The grand arrival

Medium: watercolors and ink

A small card I made for my dear friend for her baby shower - I'm a Aunt! (or rather a honorary aunt - but I love it for all it is).

Just some (rough) sketches

Unfortunately, I've been a horrible blogger lately. But at least the time I haven't spent on the computer has been in my sketch book and at my drafting desk.

Here are some of them, all in ink because I was challenged (by TWO dead guys at that!) to only work in ink for a week. I was so scared at first, but now that the week is almost up, as much as I love my pencils, this has been very freeing to my style and mind. I very much recommend doing this.

"Do you realize what will happen to you if you practice drawing with a pen? -That it will make you expert, skillful, and capable of much drawing out of your own head."  --Cennio D'Andrea Cennini

(And Walt Stanchfield, if you were wondering who the other guy was. All artist out there, find a way to get your hands on both volumes of Drawn To Life by Walt Stanchfield, Edited by Don Hahn - Really!)

Camrea out of batteries, so had to use the scanner which hates scanning things from my sketchbook, thus the  blurry edges) =(

Happy sketching everyone!

Ocean inside me

Medium: 2B

Funny thing about this is that when I got up the nerve to show some of my family this picture, I warned them that it was a little abstract (They always grimace when the "A" word is mentioned... and I used to as well... but now I have found my appreciation for the abstract as well as the fine art. I don't judge them together because you just... can't), and my dad nodded at me and took this sketch and looked at it. And looked, and looked and looked...
To be honest, I got a really, ton, a lot but mostly little-ish nervous. =)
He finally said that, yes, it was abstract, but he could see it now, "you're looking out of a cave!"
*facepalm*

Oh well. I tried. (and if it's not just my lovable family and I truly need to work more on this, it's a figure with the ocean inside it... =)
All that said, when I said that I had to get my nerve up to show to my family, I feel like I should explain. I love my family, and they love looking at whatever I show them.
My only hesitation is that I sometimes don't believe them (does that sound bad - hopefully you can understands what I mean=)... and lots of the time I just want the hard truth ("you need to work more on this!").
There are times when all I want to do is hide up in a hole and draw and paint and not show anybody!
I sometimes hesitate (who am I kidding, I hesitate every time!) whenever I show/post a drawing/painting... I'm not afraid of harsh critics (I can only dream of them), rather, I'm afraid of myself... of what sort of monster I'll become if I keep showing people, and they "ooo" and "aahhh" over my work, say it's pretty or whatever... I get scared that I'll just stop. Right there. That praise alone will get good enough for me (and my pride, my horrible, nagging pride will get the better of me, has in the past so I don't doubt it will in the future. By God's grace alone I stand).
I don't know... I'm sometimes hope I'm just overeating in my head... but other times, I think I'm making sense (sort of, in a rambling kind of way I guess).
If you've read this- I'm impressed... (I don't even know if I would have!)

Anywho - Happy Sketching everyone!

I'm back! -and with more paintings + sketches!

Medium: Watercolors

It's been a very different month for me -  at the beginning of May, I thought it would be one of those months where I'd get tons done around the house and outdoors, dates and party and great fellowship. And I did have many of those things (although getting jobs done is still on my list), but there were some unseen hardships, trial and errors, and general "och's". I honestly thought that last year, my seventeenth year, was the year of death... but this year is being proven to me that it is just another circle of life, with my sweet dog Glorie passing away in April, and my friend, Josh, and his unexpected death at the very beginning of May. But there have been many, many good things as well, and I am so blessed with the people around me =)

errrr... blurry  =P

 I started this painting in class (which has just ended) and then finished it at home. The exercise was to take a painting (a watercolor painting) and recreate it... I have no clue where I could find my example, it was in some random book, but I'm pretty happy with it... I think I want to learn how to paint some more (realistic looking) clouds though.

Blessings you all!
More coming soon!