A Sick Day Sketch

After being sick all weekend long, I still didn't feel up to par this morning. So, I stayed home and slept until noon. I'm not someone who likes to stay home sick, and I rarely do. In fact, I've been lucky enough to stay healthy all winter long. Figures that I'd catch a bug after the snow disappears. But I'm on the mend. This cold won't dare to stick around much longer!

I've been sitting in my big armchair watching daytime TV with my trusty box of Puffs Plus by my side, and used tissues are scattered everywhere. I finally got up from my chair to grab a small wastebasket, but I also grabbed my sketchbook and my new 64 mini set of Crayola Colored Pencils (that I found for $2.60). I just wanted to have a bit of fun and made myself feel like a kid who was staying home sick from school. The colored pencils were flying. And here's my first scanned image from my new EPSON RX595 All-in-One :)



Random Thoughts:

• I must really not be feeling well. I've got the TV on Oprah interviewing Tom Cruise...Bleh. Turning TV now.
• I just printed the Everyday Matters list of weekly sketching challenges so I can start sketching. I've really been enjoying the posts from the people taking part in the Everyday in May sketching challenges on my Yahoo Group. It is truly a group of inspiring people!
• Whew! I've finally added links to others blogs which I try to visit daily. Some of these links are Online friends, real life friends, and people from my Yahoo Groups. All are those who I admire as not just writers/artists but also as very uplifting people.
• I can't stop thinking about France lately. This has made me realize that 1) I need to start a "I'm going back to France" vacation fund. 2) Now that I have my new scanner, I can scan all of my photos and also begin sketching them. 3) That I really want to create altered art with a French theme. (I've got a few ideas beginning to bubble.)
• And now I've got to venture outdoors to the bank for quarters. My massive pile of laundry has my name written all over it.

Stay healthy! Here's a quote to leave you with...

"If you treat a sick child like an adult and a sick adult like a child, everything usually works out pretty well."

~Ruth Carlisle

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!