A Lamp, a Journal, and a Figure

I should have been working on my sparrows, but instead I decided to do a quick sketch. From the Every Day Matters challenge list I selected #2 Draw a Lamp, desk or other. My lamp is other. It actually sits on the back of a chair, I don't have the scale of the chair vs lamp correct, the lamp isn't that large compared to the chair, but you get the idea anyway. This is a very useful lamp for when I am sitting in the chair and need extra light.

Saturday was another beautiful fall day, so I decided to visit Massasoit State Park. Below is the journal page from that visit.

Not very exciting I fear. The top drawing is of part of a branch of a sweetfern bush. These are low shrubs that spread not only by seed but by suckers from the parent plants. The leaves do look a bit like fern fronts. To me they remind me of rick rack. The plant has a pleasant fragrance when the leaves are crushed, and it is native to these New England woods. It tends to grow in disturbed or rocky soil and by roadsides.

The bottom drawing is of the fruit/berries/rose-hips of the mutiflora rose. This is the small many blossomed white rose that has invaded so much of our habitat. Not native to the U.S.it can now be found in many shore or woodland areas. The berries are small and not as large as the fruit of the rosa rugosa, but they do look pretty in this late fall landscape.

Below is my figure drawing from last night.

Actually I am fairly pleased with this one from last night. Not totally happy with her face, but I have her lying in/on the couch not floating over it. I do unfortunately have drawings where the model seems to be floating on top of the couch. Not the effect I am looking for at all needless to say. For some reason it isn't always easy to convey the visual information necessary to show fabric in front of the body. After doing this for a year and a half (approx.) I think I am beginning to learn how to convey that information. That said, please understand that I am still learning and each weeks pose presents its own challenges. At least I am much more comfortable drawing the human form.

Below is a photograph from my visit to Massasoit.

American Beech and Oaks are the last trees in my local woods to turn colors and drop their leaves in the fall. The above photo is of a small Beech tree surrounded by sapling oaks. It is being lit by an afternoon sun. I love this combination of colors, the gold/yellow of the beech contrasting with the rich red browns of the oaks. The green in the background belongs to the White Pines so often found mixed in with these trees.

That is it for today. Per usual comments are welcome.