BAD APPLES 12 DAYS - DAY 4

Today's theme is Angel.

Materials: Derwent Graphitint
                 Derwent Coloursoft
                 Chameleon NU1 Bisque
                 Chameleon YL2 Summer Sun
                 Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen Gold 250**
                 Faber Castell 9000 2B
                 Daler-Rowney Heavyweight Paper





To the best of my knowledge all materials are Vegan!

BAD APPLES 12 DAYS - DAY 3

Today's theme is Turtle Dove.

Just like the song "12 days of Christmas" (that I will never be able to sing...looks to complicated): "On the second day my true love sent to me: Two Turtle Doves..."

Materials used: Faber Castel 9000 2B

                          Derwent Coloursoft

                          Winsor and Newton Cotman watercolours

                          Daler-Rowney Heavyweight Paper

To be best of my knowledge all material used are Vegan!

BAD APPLES 12 DAYS - DAY 2

Today's theme is Candlestick.

Materials used: Faber Castell 9000 2B
                          Derwent Coloursoft
                          Daler-Rowney Heavyweight Paper





All materials used, to the best of my knowledge, are Vegan!

BAD APPLES 12 DAYS - DAY 1...

Today's theme is icicle.
It's winter games in the gnomes land. One of the games is Icicle Javelin.

Materials used: Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolour
                          Faber Castell 9000 2B
                          Derwent Coloursoft
                          Daler-Rowney Heavyweight paper


All materials used, to the best of my knowledge, are Vegan!

SOMETHING DIFFERENT BUT STILL CREATIVE

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP  #vegan

INGREDIENTS
41 ml olive oil
1 large white onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 medium size carrots, diced
4 potatoes, peeled and sliced or cubed
1/2 medium size butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced (about 2 pounds/907 grams)
water, enough to cover the ingredients
salt and ground pepper
ground nutmeg

PREPARATION
     In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the onions and garlic an cook until tender, 5 minutes.
     Add all the remaining ingredients except the spices. Stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until all the vegetables are tender, abut 45 minutes. Remove from heat.
     Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor in small batches and blend until smooth.
     Return the pureed soup to the pot and reheat over medium heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a pinch or two of ground nutmeg, if desired.

I used a hand blender and did the whole soup. Didn't need to reheat and added the spices.


I created this soup but like almost everything in this earth someone else might created the same already.

VEGAN FOOD WEDNESDAY

Today's special is a delicious tortilla (Spanish Omolette)...Delicious is an under statement!
My son's spanish teacher wants to do tortillas for the class but my son is vegan like me. He talked to her saying for her not to hurry about finding a vegan tortilla he wasn't that bothered with it. But she said that it was important for everyone to experience other countries food. I agree and I do it all the time (of course she doesn't knows personally, how couldn't she know what we do?).
Still my son wasn't comfortable with her having to spend her time looking for a recipe, so he asked me to look for one. I did and wasn't happy with what I found (the traditional tortilla has too much olive oil) so I created:

Yield
serves 4

Ingredients
Olive oil
800 grams potatoes
1/2 onion or 2 small onions
120grams plain flour (or chickpea flour for gluten free)
240ml water + 250ml water to replace the olive oil
sea salt to taste
Dried Parsley or fresh parsley (I like lots of it)

Preparation 
1.Peel the potatoes and wash them. Instead of slicing them I like to cut them in little "cubes". Peel and chop the onion into small cubes too
2.In a non-stick frying pan, place one tablespoon of olive oil and when the oil is hot, add the potatoes, onion, salt to taste and the 250ml of water. Bring to a boil, turning down a bit after. Cook until the potatoes are soft, more or less 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove the potatoes and onion from the pan with a slotted spoon.
3.In a bowl, place 120 grams of flour and 240ml water, add a bit of salt, parsley and beat by hand with a fork. Pour the potato-onion mixture and mix all well.
4.In a non-stick frying pan, place one tablespoon of olive oil and heat on medium heat. Pour the mixture and cook over medium heat for about five minutes. Place a plate over the tortilla and turn it around and cook the other side for about another five minutes. Turn the tortilla as many times until is totally cooked.

Enjoy!

Here's two photos (sorry for the quality, it was really dark), one is with flash, the other without

VEGUSTO...

    So yesterday I decide to order Vegusto to see what the foss is all about faux-cheeses.
    My son and I really don't like faux-meat done with soya. The only soya that we're eating right now is our butter (Pure).
    It never appeal to us. Because we never really liked meat so why tried to replace it. Yes, sure some of you saw me enjoying my cookings with meat. But did you notice the amount of flavouring with spices that I added?
    Well, back to the Vegusto, I order a starter kit and I have to say they're client service is the best. Even the delivery company they use, sent emails and messages to my phone number, telling me what time and even the name of the driver who was delivering the package... That's 5 star service. Well done!
     Here's some pictures:

I turn around to get my camera, turn around to take a photo what do I see...Lea!

    If you are curious check them out:  www.vegusto.co.uk

Drawing a line... (vegan)

Of all the  new Derwent products that I bought recently only the Onyx are not vegan.
I've looked in their chart and all the doubts that I had about 3 of the Aquatone pencils were unnecessary, there are all vegan, apparently, for example ivory black and sap green are just names.

This is were I'll draw my line!
What I mean with this is I'm quite comfortable to buy products from Derwent that are not vegan. Why? Because they've made an effort to present products that are. For example the graphic pencils, the onix, natural graphite, etc are considered not vegan (they don't example why) I'm guessing it has something to do with the way the test the lightfastness with blue wool.

If 60% or more percentage of my artmaterial are vegan I quite happy and I feel that I'm making a difference!
I was feeling overwhelmed and very disappointed with myself when I had doubts with the Aquatone. I said to myself 'Enough with this type of thoughts it's impossible to be 100% vegan be proud that you are already making a difference'.

A quick resume for the products that I'm interested (some I already have, other's I'll have yet to buy)
Graphitint  Vegan all (have it)
Coloursoft Vegan all (have it)
Aquatone   Vegan all (have it)
Graphitone  Vegan all (have it)
Artbar        Vegan all
Metallic      Vegan all
Pastel pencils Vegan all
Artist        a few are not Vegan

Onyx not vegan (have it)
Drawing not vegan
Inktense not vegan
natural graphite  not vegan
XL graphite not vegan
Tinted Charcoal  not vegan


Here's a link of the Derwent Products and choose a product from the left list and check the colour chart and lighfast ratings. It's there were you find if the product is vegan or not.
http://www.pencils.co.uk/product.aspx?mid=1205

GUESS?.... POST !

Still have a pretty big list of Derwent materials that I want to buy.
But I'm quite satisfied for the time being (I'll try to...)

I was waiting for these new babies to arrive so I can do some colour charts of all the new material. As soon as possible I'll be posting them.

Meanwhile here's a photo of the new material... Love the smell of these pencils...

ANOTHER POST ...

Derwent Aquatone..my new watercolours.. Although they say all Aquatone are vegan... Well the black is Ivory black, not vegan...

POST RECEIVED TODAY...

Vegan material .... so cool...
Little by little replacing my art material

HOMEMADE DRY PASTELS

Check my vegan blog for a dry pastels's recipe (art material)

http://myeudaimoniautopia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/homemade-dry-pastel.html

Keep an eye on this blog I'll post more homemade recipes for art material