Sometimes You Just Have To See The Sea

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Every now and then I get a deep craving to see the sea. It's an inbuilt desire to be at the edge of the land, to watch the tide ebb and flow and to breathe in the salty air. I had been working all morning and decided it was time for a break. I was only going to take an hour or so but suddenly needed to get out of the city. I found myself reasoning that I could work on the train there and back and within thirty minutes I was on my way.

It was rainy, grey and misty but sometimes that's the best time to see the sea. There were hardly any people around and the colour of the sea was absolutely magical. I walked slowly along the pier and breathed in the air, listening to the tide. An hour was all I needed. A little fix. Sometimes you just have to see the sea.

Soundtracking - Justin Hurwitz

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I love podcasts. I listen to them all the time while I'm travelling around and while I draw. I discovered the Soundtracking series today while looking for podcasts about La La Land. This interview with the composer of the soundtrack is just wonderful. Really absorbing and the music is woven throughout the conversation. It sounds strange but to me it's amazing to think that the soundtrack had to be created, it sounds like it's always existed.

Life Drawing

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I finally had time to go back to my drop-in life drawing class today. I hadn't realised how much I missed it. Life drawing has really helped me to start drawing figures as they actually are, rather than as I think I see them. You start to see the body as lots of shapes that work together with weight and light and shade in the limbs. I really recommend going along even if you have never drawn before. It's absorbing and meditative and a lovely way to spend a Saturday morning.

Made Up Rice Pudding Ramekins

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Out of the blue I fancied rice pudding. I quite like to make up recipes as I go along so I ended up combining a few different recipes. I also made the measurements up a bit so please only use the below as a guide : )

Full-fat milk
Vanilla essence
Pudding rice
Brown sugar
Butter
Nutmeg
Your favourite jam

Warm approximately 400ml of full-fat milk in a saucepan with one teaspoon of vanilla essence. Take four ramekins and fill each one about a third full with pudding rice. Add 1 - 2 teaspoons of brown sugar and a small knob of butter to each ramekin. Divide the warm milk between the ramekins ensuring that you only fill to about two thirds full as the rice will expand when you cook it. The sugar and butter will separate and float a little but don't worry as cooking will ensure the ingredients mix. Sprinkle the top of each with a little nutmeg.

Bake the puddings in the oven at about 160 degrees for approximately an hour. Keep an eye on them and add a little more milk if you need to.

Enjoy warm from the oven with a teaspoon of jam.

Illustration Inspiration - By Bun

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I've been enjoying watching Roxanne Coble's YouTube channel since I saw a couple of her Vlogmas videos over Christmas. Roxanne, also known as By Bun, is a multimedia artist and illustrator based in LA who shares her work and life online in daily vlogs. Her art combines patterns, colour and collage, line art and words. I love how free her style is. Watching her videos and learning more about her style has encouraged me to play with my art a bit more, to try collage and layering and to combine media more. Her videos are friendly and absorbing, click here if you fancy a look (they also feature her two super cute pugs!).