To those who have been here before this won’t be a surprise..

Drum roll please.. I can hear you tapping somewhere 😉

lynnelives theme for the 2026 April AtoZ Blogging Challenge is…

‘Yet more of Lynne’s illustrations’

I know.. Hope you’re not disappointed. The thing is, I need to complete more of my art and it seemed a good idea at the time to use March and April this year to do just that. There’s literally hundreds, I think, that I want to finish, not all during this blogging challenge of course. Here’s the blurb that will accompany each blog post during the month.

My main art are my Bench View illustrations done from benches in and around Peterborough UK which I started in 2014. It’s twelve years since I sat on a bench and did my first bench view. A-Z was where I posted some of my first illustrations drawn from benches which gave me more confidence in drawing out and around town.

My latest series ‘Bench Views third time lucky’ started in 2023, it’s still a work in progress and for my AtoZ challenge 2026 I’m working hard to paint as many pencil sketches as I can. I have many more than the 26 needed so hope I can introduce you to some newly finished art as we go. I’m thinking I might just show you bits of the art, I might not post the full illustration but we’ll see.

I don’t remember how often I join the theme reveal. I feel far more organised than most years and I know that’s an illusion. Getting enough illustrations finished to include daily here for a month is a big challenge for me and I hope you enjoy following alongside.

Good luck to all my fellow theme revealers. We’ve got to remember to join next, then post and then meet up along the way. Here goes.. Looking forward to another brilliant AtoZ blogging challenge. Best wishes, Lynne, Peterborough, UK.

It was that or Zebra crossing and I’ve not got an illustration of either a zebra or zebra crossing. I do have some sketches of elephants..

And then, having said I have sketches of elephants, could I find them! I know I’ve got some finished though don’t even seem to have photos of those so for my final blog post for April’s challenge 2025 here’s a sketchy sketch (done in seconds from live elephants in Chester Zoo).

It might have been a bit sketchy at times but I’m here at Z and I hope, if you’ve popped in or been along for the long haul, that you’ve enjoyed it with me. Blogging in April has become a bit of a routine and we all need routines in our lives. This is a wonderful one and a huge thanks as always to the organisers and founder. Also thanks to you for reading this and those that have commented this year and all the years I’ve been doing this challenge.

I love that I’m one of a few across the world that share our love of blogging from A to Z. I’m running out of words so will close here and wish you well. If you’ve also done the AtoZ I might be popping by and will give you a wave if the ether allows. I feel like that act that doesn’t know how to finish or get off stage.. tatty bye for now. See you again soon xxx

My theme for A to Z Blogging Challenge is ‘Lynne’s drawings, enjoy!

My main art are my Bench View illustrations done from benches in and around Peterborough UK which I started in 2014. It’s eleven years since I sat on a bench and did my first bench view. A-Z was where I posted some of my first illustrations drawn from benches which gave me more confidence in drawing out and around town.

My latest series ‘Bench Views third time lucky’ started in 2023, is taking longer than the others as I started early and am finishing later than expected.. but it’s my series so there’s no ‘rules’.

This is one of many blogs doing this challenge. Take a look at what others are doing at AtoZ Blogging Challenge blog links.

My bench view series of illustrations is every five yearly cycles not yearly, and yes you could be in one but hopefully not identifiable. A few people are but often I sketch composites of people.

I’ve got a decision to make. I’m taking my time. I have many theories and thoughts and help and advice. If I say yes.. Next years AtoZ might have even more content for me to draw from. See what I did there? If you have any suggestions on decision making techmiques feel free to drop them in the chat. I’ve tried the dandelion seed head blowing this morning. Nearly had to get another dandelion as the one I had wasn’t heading to the right answer 🙂

Only one more post to go. These last three letters for this year will go live on the same day. Enjoy. Here’s a picture of the materials I say yes to when choosing my illustration tools of the trade. I’m glad I said yes to this years April Blogging challenge. Reading all the amazing posts that have been created this year will take a while but I’ll enjoy the trip around many friends blogs.

My theme for A to Z Blogging Challenge is ‘Lynne’s drawings, enjoy!

My main art are my Bench View illustrations done from benches in and around Peterborough UK which I started in 2014. It’s eleven years since I sat on a bench and did my first bench view. A-Z was where I posted some of my first illustrations drawn from benches which gave me more confidence in drawing out and around town.

My latest series ‘Bench Views third time lucky’ started in 2023, is taking longer than the others as I started early and am finishing later than expected.. but it’s my series so there’s no ‘rules’.

This is one of many blogs doing this challenge. Take a look at what others are doing at AtoZ Blogging Challenge blog links.

I know, I know.. It could also be for love and my love of christmas..

Or for voting. Yesterday I voted and put an X in the box for a new Mayor.

I’ve been sketching at events in the Green Backyard community garden in Peterborough for years. It’s helped my mental health and capacity to get on with work, life and everything. Even knowing it’s there has helped.

Like many community gardens and green spaces it’s found itself in the local plan earmarked for houses. All I will say is that as long as it’s still a community garden I hope to be able to use and enjoy it as I have been doing and will keep sketching at events as they happen. Here’s one I did earlier.

My theme for A to Z Blogging Challenge is ‘Lynne’s drawings, enjoy!

My main art are my Bench View illustrations done from benches in and around Peterborough UK which I started in 2014. It’s eleven years since I sat on a bench and did my first bench view. A-Z was where I posted some of my first illustrations drawn from benches which gave me more confidence in drawing out and around town.

My latest series ‘Bench Views third time lucky’ started in 2023, is taking longer than the others as I started early and am finishing later than expected.. but it’s my series so there’s no ‘rules’.

This is one of many blogs doing this challenge. Take a look at what others are doing at AtoZ Blogging Challenge blog links.

I’ve always wanted a welsh dresser, somewhere I could display some of my amazing crockery and have wonderful shelves. I’ve got stuff. The space quickly became a bit overused but that also made it perfect for some of my sketches and illustrations. I don’t have to go far to find something I’m interested in sketching.

My theme for A to Z Blogging Challenge is ‘Lynne’s drawings, enjoy!

My main art are my Bench View illustrations done from benches in and around Peterborough UK which I started in 2014. It’s eleven years since I sat on a bench and did my first bench view. A-Z was where I posted some of my first illustrations drawn from benches which gave me more confidence in drawing out and around town.

My latest series ‘Bench Views third time lucky’ started in 2023, is taking longer than the others as I started early and am finishing later than expected.. but it’s my series so there’s no ‘rules’.

This is one of many blogs doing this challenge. Take a look at what others are doing at AtoZ Blogging Challenge blog links.

Something I don’t get enough of is vegetables. I’ve got my veg plot all sorted this year and have even invested in a few seedlings as I think I let my own seeds dry out after watering them.. I’m waiting to see if they still germinate. I love growing vegetables but don’t seem that successful in lots of my gardening attempts.

For my AtoZ challenge blog posts during 2016 my theme was vegetables and for v I posted about vegetables.. Sometimes there’s no variety in my variations. I know, sorry. I’ll vow to be more variable of my v’s in future.

Those seedlings I’ve just mentioned, they’re germinating so I will hopefully have a variety of veg once again. For now here’s a reminder of my A2Z Vegetables visual.

My theme for A to Z Blogging Challenge is ‘Lynne’s drawings, enjoy!

My main art are my Bench View illustrations done from benches in and around Peterborough UK which I started in 2014. It’s eleven years since I sat on a bench and did my first bench view. A-Z was where I posted some of my first illustrations drawn from benches which gave me more confidence in drawing out and around town.

My latest series ‘Bench Views third time lucky’ started in 2023, is taking longer than the others as I started early and am finishing later than expected.. but it’s my series so there’s no ‘rules’.

This is one of many blogs doing this challenge. Take a look at what others are doing at AtoZ Blogging Challenge blog links.

What on earth was I going to write about up. Up was the first word I’d written next to U.

Looking for images I found this of one of my 5 minute sketches which I’ve later boldly coloured with acrylic inks. It’s unusual, perfect. It’s only as I’m writing this that I realise I could just as easily use this dragonfly painting for Up. I’m often having to look up at some dragonflies and they’re always flying up to feed. They also rest up on fences, trees, anything really.

My theme for A to Z Blogging Challenge is ‘Lynne’s drawings, enjoy!

My main art are my Bench View illustrations done from benches in and around Peterborough UK which I started in 2014. It’s eleven years since I sat on a bench and did my first bench view. A-Z was where I posted some of my first illustrations drawn from benches which gave me more confidence in drawing out and around town.

My latest series ‘Bench Views third time lucky’ started in 2023, is taking longer than the others as I started early and am finishing later than expected.. but it’s my series so there’s no ‘rules’.

This is one of many blogs doing this challenge. Take a look at what others are doing at AtoZ Blogging Challenge blog links.

This is about paintings I used to do. They take up so much space and use a lot of wax sometimes that I don’t paint on silk much at all these days.

Some of the designs can take a lot of planning before going anywhere near the silk. I love the tools of the trade. I’m less in love of the safety aspect of using hot wax to paint with.

I started painting on silk many years ago and created scarves. More recently I painted what I call banners and they were inspired by the paintings on the Medieval ceiling of Peterborough Cathedral.

My theme for A to Z Blogging Challenge is ‘Lynne’s drawings, enjoy!

My main art are my Bench View illustrations done from benches in and around Peterborough UK which I started in 2014. It’s eleven years since I sat on a bench and did my first bench view. A-Z was where I posted some of my first illustrations drawn from benches which gave me more confidence in drawing out and around town.

My latest series ‘Bench Views third time lucky’ started in 2023, is taking longer than the others as I started early and am finishing later than expected.. but it’s my series so there’s no ‘rules’.

This is one of many blogs doing this challenge. Take a look at what others are doing at AtoZ Blogging Challenge blog links.

If I can find the illustration I’m thinking of. It’s got a reflection of me in it while I was sketching. Often I sit on benches drawing the world go by and realise I’m looking at a reflection of myself in a shop window. If I can, that is, if no-one I want to include walks by obscuring my reflection, I’ll add myself in. I’m sure I’m never identifiable.. Found it! Or at least, one of the bench views I’ve included my reflection in.

Most of the time the people in my drawings are a reflection of a few people who went past or I’ll adapt something abot what they’re wearing or doing so that no-one is identifiable. It’s a random reflection on life. I can’t choose who will pass me at that precise moment I’m sat there. That’s one of the main things I love about them.

Next year, for C, if I remember I need to find the illustration I did when the local football mascot walked by, It’s a rabbit with a huge carrot, I didn’t notice the rabbit standing right in front of me looking at what I was drawing but did see the carrot as it nearly went out of my eye view. See what I did there, that was a random reflection on my drawings.

I took a quick scoot through the photo’s I’ve posted over the years to see if I’d already uploaded the illustration I’m thinking of and came across this random memory of when I had a regular fox visit my garden. Random.

My theme for A to Z Blogging Challenge is ‘Lynne’s drawings, enjoy!

My main art are my Bench View illustrations done from benches in and around Peterborough UK which I started in 2014. It’s eleven years since I sat on a bench and did my first bench view. A-Z was where I posted some of my first illustrations drawn from benches which gave me more confidence in drawing out and around town.

My latest series ‘Bench Views third time lucky’ started in 2023, is taking longer than the others as I started early and am finishing later than expected.. but it’s my series so there’s no ‘rules’.

This is one of many blogs doing this challenge. Take a look at what others are doing at AtoZ Blogging Challenge blog links.