EDM 181 Trash Can

Vacation Dreaming

One week from today we are off for two weeks and take our annual trek up the Maine coast to stay at the Bar Harbor Inn. This will be one of my views - work has been stressful and We Need Solitude. Pen and Watercolor in my Handbook journal

Fly on the Wall

Have you ever wished you were a fly on the wall? A driving quest to really see and know what is going on behind a drama? That is me lately. Instead I channelled it into this sketch of a very annoying, invasive insect.

Surprise !!

Don't you just love it when a package arrives!! Often I forget what I ordered (ok I work with senility). With me it is invariable art supplies or art books of late. Opening it up is like Christmas !! I plan on journaling and inserting my weather info box, but did not have time last night This took quite a few glazes and subsequent drying time but I am happy with it and getting braver with shadows and glazing.

Bye Bye Black Eye

The Black Eyed Susans are blooming profusely now - such glorious sweeps of sunflower yellow - and of course that protruding 'black eye' . I have a huge bouquet of these beauties in my kitchen - but this wilting/bowing blossom caught my eye for a sketch. Fleetingly beautiful, which is what makes fresh flowers and sunsets and many other things so precious.

More EDM 180 Favorite color

Ok, I love lime, so I practiced some limes - arranged in a wire basket with my life long favorite color Blue - I scanned the before and after, not sure about my choices and would appreciate comments/suggestions. I really love the lime and blue combo normally, but this sort of washes out my limes?? And yet it needed something!! The wire basket was FUN but my masking fluid was hopelessly clogged and I used my white candle (ala Kate Johnson) She has better luck with that than I did - but then again a brush is a magic wand in her hand :-) So let me know what You would have done, I just may give my Lime color one more go around this hot steamy weekend.

EDM #180 Favorite Color

LIME GREEN

Only recently did I realize I love lime green, (in fact all citrus colors) I do have difficulty with my WC green mixes, although I do believe I am getting better. Just recently I learned adding some red makes a deeper green (never would have guessed that one). So I tried my hand at some green grapes, nice and lime-ish . Actual limes would have been too obvious! But, I may expand and try them next. Pencil and Watercolor in my hand.book journal (and I did not work this WET enough!!!)

Wonderful find!!

I am so thrilled to have found yet another great blogger that you must check out - Clare 's "Mummushka's Sketch Journals" at http://mummaclare.blogspot.com/ She has honored me with another award and I am so glad I then found her amazing blog.

I am honored

What a Surprise!! Odd Chick http://passionsofanoddchick.blogspot.com/ and Starr http://wistex1129.blogspot.com/ Awarded me the Brillante Weblog Premio - 2008 award. Check out these amazing artists, they both have very creative, diverse blogs and from these and other blogs I find so much inspiration and encouragement. EDM sketch journaling has taught me so much, shared so much amazing work and given great encouraging support. I am astounded at how much I have improved and how much fun I have. It also amazes me people enjoy my little blog - THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH! The"play it forward "rules of acceptance are: 1. Put the logo on your blog. 2. Add a link to the person who awarded you. 3. Nominate 7 other blogs. 4. Add links to those blogs on yours. 5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs. My Nominees!! Tami's Lines on Paper http://tamslines.blogspot.com/ Always gorgeous landscapes, she achieves the most gorgeous greens (I need lessons from her!!) Seesue Steppin in http://seesue.blogspot.com/ amazing work, always worth a visit! Pete Scully's Photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/petescully/ Fantastic pen work and he makes perfect perspective looks so easy! Christina Jonsson My sketchblog in Sweden http://christinajonsson.blogspot.com/ lovely inspirational farm scenes with interesting use of ink and limited color - always crisp and clean. Jeff Drawing Flies http://www.drawingflies365.blogspot.com/ - who knew fishing lures could be so lovely and varied?? Makes me want to fish !Art truly has no boundries Brenda BYarborough's photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/brendas_watercolors/ Always adventerous and creating fun journal pages of great variety and so supportive too. Betty from Texas http://www.flickr.com/photos/bettyfromtexas/ Fabulous work, always something to ohh and ahh over. Another great supporter too (thanks so much) I know it seems like a lot of work and participation is optional. But I think it's a great way to network for creative inspiration and support. Have fun and keep blogging. And Thank you to all the artists, who post and inspire, support and offer help and even visit my blog - I have 100 +I could nominate here.

Its All About Hydration

Summer is Getting Hazy Hot and Humid around here. I decided to log my hydration for the day - YES I know caffeine products de-hydrate, but I drank them any way :-) There were more paper cups of plain old H2O but they were boring to draw. Pen and watercolor in my handbook journal.

It Happened to Jane

Recently I took a trip down memory lane to Chester, CT, a small town in which I lived for some of my youth. It is quite quaint and now home to a thriving artist community. When I lived here the claim to fame was the filming of a Doris Day, Jack Lemmon movie 'It Happened to Jane' which was filmed in Chester. The waterfall scene was shot right around the corner from my old home.

Did not really scan very well. Pen Watercolor in Hand.book journal

EDM #179 Onion

What a fun challenge, there are so many "onions" and each so distinctive. I started with the one large yellow onion then decided to add his red cousins. Not thrilled with the composition here (pre-planning would have been quite wise) and I am still adjusting to this new journal paper. I may have to revisit this challenge again with more "relatives".

A Grand Find

No matter what I do, I cannot get blogger to accept this journal spread correctly - Argg - sometime technology is a pain in the ---. Any way, this page represents a find my 5 year old grand daughter made in our pool. Alyssa is very girl-y - but Loves bugs and such. And speaking of my grands - here they are - posing ever so briefly July 4th on our back yard pool patio - stalled by a slice of watermelon.

Top left, Luke, Liam (2 year old twins) Alyssa 5. Front row left, Colin 1 1/2, Joey 1 and William 3. A herd of fun and mischief.

poppies

Before the festivities began on the fourth - I did this quick sketch from a reference photo and later filled it in with juicy watercolor (the handbook journal requires a lot of water!). I adore poppies but cannot grow them, so I can try to paint them.

EDM #178 Red

10 Days of running around like crazy - little time to sketch, but I did manage to get my challenge done and posted on time - Here is my Red entry.

Day in the life of a Lilly

A quick splash and splatter to represent the lovely day lilly - Right now they border so many of the side streets. Unfortunately any lillies in my yard are used as snacks by the deer ;-) Sad, that each bloom only lasts a day, as they make such a tall, strong bouquet.

Not in My Garden

Every year there are several oak seedlings in my perennial garden, cute, determined little baby trees - NOT fitting for the perennial beds. All too easy to remove and discard - makes me kind of sad.