Notebook Pages

Here are some updated pages from my notebook...

There is of course the bee and cakes from before, but I later added a visit by an Eastern Box turtle to our garden :)  The kids were most disappointed that it was gone the next morning :)

This has a chart of the new Inktense pencils I bought myself :)  You can see the little yellow flowers I found in Jamestown and the Jalapeno peppers I picked this morning, plus a sketch of a chickadee I saw sunning itself!

This page has the pomegranate flowers on my tree... after the neighbour's tree was cut down, it got a lot more morning light and suddenly was covered in buds :)  I also added a leaf from my witch hazel with a gall on it- these galls appear every year and the kids call them 'pimples' and attempt to exterminate them LOL

Yucca filamentosa

Yucca filamentosa
Originally uploaded by Spinneretta
Prismacolor Pencils in Cachet Earthbound sketchbook.

The Yucca filamentosa is a native local plant- we affectionately call him "Spike" and endeavour not to touch because OUCH those spikes hurt!
The spikes are actually in a sort of corona around the plant- but it was 92* outside and I got a little hot ;) Humidity is not so bad, being below 50%- that's rather pleasant for around here ;)

Also added a picture to the project and journalled a large bee...

Secret Project Update

Some more pictures for the secret project :)  These were supposed to be quick and easy paintings, but each one gave me FITS!!

First the mushrooms...

I had a fairly nice reference photo- but it did not have a wonderful light source, being as it was taken on a rather overcast day.  Oh well... that was not really the big issue.  The big issue was the fact that OIL somehow got into my water- which affected the brushes and paints and made it quite difficult to make my paints flow!  I finally figured it out and cleaned it, but everything was just not right after that!

So I went onto the eggs.  My paint was not flowing right STILL, so they did not come out quite the way I wanted either.  And yes- the lack of STRONG light and shadow did not help much either.  I was soon wishing I had chosen the (more expensive) brown eggs ;)  White on white is pretty hard to capture!

Finally came the blueberries.  Blueberries are kind of dusky- they have a bloom on them that makes them NOT shine.  Which made them harder to capture.  These turned out okay but certainly could have been better.  And yes, the oily paint didn't help :/
Maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow ;)

Icing Nozzles (EDM #273)

Icing Nozzles (EDM #273)
Originally uploaded by Spinneretta
Another for the secret project :)
They are also, coincidentally, EDM #273- draw a collection of tools :) This selection of tools is a bunch for cake decorating (including a nozzle to squirt fillings into a cupcake).

Latest on the Secret Project

Two additions to my secret project :)

 Garlic- the reference photo that I took for this one had a stunning backlit effect- which was interesting to try and capture.  I realised, however, that I needed a background to really make it stand out :)

The chicken was at the local park when we visited and made an interesting subject.  Lucky for me it could also be added to the project ;).  This was another experiment in light and darks...

Like peas in a pod!

Like peas in a pod!
Originally uploaded by Spinneretta

for the secret project :)

I picked these from my garden this weekend. We wont have enough for a bowl, because we tend to eat them raw and fresh picked ;)

Almost forgot

To update here :) I have been sketching some- there are various doodles around the place I don't care to put online... but here are the latest two pieces for the project I mentioned before!