BEAUTY BUSH DRAWING

We have a beauty bush in our yard that grows clusters of berries around the stem of the bush, with the leaves growing out of them.  It is a striking combination, and the colors of berries range from hot pink to deep burgundy.  This is not doing the bush justice at all, but what a cool plant!

RADISHES: COLOR PEN DRAWING

There are some really interesting varieties of radishes!  I have heard about a 'watermelon' radish that is pink inside with white streaks.  If I can find one, the first thing I will do is cut it open to draw it.  What amazing colors there are in nature!

GOOD DADDY: AT THE TEA PARTY

  I call this drawing  "The Good Daddy".  The large, blunt fingers trying to grasp the delicate miniature teacup shows a daddy trying to connect with his young daughter.  I remember very well my hubby participating in our daughters' tea parties with teddy bears and dolls around a tiny table, feeling out of place, uncomfortable, and trying to be a part of her life.  I don't often draw from memory, but this was so much fun!

GUMDROPS: COLOR INK SKETCH

For three tiny gumdrops, these were a real challenge.  How do you show jelly covered in sugar?  I finally settled on circle scribbles, leaving some of the paper to show through for a kind of see-through effect.  Every sketch is a learning experience for me!  No, I didn't eat them afterwards.  My cat found them and thought they were toys.  She chased them around the house for a day before I finally found them, all fuzzy from dust bunnies.  Hey!  Artists hate housework...don't they?

JUST FIVE JELLY BEANS

Quick sketch, but this was an important little one.  It was an exercise in emotions.  Sounds a bit weird, but I was in an incredibly horrible mood, and my poor hubby was being a saint to put up with it, so I thought that if I drew something cheerful and easy, my mood would improve.  I am happy to say (as is hubby) that the experiment worked.  I will have no excuse next time I am moody and ill-tempered.  I will just get my sketchbook out and draw something fun!

RAGGED LILLIES: COLOR INK SKETCH

This lilly started out looking so perfect that I felt it was almost a plastic rendering.  So I took a bit of artistic license and made it bug bitten, wind beaten and tired looking.  Rather how I feel on a bad day.  I liked it a lot more after giving it a bit of character!

Detail

PERSIMMONS: COLOR INK SKETCH

I went a bit too dark with these persimmons.  Usually they are a bit less intense and red, more a soft orange color.  I set them in the wrong lighting, I think, to begin with.  Lighting is all important for lots of reasons.  Another artist that I know was complaining that her lights in her studio were so bad that she mistook dark blue for black.  It caused all sorts of issues with her landscape painting, and she eventually had to start over.  My own studio has very little natural light, only a small window opening to the southwest.  I have had to set up special lamps to get good light.  Obviously, I didn't turn the lamps on when doing the persimmons!

PINK FOXGLOVE FLOWER: COLOR INK SKETCH

I saw forests full of this flower on a trip to Seattle, Washington.  They bloom in several colors during the spring and are such an unusual shaped flower.  I especially like the 'freckles' inside the petal. 

PEELING AN ORANGE: COLOR PEN SKETCH

This was a bit of a challenge for a few reasons...how much white paper do I leave open and when is my orange color pen going to run out of ink?!  I did a bit of outlining though I didn't see any in the peel itself because it needed SOME thing to really bring out the light color on light paper.  The orange was delicious, by the way!

CRIMSON PEPPERS: COLOR INK SKETCH

I have been getting into a rut lately, and looking back over the last month, I can tell that I need more color in my life!  I have done several drawings this week of food, I think because it is so bright and cheerful.  This was done with color ink pens using a scribble and cross-hatching technique.  I used 9 different colors, building them up until I was happy with the effect.  Believe it or not, I even used hot pink over the red to deepen the shadows.  I do love doing these kind of sketches!  They develop slowly into 3 dimensional objects.

LEAVES...FINISH OR NOT?

I was playing with shapes and lines with this drawing of leaves.  I initially was going to finish it by filling in all the light and shadow, color and detail...but the more I looked at it, the more I liked it just as it is.  What do you think?

GARLIC IN WHITE GEL PEN AND COLOR PEN

I realize in looking back over the week's artwork, that I have done a confusing array of subject matter.  I am not a consistent artist at all, I am afraid.  I can never settle on just one type of subject, and medium.  I love to experiment with all kinds of things, and it can get as confusing for me as it is for you all out there.  Lately I have been craving lots of color, which is why these poor garlic bulbs got more than their fair share of reds and oranges.  I have been looking through the Southwestern Art magazines again, and the new 'cowboy' art is full of color.  Blue cows, and orange horses...purple ravens and yellow prairie dogs!  How can you not be inspired by that kind of color?!!  Hang in there with me.  I will try not to bore anyone...

JUST A PIECE OF CHOCOLATE

Valentine's Day is passed, and everyone gave me chocolates (odd as I am overweight and Diabetic...think they are trying to kill me off?)  I don't want to eat it so I decided to sketch a piece or two before putting the whole bunch of it into the freezer.  I do have problems with straight lines...

BOX TURTLE IN INK AND COLOR PEN

This Eastern Box Turtle has the most beautiful patterns on it's head and neck!  I know that most of the patterns in nature are meant to camophlage and protect the animals, but I take such pleasure in trying to duplicate it.  This turtle's eyes were riveting, and though I haven't put in the color, it's patterns were a brilliant orange and yellow.  This is the perfect subject for an oil painting.  I usually use acrylics for my wildlife subjects, but I really want to capture the luminosity of the colors with this turtle, and oils has that ability.  I look forward to the challenge!

DETAIL: PATTERNS



DETAIL: EYE

QUILTS AND PATTERNS, IN COLOR PEN

I decided to try something colorful today.  My mom-in-law is a quilter, and I was looking at some of the beautiful fabrics that she has used, and was excited by the combination of patterns and colors.  I decided to make up my own patterns, and 'sew' my own quilt (I am horrible with a needle and thread).  I actually learned a lot about layering in the plaid pattern.  I didn't realize there was so many lines that layered and made new colors with the crossing of lines.  This was fun, and I think could lead me to a series of paintings.  Funny the things that inspire you, isn't it?

DETAIL

DRAWING FROM THE HEART...ROOT METAPHORE



ROOT METAPHORE



I don't often have the courage to draw straight from the heart, with no reference materials, no guides but what is already in me.  This piece is about the roots that we grow, even when we are unaware of them.  We have the roots of family, places, and people.  To me, however, some of the roots get tangled up with the baggage of things we cannot let go.  Whether it is the baggage of past abuses, the cruelty of having been used by someone, or the anger at being manipulated by those who 'love' us, we are weighed down by the 'stones' of negativity.  I drew this, and looked hard at my inabilities to let go of all of that and loosen those heavy burdens.  Too deep, I know, for a lovely spring day, but sometimes I need to dig deep to move forward!  What are your thoughts on your own metaphores?

NEON ART, FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!

I saw this neon sign the other day, and had to take a picture of it...I loved the graphic design of it, the artistry and even the negative space.  Art is EVERYwhere! 

EASTERN CHIPMONK IN PEN

EASTERN CHIPMONK

 I fell in love with chipmonks when we lived in Wyoming for a few years.  I used to take the children to the Vedauwoo State Park for picnics, and we would laugh at the boldness of the creatures.  They would jump right up onto the picnic tables and demand food, not beg....DEMAND!  I have seen several varieties across the nation, and this is one of my favorites.  What personality and attitude!  Don't you just love nature?!!  Oh, and this one's for you, Mom...Happy Birthday!

DETAIL:CHIPMONK FEET



DETAIL: CHIPMONK

PASTEL CLASS

This week I was lucky enough to take a pastel class from a very good artist in Missouri.  I drove for 3 hours to get there, and it was a wonderful experience!  I have not used pastels since I was in high school (and I won't tell you how many years ago that was!), and they have definitely changed the rules since then.  I had learned that you rub the chalks into the paper and blend, blend, blend.  They have improved the papers and the chalks since then, and you are capable of doing so much more these days!

As you can see, I am NOT talented in this area, at least not without a lot more practice, and much better tools.  I used a low tooth paper (I hear that you can even use sandpaper to draw on now!) and very student-grade pastels that flake a lot.  I enjoyed the layering, and the building up of color to get what effect you want.  The paper was a tan color, and I built up the blue sky with a combination of teal blue, pink and white.  The bark was really fun, and I used 2 kinds of yellows, a peach, light brown, purple and black.  I chose a too-detailed subject for my first time of doing this, and struggled with that a LOT.

On the whole, I enjoyed getting out of my comfort zone, though and have a definite plan of trying new things more often.  My favorite part?  Getting together with other artists!  I sometimes feel too isolated where I am, and miss the good conversation that people can have.