May Sketches

It's nearing the end of another month and I am pleased to note that I am keeping up with the sketch-a-day goal I set for myself.  See posts from April 9 and May 6. 

It has been fun seeing the word prompt each day and coming up with a quick sketch. I find that some of the prompts are much easier to draw than others. My small sketchbook has space for two days on each page. It is interesting to imagine how the words may - or may not - be related.

Here are a some sketches from this past month - with a few comments.  

For whatever reason, it began with food...

Then surfing... and salty, which I thought could mean 'salty' language 

if you fall off your board- see right corner

I have no idea of the relationship between bucket and tiger.

 

When I saw 'camel', I kept humming the ditty from the ad years ago... 

"I'd walk a mile for a mild, mild Camel.."

maybe that's why the diva is there! 

Knitting and psychologist? You decide!

Ahhh, now we are into food again...

Lucky number and protest?

Road and salamander - another mystery...

There were a few more pages of May, but that's enough for now! Soon, it's on to another month of 'isolation'.  I've got my June words ready. Although things seem to be easing up a little, I think there are still empty pages in the sketchbook. 

Praying that we all stay healthy during this difficult time.

Some Pig...

It started a few weeks when my college roommate (who now lives on a ranch in Texas) posted a video of two enormous pigs rooting around for food. Her comment was "Truly eating like pigs." I was enchanted...

Having grown up in the "Hog Capital of the World," I am generally curious about pigs. Seeing her pigs, I got excited about painting pigs. I asked her to send me more pig pictures.

I also went on the internet to look for pig pictures and ideas. I wanted to warm up on some practice sketches. Interestingly, the theme for that week's painting with my art group was "Relationships." I began looking for pigs 'relating'.

This one was done quickly in an old sketchbook.

It was time to get out my pastels... I found some old paper that I hadn't used for a long time and decided to try some paintings with it. 

Remember, think pigs and relationships... I found these first two on the internet...

Then, I found two more posing with smiles.

They were also pink, but I thought I would try to paint them more like the colors of some of Jean's pigs. At this point I am really having fun and am more and more fascinated by their ears.

I'm not too crazy about the paper I was using and decided to get out my pastel sanded paper. I love the way it holds the pastel.  Here are Jean's two pigs...'eating like pigs.'

There was one photo that she sent that I really loved. It was as if the pig were actually looking at me. First mistake, I got our a dark sheet of sanded paper. I thought that the color of this pig would glow in a dark background. Well, it does, but the whole thing looks more like a portrait than a painting. Not what I was hoping for.

It was a fun beginning, but who knew that pig legs/feet would be so hard to draw. (This was partly due to the photo which did not clearly show the lower part of the pig. It was behind a metal railing.) I began making it up... disregard the purple toes!  A work in progress...

He needed some sort of background...it looked a little muddy in the photo. I dirtied up his legs a little.

Then I really began experimenting. I would put him behind a fence - thinking I could hide his legs.  Maybe add grass to hide his feet....

If I were doing a watercolor painting, I would now get out a piece of acetate - clear paper - and paint various scenarios. Since this is a pastel, I got out plain pastel paper and drew fences, grasses etc. I spent a few days painting and cutting out different ideas that I laid over the original painting. Here are a few of the ideas.

Different fences and adding grass:

 

Trying his nose over the railing and changing this legs...maybe more railing in the back

 

All helpful to see.

I finally ended up with this. He was a little sideways, so I didn't want to change his legs too much, but I like his nose over the fence. I love his color. I brightened up the background a little. I thought the painting was just too dark. (a factor of choosing the dark background to begin) One of the things that I love about pastels is the amount of color that can be added in so many different way.

After all that, I present "Pig." I think his name is "Sebastian" or maybe this is "Piglet," his mother!

I'm still working on another pig painting... more for another day.

April sketches

April ends and we are still locked down. I'm happy to say that I did keep up with my sketches each day in April ...and have begun to do some this month.

Each day there was a word prompt. It seemed to me that most of the prompts were really out of the blue, having not much relationship to each other...unless you have the ability to make some mighty leaps in your thinking!

I posted the first week on April 9th. Rather than bore you with the whole month of April... here are some from the rest of the month:

I guess the images on each of these two pages could be related...

 probably shouldn't walk across a bridge after drinking...

or ship a walrus!

A zebra might eat apples off the tree...

eh, maybe sew something elaborate? (the fancy 50 was for my daughter's birthday!)

I do enjoy the challenge and being accountable daily... And, it's on to May...

Another page in the book

My painting group's project of painting in the accordion books that we pass around (see blog post Group Project, March 12) seems to have come to a halt. Since we haven't been with each other for several weeks, it's on hold for now.

However, in looking around for things to paint, I decided to tackle another page in the book. I know we are all feeling the loss of touching right now. So that was my theme.

I took 'zillions' of pictures of my hands and tried to put them together to make this happen...

Here's a first sketch:

I tried some watercolor wash on the sketch paper...

Then did it in the book...that's always a little scary. Trying not to ruin someone else's book! 

Here's the final version. I changed the word placement a little.

Someday, we will really be able to reach out and touch someone once again. Hope everyone is safe and observing the CDC guidelines!

Hoppy Easter

In this difficult time of "Stay at Home" I think we are all getting creative in new ways. I don't normally blog this frequently, but after all, these are not normal times.

I am NOT a kitchen person, but I keep seeing stories of people spending more time in that room...

So, as we approach Easter, I began thinking about making our annual bunny cake. This has been a tradition in our family for many years...there have been lots of cakes! My children have also adopted the tradition and we have sent each other pictures of our creations.

Here are a couple from prior years...

 The box mix actually makes enough for two!

We have been sheltering in place for a few weeks now and do not need to eat cake... what should I do? I can't not make a bunny...but need to feed our souls!

Yesterday as I was forming a meat loaf... yes! Why not? I mixed up the ground beef and other ingredients and molded it into a bunny shape. Then I took the pink styrofoam meat tray (from the ground beef) and cut out some ears.  I added eyes and nose...Voila!

(please excuse background - hope you can get the idea)

These photos are before cooking - yes, I took the ears and M&Ms away before I put him in the oven.  Unfortunately, I do not have an 'after' photo. Just know that he was delicious!

Happy Easter, everyone!

April - Sketch a day

Several years ago I discovered Marion Boddy-Evans, an artist who posts from Scotland. A few weeks ago she included 'Monthly Word Prompts' in her blog. She said, "I hope my free printable word prompt charts from a couple of years ago ... might be an enjoyable distraction amidst all the uncertainty and social distancing." She offered blank calendars from 2018. As you can see, on each day there is a word or two to prompt a drawing. 

I printed out the April calendar, but I thought the space was a little confining - so I got out one of my small sketchbooks.

Here is the first week of April:

I am hoping that I can discipline myself to keep up with this for a month or two. It is an uncertain time. I think this structure will help with some of this virus anxiety! 

You can find out more about Marion Boddy-Evans here. https://marion.scot/ 

Within/without 6 feet

This past week our Tuesday group assigned ourselves the task of sketching/painting the 'stuff' we see around us. Much of it is ordinary and overlooked. Subject matter for artwork, really?

I had started some sketches the last time we met as a group. I looked around the paint studio where we usually gather. There were rolls of paper towels, a coffee mug and two egg cartons (one of our painters has chickens and brings us eggs!)

Looking around my house, I found a lot of stuff...

Here's a split leaf philodendron which I have had for 30 years... it gets overlooked a lot - probably because it's been part of the scenery for so long.

Then there is the toothbrush holder and a fun mug that holds a lot of pens and pencils.

I've always loved this little frog that keeps the door from slamming shut.

Oh, and then there are tools! I was a woodworker before I discovered painting. Here's my drill press. The perspective is not quite right, but it was a fun challenge to draw.

It was a fun project  - and I will probably continue to do some more looking around with a renewed appreciation for the 'stuff.'   

Tuesday morning it was good to have a Zoom critique and see what everyone else had done. We are so different in our painting styles, but all grateful to be together and to share our stories.