Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to my favorite guy. We have been married 39 years today and the wedding was on a Saturday at 10 am. Nothing planned but a quiet evening at home. The photos above are just before we married, at our wedding, and about 6 months ago.

We met in high school and dated for around 4 years. I have never regretted our marriage or come across anyone else that I thought would have been a better match.

We are pretty much total opposites but have blended as the years go by. I have always been an avid television watcher, and now he is. I was a dog lover, he was a cat lover. Now we both like cats but love dogs. He likes to go camping and do the outdoorsy thing, and I hate it. I have always said "why would I leave a perfectly good house with a tv, dishwasher, and bathroom to go rough it?" But I have no problem with him going with his buddies and leaving me home. I told him after my first camping trip that he could go all he wants, just don't make me go again.

Most of the time we aren't even in the same room. I am usually in my computer/art room and he is usually in front of the tv in the living room. We are not that far away so we usually yell back and forth if we have something to say. We have been known to call the other on our cell phones or send notes by the dog. But to us it is comfortable and we are happy.

So here's to at least 39 more years.

Slow Day

I worked on a couple Christmas cards tonight in cp but don't like either one. So a day wasted. Well I guess not wasted. I can always say these were practice. But neither was good enough to send out or post. I am still working on the second one but not holding out much hope.

Elvis P

A friend's daughter (preteen) is in love with Elvis. I started this drawing around May/June for her. I finally took it out and finished it tonight. Not a perfect likeness but not bad considering I don't use a graph or measuring. Just my eyes. I got the nose area too long. But I think it looks enough like him that she will be pleased.

Scavenger Hunt

Some scavenger hunt items.

Back with more Fruit

Well I went away and did a couple more fruits. An apple and a banana to go with my pear. These are all done with Derwent Watercolor Pencils, waterbrush, and a touch of pen and ink on watercolor paper. I will probably crop them to about 5 x 7 inches.

Watercolor Pencils

I haven't done anything with my wc pencils and water for quite some time. I used to use them with water on all my plein air outings. But lately I have just been doing graphite.

Tonight I was in the tv room (where the computer isn't) and decided while I watched some taped shows that I would play with my wc pencils and water and a pear I bought today. It turned out just fine. I didn't have a preconceived idea of how I wanted it to look. I just started putting color on, water, more color, etc. Maybe I will add a background and frame for my kitchen. I should do a couple or so more fruits to go with it.

Baby Kylie

I did a drawing of my nephew's baby, Kylie. She's almost a month old now. I haven't seen her for a couple weeks. I did the drawing from a photo I took when we were there.

I also finally worked on some sketches for the current Scavenger Hunt which is #150. I have gotten really lazy with the scavenger hunts and usually just get one or two or a page done at the last minute. I need to buckle down and start finishing them again. I need the practice.

I am happy they seem to be carrying on. I was afraid they would dwindle to no one there and just die out. But we have some really loyal followers and get just enough new blook to keep us going. And it is great practice drawing from life. And having a list so you don't have to worry about what to draw.

Woohoo Trades Finished

I finished both of my ATC trade projects today. I did the last two cards for "Pieces". These last two will go in the mail Monday. Now on to something else.

The Portraiture Forum on Wetcanvas started sign ups for the annual portrait swap today. By November 2 we will know who are partner is and can start to draw/paint. I plan to do mine in graphite this time. Can't wait to see who I get. I hope it is someone with lots of character in their face. And if they have wrinkles, I hope they aren't afraid to see them. All my "Pieces" cards gave me lots of practice.

Here are my pieces of Barbra Streisand and Brad Pitt.

The Kreative Blogger Award was given to me by Jo Castillo. She has been a wonderful art friend for the last few years. I have had a great time getting to know her and following her travels and family life. Thanks Jo.

Here are 7 things you might not know about me:

1. I was born with my feet straight out to the sides and had to wear a brace for the first year after I was born. My feet were corrected perfectly until I had my motorcycle accident. Now they still point forward but are not in the best alignment.

2. My mother was 15 1/2 when she married and 16 1/2 when she had me. They married in July and I came along the next May. By the time she was 21, she had my two brothers who are 11 months apart and I was 4 and a handful and a half. Glad it was her and not me.

3. I am a really picky eater. I don't much like meat. I eat more chicken breast and very little beef. I just don't like the taste or texture. Can't stand seafood and don't like fish. I can eat Halibut (but who can afford it), Orange roughy, and Salmon but would rather have something else.

4. I was married on Halloween Day 1970 to my second boyfriend in high school. I was 21, Bill was 20, and the preacher was 23. This Halloween we will have been married 39 years (after 4 years of dating). We lived on the same street but he lived on the 8400 block and I lived on the 4200 block. His mother and I were at the same bridal shower when I was in high school and he and his father picked her up. I don't remember any of them.

5. Growing up I was painfully shy thru high school. After I met Bill, I was able to get over it some. I still feel that trembley feeling I had back then but now I don't let it rule my life. In fact I go overboard the other way now. When I would walk into a room, I felt like everyone was looking at me. Now I feel if they are looking, let them look.

6. My first job at 19 yrs old was at Bank of America. I ran a proof machine that was older than dirt. It didn't have a minus key. I had to learn an old-school way of subtracting with it that the ladies there called 9ing out. You added back in amounts to all the numbers to make each total 10 and zero out. I loved running the machine but hated working there.

7. In high school I never had an art class. I studied to be a secretary. Learned bookkeeping, typing, shorthand, and French. Later I took accounting classes. My jobs were always something to do with numbers (I like things to do with letters better like word games) and I am not good in math. I was good at accounting as I love to find lost pennies but terrible in math class. I never did work as a secretary but can still understand some French, can still write some shorthand. Still type. And was an Accounts Payable clerk in my last job so accounting was used.

Well you get me started and I don't know when to shut up. Now you know way too much about me and probably more than you wanted.

Two More

Two more fall/winter cards I finished this morning. I have a Santa that I got at the Goodwill and a snowman who came from Dollartree. More of my inspiration props.

Santa and Snow are two more things we see in fall/winter.

New Art Blog

I made a new friend last year on the Wetcanvas Portraiture Forum. Her name is Roxie Real. We were both in a portrait swap around November 2008. That was my first time and Roxie and I were chosen to do each other's portraits.

Roxie has an art blog. The portrait of me is on her blog. Stop and take a look thru her work here.

I'm looking forward to the swap this year. I don't know exactly when it will post but I am getting anxious. Ready to put to paper the practicing I have been doing with face parts.

Knitted Fingerless Gloves

My friend Sue from Australia sent me a pair of fingerless gloves that she knitted. That was in May. I decided to draw the gloves for her art card for the Fall/Winter Trade. I thought it fitting that since she sent them to me, I would send them back to her but in a different way. She said she cracked up laughing when she saw the card.

Here is the ATC of the mitten and also 3 more of the Fall/Winter ATCs. "Uggs and Rain Boots", "Time Change", and "Christmas Ornament".

Elvis and Penny

Here are two more of my "Pieces".

Thank you Rose

Thank you to Rose Welty for helping me with the links. I knew it had to be something simple but I just wasn't "getting it". You can view Rose's art here.

Yusuf Islam AKA Cat Stevens

I worked on the older version of Cat Stevens last night. I took a critical look and found a few things wrong with it. I have them listed and will work on them later. But I thought I would show what I have done so far.

You can see the original photo here.

Young Cat Stevens

Here is the younger Cat Stevens. I can see some problems. Also the scan isn't showing the shading on the face. It just shows the darker values. I don't like his hair. I am having to look at more than one photo as the one I am using, his hair on top doesn't show. He had some wild, unkempt looking hair then. Dark and kind of curly but not combed. Mine is too even.

I will leave it for now and work on the older version. Maybe after I finish that one, this one will show me what I need to do to finish it.

Original photo here:

Cat Stevens

Did or does anyone listen to Cat Stevens music? I really like his music and have for many years. I was sad when he quit his career to become a Muslim and live a spiritual life. I don't blame him for wanting to get out of a business that has a wild lifestyle with travel, over indulgence, drugs, etc. And too much money. But I would miss his wonderful soothing voice.

Well now he is back singing again. An older, more softer, singer even when he sings his older songs. I really don't mind the change in his voice. In fact it is just as good as it once was only in a different way.

His name now is Yusuf Islam and you can hear him here. If you want to hear him as he was when younger, there are many more videos to choose from. I like the Creation song and Moonshadow.

I am drawing two pictures of Cat Stevens. One of him as the younger Cat Stevens and one as the older Yusuf Islam. I have the younger one started and look forward to seeing them finished. They will each be 4x6 inches.

Saturday Night

I made a good salad tonight. I don't usually eat salad as my stomach doesn't like it. Not worth the suffering usually. I used hearts of Romaine lettuce, chopped tomato, large chunks of bell pepper, can of black olives, dice red delicious apple, bacon bits, leftover chicken breast from last night, and Ranch Dressing. Yummy.

I am working on a postcard sized piece of one of the stuffed animals in my dogs' collection. It has been chewed and is dirty and not fully stuffed but still really cute. I did a drawing of it in a position that I like. Now I am trying to figure out what I want for the background.

He looks like he has fallen so it will need to have a fence or curb. I made copies of the duck card and did some practice putting different things behind him.

Here is the original and the page of trial backgrounds. I tend to like the 3rd one but still not sure. If anyone has another idea, I'd be glad to hear it.

Nothing New

I haven't done any art in the last couple of days. I did do another fall/winter card but haven't sent it yet. I thought I might wait a bit to show it. It is Christmas Cookies. What is the winter without Christmas Cookies.

I spent part of the day cleaning the room we call an office. It has a desk and my crashed older computer. Also all my art supplies. But I haven't been "arting" in there since the computer crumpled. I moved what I use most to the "other office" where the working computer is. It's also the room where the two birds are.

I was cleaning the office because I need to do some mending on my clothes. I made room to set up my sewing machine. Now I just have to get myself in there and do the mending.

I need to work on my Bible study questions. I am having trouble with them this time. They are a new style study and I am having difficulty getting my head wrapped around this new study. It is for 6 weeks I believe and out of the first 3 nights, I have already missed one. Not a good thing.

I have been really enjoying the new season on tv. So many things to watch and I'm watching a lot. Our tvs here go 24/7. At least one does. In the daytime, I have the one on in the living room and the computer room. The tv is my "noise". I don't like to have the radio on. I listen instead to the tv. At night one runs all night in the bedroom. As much for the light as the shows. I don't sleep well with it off.

I have always been a tv watcher. I watched all thru school while I did my homework. Mom couldn't complain as I got good grades. I even watched a really snowy screen when that was all I had. It was a station from Los Angeles that just barely came in with our rooftop antenna. I loved watching the late night movies on that channel.

Well enough babbling for tonight. Hopefully there will be artwork tomorrow.