mja blog

Author: Melissa

  • Golf club at Mullumbimby

    My boss Melissa plays a lot of golf. She sent me some photos of her local golf course at Mullumbimby, it’s a beautiful spot. Almost made me want to take up golf.

    The photos were for the Club’s new web site. We set up a very simple pages-only WordPress powered site which Melissa will keep up to date with all the latest information.

    I added some extra blue colorisation to the header photo in Photoshop, to help bring out the beautiful hills in the background, making a nice contrast with the rich green turf on the course.

    For the site we used a very nice, clean templated design by Bernie from the WordPress themes viewer site.

  • Drawspace A05 – making a portfolio

    There is a common theme throughout Brenda’s lessons – drawing doesn’t have to be an expensive hobby. I guess the expense of art supplies is what turns a lot of people off.

    In this lesson Brenda describes making your own portfolio – or folder – to safely store paper and drawings. She uses inexpensive cardboard, duct tape and string for handles.

    She stresses the importance of using acid-free cardboard, to avoid damage to your masterpieces. “Drawings can be ruined when papers and boards with acid, deteriorate and turn yellow.”

    A nice, easy lesson!

    What? No A06! Next lesson is A07 – Making and Using a Viewfinder Frame
    http://www.drawspace.com/lessons/lesson.php?id=a07

    Jo and I are doing this online drawing course together. It is located at Drawspace.com and produced from lessons created by Brenda Hoddinott.

  • Perseverance

    Luke 12:49-53

    The gospel of Jesus Christ soothes, heals, cleanses. The gospel also challenges, confronts and creates a crisis of decision. The latter experience is the focus of today’s readings. In order to embrace the peace and joy of salvation we must undergo a passage of rejection and suffering, letting go of old ways. The way of Christ through death to resurrection is the path of the Christian disciple.

    In today’s second reading, St Paul encourages us not to grow weary or lose heart, but to persevere in following Jesus. Our willingness to give of ourselves, even in the face of conflict and division, is one way to measure our discipleship.

    – Fr John Conway

  • Service to Others

    Then we will no longer be content to scrape a living just for ourselves, but we will see where and how we are needed. Living and acting thus, we will soon realize that it is much better to be useful and at the disposal of others than to be concerned only with the comforts that are offered to us.

    I know that you as young people have great aspirations, that you want to pledge yourselves to build a better world. Let others see this, let the world see it, since this is exactly the witness that the world expects from the disciples of Jesus Christ; in this way, and through your love above all, the world will be able to discover the star that we follow as believers.

    – Pope Benedict XVI “Let us Go Forward with Christ!” Homily at closing Mass of World Youth Day, Cologne Aug. 21, 2005

  • Drawspace A04 – drawing space

    Drawing space.. that would be my desk, once I clear off the books and notes from my uni course. Surveying the clutter of my house I cannot really see much alternative! I rather like the position of my desk, in the corner of the house adjacent to the window overlooking the back veranda, the yard and the road running along our property. Plenty of natural light and it is reasonably quiet here (when I’m not taking phone calls), but it is cluttered. There is a cupboard shelf which takes up half the desk space! I really would like a larger working surface, some re-organisation is called for I think.

    Kitting up for drawing outside? Hmm.. I can’t picture myself carting around an easel and knapsack full of drawing materials just yet. So maybe for the time being I will stick to my desk.

    Next lesson is A05 – Making a portfolio
    http://www.drawspace.com/lessons/lesson.php?id=a05

    Jo and I are doing this online drawing course together. It is located at Drawspace.com and produced from lessons created by Brenda Hoddinott.

  • Drawspace A03 – drawing supplies

    In today’s lesson Brenda provides an overview of the wide range of drawing supplies available to the artist.

    At the beginner level (that would be ME) Brenda says we can get by simply with paper, pencils and a good eraser. She recommends a few different grades of paper (the best quality we can afford, and experiment to find the grade/s we prefer to draw on), and a few grades of graphite (lead pencil).

    Something I didn’t know – the softer the lead, the darker the value. Pencils range from 6H (hardest) through to HB, to 8B (softest). Brenda recommends a range of H and B grade pencils to begin with – such as H2, HB, B2, B4 and B6.

    Some other drawing supplies include different media such as crayons, charcoal and chalk. Tools for blending shaded areas to produce smooth graduation of values, tools for sharpening pencils and a hard case portfolio to keep drawings safe from crumpled corners!

    Next lesson is A04 – Creating your own drawing space
    http://www.drawspace.com/lessons/lesson.php?id=a04

    Jo and I are doing this online drawing course together. It is located at Drawspace.com and produced from lessons created by Brenda Hoddinott.