Get your lovely Mango's - PPF

After a few weeks of creating black ink drawings, I needed a blast of colour for this weeks link to Paint Party Friday. 

So when I came across Tracey Fletcher King's latest video illustrating her technique for painting a mango, I was thrilled because it's no secret that I'm a huge fan, but also that I had a mango to hand. 

 Perfect...

As you can see it's rather dark for painting, but what can you do during winter in Bonnie Scotland. You have to work with what you're given. 

With desk lamp and overhead lights switched on I dubiously started.

For those of you that like to know details of what supplies were used, then here they are...

I used the Kohi-I-Noor watercolour paints as shown in the above photo on Daler Rowney 300g/m2 

Aquafine paper, outlining with uni-ball eye waterproof black pen and white corrective pen.

I like the texture of the paper which gives the effect for the mango skin,

And here's the finished mango. 

It was such fun to paint and gave me my colour fix. 

If you'd like to take a look at the video of  Tracey painting a mango then click on her name, or nip across to the Paint Party Friday link, then click here.

and for Sunday Sketches 
 
Also Express Your Creativity

Right... now I can actually eat the mango.... Mmm 

Have a fantastic Friday and wonderful weekend everyone.

Hope to see you again soon

xoxo 

Mango Smoothies.....

Smoothies are always a favourite drink in our household, especially when the temperature creeps into the mid to upper twenties. Not the bright blue or vivid red kind of smoothie that makes you wonder what on earth is hidden in its depths, that might keep your kids hyper for at least a week or awake for the next 48 hours!

No, I mean the healthy, pure, fruit kind of smoothie.  

My boys favourite flavour is Mango....it tends to disappear as soon as it hits the glass.

It's cool smooth fruitiness is perfect for warm summer days.

So how to make this delishious drink....

First I add some crushed ice into a liquidizer, then peel and cut up two mango's. Place into the liqidizer with the ice. Add a good measure of pure honey. Then add a good few spoonfuls of low-fat icecream. And lastly milk. Blitz until fully mixed. Its thats simple.......

From this stage its just a question of whizzing up and doing a taste test. You need the consistancy to be thick and creamy but not too thick, because it has to be sucked up through a straw. I remember once I made it too thick and everyone's face turned blue trying to suck up enough of the mixture. What a giggle..... but they kept trying - they were determined to drink it.

Its a great way to get the kids to eat fruit.....they haven't a clue its actually REAL fruit.

Another favourite flavour is Strawberry but I have to admit I'm not too keen on making that one. I have to  sieve the blitzed mixture to eliminate all the tiny pips, which can take quite a time but the flavour is yummy.

I only started to make these smoothies because I felt my son wasn't getting his fruit quota.....with these smoothies there's no stopping him.

The test of the correct thickness for the smoothie is whether the straw can stand alone in the centre of the glass....hehe ; D