On the Drawing Board - Lion in charcoal

I have been watching on YouTube an amazing artist called Daniel Wilson, he creates the most stunning charcoal artwork. His work inspired me to have a go, so I searched through my art supplies, unearthed a few charcoal pencils and two sticks of charcoal - obviously bought on a whim at some point but never used! The below is the finished piece. For a first attempt, I am pretty pleased with it. Loads to learn and improve but I really enjoyed the process of using charcoal. 

I have now ordered myself some proper charcoal supplies, the ones which Daniel recommends using, and am eagerly waiting there delivery to try them out. 

This is his YouTube channel Studio Wildlife - YouTube if you would like to see his work and follow the tutorials. Am completely in awe of his work.

On The Drawing Board - Pastel Art

 Oh the joy of new art supplies! 

Many years ago I used to primarily work in pastel. It was due to a wonderful pastel portrait artist called Christine Fore who I met whilst living in Abu Dhabi. Christine set up an art group as she wanted to enjoy the company of some fellow creatives, though in fact she ended up teaching us how to use this versatile medium.

Over the years I found I really preferred using graphite for my artwork and the pastels got well and truly forgotten, I even gave a lot of them away thinking I would never use them again. However recently, I have been following on IG some amazing pastel artists and they have inspired me to create a few pastel pieces once again; I have also started watching some YouTube videos on different techniques artists are using with pastels - base layers with pan pastels, pastel pencils to get fine detail etc etc. All very interesting and inspiring! Hence I splashed out with the above new pencil set and have also bought various pan pastels and blending tools.

Below is the first stage of a new piece, I have just started some detail on her left ear and left eye. I blocked in the base layer using Pan Pastels and Prismacolor Nupastels, and am using my brand new pastel pencils to start the detail - do like that this method is far less messy! 

Below is the finished piece. Am quite pleased with it.

Like that the white mount brings out the highlights. 

And now in the frame.

Definitely going to keep refining these new techniques, have really enjoyed the process 😊

  

On The Drawing Board - Family Time

I took the reference photograph for this artwork in The Sacred Monkey Sanctuary (Monkey Forest) in Ubud, Bali.  The type of monkeys that live in the area are known as the Balinese long-tailed monkey, in scientific terms Macaca fascicularis, in English called Macaque. 

It is an amazing place with the monkeys roaming free and very often being very cheeky.

The Photograph

Sometimes you just get lucky when you are photographing animals and this was one of those times, they sorted out the composition for me!

Stage 1

In this drawing I am combining pencil with tinted graphite pencils to give a subtle touch of colour. 

Have to say this drawing was so time consuming, also working out whose limb belonged to who. Love the way "the children" are interacting with each other.

Stage 2

Finally on to monkey number 4. I don't actually know what she is eating but I will use a coloured pencil to give it a rich yellow colour because a banana makes sense in my mind - but I think it could be a piece of bread...

Stage 3

Final checks, almost there. I didn't count how any hours this drawing took, suffice to say it was a lot! 

Scanned Image

The final scanned image. I have called it family time as I would like to think they are a little family, though could be completely wrong and they just happened to sit together on a wall! 

If you would like to find out more about the Monkey Forest, please follow this link: Monkey Forest Ubud Official Website – Monkey Forest Ubud

On The Drawing Board - Double Trouble

This drawing is very special to me as it is of my two rescue cats who unfortunately had a very bad start in life. 

At the time we were living in the Philippines where animal welfare is sadly not in a very good state. My husband was out jogging and heard cries coming from a storm drain, he reached down and fished out a knotted carrier bag containing newly born kittens - literally eyes shut only a few days old. They were soaking wet and freezing cold, I really didn't think they would make it. They proved me wrong though, they were real fighters, it meant bottle feeding every few hours but they got stronger and stronger. 

They went on to travel round the world with us as we moved jobs, they have very full passports! They are now 14 years old and have just flown back with us to the UK for their official retirement. They aren't too impressed by the cold but am sure they will get used to it, summer is on its way.

Cat Rescue - Bob

 How many times in life can a cat be abandoned and left on the streets? Well in Bob’s case we know it is at least twice.

We believe he started life as a pet, however when his owners left the compound Bob was put outside and left to fend for himself. He then befriended some people who had moved into the compound and lived with them; he had his own bed inside and food in his belly. Then they left the compound and poor old Bob ended up back on the streets yet again!

He then turned up on my doorstep because he was hungry and needed a friend; unfortunately I already have two cats (one who isn’t friendly with other cats) so he couldn’t come inside but providing some food for him was the least I could do. But Bob needs and deserves a home of his own, he sits looking in through our patio doors crying to come in – it is just heart-breaking. If I sit outside he comes and curls up on my lap!

Unfortunately Bob has tested positive for FIV, so he urgently needs a loving indoor home where he is the only cat (he doesn’t share well). FIV cats can live long happy lives but do need to be in a protective indoor environment – not in a garden with the extreme 50 degree heat in Qatar in the summer.

I just wish someone could finally give Bob his happy ending, he can’t stay on the streets. In Qatar it is so difficult to find good forever homes for rescues, even the rescue centres abroad that I have contacted have been reluctant because of the FIV; it makes cats harder to home, they then have to spend longer in the shelter which obviously translates to costing more. The timing isn't great either because of COVID, when the centres are struggling because of lack of funds.

He isn’t the most handsome, he has a swirly broken looking tail and a very low meow as if he has a sore throat but he is the most loving sweet guy around. He is only about 2 years old, he loves to chase a ping pong ball around the garden.

We don't know how much longer we will be in Qatar but we are not going to add ourselves to the list of people who gave up on him and drove away. Therefore we have started the RATT process (rabies antibody titration test), which would then allow him into the UK without quarantine but this process sadly takes time, at least 4 months. In the meantime I have been introduced to a new contact and we are looking at the possibility of him going to America, which is a much quicker process. I have everything crossed that this might work out and I will be writing a happy update soon. I just hope that someone will finally give him the home he deserves, he just wants a chance.

UPDATE - We sent Bob to America and he found a forever home. He so deserved this happy ending! Enjoy your new life Bob, the bravest cat I have ever met. 

 

Spring in Dorset

I write this whilst the world is under threat from the coronavirus, it feels like I am watching a movie which can't possibly be reality but unfortunately there seems no way to wake up from this nightmare.

Currently I am in Dorset with my daughter, my husband (and cats) are in Qatar and we aren't allowed to return back there as the boarders are closed; my husband could fly out but then wouldn't be allowed back, which wouldn't be good for his work. Qatar hasn't even reached its peak yet, so I can't see them opening their boarders anytime soon (a sensible decision really) but makes me wonder when we will all be together as a family again, September....

It is hard to find a positive considering all the deaths and uncertainty, however, I am spending spring in the UK which I haven't done for quite a considerable time, and what a wonderful time of year it is! On my once a day allowed walk I have discovered so many different footpaths, love watching the lambs galloping around the fields and the calves curiously approach me as I stand by the gate taking photos. When do we generally have time to just stand and observe? In our garden there is a blue tit making her nest in one of the bird boxes, I literally spend ages watching her and am almost at the stage of naming the blackbirds who come in the garden - my daughter thinks I am slowly losing the plot, actually though, I am just so appreciating being amongst greenery and wildlife after years of life in the desert, makes me realise how much I miss England.

 

During this lockdown I have been very productive art wise - there is only so many times you can clean the house! Serenity the deer and Dillion the donkey both got finished.

Plus a new drawing calling "Motherhood", of course inspired by all the lambs and how they interact with their protective mums.

                              

I am now starting a calf drawing, fortunately I have so many great refence photos to choose from.

                                    

Hopefully by the time I write my next blog post we will have come out of this situation and even more importantly, have a vaccine. Very worrying times at the moment, stay safe everyone.

Casper

We have a WhatsApp group on our compound in Qatar which is generally used for people selling things when they leave, or now and again for someone who has lost a pet. One such message came through on there with a distant photo of a fluffy cat in a garden looking extremely scared; I really hoped this was a lost pet and not yet another poor abandoned cat, which unfortunately happens all too often.

I monitored the thread but sadly no one came forward and indeed the resident said nobody could get near the cat; the cat was too scared and running off. I admit I was reluctant to act straight away hoping someone else would, our last rescue had to be sent to America as good homes in Qatar are nearly impossible to find.  However, it was the height of summer with temperatures way over 45 degrees and a long-haired dumped pet is just not going to cope.

I loaded my cat trap in the car and drove to the street where the cat had last been spotted. I saw the poor cat hiding under a bush looking absolutely terrified and panting in the heat! It was obvious this cat was not used to being on the streets. I set up the cat trap and sat down to wait. Unfortunately one of our compound colony cats also thought the tuna in the trap smelt good and kept trying to go in the trap, which wasn't helpful at all! I ended up sitting on the kerb feeding the compound cat tuna to try and keep him away from the trap, at which point Casper (as he is now known to us) came out from under his bush and approached me, obviously so hungry it over-road his fear of an unknown human. It was then just a matter of some sweet talking and a few spoonfuls of tuna until he let me stroke him and move in to scoop him up; I certainly hadn't needed the cat trap. I popped him in a cat carrier and gained another rescue who would also need a home in a country where beautiful long-haired cats are often seen as a disposable accessory - sad but true.

On closer inspection it was obvious Casper had been neglected for a while. Under all his fluff he was soo thin, had very bad ear mites and his fur was also really badly matted. My goodness did he have the sweetest personality though! He let us bath him, clean his ears and attempt to start the process of cutting out the matts, all without objecting at all.

It took quite a few weeks to get him stronger and to get to grips with the ear mite situation, he also of course need neutering, a microchip, vaccinating etc etc. However at the end of it, he was simply stunning but now the problem of a good home, the rescuing is actually easy in comparison.

Luckily the wonderful rescue organisation Cat Rangers in America agreed to take him under their wing. My previous flight buddy was on hand to accompany him and a great foster home found (my cats true to form did not like this rescue in "their" house).

He flew to America on December 24th, a Christmas wish come true.

Like most rescues we will never know his full story, he strangely had no clue what it meant to sit on a sofa and definitely would never sit on your lap; that is still true to this day but will now sit beside you on a sofa. He wasn't that comfortable being picked up and cuddled but now he completely embraces cuddles. We guess he was maybe brought on a whim and then dumped outside with the staff; he used to beg for food in the kitchen when I cooked. Whatever happened to him it hasn't affected his affectionate and calm personality, he is a laid-back loving chap with not a mean bone in his body who is quite wary of strangers - can't blame him for that!

Below is his portrait which flew with him to the States as a thank you to the person who adopts him and gives him a good home.

Am sure he will find his forever home very soon - he is such a handsome loving chap, he deserves nothing but good things to happen to him from now on.

Happy Update

After literally his paws only just touching down in America he has been adopted! Received a lovely email from his new family with these great photos showing how relaxed and happy he is.

So happy for Casper, miss the cuddliest cat around!

Sadly still so many suffering on the streets in Qatar, which won't change anytime soon, but we do the little that we can to help.

On The Drawing Board - Focused

Horses have always been a very important part of my life; I started riding at 5 years old and completely fell in love and got "horse obsessed" as my parents called it. In my time I have exercised polo ponies, Arabian racehorses in Abu Dhabi, competed in show jumping and cross-country competitions. Frustratingly, due to a knee injury I can't ride at the moment but one day in the hopefully not too distant future, that will change.

The reference photographs for this pastel drawing were taken at Al Shaqab in Qatar during a show-jumping competition. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of the horse as he was one of many in the warmup paddock, however I loved the soft focused look in his eye. 

First stage establishing the basics.

Working on the bridle and wishing I had chosen a bridle-less horse to draw! 

 

Final drawing. 

This one took quite a while due to the bridle but quite like the end result.

Pastel on Canson paper with Nupastels, Daler Rowney soft pastels and pastel pencils. Framed size 62cm x 50cm.

Cat Rescue - Shadow

Shadow's story

Driving home from the school run, we spotted him outside a mosque eating rice that had been put out for the birds. When he moved we noticed he was limping badly and only really using three legs. It was obvious he was struggling and did not belong on the streets, especially as when he was approached he didn’t run away, just laid beside us and wanted a stroke. There was no way we could leave him there, so we had a quick search around for a cardboard box to put him in, he wasn't impressed but it shows how in need he was that he let us put him a box to transport home.
A visit to the vet discovered he had broken both his leg and tail, they had since healed but there is muscle wastage on the injured side as he doesn’t fully weight bear on the leg. His tail also feels really "wiggly" when stroked due to the breaks. He was only between 2-3 months old when rescued, so had an awful start in life. We will never know how he got his injuries or when he was dumped on the streets, all we know is it astoundingly hasn’t affected his trust in humans, he is a really sweet boy.
                                                                 
Shadow is now doing really well, he can jump to bed height and is getting stronger daily, he does still walk with a limp which might never go but he can run really fast (which he does a lot) and flies up the stairs; when he is running he now uses the leg correctly, forgetting the past pain, so is slowly building up his muscle.  The vet believes he is a Maine Coon / Bengal/Arabian Mau mix - his coat is soo soft.
We would love to keep him but our older cats are not impressed. Shadow loves to play and chases everything that moves - our poor older cats and don't you dare move your toes in bed under the duvet, his favourite thing is to jump on them, which actually gets a bit painful! Very importantly, if you don’t have another playful cat, you will need to play with him – throwing balls, a toy on a stick etc. Obviously, he is a kitten so play is normal behaviour but with Shadow, that urge to chase and pounce is strong, probably his Bengal roots. He is very affectionate and loves to be with you, he is called Shadow because he literally follows me everywhere.

His Ideal Home

He would suit an experienced cat person who understands his urge to pounce and play; give him a ball and he will happily chase it for hours! He is full of character and has the loudest purr, which he does immediately you pick him up for a cuddle. He is also quite chatty, as soon as he sees you he gives little excited squeaks. He is adorable and very loving though a little shy with strangers. He is not a lap cat but likes to sit beside you, or in the same room as you, never on your lap though. He has very "doglike" tendencies and bonds closely with one person, also loves carrying things round in his mouth - pencils, balls and his favourite soft toy (who will be flying with him in his crate).  He is such a sweetheart, am sure his new family will love him as much as we do.
                                                        

• Age: 6 - 7 months
• Vaccinated: Yes
• Microchipped: Yes
• Spayed/neutered: Yes
• Good with other cats: Not older cats who want to chill, would need to be tested with a friendly playful younger cat.
• Good with dogs: Unknown
• FIV/FeLV: negative

                                               
                            

His portrait will go to his new family as a thank you from me for giving him a good home. Big thank you also to Cat Rangers who agreed to take him under their wing. 

UPDATE -  Good news, Shadow flew to America on the 17th May to a great organisation called Cat Rangers, who help cats like Shadow find a forever home. I am very happy to report he has indeed now found a wonderful home and is now called Chester.

We still miss him (though our older cats don't) but am so pleased it all worked out for him. From being dumped on the streets of Qatar with a broken leg & tail to living in America, not a bad ending for this cute boy.

             

In his new home with his new friend - yes he is in the dogs bed, nothing changes, still the boss! Love you Shadow.

Cat rescue - Zima & family

In Qatar, we have a lot of sad animal cases, if you follow some of the rescue groups you would pull your hair out and not know where to start! Personally, I try to stick to TNR (Trap Neuter Return) as that is about prevention but of course, working on the streets means you come across cases who need help and numerous dumped pets. This latest case though I didn't find on the streets but saw on a popular Qatar facebook page...should never look at them!

                                           

Zima's Story

Zima was abandoned by her owner, the owner moved away leaving Zima behind at the house where she had been living. The people who were sharing the property didn’t want a cat and they certainly didn’t want a cat who then gave birth to three kittens! They put an advert on a Facebook site offering the kittens for free – literally just go and pick one up, as if they were toys! The kittens were only about a 1 week old and still feeding from mum; as these are cute Persian kittens plus offered for free, loads of people responded saying they wanted a kitten and would go and get one. I read the post with horror seeing the photographs showing newly born kittens and quickly responded saying the kittens were far too young to give away, the person replied saying they were giving them away because they couldn’t afford to feed them, at which point I offered to bring them food but please not to give the kittens away.

A heart-breaking visit to the family to give the food saw the reality of where mum and kittens were living and how they were really not wanted; mum looked so sad and was so so thin but such a good mum, her kittens looked healthy and she was very protective of them hiding them under a kitchen cabinet to try and keep them safe. I was devastated to have to leave them there but had nowhere to take them having my own cats and a new rescue at home.

Following a sleepless night worrying about them I received a text message the next day from the people saying they simply couldn’t keep them, unfortunately, the food hadn’t bought the family time. I desperately contacted a fellow cat rescuer asking if she could help find a foster home but I literally needed it in the next few hours! She performed a miracle and found a wonderful foster home for the whole family. Now that they had somewhere safe to go I drove across town to collect the family, on arrival there it was almost like the mother cat knew help had finally come, on placing the carrier down mother cat calmly walked in it and sat down, as if she sensed a better life was just around the corner.

A visit to the vet confirmed that the kittens were all in good health but mum was in a very poor state.  

                                             

She had a vitamin injection but couldn’t be vaccinated because she was just too weak. It was also discovered she has hardly any teeth, therefore must have been really struggling to eat at all. However, they were given the all clear to move into the foster home. Thankfully she also tested negative for FIV.

Zima (Slavic for winter), as she was named by her foster mum, and her family moved into 5-star accommodation! Their very own room with fleece blankets and soft food that mum could eat. They must have thought they had landed in paradise!

             

Paradise is where they still are but the next challenge is finding good homes for them and covering all the veterinary costs of 4 cats - spaying, vaccination, antibiotics, worming etc.  Good homes in Qatar are hard to come by and that is putting it mildly. A lot of rescuers ship abroad to America or the UK in the search for forever homes, an extremely expensive option! I hope it won't come to that, divorce will be in the air soon as my long-suffering husband hears about the next cat rescue problem but we just can't ignore the plight of the animals around us and help where we can.

A happy update - all three kittens have been adopted by Canadian families, lucky babies will one day end up in Canada, a far cry from where they started life. Mum is getting her happy ending too and flying to America.