mlaiuppa

My parents’ Bob used to visit the fish pond but could never reach deep enough to catch any. They have a new puppy now and my Diana visits often enough that I think Bob has wandered off to greener, easier pastures.

I shall make a note. All raccoons are named Bob. Even the girl ones.

Just so you know in case Phineas strikes up a friendship with any squirrels, my Mother informed me at a young age that all squirrels were named Petey, even the girl ones.

Bob looks like quite a congenial fellow. I’m glad he’s learned the rules of the house, er, deck.

Really great review.

I have an Expeditionary Art palette with Greenleaf and Blueberry paint (limited edition) and really like it. I’ve taken it out more than once and really enjoyed using it.

Now that Accurasee seems to have discontinued my beloved sketch caddie I’ve been reviewing other options and this has now gone to top of my list. I…[Read more]

These are the sorts of sentimental memories you cannot manufacture. They simply happen at random. That is why they are so endearing and precious to us.

In our family it is the chocolate ball. Or maybe it’s just for me. It is a medium size mercury glass ball that is about 65 years old. It used to be red but back in the day when the lights on t…[Read more]

Thanks so much for this. I’ve been looking at that Miya Art set. I suspected it was more of a child’s set given the cuteness but figured I could always refill it when the paint ran out and I’d have a nice little travel set. The only thing holding me back was the weirdly folding palette.

I also have my eye on those postcards in a tin but…[Read more]

For me it would be rain and popcorn, rain being our winter here.

I think we all have a quirky holiday movie we love along with the classic favorites. For me it’s We’re No Angels, the original with Humphrey Boghart, Peter Ustinov, Aldo Rey, Basil Rathbone, Leo G. Carroll (1955). I used to be able to see all of my favorite classics on broadcast…[Read more]

Nice set of supplies. After a few years I am still trying to settle on a set of supplies. In the process I have several i move between. Some with waterbrushes, some with pen and regular brushes. My palettes vary in size and shape. I would really like to settle on something as I want to make a leather case to keep them all together much like you…[Read more]

Charlie, in just the short time I’ve been following your blog, I’ve noticed how your sketches have progressed. Do you ever go back to your very first sketches and look at how far you have come?

There were other lessons besides the entitlement of royalty and beautiful people always seem to luck out with romance. One is that kindness will be rewarded and cruelty will be punished. That’s a theme in almost every European fairy tale. Greed is discouraged, generosity valued. You should keep your promises. You should respect your elders. If you…[Read more]

Actually, I know this version. And quite a few other versions of Fairy Tales that would curdle your milk. Cinderella is particularly gruesome in its original form.

But you must remember, these tales were not created to entertain children or as some sort of fun bed time story.

They were cautionary tales created to instill certain cultural…[Read more]

I totally get where Philippe is coming from. Yes, for cooking weight is much more precise than volume. But volume is what is used for feeding your pets so cups it is. The only way you are going to use weight for feeding Phineas is if Philippe starts to make him dog food from scratch. DON’T TELL HIM THAT! Yes, there are plenty of recipes on the…[Read more]

Oh, you have hit my weak spot.

I have quite a few pens and recently have invested in some very nice ones.

I have a lovely turquoise Lamy that I use for sketching. Also a MUJU unbranded one that isn’t bad at all. I really like the style. I have many Levenger pens, two Noodlers, a few dip pens nd I have THREE Bossert & Erhard. Absolutely…[Read more]

Why must you both have yellow shoelaces? Sure, the gray is dull so forget that. But shoelaces are cheap. You couldn’t buy some bright shoelaces in green or orange. Maybe find a bright blue to match your frames?…[Read more]

I have this little palette. It was one of the first I purchased and is still a favorite of mine. I like how I can switch out the half pans rather than have to wait for a color to be used up before replacing it. I no longer carry a brush, cup and water. I carry a waterbrush and one pen. They all fit in a harddrive case with some cut to size paper…[Read more]

I am such a brush addict, especially travel brushes that I will simply have to track down both sets of these Princeton brushes. I’m not familiar with Princeton so appreciate such a thorough review.

I have several of the Urban Sketchers books but I believe I will have to add this one to my collection. Thank you so much for your review.

Wow. Another company releases another black watercolor paper. When it rains it pours.

Oh BOY! I’ve been wanting to try a black watercolor paper but couldn’t find one that was 140lb. The best I could do was a mixed medium and didn’t like it. So I bought a jar of Daniel Smith watercolor ground in black and painted my paper. I wasn’t pleased with the results but it was better than what I had been using.

Now I have a real…[Read more]

Modern sugar is molasses added to sugar in anywhere from 4% to 6% to control it. But traditional brown sugar was the product you get when you first refine sugar cane. It’s the first step after the juice is heated and impurities removed. When you heat it and boil it down again, you remove the molasses and you eventually end up with white sugar.…[Read more]

Well, my eyes are nothing special. My driver’s license says blue but they are probably more hazel and they do change color depending on what I am wearing. But they are hardly striking.

When he was young my Dad looked like Tony Curtis. Now he looks more like Ernest Borgnine.

When I was young I was told I looked a bit like Shirley McLaine.…[Read more]