Moon Gaze - Part 1

My little guy had an a couple of his old friends (from way back in kindergarten) spend the night last night. I was telling one of them about my upcoming surgery and he said, "You'll be able to hula-hoop again!" I was pleasantly stunned. He was right! I had to quit hula-hooping when I got a blood clot four years ago, but now that the root cause of all of that will be gone, well, hula-hooping here I come!  It's the little things....


My big guy's girlfriend dropped off a canvas bag and a lovely request (I LOVE requests!). This morning I started on her bag.

I started by sketching out her idea.
This is the front.

This is the back.

I used watered down acrylics to add color.

Here's the beginnings of the moon.

Here's the back of the bag.

I'm excited to see how this bag turns out!

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Celebrate!

Today my little guy tucked our cat, Tommy, into bed. You know, head on pillow, covers pulled up to his chin. And that cat fell right asleep and stayed asleep for several hours. Further proof that our cats are utterly and completely spoiled rotten. Perhaps this is why they consistently bring us dead rats. Feline gratitude is a very odd disgusting thing.


I love using small canvases as palettes. After I've used them for a while I think they make the most wonderful backgrounds for my paintings. Here's one I created today.

"Celebrate!"

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My Little Bird - Part 4

My little guy loves me. How do I know? Well, he grabs me and pulls me on top of him and won't let me go. Luckily this time I had some of my paints to entertain myself.


I held one to his forehead. "Are you a unicorn?"

Little guy: "Stop it."


I held one to his nose. "Are you an elephant?"

Little guy: "Stop it."


I held one to his chin. "Are you Santa Claus?"

Little guy: "You're stupid."


But he didn't let me go. That's how I know he loves me ever so much.


And bonus, he likes this painting I did of him as a super little guy. Yay! Here's the finished painting and a few of the final stages.

"My Little Bird"

I added more texture to the costume and
the green part of the background.

I made him a bit creepy here when I whited out
his eyes, but I had a plan. I also added the
tie that held the head of the costume on.

I gave him big blue eyes. These were too blue
and you'll see in the final painting I lightened
them. I also added shadows to the tie and
finished the eyes on the head as well.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

My Little Bird - Part 3

I got in trouble today. 

I went grocery shopping. I got everything I needed and I headed to the register. The checker lady pulled my cart to her, took out my reusable shopping bags (which were all folded and placed in one bigger shopping bag), and turned the bigger back upside down and shook all the bags out of it. Only thing was, when she vigorously shook out the shopping bag all sorts of other things fell out, too...receipts, bits of oil cloth bags that had fallen off, even some dry grass from the times I've used bags for the pool.

Lady: "That's a mess!" she declared as she looked at her now messy conveyer.

Me: "Gosh, sorry. No one has ever just shaken it out like that. They usually just take out one bag at a time."

Lady: "Well then they're doing it wrong." She got out her pink feather duster and swept the mess onto the floor.

I decided that since I'd already apologized there wasn't much left for me to say so I stood silent as she rang up my groceries that only filled up two of my many grocery bags.

Me: "Thank you!"

I got to my car and wondered if my feathers should be as ruffled as the feather duster's were...but then I realized that I likely had the the cleanest set of reusable grocery bags in town. Thank you, checker lady!

I continued working on this painting. I think I'll have it done by tomorrow. Hope the kid likes it!

I didn't like the face I'd created yesterday so
I painted over it. I also added more detail to the costume.

I worked on getting the face shape more accurate
and I sketched in the details.

I began adding a couple of layers to his face.
I'm starting to see my Little Guy!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

My Little Bird - Part 2

You know how when most people take some time off from work they just let management know and maybe briefly fill in a co-worker about what they might have to cover for you in your absence? That was my experience in the professional world way back when. Well, it's completely different if you're a teacher and need to take a couple of weeks off. You have to plan for every single minute of every single day you'll miss. And while I'm no procrastinator when it comes to work stuff, I'm never prepared so fully this far ahead. It's still a week away, and I've already got over three weeks' worth of activities fully prepared and laid out with post it notes stuck on them declaring the date of the activity.  And now I'm thinking, "This is the way to do it!"

My inner, mostly hidden, Type A personality is grinning ear-to-ear.


I continued working on the painting of my little guy. Not much time tonight as it's Back to School Night and I'll be talking with my lovely students' parents, but I got just a bit done.

I roughed in his face and laid down a layer
of white where I planned to paint yellow.

I added yellow, eyes, skin tone, and I
roughed in his face again.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

My Little Bird - Part 1

A conversation today...


Guy: "I have to ask you a very direct question."

Me: "What?"

Guy: "Have you been using Mr. Sketch markers today?"

Me: "No, but I'm a teacher and I do use them sometimes. Why?"

Guy: "You smell like them."

Me: "Which one?"

Guy: "All of them...but mostly cherry."

Me: "Wow."

Guy: "It's very pleasant."


So I have no idea why I have that scent, but I'm thinking if I'm ever in a pinch I'm going to just put a dot of the red Mr. Sketch marker behind each ear.


And I started a new painting. This one is of my little guy when he was a little guy.

I started by painting a very simple
version of the background.

I did a very basic sketch from the photo I'm
working with. My little guy is wearing a fun
outfit he liked to wear back then.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

Field of Blue - Part 3

A couple of days ago Dave, our little guy, and I went to go visit our big guy's apartment that he shares with his wonderful girlfriend. Our big guy moved out a couple of weeks ago and this was our first trip there. The apartment is fabulous, the food we ate after seeing it was fabulous, and then some sweet awesomeness happened.

We went to a small shop downtown and they had a chest full of photo props. Well, the boys and I each put on pink bob wigs...and my, oh my, did they ever rock that look. They were downright pretty! And while they have maintained their given hair color, I, by the time I was their ages, had dyed my hair every color of the rainbow, literally. Pink being one of those colors (though I don't think that pink is officially a rainbow color).

It was nice to have a glimpse of my little apples not falling too far from their mama tree.


I finished my bluebonnet painting. It's on the abstract side and I'm happy with it. I hope Dave thinks I did his beautiful photo justice. Here's the finished painting and below are a couple of the last stages.

"Field of Blue"

I felt it absolutely, positively needed more flowers.

I added details to the flowers and darkened some of the
trees in the far background. All that was left was to
detail the grass, add some clouds and other kinds of flowers,
and paint the edges of the canvas.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!