Sketchbook Project 2011

I'm A Scavenger...

Yes, I know. I failed horribly in my effort to post daily/weekly as I said I would earlier.

I signed up for the Sketchbook Project with all kinds of time left for me to finish a one page spread a week with lots of time to do each one at a leisurely pace. It seems as though a pretty butterfly must have flitted past at a bad moment and got me sidetracked and next thing you know I have 3 weeks before the deadline to send.

tsk tsk.

I've never worked on something so furiously before in my life!

I learned how to bind a sketchbook. I did this because I knew there was no way I was ever going to be able to fill all those pages in 3 weeks time and wanted a book with far fewer pages in it. I ended up with 16 full spreads, the front and back inside cover and the front and back outside cover. Had it not been for the three day extension we all got my covers would have been blank, stark raving blank.

*chuckle*

I scanned these so ignore the odd glare and shadow. My pages got a bit 'wrinkly' due to all the moisture I forced upon them and even flattening them out under my monstrously heavy old tv didn't completely help.

I will post the other half of the book on tomorrow's post.

I promise!

Have You All Missed Me?

It's been what, almost 5 months...wait, what!? FIVE months since the last time I posted!

tsk tsk, for shame...

Trust me, I'm shaking my head right along with you. Amazing isn't it.

I think that darned sketchbook project got me so rattled that I didn't dare come back until I had something to show for it.

Hehe, sadly enough I haven't even touched it yet. My Mom always said I worked better under pressure and with the deadline looming large and exceeding fast I can only hope and pray my dear Mother is right.

That being said, however, I have lots and lots of wonderful shiny things with which to share.

Yes indeed for I have been busy...busy ignoring my sketchbook...*chuckle*


I think maybe if I try to post all said shiny things at once my computer will breathe its last breath. You see, part of the problem I have been having is my poor computer is acting like the last dinosaur. It's not even that old, 6 years now, barely a baby. I've tried it all but my poor baby isn't responding as well as it used to...sigh.


What I shall try is diligently (I swear) posting some pics EVERY day for a week. Just to show you all some of what I've been up to.


Now off to the races!

A couple of new big eyed bird paintings in some really fun color combinations!

LOVE the purple and lime green together!

This one is my favorite.

Needed a new (old) avatar pic.

Sooo, did you all spot that really wonderful piece of wood in the background? No? I'll wait, go take another look.

Raise your hands if you've ever driven by a piece of wood lying on the side of the road and wondered if you could make a u-turn and get back to it before anyone else spotted it.

Seriously, I can't be the only one, can I?

hehe

Fresh Artwork Thursday Week #2

I have to admit that I'm still quite smitten with round things and todays post on new artwork is no different.

The fact that I'm having a love affair with lime green is rather evident here as well.

These guys are painted on a 6"x6" canvas.

Are you all hanging in there with this weekly challenge?

Fresh Artwork Thursday Week #1

Round.

The word round conjures up many things. But does it conjure up round artwork?
I never thought so either.

In keeping with my promise on June 1st I have some new artwork to share and it all came about from the round tip-in page swap I joined in on over at Craftster.

I had been feeling, dare we say...bored? I needed something fresh, help me think outside the box so to speak and I thought this swap would most definitely help.

Round.

I cursed the word round. How in the world, (haha) was I supposed to do artwork round. I'm a square kinda girl. I hated round.

I apologize.

Once I "got it" I loved round. Couldn't do enough round. Yay for round!

My first swap partner wanted spring/garden/flowers. It truly looked better in person as it was so dimensional with lots of layers. I'm not much on flowers.

My second partner wanted nonsense. Yay I LOVE nonsense! I admit to having a lot of fun with this one. Little Emily on a bike with flowers!

My third partner wanted things with wings. Normally that's a walk in the park with the big eyed birds and all but having already sent her one of those I wanted to do something slightly different at least. Each of the little birds is hand drawn, colored, cut and glued on the record and the label states it's Freebird by The Byrds, hehe.

I still have 3 more partners to do pages for, a couple are going to be...interesting to say the least.

Here is some round artwork directly inspired by this swap.

Done on a 6"x6" canvas roughly around Mothers Day. Sense a theme there?

The theme I wanted for my tip-in page was Alice In Wonderland and I did want to share 2 of the pages I've received so far. Hopefully soon I can get to work on my own covers for my book at which time I will certainly share them.

Slightly askew White Rabbit done for me by Stifflersmom. He's so cool.


This fabulous page done by AlteredMommy. Love it!!

Easter Bunny Bird

Can't believe I captured the Easter Bunny!! Who knew......hehe.

Happy Easter!

I hope that everyone is having a fabulous Easter!

I've been a bad blogger of late but with the best intentions. Though this last week has seen me hit hard with a bout of pneumonia that still seems to be lingering. It's little things like this that make you realize how fortunate we are for simple things like antibiotics, a soft pillow and something 'anything' to watch on the television when we are feeling our worst. Not to mention chicken noodle soup, an absolute staple in this household although it was oranges that I craved after 4 days of being unable to eat anything at all.

I will attempt to make it all up to you with lots of pictures this go around.

A friend brought me this lovely "stump" of grass that made its way into a photo shoot with some new birds and friends.
Spencer.

Little Nilla.
Maya

Ralphie holding little Emily.

Did I mention that I went to see 'Alice In Wonderland? No? I highly recommend this movie...highly!

I was extremely motivated by it.

The Cheshire Cat.


My version of Alice herself holding the White Rabbit.

Sweet little pin set.

Come Meet The Girls!

Happy pretty little birds are we.

Dear Winifred likes to write letters, especially on typewriters. She doesn't like all that newfangled gadgetry.

Sweet sweet little Olivia. She likes to play dress up.

Little Harriet has an affinity for pears. Especially little green not-quite-ripe ones.

Georgia loves those little sweet hearts. You know the ones with the cute little sayings on them. The kind you always got for Valentine's Day. Hers says simply "Be Mine".

Wedding Cake Topper with the Big Eyed Birds

I had been asked to create a wedding cake topper for an upcoming wedding in April so I decided to create a 2nd topper in a different color scheme. I LOVE the vintage feel this has.

They can be found in the shop here.

And doesn't it look so pretty on my glass cake stand. At least it's getting used for something...sorry Mom.
Here's looking at you!

Aren't they adorable.

Happy New Year!!!

What a better way to start the New Year than having a fresh new calendar to look at!

Okay, so I'm not exactly on the ball here as far as dates go but let's just pretend that it's bright and early on the morning of January 1st.
I worked on these little illustrations while my computer was on vacation and I'm pretty thrilled at how they turned out. ATC sized (that's 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 for the uninitiated) and sitting pretty on a little ATC sized easel. There is a bird specific for each month

I even made it a 13 month calendar as I'm late to the show, hehe.

These are in the shop now.

Not Enough Time and Far Too Many Things

I'm still trying to figure this one out. Both Cooper and Emily were sound asleep when I wandered over with the camera and only opened their eyes when the heard the camera making noises. How in the world Emily got where she was is just beyond my comprehension. Silly little pill.

I've got lots of new work done but have been struggling lately with the camera and in trying to get good pictures lately.
I've been attempting to get one good spot set up (permanently) for all my picture taking and nothing I do seems to be working. Needless to say it's led to some very frustrating times.

I would LOVE to see a shot of your set up if you are so inclined to share...please!

Pierre and Simone. Named after my rescue Hamsters that I have totally fallen in love with! Don't you just love their little berets?

Clairee, named after the third Hamster. She's just a little darling. Both the hamster and this adorable little bird.

Little Stevie.

This is Palmer who decided that the "normal" party hats weren't for him and decided to don a pine tree for a hat instead. This little guy has gone to his new home in Barcelona Spain.

I wonder if he'll learn a new language.

This is Wallace.

Last but not least. My mobile home. I combined the big eyed birds with the chubby houses. I feel like a genetic engineer, hehe.

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On a really really happy note, I got a new (to me) jacuzzi for the back yard yesterday and it just now dawned on me that I missed a great photographic opportunity in NOT taking a picture of the GIANT crane that came to my house to move it...dangit!

My neighbor is moving and decided to sell me her jacuzzi as she couldn't take it with her. It's a 6 person jacuzzi so it wasn't something we could just lift up and move, hence the giant sized crane.

I'm just waiting for cooler weather so we can run the electricity needed to run it up through the attic and over to it.

I. simply. can't. wait!

I Needed a Fresh New Avatar So...

I've been using a version of this guy as an avatar wherever I go but wanted a newer fresher color. Plus I wanted to make some new canvas paintings. I admit to getting a bit on a roll with it.Yes, fresh new colors indeed.

I think this guy is right up my alley. Very reminiscent of Maddie and Margo not to mention Hannah and her two daughters.

These are all done on 4"x4" stretched canvas and will be going into the shop as soon as I get proper photos of them.

I'm also wondering if these aren't truly reminiscent of the photos one would find in your High School yearbook?

I don't suppose this has anything to do with my re-union coming up in a couple short weeks?

Nah.

A Trio of Big Eyed Birds and New Chubby Houses!

In celebration of all the baby birds that have landed them selves into my life and, let's face it, my heart, I decided to do a tribute piece to them with this trio of birds. Hannah and babies Edith and Agatha.

Edith is the shy one always hanging around her Momma while Agatha can't wait to spread her wings and fly off to new places.

A new village of chubby houses. The sun wasn't co-operating very well with me and this picture looks a tad washed out. I am so looking into better options.

A couple of my favorites.

Love the little heart shaped flowers!

Hmmm, wondering what else I can get into today...