A Few Flowers

Over the weekend my daughter, my granddaughters and I traveled to my niece's for her housewarming. It was fun to get together with the family, see her new house and enjoy my babies! I managed to get in a few minutes of drawing and painting.

These are some flowers from the housewarming. They were a beautiful golden orange that doesn't really show well in the pictures.

I also attempted to draw some flowers from the bedroom.

I thought it would make a great value study with the white flowers against the white comforter, but I started losing light, getting uncomfortable on the floor, and then the kids came in, so this drawing is incomplete. But as I'm learning, it's not the product but the process that is important. And I had fun!

EDM #76 Draw some flowers.

Mobile Botanical Gardens

What a wonderful day of painting I have had! For the first time, I was able to meet with the plein air group in this area. We painted at Mobile Botanical Gardens and we could not have ordered a more gorgeous day! The azaleas were all in bloom, everything smelled wonderful, and the weather was spendid. Here's a little bit of the beauty I encountered on first arriving.

A half dozen or so met to paint and we got busy. Here is my first watercolor painting.



And this is the area I was in.


After seeing another artist doing a close-up of these amazing azaleas, I decided to give it a try, even knowing I couldn't come close to how good hers was. Here is the result.

This is the azalea I painted.

Though I know my paintings don't do justice to the beauty I stared at for hours, I had such a good time. I was able to lose myself in the artwork for a few hours. I will do more painting en plein air.
I believe this will qualify for EDM #193 Draw a closeup part of something, and EDM #136 Draw or paint something that's alive.

On November 17, I made a light!

Yesterday evening I had an unexpected visit from my daughter and granddaughters, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Then I went to my mother's to stay so I didn't get to draw until she went to bed. I barely got this finished before midnight! This is also EDM #120 Draw a flashlight.

My heart is heavy this week for 2 families who used to go to church with us who have lost loved ones, one a 15-year-old boy who was hit by a car while jogging, the other a grandfather who died this morning after having a stroke earlier in the week. No matter what the age of a loved one, we grieve because we miss them. Yesterday in class as I showed my project (the monster) I had an opportunity to mention the funeral. This young man was so loved. There were hundreds of people in the church mourning. Several of his classmates got up to tell what he meant to them and every one of them said, "He was my best friend." Because he shared himself wholeheartedly with those he was around, they considered themselves blessed to have known him. He was good at everything he did, his grandfather said, and he loved to have fun and make you smile. Most of all he loved Jesus and was not afraid to show it. He will be greatly missed. So now, as you wipe away a tear, go tell someone you love them before it's too late.

On November 15, I made time!

For a nap!

I didn't do any drawing, painting, sewing, designing, sketching, or doodling. The weekend caught up with me and I had a nap in the afternoon. Maybe you'll forgive me if I leave you with something:o)

This is a drawing of some cherry tomatoes from my garden which I did back in August. It is also EDM #178 Draw something red.

On November 10, I made texture!

In my 2D Design class, we're working on the element of texture. Today the teacher had some pictures she'd copied and cut into quadrants. Each of us had to take a quadrant, mount it on black railroad board (thicker than poster board but similar) and cover it with texture. We embellished with ribbons, rice, corn, leaves, bubble wrap, burlap, anything! We then put the quadrants back together to make new pictues. There were quite a few students missing today because of the tropical storm so for those of us who were there, we get extra credit for this project. Here are the completed designs. They are just mounted on another piece of railroad board with pushpins. Mine is the first picture, upper left quadrant.

It was a fun project and so interesting how different students interpreted the textures and colors. Try making some texture today!

I'm going to consider this an EDM challenge also, #62 Draw a previous challenge in a different medium than you usually use, since I've already done #24 Draw a piece of fruit.

On November 8, I made a doodle!

Tonight after church as I waited for my husband who was in a meeting, I spent a few minutes chatting with some of the kids and doodling a flower arrangement and flag at the front of the sanctuary.

This is also EDM #177 Draw a flag.

On November 7, I made a bouquet!

Today I cut what probably will be the last of the zinnias from my garden. I’ve so enjoyed these flowers with their bright blooms and butterfly magnetism and I’ve vowed to have them in my garden every year from now on. The colors are so vivid, the camera doesn’t capture it well.



Having wanted to paint these beauties for so long, I finally had some time and set out to do it in pastels. The results were less than satisfying, in part because I did not have pastel paper to use and because it’s been so long since I used pastels that I’m quite rusty. If anything this month-long challenge has shown me where I need much more practice. I like the real bouquet much more than the one I made.

I have managed to make something every day for a week, something that has made me proud and surprised.

This is also EDM #76 Draw some flowers.

On November 4, I made the zone!

Since my class yesterday when we did the rubbings and other textural techniques, I've been longing for some time to enter the zone--you know, that zone where you're really not aware of anything else that's going on as you create. I hope you know what I'm talking about. I've heard several people talk about it, and not just about drawing, but cooking, or sewing, or jewelry making. I yearn for that time again. When scheduling my classes, I try to plan a free break afterward because I need some transition time to ease out of the zone.

Tonight after many delays, I was able to enter the zone! The results are more satisfying than anything else this week, though I know I need lots of work on drawing fabric! Any advice would be appreciated.

This is also EDM #24 Draw a piece of fruit.

EDM #236 Draw your left palm

EDM is for Every Day Matters. It's an online group of artists encouraging one another to draw daily. Each week there is a drawing challenge or suggestion. This week the challenge was to draw your left (non-dominant) palm. I started to do a long drawing, see how detailed I could get drawing my hand. Then I realized I didn't plan well and my fingers ran off the page. Oh, well, a quick sketch is better than no drawing at all.