Colored Pencils

I have reached a new place with my colored pencil work. I'm not sure what the new place is, but I do know I like it.

I have been doing my Out of Africa cards in graphite. Then switched to colored pencil. I think that my style has changed a bit and my colors are getting better. My work seems to be coming together more. I really like the last 4 I have done. I can only show one of them as the others haven't been received.

This was the first one in color and when my style seemed to have changed. This is in fact my favorite of the cards. This is an African Shelduck from a reference photo provided by Just Chaos from Wetcanvas. I hope to continue following my instincts in evolving this new "whatever it is". I will be posting the others as they are received.

We all know we should “Strive for Five” servings of fruits and veggies a day to keep our bodies healthy. http://laurelneustadter.blogspot.com/ tagged me with the task of describing the 5 things I do everyday to keep my spirit happy & healthy. This fun exercise fits right in with planning for a new year. Here are my top five:

1. I play with, pet, hug, and enjoy my two dogs. This gives me great satisfaction and I can't imagine life without a dog. The love you get from dogs (or any pet) is such a special gift.

2. I talk to my two birds. My parakeet Freebie reacts to bird sounds on the television. That makes me aware of the sounds that I would normally overlook. She finds such joy in hearing one of her kind. And Bozo my cockatiel is such a fun bird. She keeps me laughing and I so enjoy when she talks to me and wants a response. And when I am not in the room where she is, she will start yelling "hi, what are you doing" or "hello pretty bird" waiting for me to repond to her.

3. My art keeps me happy. I find such satisfaction in doing my art and it's so great the feeling I get when I finish something. And trading my artwork with other artists helps me get the good feeling of "giving".

4. I think about God. I don't do enough Bible reading or studying but I do think about the gift my God gave to me.

5. This one gives me a little trouble. One reason there are so many things I wish I could say and some I am unhappy to say. I don't exercise. I never have liked to exercise. Now with the problems with my leg and ankle, exercise leaves me with more pain that I can handle. I live with the pain from arthritis and overuse of an ankle that puts me on crutches.

I don't eat right, I love sweets and Dr Pepper and because of these and no exercise, I am overweight. That sure doesn't make me happy. I don't get enough sleep. It seems there is not enough time in a day to get all I want to do done, so I take that time away from my sleep time.

On the plus side, I have a very good friend and husband who loves me enough to work hard to provide food and shelter, and who comes home to me every night. Since I don't work outside our home, I really appreciate all he does for me and try to do little things that will make his life a little easier.

I think that my #5 would have to be that I am on the computer much of the day off and on. Doesn't sound like a healthy habit for daily living? Well I have found that it is.

I have met and formed some very nice bonds with some wonderful people online. They are so helpful and giving and give me a lot of pleasure reading about their everyday lives. I have visited other countries and states without even leaving my house. I have help with my art. I read about the problems of others and that makes me appreciate what I have and not worry about what I don't have.

And I have made a few lifelong friends. I may never meet them in person but I feel every bit as close to them as I do friends I see in person. Maybe even more so as I "talk" to the online friends just about every day. Day to day life seems to get in the way of visiting in person with friends locally.

Now that you have read my 5 things, take a few moments and reflect on yours. I am passing this forward for anyone who reads this whether they blog or not. It never hurts to think about what and who you are and what makes you happy and healthy.

End of Christmas

Well Christmas weekend is over and now on to the new year.

We have no plans for New Year's. We are not party people. We don't leave our dogs at home alone to get frightened by the fireworks. A perfect New Year for us is being at home, a nice dinner, some television, and playing with our paw babies. I'm sure we will be plenty tired after listening to the thump, thump, thump from the music/party next door for most of the night. (Their parties are usually still going at 4 or 5 am.)

I worked on some of my Out of Africa cards this weekend. I finished 3 and they will be mailed tomorrow. One to England and the other two to US states.

For some reason after doing all my cards in graphite, I ended up doing these 3 in color. I'm not sure the remaining ones will be in color or if I will go back to graphite.

Here is the latest of my African cards that arrived at its destination.

The Day After

Well it is the morning after Christmas. We had a wonderful dinner, great conversation, and were nice and warm with a fire going. A very nice day overall.

Tonight, or this morning really, I sit and look thru my favorite things online. Nothing much there to see as everyone was with family. I did start two postcards for the Out of Africa trade. I'm not sure I really like either. I do have 3 ATCs to mail in the morning.

I'm kicking around a few new ideas for a project on WC. Not sure if I want to start another but no one else seems to be starting any these days. If I don't start one, they may just fade away. The last couple have had a little glitch in them. I would like one that runs more smoothly. Everyone has such a good time with the projects and we all get to collect some nice original small art. It would be a shame to have them end.

I have time. I will think about it for awhile and decide later.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone. I am just sitting here biding my time until the Candlelight Service at Church at 9pm. It will start my holiday out with that warm and fuzzy feeling. Then come home from the cold outside and have a cup of hot chocolate. And tomorrow...Christmas dinner at my sister and brother-in-law's house. They eat late; usually around 4 or 5.

So everyone have a good time tomorrow with family, friends, and pets. Don't forget the pets. And remember the reason for the season.

Hugs to all, Jeanne

Ditto

I'm having a painting done of my little Ditto. It's not quite finished but you can see it here: http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=537070

100 Things

I saw this list on Jeanette Jobson's blog. http://illustratedlife.blogspot.com/
I also followed links to a couple other sites to read their list.

Out of the 100 things on the list, the ones I have done are in Bold type.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (many times and it's one of my favorite places)
8. Climbed a mountain (yes if a sand dune counts - in Oregon and a big one)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (never)
11. Bungee jumped (never)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (tomatoes)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (never)
27. Run a Marathon (lol - I don't even walk if I can ride)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (took Spanish and French in classes)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (sure would like to try it)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (never - afraid of heights)
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karoke (never)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (Oh Yeah)
47. Had your portrait painted (just recently)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (used to snorkel with friends on Loch Leven)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (not a happy experience)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (scared to death of needles)
65. Gone sky diving (never)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (never)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (My little toe and later - see # 78 - left leg just above the ankle)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (See #46 & #77)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (cut up a deer for freezing - terrible experience and never again)
88. Had chickenpox (4th grade on every square inch of me)
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury!
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit (class action lawsuit over unemployment - we won)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (many times and a wasp once - ouch)
100. Read an entire book in one day (more than one)

Well that is a look into my life.

Strathmore Trade Card

I got my Strathmore Trade card Saturday. It was the trade where we bought the Strathmore ATC size cards and then did something for the holidays on one and sent it to Strathmore. They sent them out to others and made one big trade. It would be nice to find out how many cards they received. I will have to check out the Strathmore site. Here is the card I received in return. An email address was on the back of the card so I wrote and received permission to post the card here on my blog.

My cute little duck for Christmas titled Duck the Halls.

Wagtail

I believe it was Wagtail on Wetcanvas who gave us a link to an African webcam. I have spent a lot of time today watching the cam.

When I first entered the site, it was still dark. There are 3 watering holes in the different areas with webcams. I saw a couple elephants, a few zebras, some water buffalos, and a couple others including some birds. Very interesting. But I get anxious when I leave the computer thinking that I might miss something interesting.

http://www.sanparks.org/webcams/. Here is the site in case you want to take a look. There is a lot of dead time where you don't see anything and you won't see the animals walking around. The webcam does refresh itself every 30 seconds.

Satisfaction

I have satisfaction tonight knowing that I finished my Secret Santa virtual gift for the Drawspace forum. I have emailed the photo to the Santa's helper and now wait until the 23rd to get my gift.

Also I did 8 items for the scavenger hunt. The last hunt I did several but didn't get them posted in time. I just need to get these scanned now. I am attempting to get back into the swing of the hunts. I need the practice.

Here is my first post for the Out of Africa trade on Wetcanvas. Quite a few cards have already been received and posted. Some really nice cards so far. This one went to Mithila in India. This was her thank you card for helping with the trade.

Moleskine Project

I finally put some time in on my Moleskine for the Project for Art House Gallery. It's not easy as the paper is so thin. It dents and shows on the back of the page. I am trying to work around it but....

I also started my secret santa gift for my person on Drawspace.com. It is a virtual gift. Each person who signs up provides a list of things they would like for Christmas. Their secret santa chooses something or several of the things to draw/paint for them. When they get a picture file of their gift, they start guessing who did the gift until they find their secret santa.

I played last year and it was a lot of fun.

The Family

Portraiture Forum

The Portrait forum at WC is talking about another portrait swap mid year. It will probably be for our mates or children. Since I don't have children, it will have to be my mate. It will be fun and I am looking forward to it.

I haven't done any art in the last few days. I did get some cleaning done and the bills paid. Now I can concentrate on art. I want to do some of the Out of Africa cards and I want to do a picture in colored pencil of Ditto for hubby for Christmas.

I have the Ann Kullenberg kit for a portrait. I even bought all the colors I needed. I have worn some of them down to nubs already. Hopefully I still have all the colors I need. I would like to work thru that kit and learn more about adding color to the portraits I do.

The local pet store is having a Christmas photo session for pets. I plan to take my two dogs. I had two other of my dog's photos taken years ago and they came out great. Not that I need more photos of them. I take plenty myself. But I want to get a photo of them this year. I had planned to take all 3 dogs but that didn't work out. I want to capture the other two while I still can.

Friday and Penny.

Ditto

This is my baby. Her name is Ditto and she would have been 11 yrs old in May. I had to say a last goodbye to her this morning. I promised her on the way to the vet that this would be her last trip to a place she did not like. While there I fed her quite a few doggy biscuits that she really enjoyed and shook hands with her one last time. Now my baby can sleep. But I will miss her so much. Goodbye mama's little sweetie.

Wow

Wow I didn't know it had been so long since I posted. I have not felt very well for several weeks. First a cold (I'm still coughing) and then stomach problems. Not a good thing to have when Thanksgiving dinner is tomorrow. It won't stop me from eating but I will pay for it later.

We are going to my cousin's house. Sounds like there will be a houseful. Should be nice and festive. At least until we get our bellies full of nice comfort food. Turkey, mashed potatoes, candied yams, dressing, gravy, other salads, rolls, and pumpkin pie. What else could you want?

Here are a couple of cards from the Anything Goes trade. These have been received. I have one ready to mail on Friday and then only have one more to do. After that I will be ready for the Out of Africa trade project. I have already printed several reference photos so I can get busy.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates it. May you have good friends, good food, and special time with your families.

Anything Goes

I mailed 3 more Anything Goes cards today. I have only about 5 or 6 to go. And for the Out of Africa trade we just need one more person to sign up.

I am working on one postcard tonight. I'm not getting exactly the colors I wanted, but I'm not unhappy with it. I still have some to do and a background to put on. I hope to get the last few finished this weekend.

2008 Portrait Exchange

I finished my portrait of Roxie Real today. It is posted here: http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=529002&page=10
It's worth taking a walk thru the whole thread. There are so many great portraits done by some very good artists.

I went to Bible study tonight. I missed two weeks when I had my cold. And tomorrow is plein air day which I have also missed for two weeks. We are going to Hart Park. I'm looking forward to it. Life is good.

Zentangle

I tried my first official Zentangle. I have been doing them for years and never knew the name for them. I usually fill every empty space on my Church bulletin each week I am there. Sometimes I sketch people or things but most of the time I doodle. Doodles that are shapes and swirls. I will post the ATC card of the Zentangle later when I get it scanned. In the meantime, If you want to see what they look like, Google the word Zentangle.

Strathmore ATC Trade

I finally broke down and bought some precut Strathmore ATC card blanks. I wanted to do the trade and the rule was you have to buy their prepackaged ATC blanks. Of course for what I paid for them, I could have almost bought a pad of full sheets. I can get 9 cards from one sheet. The prepaid ones have 20 for over $2. They must have had slow sales.

I worked on one card tonight but don't like it for the trade. I will have to make another.

I have been seeing some really good work done with oil pastels. One of the sites is Tanya Bond's website. You can go to her site from my links list. She has some really cutesy animals done in ops. I have no idea how she can get such beautiful work with the ops. I have a set of ops and decided to get some new tools to try and do something with them.

While at Beverlys fabric store, I also found an inexpensive set of ops for under $2. I figure I can practice with those. I bought a couple of embossing tools, a stencil brush, and some plastic blending pencils. I tried a little piece yesterday but plan to further practice with them later.

I joined a portrait sketch trade on WC. I have my person's name who will do a portrait of me and I will do one of her. I believe we have a month to finish. I spent the afternoon taking photos of myself. Out of about 30+ photos, I still didn't really get any I like. I settled on two of them and emailed to her. Hopefully she will be able to use one.

I finished my ATC for the trade on Scribble talk. Nothing going on till January on Toad Hollow Drawing club, and I decided not to do the trade on Drawspace this month. But I still have plenty to keep me busy. The portrait, the scavenger hunts, 10 more Anything Goes postcards, the Out of Africa trade project, and a postcard trade with my plein air art group in December. On that one I have no idea how many I need. A lot of the artists were uncertain if they would participate. I have already given two cards for trade. I have 2 more ready. And then there is Christmas to get thru.....

New Art

I have done two new cards this week. One is a postcard for a trade. The second one is my fourth Christmas card. I think the postcard will be saved for the trade I am doing with my art group. The reference was a plate I bought at the Goodwill Store.

The Christmas card reference was a bell ornament I bought at Michael's craft store. I have 3 of them and bought them mostly for art props.

I still have 10 Anything Goes cards still to do and get mailed. I have one card finished for the Out of Africa trade. And I have to do one ATC for a November trade on Scribble Talk. That one needs to be done soon.

I am still fighting my cold. I couldn't sleep last night. Every time I nodded off I would start coughing and choking. It is scary when that happens. So every time I sat at my desk today, I fell asleep. So tonight I am avoiding going to bed. I don't want to lie down and start choking again.

It's hard to believe that we are almost halfway thru November already. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. And then Christmas will be knocking. Where does the time go?

The Sketchbook Project Exhibition

I signed up for a new project. Surprise. Is anyone really surprised? I saw a post about this project on Jeanette's blog, Illustrated Life in my links area. Is it possible that I don't ever want to sleep? But this sounds like fun and a great opportunity for my artwork to be seen and hopefully enjoyed.

The Sketchbook Project Exhibition

2,000 sketchbooks will be sent out, completed and returned for exhibit in 6 major cities in the USA. The deadline to sign up is 8-1-2009.

These are the smaller brown cover Moleskines

Sign up at www.thesketchbookproject.com


The deadline to send the books back is 2-15-2009. The theme is "Everyone We Know" and can be interpreted however you want.

Still Life Finished

Well I just finished. I have been working on it for several hours.

Top of shelf 1-5

measuring cup

mini rolling pin

something yellow

bowl

colorful rocks in bowl

next shelf 6-9

fruit - apple and plum

silver fake ring

box of staples

tin box of Altoids

left bottom shelf 10

bottle of Primo Cologne

Right top 11-12

shell

person

Bottom 13-14

something brass or gold - hubby's grandfather's bronzed baby shoe

right side back to front 15-19 paint brush was extra

musical instrument

drinking glass

stuffed animal

pitcher - gravy boat

books

left side back to front 20-25

flower

vase

greenery

flower pot

clock

plate - cheese plate I bought at Goodwill

Red shelf 26

I was sitting with a different view than when I took the photo of the set up. I'm pretty happy with it except the front items I lost the perspective. The don't look like they are laying flat. But over all I am satisfied.

New Image

Here is the latest scan of my still life. I like most of it. Not the gravy boat which is a sub for a pitcher. It is too muddy and doesn't really look white. I am changing the glass ice cube for a plum but otherwise leaving everything else the same.

Scavenger Hunt #107

I am host on the Scavenger Hunt for #107. I decided to revisit one of the old scavenger hunt lists. It was #26 and was hosted By JamieWG. You can see her site by clicking her name on my links list.

She also had a challenge that went with the list. It was to take all 26 items on the list, make a still life, sketch it, and then add color. That hunt list and challenge have been my favorites. I wanted to do it again. In fact I have already "hunted" my items, arranged my still life and sketched it, and started to add some color. All that just tonight...well it is morning...2AM.

I hope some of the other hunters will try the challenge. I remember how daunting it seemed to me back then. But I decided to jump in with both feet and give it a try. This time it didn't scare me a bit. I had fun choosing different items this time, and arranging all the things into a pleasing still life is challenging by itself. I also changed to a portrait view. Last time was landscape view.

I'm finished with the rose bud, the mini Altoids tin, and the mini staple box under it. Also the measuring cup and toy rolling pin. Oh and the bottom book. The others just have some color blocked in.

I didn't take a photo of the sketches and my scanner didn't do a very good job. My best scanner is not working and so far I have not been able to figure out the problem. So these are poor scans.

The first is a photo of my still life (I am not working from the photo). The second is my finished sketch, and the third is after some color is added. I did change a couple items from the photo to the sketch. As I have done so much just tonight, looks like I may finally finish a hunt. It's been a long dry spell for me.

The List:

• shelves or cabinet
• vase
• bottle
• pitcher
• fruit
• stuffed animal
• something yellow
• figure (doll or sculpture)
• clock, hourglass or timer
• brass or gold object
• seashell
• favorite gemstone or rock
• books
• box (can be small/decorative)
• a tin (Altoids, cookie tin, etc.)
• bowl
• copper object
• silver object
• flowerpot
• flower
• leaves/greenery
• plate
• cup
• musical instrument (real, decorative, or mini)
• wooden object
• drinking glass

October 31, 1970

This is Bill and me on our wedding day. Complete with big hair, a thick polyester dress that I made and carnations that my mom made. I wish I was still that size. Bill probably wishes the same thing for himself. And he would probably like to have his hair back.

Portrait Exchange

There is a portrait exchange in the Portrait area of Wetcanvas. Here is the link: http://wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=526751

There will be 4 weeks to do the portrait.

Anniversary

Friday I will have been married 38 years. Sometimes it feels like a lifetime and at other times it seems much shorter. It seems almost unreal it has been 38 years.

We met in high school. Were steady dating from the first day. Dated for 4 years and got married when he was 20 and I was 21. It hasn't been a bump free road, and not a dull one. We still like each other as well as love each other.

We started out complete opposites but as time has passed, we have grown similar in many ways. Funny how that happens. But nice because it helps when two separate parts blend together. Less friction.

It is a long story about why we got married on Halloween. Not a planned thing. We had opposition from his parents and at that time, men had to be 21 to marry or have parental consent. They wouldn't. When they finally agreed, we didn't want to wait and the next Saturday just happened to be Halloween.

Halloween is not the most romantic day for an anniversary. Early in our marriage we would go out to eat to celebrate. A few times we were served by Dracula costumed waiters at the place we favored. Now like an old married couple, we stay home and I cook dinner. No bells and whistles but just glad we have been together for such a long time and are still friends as well as spouses. And thankfully I have never seen anyone else who would have been a better match for me.

Sketchcrawl #20

Bakersfield Country Club plant behind a retaining wall.
More landscaping at the country club.
At Green Frog Market sitting in the eating area of the deli. These are plants that peek over the wall that surrounds the eating area.
Still at the market and still in the eating area. The deli case.

Virtual Sketch Date for October

I decided to crop to just one pear. I left my drawing to the last minute again and wanted to finish in time. Also I plan to give this one as one of my postcard exchanges in the project I am in on WC.

I am happy with this one. I used colored pencils and was going to leave it with no background, but it looked lonely on the page. I decided to give it a red background. At first I wanted to let it be a soft background but it just didn't do anything for the pear. So out comes the bold color in me and this is the result.

I hope everyone had a great time this month. I did and also got one more of my trade cards finished. Thanks Belinda for the reference photo.

Please check out all the other artist's versions of the pears at http://virtualsketchdate.blogspot.com/

Christmas Cards

I am making my Christmas cards this year. I did one a couple months ago. Tonight I got two more done. I am using as models some items I bought at Michael's Craft Store. The cards are the reason for the purchases. I also did two trading cards but can't show those yet. They will go in the mail tomorrow. I will show them when they arrive.

Worldwide Sketchcrawl #20

The next sketchcrawl is on Saturday 10-25-08. It is #20. I plan to do something but not sure what yet.

Tomorrow is my plein air day. We are going to Murray Farms. It is a produce stop along the freeway. They have many things for entertainment. A hay maze, petting zoo, wagon rides, a small train for rides, and you can even go out to the farm and pick your own produce. Also many many pumpkins. I will get some good pumpkin photos but plan to spend most of my time with the animals in the petting zoo. Me and the scads of little children. (Schools take field trips there.) Should make for an interesting day. I may need some valium when I get home. lol

Nothing New

I don't have any new art to post. I tried to do 2 different postcards today and failed miserably at both. I just couldn't get the colors right.

Yesterday was art day out. We went to the local zoo/preserve called CALM. Many animals, native plants, and lots to see and paint. I love going there but usually pay dearly with a sore ankle for a few days.

I have several boxes of items I use for props for still lifes, the scavenger hunts, and any other time I need something to draw. I have mentioned my "props" several times in the scavenger hunt threads. Jo Castillo asked to see photos of my boxes. I think she wants validation for her own collection. I know she has a collection of red, white, and blue items, and a ton of blue bottles. You can see her blog here: http://www.jocastilloartblog.blogspot.com/

Under the Sea

Here are the ATCs I did for the Under the Sea trade in the Drawspace Forum. Since I did graphite last time on the safari cards and fish and the sea are colorful, I decided to do these in colored pencil. I bought a ceramic fish figurine with 2 fish on it from Beverly's Craft store, a rubber, squishy dolphin toy from the dollar store, and a squishy puffer fish toy from the dollar store to use as models for some of my cards. I ended up using the dolphin for 6 of the cards. Afterward I thought I should have used it for all of them. Just different angles.

Woohoo

I finished my Under the Sea cards. They are in the envelopes, stamped, and ready to mail today. I finished them last night but needed more stamps.

I went on the plein air outing today. But no one else showed up. I had the place to myself. It was very nice and peaceful. Not too hot, quiet, and I didn't see anyone except one lady who walked by and the gardeners who were across the parking lot.

I wasn't going to take photos as I have been there twice before, but all those blooming rose bushes just called my name. I ended up taking 113 photos. I did do one pictures while there on a postcard. It will either be a trade for my art group or a trade for the Anything Goes trade on WC. I have some tweaking to do first to finish it.

I was at the mission (San Clemente Mission in Bakersfield) for about an hour. I decided not to stay longer as I had errands to do. I got all those done, watched my soap, and was home by about 2 pm. Nice day even tho it was getting pretty hot by the time I got home.

Here are a few of the photos I took today. You can click on them to see them larger.

Under the Sea

I have been working today on some Under the Sea ATCs for the trade on Drawspace.com forum. I have 8 finished. Two were done today and another one went to the trash. I was so disappointed in that one. I had it all done, then decided to add something. That didn't work so tried to erase and messed up the whole thing. I think I have 12 to do in all. Only 4 more.

I was really looking forward to this subject for a trade but have struggled with it. None of them have come out just the way I wanted. After the safari exchange went so easily, I expected more from myself. Maybe it was because this one is in colored pencil and the safari was in graphite.

Holiday Postcard Exchange

I noticed that I had not uploaded some of my holiday dream exchange cards. I am finished with that project and hopefully all have been received. Some have not responded. Here are some of the ones I just uploaded to the project on Wetcanvas. All are done in colored pencil.

Productive day

I worked on a piece for a competition/show for the association that I belong to. BAA or Bakersfield Art Association. The subject for the show is "Valley Scenes". I already had one picture to show. It is the one I did of the old jail from out outdoor museum (Kern County Museum/Pioneer Village). It has a lot of old buildings that have been moved there and refurbished.

The one I did today is of an old school. I stopped and took a photo of it during one of our outings. I knew right away that I wanted to do a picture of it. My scan didn't turn out very good. I will have to take a photo tomorrow in the daylight.

Now I have to get busy and find a frame and get them ready. They have to be delivered on the 4th. Yikes. That's soon. Nothing like waiting till the last minute.

I also have a half done postcard sized picture I'm working on of a goat that lives at the local animal preserve/museum. It has a petting zoo area. The goats are really friendly. They were begging for attention. The next time we go to the museum, I plan to spend most of my time with the goats and sheep. The sheep didn't come up to the fence but the goats stayed close.

Here is a scan of the school picture. In person it isn't that brown on the house. I used some graphite over the picture after the colored pencil was down. My scanner scans graphite as brown. I always have to adjust it in my picture program. But when there is color, can't fix it.

September Virtual Sketch Date

I really struggled this month with the photo. I am not happy with my results, but after adding the background, I can live with it. I didn't plan to do a background but found it needed one. Thank you to Sharon for providing the reference.

Please visit the Virtual Sketch Date link on the side to browse thru all the other blogs and artists who participated this month.

Wetcanvas

I haven't been able to get online to Wetcanvas for most of the evening. I keep getting the database error message like before. I hope it is just a short down time. I was hoping all the kinks were getting worked out.

I haven't done any art today but I did receive two ATCs in the mail today. Just like Christmas. One from Australia, one from Escondido, CA, and one from New Zealand. Beautiful cards. Totally different, but all beautiful.

After too much running around this week, I am resting my ankle for a few days. I still have to do the Virtual Sketch Date piece. Haven't started it yet. But tomorrow is reveal date so I need to get busy. Yikes.

Plein air Day

Tomorrow is plein air day. We are going to a small plant nursery. Those always have a few things to use as subjects. I have never been to this one so am looking forward to seeing what it has to offer. It is still pretty warm here and we are still looking for shady spots. Hopefully I will find some at the nursery.

In the future weeks, we will be going to several new places as well as some previous places. One is the local mission. I'm looking forward to what the plein air outings will bring.

Plein Air Photos

Here are a few of the photos from Wednesday's outing.

Holtby House for Norma

This is for a trade with one of my plein air group members. Some of us have decided to trade artwork. This is the second one I have done for the trade with our group. I don't know how many I need to do as we didn't have a firm count of who will be in the trade.

This gate was in front of the house we visited yesterday. A beautiful house on Holtby Street in downtown Bakersfield. The owners have only been there 4 years but have done a lot of renovations. They have a beautiful mix of the old and the new. Stainless refrigerator and new radio system mounted under the counter, and an old bread box and many other antiques scattered around. A combination that doesn't really detract from the old glamour of the house.

We were allowed to roam thru the two floors and it was amazing to see. Old hat boxes, old children's clothes and toys thruout. But the necessary flat screen tv on the very narrow mantle of an old beautiful fireplace. It did feel like going back in time. An old quilt draped on the stair rail, butter churns sitting on the kitchen floor, an old cleaning machine that looked like a really cumbersome Bissell floor sweeper. So many things to look at and hard to take it all in. Inside and out made for an artist.

In the next few days I will be posting some of the photos I took during our outing at the house. I hope you will enjoy looking as much as I did.

Plein Air Trade

Some of the women in our plein air group have decided to do a postcard exchange within our group. One of the ladies who has been with the group the whole 5 years they have been together, is always bringing extra food to our potlucks and taking photos and sharing them with us. I decided to use one of her photos to do a postcard for her. I'm not sure if she was one who wanted to trade, but if not, I will give it to her as a thank you. I call it "Betty's Trade".

The photo was taken possibly a year ago at the local University (Cal State Bakersfield). They have a program called FACT that takes in wild birds that have been injured or abandoned and rehabilitate them for release back into the wild.

There are beautiful trees, birds in cages, a pond, lots of greenery, and a cactus garden. This photo was taken in the cactus garden.

Bookmarker Exchange

This is a bookmark I did for an exchange on the Toad Hollow Drawing Club forum. I did my bookmark on both sides and decided to make it in a similar way. Here is what I cam up with.