Cactus Monday

Here is my first cactus for Cactus Monday. I didn't try to do a realistic one. Just played with some color. It is colored pencil and pen and ink. No reference used and ATC size.

Finger Lickin Good

I finished my dog with the tongue and posted to the WDE on Wetcanvas, but as soon as I did, I started lifting the color off. I took off as much as it would allow. I have gone back in with some more color but I don't think it is going to be worth salvaging. I may go in again later but for now I will put it away and go on to something else.

I joined a new Flicker site called Cactus Monday. I will now draw a cactus of some sort each Monday and post on my blog. I will probably make do some succulents in place of cacti but I think of them in the same line. Here is the site in case you want to view: http://www.flickr.com/groups/675483@N20/

Not Quite Sure

I'm not quite sure what breed of dog this is. I found the reference on Wetcanvas by Sabarika. I like the way the dog looks so regal. Loved the coloring. This is the one I was working on yesterday and had given up on. But this morning I took another look and decided to press on. I didn't life off much either. Just reworked it. Maybe I was just at that ugly stage and couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Colored pencil work is like that.

I am at that stage with another dog portrait for the WDE at Wetcanvas. This a reference by Lisilk. A dog from the Bahamas called Zipper 2 after her own dog Zipper. That one I have done sketches and drawings of about 5 times.

This is after about 2 hours. I will plug on and finish it but wanted to get a scan of it at the 2-hr stage so that I can post it on the WDE. I don't time myself as I am up and down and let things steal my attention. So my work is not a steady two hours. But I pretty much know how long I have in the picture.

I started coloring with cp before I finished the drawing. I am not sure if I will leave it as a partial portrait or add the ears and the rest of his face. Just depends on how the mood strikes me.

Nothing New

Nothing new to post today. I have been working on a small piece of a dog profile. The first session came out ok. I thought it looked ok. But today's session was a bust. Nothing was turning out. I'm not sure I have enough scotch tape to lift off all I would have to lift to save it. I will probably throw it in a drawer and maybe one day take it out when I need more torture.

My cold is still hanging on. I went with my art group on Wednesday. A private home on a ranch along the river. Very nice and peaceful. A little breezy in the shade and hot in the sun. I sketched in the sun and then retreated to the shade for the last hour to just sit back and enjoy the area. The nice sound of the river, the birds, and rustle of the trees.

We had a very nice potluck sack lunch. The hostess was super nice and gracious. And a fun time was had by all. I think we had about 8 people there.

Next week I will have to miss. The area is more rough terrain and I have a disability that makes it hard for walking on uneven ground. I have to pick and choose my areas to participate. The following week will be another home on a ranch about 45 minutes away. There will be uneven ground there too but hopefully I will find something close to catch my interest. And we will have access to a restroom. I just hope I can find someone to ride with as I don't look forward to the drive alone.

Here are a couple of photos of the area near the river where we "played" this week.

Hubby

I did a quick drawing of hubby. I didn't try to get shadows as I was just going to use it for a colored pencil piece. I transferred it to another piece of paper and tried the colored pencil but it didn't turn out very good. It was ok for a learning piece. But my transferred outline got off. His left eye and everything on that side was moved out and down. So at least I didn't lose the line drawing. And it does look like him.

I received this award from Joan. I do appreciate that she follows my blog and we get to have fun in the scavenger hunts. She is a wonderful watercolor artist who paints just about every day. And mixes that with her love of the ocean. Beach day for her is every day in summer. You can click on the link and visit her blog at the links list on the right. Thank you so much Joan.

Nothing New

Not much new. No new art except some scavenger hunt items which I haven't yet scanned. I am not feeling very well. I think I have caught a cold. And today was the first day of spring. Nice beautiful warm sunny day. Rain and stormy weather predicted for the weekend. Quite a swing from almost summer to almost winter in a short span. No wonder I have a cold. The body doesn't know how to react to such drastic changes in weather.

More Games

Two more of my memories have arrived. Two games I played a lot. One with family and one with my mom. Our family even played dominoes on Christmas and other holidays. A game called "Shoot the Moon". Mom and I played pickup sticks.

Zentangles #2, 3, & 4

I worked on some Zentangles tonight and one while at Church on Sunday. They are all done with Prismacolor fine line markers. The black is .03 and the red, blue, and brownish color are .005. I had some brainless fun with these while listening to television tonight. I will use them for trades if one comes up.

Tommy

My husband's sister and her husband have a cat named Tommy. He is a very lovable cat and loves to be petted. Problem is, if you stop, he will nip your leg or hand. He doesn't want you to stop.

They inherited Tommy. Leon's dad had Tommy and another cat. when he passed away, they inherited the two and their household was stuffed with 6 cats. They are now down to 3. One really mean one, one shy one, and then Tommy. He's the only one I ever get to see.

Tommy was fed very sparingly by grandpa. He didn't want him to get fat. Tommy when he came to this home, could never get enough to eat. So they felt sorry for him and now he is a really fat baby. Funny thing is the "parents" are health and exercise nuts. This is their second fat cat.

I decided to do a cp portrait of Tommy. I think this turned out pretty good. His "parents" think it looks like him. And that is the point to make them happy.

I used colored mi-tienes paper about 9x11 inches in various brands of colored pencil.

Aprons

In the 50s and 60s a lot of women wore aprons a lot. My mom always seemed to have on an apron. So one of my memories cards is of an apron. She wore the plainer type apron with gathers and a waistband that tied. A lot of the time they were made from gingham fabric.

Checkers

Checkers was one of the board games my family played when I was young. It was easy enough for young ones and fun enough for older ones. Here was a postcard I sent to signchick in Oklahoma for the Memories trade.

Also the card I sent to Pennsylvania. It is paper muffin cups. My mom did a lot of baking back then. She would make something like cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, cookies, or yeast rolls, and when we would get home from school, the house smelled of the luscious baked goods. She also would take these cups and fill them with goodies like chocolate chips, nuts, and shredded coconut as a treat for us.

Freedom Gone Bye-Bye

Well I didn't last long being trade free. I signed up for Drawspace's March trade. Music/musical instruments. I have already finished 6. So far I will need 12 but the sign up hasn't closed yet. I am doing something a little different. I won't spoil it yet. When they are finished, I will post them all here.

More of my Memories cards have arrived at their destinations. Paper dolls, plastic pop (snap) beads, and a card from an Animal Rummy pack of cards. The paper doll is reminiscent of the Betsy McCall paper dolls that were in the McCalls Magazines. The beads were pull apart beads you could make longer or shorter necklaces or bracelets. And Animal Rummy was probably the only card game I knew back then. So easy for even younger kids to do.

Red to Gray

My Friday is getting old. Her face is getting more and more gray. Photos of her make her look completely white in the face. My baby is 10. Still in good shape except for a few things she has had a problem with most of her life. No hip problems which I'm happy about. Her breed is known for bad hips. When she wags her tail, it looks like she is making a u-turn. She wags her whole back end. I was so worried about that if she had developed hip problems.

Friday is such a pretty girl. I have done many art pictures of her. She is a red Golden Retriever and very tall and thin. Most of her life she has been the most hyper dog I have ever seen. Even her veterinarian could hardly believe she was so hyper and for so long a time. Even spaying her didn't calm her down much. She is much better as she gets older but that hyperness is still in her.

I worked on this picture of her yesterday and today. I thought I was finished last night but really wasn't satisfied with it. I removed some of the color using scotch tape and a moldable eraser, then started in again. I still find it lacking something, but I can live with it now. I don't think any more work will make it better. I will call it a lesson learned. Various colored pencil brands on Bristol Smooth 6x6 inches.

Pug Finished

I finished my little pug. The reference was provided by puglady on Wetcanvas. This is 6x6 inches on Strathmore Bristol Smooth using various brands of colored pencils.

Dog Breed - Pug

On Wetcanvas in the Animal and Wildlife Forum they are doing threads for dog breeds. I'm not sure how long each lasts, but each new thread features a different breed. It lists the show standards and characteristics, then posts some photos for use, then anyone can post their versions.

I haven't joined any of the threads yet. I intended to with the first which I think was a Mastiff. They have also had Irish Setters with some beautiful photos. I will probably work on one of those eventually.

But today I worked on a pug. I had to look about 4 pages back in the forum to find the pug link. Here it is: http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=547518. I am doing the puppy with the rubber ducky in his mouth. I just can't pass up the level of cute in that photo.

I have made a couple of scans as I work. Here are the first two.

Hip Hip Hooray

I finished my Memories trade. Now to get a new roll of stamps tomorrow and mail the 10 envelopes waiting. I feel such a relief getting them finished. I was ready to finish this one. Now I am debating whether to join the Drawspace ATC exchange of music/musical instruments. All that gorgeous wood and brass is calling my name. I still have a few days to decide and sign up.

Colors

All of my memories art cards have been very colorful. I have enjoyed doing them in the many colors. I am sure most of the things that I remember were not so colorful. It was a simpler time and we didn't have so many choices of items or colors. And it seems to me that the colors weren't quite as bright. The advertiser's probably didn't have the competition they did then, and surely they didn't have the graphics and things they have in this time span.

I remember the first time I went to Disneyland. There is a Cinema Round theater there. It moves around a stage and can show you different time spans. I believe back then that the first stage showed really early times and a kitchen like it would have been in the pioneer days with the fireplace to cook. Then it moved to the next stage where progress had been made. I can't remember how many different stages we saw, but the last one was the house of the future.

I can't remember much about that house of the future but not many years later, that particular attraction was shut down for repairs and revamping. The house of the future had already arrived and probably had become house of the past.

These days I don't think they could keep up with that kind of attraction. Things change just too fast. It would be like a computer. You bring it home and it is already too old. Almost overnight.

Well here are a couple of cards that have arrived.

3 More Finished

I finished 3 more of my memory cards today. 7 more to go. I have all the envelopes addressed and ready to go. Now to get the cards in them. Two more arrived at their new homes. I will try to post them tomorrow. One is a candy necklace we used to buy as kids. We wore them around our necks and could take a bite any time we wanted. The only problem was, if you weren't careful, the necklace would get really sticky.

Drawspace will be starting their March trade soon. I would like to participate but not sure I can. It will be music/musical instruments. I think that would be a good one to practice. All that wood and brass.

Busy Weekend

I have had a busy weekend. A busy art weekend any way. I have finished several art cards and they will be mailed tomorrow. I only have 3 more African animals to do, and I'm moving quite rapidly thru the memories. I am really enjoying the memories as well as doing the artwork for them.

Here are the latest two African animals to reach their new owners.