Jeanne Grant

Scavenger Hunt #256 Finish

2012-02-10T00:24:00.001-08:00

Watercolor, pen and ink, and Conte white pencil.

Scavenger Hunt #256

2012-02-07T21:42:00.000-08:00

A new list has been posted for the Scavenger hunt. I have my still life setup with 18 of the 26 items. Now ready to do the sketch. My friend Tberry said these would get on her last nerve but to me they are fun and challenging. Choosing the items to fit the list, getting them arranged in just the right positions to look good and balanced, doing the sketch which is probably the most difficult part, and then the painting.

The Virtual Paintout - Elba, Italy

2012-02-05T18:58:00.000-08:00

I haven't been participating in the Paintout for quite awhile. So this month I decided to have a go at it. I found a few prospects but decided on this one. You can see the original that I used on Google Street Map View here.

This is about 8 x 10 inches with watercolor, colored pencil, and pen & ink.

Groundhog Day

2012-02-02T22:38:00.000-08:00

Today would have been my husband's 62nd birthday. Today and most of the last few days have been very pensive for me. I have thought of things from the past. One more date (the date he passed away) to get thru and I will feel better that they are all past and then I can breathe.

I did my yearly self-portrait. This one I did for the latest Scavenger Hunt. Last year I did a half of my face to represent that half of me was missing with the death of my husband. This year my face is whole again. I'm not great but moving into the future and a new normal.

Scavenger Hunt #255

2012-01-30T19:59:00.000-08:00

This is 21 items from the current scavenger hunt on Wetcanvas. We are on hunt #255. And here I worried about getting to #100. We've come a long way. I plan to do the other 5 items on the list this week. I have plenty of time as the list was just posted today.

The remainder of the list is:

landscape
fingers
a portrait with a challenge to do a self-portrait
above your head
Below your feet

Those should be findable.

Another Multi-Item Still Life

2012-01-29T23:17:00.000-08:00

I set up another still life with some of my many sketching treasures. I get the urge to do one of these every so often and just have to give in to the urge.

Watercolor, wc pencils, pen and ink, and some Conte white pencil. It's about 8x10 inches on Arches Watercolor paper.

"Ducks in a Row"

2012-01-27T21:38:00.000-08:00

Here is my latest painting. It is called "Ducks in a Row". It is watercolor, watercolor pencils, pen and in & Conte white pencil. About 8 1/2 x 11 size. The reference is by Anne Kelly and used with her permission. I overworked the ducks a little but couldn't seem to get them the way I wanted or the color I wanted.

I fell in love with Anne's photo of these little ducks. She had several views of the ducks including some of them walking thru tall grass. I find it so cute and interesting when I see animals all lined up in a row. Or a line of them looking at the camera.

I have finished all my trades until the new one for Feb is posted on Drawspace. Now I can play a little. I have been in a slump for about a week or so but with this painting, hopefully that slump is over.

I cruised thru Google Street Map view and found a few candid photos of people that I would like to paint. Also some sheep and cows (in a row) that I would like to do.

Mom's Baked Goods

2012-01-18T09:38:00.000-08:00

Some of my cards for the project on Wetcanvas called "From the Past" have arrived. Here is the first one.

"Mom's Baked Goods". My mom used to bake a lot when we were kids. Back then most moms did. I remember coming home from school many times to the smell of baked yeast rolls, or cinnamon buns, or cookies. My husband's mom worked and he never experienced this memory. So after we were married, I made sure if I baked, I did it right before he was due home from work so he could smell them as he came in. The smells of baked goods gives me a feeling of "I'm home".

3 Weeks and Counting

2012-01-14T22:24:00.000-08:00

I still have my cold. Three weeks now. I sure wish it would go visit someone else. I feel pretty good one day and the next I spend in bed sleeping. Today was a sleeping day.

I have been working on my Doors project. I finished the From the Past trade and they were mailed out yesterday. 4 of those included a "Door" card as well. And I now have 4 more door cards finished.

I am having trouble with the Door project. I can't get motivated. Even though I have finished 8 cards, I was not particularly happy with them. I'm not really enjoying the process. I guess I will have to start some other piece of artwork to get my art juices flowing.

I have a photo by Scattykat of some cows that is interesting to me but so far I haven't been moved enough to start it. I still need to start my yearly portrait of my husband. And I need to do a self portrait. But none of those is quite what I need right now. I don't even know what I need right now. I keep looking and hopefully soon I will find what I don't even know I'm looking for. Does that make sense? Maybe not but in my scattered mind it does.

There was a new scavenger hunt list posted today. That I need to get started on. I have found out in the last few hunts that if I start them right away, and do several at once, it works better for me. Before I was waiting till the last couple of days and just getting one done before the end. The last 2 or so hunts I did about half the items. Feels good too. I need to start doing some kind of sketching every day to get back into the habit. One can never have enough practice.

So "cold" go away or find someone Else's back to climb on. I have invested enough time being sick. I need to be ill free. And please don't come again for a very long time.

From my Back Yard

2012-01-09T19:03:00.000-08:00

Drawspace's January trade is for "My Back Yard". Here are the cards I did for that trade.

I have finished my "From the Past" cards. Still have to scan and get them mailed. And I am in another trade with Wetcanvas for "Doors". We did a Windows trade some time back.

I haven't started that one yet but hope to soon. I haven't found any "doors" that knock my sox off yet. I have been cruising thru streets on Google Street view but no luck yet.

I still am trying to get rid of my cold. I'm so ready for it to be over. I am still fuzzy headed, blowing, and coughing. I'm only doing whatever has to be done and letting everything else go. It looks like my living room had a dog toy explosion.

I am getting a lot of reading done. I have the Kindle App for my Ipad and can get free Kindle books quite often. I probably have between 100-200 saved. It helps to have plenty to read without having to pay for them. And I am finding some new authors that are really good.

I'm trying to keep my gas/electric bill lower so am staying cold a lot. I also don't like to be all bundled up as I feel too bulky and have trouble accomplishing anything.

Two Weeks

2012-01-05T12:42:00.000-08:00

I have had this cold for 2 weeks. I am ready for it to go away. I still feel all fuzzy-headed. Still going thru lots of kleenex. Still coughing and gagging. What a wonderful way to live.

No artwork has been done much. I did the scavenger hunt items in the previous post. I did one "From the Past" card. And I joined yet another trade. This one on Wetcanvas is for "Doors".

We did a "Windows" trade a few months back. So now it is doors. I have cruised thru a few towns on Google Street Map but haven't found anything to really inspired me. Will look again soon.

Also signing up is happening now for the latest Drawspace trade, the January one, with a theme of "In your yard". And these have to be finished in a month. As the month is passing fast like the years these days, i need to get going. But I seem to have the blahs.

I do have an itch in me to do a larger piece. I think something in the landscape line. Not sure why. I do like landscapes but they are not my favorite subject.

It's also time to do another self portrait. I have only done one since my husband passed. I like to do one a year. And I have decided to do one painting or drawing of my husband once a year around the anniversary of his death. That will be coming up soon. Maybe I will do it for his birthday on Feb 2nd.

I'm struggling to get thru a trying time for me during the year. Our Anniversary (Oct 31), Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, his birthday (Feb 2), and then the anniversary of his death (Mar 29). I will be glad with those once again behind me. Then I can breathe again until the next time.

Scavenger Hunt #251

2012-01-01T23:18:00.000-08:00

Some hunt items I sketched today while listening to an online sermon.

Almost a New Year

2011-12-30T00:03:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted as I have been in bed with a cold. Have felt very yukky. Feeling like I might live but still not over it. Hope to get some strength back soon. No artwork done and nothing exciting here, just reading, sleeping, and blowing my nose. Ready for that to end.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T06:13:00.000-08:00

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone!

I spent Christmas Eve with my nephew, his wife, and their 2 yr old. Great fun watching a 2 yr old playing and opening presents. We had wonderful tacos and rice. So nice that Cece is learning to cook. Doing a great job too.

And then on the way home, I went to my church's Candlelight/Communion Service at 9 pm. Such a nice way to finish up the night.

Now I'm on my way back to bed to get warm, to read, and maybe even a little more sleep.

Remember the reason for the season.

Me and my Portrait

2011-12-16T16:47:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of me holding the portrait that my portrait swap partner did for me. His name is Dave (or Journeyman from Wetcanvas). I took it to our plein air group lunch and painting today and they all loved it. Sorry for the unclear photo. I had one of the ladies take the photo and we couldn't tell it was blurry on the camera.

Dave's Portrait

2011-12-12T10:01:00.000-08:00

Dave's portrait from the Annual Portrait Swap on Wetcanvas has landed in Wales. I received a photo of him holding it. I will ask for permission to post it here. He was happy with it and the two sketches I did as preparation for the painting. Both were sprayed with fixative and signed so he can frame them if he wants. He liked that I sent it with a mat. Since a lot of people don't know that the watercolor paintings need a mat, I don't like to leave it for them to do. Then I only have to tell them to frame it with a frame that includes glass.

I'm so happy the portrait made it safely to him. The one of me that he did is in the mail. I look forward to seeing it in person.

I have finished everything I had on my list of "to do" things. Things that had to be finished before Christmas. Nice to have those things pretty much off my mind and shoulders.

I even finished my Sketchbook 2012. I hope to post it in the mail today. Nice to finish up that too and get in the mail. And I am a month early.

Now off to scan the pictures in the Sketchbook 2012 before I pack it up for mailing. And of course it's almost time for my soap opera. Life is good.

River, The Dock Diving Dog

2011-12-01T23:57:00.000-08:00

This is my latest pet portrait. My groomer/friend's black lab River. This is her Christmas present. Watercolor, pen and ink, and a touch of white Conte pencil. 11x14 size on watercolor paper.

Bye Bye Bakersfield, Hello Wales

2011-11-29T17:24:00.000-08:00

Dave's portrait will be leaving here tomorrow. Not sure how long it takes to get to Wales but hopefully before Christmas. I sent both graphite sketches and the watercolor so he will have plenty to look at when he opens it. It was so nice of him to ask me to trade with him. I still haven't heard from the other partner so he apparently isn't going to trade. At least now I will get a portrait in exchange. I would mail the other partner's to him but don't have his address.

I took my 2 plein air paintings to the Art Assoc. gallery yesterday. The show is for plein air artists who at least did part of the painting outside. It is ok if they finished it in a studio. The reception for the show is on Friday evening.

Now I need to get busy with a couple other Christmas gifts which will be paintings. I know what I want to do, I just have to get them going.

I sketched several more celebrities for the Art House Sketchbook 2012. Tom Selleck (as he is in the new show "Blue Bloods"), Claudette Colbert who has been my favorite actress since I was in grade school and saw one of her movies, Sean Connery (my favorite actor), Bill Cosby, and and Cat Stevens the way he looks today. tom Selleck is getting color put to his face now. I only have a couple more on the covers and the book will be finished.

I'm posting some photos I took at a local park a couple of weeks ago. I love watching the ducks and geese. They are so comical.

Dave Finished

2011-11-26T23:55:00.000-08:00

I just finished Dave's portrait. Several times I thought I had lost it and would have to start over. I am happy with the finish now. I didn't plan to add the blue in his hair but I am glad I did. Watercolors on Arches Watercolor paper. A little pen and ink and white Conte pencil. 11 x 14 inch size. This will be getting mailed to the UK.

Dave's Portrait Update

2011-11-26T19:12:00.000-08:00

I have started to add the color. I'm probably not finished working tonight so maybe another update or two.

Dave Start

2011-11-26T15:09:00.000-08:00

This is the drawing of my Wetcanvas Portrait Swap Partner. Since I had not heard from my other swap partner, Dave volunteered to do a second and swap with me. I did one sketch and worked it to death. Couldn't quite get his eyes after much erasing. So I decided to do a little basic outline transfer of a few vital details and then went to work. This one is much better. I have it transferred to watercolor paper and will get started today on the watercolor.

Here are the first and second sketch. I will have to ok with Dave before I post the original photo. Or you can go here and see it on the Wetcanvas Portrait Swap Thread.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

More to come.

Bailey

2011-11-21T08:02:00.000-08:00

I met Bailey at a local obedience show. Her owner, Sue, won a silent auction prize for a pet portrait from me. I just finished packaging up the portrait to send on its way. It was such fun getting to meet Sue and Bailey and taking my own photos. And a pleasure to paint such a beautiful dog.

Scavenger Hunt #246

2011-11-20T13:10:00.000-08:00

I did 4 of the Scavenger hunt items this morning as ATCs. They are available for trade.

#1 it pivots - it's a tiny little kitty whose head swivels and it is maybe 1 1/2 inches tall
#2 something on my fridge - refrigerator magnet
#3 fits in my palm - A little clay animal I bought last week at Goodwill store
#4 with a crack in it - my hand with wrinkles/cracks
#5 sugar bowl - another Goodwill purchase I got a couple weeks ago. Just last week found another piece of the same set.

And I think it is a miracle that I was the first to post. I am usually about the last these days.

I did finish the doberman that was a commission for a silent auction at a dog obedience show here locally. I can't show it yet but I am waiting for approval from the owner and permission to post it. I am happy with the way it turned out and hope that she is too. To me, it is finished. Just needs my signature.

I still have one more silent auction portrait to do but the lady hasn't decided yet which pet. It will probably be her now deceased horse. I will contact her soon and get started on hers next.

Hitchcock

2011-11-15T23:31:00.000-08:00

My latest in my Sketchbook 2012 Project book. Alfred Hitchcock.

Nickels Ranch

2011-11-12T13:16:00.000-08:00

Working on the plein air painting I started yesterday when out with my art group. This one and the one from Majestic Palms (the statue) will be in a plein air show at Bakersfield Art Association in December. We went to Nickels Ranch yesterday which is beside the Kern River. Nice day except for the wind and the tiny, irritating flies.

I am taking photos as I work but haven't uploaded any of them yet. I have darkened the background trees and putting the color on the trunks.

November Drawspace ATC Trade

2011-11-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

The signups haven't even ended but I got busy last night and this morning and finished the 5 that I need at the present time. If no one else signs up, I'm done.

"What I'm thankful for" is the theme and these are the reasons for my cards:

My hand for my marriage that lasted 39 years
Baby Kylie my great-niece (not a good likeness but....) for family
Teddy bear for friends
Art supplies for getting a gift from God for using and having them
My Bible for being able to worship my God freely

Barney Fife

2011-11-03T01:34:00.000-07:00

Don Knotts as Barney Fife. I'm glad the sketchbook is getting done. Next up is Alfred Hitchcock.

Half Pint

2011-11-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

Another face finished for the 2012 Sketchbook. Melissa Gilbert - Laura Ingalls - Half Pint from "Little House on the Prairie".

Coffee with Cream

2011-10-31T12:25:00.000-07:00

My painting "Coffee with Cream" is now hanging with 12 others at Dagny's Coffee shop downtown in Bakersfield.

Sketchbook Project 2012

2011-10-25T23:19:00.000-07:00

I finally started working on my project book for the Art House Co-op. It is due in January. I changed the paper to watercolor so don't have as many pages to fill, but at least I can use watercolor.

My theme is "I Remember You". I am doing celebrity portraits. So far I have Vickie Lawrence as Mama Harper from Mama's Family, Elvis which is not my best but I seem to have trouble with Elvis, and the latest Lucille Ball. I am working on Melissa Gilbert as Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie.

A list of other celebs will/may be Ron Perlman, Cat Stevens as he looks today, Andy Griffith as Matlock, Barney Fife, Shemar Moore, Michael Landon, and maybe even Michael Jackson.

Since I am actually sketching them from scratch using no grids or outline transfers, some look more like their celebs than others. I am not trying to get a carbon copy but just a general likeness. If I make a hit, that is good too. Drawing directly on the watercolor paper is a little harder than smooth paper but I wanted to do the sketches directly to the book.

On the cover I decided to do something different. There is an old song called "I Remember You". I have printed the lyrics out and will fix that to the front cover.

It took me awhile to figure out how I wanted to go with my theme. I'm sure I had an idea when I chose that theme but I am going in a totally different way from my first thought. Now that I have made my decision, it is going smoothly. I have several photos saved and am anxious to get on with the next one.

Adella

2011-10-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

I went out with my plein air group today. It was my first time in a very long time. We went to a Nursery/Statuary/Landscaping place. I decided to paint one of the statues they have there.

In person it is a very clean, pretty white with wonderful gray shadowy areas, I couldn't get the grays just right so I used a blue and gray color. Some mixed, some not.

This statue had the name Adella. I don't know where that comes from but it does seem to fit. I keep wanting to add some pen and ink or graphite on top to give it more definition, but I don't want to ruin the softness of her. This is just about as loose as I paint. I do much better with detail.

Autumn Leaves

2011-10-13T00:27:00.000-07:00

We had another person join the Fall Trade at Drawspace. I will stick her card in the mail tomorrow.

Drawspace October ATC Trade

2011-10-08T00:35:00.000-07:00

The ATC trade for October at the Drawspace Forum has the theme of Fall. I finished my cards tonight.

Coffee Time

2011-10-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

Odd title for one who doesn't drink coffee. I love the smell and hate the taste. I have tried for many years to get past the bitter taste. Sitting with a cup of coffee on a cold day sounds great...until I get that bitter taste in my mouth.

But this coffee will be on paper. Our local art group (Bakersfield Art Association) is having a show at a local coffee shop. Theme of course is coffee. Coffee cups, breakfast, people drinking coffee, pretty much anything if it has to do with coffee.

Well I wanted to put a piece in the show and finally came up with an idea that I like and would suit my style. I am working on it but can't share until the actual show
is over. It doesn't have to be there until October 31st, so I still have plenty of time. I don't have too much more to do to finish. It is 11x14 in watercolor.

In the meantime, I am donating a gift certificate for a pet portrait to a local dog show. It will be auctioned off as one of their prizes. So I don't know yet what I will be painting. A little exciting but a little scary. I will go to the show for a couple hours and take some of my artwork and some business cards. Maybe drum up some more business. And get to see some beautiful dogs and wish I could bring them all home.

Pet Portraits by Jeanne

2011-09-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

I have a new website for doing pet portraits. You can visit it here. The first 10 people to visit the site and email me the name of my cockatiel will receive one of my bookmarks. Please include your postal mailing address in the email.

Please let me know that you saw my visited my site from here.

Tennis Player

2011-09-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

I did a watercolor painting of a tennis player for a young couple who were getting married. I know you think that is a weird wedding present. But I gave the bride a choice of subject, colors, size, etc and she didn't come up with anything.

At her bridal shower, I found out they were going to New York to watch the tennis open competitions on their honeymoon. and they got shirts with one tennis player's name on the front. So not knowing if the two names were two different players or one since I know nothing about tennis players, I Googled.

Here is the painting I did for them.

Zeb

2011-09-19T13:50:00.001-07:00

Here is Maizzie's man friend Zeb. Another ATC in mixed media of watercolor and colored pencil. Reference was a second figurine I got at Goodwill Store.

Maizzie

2011-09-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

I just finished this little ATC of Maizzie. I bought 2 figurines at the Goodwill store, a male and a female. Maizzie is done from the female. This may be used for the still life trade but I'm not sure yet.

That Was Quick

2011-09-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

Wetcanvas is back online. Yeah!!!!

Wetcanvas

2011-09-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

It seems that Wetcanvas Forum is offline since last night. I can't log on and I know they were having some problems in several different areas.

The reference library was one. I'm not sure what that problem was. I am a guide on the New users area and I have not been able to post there for a couple months. And then there is the Project area. We have had problems posting new projects, can't upload our finished images, and for over a year now we can't post any information about our images. So hopefully they are fixing some of this.

I didn't see a bulletin stating they were going offline. I wish they would let us know by email or something. But hopefully it won't be forever.

Almost Bye-Bye September

2011-09-17T01:24:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast this month is flying past. And like magic, Christmas is just over the horizon. It seems that only days ago it was January and I was teasing people that Christmas would be here before you know it. And here we are.

I have bought one Christmas present so far. No surprise who the recipient is. My Grandniece Kylie. So much fun to buy for a 2 year old. At this age they still like just about anything they get. the gift cards will start when she gets hooked on brand name items. I'll let her parents pay for those.

Kylie's dad was easy to buy for when he was small. He like me loved looking at office supply stuff. so I would just buy him a lot of stuff like that and wrap each separately. He didn't really care what was in the packages as long as there were a lot of them. I gave him a choice early on whether he wanted one big present or a lot of little ones. He chose the many little ones. Now he gets gift cards as I have no idea what he wants.

I did one ATC for the new Still life trade on Wetcanvas but can't show it yet. The trade is still signing up people and hasn't really started yet. I just happened to need a scavenger hunt item that fit in with the theme of the project. So no artwork to show today.

Here is a photo of my 3 dogs standing "guard" in the front yard. From left to right: Jo, Dizzy, and Penny.

Jazzy (Jazz)

2011-09-12T23:04:00.000-07:00

My neighbor/friend's dog Jazzy passed away about a week ago. They don't know what was wrong; just found her dead in the yard. I will miss her very much. She would lie on the side of their storage building and watch my dogs play.

She was someone's throw-away puppy. She was about 6-8 weeks old and abandoned out in the foothills. Left to die or be eaten by coyotes. Some people are so cruel to leave an innocent little puppy all alone like that.

My dog groomer who is also a neighbor and her husband found the dog and brought her home. They gave her to the other couple. It was the weekend of their wedding anniversary and they had reservations at the coast they didn't want to lose. So Kathy asked if I would babysat.

I had Jazzy from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. She loved it here with my two dogs. One of mine wasn't so happy and spent the whole weekend running from a very playful puppy.

After that, if Jazzy happened to get out of her yard, here she came to my house. I can't even remember how many times I had to call Kathy to come get Jazzy. That happened for about a year.

Jazzy was a special dog. So sweet and Kathy said she never tore up her toys. They still have everyone she ever got. My dogs tear theirs up in about 10 minutes.

So I decided to do a portrait of Jazzy for Kathy and her husband. This is on an 8x10 inch piece of watercolor paper. The actual face is about 4x6 inches. Done in watercolor, a touch of colored pencil, and white Conte pencil.

Kathy is making a shadowbox frame with Jazzy's collar and some other mementos and will ad the painting to that.

Goodbye my sweet Jazzy. I will miss looking across the yard next door and seeing your sweet face looking back.

At the Fair

2011-09-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

September ATC trade at Drawspace is "At the Fair". I decided to do my cards with quilt patterns. There are always lots of quilts on display at county fairs. These are done with mixed media of watercolor, colored pencil, marker, and/or pen and ink.

Scavenger Hunt #236 Framed

2011-09-07T14:24:00.001-07:00

Here it is framed.

Scavenger Hunt #236

2011-09-04T23:37:00.000-07:00

The Scavenger Hunt this time is a rerun of an earlier one. This is the 3rd time I have done this one. The 26 items are supposed to be put in one still life.

Here are photos of my work. First is the graphite sketch, then the inked sketch, the finish with color, and the setup.

It is 7 x 14 inches and done with watercolor and mixed media on watercolor paper. I planned it to fit in a frame and mat that I bought at the Goodwill Store.

And here is my list of the 26 items. From the Left:

Plate
fruit (apple tin napkin holder)
Wood (bird house and stick)
box
brass (pencil sharpener)
books
greenery
copper
vase (penguin Vase)
music instrument (angel holding instrument)
White pitcher
statue (chicken)
shell
rock (under shell)
silver (initial B with a pearl I got for Christmas -necklace)
yellow duck
cup holding duck
Purple bottle with cork
blue glass
gold poppy (fake)
green striped flower pot
stuffed animal bear
white bowl under flower pot
tin box
timer
shelf under all

More Animal ATC Trade

2011-09-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my grandniece Kylie's 2nd birthday. The time is passing so fast. Nice food and company.

Here is another of my ATCs for the Animal Trade on Wetcanvas. This squirrel was done in mixed media with mostly watercolor.

Art House Co op

2011-08-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

My second book has been digitized at the Art House Co op site. You can click here http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif to see it. This one was required to be over 50% written.

Animal ATC Trade

2011-08-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

When I first started the animal trade, I worked and finished 5 cards right away. Then before I could get them mailed, one was missing. I never did find it but I have my suspicions that my Mini Schnauzer Dizzy ate it.

Dizzy likes to eat paper. In fact she sits and waits for the envelopes from the mail. If I am cutting paper for the cards, she is sitting there waiting for the scraps to fall. She chews the paper and even eats it. So I figured odds are that my goat (er...dog) ate the card.

Well fast forward to the card I did last night. It was from a photo I took of a dove sitting on a wire in my back yard. I felt like I finally got it just right and put it on a table with the envelope waiting until I scanned it.

I went to the computer to check email. When I went back to the living room, I happened to see the envelope on the floor. Panic attack..."oh no where is my card?" I jumped up and there was paper sitting in front of Dizzy. It was my card. All mangled. A little of the watercolor paint missing. The lower half of the card bent and crumpled. I grabbed it and put it in my Moleskine sketch book with a heavy tape dispenser on top for weight hoping I could save the card.

Well the card is in one piece. No holes from teeth. Still a little crinkly but still nice enough so I mailed it today. The only thing it did was make the wing look more 3-D. I hope the recipient doesn't mind that she got a special card that my Dizzy helped me prepare. A one-of-a-kind (hopefully).

Animal Trade

2011-08-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

Two more of my cards have arrived at their new homes. Both are done in Mixed media.

Retriever Puppy

2011-08-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

Here is the second ATC for the Animal Trade on Wetcanvas. This was sent to Alabama to geminisinger. It is watercolor, pen and ink, and Conte pencil. The reference was one from the Flicker photo account of Just Chaos and used with permission.

A Chicken Has Arrived at It's New Coop

2011-08-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

One of my ATCs have arrived at it's new location. It is a chicken I painted from a little ceramic one I have. In fact I have a pair. I have 5 other cards in the mail. I tried to mail some of the ones that had to travel the farthest. And of course another problem with posting at Wetcanvas.

I am a WC Guide and several things in the forum don't seem to work for the guides. I can't post in the New User forum which is where I am a guide. I can't start new projects in the project area. And now I can't upload my card images to the Final Images area. It's a pain. Now I won't have my cards all in one area for everyone to see and comment.

This little chicken/rooster is done with watercolor, pen & ink, and a little white Conte pencil. It is 3.5 x 2.5 inches.

ATC Animal Trade

2011-07-30T23:42:00.001-07:00

I signed up for the new project on Wetcanvas with the theme of Animals. I have worked on and finished 3 today. If all the spots are filled, there will be 19 for me to do. I don't really have a plan on what I want to do. I did print off some photos but whether I use them, will depend on what mood strikes me. I have done one bird, one giraffe, and one ceramic rooster. I am unable to show them as they haven't been sent to the new owners yet. I will post them after they receive them.

My friendly Scrub Jay had not been around for a couple weeks but did finally make an appearance. It was a "touch and go" visit. He came with a friend, said his "ain't" call a few times, then flew away. Just letting me know he was already. So I figure he is having a family.

I worried about his when he first disappeared. I was afraid that he might have gotten too tame and someone hurt him. But after his visit, I feel better. I now know he is ok. And if he doesn't come back, that's fine. At least he came back to let me know he was till around, just busy. And I have a wonderful, sweet memory.

Long Time No Post

2011-07-26T20:55:00.000-07:00

I think this is the longest time I have not posted. At least for a long time. I just haven't done any art that I can post. I did one for a wedding gift but I did it from a photo that wasn't mine so I won't post. It was of a tennis star. The couple is going to the tennis open back east on their honeymoon. Now that's a tennis fan.

I joined a new project at Wetcanvas. Theme "Animals". Right up my alley. My favorite subject.

I have been productive. I got some yard work done that had been waiting for several years. Getting rid of junk that was just stacked around. Still have some stuff to toss but I don't have a pickup so can't haul it away. I am in the process of cutting some of it up and putting in the weekly bin. I have to do it a little at a time as I still have weekly trash from the house too.

Yesterday I rearranged the living room furniture so that I could do some art in there. Plus I went to Walmart and Target to find a blender that they advertise on tv. The Magic Bullet. I got one and have been making fruit smoothies. They are delicious and points free. And it gets more fruit in me. Haven't tried a vegetable one yet but plan to eventually.

"Fluffy" not Fat

2011-07-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

I just finished this one for the Wetcanvas WDE (Weekly Drawing Event). Photos this week were provided by Just Chaos. She lives on a farm in KY, and it is one of her critters. This is done on 150lb Strathmore Watercolor paper in one of those Visual Journals. Watercolor with a little White Conte Pencil for highlights. About 9x12 inch paper.

High Wire Act

2011-07-05T00:09:00.000-07:00

I previously posted some photos of some pairs of dove that like to sit in my dead apricot tree and the wires in my back yard. When my dogs are inside, they sometimes walk around in my backyard. Here is a watercolor painting of one of them. The total size of the painted area is about 5x7 inches.

Painting of Taz

2011-07-03T15:33:00.001-07:00

Here is the watercolor painting I did of Taz. I couldn't resist his beautiful face. The watercolor paper it is on is probably 11x14 inches and Arches.

Taz

2011-06-30T23:21:00.000-07:00

I was at the groomer this week and one of the groomers had a new puppy. A chihuahua named Taz. He is a powerhouse of energy. He had a new toy. A golf ball, and I got to watch as he tried to catch it as it bounced. He bounced every time the ball did. Sooooooo cute. He isn't much for posing tho. He doesn't stay still long enough.

Here is Taz.

Back in the Day

2011-06-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

I joined Wetcanvas forum in 2006, the same month I started this blog, and when I got more serious about my art. Before that I did some drawings of friends, their relatives, their pets, and friends of theirs. But they were more like line drawings.

After I joined Wetcanvas, I learned so much and found out how much improvement can be made by drawing every day and from life. It has been a wonderful experience.

I thought you might like to see some pre-2006 sketches from me. And these aren't the earliest of my drawing experience. I even have some of those tucked away out of sight. I doubt I have ever thrown many of them away.

In fact when I oil painted in the 80s, I couldn't draw. I had to trace a picture of what I wanted to paint onto the canvas. Even as a child, I would sit in front of the living room window and look out at the rain and try to draw> It seems like the drawing urge always came when it rained. But frustration with what I produced, had me putting my pad and pencil away until another urge hit me.

About 1994 I went to work in an office full time. I stayed there for 10 years. It was too hard to oil paint after that. It was too time consuming, we lived in a smaller house and there was no place to hang the paintings for them to dry (not water soluble back then), I had no where to leave everything out, and the clean up was just too time consuming.

So I turned to a pencil and paper which was always available in an office. I would draw on my breaks and lunch time. It started with me doing my animals and relatives. Soon I had others offer photos for my practice. I never charged. I didn't think they were worth money. I used them as practice.

One lady had 3 kids and I sketched their school photos every year. That helped me judge whether I was getting better or not. Then some of the ladies started asking for photo copies of some of my wild jungle animals to frame for their houses. I was pleased to provide them and I still gave them freely.

Then I wanted to do better and found information about using a grid. I ordered one and from that day my people started looking more like the people with less stress and effort on my part. I was stuck using a grid until I took a "From Life" lesson on Wetcanvas by Katherine Tyrrell. From that day forward, I have never used a grid again. Not that I have anything against them. I just didn't want to be confined by them. That class gave me the confidence to sketch from life, go out in public to sketch, and improve my drawing skills.

Eventually people started asking when I would start using color. I had no interest in it for quite some time. Then I wandered into the world of colored pencils. That opened up another love for me.

Now I find myself in the middle of watercolor painting. I had been wanting to paint again for about a year. I bought water soluble oil paints, acrylic, gouache, and watercolor. The smaller sets that weren't too expensive. Plus all the stuff like brushes, etc to each medium. And they all sat in a drawer for months and years.

Now I am doing watercolors. I am enjoying watercolors. I am really enjoying the fact that I can fill the space a lot faster than with cp. I am learning a lot day by day by not reading about it or taking classes but by doing it. Seems to be the best way for me. I don't like to follow the "proper" rules. I can't save my whites. It's probably because I started as an oil painter. So I have to find a different way to get my whites. I'm not unhappy about the way I paint watercolors. I kind of like doing things my way. It has always worked for me in life and at my age, I'm not likely to change now.

It's just like with graphite. I don't do perspective. At least the "proper" way. I just don't get it and refuse to make my love of art become a chore for me by doing it someone Else's way. It doesn't bother me if the perspective on my buildings are not just perfect. Lots of buildings sag and don't keep the perfect perspective. Phone lines don't stay snug tight. The water line is not straight. So there are few things I measure. Even with faces, I use my eye to get the pieces where they belong. I don't really measure except using my eye. It works for me.

Here are two sketches from an old sketchbook I found when cleaning out some cabinets. The one of the birds was done while sitting at my mom's kitchen table looking out at her bird feeder. You can't really say the birds are drawing from life as Hummingbirds don't pose. You just have to catch a glimpse of their outline and go from there.

On the people, you can see where I was trying to use lines to follow something I had read. Sure didn't help my sketches.

Kati & Her Dad

2011-06-24T06:07:00.000-07:00

I liked the reference for this one because the dad has a quirky look on his face. Kati's teeth didn't turn out as good because in the photo she had braces on. I figured she wouldn't want them in the photo as she now has a wonderful smile without them.

Bill worked with my husband and besides being coworkers, they were friends. Both truck drivers working for the same company. Both Christians.

At my Bill's funeral, Bill S was one of the speakers. He is a "country boy" with a nice outlook on life. In a time when road rage is the norm on the highway, Bill S in a traffic situation will just raise his arm and say "God Bless You".

Kati is his daughter and soon to be married. I found this photo on her Facebook and liked the quirky look on her dad's face.

This is the latest painting in my people sketchbook. I don't really like the way it turned out. I can see many flaws, and I think it turned out looking more like a caricature. I was striving for realistic. But it was another way to practice people and watercolor and every painting is a lesson learned.

Lady on a Beach

2011-06-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

I did this one today while waiting for a pest control tech. This is from a reference on Wetcanvas by onefineprint. Another for my People Sketchbook. This one is on the same page as my couple walking on a beach. Watercolor.

Gabby

2011-06-19T23:50:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest person in my "People" sketchbook. This is my nephew and niece's niece. This started out as watercolor, then became a mix or mess. It has watercolor pencil, colored pencil, white Conte pencil, and pen. I don't like how I did her eyebrows. Kind of messed them up. Hers are really erratic but the pen made these look too choppy. I should have had more patience with them. But another lesson learned and another "people" accomplished.

Happy Blog Anniversary

2011-06-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

Today is the anniversary of my blog. I would have forgotten except someone posted a Happy blogaversary, and I am so grateful for the reminder.

I started my blog on 6-19-2006. I was trying to make a comment on Katherine T's blog and couldn't until I had my own blog. So voila, here it is. And I have been happily posting ever since.

Katherine had posted that a good percentage of new blogs don't make it past the first year. So stubborn as I am, I determined that I would make it. My blog has acted as sort of a therapy for me thru some trying times. Plus I have met and made some wonderful friends from all over the world. I am happy to say the adventure has been well worth the effort.

Hopefully I will continue for a long time to come sharing my artwork, my adventures thru life, my trials and tribulations with my artwork, my joy at being alive, my gratitude for the many friends, and the gift of my faith.

Hoppy & Morgan

2011-06-14T00:25:00.000-07:00

This is my latest "people" painting. This is a friend's Uncle Hoppy and his wonderful boxer Morgan. I see them once a year at a barbecue. They go everywhere together and are devoted to each other. Both are wonderful.

Watercolor from two different photos I took at the barbecue about 2 years apart. This is in my "People" sketchbook but I will probably tear it out and mat and frame for Hoppy.

Worried

2011-06-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

I did another painting for my People Sketchbook. I took the book with me to my hair appointment and did the graphite sketch in the 20 minutes I had to wait. Then after grocery shopping and, the trip across tow, the putting away, and eating, i finished the painting part.

This was from one of the photos on the Wetcanvas WDE for 6-10-11. Photo was provided by Eyepaint or EP as we know her on the Scavenger Hunts. She titled the photo "Worried". When I posted mine on the WDE, I listed it as "Worried" My Way.

More People Study

2011-06-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

More studies in People in my "People" sketchbook. This was from a photo I took while on a plein air outing.

Minor League Finish

2011-05-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

I finished the painting of the young baseball team. It's ok. Not exactly what I wanted but not supposed to be a frameable piece. I need more work on some of the faces next time. Some look like they have foundation makeup on. Oh well. I did what I wanted to do.

#1 I wanted to do multiple people
#2 I wanted to do a difficult sketch
#3 I wanted to practice watercolor

So I accomplished what I set out to do. Now on to the next

"Minor League"

2011-05-31T16:05:00.001-07:00

I worked a bit more on my drawing today. I may just touch it up a little and start with some color. Today I had a harder time getting things lined up just right. In fact I had to erase quite a few times this time. Not as happy with this part as with the first part but hopefully the color will take care of anything out of whack.

Sketchbooks with a Theme

2011-05-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

I have put in an order for several sketchbooks. I plan to start several theme sketchbooks. One I have already started with the theme people. They will be from photos or Google street maps. The ones on Google street maps won't have faces but I can get some good gesture practice.

I did one EDM of some Amish women working in a field. I liked how it turned out. then I did one of two people walking on a beach. I will post those soon. In fact I need to upload the finishing sketches for the EDM. I finished those early.

I also hope to do one sketchbook with animals. I do know I will continue doing the EDM items. I will go back to the list and start with number one. I bought a couple more of the books I did the May EDM in. I will continue the rest of the items in those. I think there are about 300 items on the list and I have only done 31 (101-131) so I have quite a few to do.

I will also start the Illustration Friday soon. I have list of those prompts saved in a Word Document. There are many of those also. But soon we will probably have the triple digit heat and I won't want to do much during the day but sit under the cooler and fans. Lots of time for artwork.

I am still following my Weight Watchers Online program. I started May 1st so it has been about a month now. I have lost 9.8 lbs. Now a new problem. Clothes that don't fit. Always some kind of problem develops. Too soon to buy new as I don't know where I may stop. So for now I go around in loose tee-shirts and baggy pants. I am thankful for the loss of even the 9+ lbs. I was getting way too heavy. Now if I can just keep it off.

I have dieted all my life. It ended up being yo-yo dieting. After a big loss, I would gain back double or triple what I had lost. Well I finally decided that it was not helping me any so just stopped dieting. But as I get older, I gain any way. So it was time to do something. I sure do miss those chips tho. And spaghetti and french bread, casseroles, pizza, KFC, and my Sunday brunch out with friends of a waffle, hash browns, 2 slices of bacon, and toast.

Jojo

2011-05-25T21:11:00.000-07:00

New member of my family. A rescue poodle I got today. She's a toy poodle and weighs 8.6 lbs. Here she is before and after her haircut. I took in a whole dog and came home with a half a dog. lol

More EDM Sketches

2011-05-24T00:00:00.001-07:00

I got started on my EDM for today and didn't know when to stop. I now am ahead for a few days. I only have 5 more to do. I have enjoyed doing these sketches every day. Maybe I will get another sketchbook and start with the first EDM and work my way thru them all. I had intended to do them but had never gotten around to it. Another one I would like to work my way thru is the Illustration Friday Topics. I will eventually do those too but not sure I will start those until I get caught up with the list of EDMs.

I got a call this morning from a friend. She had taken the day off work and wanted to go to lunch and then browsing at the Goodwill Store and Big Lots. I found a couple little things at Goodwill but several at Big Lots. I got some new foldup chairs for outside. They have a side tray that pops up to hold something to drink and will hold art supplies. These will be perfect for sketching outside in my yard. So now I have one in the front and one in the back.

I also found a nice fold up table in my husband's camping supplies. I have it set up and in the garage ready to drag out for art time outside. It is about 3 x 3 ft.

I had my monthly fall Sunday. I fall just about once a month or two. This time was out in the back yard and in the dirt. Well the dirt isn't as soft as the carpet so I scratched up my elbow. Plus today I found a hard bump about an inch and a half near my elbow. I am sore all over. It kinked my back as well as caused my bad ankle and knee (the one with the knee replacement) to be sore. Lower back is sore on the left side, Right arm hurts when I have to reach. I didn't much like falling on the dirt. My preference is the softer carpet.

Catch Up With My EDMs

2011-05-23T23:56:00.000-07:00

Birthday

2011-05-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday. I was 62. My nephew Stephen and his wife Cece took me out to lunch at Applebees and to a movie "Something Borrow". It was a nice treat as I had not been to a move in probably 10 years. And I had not been to Applebees. Of course Stephen had to tell them it was my birthday so I got the embarrassing birthday song by the staff and a small ice cream sundae. Even more embarrassing is eating ice cream all by yourself.

Scavenger Hunt #223

2011-05-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

I'm host of the scavenger hunt on Wetcanvas this time. I combined items from several previous hunts. One challenge was to do a still life using as many of the items on the list in the still life. I got 11 of the 26 items.

I really like doing the items this way. My favorite hunt was one Jamie hosted way back when. It gave a list of 26 items that were to be found and put in one still life. The computer desk I had then, had a shelf on top that was the right height, and I used that to set up my items. It was so much fun.

I re-posted that hunt many months ago and not sure anyone did the challenge but I did again. This time I used a smaller shelf with little sections. I really enjoyed it the second time also.

Another time I did a still life of many items on my own. Just found some nice items (and lots of them). Put them on a shelf and drew, then colored them in colored pencils. The one today is all watercolor with a touch of white Conte pencil.

EDM 117, 118, & 119

2011-05-17T11:33:00.001-07:00

I couldn't post my last couple of EDMs for a couple days but, here are all the ones I have finished.

#117 - Round

A little ceramic chick that I found at the Goodwill Store.

#118 - Hair

Uncle Hoppy, the uncle of one of my friends. I think he is in his 80s. He comes to my friend's yearly barbecue. That's where I met him and enjoy visiting with him yearly. He is quite a character and he is followed around by his faithful boxer Morgan.

#119 - Rocks

These are a few little rocks I found in my back yard.

EDM #116 - Green

2011-05-16T02:10:00.000-07:00

The EDM challenge for the 16th is "Something Green". I went a little overboard. My green is pretty much all green. But what can I say? It was a green plant (rubber tree plant) in a green pot.

I prepainted the yellow for the background. I did that for a couple of other future pages. I am ahead of schedule as I already have the one finished for the 17th.

EDM #115

2011-05-14T23:52:00.000-07:00

I did a substitute for EDM #115. Instead of a shopping cart or basket, I did a folded shopping bag. This one I got at the 99 cent store. I carry about 10 bags in my car. One place I shop gives you money credit for using your own bags.
I met a friend at Walmart today and we shopped there and at the Goodwill. I won't tell how much I spent at Walmart as it was way too much. But my total at Goodwill was a whopping $1.50.

At Walmart I needed a new mouse for my laptop, ink for the printer, zip bags, laundry soap, sodas, and a list of other incidentals. You know how those add up when you toss them in the basket. Seems like everything runs out at the same time.

After a year, I still haven't gotten used to getting only one check a month and having to stretch it. All those years I was married, we got a pay check weekly. When I worked, we both got paid different weeks, so it ended up being one a week. And the last job hubby had, he was paid weekly. If one check was a little small, or we overspent one week, there was another coming the next week. Well it's not so easy waiting for a whole month. Hopefully I will get used to it before much longer.

I'm still trying to follow Weight Watchers online program. I don't really like it but I needed something structured to make me do it. My problem is that I would rather skip the food and eat all my points in Weight Watchers ice cream. Before I stated this, I rarely ate ice cream. So that show how deprived I feel.

I hate dieting. I have dieted most of my life. I had finally reached a point where I stopped dieting. It was bad for me to lose and gain all the time. But lately I have gotten so heavy that something has to give. I'd rather it not be my body exploding because it is finally stretched too tight.

I can't exercise because of my leg and ankle problems. I can't eat salads because of a stomach problem. I am a very picky eater. And I am the kind of person who "if I can't eat what I want, I just don't want to eat" and have to force it.

So I am doing it, not liking it, and getting more crabby by the day. Tonight about 11 pm, I could almost smell some kind of food. I couldn't tell what it was but I wanted some. (It was in my mind as there was no cooking going on). Well in the freezer were 2 Nathan's hot dog weiners. I heated them in the microwave, poured mustard on them, and ate all but the 2 bites for the dogs. And enjoyed them a lot. Usually I won't eat a hot dog without bread or a bun. Didn't stop me this time. Luckily I still had some weekly points left over for the week (Sunday starts the new week) that I won't be using. So I should be ok.

Sunday...the start of my 3rd Weight Watcher week. Yuk!

EDM #114 - Ugly

2011-05-14T01:34:00.001-07:00

Today the item listed was Ugly --Something you find ugly but keep around for sentimental reasons. Plus journal about it.

This is one of the many chewed items in my dogs' toy box. Some have ears missing, noses chewed, no eyes, tails or legs missing. But I keep them because to my dogs, they are still fun to play with. In fact there are probably more "broken" toys than unbroken ones. And there are 2 toy boxes overflowing. What can I say? I am a sucker when it comes to my dogs. I love how they react when they get a new toy. They even try to go thru all bags that come into the house looking for new toys.

More EDMs

2011-05-13T15:40:00.001-07:00

EDM #110 - Something With a Flame

2011-05-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

My husband was a truck driver and brought this home. He picked it up at a truck stop on one of his jobs. It is a little cell phone lighter. It even flips open and has a screen and some number keys. A little too cute for being a lighter. It would make children want to play with it. Even really young children. The piece sticking up when pushed down, starts the flame.

EDM #106-109

2011-05-10T00:31:00.000-07:00

For #107-109 I got behind. Caught them all up today. That's what an all day Saturday barbecue will do to you.

EDM #105 - Scissors

2011-05-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

My EDM #105 is scissors in watercolor with colored pencil, white Conte pencil, and pen. It is done in my 4x6 inch watercolor sketchbook.

I decided to get this done early today. I hate putting them off until the end of the day as the time seems to pass too fast, and I don't want to take a chance on not finishing one each day.

I didn't go with my art group today. I planned to but just couldn't get myself up. One of my medications is no longer covered on my prescription plan, and my body is protesting. It is an anti-inflammation pill that I have been taking since about 1995. I had a motorcycle accident in 1994 and had surgery. I almost lost my leg but instead got a plate and 6 screws just above the ankle. The anti-inflammation was for that.

Well since I haven't been taking the med, I have realized how many areas it was also helping for my arthritis. Today when I woke up, I felt like I was 100 years old. Everything hurts. I finally took some over-the-counter pain meds and hope they are going to help. I'm still not walking very well and still feel the pain.

My Back Yard

2011-05-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

I decided to paint in my back yard today. I enjoyed being outside with the dogs and doing some painting. This is the raised flower bed that runs across the back of my yard. Behind the fence is another level of yard that really doesn't get used.

The plant in the pot is my tomato plant with many blooms and quite a few small tomatoes on it. A couple of the plants back there including the ivy on the right, were plants from my husband's funeral. The plants with blooms are geraniums. The largest one and part of one of the others have pink blooms but they look more red in my painting. And there is even an asparagus fern in there. Since I can't get down on my knees to work in a ground level flowerbed, this one is perfect for me.

One of the ladies in my art group does some painted (fake) mats on her paintings. She does the "mat" first and brings them dried to our outings. Hers are really beautiful. I decided to try a similar version. This scan shopped off most of one end so I cropped it in my Picture Viewer on the other side to match. In person, all edges have the same size color "mat".

More Waterbirds

2011-05-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

More water birds have flown in to their new homes today. A Yellow-Billed Stork, a Double-Crested Cormorant, and a Black Swan. All in watercolor, wc pencil, cp, pen and ink, and white conte pencil. Wetcanvas RIL references.

EDM #103 - Exercise Equipment

2011-05-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

Here is my EDM Challenge for today. Exercise equipment. I bought the Zumba exercise tape a couple months ago and 2 of these were with it. I had to take if from the box as I have never used it. Oh well. It is exercise equipment and the list didn't say it had to be used.

EDM Challenge

2011-05-02T22:38:00.000-07:00

I am doing a month of EDM challenges. On the EDM list, the ones I will be doing are 101-131. Here are my first two. #101 Bar of Soap and #102 Power Plug.

Two New Birds Have Arrived

2011-04-30T19:36:00.000-07:00

Two more of my water birds have made it to their new homes. A Slimbridge Duck and a Saddle-billed Stork. Both done in watercolor, watercolor pencil, pen and ink, and maybe a touch of white conte pencil. Both are 4x6 inches in size.

Water Project Card

2011-04-28T00:50:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday.

2011-04-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

Photos from my raised flowerbed in my back yard taken with my new camera. Click to see larger photo. (Original size of each is 5.92MB 4320 x 3240 Pixels. I like my camera but they wouldn't upload that large). The plants are Geraniums and the bird is a Dove sitting in my dead apricot tree.

I spent a quiet day at home. I worked on two more cards for the water trade so they will go out tomorrow. That leaves me 7 more to do I think. But another trade (May) starts on Drawspace and of course I'm signed up. They are really small trades now. But the theme is Budgie Birds or around here we call them parakeets. I had one that died just a few months ago named Freebie.

I still have to finish up my Art House journal and get it in the mail. May 1st will be here before you know it. Then it won't be long before my birthday, and along comes June when my blog anniversary will happen.

Tomorrow begins a new week. Our art group goes to an artists garden a few miles to another town. I have been there twice before and it's beautiful. She had the best poppies and poppy pods. Plus some little still life-like scenes scattered around many other gorgeous plants. She designed it and she and her husband did the whole area by themselves. And she is such a gracious hostess when we visit. I'm looking forward to it.

As far as I know I don't have any other plans except buy some groceries. I am trying to keep my car trips at a minimum and do everything at once since the price of gas is so high. The last time I looked it was around $5.25 a gallon. Takes me $40 to put 3/4 tank of gas in my car and it keeps rising.

Have a nice evening.

More "Water" ATC Cards Soon

2011-04-22T01:47:00.000-07:00

I completed 5 "Water" trading cards and mailed them this week. As soon as they are received by their new owners, I will post them. All are sea birds and postcard size on watercolor paper.

I have also been working in my Art House Co-op Journal book. It is supposed to be mailed by May 1st. I still have a few pages left to do, but I am slowly getting there. I may have to find the glue and glue some pages together if I don't get busy.

I joined the newest project from Art House Co-op last night. It's for 2012 and I have plenty of time for this one. I chose my topic or theme, paid for my book, and now waiting for it to arrive.

The theme I chose for this one is "I Remember You". I plan to do portraits. People and animals. They said on the website that they listened to participants and have better books this time with thicker pages. Thankfully no more tissue thin paper with bleed thru.

I haven't decided for sure, but I may decide to do this one in graphite. I miss graphite. I do know for this one I won't be using watercolor. Depending on the paper, I might use graphite on some and colored pencils on some.

Hopefully I will get my new completed pages of the Art House journal scanned so that I can post them on here.

2nd "Water" Card

2011-04-16T22:31:00.001-07:00

This is the second card for my Water Project. Watercolor, watercolor pencil, pen and ink. This one is headed to Texas.

Water ATC Trade at Wetcanvas

2011-04-16T00:22:00.000-07:00

We got the address list for the Water ATC trade. I finished one card, a swan, and sent it off to Canada. I plan to do some waterbirds on this trade. Not sure if they will all be waterbirds but some will be. This one is postcard size and done with watercolor, watercolor cps, and pen and ink from a reference in Wetcanvas' RIL>

And More Art House Co-op Pages

2011-04-07T11:35:00.001-07:00

New Pages from Journal

2011-04-07T11:24:00.000-07:00

I have done a few more pages in my Art House Co-op journal.

Drawspace ATC Trade for April

2011-04-07T00:42:00.000-07:00

The April trade at Drawspace had only 4 people again. I got the address list yesterday and did my 3 cards last night. The theme was "As Time Goes By". Now I only have the Wetcanvas trade to work on. Theme is "Water".

Today Is The Day

2011-03-29T12:09:00.000-07:00

Today is the first anniversary of my husband's death. Not a good day for me but one I look forward to having behind me. Now all the first year things are past and I will put on my armor to handle the second year one day at a time.

For today, I plan to go shopping for framing supplies, groceries, and bring some KFC broiled chicken home for dinner.

For you, please hug your loved ones and tell them how much you love them. No one is guaranteed a tomorrow. God bless you all.

Bill Finished

2011-03-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

It's not perfect, but I do know when to stop before I mess it up. It is him so I'm calling it finished. I did add some white Conte pastel pencil and a touch of colored pencil.

Bill in Watercolor

2011-03-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

I am doing a watercolor portrait of my husband. I wanted some practice with a portrait in watercolor and what better subject than a face I know so well. It's not finished but I think I am getting there. Nice to see his face come out of a blank sheet of paper.

Nothing New Today

2011-03-23T04:36:00.000-07:00

Nothing new to show in the art department. Today I worked on my Bible study questions for tonight. One more night to go next week and they will be finished until Sept. It has been a very nice study. The Book of John and such a good study to do just before Easter.

There won't be an outing this week with the art group as rain is predicted. I hope to start something new tomorrow.

I did sign up for a new trade on Wetcanvas. It is titled "Water". It will be easy to find things for that title. Many possibilities. I'm not sure what direction I will go with the theme. I have time to think about it. There are already 12 people signed up out of the 20 allowed.

I am now officially a "texter". I had never learned to do it and my phone is one without a keyboard. Sooooo slow. But my friend Teresa has a problem with her arm/neck and can't get on the computer. So to keep in touch, I had to bite the bullet and start texting. Now I have something else to keep me busy. One is texting and another is keeping track so that I don't go over 1000 messages which is what I signed up for. I have it figured down to how many a day before I would go over. Thankfully I'm nowhere near doing that many. I may end up with stubs for fingers tho.

Sammie

2011-03-21T01:19:00.000-07:00

This is Sammie one of the two dogs from next door. She and Bonie wait at the fence for a treat each night. She isn't quite a year old and full of energy. Bonie is afraid of the camera so I guess he won't get a painting. Watercolor, pen & ink. 4x6 on watercolor paper.

Sheep

2011-03-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

Here is my last ATC for the Wetcanvas Project. I have enjoyed doing the cards but as usual, I am glad to get finished.

I have a couple things I want to do. One is the Virtual Paintout. I haven't participated for several months and I want to get back to it. I have been cruising around the towns/countries but just haven't taken the time to paint any of the shots I have saved.