‘Fred the winter fox’ amateur Christmas pub painting

Hi everyone! My latest UnicornPostbox blog post is progression photos of a winter fox Christmas amateur pub painting…hope you like 🎄🎄

First of all, we started with the background, bold acrylic blue 💙 at the top, slowly watering down towards the bottom of the canvas. We then used our small paint brush to determine where the white snow mountains would be, and created them swooping into each other. Afterwards, we incorporated little navy blue/black trees in the mountain range and used a very clever ‘Bob Ross’ inspired technique to upwardly ‘dab’ the huge main tree, using a fan brush. Then, using out small brush, we essentially splashed speckles of white everywhere to create realistic snow ❄️ over the whole canvas. Next, we began on the fox, which at first appeared as a bit of an orange blob 🤣 or with the beak an orange duck 🤣 It was then time to add detail. Little speckles of white snow on the mountain range tree branches, and a fan brush again dabbing snow on the big tree. It was really enjoyable to be honest practicing this technique for the first time. Only left to do then was detailing the fox. Oh, and a little more touching up, such as snow shadows. Others at the class didn’t, but I sort of black outlined my fox. Rather than realistic, I am more a fan of pop art and prefer my art to ‘pop’. I think it makes him stand out more, contrasting to the other style. With his tail cuddling round him, his cute little ears and smiley face, I reckon he’s sort of adorable 🥰🥰

I don’t believe I will be posting now until after Christmas. I expect in the new year to start some new diamond arts 💎🎨 and a pub painting in January… so until then…

I hope you all have a fabulous Christmas! 🎄🎄

Thank you for all your support this year, all the best, Lauren xx

© 2024 Lauren Parr / https://unicornpostbox.com

Leeds Christmas market 5th December

Hi everyone, my latest UnicornPostbox blog post is a travel review of Leeds Christmas market 🎄🎄

On Thursday 5th December, me and my good friend Aaron and Joe got the train from Doncaster to Leeds… oh my goodness, what a day! 😆

It started out bad. First of all we were going up and down in an escalator hoping to get access to the Trinity shopping centre, only to realise the entire building was actually a car park 🙄🤣

When we found Trinity, we had a beaut meal in nandos, and the tree was illuminated gorgeous golds and purple

We struggled to get directions to the market, everyone seemed to point us different ways, and as the market was split in different places across the city (maybe explains it) it was somewhat confusing!

We found a ferris wheel, a fairground carousel 🎠 and what looked like Christmas huts, believing we’d found part of the christmas market, but apparently those stalls were independent! It didn’t stop us however having a Christmas sing-a-long as we ascended and descended up and down, round and round the ferris wheel. Aaron and Joe also sampled some mulled wine 🍷 I don’t think they were highly impressed. I opted for a apple cider 😝 it was nice relaxing around a fire pit, but the flooring was uneven and the tables wobbly!

By this time, it was around half 3ish so we abandoned the idea of trying to make it to the smaller market (consisting of we were told of a few rides and huts) and tried instead to find the main Christmas market…Can you believe it, it was near the train station?!

As soon as we got there, the heavens had opened and it was absolutely chucking it down! We has some miniature pancakes with syrups and sauces, and bananas 🍌 The ginormous Christmas tree was lit up beautifully, and although the market was smaller than I expected, it was still enjoyable wandering around the huts… except for the fact we were by then drenched like drowned rats! I did get a nice photo standing next to a nutcracker with my nutcracker jumper. We escaped the rain initially by getting a pint, as you do, but then headed for cover back in the Trinity shopping centre. We were peckish again at this point so we grabbed Mexican food at the Trinity food court.

We decided to go for the train home around 7ish, and that’s where the nightmare escalated 😫 All the trains were pretty much cancelled due to the adverse weather! There was a replacement bus service in 10 minutes it said on the screen. So Aaron got a digital map out on his phone and off we pelted, proper legging it. The stupid thing took us full circle back to the train station! But on a lower level! We couldn’t even fathom how to get back up, having to ask randomers directions again! By then, of course we had missed the replacement bus. Then the next problem was when we eventually got to the taxi pick up point at the station, everyone was in the same predicament struggling to get home. So everyone was ordering ubers. We waited 20 mins or so, ours never showed. Then a very kind warden took us to the actual replacement bus stop (in the complete opposite direction to which we’d tried to find earlier), but the next replacement bus service was in another few hours time… so soaking wet, cold and down in spirits, we ordered another uber, which was stuck in traffic for half an hour 🙃 .. in the end, it cost us over 60 quid between us for an uber back to Doncaster, to which my dad then picked us up at Doncaster station… omg, what a day! We were so ready to get into out pyjamas and slipper socks!

A very eventful day!

I am going pub painting tomorrow with my friend Denise, we are painting a Christmas ‘winter fox’ so that may be my next UnicornPostbox blog post, I have also just finished a turtle 🐢 diamond art… so watch this space!

Thanks as ever for reading/viewing. Much love, Lauren xx

© 2024 Lauren Parr / https://unicornpostbox.com