Sketch Book Challenge for January - 'Highly Prized'

 

This is my entry for January's Sketchbook Challenge - Highly Prized.  It is my goal this year to challenge myself with more difficult drawings like people and pets and more difficult poses.  No more easy way out straight on poses.  What better way to start then with the challenge of Highly Prized, of course I would pick my children first and then my cats.

Blind Contour Fridays

Funny how much better my scans look on my desk top.  You can really see my sons Blind Contour from last Friday through his today.  His is on the bottom and mine is on the top.  It is his laptop he uses for his school work and all his creations on his blog http://www.mixupfun.blogspot.com/ 

The First Dandelion of the Season

In 1996 my husband and I moved from Ontario to British Columbia because of Ontario's Looooonnnggg winters.  We do get a lot of rain here in the winters but at least we don't shovel it and when the sun comes out we rejoice at the greenness and freshness of everything.  We just finished a long stretch of rain (a lot even for us)  I said to my daughter in the fall, (after a heat wave) "I'm looking forward to the rainy days, making tea, lighting candles, reading and snuggling with a cat."  Monday I was done with that feeling!  I looked out the window at the dark day and realized it was 3:00 in the afternoon and we had the lights on. Enough, turn off the rain now.   Well today was one of those days to rejoice.   We woke up to sunshine and temperatures of 11〫C or  50〫F.   I went out to pull weeds that had taken over the front garden during the rain.  Something yellow in the lawn caught my eye.  Could it be?  It is!  A dandelion on January 26th!!!  (Yes, I know in a few more months, I will be saying 'enough of the dandelions'.

Strathmore Visual Journal Workshop - Week 4

This is my entry for Week 4 (the final week) of the Strathmore Visual Journal Workshop.  We were to add lettering or add to the journaling  we already had and then highlight areas and doodle to fill in.  Basically 'play', something I forget to do.  There are to more workshops coming up, one March 1st and the other May 1st and they are FREE!  Just look on the Strathmore website.  Thanks for watching the page progress throughout the workshop.

Blind Contour Fridays

This weeks entries for Blind Contour Friday's.  My son is a lot quicker than I am and did two before I finished my one.  I tried the one continuous line this week, which I think helped me line up the buttons.

Life Drawing Wednesday's

About 20 years ago a Life Drawing group was started in our area by some local artist.  I have been on the waiting list for just over 3 years and finally got the call, my name had come up.  The first group was this past Wednesday (and every Wednesday)  We started with some 1Minute poses.  In the past I have never been able to get much down in 1 minute but practicing blind contours and gesture poses at home has helped me, as most times I was able to get an out line of the model.  The last one was a 25 minute pose.  I enjoyed doing this one, I thought it was fun, but some of the other artist don't like props they just want to draw the form.

Strathmore Visual Journal Workshop Week 3

This is my week 3 of the Strathmore Visual Journal Workshop.  This week we were to add to the negative space.  This whole workshop has been about re-using.  Re-using copies of our own art work, re-using supplies each week and this week was particularly fun... re-using things we might throw away like bubble wrap and the mesh bag from produce, milk caps etc.

Blind Contour Friday

Finally, Blind Contour Friday with my son again!  My daughter had jaw surgery on the 16th of December and needed a lot of care, so I took time off homeschooling (It was the holidays as well) Today for math we played Shut-The-Box so when I asked him what we should draw for Blind Contour Friday he chose it.  Mine is on top and his is in the middle.  I liked how his handle and chain turned out.  When he was finished and looked at it he exclaimed, "Wow, I'm a great drawer."  Yippee! for him.

Strathmore Visual Journal Workshop Week 2

This is week 2 of the workshop.  http://www.strathmoreartiststudio.com/   We were to add shadow with charcoal pencil and color with oil pastels.  Then a wash of gesso.  I don't think I watered down my gesso enough.  I felt like I re-colored it and I lost some of the shadow effect because the charcoal just didn't want to go over the layer of gesso.  But I do like the effect in some areas, like the eyes in the upper left.

Strathmore Visual Journal Workshop

Brand New Year, Brand New Workshop.  This is for a workshop that started January 1 from Strathmore for their new 'Visual Journals'.  We will be adding to our pages next week.  There are 3 different workshops they are offering, this one, called  'Recycled Journal Pages'.  Then in March the workshop is called 'Start Where You Are' and the third workshop is in May titled 'Building Your Visual Journal from the Page Up'.  If you are interested you can check it out here http://www.strathmoreartiststudio.com/