Faces

I've been painting again. After not having done it for a while I forget how much I enjoy it. Here are some sketches of some faces;

Michael Ffolkes

Not long ago I was back in the second hand bookshop, a favourite place of mine in Carlisle. And whilst checking once again if they had a pretty copy of the Hobbit by JRR Tolkien I discovered a book. A beautiful book of the work by a man named Ffolkes. I've mentioned him briefly before on this blog because he illustrated my beautiful Folio Society copy of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos. But this new book is called 'Ffanfare' and it's a lovely amalgamation of his works. Here are a few examples of my favourites.

Did you know...

that Capybara are the largest rodents in the world? They can reach a height of 62cm at shoulder height and 66kg in weight.

Faces

This is usually how I feel when food shopping on Saturdays.

When I was young...

or at least younger, I took part in a Children in Need competition. Children in Need did a collaboration with Moorcroft, the makers of beautiful pottery, and got people of all ages to do a design for a plate or pot or jug. I designed a plate and it was selected as a final piece. The fifty or so items were then created and were to be auctioned off with the proceeds going to Children In Need. When I told people at school about it, they didn't understand why I was doing it because I wasn't going to get a prize of any kind. Truth be told I have always been addicted to drawing and this was a chance for me to get something made.

Here is it is. They named it floral feast and me, my dad and my nan went to the Auction (met Eric Knowles from the Antiques Roadshow) and my Nan and Dad clubbed together and bought it for me. Now it sits at home in my parent's house and I'll pass it down to future Carthy generations. You can have a butcher's hook at the other finalists here.

Reginald the Red Howler Monkey...

has the loudest voice of all the land animals. Howler Monkeys can be heard from miles and miles and miles away.

Flickr

I have recently started myself a Flickr profile, have a gander if you fancy. Elly Carthy's Flickr