For my this time’s drawing I created an image of Salvador Dali, a famous painter. I have recently got socks with Salvador Dali and some details from his works, like the well-known fluid clocks or elephants with very long legs. I was inspired by this gift and googled Salvador Dali to refresh some knowledge. I have found this really famous photo of him and decided to depict it in my sketchbook. This also served as a part of my human drawing experience. This time I made the sketch with a blue pencil.

This time we were sent to a ward to make Christmas cards with kids. There were not many that were willing to do so. Yet, we got three candidates. This was a great opportunity to unleash someone’s creativity as we got all sorts of stuff to make our cards, from glitter to some fluffy pompons. We really encouraged the kids to use all things they wanted to make their cards look extraordinary and amazing. It was really rewarding to see them smiling and having nice time decorating the cards. It is fantastic that it was possible for them to not think about their situation for a moment and focus on something creative. Not only the kids got to do their cards, because we also engaged our creativity with our own cards.

During the Christmas holidays I went to Bieszczady mountains with my family for a week. We took our skiing and snowboarding equipment, hoping for some snow. Although we did not experience much of it, it was possible to ski for the three days that slope was open. As this was a really small mountain with only one piste open, we decided to build a small ramp from snow. We wanted to practice and learn some simple tricks. I strived to master doing a grab with my left hand. After some failed attempts, I have achieved what I wanted and managed to do some grabs. This was a really good warm up before winter holidays, where I will also surely be practicing some tricks.

With the beginning of new year I have also started a new sketchbook. I have decided that my first drawing will be a phoenix. I got inspired by an illustration in some of my comic books. I thought that a phoenix might be a good start of a new notebook, as it symbolises rebirth and something new, fresh. Because the sketchbook is new and not yet occupied, contrary to my last year’s one, it can be considered a reborn phoenix. To create the drawing I used a pencil. Then I used crayons to complete it and give it some colour. I hope that this is going to be a nice beginning for the sketchbook and I will create some interesting designs during the year.

Our job during our voluntary work at the hospital this time was to help with sorting money. We had to put them in special stacks, so they would be ready for sending to the bank. Although the work may sound mundane, it is actually quite relaxing as you do not need to think that hard. I think that it is very important to help with issues like this one at the hospital, because the foundation has tones of work and every „little” thing we can help with makes it a bit easier for them to take care of more serious stuff and save some time.

This game was the last before finals, so it was our last chance to get into them. Unfortunately, we had the toughest opponent left for this occasion. The match was not an easy one and we had problems from early on. Storm managed to get an advantage, with which we did not manage to catch up till the end. Therefore they have beaten us with fourteen points, which might not be a huge difference, though it certainly is a visible one. This time the finals are not ours. Of course it is a pity, but the only option is to keep going and playing to get the chance next time. This was also my last game with Mystics, as we are doing a rearrangement of the league with new teams next season.

This time I got back to my favourite and the simplest drawing technique, a regular pencil. I decided that it was time to practice drawing human faces a bit. I was practicing my skill by looking at a photo and redrawing it, just a little simplified. I tried with different facial expressions and angles. I have also made different hairstyles. Yet, they were all short hairstyles, as I find them easier to depict. Apart from some creative activity, this really gives me a moment to „breathe” and just chill out. This is what I enjoy most about drawing.

The lecture I have assisted at concerned the topic of eggs. Some kids wrote a question to the foundation: „does laying eggs hurt?” and the lecturer was striving to answer it. During the workshop kids were shown eggs of different bird species. Apart from that they discussed the common topic „what was first, the egg or the hen?”. They all agreed that eggs must have been first. At the end the lecturer said that there were no studies that checked whether laying eggs really hurt, but, apart from individual cases, the size of the egg is always adapted to the size of the hen. Therefore we can suspect that it is not that painful. It was really great to see children’s fascination during the lecture and how eager they were to gain this knowledge.

We played against Lynx. Although we won this time, the game was quite tough. We only won by an advantage of four points. Yet, this victory was quite vital as we cannot afford another loss if we want to have chance for the finals. There is only one game left before the final and there is still hope for us to win it and get to the finals. The opponent that we are going to face is a hard one. Right now we can only stay in form for the next week and try our best then.

This time I have decided to paint my old skateboard. Because I do not use it anymore, I thought that maybe I will do something creative with it. I was simply doing some sketches in my notebook and drawn this project of two eyes that are decorated with a mandala-like ornament. This is when I decided that this project might look good on a skateboard deck. Before I started painting I had to get rid of the previous design. I had it painted all black. Firstly, I have drawn the lines with a pencil, just to later trace them and fill in with colours. The whole process was really relaxing and I enjoyed that I could create something new and fresh from something I do not use anymore.