Goodnight Sweetheart...

Goodnight Sweetheart for Sketchbook Project

The boy...I couldn't resist this one. There was still a lot of light coming through the window so I shut off the flash. The photo is blurry, but it captures the wonderful, soft window light.

I love my boy!

Once Upon a Time

  Once Upon a Time -- for Sketchbook Project

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a week since I last posted. That's not like me. Well, my life just got silly busy. I'm catering for the road crew that's repairing the damage after the flood, and I'm working on a large painting, and I'm designing my necklace/pendants for the Etsy shop. I didn't manage to get into the craft fair this year. I was too busy cooking for hungry pavers.

But, here are my munchkins, again:) Jacob is reading his sister a bedtime story.

Maybe I'll just dedicate the rest of this sketchbook to them. The only crappy thing is that I have to send it away!  I spent a bit of extra time on this one. I'm trying to sketch using painterly concepts, and I think this would make a great painting if I could just force myself to stay simple. I tend to get caught up in the details, and try to finish backgrounds, and I want to break myself of that habit and stay painterly. I'm really happy with this one. I wish I could keep it.

Cup of Tea?

Cup of Tea?  for the sketchbook project

I found an old family photo album the other day while digging around in a box for an art book. This is a picture of ME, age six, and my dog, Max. He was so funny...every time my parents would aim the camera, he would race to be in the picture, and pose perfectly.

These Boots are Made for Walking

These Boots...for sketchbook project

My little girls' boots. I want some! I'll be sad when she grows out of them. They are so cute, and just my style...lol! I sat these in front of me on the coffee table last night and drew them while I watched t.v. Needless to say, I don't remember what I was watching, or what happened.

The Boy--My Little Couch Potato

My Little Couch Potato -- for the Sketchbook Project

Here's Jacob...I know...my kids again, but there's a reason I picked Boys and Girls for my Sketchbook Project title...I have one of each, so I figured there would be lots of inspiration to "draw" from:) 

My son is not the typical 7 year old. He loves math, won't sign out anything but science and craft books from the library, and he loves reality T.V. No cartoons for him, except the movie kind. Ever since he was about 3, his favorite shows have been the extreme sports channel, America's Funniest Home Videos, and the National Geographic Channel. Today he was watching Austin Stevens Adventures in the Great Bear Rain Forest...where we live. We see grizzlies all the time. Before the flood, there were days where we were almost late for the bus in the morning, because we had to wait for the bear to leave before we could.

Maui Treasures

Maui Treasures -- sketcbook project

Hmmm...the scan doesn't really do this one justice, but oh well...I took the reference photo for this last winter in Maui. It was the quintessential little boy picture. They were gathering shells and mussels from the lava outcropping at Baby Beach in Paia. We love going to this beach because it's great for kids. The lava creates a natural breakwater, which shelters the little bay from the big waves, and the water is so warm. I'm also using this as a value study for my next painting.

My Little Artist

                                                     My Little Artist -- Sketchbook Project

My little darling Rhiannon, from life this morning after breakfast. As soon as she sees me sketching she jumps up to get her crafty stuff. She has to be creative if I am...I love it:) Except she cut a piece of construction paper into at least a million tiny little pieces today, which I had to clean off the floor...oh well, it's worth watching her enthusiasm, and also, it's a way to get her to sit in one place for a while, if not totally still.

Modge Podge Handpainted Jewelry Pendants

Here's the jewelry, well pendants, that I've been working on for the past few days. I am still in the "experimental" stage, trying to figure out what works best. The first few, I didn't glue down first, and they ended up floating and warping, the next few, I glued, but then the clearcoat turned a bit pink, maybe from mixing with the glue? I don't know. The glue was dry, but I can't figure out why it turned pink. The black I used on the crow, I found out later, was water soluble, that's why it turned a bit fuzzy, and the yoga pendant has a weird slash through it...don't know why that happened either. Otherwise, it's a fun change of scenery, and hopefully they'll sell at the Art's and Crafts Fair. If I get the process down, I may even open an Etsy Shop.

Cheers, m'dears.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt

                                          We're Going on a Bear Hunt...sketchbook project

I've been busy doing other things for the last few days and feeling a bit guilty about not posting...I'm making some jewelry for the local arts and crafts fair...I'll post some pics later. But I thought I'd better sketch today, so this is what my "crunched for time" effort turned out today...in between business emails, pizza making and such:)  The reference photo was from Amanda Cook Photography, she's a great children's photographer. Thanks Amanda! I was feeling too lazy and time challenged to sift through my own extensive photo library, and much to non-focused to sketch from life. Lol! One of those days...anyways...this image so reminded me of We're Going on a Bear Hunt, a book from Micheal Rosen, which was one of my kids' favorites. So I added the text in Photoshop...(YUP, i'm SUPER lazy today!), and thought I'd add a touch of pink, while i was at it.

Dora's Dinosaur Rescue

Dora's Dinosaur Rescue for Sketchbook Project

I decided to try to have a little fun with a still life today. I'm trying to read "The Artist's Way" right now, because, aside from the sketchbook thing, I'm feeling a little creatively blocked. I don't really know which direction to take my art, now that the show season is over, and I've done this big, serious, exhausting commission. I feel like I tend to take myself and my art a little too seriously anyways. I probably just need to marinate for a while, but I still feel driven to paint, I just don't know what or how...At any rate, the Artist's Way talks about nourishing your Inner Child...so I brought out the toys:) And since the theme for this sketchbook is Girls and Boys, I grabbed some girl toys and some boy toys. This tense standoff is what ensued, lol!

Spent!

New sketch for Sketchbook Project and Illustration Friday "Spent"

Another sketch of my beautiful daughter, sleeping. I got the saying off of http://elegantwordart.blogspot.com.

Thank You!

I don't have a lot to say tonight. I'm pretty "spent", myself...:) Woke up too early, fighting the flu...yuck...but I'll try to get something done for tomorrow. I have a lot of pages in this sketchbook to go before January!