Days 2, 3 & 4...

Here are my ink only sketches for days 2, 3 and 4... (because Jessica wants to know);)

Some collected seashells...
 




















Petey at my feety...

 

This day I used colored, water soluble felt pens, and added a wash (2nd photo)

Memorial weekend musings

Over a month and not a post... I'm truly sorry to any of you who actually check! ;)  I think I likely have no true followers at this point.  But just in case, I am alive and well and busy!  Lots of things have transpired in this month plus... finishing up my first year of drawing classes, our youngest son's return home for the summer from College in NYC, the shower (at my home!) and wedding of our dear friends daughter, play dates with the grand-darlings, our 32nd Anniversary so much more.  Here are all the pages in my 'square a day' sketch diary since the last one I posted (in February!) as proof of my doings. 12 weeks worth!  (Enjoy the super lazy, therapeutic chronicle, just for fun art! Start one yourself, and let me know you have ;))

Thought I'd pop a pen onto this page to give some size perspective of the sketchbook.  ;)

This week, I had this fun idea to use masking on the outlines and a small space within each rectangle, then to wash some fun colors on the exposed paper.  However, the soft paper in this journal just ripped loose when I tried to remove the masking!  Thankfully the paper is thick, so there was still paper left behind once the masking was lifted, but a lot of paper went with it.  It ripped the edge quite a bit and I won't try this again, which is a bummer, because it looks pretty cool. 

If you worked your way down to the bottom of this entry, here's a virtual hug, ((((( YOU)))))). 
I'm considering changing this blog and it's name, or starting another dedicated to my drawing classes... but I haven't settled on a plan yet.  My whole life is so different in key areas (family/church/daily routine) than when I began (and I wasn't all that clear on what this blog was to be, even then!) that I am not sure what direction I want to go with my online presence.  So far it's been a place for my thoughts and sharing the happy crafts I'm up to and maybe that's okay.  I don't know.  I don't know much about my life these days.  Just trying to figure it out. 
*Regarding Memorial Day (tomorrow) I am deeply grateful for the sacrifices our armed service members have made to keep our country safe, strong and free.  I really am saddened at how little this holiday represents what it was created for anymore.  Barbecues and family gatherings are AWESOME, but please don't forget the great cost others have borne so that we might enjoy these things in the abundance we do.

Sqare a day 2/5 - 18

Seems like the only sketching I have time to do recently is my 'Square a Day' journal.  ;)  Still enjoying it!  Here are the last couple of weeks worth; Superbowl Sunday through yesterday...

In case you missed the beginning of these (just scroll down) the inspiration for the 'Square a Day' format came from Gwen Diehl here; Real Life Journals

Keeping a Travel sketchbook

I made a small travel sketch book from an old calendar to journal and sketch about our recent trip to NYC

 Here are the first pages...
1) A cartoon map doodled on the plane tracking our flight.
2)The adjoining page was used as a pallette, then to record our first sights in NYC from the taxi.
3) Elphaba from the Broadway musical, WICKED, which was fabulous!  Sketched from memory and fantasy.  We checked in to our hotel, headed to Times Square, then Broadway to find the Gershwin theater; stood in line 2+ hours and luckily got 3 amazing seats from a cancelation.  Whoop!
4) Snapped a quick shot of the Empire State Building on our taxi ride into Manhattan, sketched this from the camera screen afterward.  We spent 2 days at the ESB where we were checking out a College with our son, this was the reason for the trip.  But we turned it into a mini vacation as well. 

More pages coming soon, if anyone is interested.  :)  This is my first 'travel journal'.  The pages are smaller than 4" x 6" and were sewn on top of the calendar pages.  Rough, but it works!

Everyday Matters

or otherwise known as EDM, Everyday Matters is an online sketching support group, of sorts.  I discovered them recently via flickr where there is a pool that members can contribute photos of their sketches into.  EDM  has a very long list (287 so far and counting!) of 'drawing prompts' which I've printed out to give me ideas and inspiration for my doodles.  The creative prompts have been helpful for me in getting back to my love of art.  Here are some of the sketches, and simple watercolors I've done so far, oldest to newest... 

EDM #1 draw a shoe

EDM #136 - Draw or paint something that's alive - a living thing - animal or plant

EDM #34 Draw a fall leaf

EDM #44 Draw an animal - a pet, a zoo animal, a stuffed one

 EDM #116 - Draw something green

Everyday Matters  #287 Draw Something Colorful

Everyday Matters #235 'draw a butterfly'

Today I did this colored pencil sketch 'en plein air' at a park while waiting for Jesse to get out of classes.
EDM #22 draw the moon 

If you are interested in joining the sketchy folk at Everyday Matters here are some pertinent links where you can find more information.  The Yahoo group is FULL of very encouraging artists of all levels, including some impressive authors and professionals too!

The Everyday Matters Yahoo group

Danny Gregory's blog, which EDM grew out of back in 2004

Everyday Matters Flickr group

Recent art endeavors

Just some photos of this summer's sketching progress in my nature journal.
(clicking on each photo should open it up in a larger format, easier to see and critique!

A Gilded Flicker enjoying the saguaro fruit in our front yard.

 

The molt of a Calfornia Spiny Lobster found while walking at Doheny Beach.

Some wildflowers found hiking South Mountain and at the DBG.
I photographed the flowers in March, but just finished this page last week!  

And this unfinished page still in progress is of 3 black butterflies...

Nature Journaling

Last fall I embarked on a goal of keeping a more formal Nature Journal ala 'The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady' (google it) Mine, being done in a small moleskine on watercolor paper, is nowhere near as lovely.  I am having fun with it, but I am ever struggling to actually be sketching the pages concurrently within the actual month it is. For example, it's April and I'm still not finished with February. In the words of Pooh...'Oh bother!'

Anyway...here are some of the pages thus far.  (click on them to view in large, these small shots lack the detail of the actual pages)  This leaf was originally in my travel sketchbook (a more informal project) but that journal was mostly ruined by a ruptured water bottle in my trunk, I salvaged this page and pasted in the front of the moleskin, since I drew it in October while at a womens retreat near Williams Arizona.  The photo below was taken before the deluge, and is from the previous sketchbook.

 I am always mad at myself for being too lazy to produce nicer handwriting... I am capable of it, I just am in a hurry by the time I get to the journaling.

This bird, was very fun to discover.  On a morning hike I saw this bird behaving very oddly.  Based on it's size and coloring I first thought it a Mockingbird, but then realized it was not.  I took lots of photos of it's funny behavior.  It was jumping to and fro, fanning it's feathers in a menacing way, all around some fallen saguaro bones (that's a cactus, it has 'skeleton' when all the cactus flesh erodes).  I think it was trying to spook some small critter out from it's safe hiding spot.  I later learned that this amazing little bird breaks the neck of it's prey, paralyzing it, then impales it on a sharp stick and eats it alive.  Nature is so blunt!

In December we finally began to see some fall color upon the trees (trees that don't naturally belong in the Sonoran desert!).

I also learned about another new (to me) bird, the ladderbacked woodpecker.

On Christmas day we had a large covey of Gambels quail file through the front yard.  ;o)

January's pages...

 scenes from the snow covered paths at the Grand Canyon...

Various birds at my backyard feeder...

In February I finally spotted some nearly 'barren' winter trees...

I also shot lots of photos of, then later painted the water fowl at Discovery Park...

and that's where I'm currently at in the journal.  So behind!  I need to finish February and March, so I can begin April.  Oh well... it is a fun hobby and forces me to at least do some small artwork.  I'm really just teaching myself water color. Previously I mostly worked in acrylics, or just plain pencil or ink.  (the quail is colored pencil and some of the grand canyon, it's a mixed media sketch)  Hope you enjoyed!