Painterly two-color doodle-in-progress. I wanted faces, hearts, and the color red and this is what came out of my brush. Go figure.
Wednesday, October 07, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
Work in progress: watercolor background
I'm not even sure what this will turn out to be but I have an idea or two. The book at top is the super-cool Just Add Watercolor: Inspiration and Painting Techniques from Contemporary Artists. Next up: detail work on top!
Tuesday, September 08, 2015
In which I make a drumstick bag
Just in time for back to school! In the random I Made Something Department, I give you.... Peter's drumstick bag. No pattern, a lot of eyeballing, and some felt and elastic.
Did you know soap is great for marking black fabric?
Opened...
Tied shut. Currently in his backpack on the way to band practice today.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Sketching, again
I know these latest posts aren't paintings, but they're a great way to sketch out ideas till I get a chance to break out the watercolors. Especially if I get inspired and there's no place to physically paint - I can still capture the idea.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Getting sketchy
Testing out a new stylus for drawing on the iPad. Worked much better than just using my finger on the screen! These doodles were fun - I wouldn't mind trying them out in watercolor one day as mini- portraits.
Monday, August 10, 2015
In celebration of Snoopy
Today is Snoopy's birthday, and to celebrate, the girls and I decided to join in and #drawSnoopy. I was wishing for a big marker or two but had to make do with what we had on hand. Our family are all huge Peanuts fans - at last count, we had over 100 books about Peanuts and Charles Schulz.
Here is Angela and Sophia's artwork. I love their creativity!
Thursday, June 04, 2015
Every day in May: 26
Our rhododendron is in bloom and dropping these lavender blossoms like they're going out of style. It prompted a discussion with my girls as to how the fairies would wear them. You see the result.
Wednesday, June 03, 2015
Every day in May, Day 25 completed
As noted previously, I spent a lot of time last week trying not to move too much while I recovered. I found myself turning not to new books to read, but returning instead to the old comfortable ones.
I reread most of the Anne of Green Gables series - Anne of the Island, Anne of Ingleside, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne's House of Dreams, and Rainbow Valley. I'll do Rilla of Ingleside again next and then finish up with Anne of Avonlea completely out of order to cheer myself up. You can't go wrong with Anne Shirley.
Tuesday, June 02, 2015
Every day in May: 25
I hear you cry, it's June, silly! But on Memorial Day I stupidly and spectacularly strained my back lifting something I had no business lifting, and wound up unable to do many things I really wanted to do, for about a week. Including painting (which no lie, had me crying).
I'm getting back into it and won't stop until I've done all 31 days of paintings.
Maybe I won't stop then either.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Every day in May: 24
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Every day in May: 21
Pansies are such cheerful little flowers. They remind me of faces, or lions, or laughing dogs. They always bring a smile to my face. And they're fun to paint!
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Every day in May: 19
Comforting words from a wise man.
P.S. I would snuggle with a squirrel in a heartbeat.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Every day in May: 18
Today's painting was begun, I kid you not, in our town library.
Sophie and Angela are behind those books. Somewhere...
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Every day in May: 17
Angela squealed when she saw the caterpillar, so it looks as though I'm on the right track here.
Tomorrow is the first night of recitals - always a challenge to get in the time to paint. But having the house filled with gorgeous music is well worth it.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Every day in May: 16
All you need are books and maybe a cup of tea now and then. And watercolor with glitter in it doesn't hurt either.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Every day in May: 15
Inspired again by those incredibly bright orange flowers, and ginkgo leaves found on a walk. They are just as gorgeous in autumn when they turn yellow.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Every day in May: 14
Not all reading material has to be serious!
This painting turned out much differently than my original concept... which I think I'll keep for another day. I still have 17 days to go and I'm hoping I can still stay on theme for the full month.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Every day in May: 13
I read this quote for the first time today and absolutely knew it had to be my next painting.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Every day in May: 12
Cookbooks are great reading... even better if you actually make something from them. My favorite is Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. We joke that it's "the Bible" because it's so enormous. But there are simple, no-nonsense recipes with loads of notes and variations. It's bristling with sticky notes from all the recipes I want to make, or notes like "Angela doesn't like this" and a date.
(Noting here that today my awesome Scouts recieved their Bronze Award! More about that in a later post, but it made for a lot less time to paint.)
Monday, May 11, 2015
Every day in May: 11
Today's greenery is either clover or wood sorrel from my yard - it's hard for me to tell when they aren't flowering. Wood sorrel has deep yellow flowers, and is very tasty. I like to go picking dandelions and wood sorrel in my yard and add it to my salads - foraging is awesome as long as you're careful what you pick.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Every day in May: 10
This dress was inspired by the gorgeous dogwood outside my window. There is also an amazing tree on the way to church where a family's planted a white and a pink dogwood together, and intertwined them so it looks like just one tree with pink and white blossoms. We look forward to its blooming every year - especially because it's for such a very short time.
Saturday, May 09, 2015
Every day in May: 9
For all the mothers out there who tirelessly read the same book to their kids for the forty-millionth time: I salute you.
Friday, May 08, 2015
Every day in May: 8
The orange flower is drawn from a real plant Paul bought me as an early Mothers Day present. If only you could actually use them for teeny flashlights.....
Thursday, May 07, 2015
Wednesday, May 06, 2015
Every day in May: 6
I am especially proud that today's painting came on a day I got my exercise/walking/rosary in, regular workday, led a Girl Scout meeting, painted, and then went to a leader's meeting for our troop's Bronze Award ceremony next week. I am not saying anything to brag, but to be amazed that I can find time to paint as long as I make it a priority. What I'm basically learning is, I need to make this a priority again.
Tuesday, May 05, 2015
Monday, May 04, 2015
Every day in May: 4
One of the dandelions I picked for inspiration the other day went into full-blown awesome mode today, opening up into a firework bloom of seeds and inspiring me. I also wanted to paint someone with white hair, as I've now had almost a year of not dyeing my own. It's not nearly as awesome as this.
Sunday, May 03, 2015
Every day in May: 3
The colors are a little over-saturated, but I guess that's what you get for taking a picture with your phone at night. The real colors are inspired by one of the few tulips we have left after the neighborhood groundhog decapitated them all. And her hat is - what else? An acorn.
Saturday, May 02, 2015
Every day in May: 2
Still need a little more work on the dandelion and some eye highlights (especially on the bee) but on the whole I'm enjoying how it's turning out.
Friday, May 01, 2015
Every day in May: 1
Day 1: First day back to painting #EveryDayInMay! Inspiration for the Fairy lass is to left and upper right of the sketchbook. Will finish her petal hair, and scan tonight.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Create with me Every Day In May!
Tomorrow starts a new month - and a new goal. It's time to paint every day in May, people.
I have been doing this on and off every year since 2006, I believe. You can draw, paint, sing, write, just basically pledge to create something every day in the next 31 days. Create 31 different paintings. Work on one for 31 days. Here's the thing.
THERE IS NO WRONG WAY TO DO THIS.
I promise.Here are places you can join and share your work:
- Our Flickr group: https://www.flickr.com/groups/everydayinmay/
- Post your images to twitter with #EveryDayInMay
- Share on Instagram and tag me (I'm on at https://instagram.com/_french_toast_girl_/ - note the underlines), and throw that #EveryDayInMay tag on there.
- Post your images to my FB page: https://www.facebook.com/frenchtoastgirl
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Happy sloth-y birthday to Sophie
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Happy Valentine's Day!
Now with TEN YEARS OF VALENTINE PHOTOS! (and then Sophie walks over and says, no, actually, it's our 11th. She's right, but whatever.) Go check out these adorable kids and have a happy Valentine's Day!
And now let's have a trip in the wayback machine!
(2014)
(2013)
(2012)
(2011)
(2010)
(2009)
(2008)
(2007)
(2006)
(2005)
And now let's have a trip in the wayback machine!
(2014)
(2013)
(2012)
(2011)
(2010)
(2009)
(2008)
(2007)
(2006)
(2005)
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