What’s the Time?

This week’s Sketch Tuesday assignment was to draw something that tells the time.  Waif and his Dad both went for good old-fashioned analogue devices:

Gman’s clock also shows the temperature:

I haven’t worn a watch in years, and use my mobile phone to tell the time, if I really need to know:

And yes, my phone really is that basic. No iPhone or BlackBerry for me. Call me a Luddite, but I have no burning desire to join the ranks of the frantically hyperconnected. In fact, I am reading Richard Watson’s book “Future Minds” at the moment and kind of agree when he asserts that:

We think cellphones are connecting us, but they are turning us into a society of rude, impatient, narrow-minded, stressed-out, aggressive and isolated individuals.

Yes, mobile technology is useful, but I don’t think 24/7 connection is a good idea. Where is the time and space to think and reflect and to, well, just be sometimes?

Fun with Fungi

We had fun with this week’s Sketch Tuesday assignment, which was to sketch a mushroom. Even MM took part, so there wasn’t mushroom at the table (boom boom!)

Waif drew a selection of chestnut mushrooms:

And so did I:

MM drew a mushroom ornament:

And Gman put an incredible amount of work into his detailed sketch of a jar of mushroom antipasti:

Zip it Up!

This week’s sketching assignment was to draw something with a zip. Just lately, whatever the assignment, Waif has managed to find a way of sketching one of his collection of soft toys. This week was no exception, as he sketched “Zippy” (who my British readers may remember from the TV show Rainbow in the 1970s…)

Gman found a pencil case that is entirely made up of zips (11 in total!) and sketched that:

I went with one of Waif’s snow boots. You’d think, with it being “spring” and all that we’d have been able to put these away til winter, but today it snowed again. Brrrr.

Another fun family sketching session!

Bananagrams and Other Adventures in Yellow

Where on earth did *that* week go?

So, here we are, back doing our sketches for Sketch Tuesday. This week’s assignment to sketch something yellow.

I chose Bananagrams. If you haven’t discovered this game, I highly recommend it, as you will see from my journalling:

8 year old Waif once again chose to draw one of his soft toys. I think he has done a great job drawing yellow doggy. I especially like the way his ear drapes over his leg:

And cool teenager Gman went with a host of characters from The Simpsons:

Vase, Vanilla & Vinegar

This week’s theme for Sketch Tuesday was to draw something beginning with “V”. My initial thought was to attempt a self portrait, but I chickened out on that one and went with the rather safer option of a vase:

The boys raided the pantry for their sketches.

Gman found the vanilla extract:

And Waif pulled out a bottle of vinegar:

We Are the Robots

This weekend we have been drawing robots. As you do.

Here’s my clockwork robot:

And the same robot from my husband’s perspective:

Gman got out the Inktense pencils for his awesome Dalek:

And Waif has drawn what is quite possibly the cutest, most coy Cyberman ever:

Gman joked that, rather than the usual Cyberman chant of “You will be deleted!”, this Cyberman might be more inclined to say “You will be hugged!”

And no post about robots would be complete without the mighty Kraftwerk.

Saturday Afternoon Sketching

Ah, what a lovely way to spend an hour or so on a Saturday afternoon. Sketch assignment (c/o Harmony Art Mom): draw a musical instrument.

Daddy and Waif drew djembe drums:

Gman went with a stylophone:

And I attempted a tambourine – quite possibly the most difficult thing I have tried to draw yet:

Happy days

(linking up to Show Me What You Got Art linkup)

It’s a Family Affair

There’s something quite lovely about the times when all the family sit down together to draw together. Would it be too cheesy to say that drawing together draws us together?

This week we all tackled the Sketch Tuesday assignment “Something Beginning with N”.

Daddy and Gman drew a plate of nuts:

And Waif and I went for necklaces:

I recommend popping over the Harmony Art Mom’s blog to see the slideshow of entries from other homeschooled kids and some parents!

Something beginning with L

Today I sat down with the boys to tackle this week’s Sketch Tuesday assignment, which was to draw “something beginning with L”. Waif, in particular, loves these open ended assignments and scurried round the house looking for appropriate things to draw. I love what he came up with – a lamp, Lego, a ladle & a lemon:

Gman went for a licorice root, which he then chewed on to help dislodge his wobbly tooth!:

And I went for lipstick – not something I am often found in possession of, but I liked the way the light shone on the cylinder

Day Three: Opening the Toybox

Day Three of the challenge sees me doing some drawing with the boys. It’s been a while since we took part in Sketch Tuesday, but we were all quite keen to tackle this week’s assignment, which was to draw something you find in a toybox.

Gman (12) went with some Lego minifigures:

Waif (7) pulled out some cuddly toys:

And I drew part of a toy castle:

I made use of the Inktense pencils plus water again, and I love the effect. Inktense pencils are the new love of my life