Happy New Years Eve

Happy New Years Eve everyone!! I’m looking forward to seeing what 2019 brings! Since I have been retired, it seems to me that life passes quickly and I want to enjoy each day to the fullest and I plan to do that in the new year! 

I started the page without a plan and added the washi tape on the bottom first then added some background marks with around the house stencils and ink. This cute dog is Sktchy inspired and Ibdrew and painted him on rice paper.  It seemed to me that the fog was talking ..... then the Bob Marley song popped into my head. 

Lemon Clock

Before we packed up to head home today my granddaughter wanted to work on this science project.  It wasn’t a success because I couldn’t set the time on the clock I!

Wildlife Photography

No photos allowed  at the annual exhibition 

Christmas Day

Here is another page of this and that With snatches if time throughout the day just prior to the real dinner preparations getting underway.

Pen and watercolour in my Stillman and Birn sketchbook 

12 Days of Christmas

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! This is actually what we did yesterday’s page.....a collaboration with my granddaughter.  She wanted to bake cookies for Santa and she wanted to help her grandfather with the dinner rolls.  While we were baking we listened to Bob and Doug McKenzie’s - 12 Days of Christmas.  After Day 2 add “and a beer in a tree”🎶 to each day.  She drew squares 6, u and 8; since Bob and Doug didn’t actually have a 9-10-11, Anju made those up. So a special Merry Christmas to all you “Hoser heads” out there -Take Off eh!!! Gosh I had fun making this page and it took me off and on.....5 hours to complete. 

The blue squares on the left page are the remnants of some sticky Christmas gift tags that I stuck down in my Stillman and Birn Delta sketchbook.  I used pen and and kiddo markers

Subway sketch

In my small pocket Moleskine sketchbook 

Best Nine from 2018

I’m glad two of my sketchbook drawings made the grade! 

I’m FREE!

Transfusion

So happy I had something to do while I waited for the two units of blood to get from A to me! It took forever!!!  

Waiting Room

I was given s bed on the Cancer and Palliative care ward (it was the bed that was available at 0100 hrs)! 

The infectious disease inspector was by and they removed many Christmas decorations but left this ceramic Snowman!

Hospital Food

Emergency - admit one

Third time is a charm

I’ve been making small pieces of art for Christmas cards! This house is only about 4 kms west of us as the crow flies.  I had friends who lived there and we had so much fun! Only house I’ve ever been in that had a double staircase; formal at the front door and another at the back beside the kitchen.  It is my understanding that the balcony in front of the door upstairs was never added in order to reduce property tax. Sadly the corporation that bought the farm has left the house abandoned.  This is my third go at this painting and I think I like it the best. 

Sketch at lunch

Met a friend in town yesterday for lunch.  Couldn’t finish but that is okay too!

My burger was yummy and the 1/2 quart of pop was a bit much!!  I might apply some shading to it today. 

Nina from Sktchy

I am taking part in a secret Santa with Sktchy.

I gave my muse a go in my sketchbook first and this is my final result that I mailed out today.

Not totally loving it but..... it is on its way.  What I really hate is the quality of this photo; it was such a cloudy day I couldn’t get a better shot and the flash was terrible too.  Anyway it is on its way to New York, come what may.

Watercolour, gouache glitter marker, and  embossing powder.?

This is my first go.  

Second try in my Stillman and Birn Beta sketchbook 

Journal page! Ugly Christmas Sweaters

Still working on cards but I made a wee bit of time for an art journal page!! I thought I deserved to get a snowman (oops I need to add snow and highlights on the bulbs!) and then this lead to that.  We received a text from our daughter informing us that a family photo will be happening next weekend. 

Not finished yet but this is all the time I had! 

Red brick farmhouse card

Last Christmas card! Making more but they are repeats of these four.

This one has a lot of meaning for me as it is entrenched in fond memories of time spent with friends here.  Oh the parties in that huge farmhouse.  If doesn’t look it but it has a double staircase; the formal one at the front door and another steeper on just off the kitchen. 

The red brick farmhouses in this area are all made from Huntsville brick and that town is an hours car ride north of here. It is in the style called Ontario cottage and back in the day most people wouldn’t finish the house in order to pay less property tax. You can tell this was the case here as well since there is a door to nowhere above the front door. I only know of one house from the same era that has that door leading out to a balcony. 

A corporation owns the farm and sadly it has been left abandoned;  who knows how long it will remain standing without people living in it!  I added the text because that is the song that I was listening too at the time I was adding the snow.  

I hope the recipient likes my card! 

JOY Christmas card

I didn’t think I was going to be able to pull this on off.  Bottom lin, “I tried to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear”!  I’m still not super stoked over it but happy that the cards to the other members of my swap group will be going out in the mail! 

Pen, ink, watercolour and Stickles glitter glue on 140 lb 100% cotton watercolour paper 

Merry and Bright

I see that I need to do some tweaking but basically it is done!!

Watercolour, gouache, ink and glitter glue on watercolour paper 

Let it snow Christmas card

I mailed this Christmas card out to Pamila in South Korea yesterday! I hope she gets it before Christmas and I hope she likes it! 

Watercolour on 100% cotton 140 lb watercolour paper by Bee Paper 

This is the quick sketch in my sketchbook with pen and crayon that I did while visiting the family in the big city! I had attempted a pop up using a post-it note.

Lettuce

First time for me painting a head of lettuce but I had to document this historic moment in another “cents”!! I can’t believe I bought it. 

Dreamy galaxy

Postcard 3/10 it all started with the galaxy I made and cut out.  Then I made a background from similar watercolour colours, then it sat there for a few weeks.  I got inspired finally and painted a cupped hand on a piece of drawing paper with gouache. Glued the galaxy on top and glued that to the background.  Good. Hmmmm. Now what.... need text.  Used some embossing ink and a letter stamps.  I should have chosen a different colour of powder but it is what it is.  It will be going to her new home in Texas. 

Balance

No prompt-  Postcard 1/10. Sktchy inspired. I have a vintage bottle of Sheafter Scrip blue/black ink that I used for this card.

Kind of bummed over the lettering but it can’t be changed now.  I will have to sit with it for a day or two to see if I can come up with a fix or at least an improvement. 

Postacard is Strathmore 500 series 100% cotton 

Moving on to the next card. 

Sktchy inspired - Sailor Fude pen

Thanks to Sktchy for the fun photo; I really wanted to try and capture the water glass and had to laugh when I saw that she also had hair curlers!!! I can’t remember when I last saw them let alone “wore them”.  Regardless, I still have “fond” memories (well not so very much) of a prickly and painful attempts at sleeping with them.

Love my new Sailor Fude nib pen and being able to shift the soluble ink around to achieve a bit of depth....In my pocket Moleskine sketchbook. 

Bumblebee Pistachio

Shout out to Callum from Sktchy and his mother who had the original idea to paint up bees on small stones.  Sometime ago, I saw someone online painting up pistachios shells with colourful patterns so that inspired me to illustrate a page and make my own bumblebee with a shell I found in my odds and ends tin. Drawing created in pen and watercolour in my Stillman and Birn Beta sketchbook and 3D bumblebee made with shell, acrylic paint and ink (👆🏻🔝↗️)

The Royal Winter Fair

No time for drawing much except my lunch.  In s cheap little notebook that I keep in my purse.

Sin and Redemption

On Friday it was raining so we weren’t downtown Toronto for a change if scene.  We stopped for a late lunch at Sin and Redemption Restaurant across from St Patrick’s (and the Redeemers) church; luckily we got a window seat so I made a page in my Stillman and Birn Beta sketchbook.

The server gave my hubby the Sinners glass and I got the Redeemers; both contained Redeemers lager that they make there.  I have since added. One journaling in the white space on the bottom right. 

We walked by the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) and I just had to snap this! 

We don’t have street lights in the country so love all the reflections of the rain in the big city!

Fence Post Friday

We walked our granddaughter to school this morning in the rain so I’m crossing my fingers for some sunshine tomorrow.  Have a great Fence Post Friday and a good weekend everyone ...... come rain, sleet or sunshine!!! 

Anniversary Flowers

I’m happy I waited a few days to paint these; they look fabulous right now! 

Mice in Bertha’s motor

Hoping that dousing some cloths with peppermint oil will prevent them from trying to make another house in my car!

Inkling

I am really enjoying this “youthful read”!

Cucumber Girl

This is a follow up to a drawing I did last week, I like my little cucumber girl very much!  This is a prototype for a lunchbox drawing that I will put in my granddaughters lunch next week.  She likes to make up jokes and she likes it when I put a drawing in with her lunch. Pen and Inktenseblocks for the colour.  #inktober2018

I’ll be putting the answer on the inside of the card just in case she can’t figure out my silly joke.  She will be 7 years old next month and she is smart as a whip but she doesn’t eat pickles.  

A Rogues Gallery

I am learning techniques on how to create new journals on line with Kiala Givehand.  All the sketch’s in my Rogues Gallery are Sktchy inspired with thanks to Snappy Jasmine and Barbara  This is a prototype of a clutch folded structure so it is on cheap paper. Very fun! I used my new Sailor fude pen and that was fun too! #inktober #inktober2018

French Door journal structure

Learning how to make some new books/journals with Kiala Givehand This is book 1 on Day 1.  She is calling it a French Door structure although it could be could other names.  I see it as a big letter M in the middle. There is no content as I just used the paper I had on hand. #7books7days #bindbookswithme 

The Grizzlies

My illustrated journal entry. Lacrosse is actually Canada’s national sport but in 1994 it became our summer sport and hockey our winter sport.  We went into town yesterday to see  a new film at our local film festival - The GRIZZLIES.  What a wonderful film. I glued in our tickets on the left with Washi tape in my Stillman and Birn Beta sketchbook. 

#inktober2018

Cucumber

I thought I had posted this Sktchy inspired.  Pen and colour applied with a brush Inktense blocks 

Little lamb

This little sweetie was Sktchy inspired Pen and for colour Inktense blocks applied with a brush 

Sphinx Kitty in ballpoint

Making mail art or rather envelope art for an upcoming swap next month.  Haven’t made the art itself but getting the envelopes ready so it will be ready for mailing 

No prompt- Thanks to Sktchy for the inspirational reference - a Sphinx kitty.  This took me off and on ..... all day.... today ...,, to complete.  Cheap 140 lb hot press 6 X 6 watercolour paper square block. Oh man, I had forgotten how much time it takes to create art with  a blue BIC #ballpoint #inktober #inktober2018

Landscape change

I tried to channel Inma Serrano.  Not use to drawing with a brush then adding ink for definition and a bit of detail.  I used kiddo oil pastel crayons for some interest.  Not my best effort but I made some art! 

Exhausted

Not my best effort but I made some art for inktober

Drool

Drool I’m pretending this doggie was drooling.  My 6 year old granddaughter wanted a drawing for her lunchbox (she likes it when I do that - thank goodness for Sktchy!!) she will get this tomorrow when she goes back tomorrow.  Ballpoints, black Kuretetake, white marker to smudge Faber Caddell Pitt markers. 

#inktober #inktober2018

Chicken

Chicken- away from home so using limited supplies! Ball point pens, Uniball and two Pitt markers for chicken. Inktense blocks for shadow #inktober #inktober2018 #chicken In #grumbacher mixed media sketchbook 

Inktober 2 -Tranquil

Today’s Tranquil 2/31  Sktchy inspired.  I think driving with the roof open on a open country road on a summer day is oh so tranquil.  Uni all white signs pen, Fabre Castell Pitt marker and ballpoint pens on a previously prepared blue acrylic ink background.

Inktober 1/31

Poisonous 

Sorry that the photo is so rotten but it was a very gloomy day!  I’m going to pretend that I’m in a low light bar. So what is your poison???? #inktober #inktober2018 Pilot Prera pen, coloured ballpoints and Kuretake felt tip in my new for Inktober #Grumbacher mixed media sketchbook