Every Day Matters #11 - Draw your glasses

Pen and Ink

These are my reading glasses that I keep on my beside table.  I am blind without my glasses and must wear them all the time. My regular glasses have those invisible bifocals. This is great for everyday use, however, when I want to read extensively, or read in bed, I find them awkward. I had an old pair of glasses fitted with my reading prescription and they are perfect for extended reading or for reading in bed.

The holder was a gift from our son, when he was much younger. He thought this was hilarious. I find it whimsical, and I always know where my glasses are.

My Reading Glasses on My Bedside Table
Photo by Ana Tirolese, taken with iPhone

642 Things to Draw #26 - Tube Sock

Pen and Ink

There was a time when the three of us wore white tube socks, almost exclusively. I have colour-coded our family so that any Red/Pink/Purple are mine, Blue is my husband, and Green is our son. Therefore the colours on the tube socks would let me know to whom it belonged. Now our son wears black or grey socks and my husband does the same, except my husband's socks are diabetic friendly. I rarely wear socks, and when I do they are feminine.

Here is a tip for when you do laundry: Get some stainless steel safety pins and pin the pair of socks together. You'll never lose socks again, and the socks will wear out evenly. Have the family members re-pin them before throwing them in the laundry hamper. This also saves a lot of time trying to match them up again after they laundry is dry.

Every Day Matters #10 - Draw Your Hand

My Hand
Pen and Ink with Digital Colour

Over the years I have often made drawings of my hand(s). It is a ready model.  Whenever I really want to draw something but am not sure what to draw, I draw my hand.

Hands and feet are frequently said to be the most difficult things to draw. I used to feel this way, but now I have had lots of practice and am no longer intimidated by hands or feet. Noses and ears are another story! 

Here are some previous posts that have drawings of my hands:

• Draw The Palm of Your Left Hand
• EDM 10 - Draw Your Hand (previous version)
• My Last Nerve (and a favourite of mine)
• Errand Day
• March 2, 2009 (at the hospital)

My husband says he can recognize my hands anywhere. He knew immediately that the above was a drawing of my hand. Mind you, he has been looking at my hands for over 30 years!

I have these weird looking knuckles on the middle joints of my fingers with excess skin. It creates valleys and peaks of skin. 

My Hand
Photo with iPhone by Ana Tirolese

I have attempted to take a photo of my hand in as close a pose to the drawing as possible. You can see my knuckles in this photo. (Nails by Bill and Lily of Top Fashion Nails, Sherwood Forest Mall, London, Ontario Canada.)

I took some more photos of my hand (on July 15, 2012) so you can see my crazy knuckles. I have painted my nails silver in hopes of hiding the fact that I am overdue to get my nails done.

My caved-in fleshy knuckles. No matter how thin my
hands are, I always have that excess of flesh around
the knuckles on my fingers.
Photo by Ana Tirolese, taken with iPhone

You can see how my fingers curve upward at the knuckles.
Photo by Ana Tirolese, taken with iPhone

I can do this with my fingers. Yes, it looks awful and painful.
It is not painful. However, it kept me from playing guitar
because they would sometimes get stuck in this position (It has nothing
to do with the fact that I have no musical talent).
Photo by Ana Tirolese, taken with iPhone

A better view of how my fingers curve upward at the joint.
Photo by Ana Tirolese, taken with iPhone

Every Day Matters #9 - Draw Organized Chaos

Organized Chaos - My Work Station
Pen and Ink with Digital Colour

There is a bin near my corner of the sofa where I have a bunch of art supplies, books, and electronic gadgets set up, on top of of the bin. This is where I draw my sketchbook sketches, when I am at home. It is also where I watch television (not pictured) and do some of my artwork.

Here you are seeing some coloured pencils (back), some books, some pens, my HP Touchpad (it is on a stand so I can sit up for me to view), some miscellaneous art supplies, and my little palate shaped tin that I keep my kneaded eraser.

642 Things to Draw #25 - A Burrito

Pen and Ink

Mexican-type food is my favourite. I really enjoy burritos, tacos, nachos, and just about anything else Mexican.

The above is a bean and beef burrito with lettuce, salsa, and sour cream.

Here is a recipe for my favourite Black Bean Burritos (follow the link for the Allrecipes Site).

Black Bean Burritos
Easy and delicious vegetarian meal. Garnish with Salsa, Lettuce, Scallions, Tomatoes, and Sour Cream.
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 can Black Beans
1 cup Onions, chopped
1/2 cup Dry white wine
2 tsp Garlic, minced
2 tsp Cumin, ground
1/4 tsp Black Pepper, ground
1/4 cup Orange juice
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
To taste Salt

Garnish

Salsa
Lettuce, shredded
Green Onions, chopped
Tomatoes
Cilantro, chopped (or dried)
6 Flour Tortillas

Instructions:

• In a pot, braise the onions in 1/2 cup white wine with the garlic, cumin, and black pepper.
• Add the black beans with 1/4 cup of bean liquid to the onions and stir
• Add the orange juice and cayenne to the beans
• Then ad the salt to taste
• To assemble the burrito, place about 1/2 cup of the black beans, and 1/4 cup of the salsa in the centre of the tortilla. Fold the opposite ends of the tortilla inward and roll. You can also add some chopped lettuce, onions, tomatoes, or cilantro before rolling the tortilla.
• Ladle some salsa over the tortilla.

Every Day Matters #8 - Draw a Piece of Jewelry

Pretty Hair Pin
Pen and Ink

Years ago, I saw this lovely hair pin in the gallery shop of the London Regional Art Gallery and Museum. My husband and I had gone to see a display there. I mentioned how pretty I thought this was.  It is silver with marcasites. I love marcasite. It reminds me of my grandmother Leonor.

Photo of Hair Pin in Ana's Hair Circa 2007
Photo by Anthony Tirolese

That year, my husband surprised me with it as a Christmas gift. He is really good at doing things like that.

Every Day Matters #7 - Draw a Bottle from the Kitchen

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pen and Ink

We eat low fat meals in our home. However, when I do use oil, I use extra virgin olive oil. I find that olive oil adds a nice Mediterranean flavour to foods.

Unfortunately, this particular brand, Mastro, was convicted in 2010 of fraud. The were claiming that their oil was 100% olive oil when they were mixing it with 50% sunflower oil.  They were fined and the oil was recalled. I am trusting that they have learned their lesson and the the oil is now pure.

I'll admit to purchasing the oil that is on sale, however, I do understand that pure olive oil does cost a bit more, and the better grades cost the most. I use so little oil in my cooking that I just get the least expensive for regular cooking but keep a smaller bottle of the higher grade for salads or for dips.

642 Things to Draw #24 - A Trumpet

Pen and Ink

We have a lot of musical instruments in our home because our son is a professional musician and plays just about everything. He mostly plays bass guitar these days, but he has been playing trumpet on some recordings lately. So, when I came across this page to draw a trumpet I just had to go get my son's trumpet.

This was done freehand and some of the proportions are a bit off. However, unless you are super familiar with trumpets, you will not likely notice. I think this looks close enough. I added digital colour below to help better see the different parts of the trumpet.

Pen and Ink with Digital Colour

Wynton Marsalis is one of my favourite musicians. He is an amazingly talented trumpet player. Here is a video of him playing with the Boston Pops Orchestra (with John Williams conducting).

Every Day Matters #6 - Draw a Childhood Toy

Spider-Man PEZ Dispenser
Pen and Ink with Digital Colour

In all honesty, this particular PEZ dispenser is not a childhood toy of mine. It belongs to my son. However, as a child I did enjoy PEZ and all their really cool dispensers; all of which have been broken and lost over the years.  My husband does have quite a nice PEZ dispenser collection of his own, but he was much better at looking after his toys than I was looking after mine.

I did this challenge before, back in January 2012, when I drew Dollinha. That was an actual toy of mine from my childhood.

This drawing represents all the PEZ dispensers in my life. I enjoy the candy, and how it comes out, one at a time. I love all the different themes the dispensers come in. To me they were great to have, until they broke. Back when I was a child I had no idea how to get refills. Now, as an adult, I know I can purchase refills for my dispensers and that makes them even more fun.

Check out PEZ's history here--> www.pez.com/history/

Every Day Matters #5 - Draw Your Bed

My Bed
Pen and Ink with Digital Colour

My Bed
Original Pen and Ink Rendering

I did the Draw Your Bed challenge back in January 2012, however, I have started doing the EDM Challenges from scratch and felt like drawing my bed again. You can see a difference in the drawings by comparing the two. The first rendering I was showing off the features of the bed. In this one, it is far more relaxed and shows the bed in our bedroom.

The bed had been made in the morning, but I did not draw this until after my husband's afternoon nap. I considered remaking the bed before drawing it, but I thought this would be more real -- more "in the moment".

Our bed is quite comfortable and, in my opinion, attractive. It is a Euro-style sleigh bed (the foot board is low -- see original post). It is part of the Fontaine Collection of furniture made in Durham, Ontario, Canada.

Our bedroom is quiet and peaceful.

Every Day Matters #4 - Draw Your Mug or Cup

My Mug
Pen and Ink with Digital Colour

My husband brought this mug back for me from The Museum of Civilization. It has an image of one of Alex Colville's paintings on it: "To Prince Edward Island" Alex Colville is one of my favourite artists.

My Mug
Original Pen and Ink Rendering

I enjoy at least one cup of coffee a day, usually in the morning. My husband gave me a Tassimo Coffee Maker several years ago for Christmas. It is great because I can make one perfect cup of coffee as I want it. The Tassimo also makes lattes, cappuccinos, hot chocolate, teas, and more. I can make a black coffee for myself, a hot chocolate for my husband, and a chai latte for my son, one after the other!

My morning coffee being made in my favourite mug with my Tassimo Coffee maker, also a gift from my husband.
Photo by Ana Tirolese with iPhone

Coffee for me is more than just a beverage. It is also a chance to get together with friends for visits.

642 Things to Draw #23 - A Paper Clip

Pen and Ink

This was obviously rendered freehand. I should have rendered this using a ruler/straight edge and a circle template. It would have been far more accurate.

However, some people may find that there is more charm in this less than perfect image.

Every Day Matters #2 - Draw a Table Lamp

My Lamp on My Bedside Table
Pen and Ink with Digital Colour

This is one of those lamps that you touch to turn on and off. It has three brightness settings and goes from low to medium to bright with each touch, then off with the fourth touch. Unfortunately the lamp has stopped working. It does not turn off now so I have to unplug it to turn it off. I have not decided if I am going to get it repaired or just get a new lamp. I have had this one over 25 years. 

My Lamp on My Bedside Table
Original Pen and Ink Rendering

This is my bedside table. On it is my lamp, the current book I am reading (sometimes I have a paper book and sometimes I have one of my eReaders with an eBook that I am reading), a small decorative box of treasures, my reading glasses on a whimsical nose-shaped holder (a gift from my son when he was little), and my Jesus (a gift from a priest when I was 12 years-old).  

Actual Bedside Table
Photo by Ana Tirolese, taken with iPhone

I did not draw the doily or the teddy bear that is also on my bedside table. I also have my glasses case for my everyday glasses, a box of tissues, an old clock radio, and my iTouch that I use as an alarm clock.

Every Day Matters #1 - Draw Your Shoes

My Shoes
Pen and Ink with Digital Colour

Danny Gregory started drawing the Every Day Matters (EDM) challenges from the beginning again and he spurred a bunch of us on to do the same.

These are my current comfortable-everyday shoes. They are easy to slip on and off and I can wear them with most of my pants, including jeans. They are my everyday shoes.

The ink in my Lamy Safari fountain pen is not waterproof so I am not able to add watercolour to the drawing without smudging it to heck. I have to purchase some waterproof ink once I run out of my current ink. I drew the challenge in pen and ink and added digital colour in Photoshop.

My Shoes
Original Pen and Ink Rendering

642 Things to Draw #22 - A Dolphin

a dolphin
Pen and Ink

People like dolphins because they always look like they are smiling.  Any time we see them on television or in movies it is in a positive light. We hear about dolphins saving people. We see dolphins playing with people. We hear that they are an exceptionally intelligent mammal.

I am certain all that is true. I also believe they can be aggressive, like any wild animal, if confronted or if they feel threatened.

Some of my friends collect dolphin things. I don't. (I collect chicken and rooster things).

You can either imagine my little dolphin drawing swimming in the ocean or jumping out of the water. I chose not to give it context so you can use your imagination.

642 Things to Draw #21 - Ironing Board

an ironing board
Pen and Ink

This is my ironing board. It is a table-top version.

I really dislike ironing so this ironing table rarely sees the light of day. Most of our clothing is wash-and-wear. It is small and folds away conveniently. On the rare occasions that I actually need to iron, it comes out and sits on a table. I like this because it is tall enough not to hurt my back.

Every Day in June #11 - Draw a Rope

Every Day in June #11 (EDM #196) - Draw a Rope
Pen and Ink

Every Day In June #30 - Something You Keep in your Pocket

Every Day In June #30 (EDM #326) - Draw something you can keep in your pocket.
Pen and Ink

This is the last drawing of the June Challenge.

I rarely carry a purse so I usually carry my keys and my wallet in my pockets.

On this key ring I have a miniature flashlight, a "Be Happy" fob that makes it easy to grab, front door, apartment, and mail room keys, and an old DriveSafe tag.

FlyLady Wallet

My wallet is the one recommended by FlyLady. It is small and sleek and fits nicely into my pockets or small purse. It carries everything I need and does not take up a lot of room.

There is a sketch of this wallet in my post: EDM 3, Draw your Wallet.

642 Things to Draw #20 - A Pickle

a pickle
Pen and Ink

I am not particularly fond of pickles, which is odd because I do like cucumbers. My husband loves pickles but does not like cucumbers. Strange, no?

I considered adding colour to this to make it look more realistic, however, the paper in this book does not take to wet media and I was not up to doing coloured pencil today. I am really trying to stick to purely pen and ink in this book.  I may add some digital colour to some of these images. This one I'll leave as is.

Every Day in June #28 - Draw a Snack

Every Day in June #28 (EDM #306) - Draw a Snack
Grapes

Watercolour with Pen and Ink

Fruit is my favourite snacks. I very much enjoy grapes right out of the refrigerator.

Every Day in June #26-27 Draw a Shirt and Something Orange

Every Day in June #26 (EDM #286) - Draw a shirt 

Every Day in June #27 (EDM #296) - Draw something orange

Pen and Ink with digital Colour

I got a little behind on the drawing so I did two challenges in one with this one. There really is nothing to say about this drawing.

642 Things to Draw # 19 - Fangs

Fangs

Pen and Ink

There is a huge "Vampire" following these days with all the vampire films and books coming out. I chose to draw vampire fangs to show the sign of the times. Quite frankly, I am tired and bored of all the vampire hoopla.

This is just a quick sketch. I considered adding some colour (red) but in the end thought I'd leave it as is. The paper in this book does not take well to wet media, therefore, watercolour was out, and I was not up to grabbing my red coloured pencils.

Every Day in June #23 - Draw Something Bubbly

Every Day in June #23 (EDM #256) - Draw Something Bubbly
642 Things to Draw # 18 - Bubbles

Pen and Ink

There is not much one can say about this drawing. It is just bubbles. I was thinking of children blowing bubbles when I drew this.

In order to get the perfect circles I used a circle template and carefully cut out the circles with an X-acto knife on thin cardboard. I then put the cardboard down and used a brush pen filled with ink and went over each circle to get the clean edges. I then took a clear plastic (green) circle template and drew the inner circle with a .5 pen tip (to leave the thin white edge). I freehanded the rest.

There you go: Bubbles.

Every Day in June #22 - Draw Some Gloves

Every Day in June #22 (EDM #246) - Draw some gloves

Pen and Ink with Coloured Pencil


This is a blue vinyl surgical glove. You can purchase them at drug stores and use them as you would latex gloves (for cleaning around the house and messy jobs). Our son is allergic to latex so we use non-latex products in our home.

I don't use a lot of chemicals when cleaning. But I do wear gloves when cleaning the washrooms, especially around the toilets.

In the kitchen they are great when making messy meals or when you have to mix ground beef with bread-crumbs to make hamburgers or meatballs.

Every Day in June #21 - Draw the Palm of your Left Hand

Every Day in June #21 (EDM #236) - Draw the palm of your left hand 

Pen and Ink

This is the palm of my left hand. Well, as close to it as I could draw it. I am unable to hold my hand open for very long. I have problems with my left hand and arm. So, I propped it as open as I could get it and rested it against the book. I then drew as quickly as I could with my right hand before my left hand seized-up completely.  This is the end result.

My left hand being pushed open against the steering wheel of our vehicle.  I am not wearing my wedding band and engagement ring in this photo as it was a hot day and my fingers were swollen. Photo taken with an iPhone by Ana Tirolese