Sketchbook Revival 2025: Birds

 I've been trying my hand at birds again! I followed along with the teacher, Julia Bausenhardt, in the video "How to Draw a Bird in Five Easy Steps". It's in watercolor, and I'm not familiar with this bird, but it's a Bluetit, according to the teacher. 

I kind of did it backwards, but I painted along with her and took notes first, then went back and added the diagram the next day. I tend to get watercolor thicker and brighter than most people. Possibly because my eyes are giving me trouble. Anyway, it was fun to learn and do!

The next one is a seagull from an original photo that I took on our road trip out west in 2019. We were on our way back home and spent the night in Missouri. There was a flock of seagulls in the parking lot of the motel we stayed in, and I captured some of them on film.

I enjoyed working out the drawing and painting it in ink and watercolor!

This one was really a challenge! I saw a photo of a pink bird amongst pink flowers online, and it was so pretty that I decided to try painting it. Not exactly like the photo, because I can't copy anything exactly, even if I wanted to, but it was certainly inspired by the photo. I'm not sure what kind of bird it is. Maybe a parakeet or a parrotlet? The background was as much of a challenge as the bird was, and I got the pinks too purple from the start, and as hard as I tried, I couldn't get rid of it, so I just finally went with it. The pinks were actually more of an orange-pink, which is what attracted me to it in the first place.

It's not perfect, but I'm glad I tackled it. It taught me a lot! Ink and watercolor-The classes in Sketchbook Revival have helped me gain so much, not just in knowledge, but in confidence too. I'm so glad I signed up and have stayed with the classes!

Below is my actual workspace, and, believe it, or not, I do actually work there sometimes. It is our dining room table, which I started organizing my art supplies on, but in the midst of sorting I got the itch to work on a journal or something, so I laid my drawing board on top of the sorted piles to work on. Since then, it has also become very cluttered with works in progress and assorted collage materials, leaving very little work space. On top of that, it is tilted, so that what I'm working on tends to try to slide off. It's a struggle to keep what I'm working on on there. No wonder I do all of my drawing/painting while sitting in my recliner with my necessary stuff on a stool beside me! Seems like I can't find the time for cleaning/organizing anymore. Every time I blink another week is gone!

I am still trying to sketch/paint some every day, and by the time we do our exercises, the day is gone, even when we get up earlier. But I have to do something about this mess!

Anyway, that's it for this post! Thanks for visiting! Take care of you!

My "Studio" Desk January 2025

 I think I may have shared a similar photo a while back, but this is the reason I do whatever art/craft I'm working on from my recliner and my lap now! Believe it or not there is another thick layer of stuff under this one. This is our dining room table, which we don't use because we like to eat in front of the TV.

I actually cleaned it completely off about 5-6 years ago and put everything in boxes to sort and organize. That was when I was actually using it for art stuff. I started sorting "like" things into stacks on the empty table until I got a creative itch and laid a large drawing board on top of the piles for a tilted and shaky place to work. Unfortunately, I have continued to pile stuff on top of the table AND the drawing board until there's a very tiny space to work, and I have to struggle to keep it from sliding off the board. You can imagine!

Also, it's a small dining room, which looks exactly like this, except for a narrow path into the room and around one side of the table. The boxes are still waiting to be emptied and sorted, and now my back/hip and fatigue won't let me do much physically.

I thought the shot and physical therapy, which I'm doing at home now, would help, and it has a little, but I still have trouble walking/standing more than a few minutes. Plus, I can't make up my mind how to organize things and where to put them.

It may sound like excuses, and maybe it is a little, but the whole house has gotten overwhelming and intimidating to the point I don't know where/how to start. It's not like hoarders on TV, but houses get in a mess fast when you're old and not able to keep them up.

I am blessed and grateful for my home though. It has served us well for over fifty years, and until I can figure something else out, I will happily create what I can from my comfy rocker/recliner, even if I can't find anything without digging through boxes!

Thanks for visiting! Take care and create something fun today! 

Current Workspace Chaos

 So, this is the current status of my workspace right now, and it is tilted slightly downhill. Hard to keep my projects on the surface and my glues in reach. Yikes!

Working/experimenting on a mini junk journal, with a sketchbook for stamping and wiping paint off brushes on. A lot of ephemera/scrap papers piled up, with some unfinished clay sculptures, plus one in the can to be repaired, plus a few other things.

This is only the dining room table. The rest of the room looks the same, and I need to sort through it all and organize and/or give it away, plus I know some of my paints, mediums, etc have dried up and need throwing away. There's stuff I haven't seen in years, and I can't find anything I need anymore, because it's all been shuffled around so many times, but it's an overwhelming task that I can't seem to get started on.

Art Tees and Throw

So my birthday is coming up in October, and I decided to treat myself to an early present to myself. I've been a good girl, I think! Ha!

I've been wanting some art tee shirts, so I picked these two and a throw with artistic symbols and quotes on it, which I really liked, from Amazon, and I love them all. 

The only problem is with the tee shirts, I ordered a larger size than I needed so they would fit loose, but I ordered a womens shirt, and they are made to fit snug, which they do and I don't like. Also, they are all cotton, which means if I forget and put them in the dryer I won't be able to wear them, except maybe under a jacket or shirt. I don't want to send them back, so I'm going to risk it, but next time I will order a mens shirt. I just wanted them to wear around home anyway, so hopefully these will work out. I do love the throw though!

Maybe these will make me feel a little bit more like an artist! Who knows?!!! Anyway, they're fun to wear and use in my workspace, wherever that might be on any given day!

Come Clay with Me-WIP Section 1

 I'm slowly working on several things at once right now. I have been battling a red itchy rash all over my neck and chest for three months, which has not been fun, but I finally got the doctor to give me some antibiotic creme and powder for it, and thank the Lord it has cleared up for the most part. Still a little itchy, but lots better. I've also had lots of interruptions, along with the rash, making it hard to focus much, but here is a shot of my recliner studio with a couple of works in progress!

Anyway, I just wanted to check in, say hello, and show you that I started painting these two characters from the section one classes, when I decided to go ahead and make the section two characters and masks, so they could be drying while I finished painting these two plus two more that are already dry. I have two new characters drying, and I need to make two more and finish the one I have started so the clay can dry while I finish the ones I'm painting on. 

In between, I also jumped to section four and made armatures for bunny ears and did several random sketches in my sketchbook! I missed some days, but I try to create something every day, even for a few minutes, and on days I miss actually making something I draw inspiration from looking a artistic things online, so I'm continuously filling the well. It's all good! Will share photos of what I'm working on in the days ahead if you want to see!

Hope you are all staying well and creative! Thank you so much for visiting my blog!

Studio 2021 Still a Chaotic Mess

How I left my tiny dining room studio almost two years ago when I started trying to organize by clearing everything off into baskets/boxes to sort through. Life happened and I never got back to the sorting and organizing part, although I've tried to keep creating along, despite not being able to find anything. 

My "desk" now consists of a large sketch board balanced on top of a pile of sorted stuff covering the dining table. 

I know it looks like an episode of Hoarders, and I am ashamed. Honestly, I am. But it is just overwhelming to try to tackle it, and I had much rather be creating than cleaning. Creating makes my soul soar. Cleaning not so much, although I do like things to be clean and neat.

I have all of these wonderful things to organize things into that are sitting empty among the chaos. I need a plan...Like baby steps...

Do you think my muse would come back big time if I finished what I started? I think she might!

This is what happens when you have multiple creative interests and their supplies and a tiny space!

I can't count the times I've been on fire to work on something and didn't because I didn't want to dig through boxes to find what I needed to work with. I can't help but grieve over the large studio I have upstairs that I can't use for various reasons. What a waste!

Will post "after" pictures as soon as I get things together!

What Else is on My Dining Room Table?

Working on my Wandering Muse journal pages. in progress! Working out the placement for these tiny teabag portraits that I sketched a couple of years ago for another class and never got around to painting. Now, they become part of my journal and will finally get their paint on! May take a while though...

Sharon In Studio 1993

 This picture is a selfie that I made with a camera on a tripod many moons ago in my spare room studio, at the time. It was 1993 and I was 43 years old. My studio, which has moved to other places in the house a couple of times, and is currently occupying our dining room (and a spot in the living room for stitching), has been, and still is, my happy place. 😊

Current Bulletin/Inspiration Board

 So, I bought one of the perforated metal bulletin boards, which allows me to use thumb tacks or magnets, either, or both! I love it! However, I bought it and stood it on a table easel to use for making photos of my creative stuff, and it has quickly turned into an inspiration/bulletin board, which is not a bad thing, but it defeats the purpose I intended it for. 

Currently, to inspire me, it has a Blessed magnet, a photo of our beloved little dog, Kibbles, whom we lost in 1997 and still miss every day, a bookmark about writers and words (I love the swirl and swing of words, as they tangle with human emotions"), given to me by a dear friend, who enjoys my writing, a printout of journal pages, also the header photo for this blog, with cat stamps on it (love these stamps!), a printout of some practice portraits with charcoal, stabilo pencil, and water, from a free class called Petit Portraits, a sticky note about changing your life by changing one thing that you do every day, a printout of a journal page painting where you pull the images out, from a class called She Tribe, picture of old timey peonies (I love peonies, especially white ones!), a page torn from an old almanac, a page of little Christmas stickers torn out of some book, because I love some of the little characters on it, and a black and white card with a touching inside note sent from the same dear friend. Oh yeah, extra magnets and thumbtacks, two of which have clips for holding other stuff! 

The longer it sits there, the more stuff will accumulate on it. I took down a lot of stuff when I moved from the old cork board to this one. Inspiration boards are good. Sometimes, they inspire you in ways you wouldn't have thought of otherwise!

What's on My Stitching and Wire Wrapping Desk?

 On my "in front of the TV" table: A box lid containing wire wrapped projects (fabric buttons, wire beads, a wire cross, and a couple of pendents), which I am learning on, a rock, and blank fabric beads ready for embellishments, an example page for a new fabric journal idea that I got from sewselvaged on Instagram, and a new box of brighter colored perle cotton (Eleganza), and an updated stitch meditation.

Not shown: Needle book and stitching stuff, spools of wire, wire tools, packages of charms and jewelry findings, and a bag of meditations pinned together, ready to stitch, and a couple of meditation pieces in progress. I should have just made a picture of the whole table! :)

Another one of my happy places!

This is stitch meditation #36, which I posted a couple of posts back, before the buttons. It kept nagging at me until I used another session to give it some buttons. I like much better. The pieces will tell you what they need if you just pay attention! :)

What's on My Art DesK?

 On my desk: journal pages in progress in my Wandering Muse/Jeanne Oliver journal, paints, brushes, stencils, small un-stretched canvas, ephemera, water, and dominoes prepped with clear gesso for painting! Fun stuff!

Studio/Dining Room Table

I know I said that the next few posts would be catching up my drafts, but I just thought I'd share the reason I can't use my workspace/dining room table right now, and am having to do whatever creative stuff I do in my lap in my recliner. The floor is also full of boxes of stuff. It was in bad shape before, but I pulled everything out to clean under and around last spring, and to re-organize. Believe it, or not, I've cleared this table at least twice, maybe three times, but it gets covered back up when I'm looking for something. Very frustrating, but apparently not enough to do anything about it. I am not lazy. I'd just rather be stitching, painting, or writing!

Maybe I'll finish the job in the spring if I'm still able! I'll be sure to post a photo when it's cleared off! 😊

Still Uncovering Forgotten Treasures in the Studio

It's getting there...slowly! The final corner of my dining room/studio has had everything moved and cleaned, including the wall and floor. Creative stuff and boxes were piled, literally, over halfway up the wall. It had been accumulating for years, some of it empty containers that I meant to store stuff in. Not just art supplies, but doll making, weaving, sewing, fabric crafts, beading, etc., all mixed up together with the tools mixed in among them.

Anyway, everything has been moved and cleaned up, behind, and under. Now comes the task of sorting/organizing what's in the boxes/drawers and on the tables. Much has been thrown away, and I suspect there'll be more to come.

I am easily distracted, I'm trying to clean/de-clutter my bedroom at the same time, plus I tire really quickly and have to stop and rest often. It also contains a whole corner full of fabrics, yarns, weaving looms, sewing machine and stuff, crocheting, etc. Above is what this corner looks like today, before I start working in it again. The boxes you see already have items in them, to be added to, so that's a start! The two large envelopes contain large sheets of pastel, watercolor, and assorted sheets of paper that were buried under the heap, as well as a couple of large sketch pads, one filled, one not! The shelves and china cabinet behind are temporary resting places for things I'm sorting.

A 16" x 20" acrylic painting on canvas that I painted at some point was also excavated. I love to learn and try different styles and techniques! The preacher at my aunt's funeral talked about giving everything, good and bad, to God, and it struck a chord with me. I haven't forgotten it. This was a reminder.

Opened this little chest that my niece gave me to find several filled sketchbooks/art journals and an altered book containing a number of ATC cards that I had painted a few years back. So much fun!

For a long time when I rode the 4-wheeler around the farm to check on the cows, I picked up wild turkey feathers, which were plentiful at the time. I found this bag full, as well as the stuffed limbs for a cloth bed doll that I have started among the treasures. The nesting baskets were also a gift from my niece. There are several of them, from large to small.

This was the last box on the very bottom of the pile and I couldn't remember to save my life was was in it. The turtle shell is another treasure I picked up while riding around the pastures down near the pond. It is totally intact, top and bottom. Why I picked it up, I don't know, but here it is!

The closed duck taped box above, opened, contained a slew of paintings and classwork from various online classes that I have taken in the past several years. Totally forgotten about for a while, but I can't wait to have time to look through them properly! The small envelope in front contains quite a stack of works in progress waiting to be completed. Can't wait to look through those either! It's amazing how looking back through old work can inspire your creativity and show you how much you've grown over the years.

Anyway, this is where this room is at right this minute. As I said, it's slowly getting there, and I can't wait until I have a cleaned off place to work again. I'm having creative withdrawals!

Be well and stay creative!💖

Phase 1--Studio Clean Up/Organization

YIKES!!! No, this is not an episode of hoarders! This is my tiny studio/dining room, which hasn't been cleaned in a LONG time, with everything scooted and piled to one side and a few baskets full of stuff in the hall, waiting to be sorted through.

It got so piled up that I couldn't get to what I needed and I had only a tiny space on the desk to work, which made it very frustrating, so I started a couple of weeks ago trying to clean under and behind everything, and washing everything I can, including the back of the counter top and stuff on it.

It's taking so long, because my health is not the best,  my back gives out on me, and I can no longer bend and stoop without having trouble getting back up. I also keep having interruptions, company, appointments, etc. It may take a while, but it'll get there!

These pictures are both from the hall into the studio/dining room.

This picture is from the kitchen into the studio/dining room. To be honest, it looked about as bad before I pushed everything over to one side! 😥 I can't just have one hobby. I have to have several different projects and hobbies going at once, thus all the clutter.

I understand how houses get so bad. When you aren't able to clean for a long time, and you don't have help, it gets to the point that it's so overwhelming that you just give up and feel guilty because you can't do it, and you won't ask for help, and/or can't afford it.

Plus, I'd much rather spend my time creating than cleaning and organizing!

One corner cleaned! Dusted the walls and cleaned what was hanging on them, washed the desk and what was on it all over, cleaned the back part of the ceramic tile counter top and some of the stuff on it, and vacuumed and mopped the floor, after scraping up some paint. The curtains need washing badly, but I'm planning to get new ones, as soon as I find some I like. The wooden drawers (a gift from our niece) and wire baskets are currently empty, and although I cleaned the outside of the plastic rolling drawers under the desk, I still have to sort through them and the fabric basket (also a gift of two from our niece) on the floor, so they won't be empty for long!

 I now have a space cleaned off to work! Yay!

Unfortunately, it didn't stay this way long enough for me to paint. I decided to try the desk turned another way, and as I moved across the next side of the room, I had to move stuff out of the way to clean, so this area is cluttered again, even more so than in this photo, but clean!

The drawers above are past repair, I'm afraid. I put too much in the drawers and on top of them, and the frame warped bad. This is the first time I've been able to force the middle drawer closed in years, and still can't the bottom one. It will have to be replaced or I'll have to find a substitute. Two of the drawers can still be used if I can work them in somewhere. We'll see!

I now have most everything dragged out and cleaned, cleaned under and behind, and moved back, including the windows, and except half a wall next to the hall door. It's piled high with boxes and new containers to organize stuff in, which I plan to use up as I go. Then I can clean behind and under those!

The DR table is still piled high, and I still need to sort through all the drawers and boxes and get stuff together that needs to be together. I can only work short periods of time before I give out, so it's going slow, but it's getting there! 😊

I'm going to try to do a little more today, then I have appointments in and out of town tomorrow, which means I'll have to recuperate Wednesday and rest. Then I have to catch up on basic house chores. Like I said, it's a slow go, but it's getting there!

New Things to Organize my Stash!

So, I made a start at decluttering and organizing my creative space, or I should say spaces, before Christmas. It came to a stand still during the holidays, which I'm still trying to get over.

My plan was to clear all the piles covering every flat space into boxes and baskets, move and clean under the furniture, rearrange it, then sort and organize my stash as I took it back out of the boxes and baskets. That's not working too well. I can't find anything I need to work with in the TINY little spot I reserved to make art! Everything is out of place and on the bottom. YIKES!!! So I'm going to have to come up with a better plan, because I NEED to create.

My work space is also our small dining room, and it's embarrassing when people share a meal with us and have to hold it on their laps, picnic style. Hubby and I never use the table, preferring to eat in front of the TV.

Anyway, our awesome nieces, seeing that I was at least making an attempt, got me this rolling cart of ten drawers and a set of nesting books/boxes to help me get organized. Aren't they kool?

Now let's see if I can fill them up, or will they be sitting next to all the other containers/baskets/drawers that I have had for a few years, sitting empty, taking up space, and waiting to be filled with my stash? Time will tell! In any case, they are beautiful to look at. Stay tuned!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE MOXIE RABBIT! 

Wishing you all a magical Christmas with loved ones and safe travels, no matter how short or long the trip! 

HO HO HO!

Playing Around With A New Blog Design

I can't seem to come up with a design that I'm happy with.  I'm trying to get a header picture sized to where it doesn't take a long time to download for you guys. Still not happy with the design, but I need to stop and catch up on some other stuff for now. 👵

I'm in a bit of a painting/creating slump again, I'm afraid. I have three class project paintings in progress, plus some non-painting projects that need finishing. I need to finish going through my mom's things, and so many other things that need doing, and I can't want to do them. Plus, my work space is so piled up again that I have no room to work, and I dread trying to clean it up and re-organize. It's necessary though, as soon as I get some energy from somewhere. 💪

See! I'm not even joking! This is too cluttered to work, even for me! YIKES!!!

Hope we all have a wonderfully creative weekend! 💖