IF 'forward' and Paint Party Friday

A gift from me to you for your personal use: a desktop calendar page.
Click to enlarge, download + enjoy :)

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"If we really think that home is elsewhere and that this life is a 'wandering to find home,' why should we not look forward to the arrival?” - C.S. Lewis

For Illustration Friday's word this week 'forward' and also for everyone over at PPF! My journal page depicts pretty much the colors I viewed outside my studio window today: blue sky, winter-barren trees and not a smidge of snow to be found even though we had a white Christmas - on a side note I changed the color of the grass, it's more 'beige' than green right now.....

Wasn't sure what I'd do for 'forward' but realized I've quite a few things coming up in February & March that I'm looking 'forward' to. One in particular is a special project I'll be working on all month long in February (hint: it's similar to one I did 4 yrs ago for leap year). I also signed up for a watercolor & pastel workshop at our local museum and just over the past weekend, an online journaling class with the talented Ms. Judy Wise - whew, I'll be busy!

What are you looking 'forward' to right now? How about that extra day in February, why not plan an artist's date for yourself? If you can, set up a whole day of creating in your studio - lock the door & tell your family to order a pizza for dinner :>

I hope I've inspired you to do something special to spark your creativity and maybe even stretch your artistic muscles a bit. Don't forget to check back for the start of my project later this week, btw I may just have a giveaway or two planned, xo

IF -'twirl'

For IF's prompt this week, 'twirl'. A rough pencil sketch cleaned up in PS moderately. I say that becuz I find I lose the spontaneity of my hand-drawn organic lines when I go digital - how about you?

Anyhow, this illo was inspired by all things GRIMM. Remember when I mentioned about some books I received for Christmas? This one was a wishlist topper - in a word: LOVE!! I've always been enchanted with the Brothers' classic fairytales like Rapunzel, Cinderella, Hansel & Grethel....and more as you know if you're a fan too!



I hope you're up to something enchanting this weekend <3

Illustration Fri. - 'vanity'

5x8 moleskine,, graphite, pen, watercolor, colored pencil

For IF's word this week 'vanity' - my redo of a 1914 Vanity Fair magazine cover [original shown below]. I loved the vintage vibe & colors of the original so tried to incorporate that into my interpretation.

I did a bit of research on the cover artist: Anne Harriett Fish (she preferred A. H. Fish) created nearly 30 covers for Vanity Fair between 1914 and 1927. Her style was spare and modern with a viewpoint that was satirical but charming. She also knew how to use line and color to strike just the right balance between too much and not enough.....

Original commentary on this cover:
"December 1, 1914. Against a terra cotta background, a masked harlequin charms a lovely young dancer in a dress of yellow ruffles by slipping a red rose into her hand. The illustration, by A.H. Fish, appeared on the December 1914 cover of Vanity Fair."

Much creativity to you and Happy Thanksgiving if you're celebrating it!

Illustration Fri. - 'swept''

'windswept', 10x8, watercolor & pen on bristol

My offerng for IF's word this week. I thought of a few ideas for this but ended up going with a quick & loose illo depicting [wind]swept hair. And let me tell ya, we've had more than our fair share of winds blowing through here in south Texas the past few months. Unfortunately, they don't offer much in the cooling department once June is upon us....

Is the weather hot where you are right now? Well if it is, I hope you're lucky enough to find a place to cool off. Which reminds me, I've got an icy, cold glass of sweet tea with my name on it somewhere :>

Illustration Fri. - 'winter'

A bit of a repost but I wanted to submit this illo for IF's 'winter'. I created this on a winter solstice 2 yrs. ago, it's one of my favorites and was / is with some Flickr friends too....

Have a safe & Happy New Year's celebration my friends - wishing you all a creative & prosperous 2011!

hello, sharing, news....

Helloooo.....dusting off my blog before it dries up and blows away :>

Life has been strange lately, busy as a bee & social as a butterfly one minute then feeling much like this flower - standing alone, feeling like I want to float, craving a minimalist existance......

I decided to join Susan & Chrysti in their latest prompt for {Echo} Week 23 - Minimalist as the timing was good to get it posted and I thought it fit perfectly with the mood I was trying to convey with my camera...

new work - sharing:

Above is a sneak peek of my 'They Draw and Cook' entry. If you're not familiar with TDAC, it's a blog that features illustrations with a twist - all the illos are themed to recipes. I'd been wanting to send something in when I first heard about it but the announcement of a book being published finally gave me the push I needed. My recipe/illustration was accepted for publication on the blog this morning by Nate (thanks!) but it's not posted yet - they have a ton of last minute entries for the book so when the link's up, I'll let you know.

one last note - art show:

I'm joining a friend of mine next weekend at a local arts & crafts event, we're sharing a booth and and so I've been busy putting cards & prints together but not really sure what else I'll have for sale , maybe some small original mixed media pieces.

And yes, yes I am still hoping, planning, (plotting) on finding the time & inspiration to get my new Etsy shop up and running - I feel like if I wait any longer I may just shelve the whole idea....

Here's to being inspired and creative and moving forward - rinse, repeat.....

Illustration Friday - 'early'

arches w/c paper, watercolor & pen, 5.5x 7.5

What a crazy, busy day today, finally getting a chance to post this! My offering for IF's word this week - a quirky take on 'The early bird gets the....well you know. And unlike this birdie, I am rarely early for anything :)

I've been studying birds a lot recently, through books and while out with my camera. When I lived in Michigan I loved watching robins (which also happen to be the state bird there) after a rain pulling out big, juicy worms to take home for dinner. I know worms are good for our gardens but hey we gotta share, right?

Anyhow, I'm working on a collection of small bird illustrations - they aren't your usual bird studies though. I've been adding a little fun, pattern, or quotes etc. to them. The images may even work themselves into my new Etsy shop which I'm hoping to have ready to go some time in June. I'll still have my other shop of mixed media originals & prints but this one will be for illustrations & design work including greeting cards & invitations.

Stay tuned for updates as I'll be hosting a giveaway for the grand opening...

Have a great weekend!

Illustration Fri. - 'subterranean'

A quick post to share this sketch with y'all. I actually revisited an older sketch of mine as I thought it was perfect for IF's prompt word this week: 'subterranean'. After seeing the premiere of Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland' last weekend, I was totally inspired to go back in and rework an 'Alice' sketch of mine that I created about 6 months ago.

Poor Alice, she definitely found herself in a place that was subterranean- or 'underland' as they call it in the new movie - one filled with surprises, personal discovery and triumph. I could elaborate but of course I won't as I don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it yet :)

Anyhow, I'm still not sure which medium I want to finish this piece in, but I do have lots of ideas for accompanying pieces/designs based on my interpretation of this and other classic storybooks. Art licensing is something I've wanted to get into for awhile now so I've been doing a bit of research on how to begin [any tips, personal experience or suggestions are greatly appreciated!]

Wishing you a fabulous weekend, be well...

artist self-portrait in pencil, 10x10

Self-portraits for our last week of Misty Mawn's class, Drawing & Painting Portraits. What a fabulous class let me tell you, do consider taking it if you want to study portraiture in mixed media.

I have grown in SO many ways during this class, Misty really goes all out with lots of videos & instructions, not to mention her weekly assignments to get your creative juices flowing. Personally, I'm not terribly fond of self-portraits, whether painted or photographed (I like to be on the viewfinder side of the camera thank you very much) and have always thought of them as vain & self-indulgent. However, I've come to believe that they are a necessary part of the creative process and our own unique journey....

"Temet Nosce: thine own-self you must know" (from The Matrix: Revolutions translated in the movie as 'know thyself'.) It's something to aspire to, don't you think? If we don't delve deep enough to find out who we truly are, what we are here to do in this life - how can we ever reach our full potential...find our purpose?

(p.s. more self-portrait assignments in the works w/collage & paints, will try to share those soon.....until then, be well.)

Update on my Colored Pencil WIP

Here are the final steps of my project from Friday. I'm so happy I was able to wrap it up over the weekend as I want to frame & mat it so I can submit it for that Women's Day project I mentioned about a week or so ago (the red dress painting is still drying as I decided to do it in oils, will show progress on that at a later date)

Anyhow, here are the final stages of this portrait:

4. I started to work in the left (or right depending on how you look at it) side of her jacket. I was hoping to achieve a 'fuzzy' feel to it to represent the warm texture of it, I think I was able to accomplish that...


5. With the jacket finished I decided to concentrate on the lacing for her hat (details, details...)



6. Hat /hair close-up to show fine details...



7. Finished piece after adding a bit more color & details all around and a fixative spray, it will still need a coat of sealer. I then took it outside to snap a pic to try and portray the colors as true and clear as possible...



I hope you enjoyed seeing my process, it was great fun and very relaxing for me - I've missed my pencils since taking up paint. As much as I love my finished paintings, acrylics sometimes frustrate me because I just can't get the paint to do what I want and brushes don't give me the detail that I crave. I've heard that painting is a lifelong process and to just keep at it....rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat :> Gotta love those learning curves!

Have a great week....

Illustration Friday & Inspire Me Thursday

ram⋅bunc⋅tious [ram-buhngk-shuhs] –adjective
1. difficult to control or handle; wildly boisterous: a rambunctious child.
2. turbulently active and noisy: a social gathering that became rambunctious and out of hand.

dress [dres] noun, adjective, verb, dressed or drest, dress⋅ing. –noun
1. an outer garment for women and girls, consisting of bodice and skirt in one piece.
2. clothing; apparel; garb: The dress of the 18th century was colorful.
3. a particular form of appearance; guise.


moleskine, pen & colored pencil

Dug up my journal and decided to sketch a bit, I forgot how good it feels to just play with pencils & paper - I need to do that more...

By the way, have you heard of Junk Gypsy? I discovered this Texas family owned business when we put down some roots here earlier this year. I love their rock meets country-western meets gypsy-goth style and attitude. Did I mention attitude? :> And yes, a Junk Gypsy is most definitely rambunctious, even when she's wearing her petticoat dress.

Do check them out and get the goods on everything from jewelry (some of its pricey) & tees to purses and pillows and don't forget to poke around in their vintage stash....

Thanks y'all for taking the time to visit. Have a great weekend!

February ATC Project - cont'd

My series continues with ATC #5. I was inspired by the festive colors & costumes of Mardi Gras for this one. I've also been wanting to do a Marie Antoinette inspired illustration or painting for awhile now. I think that's what I love about ATCs, they give me the opportunity to try things out before committing to a large piece.

I do hope you're enjoying following along with my project, which you can read about here - it's been so fun creating these as they come to life and 'spill' out onto my work table (and I sure do need to clean up a bit soon, I'm running out of room!)



ATC #5 - 'Heart of Mardi Gras'
pen, watercolor, colored pencil, graphite

EDM #119 - Rocks

square hand*book journal, pitt pen, watercolor

Another entry in my travel journal from my trip to Virginia. When my classes were finished at Art & Soul in Hampton, we took a day trip down to Virginia Beach. After lunch at a really cool cafe, we ventured down to this very rocky section. We were drawn to it because the waves were putting on quite a show! It was soooo windy that day (35 mile per hour) so we pretty much had the beach to ourselves. And from what we gathered from the locals, May isn't beach season there. Well it was close enough for me :)

EDM #117- something round

An entry in my travel journal from my recent trip to Art & Soul in Virginia and perfect for this challenge I thought. I celebrated my birthday there and had the cutest little round b-day cake. I was totally ok with the fact that it didn't have candles however, I ended up getting another cake at home for *wish making* and that one had ALL the candles - ahhh, lots of wishes!

Anyhow, a wonderfully creative and fun, fun day - it'll be hard to top that one next year :)















square hand*book journal, pitt pen, watercolor