Merry Belated Christmas

Ornaments for the holidays.

Yeah I know 3 weeks late.

Iceland homework

The boy had a homework assignment about Iceland, a photo of this town showed up in the research. It looked like a sort of Lego village. So this is the sketch I did of it. Sorry I don't have the reference photo credit.

Faces from the sketch book

Charlie's web

This funky crab looking spinder was kind enough to spin a lovely web over the walkway to our front door. Just high enough that we didn't run our face into it each time we passed by. He was there for a week, then we had a few days rain and like the nursery ryhme it "washed the spider out". I admit I cheated and misted his web with the garden hose to take this "dew-y" pic.

Bold Mushroom

The color of this caught my eye as I wizzed by on my way back to the office today. It has been raining for a few days so these bold mushrooms really stood out against the pine needles. And they say we don't get any fall colors here in TX.

sketch crawl #24

These bolts hold the globes in place.

My first time to participate in World Wide Sketch Crawl. Went out to the warehouse where the CoolGlobe.org globes are being stored until the opening and met up with 2 other sketchers. While Liz worked on her globe, Chris and I sketched. I had a hard time getting in the swing of it but made an effort. After leaving there I went by Texas Art Supply and picked up some new Coptic drawing pens and some paper to bind my own sketch book. Then off to a late lunch at the Empire Cafe and sketched a little there from the counter. A rare art filled day. it was good.

These are all ballpoint pen or the new Coptic markers. The sepia tone is done in Photoshop.

How is Cuban Black Bean Soup like Mt. Vesuvius?

You know when you make black bean soup and at the end of the recipe it says to take out about a 1/3 of the beans and puree them in a blender? Okay, but maybe you didn't know that when you put something real hot in your blender, like simmering hot black bean soup, and turn it on to puree, it will blow the top off? In fact it is very similar to, you guessed it, Mt. Vesuvius! But, planning ahead, just in case you spill when you ladle the soup into the blender, put your blender next to the sink, which is also next to the coffee pot and those cute coffee bean canisters with the metal clasps on the lid. Just in case there is a little mess you can wipe it off the counter and into the sink. No problemo. Except now it went all Vesuvius on you and is on the wall, cabinet, canisters, spices jars (for the soup) and the coffee maker. But none got on the floor - woohoo. yeah that is fun!

Is it wrong to leave the coffee maker to be cleaned by the hubby, who is the morning coffee maker?

Cookie Magazine

Lots of treats here in Cookie Magazine, decorating, kids, food, even fashion (for me, oh well). I love this kid's room - especially the art display on the wall - kids art finds a place to hang and looks super.

hand drawn

Yup, thats my hand. For lack of something better in front of me.

painter portraits

I did these from portrait photos also. Can't remeber the photographer though. Draw with ball point pen. Color added with Photoshop.

sketching portraits from books

At night is the time I usually get to sketch. So I either sketch someone on the tube or from a book. I know drawing from a photo leaves a lot to be desired, but it is not very likely I'll go out at 10pm looking for people to sketch. So the next best thing is tv or book. Two books that I have recently check out of the library for this are pretty good. This one is great for expressions In Character: Actors Acting by Howard Schatz. I think it would be good for cartooning too. The other is Author Photos by Marion Ettlinger, it has very nice black and white photos of book authors. This sketch is JK Simmons from the InCharacter book. I think this is the first time I have drawn whiskers.

Lincoln sketch

A new scan from my sketchbook. 

16TH PRESIDENT

 ABRAHAM LINCOLN 1861-1865"I was born Feb. 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky. My parents were both born in Virginia, of undistinguished families--second families, perhaps I should say. My mother, who died in my tenth year, was of a family of the name of Hanks.... My father ... removed from Kentucky to ... Indiana, in my eighth year.... It was a wild region, with many bears and other wild animals still in the woods. There I grew up.... Of course when I came of age I did not know much. Still somehow, I could read, write, and cipher ... but that was all."

Redheaded Woodpecker

Today's visitor on the birdfeeder. I am loving the new camera, Nikon D5000, but still trying to figure out settings. Need to definitely get some training or read the manual, akk.

I've added a Squirrel Buster feeder, supposed to shut out those piggin' squirrels. We'll see, hopefully the pigeons can't get at it either as they can sit on the other feeder and gorge until they can barely fly.

timmy the giraffe

I came across a photo of this giraffe and loved the perspective and what's not to love about a giraffe? right? sketch with ballpoint and colored in photoshop

Howtoons - fun kid stuff

Been thinking these guys stuff is cool for kids for a while now so thought I'd share it with you. 

Howtoons: The Possibilities Are Endless, great graphic novel style kids science/craft/make-it book. Instructions for making PVC Marshmellow Gun, Soda  Bottle Rocket Launcher, and more in the book. 

Web-site also cool. http://howtoons.com/

I  used some of the posters I bought from them at MakerFaire in Austin, as prizes at a scout event. The boys were groovin' on them. 

Week in sunny Naples FL and Key West. Not much sketching though.  In Key West stayed at Eden House. Hammocks and gardens. This is the gazebo with a palm tree growing through it.

Merry Christmas

An old sketch - for the season.

An Illustrated Life

An Illustrated Life by Danny Gregory arrived day before yesterday from Amazon. Fascinating and inspirational. I recommend it if you need a push to pick up your sketch book and get to work (fun). Love being able to peek into so many artist's books and see their work and read their words. 

Tangerini

During spring break me and hubby and boy went to Washington DC. Very cool. lots to see of course.

One day I had an afternoon to explore one of the museums part of it was the Kogood Courtyard a splendid space with a waffle-y rippling ceiling of glass. Alice Tangerini, botanical illustrator from the National Museum of Natural History, conducted a sketching session focusing on the plant specimens in the Courtyard. She showed some of her work, real detailed, accurate and beautiful botanical illustrations.

Dave and Sam joined me and we all sat and sketched together. We have never done that and it was really cool. Sam and I make art sometimes but Dave is mostly a woodworker.

Here is one of my sketches from that day. Also I love her name, Alice Tangerini, seems sort of exotic but wholesome and orange.

A few scans from my "I draw pictures all day" sketchbook. Sadly, I don't draw pictures all day, or even every day. But here are a few pages I like. 

The colorful one is a sketch I did in the car on the way to Austin  last year for Christmas. The square is a design for a table I painted for my sister's (one of 6 sisters) kids. For their Christmas present. I thought it came out kinda groovy. 

Family Portrait

It reallly is hard to grow up with such cool toys around. An evening with Sam tinkering with Legos resulted in this family portrait. Yes, it is me with the pink ruffly pantaloons and a flower in my hair. The similarity to real life is scary.