Secret Santa

I was recently part of a group where we were Secret Santa to each other... a tradition that was in it's second year last Christmas (yes that one just gone). To prove how wonderful she is, my Secret Santa, sent me a gift that will be ongoing throughout the year.
She knows how much I love to do 'teatime' with the kids... so when this box of special teas came in the mail, I was surprised Especially when the Santa turned out to be my friend JULIE who was Santa to me last year too!


Julie gave me an extra special Christmas present this year too... she had a beautiful little girl baby, right at the beginning of December! Frankly, I am surprised that she even managed to get my present to me BEFORE Christmas... I KNOW I would never have been so organised!

THANK YOU JULIE!! (I wish I could link her, but she doesn't have a blog!)

When my Secret Santee posts her things I'll link it here ;)
Our Secret Santas:
Brooke
Dee

Drawing of the Day #3

In order to let my friend Dana (and probably accountability partner LOL) catch up with the EDM Challenges (you will notice the ones I am using are an old bunch, but they are still valid!), I decided to make another Nature Journal entry in my art book. You can catch the little post about it here at my Nature Journal Online!


The picture was sketched with pencils, before I went over them with a micro-fibre 0.3mm pen, and colourized with Prismacolour Pencils. I tried using a technique I had seen on their website, wherein you blend using an alcohol dipped Q-Tip (cottonbud to us Brits ;)). My success was varied. The colour worked on some, but not others. I captured the shapes of some, but not others. I blame the time of day, I unfortunately chose a busy time of day... both at the feeder and outside, where people passing by all the time (cars or pedestrians or skateboarders!) disturbed the birds frequently!
Lessons learned... sketch earlier in the day, use a piece of paper to try out the colours first.
PATIENCE my friend ;)

Drawing of the Day #2

This is from the EDM challenge #1: Draw a Shoe. Please pardon the quality of the photo, it was getting dark when I took it, and that posed a challenge!

B and 4B pencils.

Blogging Without Obligation

I had to admit, when I saw this on Kerry's site I wondered what it was.... but I really like the idea!

Welcome 2008!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

One of the steps I wanted to make this year, 2008, was to increase my artwork, this is to work on the 'beautiful' part of my theme.

My daughter on Christmas Eve.

I loved art as a child and teen, and followed it so far, only to stop because I did not see its ‘usefulness’. Someone should have told me that a God given talent need not be on a par with the sciences in its uses, but rather be something that it is imperative to explore as far as I could.

So now I will.

I have subscribed to some art blogs, with the idea of being inspired. And I will make some art aims for the year…

My Art Aims 2008

1. Draw every day. Even if it is just a little thing.
2. Do at least one of the EDM challenges a week.
3. Diversify… learn to use the watercolours and acrylics more :)
4. Make a sketchbook. Maybe even a travel sketchbook… but at least a nature one!

Four simple, little aims. I think I can manage that! I’ve already started!!

Drawing of the Day #1

Images from the feeder this afternoon.

A few of the art blogs I like:
Laurelines
Sketches by Fiz
A Bowl of Moss and Pebbles
Brush and Baren
Danny Gregory
Drawing the Motmot
Val Webb
Cathy Johnson

and a website with a nature journal on it!
Richard Bell