In the Mail

Today in the mail I received 3 ATCs. Beautiful ones. All paintings. Can you imagine painting on paper the size of baseball cards? Here is one of the cards that I sent out for the trades. The title of this one is "I Am King".

ATCs

Art Trading Cards. I have 26 to do. 2.5 x 3.5 size. I have 10 in the mail as of next Monday. Two have been received so I can post them here now. I am having a wonderful time with these. And they are going to several different countries.

I haven't received any of mine yet. One person pm'd me saying it was on the way. I saw one today from Flamingo to Rose that was beautiful. Had oranges and purples.

I participated in the ww sketchcrawl today. The subject was "at home". I did 4 pages of my Moleskine front and back. Nothing spectacular. Just ordinary things. I did put together a small still life of things around the house and did a sketch and colored it. And I sketched my bird. She is the only one around here who will stand still long enough for a sketch. Hubby said no way could I sketch him and the dogs just do not cooperate at all. Even when asleep, they constantly move. Or when I decided to sit nearby, they get up and want to play.

Bad day

I had a bad day yesterday. Had a shopper at work testing whether I knew my stuff. I didn't pass. The question was one we had not trained on. Blew my whole day. Then today I woke up with a cold. I felt lousy. I stayed from 10-3 but felt bad the whole time. We are starting into our peak season and being ill is not a good thing. I am hoping tomorrow they won't need me to stay all day. I start at 9. Get off at 5 with an hour for lunch.

Here is a sketch I did of my sad little rubbertree plant. It was very beautiful when I had it at my last job. When I brought it home, it just got worse and worse. I guess I took more time to nurture it at work...kept me from actually doing work when I did. Plus my desk was next to a window. I had the window sill full of cuttings and plants. I am down to two left. Even all the cuttings have died off. I am bad. At home I have lots more to keep me occupied.

Scavenger Hunt finished

I finished the scavenger hunt early this time. Once I got the sketch done, I couldn't stop working on putting the color on. Now I am working on the 25 ATCs that I need to do. I have 2 finished and one will be mailed tomorrow. I haven't decided if I am happy with the second one yet. I may decided to do it over.

Then there is the weekly challenge. You shoud see the reference photo. WOW. And Jolanta was the first to post so all will pale compared to hers. Hers looked just like the ref.

Scavenger Hunt 26 challenge

For this week's scavenger hunt, JamieG challenge us big time. We can do the items as usual one at a time or in small setups. But as a challenge, we are to set up a still life in a cabinet or on a shelf all the items. Post a photo of the setup. Then work on the items and post them as we finish them and number them at that time.

I stewed back and forth. As the items have to be in the same position for a week, I didn't know if I had any where in the house to accomodate the set up. I finally emptied all the stuff off the upper top of my desk. There is a shelf there that was completely full with computer speakers, knick knacks, answering machine, clock, etc, etc, etc. I dumped all in a box for the week. Now my setup is there.

Jamie had a wall shelf with 3 shelves and her setup looks wonderful. Several others are doing the challenge using various shelving.

I took a face on picture and one from the view I have sitting at my desk. That is the one I will have to work from as I don't want to stand the whole time.

I posted the sketch last this morning. Then I worked on the items on the left side. I completed 10 items this afternoon. I can't seem to leave it alone and I need to be doing laundry, etc to get ready for work tomorrow. And it means I will have this one finished in no time. I am doing it in color with colored pencils.

I also signed up for the Old Masters Project. That one is for a year. That one will be a big challenge for me as I know absolutely nothing about art history, masters, etc. I picked a couple and have been practicing sketching them before I officially show what I will do. One has a person in it that I really like and the other is a more free formed landscape of what I think is a village. So far the portrait one is a bust. And all those houses....may have to search again. Why couldn't I have found one with a huge dog? The only dogs I remember seeing in older art are the skinny afghan/greyhound dogs, those black and white spaniels, or corgis. Not sure I want to do one of those.

And as if I don't have enough to do, I singed up for the ACT Project. I will be drawing 25 pictures 2.5x3.5 size (one a week) and mailing one of them to each of the 25 participants. Several countries are involved, and I really like that. Can't wait to see mine and have my art worldwide.

Anyway this will be keeping me very busy along with all the other drawings I do every week for the WC forum and now taxes to do. I guess housework just keeps getting pushed to the background. I hope I can still find my way thru the clutter by the time I finish all my endeavors.

Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3, NLT

All work and no play

Work is interfering with my "me" time. Not a good thing. I did a few scavenger hunt items tonight. A couple days ago I finished the weekly challenge...strawberry shortcake. WDE is finished. A picture of Dozer, a golden retriever. Tomorrow another 16 pictures to choose from.

Look at me.

Here is the gibbon I did for the WC colored pencil forum for the monthly challenge. I thought the photo reference was adorable.

EArly this morning I had a hair appt. Feels good to have my age once again concealed under the hair dye. I am not really hung up on age but don't much like the grey hair. Sometimes I wish I had never started to dye it. It would have been easier to get used to it slowly. But I caved in to office vanity while working with young girls half my age. I have threatened to stop the dye appts but my hairdresser has a fit. But it would save a lot of money and a lot of time better spent somewhere else.

I shopped for groceries today after the hair appt. About halfway thru, my knee gave out on me. Thankfully I was pushing a shopping cart. I limped painfully thru the rest of the store. Hubby was at home to help with the unloading but disappeared when it came to putting everything away. But he has worked so many hours lately, and he has health problems, so is just exhausted. He spent the day in his easy chair watching football.

I spent a good part of the day napping after my errands. I was cold and still in pain. Took a pain pill and curled up on the couch with the dog. She keeps me warm. Downfall to that, football noises from the tv running thru my head while I tried to sleep.

It is suppoes to me about 20 degrees F. in the morning. Very unusual for Bakersfield. We have had quite a lot of cold weather here this year. What I call "snow cold". It's no wonder why I can't seem to get warm. Brrrrr.

Toucan (fruit loop bird)

I did a drawing for the Drawspace.com weekly challenge. I had not participated much in that forum, but I will try to start doing that. I had fun with the colors on the toucan.

I only worked 3 hrs today but peak season is coming up soon and those days for about 2 weeks will be stressful. Starting next week I will be going in every day.

I am almost finished with the scavenger hunt. I think it is only for another day. Then a new list. I have three items left and will combine them into a still life. Blanket, pillow, and house slippers.

In Bakersfield it has only snowed 4 times in my lifetime. Well it is predicted for this Friday. Quite funny that it is coming so soon after the last one. Just about 5 years or so. That one lasted overnight. The snow I mean. I wonder how long this one will be. It has been cold here for some time. We still have some sun that peaks out most days. But the weather seems colder this year. I am having a hard time staying warm.

Weekly Challenges at WC

I finished two of the Weekly Challenges at WC this weekend. One was the bottom of a liquor decanter (crystal) for the Weekly Challenge. The other was a lighthouse scene for the WDE. I still have to do some items for the scavenger hunt this evening.

It has been nice being offwork today. But I spent quite a lot of time sleeping today. I guess catching up from all those late night visits to the WetCanvas site. They are addictive. Also when my puppy Penny gets a little rowdy, we go to bed for a little calming down and a snooze.

End of the Week

I worked a few hours today. Then came home to browse thru the WC site. Played with the dogs a little then took a nap. Now dinner is over for me, the dogs are fed, and I am back on the computer.

I have looked thru the blogs that I do regularly and browsed some that I haven't been to for awhile. Some of them have news, some seem not to have been posting much lately.

I have found on WC that many come and many go, but thankfully some stay. I get to know them, then they just seem to disappear. If they come back, I think to myself "I really missed them". I think maybe life gets in the way. Some people lose their focus; others find new roads to travel. I feel bad for the ones who lose their way, and feel elated for the ones to find new roads.

I hope eventually to find my new road but hope in the process that I still remember the ones who helped me along the way enough to stay and help the next ones to come along.

Here is a drawing I did awhile back.

Can you smell the garlic?

The Weekly Sketch challenge this week had a reference picture of a head of garlic. It didn't look too hard, just a lot of black and white and gray in between. It turned out harder. I think because things were all intermingled. You couldn't always tell where one clove top started and another began. But I think the drawings for the week all turned out very nice. Some had more darks and some didn't, but it didn't seem to make the garlic any less nice.
The scavenger hunt will have a new list tomorrow. I am ready. I have been finished for several days. I continued to make my comments as the host of the list. Now ready for a new challenge list.
"…we who are still alive and remain on earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 NLT