Sunday Sketches

It's so nice to be sketching again and I'm so excited to be contributing to Sunday Sketches again!  I love sketching birds.  They're pretty easy to do and they're just so darned cute.  I sketched this little one from an image I found on the web.  I'm trying to work outside of the sketch books I have as it's easy to draw something that has step by step photos of how to add the shading and everything.  I think it turned out pretty good.  Much better than the last few things I tried sketching.  I guess it's partly because I really love the subject and I'm not just doing it because it's one of the exercises in my books.

I found a really good watercolor book at the library so hopefully next Sunday I'll have something in color for you all!

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Flamingo Sophisticate

'Flamingo Sophisticate'

Pencil on Sketch Paper

Have you ever seen a pink flamingo look this good?  Me neither!  Sketched this at work today.  We had a full crew and a relatively slow day.  (A slow day for us is somewhere around 250 calls in 8 hours.  A busy day would be over 400.)  Anyway, I picked this one so I wouldn't have to pay too much attention to detail but I really like this one.  Might have to frame him or her, not sure what sex this birdy is but it looks male to me.  lol  

This was the first sketch in my new sketchbook from Hobby Lobby.  I think it's their brand, Master's Touch 60 lb paper.  It's fairly smooth but it is a little thinner than the paper I typically sketch in.  I have one that I bought a few years ago that is very textured which was great for when I first started drawing but I find I don't care much for it now that I've been doing it a while.  I have a Canson Field sketchbook that I do most of my sketches in but it's kind of heavy to transfer back and forth to work all the time, which is why I bought this one.

I also got a Mead Academie (yes, that's the way they spelled it) Sketchbook; however, I don't know the paper weight, it's just called heavyweight but it's thicker than the Hob Lob paper.  I like it because even though it is in a spiral notebook, it also has the perforated tear off sheets.  I thought it would be good to do ink and watercolor or watercolor pencils without using the more expensive watercolor paper if I'm just practicing.  I'll let you know what I think after I actually use it.  Of course, they're all acid/lignin free.

Off to check out everyone's blogs.  Have a great day!

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IF - Breakfast

Colored Pencil and Marker

I sketched this at work today for the Illustration Friday's word prompt of 'Breakfast'.  I haven't had a chance to participate in IF for a few weeks and I thought this one would be a quick and easy one.  Lot's of running around to do today.  Had to go grocery shopping, which I really don't mind as I love to cook.  Now I'm just waiting for our checks to be done today so I can go cash it and run to Walmart to pick up a few items.

Hope you're all having a happy Monday.  

Update on Sunny:  I was able to examine her a little better today.  Unfortunately it appears as though the break is higher up on her leg than we originally suspected.  I don't have much hope of her having even a partial recovery and use of the leg and claw.  She doesn't appear to be in any pain and she's learned that she has to fly pretty much everywhere but she's getting around and doesn't seem to be letting her new disability slow her down much.  Still breaks my heart every time I see her little leg kind of dangling but I'm grateful that she's hanging in there and not giving up.  Thank you so much for all of your well wishes and kind thoughts.  They are very much appreciated during this rough spot.

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Sunday Sketches - Through the Trees

So I've finally made a landscaping picture that I absolutely love.  Not sure if you can see it so much in the scan (well, photo that I brought into photoshop and edited) but the background is supposed to be trees off in the distance.  Don't care so much about them as I do the tree in the forefront.

I am one of those that hates drawing trees.  I think my limbs always look bad and leaves, forget about it!  I would do many more buildings and landscape sketches if it weren't for having to draw the trees and bushes.  lol.  Somehow this one worked out very well and I am thrilled with it!  Please also keep in mind that I worked on this at work in between all of the phone calls today.  We were understaffed and somewhat busy, but I am grateful that there were no major catastrophes this weekend and I only received one call.  A new girl didn't know she was on the schedule yesterday and I had to call her in.  No biggie.  :)

Baby bird seems to be doing a little better today.  I had to splint her leg again, the first one fell off so I waited until my wonderful boyfriend was in bed so he didn't freak out ( I handle ers much better than he does, remind me to tell you about the day I cut off part of my fingertip with a rotary cutter.)  I think she may have been in shock yesterday as she was very listless.  Today she is back to her feisty self and biting us when we try to hold her.  Have no fear, it's not because she is in pain, she always bites us when we try to hold her, except for yesterday.  She still can't use her foot and she may never be able to but the fact that she's eating, preening, interacting with the other birds and moving around a little bit makes me think she's going to be ok in the long run.  She's a very strong and brave little bird.

Don't forget to visit all of the wonderful artists participating in Sunday Sketches hosted by the wonderful Sophia over at Blue Chair Diary.

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Another ACEO Attempt

This little guy was my second attempt at making an ACEO.  I think he turned out pretty good.  It was very hard to get all that detail into such a small space!  I have learned that I should not start out with such intricate designs when trying something new.  Then again, I've always been that way.  The very first quilt I made was for my mom who has relocated to Arizona.  I wanted the quilt to reflect the region so I used Native American Indian signs for the quilting part with a Kokopelli as the center  of attention.  Not an easy task for a brand new quilter, but I love challenges.

Anyway, I got the design idea from one of my Goodwill artbook finds.  I used watercolor pencils and added watercolors where I thought it needed a little extra oomph.  Now, if I could just get up enough nerve to try my acrylics!

Still having back problems but I am moving a little better.  My right leg keeps going numb all the way to my toes so I think I'm going to have to go back to the doctor.  She told me to give it two weeks and we're at about 1.5 right now.  Somehow I don't see it getting miraculously better in the next few days.  :(  At least I'm back to drawing and painting!  :)

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Sunday Sketches - Birds and Back Problems

Pencil on Sketch Paper

Close Up

Here's my Sunday Sketches for this week.  It's just another practice piece, I don't actually own a bird like this.  lol.  If we ever get good close up shots of our parakeets I will definitely draw them, but for now, they are terrified of the camera.  Silly birds.

If you haven't checked out Sunday Sketches hosted by Sophia from Blue Chair Diary, please do so today.  She is very talented and wonderful enough to host Sunday Sketches each week without fail.  Be sure to visit the other artists on the linky list!

I've been MIA for a few days because my back has been killing me.  You really know you're getting old when you throw your back out by bending over to put pop in the fridge.  lol  Not really, I was diagnosed with Degenerative Disk Disease in my lower back about 10 years ago.  I haven't had another MRI since then so I'm assuming like everything else, it's only gotten worse over time.  I did see the doctor yesterday and she gave me some muscle relaxers, which thoroughly knocked me out last night.  I also have ibuprophen for use in the day time.  I'm feeling a little better now and hope to be back to daily posts!  Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

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Illustration Friday and Ripple

If you haven't heard of Illustration Friday and Ripple  please take a minute to check them out.  This week on IF the topic is 'Ripple'.  Based on the topic you create a work of art in whatever your chosen medium is and submit it to their gallery.  Ripple is a blog where you can find donated artwork to help save the animals affected by the oil spill. Each sketchcard on this blog is $10.00. The $10.00 is a donation to help the animal victims of the Deep Water Horizon Gulf Oil Spill. Every penny is donated. The two Non-Profits that are benefiting are The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies and The International Bird Rescue Research Center. You can purchase a card if you donate directly to one of the non-profits and email the confirmation and your address to ripplesketches@verizon.net. The artist will mail you the signed card.

We don't have to feel helpless. We can help. Our small actions together will ripple outward. 

Here are my submissions for IF and Ripple.  They will be available on Ripple as soon as I figure out how to do that. LOL.  Actually I've emailed Kelly to let her know I want to donate them.

'Better Days'

ACEO Watercolor on Strathmore Coldpress Watercolor 300 Series 140# Paper

'Lizzie'

ACEO Watercolor on Strathmore Coldpress Watercolor 300 Series 140# Paper

'Lizzie' was my first ACEO ever, well technically this one is the second as I gave the first to my wonderful boyfriend without whom I probably would not be creating art at all.  Lizzie is the name of our newest parakeet.  She was just a baby when we got her and is the sweetest bird we have.  I know parakeets don't have much to do with the oil spill but she is a feathered friend of all of the birds being affected on a daily basis.

'Better Days' was my second ACEO attempt.  My inspiration was the beautiful water I saw in Key West and Cozumel, Mexico years ago on a cruise.  I think of those days as better days for the marine life that have to endure this tragedy.  'Better Days' is a shot from below the whale looking upward.  Hope you enjoy them as I had a lot of fun making them.

Thank you Melanie for providing the link to Illustration Friday!

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Sunday Sketches

'Wary'

Pencil on Sketch Paper

Can you tell I'm all about the birds?  LOL.  I'll be back later with Day 8, 'Ornament' for Creativity Boot Camp.  Click here to see more great Sunday Sketches!

I just wanted to make sure everyone knows that this sketch is one of the practice images in Lee Hammond's Big Book of Drawing.

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