Finding Hobbies that can be adapted

This weekend I started work on the painting I wanted to have a go at.

I worked on the outline friday, so I had a rough idea of placement, I used the wrist weights to help steady hands and remembered advice to keep arms closer to me and supported so I had easel board rested on my lap on top of V cushion which supported under arms too. This helps to reduce tremor and/or jerkyness

Today I did the base wash which was wet on wet so you have to work fast but it doesn't take as much detail just putting one colour on top of another so you can get right effect of many shades of green in the trees and reflections in the lake.

Its half done so I plan to start working on the detail next weekend if I don't end up going out to my aunties. (Not sure on dates yet).

I'm not expecting to produce a masterpiece but hope that it will help keep as much function in my hands for as long as possible. It will also provide me with an hobby I can still do in the later stages by switching to a mouthstick instead.

I feel its important to find things that I could still also do later on with a few adaptions as you lose so many skills throughout the course of a progressive condition that it can be very disheartening and lead to severe depression if you have nothing to do but think about what abilities you have lost all the time.

I'm also thinking of teaching myself to use 'Corel Painter for Mac' as another option to painting via adapted computer which I would still be able to do even if I needed to switch to Headmouse instead of Joystick. I just downloaded the 60 day trial for now to see how I get on with it.

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Comment by Kati on August 8, 2009 at 4:27am: Thankyou to everyone for your kind comments. It's nice and sunny today so no hand pain, hoping to practise some sketching laid in garden with Inca in the sun! :o)

Comment by Carol Smith on August 8, 2009 at 3:04am: Hi Kati,
Well done I think it's a masterpiece, I hope you are having it framed and display it with pride on your wall. Inca looks good. Keep it up, looking forward to seeing more of your work,
Luv Carol xx

Comment by Lit Smith on August 7, 2009 at 5:57pm: Hi Kati
It's Lit's daughter Kate. Love the picture. I don't have the patience to do details like you've done with the houses!
Look forward to seeing more of your work
xxx

Comment by Jennifer Davies on August 7, 2009 at 3:37pm: It is just like the pic you sent me Bill but with Inca in it. Well done kati. It's reall y good. You should be proud. Everything in it is easily reconisable and lovely colours too. One for the wall me thinks. x

Comment by William Phillips on August 6, 2009 at 5:31pm: Good stuff Kati
I recognize Inca at the nature park from your photos. There's a place just like it near Plymouth called "Radford Lake". Even has the houses in the background. Well done Kati your still my heroine but you know that.
LOL BILL XX

Comment by Faith Douthwaite on August 6, 2009 at 3:16pm: I think you did a fantastic job Kati, I too like how well you have the trees reflecting in the water.
look forward to seeing the next picture :)

Comment by Lit Smith on August 6, 2009 at 9:45am: Hey! Well done! That is so good. I love the group of distant houses and reflection of the trees in the water.

I cannot believe have precise and accurate you have got it. I cannot do 2D for my life and Inca would look like the Loch Ness monster coming out of the deep!

Is it painted with oil paints? Did you base it on a photograph?

When my Kate gets home I will show her.

Looking forward to the next masterpiece.

Love Lit

Comment by Kati on August 6, 2009 at 9:29am: ok here we are, it looks good from distance! I took pics with camera but when i put card in card reader it wasn't showing any pics so had to use flip camcorder (can take still pics off video).

Pic isnt as good quality as I hoped, as there's no flash, zoom etc on it. Not sure if its card, card reader or camera that's the problem!

The background washes were easy enough to do but doing detail i found very difficult. what do you think?