Lantern Festival

In Chiswick, for Chinese New Year 2017, the gardens were transformed into a multicultural light experience, with huge detailed lanterns made from wire and fabric.

It almost feels inadequate to call them lanterns... a more accurate description would be works of 3D fabric art lit from within.

We got there slightly before dark but the effect really came into its own once we had wiled away our time in the cafe at the start of the trail and night had fallen.

The journey started with a lit arch of flowers, and followed a winding path through the park, with each new wonder popping up to delight.

There were scenes from traditional tales, religious themes, cute characters, Chinese New Year characters and cultural scenes.

I hear a rumour it's been an annual event for the last three years. We had not heard of it before this year so, if you missed it (like we had previously), there'll be a guided tour over the next few blogs.

Muji and a Pagoda

Having mentioned the Pagoda yesterday (in the Muji and Hogwarts Blog) I thought I'd better let you see it.

But you can't fit a tea-light up the inside of the Pagoda.

Here is my best attempt with an LED instead.

Muji and Hogwarts

One Christmas, someone bought me a cardboard kit from Muji to make a grand stately home. If you follow the tortuous picture instructions, and manage to slot the bits together without bending them too badly in frustration, its well worth the effort.

I think its meant to be French Chateau style but I thought it looked a bit like the models they used for Hogwarts. Once you put one of those colour changing battery candles up the hollow inside, you can imagine the students are duelling inside and sending up sparks that can be seen all the way from Hagrid's hut.

They do a Pagoda too.

Gold on Black at the Skating Rink

While I sat at the ice skating rink, waiting for the session to finish, I continued sketching in gold on black (like yesterday's post). So these pics are all 'boots on' or 'teen chat/pose', as that is what the rink is full of while my kids skate and I don't dare! 

This session is all about hair, product, gossip and image more than skating- boys and girls alike.

I don't sketch the ones on the ice as they don't stay still long enough and it would feel too invasive (and look mistakenly pervy) to take pics and draw later.

Sketching in Gold

As you know, I try out most arty things for a while, even if I don't carry them on into a full blown hobby.  Recently, husband and I have watched quite a few drawing/ panting programmes on Sky Arts (Portrait Artist of the Year, Landscape Artist etc) and he draws all the time, so I have been doing some sketching too. 

I'm not very patient to be at it for long, or very proficient, but have enjoyed these, using a gold marker on black paper.

These are all drawn in a cafe. It feels a bit odd drawing people who don't know know you're doing it but its not like I'm taking their photo. I'm not so good a draw-er that they could recognise themselves anyway.

There are two different gold pens, so that's where the highlights come from.

Old, but Still Cute, Turnip Head

Well here he is! 
The years (or in his case the days) may have caught up with him...

but he has a bonny spirit and a young heart.

And he definitely doesn't see old age as anything to get in a stew about (LOL).

Actually, by the look of him, he may have imbibed a few bonny spirits too!!!

Cute Turnip Head finds a Dragon

It's Dragon Hunting Season and Cute Turnip Head has always wanted to find one, ever since he was a little sprout.

His luck is in and now he's off to fix up a home for it

...but only if it wants to stay. If not, he will return it to its natural habitat and try again next year.

This is the last of young Turnip Head's adventures. When you next see him, he will have aged considerably, as do we all eventually (but not while being kept in the fridge I hope!).