Happy First Day of Spring!!

Well it has arrived after a very odd winter for sure. Cold, warm, cold, warm and now cold and warming to a nice 70 today as if to say I am here. The trees are all blooming I even have fruit on some of my fruit trees already. I hope this last frost hasn't robbed my of my summer harvest. I have been talking to my mom about the garden again, seems almost a daily thing we love to do waiting on spring. We love to pour over seed catalogs together and order all sorts of odd and fun things to try and grow each year. She now lives in a much different climate than I do so we order far different things but when we visit each others gardens we are always taking cutting. There is always that hope that we can get that plant to grow where they say it wont! Its the fun, the challenge, the sharing of the garden that I will always remember when I think of my mom. For as long as I can remember I have been at her feet, planting the pansy in the hole her hoe dug for me. Watching, learning, loving that time with her, the smell of the soil, the reward of the harvest or flowers.  It is a special gift I am handing down to my kids and grandkids along with the knowledge of where food comes from.  So often these days kids don't know how we get our food or where it comes from, basic information lost to a concrete jungle. Last week as we were helping and watching Randy digging around to roses to fertilize and mulch the twins saw some earthworms, "LOOK NANA, baby snakes!" I have my work cut out for me!

Dearl or No Deal

Last night we went out to dinner with Rick and Rose to celebrate Randy's birthday. We had such a great time catching up with all the excitiment at their house. Their kids are still young so they are in the throws of soccer, grades, college selections, pee wee league, oh those busy, busy days. I remember and thank God everyday that I am not doing that anymore! LOL Its true that we love the season in our life but are glad for a change.

We got home and I was not really tired, actually I couldn't sleep at all. I ended up turning on the TV and "Deal or No Deal" was on, it was a special speed show where they picked all their cases at once and only had 20 seconds to decide. It made for fast and furious tv, but it did change the people up much faster than normal. I grabbed my little sketchbook by the bed and started to sketch the contestants. Trying to capture their look and personality quickly since they would only flash to them when they were considering the bankers offer. It made for a great, quick challenge and study of faces. I might have to do this more often.

Sketches from the sketchcrawl

Here are my sketches from today. Marta and I drove down to San Diego and met up with about 15 other artists. It was such fun catching up with Jane and making new friends. Jane shared Danny Gregory's Newest book in which he had featured many of the EDM sketchers. Congrats Jane on you spread in the book, you deserve it, you are so talented! We were warmly welcomed by the owners of the shops as we drew and painted. Then over to Guadalajara's for lunch! It was a perfect day, thank you San Diego sketchcrawlers for making us feel so welcome!

Serious Hubby

I wanted to do a pencil drawing of Randy, and I wanted it to be serious. That was hard because he is usually smiling. Anyway, I have been just playing with my mechanical pencil on sketch paper. I did this but not overly happy with it, I don't know if I caught his essence, I want to do another, maybe smiling next time! He hates it, says he looks old, but he doesn't, just distinguished. He wears this big ole hat when he is in the sun working all day. I love him in it!

Sneaking in a sketch

I am so hungry to draw. Sometimes I feel as though I need to be able to just stop everything and just disappear and get absorbed into a painting or drawing. With all the sewing I have been doing my artwork has been ignored. Luckily for me, I had my little sketch book in my purse while I was sitting at the airport. This secretive drawing at the airport is almost a learned skill. Here is my airport sketching tips for you newbies.

1. First you have to get out the sketch pad and open it without drawing much attention to yourself. Its a slow movement, keeping yours eyes down.




2. Always have your pencil attached to your sketchbook as to not have to re dig in your purse.




3. Slowly open the book, pretending to write something as if you were making a note to self.




4. Glance around the room and see who might be watching you and who is totally absorbed in something where they won't move long enough for you to sketch them.




5. Try to position the sketchbook in a place where the people sitting on your right and left can't see what you are doing.




6. With your head kept down, glance up at your victim, oh sorry, subject. LOL Try to capture the shape and angle of your subjects head and/or body. Once you have the general shape you can now concentrate on one area at a time so you can remember it, draw it. Glance up again, repeat.




7. Every once in awhile you can raise your head and look around the room as if you are just checking out the people in general. Then zero in on your subject again and take in a good long look. Sketch more. I like to make sure I don't have people watching me at this time.




8. I like to draw people that don't know that they are being studied, if this doesn't work try doing some contour drawings as you stare them down. If they ask why you are staring at them show them your rendition of their face and I am sure people will stop asking. Enjoy.