Raining Fish

Well, it isn’t exactly raining fish but we FINALLY got some rain last night!  YAY!!

I took this photo of a dark cloud from my deck last evening with promise of more rain:

I thought you may enjoy seeing my “fresh catch of creative fish” that I have posted on Instagram recently:

I have been trying different art mediums – the shadows were an unexpected surprise in this one:

And I’m enjoying mixing in some humor:

Trying my hand at watercolor in my art journal:

And creating a silly paper collage:

Hope you enjoyed seeing my variety of fish that were on the menu this last week!

Cheers! 🙂

Shake Your Tail Feathers!

It seems I forgot that yesterday was Draw A Bird Day – unofficial of course but celebrated on the 8th of each month by some of my talented art and bird friends! 🙂

I may be a day late but I can still shake my tail feathers!

Celebrating that the weekend is here!  Hoorah!

Cheers! 🙂

A Rainbow… Trout

I had a lot of fun asking “fisherman” at the lake yesterday what kind of trout I drew in my art journal… (before I wrote the name).

I got several answers.  Two fisherman thought it was a Cutthroat, three guessed a Brown trout and one got it right!

Yep, you guessed correctly too!  Of course it is a Rainbow Trout – Just look at the background colors!! Lol!

Happy Fishing! 🙂

100 Days Of Drawing Faces

I posted my 100th face on Instagram yesterday!  WHOOT!  😊 I accomplished my goal of drawing 100 faces in a little over 100 days… Phew!!

Maybe some of you recall my first face I posted on April 4th – it was a quick sketch in one continuous line:

100 days is A LOT especially when I am working full-time… (What was I thinking?!) and yet having limited time helped me to accomplish my goal because I didn’t have time to fuss over it.

I didn’t post everything I did like this one:

I would have liked to have more time to do more like this one, where I mixed collage and acrylics:

But I enjoyed trying a variety of art mediums:

Sprinkled with a little humor:

I think this one is one of my favorites – Picasso style:

And this one I did in watercolor with drips for hair:

I found I could draw more realistic looking faces and even my own – or at least my better half!  Lol! 🙂

I think the greatest lesson I learned is that it isn’t perfection that matters but PRACTICE!!  Daily practice does make a difference….

Especially in finding ones “style” in art!  I found I really liked creating “characters” rather than REAL people:

And yet, drawing a variety really is the best teacher!  Here is my 100th face:

I’m sure it won’t be my last…

Yet, let’s FACE it, I need a little break from drawing faces!

Cheers! 🙂

Sail Away

It was a windy day at the lake yesterday – good for sailing! 🙂

Sailing is something I have only done once but I think I’d like to go again.  How about you?

I discovered a wonderful artist on Pinterest named Sandi Fitzgerald.  You can find images of her art on Pinterest, Facebook and Flickr.

I loved Sandi’s whimsical style.   She inspired me to create this watercolor face in my sketchbook yesterday:

“Mary dreamed of sailing…”

Wishing you a day to sail away… even if only in your dreams!

Cheers! 🙂

A Pine Cone Study

A friend at the lake brought me this wonderful dish of pine cones recently:

She thought I might enjoy painting them… And I did!

It amazes me how such a simple subject can bring me so much JOY to paint!

I noticed how one of the greener pine cones reminded me of a pineapple.

May you find beauty in what you treasure today!

Cheers! 🙂

Dreaming in Color

Do you ever dream in color?

Charlie at Doodlewash.com loves to paint AND dream in color…

And what a wonderful dream it is!!  He is encouraging everyone not only to paint every day with watercolor for #WorldWatercolorMonth but also give financially to the Dreaming Zebra Foundation to help children have the opportunity to create art or explore music! 🙂

Here is more information about how the Dreaming Zebra Foundation got its name!

About Dreaming Zebra™

The Dreaming Zebra Foundation is a (501)(c)(3) charity providing support so that children and young adults are given an equal opportunity to explore and develop their creativity in the arts.

How did Dreaming Zebra™ get its name?

The answer is that every zebra is unique, just as every child is one of a kind! Zebras are black, with white stripes that are as individual as fingerprints. At Dreaming Zebra, our mission is to encourage children to embrace their individuality, to express themselves creatively, and to follow their artistic dreams. Hence the name, Dreaming Zebra!

The Dreaming Zebra Foundation was incorporated in Portland, Oregon in the interest of promoting greater access to the arts for children and young adults. Our founders recognized a pressing need in many communities for the promotion of charitable donations of art and music supplies to support individuals, schools, and other nonprofit organizations serving youth and the arts.

Core to our identity is the belief that all children, regardless of their financial circumstances, should have access to art education. As a public charity powered by volunteers, this belief drives all that we do.

The Dreaming Zebra Foundation’s supporters share a common passion for education, the environment, and community, and as such, we are able to connect the synergies between those who support the arts and those in need.

I am so thankful to have ART to express my creative JOY!

I hope you join me in sharing this gift of expression by giving to the Dreaming Zebra Foundation.

All it takes is one dream to make a difference!!

Cheers!  🙂

Red Heads

Do you know anyone with red hair?  I was drawing one-liner faces last night and a few red heads appeared on my page:

I hope they give you a RED smile today!

Cheers! 🙂

 

World Watercolor Month Starts July 1st

I had so much fun participating in World Watercolor Month last July that I decided to purchase a few new art supplies in anticipation for this July.

I splurged on a Stillman and Birn mixed media art journal from Amazon and decided to try a couple different brands of watercolor paint.  I also purchased a Quill watercolor brush.  Here are my supplies:

I couldn’t wait to try out my new journal so I had to splash some paint inside before I left for work!

Charlie O’Shields at https://doodlewash.com has been busy updating his blog and I must admit it looks soooo cool!  I hope you check out, “World Watercolor Month,” at the top of his page and subscribe to his blog.  Charlie always has an interesting story to share with his amazing watercolor paintings! 🙂

Perhaps you remember some of my watercolor posts from last July:

I really enjoyed painting the natural beauty around me when I was at the lake.  And I hope to continue this year plus add a few faces to the mix!

Back to this morning’s journal; I added these letters to my painting:

And splashed on more watercolor…

I will add some doodles to my letters and show you my results later…

I hope you will join me in celebrating World Watercolor Month.

Cheers! 🙂

An Artistic Confession

I have a confession to make…

I’ve always wanted to be able to draw pretty faces ever since I was a young girl… BUT my faces always looked much like this drawing (eyes closed):

Until recently, drawing a face (or two or three!) EVERY DAY has really improved my drawing skills!  PRACTICE really does makes a difference!

PLUS, learning from other artists in books, YouTube videos, online classes… thank goodness there are SOOOO many great ways to learn to draw (faces) today!

I drew this face with pencil last week and I hope to paint it with watercolor:

She is my first face that I’ve drawn that I have REALLY liked loved!!  I am a little scared to paint in watercolor as I don’t want to mess her up.  I think I will scan my drawing first so I have a future reference.  🙂

My second face, I also created with pencil and used an Elegant Writer pen (with water) to create the black lines:

She reminds me of a flower, opening its petals to reveal its inner beauty – much like I hope my art does with continuous practice!

I know I have SO MUCH MORE TO LEARN but I feel like I’m starting to create some pretty faces…

Do you have a subject that YOU would like to learn how to draw better?!  I hope you give it a try!!  (And I’d love if you shared it with me!)

Cheers! 🙂