This month for my In Touch With Nature post I have considered the poaching of southern white rhinos. This post does not include any graphic details but is more a discussion about the reasons for the rapid decline in the white rhino population and steps being taken to resolve this crisis.
Thanks for hosting, Kaye Lynne Booth.
Today I have a real treat for you. An interview with ultra talented fashion designer, artist, and photographer, Resa McConaghy.
Resa has kindly shared some of her drawing and art secrets and a myriad of her amazing drawings and fashion designs.
Thank you, Resa, for this amazing interview.
Resa is also a talented writer and her book, Nine Black Lives, is available for free download on her blog here: https://graffitiluxandmurals.com/artists/
You can find Resa on her art and murals blog here: https://graffitiluxandmurals.com/
AND
on her amazing Art Gowns blog here: https://artgowns.com/
This begins with my background in fashion design. The college course I took was in Design and Technology, not illustration. However, a tiny part of the course was dedicated to fashion illustration.
During my time in film, I utilized drawing to explain to directors what I was up to. The drawings were only okay, but they got the design across.
It was blog pal, Holly (House of Heart), who got me drawing fictitious characters for fun, via gagging around in comments.
It started with Boogapony Holly, a character who did a Go-Go dance in front of street art and graffiti, then became a new age Love Child.
Above: Boogapony as a Love Child by the Golden Gate Bridge.
From there, Holly and I created a Super Hero – Princess Blue Holly. Drawing had become a lot of fun at this point.
Above – First Princess Blue Holly drawing – 2019 and More recently PBH dominates an evil puppet. PBH changes outfits for each “Gowntoon” mission. Then I began drawing Art Gowns on some blog pals, to become part of the stories.
Above: Models Holly (as RR) Shey and Dale
Above Models – Holly, Gigi and Marina
Yes!
I start with an oval for the head. Then, it’s the gesture. I do a few swooping lines to capture how the body feels as it poses.
If the feeling is cool, then I do a few lines for shoulders, bust, waist, hips and feet.
If I haven’t ruined the feeling of the gesture a this point, I continue with details. If I lose the feel, I usually stop.
So, the study of Fashion Design & Technology included “Fashion History”. So, how did they get the clothes to look like that, in any era? Well, that’s where the technology comes in.
Example: The Renaissance – pattern cutting was not a thing, clothes were draped. So, we learn about “how” they made clothes fit. Lacing up a square over a flowy under piece makes something fit. A corset is laced to make you fit it. The idea of a cup to fit a breast did not come about until the early 20th century.
Many types of pleats, gathers, tucks, etc. were use to make clothes drape over/fit body shapes. With the advent of patterns in the 1800’s, came darts to make clothing fit.
Once the newly formed middle class Victorians got their hands on patterns, they used the patterns over and over. That, along with the invention of the sewing machine, gave them time to go wild with embellishments: embroidery, trapunto, ruffles, flounces, beading, dying, appliqué, etc. Sure, all that was around before, but it was for the rich, only.
Above: Rebeca Budd (Art Gowns’ Gowntoons Art Director & Holly as RR, in Victorian outfits.
Also, Victorian times saw the advent of synthetic dyes, creating eras of popular colours going forth. Until then dyes were naturally derived from mollusk shells, beets, onion skins and various other plants and lifeforms.
Point is when you understand all of this, you can look at a painting from any era and know how they constructed that garment, therefore you can draw it. You can also design and draw whatever you want, from any era.
Above: Jim Morrison
I start with a photo of the person, and crop off the head to what I want. I print that out on 8 x10 paper. I draw crosshairs through the photo of the face. I do the same on a page of 11 x 14 drawing paper.
I begin where the crosshairs meet. That is usually where an eye, between the eyes or top of the bridge of the nose is, and rough that in. From there I rough in the rest of the eyes, brows, nose, top of head, lips and chin. I tried using a grid, but that never works for me. I lose the feel of the face, the expression. Without feel the portrait does not become the person.
Then it’s a series of refinements.
Above: Gloria Steinem pencil drawing, photographed with & without & a warm filter.
Most of my portraits are all lead pencil. I use a full range of leads, smudging sticks, facial tissue and various erasers. I did Janis Joplin with water colour pencils, as her days in pop music were a colourful period.
Below is my first full figure portrait. Tina Turner – Pencil sketch photographed & then edited on basic Mac Photos that comes with the laptop.
Definitely, I am inspired by various things. The Art Gowns Models or Boogapony drawings are inspired by ideas Holly and I toss around. IE: What would they wear in Miami? Or if they were movie stars in the 1940’s.
When I saw the Tissot exhibit at the AGO, I was wildly inspired to do faux Tissot style Victorian gowns.
Pop culture figures inspire me. Imagining characters from books inspires me.
Above from left to right: Sam from John W. Howell’s Eternal Road series — Lady Kara from Shehanne Moore’s book His Judas Bride — Estelle from Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s book A Ghost and his Gold — Catling (as a teen & with her tattoos) from D. Wallace Peach’s book Catling’s Bane (the Rose Shield series).
Right now I’m working on some drawings inspired by a series of poems Holly writes called – The Sad Café. This will be the second collection. In this collection I expand into full scene drawing.
Above: from the first Sad Café series
Melissa’s d’Verse prompt is to write a poem about sharks. I just happen to have come across sharks twice on my recent travels. Once in the Dubai Mall where Michael and I visited the wonderful aquarium and one the plane when I re-watched Jaws. The movie that put me off swimming alone for ever and ever. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2025/07/15/ode-to-a-shark/
Out of the corner
of my eye
I saw it
The great shark
stealthily approaching
a spray of blood
dismembered leg floating
down, down, towards the ocean bed
I swung my head
toward Mike’s small screen
He was watching Jaws
Jaws! The movie that scared
a whole generation
the reason I won’t swim at night
not alone, not in a crowd
The movie that traumatised me
and changed my view of the ocean
So, of course, I had to watch it
and now, I am retraumatised
for the rest of my life
These are a few pictures of doors from my visit to Dubai. It was only for one day, so we only visited Dubai Mall and the aquarium, which was very nice. You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2025/07/17/shop-doors-part-1
The following three photographs are of the sharks in the tank. Sometimes they attack and eat the other fish. That’s sharks for you.
d’Verse has reopened after a two-week summer break and the first challenge, hosted by Lisa, is to write a 44-word quadrille using the word turn. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2025/07/14/dverse-q227-welcome-as-we-return-after-the-break-happy-14th-poet-pub-anniversary/
Bustling crowds
self absorbed
intent on achieving
their own objectives
I stand to the side
a mirage
an illustion created
by the heatwaves
bouncing off
the ornate buildings
The loneliness
is intense
My thoughts turn to home
people disbursed like seeds
yet so welcoming
Esther’s prompt word is bird. This poem and oil pastel artwork appear in my book, Square Peg in a Round Hole. You can join in here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2025/07/09/writing-prompts-73/
Picture caption: Lone bird at dawn – original oil pastel artwork by Robbie Cheadle.
Lone Bird at Dawn (shadorma)
Fisherman
Forages alone
Spindly legs
Planted deep
Resisting strong morning tide’s
Attempts to sweep clean
Dan’s photography prompt is ‘up close’. Here are few pictures from my recent trip to Brussels. You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2025/07/14/up-close-cffc/
The next three pictures are all smurfs made of chocolate that featured in the window of Neuhaus Chocolatier in Brussels.
Hi everyone
I am back from my trip to London and Brussels. It was very busy, and I didn’t do much reading of any kind. I do have lots of pictures to share with you over the next few weeks.
First, my review of Tidalscribe Tales by Janet Gogerty.
Tales light and dark, bending reality, unexpected endings…
Dip into an ABC of stories including four chapters of flash fiction.
A delightful and unusual collection of short stories. The stories are widely varied in their topics, but each has a common thread of the human experience that is nicely captured by the characters who are well developed, despite the length of the stories.
I enjoyed the Englishness of these stories which is reflected in the reactions and dialogue of the characters. The author has captured the essence of the English very well and it was entertaining and relatable for me.
My three favourite of the stories:
A New Family Member – this is the opening story in the collection and is about a man who wants to get a dog for himself and a family. He has specific requirements as to the size and look of the dog as it will be a bit of an ego extension for him. The moral is that you must be careful what you ask for as you just might get it.
Dream Machine – an intriguing tale about a unsatisfied school teacher who dreams of being a famous writer. He believes he has his best ideas while sleeping but can’t remember the details when he wakes up. If only he could write down his dreams as the sleeps. Nothing in life is ever as you expect it to be as is revealed by this fascinating short story.
Trinity Tree – a story about nature’s revenge on a spoiled and selfish man. I was delighted that nature, for once, got the upper hand in this intriguing short story.
A well writing and highly entertaining collection of short stories that will make you think.
You can purchase Tidalscribe Tales from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Tidalscribe-Tales-Janet-Gogerty-ebook/dp/B0DWV9J83V
and from Amazon UK here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tidalscribe-Tales-Janet-Gogerty-ebook/dp/B0DWV9J83V
This month, I have featured the Southern yellow billed hornbill as my In Touch With Nature featured creature. Such a lovely and interesting bird. Thanks to Kaye Lynne Booth for hosting.
I am having trouble with reblogs. The button doesn’t bring up a link to the post like it used to. Now, that button just creates a blank page on my blog and I have to manually copy and paste the link. It is a nuisance as I can’t reblog nearly as quickly or easily. Is anyone else experiencing this problem?
I will be abroad from Saturday this week. This is my last W3 and CFFC post and last Esther Chilton writing challenge until the week starting 13 July.
I’m late for W3 but never mind. Sheila’s prompt was to write a 44-word quadrille about what remains. You can read other contributions here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2025/06/18/w3-prompt-164-weave-written-weekly/
On our wedding day
we threw our lives together
into one potjiekos pot
simmering over flames
Over time we both added meat,
vegetables, and spices,
sometimes it boiled
Now, twenty-five years later,
what remains is a rich broth
to sustain us through our autumn
***
Esther’s challenge for this week is outdoors. This is another childhood memory haibun. You can join in here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2025/06/18/writing-prompts-70/
When I was a young girl of eight years old, my grandparents moved to a farm in what is now the Northwest Province of South Africa. The farmhouse was old and primitive, built from stone and with a gas water heater in an outside room for washing, bathing, and all other activities requiring hot water. The kitchen had an ancient wood-burning oven and a single electric plug for the refrigerator. There was a gas hob for daily cooking.
When my father took us to visit our grandparents for a weekend, my mother was horrified by the conditions. Hayley was a baby of about six months old, and Catherine was four. I remember my mother struggling to get us all washed and ready for bed both nights. She was distressed, but I thought it was great fun. I imagined Catherine and I were Carrie and Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie.
The first morning, Saturday, the neighbouring farmer and his young son came to visit my grandparents. The son was twelve and had a diesel engine quad bike for driving around the farm. He offered to take me for a ride. I was thrilled until my father warned me about the acacia thorns. The area was densely populated with trees that grew long, sharp thorns of between 8 and 10 centimetres in length. He said, these thorns could puncture a quad bike tire and cause it to crash. Quad bikes were, in his opinion, very dangerous. I learned much later in life that his friend’s son had been killed on a quad bike. Despite his dislike of quad bikes, he didn’t say I couldn’t go for the ride. Nope, he just ruined it by scaring me to death about the thorns. “The thorns can go right through the sole of your shoe and lacerate your foot. Acacia sap and thorns contain irritating toxins which trigger a severe inflammatory response in the soft tissues and bones,” he said. I was terrified and his well-meant warning completely spoiled my quad bike adventure. I just wanted to get back to the farmhouse and stay inside where I was safe from thorns.
To this day, I am scared of thorns. If I look at a picture of a thorn or read about a thorn, my eyes start to prick, and I close them protectively. My dad’s words resulted a lifelong fear of thorns. It astonishes me, when I think back, as he was really being overly dramatic. The thorns will do the things he said, but it is rare for a person to injure themselves by stepping on an acacia thorn. They are so long, they are difficult to miss when walking. I am not, however, fearful of quad bikes.
thorn anxiety
led to phobia for life
eyes prickle and burn
These are my photographs for Dan’s CFFC challenge: High angle. You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2025/06/23/view-from-below-high-angle-cffc/
Merril’s challenge for d’Verse: Poetics is as follows: So, today’s prompt is to write about that thin line between triumph and defeat, or if you’d like, you may focus on one or the other. You may respond to the poetic examples or the painting, as well.
You can other contributions here: https://dversepoets.com/2025/06/17/poetics-triumph-and-defeat/
Because I’m late posting this poem, I’m including it for open link night here: https://dversepoets.com/2025/06/19/greetings-from-boston-and-an-invitation-to-join-us-live/
I have written a double haiku for this challenge.
mirage of defeat
merely easy illusion
excuse to give up
***
opportunities
manifest from painful learnings
hardship a teacher
You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2025/06/19/doors-for-sale/
Today, I am sharing a few pictures from our visit to Kaminarimon Gate (Thunder Gate) in Tokyo. Kaminarimon Gate, which stands at the entrance to the processional road leading to Senso-ji, is Asakusa’s most famous landmark. Inside the gate, standing on either side are enormous wooden statues of the protective Buddhist deities Fujin (wind god) and Raijin (thunder god) after which the gate is named.
Kim quadrille prompt is to write a poem of exactly 44 words using the word honest. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2025/06/16/quadrille-226-honestly/
Honesty is an anomaly
Many people claim to be honest
Truly believe they are honest
But they live a version of truth
The version palatable to others
Few of us live unburnished truth
Fearlessly facing the world alone
Spitting in the eye of deception
Esther Chilton’s writing prompt this week is blue. You can join in here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2025/06/11/writing-prompts-69/
When I was a little girl of seven, my cousin received a plaster of paris moulding set for a birthday gift. The set was a Disney theme and included moulds of various popular characters including Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald and Daisy Duck. The kit included plaster of paris power and water-based paints with two paint brushes.
One look at that kit and I was envious. I wanted a kit like it, but my birthday had passed, and Christmas was months away. I persuaded my cousin to let me make two characters. He agreed to Minnie Mouse and, under duress, Goofy. He wanted me to make Daisy as at ten years old, he wasn’t keen on anything perceived as girly.
I carefully mixed the plaster of paris and moulded the characters. It was a hot day and they dried quickly so I was able to paint them. Goofy had blue trousers and a yellow jersery and Minnie had a pink dress with flowers on it. I was a good painter for my age and the characters look great. It was at this point that the day went wrong for me. Ian suggested I put the characters in a submarine made from an old HTH bottle. Back then, HTH came in large white cylinder shaped bottles with screw on lids. He had cut a door in the bottle to serve as a hatch. He would contribute his Action Man to the adventure and wanted me to contribute my two characters. I didn’t want to but he talked me in to contributing Minnie.
The great journey along the lines of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne commenced. Unfortunately, the submarine flipped over to the door side, took on copious water, and sank. Ian rescued it from the pool and inside we found his Action Man covered in a soggy mess of melted plaster paris and paint. It was a great tragedy for me.
I gave the surviving Goofy character to Granny Joan, and she kept it on her dressing table until she passed away when I was eleven. I remember seeing it when my parents took me to my grandparents’ house to help Granddad Jack pack up her clothes and other personal items. I wanted to take it, but didn’t as it felt like stealing. In retrospect, I’s sure it was thrown out and I wish I had taken it.
artistic success
destroyed by misguided faith
second chance passed up
You can join in Terri’s Sunday Stills here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2025/06/15/sunday-stills-paths-and-trails-in-the-great-outdoors/
Dora’s Poetics challenge: What I’d like us to do is to write a poem that conjures a view (whether from our travels or everyday life, whether from desire or experience) that is colored by the emotion of the moment. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2025/06/10/poetics-a-view-of-ones-own/
There is a quiet peace
in our deep certainty
of the changing seasons
In our unwavering conviction
that the frigid winds of winter
will always give way
to the bright blooms of spring
that the ferocious heat of summer
will invariably succumb
to the cooler temperatures
and rich colours of autumn
There is a deep restfulness
in our unwavering confidence
that the sun will always rise
sometimes early
and sometimes late
sometimes obscured by cloud
but it comes up every day
in celebration of life
These photographs are from Inyati Game Lodge in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve. I’ve show a few of the doors and also some sunrise and sunset pictures to compliment my poem above. You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2025/06/12/colorful-pittsburgh/
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