Cuppa Tea Time: Working through my teacup collection

January 7, 2016 | 14 Comments


Due to my new commitment to regular posting, I owe you an extra one this week as I mistakenly posted twice yesterday… no surprises with what I chose to share – hey?

I have been so busy wrapping up last year, reflecting on my first three years of my grand adventure, and trying to work out how I am going to coordinate 7 big projects in 2016 (this is one of them), that I haven’t had a chance to decide whether I am going to set any specific art goals for this year. (Of course I just committed to locking in my palette, but that is simply a 3 month challenge.) But as soon as I began writing about this teacup sketch, I decided to start sketching my way through my collection this year and see how long I can go without doing the same cup twice. This is the 1970’s Poppy cup in the Royal Albert 100 Years 10 cup set that I have. It is probably the ‘weakest’ design in the whole set, but I still like it.

My Instagram description at the time I sketched it was:
First day I have missed my cafe planning session & morning latte due to the torrential rain here in Sydney. So I sat in a nice cozy spot at home and drew my cuppa before doing my planning for the day. Much prettier but I miss the cafe buzz. It is SO nice to see some sun again here in Sydney today and hope all my readers are safe from all the floods here in Australia and other places at the moment.

If you are wondering about what I used for the lines in this sketch, stay tuned for tomorrow’s post where I will start a new series – Foundations Friday – and explain what and why!

Just one final quick note:
Thank you all so much for your comments on my post about Blogging earlier this week. It has been unbelievably exciting to be getting so many comments lately and I feel much more connected with you all. Rather than feeling like I am talking to myself, I am now really conscious that I am having a ‘chat and cuppa’ with many of you each day!


SketchingNow Online Sketching Courses: Foundations Self Directed course start today!


14 Comments

  • Stacey Vadaj says:

    love the cups…you must have an extraordinary number of them.

  • gooddollie says:

    Just how many tea cups do you have? LOL!

  • Shirley Miller says:

    I love your tea sketches Liz. I've started sketching my morning mug of coffee at home. I think tea cups with a saucer are much prettier! Now I may have to acquire some cups and saucers!! See what you do to us!!
    Also I purchased two sailor fude pens. Shall I empty the cartridge it comes with and fill with the document? Is that what you have done? Is it easy to do??
    Thank you as always.
    Shirley

  • SueB says:

    I really have enjoyed your blog posts for months now (especially your fountain pen series! The art and photographs were wonderful and I mean that word in its truest sense????.) In keeping with my own "resolution," to give as well as receive from the artist blogs I follow regularly I want to simply thank you for all the efforts you make for me, for us. It's a small thing I know but heartfelt and my creative spirit is both inspired and emboldened by what you send my way. I'm thinking about pulling out a teacup of my own today and will be thinking of you as I sketch it. Thank you Liz.

  • Dee D says:

    Love your teacup sketches

  • Liz Steel says:

    just did a quick mental count – probably about 30 but every time I sketch them I can make them look different… so neverending collection!

  • Liz Steel says:

    Thanks you so much Sue – your comment is truly appreciated… and enjoy that cuppa!

  • Liz Steel says:

    just did a quick mental count – probably about 30 but every time I sketch them I can make them look different… so neverending collection!

  • Liz Steel says:

    thanks Dee!

  • Liz Steel says:

    thanks Shirley – you have hit the nail on the head – the saucer design is the most important thing.
    Yes, I just empty the cartridge out using a syringe – see part 3 https://lizsteel.com/2015/12/fountain-pen-sketching-part-3-using_8.html

  • Sherry Fabricant says:

    Oh my gosh, after following you for a while, I am guilty of looking up and purchasing some tea cups! There's a book about jumpstarting a creative day or process with clearing rituals and its clear sketching over your cuppas is yours. You are quite the inspiration. Thank you.

  • Sherry Fabricant says:

    Oh my gosh, after following you for a while, I am guilty of looking up and purchasing some tea cups! There's a book about jumpstarting a creative day or process with clearing rituals and its clear sketching over your cuppas is yours. You are quite the inspiration. Thank you.

  • Wendy says:

    Liz,
    I absolutely love your tea cup sketches, they are so Lovely. I’ve been thinking about a new challenge for myself, and I might start painting my tea cups? I’m so inspired by yours, Thank you! Liz I’m enrolled in most of your classes, which one do you teach us how to draw a tea cup. I need to re watch it to get tips on how to paint them and draw them.???
    Thank you Liz for making art so beautiful, and inspiring us?

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