Portrait Exchange Update

I finally managed to sit down and rework this portrait a little bit. I lost it for a while in the move. I worked on the left (viewer right) eye and on the width and overall size of the mouth. I think it looks much better now, and I feel like I can sign it and send it off to Colorado to live with its' owner. I'll let it dry a while now, and try to catch a warmish day to varnish it before I send it off. Here they are - before and after...

My Very Own Not Safe but Good Lion

Every year (at least in theory) I go through all my digital photos from the past 12 months and put them on a cd for the archives, delete them from my hard drive to make room for more. I guess I should do this more often, but so far it has worked for me. In any case, I have been doing that this week, and I came across a photo I took back in September when my kids went on a field trip to the Knoxville Zoo.

Every time we go to the zoo, we have two places that we absolutely MUST take a photo - at the tortoise sculpture near then entrance to the reptile area, and at the lion sculpture by the food vendor. We took our usual photos at the lion, when suddenly - my youngest climbed back on and gave the lion the biggest hug he possibly could. Precious picture.

Well, having found it, I couldn't help but draw it. When I got finished, it brought to mind a certain book by CS Lewis that has recently been released as a movie. I haven't see the movie, yet, but I have loved the book all my life, and this is my homage to it.

9x12, 140lb cold press wc paper, sepia PITT pen and wc

EDM #24 - Draw a piece of fruit

I was sitting down last night to draw something, and it occurred to me that we had some oranges in the kitchen that I could use to complete EDM challenge #24! Yippee! Well, I was happy until I saw the outcome! I was not seeing well last night, I think. All those dimples on the orange flesh overwhelmed me and I resorted to my old ways of subterfuge and deception to make it look like an orange. Ah, well - at least it tasted good.

Koh-i-noor stack pack watercolors, and (my beloved) rapidograph pens in the moleskine.

EDM Challenge #42 - Something I am thankful for.

BOYS!! sketch of DH and DS curled up together on the couch - one of them watching TV, the other snoozing. Other DS was on the floor, so I missed him. BUT - I'm the fortunate only girl in the house, and I've gotta say that I love it!

Indigo acrylic ink, rapidograph, in the moleskine.

EDM Challenge #17 - Musical Instrument

Yamaha S08 synthesizer. What can I say? I'm in love... acrylic inks in rapidograph pens - moleskine notebook.

EDM Challenges #4 and #25 - a mug and a glass

The first page of my new moleskine. Went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and thought I'd capture the coffee and OJ - I ate the eggs and grits too fast to sketch them!

EDM Challenge #2 - Draw a desk lamp

In my 5x7 wc sketchbook - acrylic ink in rapidograph pens. Some musings on my favorite desk lamp.

EDM #44 - Draw an animal AND WDE 12.23.05

Thought I'd kill two birds with one stone this weekend (pun intended) and knock out an EDM challenge - #44 was to draw an animal...and complete an image for the WetCanvas Weekly Drawing Event - so I chose a reference of pelicans to do both! This is in my 9x12 sketchbook - drawn with my .50 rapidograph pen loaded with indigo acrylic ink.

EDM #33 Draw an Eye

Making a little more progress on the Everyday Matters checklist - this is from week #33 - draw an eye. I decided to draw two. Pen and ink and acrylic inks. These are a bit too close together, but other than that, I think they look fairly realistic - I drew them from memory - just playing around in the wc sketchbook I keep by my bed.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Have a holly, jolly Christmas - it's the best time of the year! This is the Christmas card we sent out this year - if you haven't received one, check your mailbox - I was a little late with them! Or - maybe I didn't send you one - I'm not very organized right now, with the move and all! So - consider this your mailbox, know that I'm thinking of you. I hope the season brings family and friends and favor in the eyes of the Lord. God bless you all.

Peacock in graphite

Bought a new water soluble graphite pencil to try out, and one of those brushes that hold water in a reservoir. This was one of the reference pics from the weekly drawing event over in WetCanvas, posted by Slaterza. I really like how this graphite handles - I may have to go out and get a few different hardnesses, now! Just what I need - more art supplies!

EDMWC #15 Trees

Still catching up on the Everyday Matters challenges - this tree grows in my neighbors' back yard, and I watch it go through all of its' seasons - this is my interpretation of it during the spring, when all the green starts shooting open.