Author: Mel

I'm a painter, curious student of life and traveler.

Scooter Girl in Polanco

On By MelIn Mexico6 Comments

Plenty people going around on scooters. I probably would do the same as traffic during rush hour is quite terrible. At least then you have a chance to make your way through.

I once made the mistake to take a cab when it started raining during rush our, which made the traffic pretty much come to a total stand still. It took us 20 min to cover about 300 metres, but for some reason I was also too lazy to get out of the car.

I have to admit I really did not pay attention to detail while doing the perspective and background on this one. I was watching a movie. So the lines are all over the place.

190120 vespa girl cdmx_Melanie Franz

At the Bike Shop

On By MelIn Mexico9 Comments

I actually don´t remember seeing any street dogs in Mexico City but there are dogs everywhere. People have dogs of all shapes and sizes, and often more than one.

On my first visit in 2014 in CDMX we stayed in La Condesa were you can see dog walkers with 10-20 dogs of all sizes, from Chihuahuas to Great Danes in the park. I think I have seen more different dog breeds in Mexico City than Europe.

190125 bike shop cdmx_Melanie Franz

Moving on to Mexico City

On By MelIn Mexico12 Comments

I think I spent in total about 6-7 weeks in La Ciudad de México on my 3 visits there. I was there before and after my visit in Malinalco in April/May 2018. I stayed with a friend in San Rafael, which I thought was quite a nice part of town.

I took plenty of photos while walking around as I could not use the Uber app on my phone and could not be bothered to use taxis most of the time. And I dislike the metro or bus because of too many people. So I walked a lot. When I took photos I had a series of drawings in mind about “people of Mexico City”…. Something that was inspired by those “Humans of New York” photos that were trending several years ago. This is is my take on it.

I think this was somewhere around Juárez, on the way to La Roma.

190127 cdmx mexico_Melanie Franz

I recently watch an artists advice video that suggested that you should mirror your drawings. I guess to see if they look right. Here is the mirrored image, the right way round of CDMX.

190127 cdmx mexico_flipped_Melanie Franz

Tacos at Night

On By MelIn Mexico9 Comments

Lazy Sunday and I wish I had a taco stand around the corner to get some spicy comfort food.

This is one of the many stands that popped up each night in Malinalco with Tacos, tamales and other things I don´t know the names of, for all the hungry people out there.

No tacos for me tonight. I am off raiding the fridge instead.

190119 taco stand malinalco_Melanie Franz

Being Watched

On By MelIn Mexico12 Comments

1000 followers! Wouldn´t have expected this when I started drawing again less than a year ago. Thank you for your support and encouragement!

This little guy was watching me intensely while I was having lunch at La Casa de Valentina. It is a beautiful coffee-house with delicious food in the center of Malinalco.  I can highly recommend it. One of the owners is an artist and the walls are covered with colourful wall art and drawings.

190110 casa de valentina dog_Melanie Franz

Rainy Day at the Mercado II

On By MelIn Mexico1 Comment

Rainy afternoon on market day in Malinalco. It was rather empty that day, as there was heavy downpour on an off. Even the dogs were looking for shelter under the tarpaulins that covered the market stalls.

190110 market day_Melanie Franz

Avocados at the Mercado

On By MelIn Mexico5 Comments

One of the avocado sellers at the mercado in Malinalco. I seriously miss my daily avocado and hot guacamole. I miss food with taste in general. Vegetables in Iceland taste pretty much like nothing. Watery at best.

190113 avocado seller_Melanie Franz

The Roof Dogs of Mexico

On By MelIn Mexico16 Comments

Can you spot the roof dog? You never know when they pop out. I saw a couple of them in Malinalco. But there were even more of them in Mexico City.

They always caught me by surprise. This was a friendly one though. No barking, just quietly watching. I just noticed him becasue he was moving when I passed by.

190113 roof dog in malinalco_Melanie Franz

The Dolphin & Other Toys

On By MelIn Mexico6 Comments

Malinalco has quite a few toy shops in my opinion. Especially the inflatable water animals in front of this shop always made me smile. I unfortunately did not go to any of the small pools that they have around there.

190110 the dolphin in malinalco_Melanie Franz

Dog Memories

On By MelIn MexicoLeave a comment

It was actually the Jack Russell Terrier that caught my attention close to the Convento Agustino de la Transfiguración in the center of Malinalco.

The dog looked exactly like the one we had when I grew up. Her name was Jacky, a Jack Russel terrier mix. Brown head and just one big brown spot on the side. She usually would listen 50% of the time. But when it came to the sound of the fridge door opening, she would all of a sudden be all ears and be there within seconds. I really miss having a dog.

190106 Tourists and dog in malinalco_Melanie Franz

On The Way Home

On By MelIn Art, MexicoLeave a comment

Encountered this group of school girls in their uniforms on my way home from the market in the center of Malinalco.

Market day is the best. I miss my daily fresh fruits.

190106 School girls in Malinalco_Melanie Franz

Siesta Mode

On By MelIn Mexico6 Comments

This is how I still feel like after the holidays. I suppose I am not the only one? Lazy and tired from too much food. So I decided it is time to go back to aerial hoop tonight!

This image is part of my Mexico travel book from last spring. I decided to fill up the remaining pages during the Christmas break and I still have a couple to go. It is nice to dwell in memories full of sun and bright colours.

This is one of the lovely street dogs I encountered during my walks in  Malinalco, Mexico.

190106 dog malinalco_Melanie Franz

New Targets

On By MelIn Aerial, Artworks 20193 Comments

With one week of extreme laziness behind us, I feel like it is time to get active again. I also have reached the end of my sketchbook and for the last aerial drawing I felt like revisiting the bullseye idea again that I did at the very beginning for World Watercolour Month last July.

I am not sure yet what to do next. I have been adding a few more drawings to my Mexico book, so I think I will post those next until I come up with something new. Let´s see what else 2019 has in store for me. 2018 was a year of many ups and downs but at least drawing wise it was a lot of fun. Thanks for following!

190103 Bulls eye_Melanie Franz

Keeping Your Cool Like a Snowman

On By MelIn Aerial, Artworks 20185 Comments

Or something like it. I was not planning on a winter scene when I started inking this, otherwise I would have put some woolen socks and sweater on her…

Oh well. We are off to the countryside over the New Year´s with no internet. Only  a bunch of books and plenty of wine and cheese! Really looking forward to it.

Thank you to everyone who supported me with their encouragement,  positive comments and likes throughout the year. It was a pleasure to get back into drawing and also see and feel improvements.  I will definitely keep on going. Let´s see what the New Year brings. This one was certainly one with many ups and downs. But as “they” say, if you hit rock bottom it can only go up again.

Happy New Year!

181220 Snow man_Melanie Franz

Happy Holidays

On By MelIn Aerial, Artworks 201815 Comments

Not really in a Christmas mood this year. But I am somehow going along with all those Christmas enthusiasts around me. I have been skipping the decorations though and I am merely focusing on eating as much as I can. Cheese and red wine especially. I already had my fair share of cookies and other sugary items.

But I also make sure to leave enough time for shoulder exercises, so that I can go back to aerial hoop in January! So far the plan.

Merry Christmas everyone!

181223 Christmas tree_Melanie Franz

 

 

Hanging on

On By MelIn Aerial, Artworks 201818 Comments

I have been suffering from shoulder pain the last 2 weeks and consequently have been in a bad mood. I am no good at being injured and staying still… especially not now during the long dark winter days.

So instead of exercising I will try to limit it to drawing myself on the hoop and drinking red wine.

181202 Hanging on_Melanie Franz

The Flying Mexican

On By MelIn Aerial, Artworks 201812 Comments

I had nothing better to do and wanted to put some colour on paper. The result, a doodle of a flying Mexican, based on a photo of me in the hoop.

Our hoop trainer called this pose “flying Mexican” that´s where the inspiration comes from. No idea if that is an official name or something made up. Sometimes when we do not remember names of poses we make up our own descriptions aka “hey, let´s do that side hanging twisted thing with leg out thingy thing, you know?!”

181125 Flying Mexican_Melanie Franz

Hanging in the Air Upside-Down

On By MelIn Aerial, Artworks 20184 Comments

Somewhat of a self-portrait of me doing this shoulder stand pose. Tried this pose for the first time a few weeks back. I was in bad shape that day and being up side down made me feel like I was hanging right above an abyss.

Sometimes it takes only as much as 20cm in height difference for me to be afraid of heights all of a sudden.

181130 Skyline_Melanie Franz