Saturday, December 30, 2006

Ol'Rusty Milk Can

Lots of good stuff around our neighborhood.

Purple Bells all in a Row

I've been on vacation this week, and spent most of my time in our "studio" attic trying to make up for a long long long break from painting (pastelling). The following several entries are from photos I took over the past few months.

Sunny flower

Capturing sunlight filtered through flower petals.

PW boats

Not my usual subject, I attempt to overcome my fear of creating reflections on water.

A Couple of Buds


Having some fun with my new Power Shot.

Woman at Bay

Pastel from photo I took of a woman wishing she had a boat like that.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Once upon a time


I was a mother of some awfully cute children.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Saturdays


Saturday is my cat chup day after the week-long rat race.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

sketchin on the dock o the bay

The fella in the last post is none other than wallyboy.

Monday, July 31, 2006

?

These are desperate times.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Self P #13

Unless I get the urge to do one more, this is my final entry for the Self Portrait Marathon. It's been real. Kudos to Brother Wally for hosting with the mosting!

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Island Beauty

I spent a few hours yesterday, walking around our neighborhood taking photos with my digital camera. Lots of beautiful gardens provide great reference shots for watercolor and pastel.

Self P#12 "Fireworks"

Explosive. I created this using a few drawings and my pastel eye from a past EDM challenge, layered over a photo and some abstract illustrator shapes.

Self P #11

I never look at people over the top of my glasses. Someone from my work past used to look at me that way, and I found it very intimidating. But then, again, I am often intimidated by someone looking at me...over specs or not. In fact, I am intimidated by this drawing.

Monday, June 26, 2006

Self Ptrait #10

Thought I try something different. It’s different, allright. I created this in Illustrator from a photo taken last year in a KY park.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Self Ptrait #9

I did this one looking down, slightly, into the mirror. Woodless graphite pencil on multi media vellum. Next I think I'll try one with expression in my face.

Saturday, June 24, 2006

Self Ptrait #8

Pencil drawing filtered in Pshop. I looked particularly saggy tonight, so I cheated and filtered out some of the sagginess in my drawing. Just one of those weak moments, you know?

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Self Portrait #7

I did this one using two mirrors to view my profile. The hardest part was keeping the smile while I sketched.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Self Portrait #5

(Really #6, but I accidentally named #5, #6. So this is my 6th sketch called "#5"). Well, this is fresh out of the shower. It looks like I scrubbed my face a little too hard.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Self Portrait #6

I sketched this while lying back on a couple of pillows with a mirror propped up on my knees. It's not the most flattering view...but I was going for a challenge this time.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Town Dock Sketches

More sketches from Manhasset Bay on a very windy day. The sketchy guy is my husband. Check out some of his Port Washington sketches at http://www.cosmoscombover.blogspot.com/.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Selfportraitmarathon #3

I think I got it right this time!

Selfportraitmarathon #2

Actually, this was the first one I did. Why am I doing this at 3am? Am I crazy? Well, do I LOOK crazy?

Self Portrait Marathon

Man, I just can't get the eyes right or something. At least this time the right eye isn't crooked as it was in the last one.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Rainwreck

What's worse than racing to catch the train through a maze of people, briefcases, cell phones, newspapers and taxis coming at you from all directions? Racing to catch the train through a maze of people, briefcases, cell phones, newspapers, taxis and UMBRELLAS coming at you from all directions. By the time I got to Penn Station, I was a "rainwreck". As I tried to hide behind a soggy newspaper, wedged into one of a few seats left on the train, I noticed some red smeary dots on Page A1. Apparently, while wrestling with my umbrella in the wind & rain, I cut my thumb. Just a tiny cut, mind you, but hemorrhaging nonetheless. I did this sketch when I got home sweet home.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Frenzy


After my daily fastwalk to the station for the train home to Long Island, I settle into a seat and contemplate the frenzy I was just a part of. The first sketch is a drawing of that image as I remembered it. The second drawing is one of the gentleman sitting in front of me as viewed through the frame created by the seatback and handle.

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Illustration Friday–Portrait

This is a drawing I did a few years ago, of our grandson, Ben, who lives in Houston with Mom, Dad and baby sister; Jenna, Kerry and Julia Chrapliwy. Ben is now 4.

Friday, June 02, 2006

LIRR Commute


I did these sketches on the train from Penn Station to Port Washington. It's amazing how so many people can be jammed into one place, and remain so distant from eachother.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Town Dock, Port Washington

This is a composite of several sketches done with a brush pen, with color washes added in Photoshop. Town Dock is just a few blocks from our house, so we spend much time here sketching people, boats, water and eachother. Today was a particularly beautiful day...and a great day to fish.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Homework

Charcoal pencil and pinky finger study of my daughter taking a study break. I remember taking many breaks like this when I was in school. Probably too many.

Friday, May 26, 2006

Illustration Friday–BeefCAKE

I love a little icing on my beefcake.

Monday, May 15, 2006

Duck


I could sit and draw ducks all day...but I have to go to work. That's life.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Self Portrait


Much more interesting to draw than when I was younger. Deepening folds and fine lines form a roadmap of my life...and I can still see the child's face underneath it all.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Easter



Well, here are some more papercut designs created while waiting for files to save on my computer at work...and a digital illustration of a lily I found in my digidoodles folder. I really must get back to drawing again. Happy Easter!

Monday, April 10, 2006

Illustration Friday "Speed"

I did this drawing really really fast.

Friday, April 07, 2006

Grape Hyacinth

This was going to be my Illustration Friday "Spring" entry, but I missed it. At my new job, I work on huge files on a wimpy computer...so during long "save" times, I papercut post-it notes, tracing paper & whatever other paper is within reach. I'm sure a couple of my co-workers think I have some sort of neurological disorder. Anyway...it makes the waiting more bearable, and adds a little something to my artwork. Happy Spring.

Blind Contour 1st Friday

Welll, it really looks a lot prettier out our bedroom window. But, it is very gray today...so I captured that well, even if it WAS after adding color in PS. I especially like how our li’l old brown Toyota turned out. Yep, that’s about how it looks. We have some really nice pine trees and a funky roof over the big front porch (that will come in handy if we have a fire in our upstairs apartment). I always plan for things like that. Thanks for stopping by.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

IF Insekt

this one flew in under the wire.

Friday, March 03, 2006

Blind Contour Friday "HOT"

My lunch boiling over today. I could have stopped it earlier, but then the drawing wouldn't have been as interesting.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Tea for Mea


Well it's an appropriate topic alright since I've been drinking about ten gallons of tea a day to get rid of an upper respiratory apocalypse taking place even as I sit here typing.

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Hot Flowers



I used one of my "song" papercut attempts in this composition, along with some flower illustrations I had done for a project last year.

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Illustration Friday "Song"

After a few attempts, I finally managed to get something that actually looked like what I was trying to do. Maybe it's insane of me, but I don't draw (plan)anything out ahead of time (kind of like my life). Just fold and cut...and sometimes hum a song while I'm at it. Come to think of it, there's always a song going on in the background. I guess that's the plan.