Cocooning

I digressed a little from my commission work and started a portrait. It was more of a doodle to begin with then I got more involved in it. I haven't slept well lately, so early (4am) mornings seem to be a good time for me to draw. Fueled by coffee and a warm fire, I get a few hours of drawing in before daylight strikes the tops of the trees.

I liked the challenge of this image, trying to draw realistically yet sympathetically. I also find the length of this particular commission I am doing a bit monotonous. There are nine pieces, each have a similar shape, but with different expressions and colours. Its good to break away from it now and then and do a sketch or quick drawing.

Yesterday I cocooned on the sofa with chocolates and a movie while a snowstorm raged outside for most of day, dumping 32 cm of the white stuff. Of course, snow here is rarely the picture perfect stuff that falls straight from the sky. No, this stuff is horizontal snow, driven by 100 km an hour winds. It is often mixed with ice or rain so that if you venture out, it feels as if a thousand tiny knives are cutting into you. Hence the hibernation mode on the sofa....

I'm amazed at how quickly my time has gone by. Three more days then I'm back at work again and I haven't accomplished a quarter of what I wanted to. Its funny how I seem to need a deadline at my heels to spur me into action. I'll fill these next three days with some painting and a start of some demos for classes in January. As another 10-15 cm of snow is due tonight and tomorrow, there shouldn't be too many other distractions brewing.