Girl Doodle and an Abstract Painting

 We've had quite a bit of company the last few days, plus Christmas shopping, gift wrapping, therapy, being a listener for talkative people, etc. among other things, so I haven't had the time and energy for anything creative much. Our family Christmas is this coming Saturday and hubby is busy cooking turkeys and ham and candy. It may be selfish, but I so need some quiet and still time to relax and do some art.

I did take a pink Posca paint pen that was laying handy and quickly sketch off this girl face one morning while I was having my wake-up coffee and listening to hubby talk. I did her all in pink, and the first paint drip was a mistake where I mashed down on my pen to release more paint, too much, and it ran. I couldn't erase it, so I deliberately added two more. Not the best idea, but it is what it is. The next morning I used my black Zig Writer pen on her eyes, nose, and mouth and a bit of green watercolor on her eyes. I just had to play a bit!

Another morning, again while having coffee and listening to hubby, I used a brush pen full of India ink to draw shapes in my large square sketch book, filled the shapes in with Kuretake watercolors and black India ink, and the next morning I went over the lines with a pink Posca paint pen. The eye shape was originally an eye, but I didn't like it, so I painted it solid black. I like it much better! Plus, it allowed me to play a bit more...

I can never plan anything five minutes ahead, so I don't know what tomorrow will be like. I already rescheduled our eye appointments for tomorrow until February, because the kids moved our Christmas gathering up to day after tomorrow instead of Christmas Day. That happens when all the kids get married and have families of their own and some live out of state. You have to find a day that works for everybody, or most everybody. 

We saw everybody on Thanksgiving, but it will be good to see them again. The two little ones are growing up fast!

Anyway, try not to get too stressed out during the holiday season, and  try to squeeze in a bit of something you love to do for your own peace of mind, and I'll try to do the same! 

Make some great memories with family and friends. We don't get to keep each other forever, and we don't know who will be absent next year, so let's enjoy each other while we can, not just for the holidays, but throughout the year. 

Thank you for visiting!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 😊💓

Squiggle Angel in Pink

 Hello! I'm still here, but I've hit another slump and haven't been creating anything since the last post, except this lone sketch, which I did after seeing several angel paintings from an artist on Facebook that I really liked. I love angels anyway. Who doesn't? 😊

The original sketch with a Zig Writer pen and Kuretake watercolors. The wings are are actually a pale metallic copper. I like her.

Same angel with a vintage filter; just playing around.

Same angel, cropped with a BW Warm filter applied. I like this version too.

The days are flying by at warp speed, seems like. Hubby and I are both dealing with health problems, as most people our age (seventies) are. The eye that I had skin cancer surgery near and my back/hip are still giving me problems, and I desperately need to go to the dentist. 

We take so much for granted when we are young and healthy. Thankful we can still get around and take ourselves where we need to go, and that we're still together, so far. The older we get, the more we have to give up and let go of. Nobody tells you what it's REALLY like to live in an old body that doesn't always want to cooperate. :/

I always get kind of down through the holidays. I hate getting depressed and I don't want to. It just seems to creep up on me when I get so frustrated and overwhelmed about stuff. By the grace of God, I don't stay that way and it passes.

Thanks for visiting, and if I don't get another post done before Thanksgiving, I hope those of you who celebrate have a very safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend making memories with family and friends.

Keep creating beautiful things! :)

Doodles, Sketches, and Zen-Neuro

 My collection of creative things since the last post. Some are just squiggle girls, who just flowed out of my ink pen/marker, some are in Ebony pencil from photos, and the last two are zen doodles in mixed media, and they are in different sketchbooks, some lightly textured and one really smooth. The large 12" x 12" one won't fit in my scanner, so I had to make photos, which don't turn out nearly as well and for some reason the whites look gray. :/

I usually just do faces or busts, but this week I added bodies just for practice, and I need a LOT more of it.

This one is from an online photo with an Ebony pencil, and was really a challenge for me. I added a warm B/W filter. The background and face lights are very white actually. The translation between my camera, my editing, and my blog gets confused somewhere along the line, and I can't figure it out. :( Same with the one below.

This one is referenced from one of my favorite original photos of me and my Granny. I was wearing my Hop-A-Long Cassidy gun and holster. We are actually standing behind an old model car (which was new at the time). I didn't worry about a likeness, and my face is in shadow from a nearby tree. I had polio when I was two, so one knee being lower than the other is not a mistake. I want to try this one again at some point.

A zen-neuro doodle that I spent at least four, maybe five sessions on. Again, the background should be very white. I started out with the neuro doodle square in the corner, then added the tree trunk, and then filled the spaces. Good for calming my mind and relaxing my body.

This is one that I posted a while back. I was trying something different and I used a Sanguine Pitt brush pen. I've never liked it, so I was flipping through my sketch book a couple of days ago and decided to take the large end of my Zig Writer marker and do this (below) to it. I like it much better!

Anyway, that's it for now! Just a hodge podge of marker/pencil ramblings that gave me an immense sense of pleasure!

So far, I am keeping up my physical therapy for my back/hip at home, and hubby is still doing it with me. It takes us about an hour, but so far it's helping both of us, so it's worth it.

The days get by so fast, it's unreal! I can't believe October is already at the end and daylight savings time is back. Doesn't seem like it's been five minutes since Christmas, and it's almost here again. Yikes!

Thanks for visiting! Let's count our blessings every day, because we still have many, despite what's going on around us. 

Backyard Fall Leaves in Rain

 We got some rain a couple of days ago, after several weeks without any, and since I love to smell the rain when it hits dry dusty ground, I went out onto our little back porch to enjoy it. After a few minutes, I went back inside and got my camera and made a few pictures of the fall leaves in the rain. It wasn't a heavy rain, so it's not showing up much, but it looked pretty to me. 

I labeled this field trips, but I rarely get to go on a field trip anymore, so pictures from my porches have to do, for the most part. Thankful I can do that though!

I love the heart shaped leaves on this tree!

I love this one! It's a bit blurry, but the rain may be part of it. This mini rose bush has outdone itself this year. I ordered, and set out, five different colors many years ago, and this is the only one that survived. The rest didn't make it past the first year, and this one has looked iffy a few times, but it's still with us. 

My husband said he started to clean the blue glass ball the other day, but I told him not to. It has a very weathered look from being in all kinds of weather all these years, and I love the build up of greenish algae, or whatever it is, built up on it, the rusty iron work supporting it, and the big glass cats eye marbles enclosed under it. I just love old loved and worn things. 

Three of my favorite smells: first rain on dry dusty ground/roads, when I opened the lid one of those large coca-cola boxes, where the soft drinks stood in cold water to keep them cold, many years ago, and white peonies.

Just a few shots in my back yard that made me happy! Hope you find something today that makes you happy!

Girls, Cat Sketches, and a Birthday

 Life has been kind of busy since my last post, but I managed to do these three sketches in my 12" x12" sketchbook, which is too large for my scanner, so it cut some of the edges off. Two of the sketches are with an Ebony pencil and the other is just a quick squiggle girls sketch with a Posca paint marker. I used online photos as references for the two pencil sketches. I learned a lot from this practice.

I'm doing my therapy at home now and trying for every day, though the doc said at least three times a week. I think the steroid shot is wearing off, because my hip is starting to be sore again, despite the therapy. I am getting around better though, for which I'm very thankful.

I had my three quarter of a century birthday on Oct. 15 and met my Aunt Lela and four of my cousins, who I hadn't seen for a long time, for lunch in town. None of them thought about it being my birthday, and I didn't mention it, so we enjoyed the visit without any hoopla, and it was nice. I don't like being the center of attention. Never did. :) Below are photos of my aunt, who will be 90 in the spring, and me in 1950 and on my birthday 2024.

We've been having some beautiful weather here, although the last few days have been rather chilly. I would love to get out and walk around, but hubby doesn't want me too, because he has found three LARGE rattlesnakes in our yard during the last few weeks, two of them at the same time. Yikes!

Oh, yes! I've been debating on whether to print calendars with my art work for gifts again this year, with postage getting so expensive. The calendar prices have also gone up, but Vistaprint sent me an email that the calendars were buy one, get two free for only 2-3 days, so I quickly picked out a few of  my sketches, put one together, ordered 15, and got them in yesterday. They cost me $98.00 (usually $200 plus). I lacked two dollars of getting free shipping, so I ordered a box of note cards with my art for $14 and got free shipping. Of course, tax was added, but it still was only $122.00, which is way cheaper than I've been paying! They look great! I still can't believe it. :o Will share pictures of it soon, when there's no danger of one of the recipients seeing my post before Christmas! 

Anyway, I hope your creativity juices are flowing and you have the time to take advantage of them! Stay safe and well!

Character Sketches, Birds, and a New Sketchbook

 So far, since the last post, I've done the following sketches from online photos. I love doing the character sketches better than the perfect glamourous ones. I don't go for a likeness anyway. Again, I've worked these in between company and physical therapy, mostly during my wake up morning coffee. It's my quiet time, kind of.

Loved this lady's straw hat and chicken, and also the joy on her face! Posca paint pen and red colored pencil

I could feel this lady's pleasure and peace while standing on a beach drinking her coffee! I think I kind of captured the feeling. Zig Writer double ended marker

This lady looked like she was dealing with something heavy, and the jacket was a challenge. Posca paint pen in sketchbook

I challenged myself to sketch this parrot with a still life, then colored it in with Prismacolor pencils. The vase is actually more of a lime green than yellow. I think I did ok, considering this is only the second time I've tried a parrot.

Yesterday, after physical therapy, hubby wanted to go in Beales to see if they had any more of the jeans like he bought a few weeks ago. I went in with him, and as we went across the front of the store, this book caught my attention, and I had to have it, especially when I saw that the price was $7.99. This is the front, and

this is the back. It was too big to scan, so I had to make a picture, and the back image turned out a bit sharper than the front one. The word "Sketchbook" is in gold glitter. It's 12" x 12", and the covers are hardback. The 176 pages are very smooth, thin, and acid free. I love the cover photos!

This morning, over coffee, I tried out all the different tools that were handy to me doodling and sketching. Even though it said it's for dry media, the paper handles markers, gel pens, and light water color washes well. Even the Copic markers didn't bleed through. It feels so soft and smooth when writing or sketching. It's a little larger than I usually get, but I love it! Can't wait to try some character sketches on it, and maybe some other things!

The paper was still flat after I doodled all over it with a bit of wet media, but it was standing on an easel so I could take a picture, and it was hanging a bit loose under an overhead light. It's not wrinkled at all. 

The canvas behind it is an oil painting of our dog at the time, which I started in 1997, the year she died. I had to give up oils due to allergies, but I have worked on it periodically over the years and am currently trying to figure out how to finish her face and capture her character. Hopefully I'll finish her before I die!

Physical therapy was a little harder yesterday, and I am still tired from it, so I've rested up today to go back tomorrow for another round. I can tell it's helping me in some ways. I just hope it helps my main problem about not being able to stand or walk over a few minutes.

Anyway, that's it for now. Stay safe, stay well, and stay creative! Prayers for everyone affected by hurricane Helene. So sad, and it can happen to any of us at anytime.

Character Sketches and Neurograph Paintings

 I have managed to get a few creative sketches done between visits to physical therapy and company the last few days, and thankful to have done so. I've actually done three more, but don't have them scanned yet.

These gals fell from my imagination and out through my sanguine brush pen one morning.

I colored in some of the neurographic art that I posted previously with Kuretake watercolors. I love the tree!

She started out as a contour sketch, but morphed into a regular sketch. Black gel pen from online photo

Also started as a contour sketch from an online photo with a black gel pen.

I just stuck with a line sketch from an online photo using my Zig Writer marker.

Another sketch from an online photo using my Zig Writer marker.

Last one for this post is also from an online photo using the Zig Writer marker. I messed up on her face, so any gray areas you see are where I tried to cover the bad black marks with a white posca paint pen. Didn't quite cover it up, but I tried! 

I don't try for an exact likeness on these sketches and am just using them for practice in my sketchbooks.

I've been to physical therapy for my back/hip three times now, where they do fifteen minutes of moist heat massage, six minutes of a rowing/pedaling machine, and leg swings at a bar, before putting me through several exercises flat of my back on a table, plus I have exercises to do at home between visits. I worked up a sweat at the last visit, but it doesn't take a lot for me to do that. I suspect they will add more to each visit. I have three more sessions before I go back to see the bone doctor.

The steroid shot is still holding the pain at bay so far, and I'm getting around better, but I stood long enough to iron one tee shirt before I had to sit down. I'm praying that I will get to where I can do some house cleaning, because Lord knows it needs it. I haven't been able to do much in a long time, and it's really bothering me. Plus, I am getting desperate to do some painting!

Prayers for all of you in the wake of hurricane Helene. I hope you are, or stay, safe. Thanks for visiting! You keep me inspired to keep doodling! :)