Happy 4th of July Weekend!

Happy Independence Day Weekend to all! Hope everyone had a fabulous 4th full of family, friends, and lots of food. There's nothing better than a long holiday weekend in the summer!

Here's how I spent part of my 4th. I took out Kali's pool for the first time this summer and filled it with water. She immediately knew what was going on and when she went outside to her pool, she walked around it getting drinks from it. Yes, Kali it is not only a pool but a really big water dish that you can stand in the middle of and get a drink from! :) Of course I brought my camera and took a few videos and pictures. This video below was filmed by my mom. The three of us had fun laughing and playing.








Here are a few more pictures....





She looks a bit like a drowned rat when she's wet. And her fur is so strange that it dries almost instantly. My mom and I kept laughing because for the entire time her tail was the only part of her that was totally dry. Must be nice to have a waterproof fur coat!



"Too many drinks...buuurp" says Kali.



Ah....the cool water felt good to the feet. My mom and I got in on the fun and kicked up our paws with Kali. She loved the splashing and continued to kick up her own paws.

"The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too."
- Samuel Butler

(I've used the above quote before -- it has become a favorite of mine and entirely appropriate for this post, I think.) Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

My Trip to the Twin Cities & the Saga of the Pentel Pocket Brush

Over Memorial Day weekend, I escaped town for the day with my best friend, Tickpuppy. The plan was to go to the Twin Cities to hit used bookstores for the day on Saturday. (We both are big readers and love books.) I also had another destination in mind; I wanted to find an art store called Wet Paint. And our trip was a huge success! We visited three Half-Price Bookstores, including our favorite location in St. Paul. AND we even managed to find Wet Paint. And once I walked in to the independent art store, I was in heaven but quickly became a bit overwhelmed. I had more than a few wishlist items on my mind and no idea where to start!

I also had a special pick-up request for my friend, Soulcomfort. She wanted me to pick up a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen. (Just one more item that was also on my wishlist.) But I quickly found other things I wanted, so I decided to get my stuff and then purchase Soulcomfort's pen for her.

At the counter, the girl who helped me told me that she hoped the Pocket Brush was for me. I told her it wasn't but that it was for a friend. She immediately told me I needed to get one too because I would love it. I thought about this. Yes, I wanted one but had already spent tons of money on books and also already hit my limit at the art store. She continued to persuade me by getting out their sample pen for us to try. So both Tickpuppy and I tried it, and IT WAS SO COOL! I was very very tempted. But I was good. I said, "No, I better not get one today." She said she understood and told me I could call them to order one and that they'd ship it to me -- if I changed my mind.

So after I paid, we were on our way. Sadly, me without my Pocket Brush pen. But Tickpuppy didn't let me get too far. We just left the store and were taking a few steps away when he asked me, "Are you sure you don't want that pen?"

And man! Do I have will power! I thought about it longingly but once again answered, "No. I better not get one today."

To abridge the saga a bit, Tickpuppy turned me around, took me back in the store, and bought me a Pentel Pocket Brush pen for an early birthday gift! JOY! :) So after all the employees in the store teased us for coming back to get the pen, I did walk away with my very own pen with special thanks to him! AND it is my new favorite pen to draw with! Thank you Tickpuppy!


Here are a couple of drawings I did over the weekend with my beloved pen!

This one is called "Sleeping Kali." As you can see my dog is very serious about sleeping, and she's good at it too! Lots of practice taking naps.

The 2nd one on the left side of the page is titled "Kali on Her Tummy." The 3rd drawing is a bit of nothing. I was trying to capture the way her ears looked while she was napping in the recliner. From where I was sitting on the couch, that is all I could see -- her big radar ears. This also made me realize that when sketching her, her ears capture a lot of hidden/comical expressions that I don't normally focus on.

And that's the story of my new favorite pen! If you have one, you already know what I'm talking about. If you don't have one, go and get one! They are awesome!

~Click here for a link to info about the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen.
~Click on the link to purchase a pen or refills for it from the Wet Paint store in St. Paul, MN.

"I dip my pen in the blackest of ink, because I'm not afraid of falling into my inkpot."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's Almost Birthday Time!

Yes, it is true. In a few days I will turn 28 years-old...that is hard to believe! But more of a reality when you receive mail reminding you of the upcoming birthday! After work tonight, I found a super cool Birthday card from my friend, Jason, waiting for me in my mailbox. On the cover are those goofy cartoons named Hoops & Yoyo. It reads, "Do you know what time it is??" It opens up to read "Just Checking. Happy Birthday!" The best part when you open it is the wild and crazy birthday cheer. It instantly made me laugh. And the birthday wishes from Hoops & Yoyo go on for quite awhile.

I couldn't resist. I was on my way to my parents' house, so I put the card in my bag to see what sort of reaction my dog would give upon opening the card and showing it to her. AND I even brought along my camera so I could video it.



Kali gave me a couple of her famous Cairn Terrier head tilts. At first she's curious, but then it is almost like she tries to ignore the funny noises coming from the paper. However, she really can't resist; she has to look at it, as if to try and figure out why the card is talking. At one point she looks up at me as if to say, "Is Birthday time over with yet?"

Jason -- Thanks for the birthday wishes and for the entertainment! Although, I don't think Kali was as impressed with the special effects as I was! :)

The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too.

- Samuel Butler

Side Profile Sketch of Kali Mazoo Michigan

What would we do as humans without our pets? Here's a side shot of my puppy. Her full name is Kali Mazoo Michigan but goes by Kali or just Mazoo for fun. (I already posted this picture but will do it again because I also did a rough sketch of her using this photo.)

What do I love the best about my dog, besides her Cairn Terrier attitude? It has got to be her fuzzy ears but her teddy bear button nose comes in at a very close second place.

I'll also type the blurb I composed quickly with my sketch, it may be hard to read since I used my camera to take a picture. (I hope to have a scanner soon!)

"Kali Mazoo Michigan was adopted from a family with 7 kids, 2 dogs, and one tabby cat. She was just a pup at the age of one - but her family went inside and outside constantly. Her favorite passtime was to escape out the door for a breath of fresh air by herself. Her favorite place to run to was the nearby golf course. This is when her rather large family decided that she needed as smaller home...

And that's when we found her and fell in love with her Terrier personality. So we safely attached her leash, and she walked out the door to her new home with us."

This will probably be the first of many Kali sketches, pictures, and stories. (I'd also like to watercolor her.)

If you've got a pet, give them an extra treat and tell them how much you appreciate them. They work so hard to please us!

Springtime Sketches

So, I have Spring Fever! For the last couple days I've been walking to work. This is the plan now. I only live across the street from where I work. And now that the weather is getting nice and that it is actually light out at around 7am when I go to work, the short walk is beautiful. And this morning I saw and heard my first Robin -- a sure sign of Spring! Soon the tree outside my patio will have leaves and that Robin I saw on my way to work this morning will probably try to start building a nest on the drain pipe on my patio. I live on the 3rd and top floor of my apartment building. Birds seem to try this every spring, and it never really works out well because there is no protection from that harsh Fargo wind. So as soon as they have a small patch of muddy grass plastered on the nook of the drain pipe connected to the roof, the wind picks up and blows all of their hard work to the ground below. But who knows, maybe this year will be different for the hopeful family of birds?

Over the weekend, my spring fever travelled to my sketchbook. I was looking at a gardening book at my parents' house and found some neat quotes that helped spark this sketch and made me remember my Grandpa's backyard/garden. When I was little, I remember my Grandpa planting Sweet Peas in March -- probably just around St. Patrick's Day. He had a trellis in his backyard, by the garden. Whenver I was playing outside, I used to check on delicate blooms and watch their progress up the little fence. I thought they were the most beautiful flowers -- and still do, really.

Yesterday I journeyed to Starbucks with my sketchbook, my Watercolor Moleskine, and I resketched so I can add a little bit of color with my new Winsor & Newton Half Pan set. I haven't gotten as far as painting yet, but will be sure to add the aftershot when I do! I want to try and make the color appear aged (on the packet of seeds and on the book), so we'll see how that goes. Below is my Moleskine sketch. Since this sketchbook is a bit smaller, I couldn't fit all of the quotes. I also realized that I need to practice lettering or Calligraphy.

What will I be sketching next? Here's a preview of my furry model... I want to do a sketch of my puppy, Kali Mazoo! Her side profile is so charming. Her fuzzy ears and teddy-bear button nose can melt anyone's heart! More to come later... Happy Sketching!