Illustration Friday "Lesson"

It has been a long few weeks. I have a post with details coming soon, but right lets just say it involved an unexpected basement renovation. There are always lessons to be learned but sometimes you need distance from the sweat and frustration before they become clear.

This illustration is of a pillow study done for one of my drawing courses on cross-hatching. It is a technique I rarely use but I always loved the effect in that great childrens book "Where the Wild Things Are."

The Daily Pic

The idea of "home" has been on my mind a lot lately. What kind of home would meet my family needs? What kind of home do I really want? As usual I am always inspired by nature. This simple structure that my son painted a couple years ago has weathered with age. That seems to have only added to its character and charm. I think the birds that live here would definitely agree.

The Daily Pic

This little guy was found in my garden. It's funny how the smallest things can slip right past our eyes. He was having a nice lunch on a peice of seed packet.

Illustration Friday "Journey"

"I am not reggae, I am me. I am bigger than the limits that are put on me. It all has to do with the individual journey. " Ziggy Marley I love this quote. The statement" I am bigger than the limits that are put on me," is such a powerful statement. We all have limitations, poverty, illness, others perceptions, but bigger than those limitations is what makes greatness. It is what inspires others. It is what defines a lifetime. It is what makes the end reward so much sweeter. Here is to all of us, chipping away day by day at those limitations until they come crumbling down and the journey along the way until they do.

Daily Picture

I am going to start a new daily post called "The Daily Pic." The name pretty much speaks for itself! I have been so inspired by spring and all the beautiful photography opportunities and I want to share them here.

This is one of the bushes out in front of our house. I love the way the rain drops shimmer after a Spring rain. If anyone knows the name of this could you share it with me? It was here when we bought the house.

Thanks!

Clearance Sale!

I try not to be too spamy with my blog posts, but I wanted to let everyone who stops by know about my huge clearance sale at my Blue Leaf Boutique. Use coupon code: SPRINGCLEAR50 at checkout to get 50 percent off your purchase. I'm running this sale through Sunday so don't miss it. My prices are already very low to stay competitive in the growing handmade market but this is rock bottom. I have some great new items I want to add to my shop but need to clear some inventory first. Pick up a Mother's Day gift, Easter gift, gradution gift and maybe a treat for yourself!

Illustration Friday "Bottled"

"A bottle of wine begs to be shared; I have never met a miserly wine lover." Clifton Paul Fadiman

I don't care for drawing bottles. All the reflections. All the ellipses. It can be truly painful. It is not my cup of tea. I could have taken the not so literal route for this weeks theme but I decided to face my pains head on, with one caveat. If it was going to be painful, it was going to be quick. I decided to draw a cluster of bottles in 15 minutes flat. I wanted to test my skills to see how much detail and finishing I could muster in a limited amount of time.

My strategy was simple. First do a quick outline to get basic bottle shapes, size, and layout. Second do some minimal shading to add shadow and a bit of dimension. Lastly go back and add small bits of detail to the labels, etc.

How do you think I did? How would you have approached it?