Hennafest!

Today I’ve come to stay with Rosie (my goddaughter) and her family for a couple of days (enjoying my summer holidays while poor mark had to go home  to work!). I brought henna with me and we spent ages sat in  the garden this afternoon and evening doing designs on each other. Rosie did a seriously cool elephant on my hand, and a lovely flowery pattern on my ankle. 

I then followed her request to draw an ankle bracelet, which was really hard to do evenly as you have to keep moving to access different parts of the ankle, and try to make sure the lines will join up. I was a bit disappointed with how wobbly the lines are, but Rosie loves it so that’s all that matters! 

Then I did a combination of two designs she likes, which looked pretty cool. 

After that Rosie did a lush little seahorse on her mum, and then her  younger brother got in on the act and rosie went with star wars designs for him. 

It’s been lots of fun as always! 

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Allsorts (not the licorice ones!)

Today rosie and I carried on with creative things. We headed off to Slimbridge and spent a while sketching flamingoes. Rosie understandably struggled with the fact that they kept moving, and she wasn’t happy with the way she drew their heads, but i love the way she uses the pencil so she doesn’t get solid lines round the edges, and i love the variety of birds she’s captured with their heads under their wings and their necks twisted up in different ways, and the fact that her sketches have movement in them. It’s really interesting how we view our own work as i really like one of rosie’s pictures that she thought was no good and actually crossed out! 

I had fun trying out my metallic pencils and then getting more adventurous with pens. It was interesting to use slightly different colours because those were the ones I had. I’m a bit annoyed with both my pictures… The first because of the solid line round the edge and the second because I think i ruined it with the baby one flapping and jumping up and down… Mark thought it was a scarecrow!! That said, I’m really pleased with the shape of the flamingo with his head back, and i really like the colours together. 

When we got back we got the henna out. Rosie had never used it on anyone before so she tried a simple design on my foot and then did a more tricky bird design on my other ankle, combining bits of two different pictures in one. 

Rosie then found a floral design she wanted on her arm (so it will be covered by her blazer sleeve when she goes back to school), and i did that for her,adding birds flying across her wrist. 

After that we watched ‘you’ve got mail’ which she’d never seen before (I feel that it’s an important part of my role to educate her in great films)! And i finished off my octopus while we were doing that. His  eyes look weird but as rosie and mark both say ‘a premature baby isn’t going to mind about that’! That said… Next time I make one I think i will leave it without a face at all! 

Rosie worked hard and finished her paper cut too. I’m so proud of her as she’s put tons of time and effort into it and she’s done  a fab job, especially seeing as it’s the first time she’s ever done it. 

it’s been so much fun doing all this with rosie and I’ve loved being able to give her the opportunity to try new things while she’s been here.