To thine own self be true.

More sketches from January 4. The first I did very detailed and in pencil. The second I loosened up and began to PLAY. I drew it quickly with a Faber Castell Big Brush pen. Love those things!
The quote is from Shakespeare's Hamlet - "To thine own self be true." Above all! Indeed!

Elephant

Last week's "inspire me thursday" http://www.inspiremethursday.com/ challenge was "elephant" I began this on January 4, 2009, but finished it tonight with acrylic, watercolor and white gel pen. Ooooohhhh! fun!

"It's Been a Long Day"

Using the photo from the Feb. 09 issue of Country Living Magazine as inspiration I painted this on 5" x 7" W/N watercolor paper during lunch today. The red is a little deeper than the scan but I'm really happy with the way this turned out. I drew the sketch in Prismacolor Warm Gray 70% Then used my Yarka pans and light olive and mid vermillion Inktense pencils in certain spots of the afghan and pillow. I want to curl up and relax here. Maybe in front of a fireplace...

The Best Christmas Present!

My friend Kim gave me a gift certificate to Cheap Joe's Art Supply (http://www.cheapjoes.com/) for Christmas! What a perfect present!!

I purchased this empty Yarka palette and about 6 half pans of Yarka St. Petersburg Professional Watercolor and then used some other extra pans I had to fill the palette. I arranged them at first as below, but it didn't seem to make sense...



so I rearranged them in the order below. I think I have two English Reds (left page above and below), and I'm not crazy about that color, so I need to replace that with something a little brighter.



Thank you, Kim!!!

Proof you can sketch anywhere

Waiting at the garage for new tires...


I added color to this sketch of my cup on my desk at work while waiting for new tires at a garage!

I carried my Yarka palette, my Niji waterbrush, and an assortment of pens in a basket. Some people crochet... I sketch.


This is a chair in the waiting room - drawn with the new Pitt Big Brush pen - fun and quick.

A Summer Yard Sale Find - Decorating Idea

This past summer I found these macrame beads at a yard sale. A huge box of them for $5.00. I bought this glass vase Wednesday, December 31 at a local consignment shop and arranged them in it. It makes a very colorful, interesting decorating accent.

I found a treasure!

I made a trip to a local used bookstore on Tuesday, December 30, and found Cathy Johnson's book
Drawing and Painting from Nature!!! This is a first edition, first printing in pristeen condition! I am so excited to have found this!