The Sketchbook Challenge

I have been absolutely awful about keeping this up. I have decided to try this Sketchbook Challenge. So I should be posting more often. It starts January 1st. Then February 1st "Thing-a-Day" starts again. There are so many functions that I need to figure out... maybe by the end of the month I can get a little bite of a grasp on it.

Wish me luck!

Just a quick note....

As much as I wanted to get down to my studio this weekend, once again it didn't happen. And I haven't been very good about keeping up with my drawing group either. Yesterday was spent chasing after the youngest daughter and her husbands car.... of course, now it's at the mechanic. We are done with friends and family coming in to make peanut brittle for another year. 33 batches made over the last two weekends. 4 or 5 batches of toffee, 3 batches of carmels, and 2 batches of turtles made so far too. We still have to make some for our gifts, but those should be done tomorrow night and in the mail on Tuesday! Maybe now I will get down to the studio.

I haven't been totally unproductive. I hand dyed three shawls for Christmas presents today. They are for my daughter's mother-in-law, sister-in-law and a friend. She and her husband will take them down to Haiti with them when they go down for Christmas.

As long as I had the dye vats still filled I decided to dye some used fabric softener sheets... We'll see what I can do with those and a canvas....

For now... good night!

Drawings done, but now I haven't got any more done on paintings...

Can you tell I want to be able to do it all? There just isn't enough time in the day.

These are a couple of drawings I did for Everyday Matters. I'm still behind and I am not really happy with them, but they are what they are.... at least I am drawing. The squirrel is a little knick-knack left by a former co-worker. The coffee pot is one of the big gray ones we use over the campfire (mine is going to eventually be a flower pot). The last is a deadbolt lock.

Like I said, I haven't had time to do much for my show. I am trying to get a few things done for a craft table at my Girl Scout alumni. All of the proceeds go for scholarships for older scouts. The snowmen below are some of what I am working on.

Along with that, I am trying to get the house ready for this weekend. It's the beginning of our annual candy making sessions. Mostly peanut brittle.

It's a tradition of my husband's family. They have been making it since just after WWII. My husband and I took over the tradition about 21 years ago. This weekend we will have 20 or so people to make candy. Everyone brings the ingredients for however many batches they want to make along with an appetizer and something to drink. We start at noon and eat drink and make candy until we have them all done. Then we do it again the next weekend! 30+ batches. Plus, I make caramels, toffee, turtles and other things.

So there goes this weekend. I'm not complaining though... lots of family and good friends. I can't imagine starting the Christmas season without these get-togethers!

Time to call it a night so I have some energy.

No drawings, but I still have made progress...

I haven't done any drawings in a few weeks for Everyday Matters, but I have been busy. I've gotten a couple more pieces done for the May show. I've also been working on some craft stuff for a craft table at my Girl Scout alumni holiday party. All that money goes to scholarships for older girls to attend events (focusing on out door activities usually).

Here are the two pieces I finished... The first is 12 x 12 and is a multimedia piece. Tissue paper, acrylic paint, dyes and alcohol ink. The second one is 16 x 20 made of tissue paper, can lids and string.

Next project is to get the house in shape for Thanksgiving company and annual peanut brittle making parties....

Wow... a month since I last posted

Boy, I really got behind in September. I had a couple of encampments and then was out of town. When I got back, I got one of the many creeping crud things that's going around. I finally have the energy to get back to some sketching.

Here are 3 EDM sketches.....

#243 is a picture of a pillow (or 2).

#244 is the oldest thing in my refrigerator. I'm not even sure where this jar of chutney came from probably my daughter since it is mango). Who knows how long it's been in there!

Finally, #245 is something "October". Hopefully you recognize a piece of pumpkin pie. My husband's birthday was yesterday and after two attempts, I finally got his birthday pie made. Did you know that a pumpkin pie won't thicken if you forget the eggs? 25 years I've been making them for him... wouldn't you think I would know that by now?

Now it's time to get serious about my other art work. Not only am I doing a showing at the local library in the month of May, but a nearby town's library also contacted me about showing there in July. Definitely time to focus!

EDM 240 Draw a Pencil

I didn't draw a whole pencil... just the tip of my new drawing pencil.... which I drew with my old one, of course.

This drawing and five birthday cards are the most creative I have been in a couple of weeks. I have been trying to get the house cleaned up... especially my craft room and studio (aka the back room). I am one of those people that just can not work in a messy environment. When my daughter and her husband moved out of the basement in May, the basement kind of exploded. Junk everywhere. I finally got her over here to finish cleaning up her stuff only to discover that there was a lot more of it that was mine than hers. Mostly supplies from all those scout encampments I've been teaching at. At least I don't have to supply materials for the encampments this weekend and the following. This weekend is reverse tie dyeing (bleach on color) and the following is regular tie dyeing. Maybe things will stay a little cleaner for a while....

So now that things are cleaned up, what excuse do I have for not getting some artwork done?

Finally... Another Post

I have fallen a little behind on everything. The weekend after the scout conference, I went to northern Wisconsin to my Dad's cabin. The annual scholarship golf tournament in my cousin's name was being held. Normally it was in September on one of my encampment weekends. I had to take advantage of the fact that they moved it up and go up to help out. Unfortunately, by the time the weekend was done, I had a major attack of my allergies and was approaching a sinus infection. As a result... nothing has gotten done around my house. 

Thank goodness for the upcoming long weekend. Now that I am feeling better, I am hoping that I can get the house cleaned up a little and then get back downstairs to my artwork.

As a start, these are the last two drawing posts for Every Matters. #237 is the view under my bed and #238 is something from a first aid kit.