Nov30Art

Probably got too creative with the orange word under 'how'… it is supposed to be DRAW… now the page should make sense I hope.  Hockey game this afternoon, the Rays won again 3 - 0 so a 'Shut Out' for our goalie Jeff Jakaitis fun game to watch.

Nov29Art

Early hockey game today against Gwinnett Gladiators, Rays won 3 - 1 played a good game today, fun to watch.  A box from Dick Blick arrived with a few new art supplies.  Got the colors Liz suggested for her class that I was missing so I did a chart of the colors I'll carry out and about.  I added the Cadmium Orange and Light Ultramarine blue and dropped her Cobalt Green.  I had also ordered some Graphitone (water soluble graphite) pencils, but with I opened the package every single one of them was broken.  I was disappointed, but I have confidence Dick Blick will make it right, you could not tell there was anything wrong with them by looking at them in the package.

Nov28Art

While lots of people were fighting over bargains at the stores today, I was cleaning bird cages.  I've never really like shopping, and I especially dislike big crowds of pushy people.  My grandmother 'Hello' we called her, never missed Black Friday shopping, I went with her a few times but always ended up getting lost and separated from her in the crowds in Rich's or Davison's in downtown Atlanta.  I've disliked huge stores and shopping in crowds ever since, I'm so thankful for the internet, I can shop in my PJs and no crowds to deal with.

Nov27Art

We have so much to be thankful for in this country, even the poorest here would be considered rich is some places in this world.  Say thanks today for all your blessings, and be happy.  God wants us to be happy, it is called 'GOOD NEWS' for a reason.  Safe travels and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Nov26Art

The 'pink' around the clouds is a red paint droplet from my juicy watercolor yesterday.  I tried to get the cloud white with gouache but it didn't quite do the job.  I've neglected my Lamy Safari fountain pen for a while now…. so I cleaned it today, running clean water thru it, letting it soak until all the ink was gone…. but… it isn't working well still, see the test marks on the bottom of the page.  I've been working with it on and off all day drawing lines and swirls, fast and slow, pressing hard not pressing hard… it just isn't feeding the ink as well as my cheap Preppy pens and definitely not feeding as smoothly as my Pilot Falcon pen… so sadly it will languish at the bottom of my pen case full of pens I don't use any more.

Nov25Art

It poured rain all day today, I was going to use a photo for my Liz Steel outdoor homework.  Liz said she didn't want us to use photos… so… I'm behind for this week, probably won't be the only week I'm behind I'll do it later this week or when the weather lifts (it is supposed to clear up Thursday).

Nov24Art

When I first started wearing readers I wouldn't wear a leash for them, because only 'old maid' school teachers worn their glasses around their necks when I was a girl in elementary school. Well the old maid thing isn't a problem as I'm married and a grandmother, so a week or so ago I bought a leash for my readers.  So convenient I loved having my glasses handy without having to search for them.  Then just so I could learn humility, I lost my glasses with the leash… I've been looking for them for a week.  So I bought a new 3 pack of readers and a new leash, I am officially an old woman with my glasses around my neck now.

My indoor prompt for Liz Steele's week 2 class, blind contour and point to point contour drawing.

Nov23Art

Poor Beau has been so distraught this week, he hasn't been getting his usual sleep time in, you see Gracie is in season and so has been separated from him.  Beau has spent the week whining and pining over her.  He is losing interest a bit today and so I was able to catch him napping.  It has been raining on and off all day and now it is raining hard with thunder and lightening.  The same system is dumping tons of snow up North, but here we are just getting rain, lots of rain.

Nov22Art

We were married by our good friend Wanda Usher eleven years ago, on a boat in the Charleston Harbor.  Here's a picture of us on our wedding day.

Nov21Art

When I did a color chart for my Liz Steel Sketching Now class, I realized I had two reds almost exactly alike.  I used up the Permanent Alizarin Crimson making Christmas Cards for an Exchange with other Sketchbook School Students and changed that out for Quinacradone Magenta.  For the first page in this journal I decided to re-do the color chart and now I see that the Quin Magenta is very close to the Mineral Violet I already have…. so I may be in search of a new color again real soon.  Oh in a couple of days you'll see a page where I tried to cover up the date and weather with some Washi tape, didn't quite work because the date is still visible.  Here's the story on that, I usually start the day, by dating my journal page and including the weather forecast for the day… for some reason I did that 2 pages into the book this morning… when I picked up my journal to do this color chart I discovered my mistake… I hate to waste paper, so I tried to cover up my error on that page, and did my color chart on the real page one.

Book 29 Title Page

Our Anniversary, Thanksgiving, my daughter and a grand daughter have birthdays, Christmas, New Years and my Son-in-laws birthday will all be covered in this Journal… much to be thankful for.

Nov20Art

Last pages in my first hand made sketchbook, I haven't had time to make another one, so I'll be using a store bought Global Arts Handbook Watercolor Journal tomorrow.  

Sketchbook Skool has ended for now, but I'm still doing postit note faces, so I thought I'd share a page of faces I've done.

Nov19Art

This week's challenge color is Purple, so a purple day lily done with inktense pencils.  Freezing weather last night killed off our pepper plants and the tomato too.  We had harvested most of the peppers, even the green ones as the freeze was expected.  We made our final batch of pepper sauce tonight, Ron's going to have to make it last until Spring next year.

Nov18Art

Looking thru boxes to find the color refills I had bought for my Pilot Parallel pens, I found a stash of little stamps I'd picked up from a sale bin at Michaels one day. I just used the tiny ink pad that came with the little stamps to use them in my journal…. then I gave drawing a bigger version a try.  I did not clean the pen before loading the red ink cartridge, and got some really cool stripped red/black letters… still a little of the black showing but the red is taking over… soon I'll be ready for the Holidays.

Nov17Art

I have loaded a new color (grey) in my fountain pen… I'm not particularly happy with this ink color, nor with the flow of the ink… funny because it is the same 'brand' of ink just a different color.  I'll be loading the Chestnut Brown back into the pen as soon as this grey is used up.  Did a little hand practice… it is obvious I need to do a lot more hand practice.

Did my outdoors homework today… my one day a week to get out for lunch.  I think I like the ink best especially if I'm eating, the watercolor pencil got all over my hands.  I added the color and the water once I got home.  mystery solved on the Derwent blue gray pencil that got all over my hands yesterday. I got it out again today I figured out it's the paint on the pencil it got all over my hands and when I wiped it with a rag...it got all over the rag...so now I know perhaps I'll wrap it with tape.

Nov16Art

This week's challenge color is Blue, I wanted to wait for a white page in my journal so I'm posting on the very last day for this week's challenge.  Happy to report the Stingrays finally won a home game today, they shut out the Greenville Road Warriors  2-0.

Nov15Art

Not sure exactly what the problem is, or what I ate that disagreed with me… but feeling not quite right most of the afternoon.

Nov14Art

Hockey game tonight was another disappointing loss, we did get to see one of our favorite players Patrick Gaul return to the ice tonight and he player well.  He's been out from an injury in a pre-season game.  I think I'll bring my knitting or a sketchbook tomorrow.

Got a box from Dick Blick today with colored pencils and some Pitt artist brush pen markers… not required for this class but I'm looking forward to using these in my sketch journals. I like the markers, they don't streak and do not bleed thru even on cartridge paper. I'm learning to use colored pencils and wanted to expand my color selections (so all these didn't come today) so added a few more greens and earth colors.

No place for a civilian: Richard Johnson at TEDxCalgary

Nov13Art

Someone on Facebook wanted suggestions of what to draw, my suggestion was draw your thumb…. such sound advise I decided to follow it myself.  

I cheated I used a ruler and a pencil to divide up the page, then I used a micro marker to free hand the boxes. I love doing color charts and doing this one pointed out to me that I have 2 reds that are basically the same color… hum what to use instead… not sure just yet.  I'll see which one uses up first and replace with another color then. 

Nov12Art

Our Sugar Maple tree is shedding leaves at an fast rate, and yet some leaves are still green.  I love the yellow, orange and green of Fall maple leaves.  Today was the first day of an online class with Australian artist Liz Steel. It's not too late to join the fun here http://www.sketchingnow.com  Below are the first 2 pages of my homework for the class.

Nov11Art

Spent my day off doing chores around the house, cleaning bird cages, doing laundry, and running the dishwasher.  Had time to let dogs, in and out of the house, and paint 3 Christmas cards for an exchange I'm in for Christmas.  We went to Parson Jack's for dinner and got a 25% discount for my retired Navy husband.  Thanks to all the veterans and to all the young men and women serving in uniform now, I appreciate you keeping the wolves away from my door.

Nov10Art

Long day today, I'm looking forward to a day off tomorrow.  Meeting tonight so my day isn't done yet.

Nov09Art

Beau likes to dig a hole in the carpet before he lies down.  From my angle I couldn't see enough to draw him digging and have the image make sense. Before I could get the camera out to try to photograph him more on his level, the hole was deep enough (how does he decide that?) he plopped down for a nap in his newly dug hole (that doesn't exist).  It was much easier to get a quick sketch of the old fellow while he napped.

Nov08Art

Loved this quote someone posted on 'Artist Journal Workshop' on Facebook, I was needing inspiration for a page today.  Ron let me languish in bed until 10am today, then cooked me breakfast. I watched the rest of the Danny Gregory travel journal videos in Sketchbook Skool.  The rest of the day was spent grocery shopping, and running errands.  Prime rib dinner at O'Charlie's finished off the evening.  

Nov07Art

Our team was not working together as a team tonight, so they were soundly defeated.  Some of our good players have already been called up to the next level, and we even had one just quit and break his contract.  He won't be able to play hockey anywhere in North America because of it, he could go to Europe but that's his only option other than getting a job doing something other than hockey. Young people sometimes make rash decisions that effect the course of the rest of their lives.

Nov06Art

Hermann posted this cool drawing on Facebook of his hand, with lines his looked very cool so I gave it a try.  Couldn't trace my whole hand so only got my fingers, mine didn't turn out quite like his, but I still like the effect.

Nov05Art

I used my Inktense pencils on the frog, the brown ink ran a bit.  I used the colored pencils on the weather, it warmed up enough for the A/C to kick in today.  We had left over lasagna for dinner tonight, I think it was better the second time around.

Nov04Art

I voted today, I have voted in every election since I turned 18, it baffles me that some people don't even register to vote.  Tim Scott will be my elected Senator I'm so glad people all over the state got to know him like those of us in Charleston know and love him.  He will do a great job I'm sure of it.  I was supposed to go to his victory party tonight, but just didn't feel up to it, but I'm celebrating here at home.  I'll find out tomorrow if the folks I voted for school board won or not.  I hope you voted today, celebrate your victories and vow to work harder next time if your favorites didn't win.

Nov03Art

On the one hand I will be so GLAD the robo-calls, and the emails asking for money and/or votes and the surveys will all be over tomorrow.  On the other hand I'm so privileged to live in a country where the PEOPLE vote for their leaders, we don't have a king or a dictator, we choose our leaders.  Sadly many people in the country don't even bother to choose.  Go VOTE tomorrow, you have a civic duty to vote, you have a moral responsibility to vote and you are a VERY lucky person to live in a country where your vote counts.  So VOTE, because I will and so should you.

Nov02Art

Not a cloud in the sky today to use as a model.  This post isn't about real clouds anyway, it's about those technical clouds.  That cloud my iPad keeps wanting the password for (and I cancel instead), or the Cloud my Mac wants to save anything I download from the internet to, and I change it to save to my hard drive.  You see I have a confession to make, I don't understand clouds, and since I don't understand them, I don't trust them either.  What exactly is a cloud anyway?  Is it some server in Thailand that will store all my data?  Will I get a bill for storage someday?  Will the cloud rain if I don't pay up and lose all my data?  Is it better than the backup drive I already have. I saw an ad for a 'personal' cloud, looked a lot like an external drive to me… hum?  Do you use the cloud?  Do you understand the cloud?  Do you trust clouds? Do you have a personal cloud?

Red Tailed Hawk

Also took a short video of him… isn't he handsome?

http://youtu.be/8rcouQc-AHA

He was eating a squirrel in our front yard when we got home from shopping today.

Nov01Art

This week's challenge color YELLOW, I used my Dr. Phil's liquid watercolor on the stencil for the background, and Daniel Smith New Gamboge for the honey.  Really chilly here today, with SNOW in the upstate of South Carolina.