update on the dog. He had yet another trip to the vets today to have the stitches removed and no longer needs the lampshade. I swear he danced up the steps when he got home! Regarding the fish. Pizza made a full recovery but sadly the replacement fish died. I'm going to wait a while before getting any more - too stressful.

A brush with Cubism

I'm having a good day today, me happy. Despite not getting much drawing done this morning, or afternoon due to hospital appointments and my weekly craft group.

Tonight was the life drawing class and I'm much happier with the results today. At one point the tutor suggested I try a straight line approach to help me loosen up my style. I have to admit I really enjoyed the challenge and I think the results are quite promising. We also did a nice long 1 hour pose which was quite difficult but I think I've cracked it - the finish needs refining but the drawing looks convincing - as always I wanted more time. I particularly liked these two. Both are 5 minute sketches and unfinished but something about the quality of lines is appealing.

To finish off the day as I logged on and checked my email, I've been asked to do a commission for June 1st, (Excuse me a moment - Whoopee!!!!! Second commission this week - did I not mention the one I got on Sunday -whoops.) and now I get to carry on with a portrait, life just doesn't get any better! Well, I was half hoping for a male life model this week, ho hum! Maybe next week.

 

Oh yes, and I've also started a website concentrating on the work I'm happy with. It's still in the creating process at the moment but once it's up and running I'll post the link.

Anyway, off to play...

CHELSEA V BARCELONA LIVE ON BIG SCREEN TV TOMORROW

Join us tomorrow at North America Sports the soccer shop to watch the Champions League semi final between Chelsea and FC Barcelona at 11:45 am PST on big screen TV. Who will be joining Manchester United in the Champions League Final in Rome?

NIKE SOCCER SPRING 2009 FOOTWEAR ARRIVALS

Just in at North America Sports is the latest Nike Soccer Spring 2009 Footwear, including the Total 90 Laser II in Yellow/Black & White/Red/Gold, Nike Air Legend II in Black/Volt, as well as several other new models for grass & turf.

Adult sizes ranging from size 6 to 12 US Mens. Give us a call for your size availability at 604-299-1721 or drop in to try a pair on!

Eva Longoria

Today I've gone back to basics and thought I'd try working on more distorted faces with the caricatures. I thought I'd try Eva Longoria again and it seems to be working quite well, in pencil. The inking in has proved mighty frustrating though. Firstly my pens ran out, then after I refilled them they kept leaking all over the drawings, after 4 attempts this evening I've finally got one that hasn't bled everywhere!!!! As it's very late I'll scan it for posting tomorrow. So, if you've no pictures, they will appear later on today.

Tom Hanks

I've been feeling uninspired with the caricatures recently so got up this morning determined to do something - if if it was a Black and white one. Well the paper came at 8.00am and with it some inspiration. Tom Hanks was on the front cover and I thought hmm. Forest Gump, urban marathon... et voila!

I now have some more acrylics so I can continue with the abstract. All in all pretty good day :0)

NIKE MERCURIAL VAPOR V ARRIVED TODAY

North America Sports has received the anticipated Nike Mercurial Vapor V today in adult sizes 7 to 12, including half sizes in the color Orange with silver.
Come in to try a pair on today until 8:00 pm or tomorrow Saturday from 9;30 am to 5:30 pm. Call us for available sizes at 604-299-1721!

Do I LOOK happy?!!!!!!

This is one sorry dog. He's had his bandage removed but has to wear this for a week because he won't leave the stitches alone. When I look at him I imagine he's thinking "Do I look happy? First I cut my paw and am not allowed to lick it better. Next I get taken to the vets and have to stop Overnight. Then I have a purple bandage on it. That gets changed for one that rubs and give me a sore on the side of my thumb. Then I get that removed and have to wear this thing for a week!" He's been looking like this since we got home.

So, the conspiracy continues, I have the eldest sick again - sent home from school yesterday and I took the dog to the vet. I've managed to do some abstract work and I'm hoping to get on with a portrait this afternoon/evening - here's hoping!

I've been looking through the artist's yearbook trying to identify competitions to enter. Residences seem very appealing at the moment...!