A big old post because I’ve been away so long…tangled hair teacups and sketches

Posted bySarah Blank 19 Comments on A big old post because I’ve been away so long…tangled hair teacups and sketches

Where did the week go? And someone tells me its March already… spring will soon be here! I am so awaiting the sweet colors of spring and sitting out in the grass. Anywho, lots of inspiration and sketching here. I have been collecting pictures of flapper-ish women, muses and models for paint and sketching maybe. This one I had for years. I found her in a cigar box in an antique shop (I have another photo of here too, in a differernt pose!) She had a very, very sad life the past couple of years though. You see, she went missing, but the good news is that she was found last week. I was cleaning out my wooden box with drawers, and she was wedged between the underside of the bottom of the drawer and the dresser. She was all folded up, like an accordian, which damaged the photo and made me very, very sad.

To make me feel better I bought this gem of a little photo on Etsy, just look at these sisters! The photo came in a set which included a boy but I threw him into my scrap box, as I really don’t care about photos of boys that much. But these two sisters..I am definitely going to use them in my painted imagery.

They fulfilled my criteria for the photos I collect.. post victorian (preferable 20’s and 30’s)…soft waves in short, shiny hair, slightly out of place and frizzy…a certain facial expression that I can’t quite put my finger on, and oh the sepia…

A very cold windowsill this morning, strange little bird family, icy outside

Oh my and I bought the most pretty golden teacup earrings, at the thrift shop of all places!

They have these little saucers and even little golden spoons! And my hair always tangles all around them.

My friend bought me this pretty mug yesterday during out treasure hunt.

and the other side, sewing machines!

hehe for pure fun and whimsy… a love of tangled hair in strange places…

Which leads me to share a new love for wooden hair sticks! I bought these from Etsy and they are in need of beaded ends, which I will add. I looooove hairsticks (and my hair loves them too, they are really gentle on the strands!)

Been filling the pages of my journals with sepia tones watercolor sketches, which helps so much with underpainting and its a good reference source too. Creating a visual log of my own personal imagery for more narrative pieces in the future.

I am SO inspired by this painting by John Everett Millais:

Isn’t she a dream? She’s been a springboard for some new ideas. More sketches and other things to come!

19 replies on “A big old post because I’ve been away so long…tangled hair teacups and sketches”

  6. i love millais!
    and those are delightful, delicate drawings. i always like to check out your inspirations, they have a habit of re-inspiring me, like a sort of bug that’s catching, but a good one!

    those curious crows are fantastic, too. i would love a set to share conversation with my black cat;)

    lou x

    1. Yes…Another Millais fan!
      Thanks for all your sweetness! The little crows are actually salt and pepper shakers (I have two sets, had to buy a family of them for my windowsill)
      The next step for me is to get a family of black cats, and I so wish they could be real ones!

  7. oh! what beautiful treasures!! I really love the vintage photos at the beginning of the post; I have a small collection of them myself and am always finding some sort of inspiration when I look through them! 🙂

    Your sketchbook pages are lovely, too. The monotone washes are just gorgeous!

  8. These photos are wonderful. I came across a whole bunch of my grandmother and her sisters and I hope to get copies of them next time I visit family. I also love your new sketches. I always enjoy your latest paintings:)

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