Monday, January 30, 2012

CED - New Journal - WHAT TO WEAR?


I've been thinking a lot about my fashion sense, wardrobe, and clothes clutter. Do I have enough in my wardrobe to stay stylish? Do I have too much of everything, because my closets are jammed pack. I decided to start yet another new journal. WHAT TO WEAR - an illustrated journal of what I wore and to where. Hopefully this will help me to stay mindful I what I already have and what I don't need.
This is what I wore January 24. A baby blue wrap cotton shirt that ties in the back. Old Navy crop pants, low heel black boots. I wore this to work and an unscheduled meeting that I was hoping to get at the school board. The meeting didn't happened I was told to come back Wednesday. I did however visit the Lead Nurse she said she loved my boots. I didn't illustrate my bag. I carried this Pelle Wilson Leather Bag. I ran out of time to change it.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

CED: New Designer that I fav




I recently came across a designer that is new to me. I love her clothes. Her designs are also sold in my new favorite store Anthropolgie. Her name is Orla Kiely. I decided to do a few illustrations of her clothing. The hemlines would have to be lower though:)

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Sisters but not Twins

When I was a teenager my younger sister and I looked alike but I was 2 years older. We would dress alike and tell everyone we were twins. We would get such laugh when people believed us.
My daughters hate dressing alike, which was something I could get away with when they were younger but now that they are teens they don't even want to have the same jeans.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

CED: New from my sketchbook


 So starting out the new year I am always inspired. But how do you keep that inspiration going? I decided to add a few quotes to my blue and white collection from my sketchbook.
 You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you lost a friend

When you're struggling with something look at the people around you and realize that every single person you see is struggling with something, and to them, its just as hard as what you're goimg through.


Wednesday, January 11, 2012

CED- New Froggy Photos

As my inspiration I did something new. I turned my husband and I into frogs. This illustration is from a photo of us on vacation in Cololnial Williamsburg,  Virginia.
This was a mommy vacation. My children didn't want to admit that it was fun. We stayed for a whole week. I had fun turning us into frogs. Although the husband froggy looks like he's being dragged along, my husband was actually smiling.
 I thought about adding more color but I think the frogs stand out better.

Monday, January 2, 2012

CED 2012: New

I'm excited about all of the hopes that a New Year brings. 2011 was good and my prayers is that 2011 will be better. This year I hope to post more in CED so this is my very first post. I'm starting off the year with a new moleskine. I plan to continue with my "Face" illustrations, I also started a new series at the end of 2011 called  "Froggy Chronicles" they make me laugh.



This is my 1st face, I'm still working on my fear of coloring directly into my sketchbooks, but as you can see I did add color. I even did the face in watercolor. Yeah Me! I currently read "It's Not Easy Being Green and Other Things to Consider by Jim Henson and he says that Life is meant to be fun, and joyous, and fulfilling. Sometimes we all forget this when life gets so hectic, so lets try to hold on to these thoughts in this New Year.

Books Read 2011

    52/ 50
    (104%)
I started out wanting to read 60 books but by September I realized I wouldn't make it so I reset my goal to 50. I am happy to say I accomplished my goal. I've highlighted my favorites. My goal for 2012 is 65.

  • 52. Earth and Ashes by Atiq Rahimi
  • 51. I before e by Judy Parkinson
  • 50. Fredrick by Leo Lionni
  • 49. Holy Bible
  • 48. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Cabin Fever
  • 47. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley
  • 46. Porches by Sweetwater Press
  • 45. Carmen's Rust by Ana Maria del Rio
  • 44. Pobby and Dingan by Ben Rice
  • 43. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
  • 42. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
  • 41. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  • 40. Fashion Kitty and the Unlikely Hero by Charise Mericle Harper
  • 39. Between the Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
  • 38. Mice by Gordan Reece
  • 37. One Day by David Nichols
  • 36. The Art of Maurice Sendak by Selma Lanes
  • 35. An Elk Dropped In by Andrea Steinhofel
  • 34. The Ugly Kids by Renee Adams
  • 33. 7 Life Lessons from Noah's Ark by Michael Levine
  • 32. Modigliani and His Models by Royal Academy of Arts
  • 31. Chaos (The Lost Books #4) by Ted Dekkar
  • 30. Renegade (The Lost Books #3) by Ted Dekkar
  • 29. Infidel (The Lost Books #2) by Ted Dekkar
  • 28. Chosen (The Lost Books #1) by Ted Dekkar
  • 27. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jaime Ford
  • 26. the Help byKathryn Stockett
  • 25.Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
  • 24. Everfound by Neal Shusterman
  • 23. Everwild by Neal Shusterman
  • 22. Everlost by Neal Shusterman
  • 21. A War of Gifts by Orson Scott Card
  • 20. Long for This World by Sonya Chung
  • 19. Step by Wicked Step by Anne Fine
  • 18. Blood Kin by Ceridwen Dovey
  • 17. Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones
  • 16. Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama
  • 15. The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine
  • 14. Mr. Toppit by Charles Elton
  • 13. Life Mask by Emma Donoghue
  • 12. Murder on Lexington Avenue by Victoria Thompson
  • 11. The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
  • 10. Dear James: Letters to a Young Illustrator by R.O. Blechman
  • 9. Prayers For Sale by Sandra Dallas
  • 8. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
  • 7. The Dark Lantern by Gerri Brightwell
  • 6. The Man Who Made List by Joshua Kendall
  • 5. What Is This Thing Called Love by Gene Wilder
  • 4. Elizabeth Peyton by Matthew Higgs
  • 3. A Mapmaker's Dream by James Cowan
  • 2. Pork Pie Hat by Peter Straub
  • 1. The Honest-to-Goodness Truth by Patricia McKissack

Monday, December 26, 2011

Eyes Right

I was not able to get her eyes right. So I decided to leave it as is for now.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Look Up

Make sure that you take the time during the holiday season to enjoy nature. There is no snow here where I live and winter is not the same without it. I miss sleighing, snowmen, and snowball fights. So for winter I look at the trees with the last few leaves holding on and not willing to be set free.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Take Time to Look Up

Sometimes we are so busy with life and getting things done we forget to look up and enjoy the peace of nature.

Monday, December 19, 2011

New Moleskine - Froggy Chronicles


Well I completed another moleskine and started on a new one. I started the Froggy Chronicles. I don't know if I'll fill my moleskine with just frogs. I hope they make you smile. I'm trying to let go.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Reading: Just For Fun

As I was at the library I came across a funny book cover so I decided to pick it up. It's called Fashion Kitty and the Unlikely Hero by Charise Mericle Harper. I thought my fashionista daughter would like it. Of course I couldn't resist reading it for myself. It was so funny, it brought back my inner child because sometimes you need a laugh.
Fashion Kitty has met her biggest challenge: school uniforms" The school principal thinks fashion has become a distraction and no one is learning so now Kiki and her friends have to wear uniforms. Ugh!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

AEDM: Day 17, 18, & 19 That Blue Girl



I have been so busy preparing for my daughters 15th  birthday celebration that at the end of the day when I laid down to take a quick nap I just didn't have enough steam to get back up. Well now its over and I can get back to art.


I'm posting 3 drawings to make up for the days I miss. They are a continuation of my Blue Girl series. As I was doing these it made me think back to watching the Mary Tyler More Show and That Girl in the 70's. I guess it's the clothing. I wish I had time to put detail in the background of my drawings.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

AEDM - Day 16: That Blue Girl

Another little drawing of that Blue Girl Series. When I was a teen I thought I would live in New York, I loved the city, never in a million years did I think I would live in the south, married to a southerner. In life you can't always predict how things will turn out. But LIFE IS GOOD!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

AEDM: Face 21 - Will You Tell Me How Long You Loved Him?

This is one of my favorite lines from Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice Jane's question to Elizabeth about her feelings for Mr. Darcy.
"Will you tell me how long you loved him?
Elizabeth's reply "It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began, but I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberly" lol. This always makes me laugh.
Day 15 of AEDM another  illo of a couple.

Monday, November 14, 2011

AEDM: Face 20- Is he looking at me?

The first time ever I saw your face



I thought the sun rose in your eyes


And the moon and stars were the gifts you gave


To the dark and the empty skies, my love.
Lyrics by Roberta Flack, Its one of my old favorites. I thought it went with my illustration today. I decided to draw another couple only younger.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

AEDM - Face 19:Husband And Wife

I thought I would put a man in the mix since so many of my faces are only of woman. I didn't have time to do color today plus I am not feeling well.

Love is the balm that helps ease the friction of life between two people who have made a lifelong commitment to each other's growth and development.

Friday, November 11, 2011

IF: Silence & AEDM

My submission for Illustration Friday - Silence. Sometimes you have to bite your tongue, put on a fake smile, and keep your silence.
AEDM submission also. I ran out of time and didn't have time to do another drawing.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

AEDM- Surrounded in a Cloud of Blue

Day 10 of Art Everyday Month. Today I didn't want to do my face series, so I did something different- Surrounded in a Cloud of Blue. Don't you hate when that blue cloud surrounds you with that deep feeling of sadness?  Which you allow to encompass you. However you do not have to give into it find that inner strength that God has given you. Choose to be happy.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

AEDM- Face 17 Cheetah-licious


I made cheetah spots! I know that this may seem like a simple thing but I love the way they turned out. My youngest daughter who will turn 15 this year has been a cheetah print fan since she was 5 years old. Take a look at her family turkey she made for school when she was 7. A turkey that is Cheetah-licious. She still loves all things cheetah.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

AEDM- Face 16 :Time to go to Sleep

Art everyday # 8. Not my best work, I'm too tired! I used oil pastels. I wasn't happy with look so recolored on computer.

Monday, November 7, 2011

AEDM- That Blue Girl


 Since I am working on conquering my fear of color in my sketchbook I decided  to add these little drawings called "That Blue  Girl". The title is based on what my best friend mother would call me. I don't think she ever called me by my first name, she just always called me by my last name which was Blue and would refer to me as that Blue girl. I was excited and went out and purchased a lot of sharpies. I like  my little drawing but I was unable to draw more in the background. When I look at it the memory of how I loved to be outside in the fall enjoying the crisp air as a teen.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

AEDM- Face 15: Broken Hearted

I remember feeling this way when I was 15. My boyfriend Alphonzo broke up with me right before the Christmas holiday. I didn't see it coming. At the time I was totally devastated. My heart really felt like it was broken. I stay in the whole holiday break. My sister who still had a boyfriend saw Alphonzo out. I just never thought I would get over it. but I did. So if any of you young ladies feel like this. Time is a great healer. Someone else came into my life and we just recently celebrated 29 years of marriage.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

AEDM - Face 14: Too Tied Up

I'm too tied up with things. I really want to post everyday. It's 11:07 pm justing getting a chance to post.

Friday, November 4, 2011

AEDM - Face 13 - I love Fall

I didn't have time for a story today. As a matter of fact I didn't have time to finish adding color because I didn't want to ruin my drawing. Instead of paint I used pencils and markers for color.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

AEDM- Face 12 : I Am Determined

 Day 3 of AEDM in some ways my story of Tikezia and I shared the same goal which is determination. Despite the fact that I have limited time I am determined to post my art each day for November. Today was our immunization audit  by the Health Dept., so I went to work early and got off late. It's the end of day and I'm attempting a background in my sketchbook. I'm not so happy with the results because I'm rushing, at least I'm conquering my fear of painting directly into journal. Today's story is of a young African girl determine to survive the destruction of her village.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Finally a book worth reading

Mice by Gordon Reece. I came across this book thinking it was really about mice. I didn't read the jacket cover. I just dived in. I haven't had a good read in such a long time. The  beginning is very good a little dark, but interesting.
Shelley and her mom have been menaced long enough. Excused from high school where a trio of bullies nearly killed her, and still reeling from her parents' humiliating divorce, Shelley has retreated with her mother to the quiet of Honeysuckle Cottage in the countryside. Thinking their troubles are over, they revel in their cozy, secure life of gardening and books, hot chocolate and Brahms by the fire. But on the eve of Shelley's sixteenth birthday, an unwelcome guest disturbs their peace and something inside Shelley snaps. What happens next will shatter all their certainties-about their safety, their moral convictions, the limits of what they are willing to accept, and what they're capable of.