DOING LIFE

AN ALOE TREE FOR SKETCH SATURDAY

No, I am not hyperactive, as some of you Doing Lifers were suggesting. I am just enjoying all these challenge blogs, and especially those that use sketches as challenges. Sketches are always versatile.

Our local art shop, Herbert Evans, here in Fourways is currently having their annual sale and I popped in there this morning (must admist this is my 5th visit at the sale the past few weeks). The visit this time round was necessitated by an Aloe stamp scratched out of yours truly's small stamp collection, to use in this weeks challenge over at SKETCH SATURDAY. I stamped the Aloe tree with dark brown chalk ink on cream cardstock and then pulled out my dry scrapbooking chalks. But once I started colouring the tree with the dry chalks, the leaves were just too fine fill in neatly.

Every time I visited the HE sale, I found myself ending up at the watercolour pencil shelf, but just could not take the plunge, as I was arguing to myself that the pencils were a luxury and not a necessity. But today, the Aloe tree has spoken and off I went to HE and bought myself this divine set of 24 Derwent pencils ... needless to say apart from quite a few other 'luxury' craft items.

Upon returning to my studio, I started colouring my Aloe tree. Then as all the stamp experts in cyber community suggests I went over my colouring in with a touch of water and a thin brush ... and this was the most exciting part for me, the water just changed the pencil strokes to a smooth colouring ... amazing - sorry to bore you ... but this is a whole new exciting world for me.

But, I have to mention to my horror, that whilst chatting to the Herbert Evans guy at the check-out point (who by now know me as a regular), he was asking me what I do with all the ribbon that I was purchasing. I proudly said that I use them for scrapbooking and cards and his shocking response was: I DON'T SEE THE USE OF SCRAPBOOKING!! Can you believe it. There he was a staff member at a very prominent arts shop in Gauteng who should be promoting any craft or art to the fullest ... not to mention all the scrapbooking die hards he is insulting. So there I was going on about how scrapbooking is about the journaling as well and that we need to convey the story behind our photographs, etc. instead of sending him ... to you know where!!!! Just unbelievable!!! Another example of the shocking customer service one encounters from time to time in SA.

But enough of the high blood pressure, here then is my take on this week's challenge over at Sketch Saturday, humbly displaying my first attempt at H2O pencils. Please visit SKETCH SATURDAY to have a look at the amazing creations of the DT members.

Thank you for looking.