Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Messing about - still


This was messing about in Artflow.....

Friday, February 15, 2019

Still experimenting


Trying to sketch the living room with Meko stylus & Asus C302a - compared sketching with Surface Pro 4 and SP4 was considerably better although Meko stylus is the best there is for a non dedicated touchscreen.







Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Still experimenting


I've lost control. Had better find out how to use this thing.

Enjoying this


Can't believe it. I can use the stylus that I bought and I can draw on this Asus.

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Sketchio & New Asus


Have been playing with drawing apps on the new Asus C302a - this is playing around with Sketchio.

Monday, February 11, 2019

Artflow + Phone + Stylus

Still messing about with drawing programs, stylus and surfaces......

Friday, February 08, 2019

Drawing on a device

I finally got a reply from Eglobalcentraluk after opening a dispute in paypal. They're going to refund my money. Then I found out that I couldn't buy the Samsung chromebook plus in the UK. Have been messing about with my Asus chromebook that doesn't support drawing and downloaded Infinity Painter. Drew the above with my fingers. Not satisfying enough. Am longing for a stylus that works.

Wednesday, February 06, 2019

Strife


I drew this in an Oxford pub years ago. Looks angry but for me it was a breakthrough - the first time I'd used colour. Up to that point - only charcoal. Thanks to my friend, Peter, who made me do it.

Strife was different then.

Now it's with Eglobalcentraluk - a minor kind of strife, I suppose. I paid for a Samsung plus chromebook from them a week ago but have heard nothing. Emailed twice. Nothing. The uk is a misnomer - they're based in Hong Kong. I hope it's not goodbye to my money but it might be. I should have been more careful and will be in future, but this is the very first time I've had any trouble buying online - including from China where I've bought several violins.

The Samsung Chromebook plus is supposed to be good for drawing on and I like being able to draw on a device. Here's hoping that I'll get my money back (or the goods) but my hope is fading.

Monday, February 04, 2019

Silver Drum


I'm playing Maybe Someday - it's an old Incredible String Band song - can you hear it?

Friday, February 01, 2019

Shadows

[Shadows - Aja Gap]
No news about my Samsung Plus - hope I haven't made a mistake ordering with EglobalCentralUK which turns out to be based in Hong Kong.

I'm messing about, staring into space, temporarily paused with The Man from Another Country wondering whether to continue with Dani as the main character or whether to switch to Esme. They'll both still retain their pov chapters but the main one gets the 'I' treatment, so far reserved for Dani. Still thinking about all this.

The snow's stopped. It was there last night. Gone this morning. Wet now.

Finished reading Ian McEwan's The Nutshell. It was clever, often lyrical, but the narrator (in the womb) often didn't feel believable because he was (mostly) dispassionate about his mother. When he said he loved her, it was almost as though he were reminding himself that he should.

Have started Giovanni's Room. Love James Baldwin. Hate the tiny print. Online reading has much to recommend it.




Thursday, January 31, 2019

Experiment


I've been getting so frustrated not being able to draw online. Since my Surface broke down and I had to get a phone without an S pen, I've increasingly missed having a device to draw on.

Yesterday, I checked the Surface Pro 4 - still broken - wouldn't hold charge. Gave up.

Bought Samsung Plus (hasn't arrived yet).

Today - Surface miraculously recovered (although am still holding my breath), and then I thought I'd have a look on this wonderful little workhorse of an Asus that I love so much but that had announced that it didn't support drawing. And look! I could use Sketchpad with trackpad and fingers. Don't know what I'm doing with it and miss Freshpaint, but still - just marvellous.

So now I've got an embarrassment of computers...... lucky me.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Eyes by Chuma Nwokolo Jnr

[Metamorphosis 2 - Aja Gap]
Eyes
(Inspired by Metamorphosis 2, a painting by Angie Phillip)

you stare astounded at my own astonished eyes.
for once, at last, we see.
soon, to feuds and warring clans,
may come this antidote more radical than guns,
more mind-blowing than drugs,
more harrowing,
truly more harrowing - and

yet

nothing more drastic than truly to see the enemy
and his blood; simply to look unblinkingly -
not through our usual black-and-white filters -
but to stare astounded. to stare, and stare until
the truth of sight becomes a mirror to our soul.
until we feel the mettle of his blues,
read his face’s panoply of hues,
his draining pools of dreams, and the
running
streaks of tears and rust…

so that when his blood
comes spurting redly at our thrust
we cannot look
away. no. and we will own his pain as

well

©Chuma Nwokolo, Jr. (2008)


Have a look: www.blogs.african-writing.com/chuma

Monday, January 28, 2019

Always Becoming

Broken tooth waiting for dentist's call mixes into the morning. A double blue today with sunshine.

Have submitted Girl in the Lion's Den - imperfectly - to 10 agents although it might not have reached two of them (wrong method/ lost formatting). Never mind. It will have to do. Am getting back to novel number 2 - The Man from Another Country. I'm getting back into writing 11 year old Dani and Esme in her late 20's. There were no broken teeth in that era. Body taken for granted. But other problems to face. Who was it said that we should love the problems?

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Red Woman


Frustration - submitted my novel on agent's contact form and formatting lost! Changed query letter each time for various agents and included mistakes. Go to pieces when submitting novel. Must just do it and then get on with the next one.

Friday, January 25, 2019

Misty morning

Haven't posted for about three years! Am split three ways - pictures (my website and this blog), music reverbnation) and writing. Wondering whether to pay a large sum of money to ipower to renew the hosting plan I've just cancelled or try to do it all with blogs.
It's a misty morning...
Have cancelled English Study Direct. After more than 15 years, it feels like stepping into a new life, living without it. But suppose stepping into a new life has to happen every so often.