Princess and the Pea

So, I am tentatively finished with this one, finally.  It's didn't turn out exactly the way I had envisioned it but other than the fact that I keep finding little things to fix, I am pretty happy with it, I think.  Sorry, I have been away from blog-land so much.  Summer is near and I should have a lot more time to be creative in the coming months. School has really bogged us down this year and we are still dying and selling t-shirts.  We even opened up an Etsy store.  There is a link on the side bar, so be sure to check it out. We are still donating a percentage of the sales to charity and 10% of the sale price of the womens shirts has already been donated to Japan.  Thanks for stopping by and for all your kind and gracious comments. I appreciate it!

Fred the Praying Mantis

Just a short post of a quickly done painting of a praying mantis I did for my best friends daughter. Happy Easter! 

PS.  I am having so much trouble posting images from CS5 online or sending them in emails. I keep getting server rejections and having to shrink and shrink it again.  It's like it is saving them so much larger than it says it is, but then the last time I did a thumbnail for IF it ended up pixel-ated before it would let me post it.  I am not sure what the problem is and it is so aggravating.  Anyone else having this problem?

Surrender

Well, I finally got this one finished.  I think... it's one of those illustrations that seemed to take me forever and I just finally decided to stop messing with it.  I will quite possibly change my mind when I look at it tomorrow. lol    I'm having deja vu, I must say that a lot. 

I'm already working on an illustration for IF's prompt Sweater and I'm determined to do something quick and simple, so I can get it posted this week.  That being said,  I'm not so great at simple; Sometimes I can do quick.  I say this to myself often and then the illustration takes on a life of it's own and becomes, well, complicated.  I envy those artists who can make a few lines or a loose sketchy image and simple color into a creative and solid piece of art. There is something to be said for simplicity and for me anyway, it's harder than it looks to make something very simple, yet very special. 

Finished version of Hansel and Gretel

So, I finally finished Hansel and Gretel. It was a lot of fun to paint. I've promised myself that I will draw more, paint more and post more this year.  I  have started to slip and let life get in the way for the last 5 or 6 months so I am re-prioritizing. More art, less stress, and no more working on school work excessively. Cyan and I are both burned out and the year isn't even half way over for us. I started Will Terry's mini-Illustration class and I've got to say it has inspired me to work harder. I've been letting the everyday get in the way and it's time to re-dedicate myself. So, check out Will's videos, they are great and they are reasonably priced.  There's a lot you may already know, but I love the way he thinks and there is something to take away from each one, and there are things that I know that I forget about while I'm painting, so it's a great reminder of how important those aspects are. Plus, if we all use them, maybe we'll get lucky and he'll do more :).  I love it when people share their knowledge and expertise. So, I'm off to a good start, I see that I am already wearing down the pen tip on my newest Wacom and I've only had it since the end of November. Of course this could mean that I'm bearing down too hard, I have to remind myself to loosen up from time to time. My favorite pen tip is the one with the spring, and of course it only comes with one of those. I guess I'll be ordering more ;).  Thanks for stopping by and to all of you good people who take the time to comment, thank you and I truly appreciate it. Oh, and feel free to critique, I don't mind, it's how we learn to see our work through others eyes.

IF_Sneaky

 

So, I turned the illustration I was doing for my critique groups prompt into an illustration that would work for Illustration Friday, because I haven't done one in a while.  Wow, it feels so good to be creative again.  I'm planning on adding another squirrel on the bench, stealing her sandwich, but I don't have time right now,  so it's still a work in progress.  I want to spend the next couple of days working on an illustration for the new competition on the "They Draw and Cook" blog, and I really want to do Will Terry's Hansel and Gretel project. I'm having so much fun I may not want to cook Thanksgiving dinner. I'd like to do nothing but create.

LOL, but I don't think my family would be too happy about that idea.  Thanks for taking a look and for taking the time to let me know what you think.  Happy Thanksgiving if your celebrating it!

A little time to breath again...

updated WIP pt 3

update WIP pt 2

Yay, it's officially Thanksgiving break and I can breath again.  So, this is an illustration that I had tried to work on for my critique group, but I couldn't find time to get beyond the sketch. The prompt was Cup.  So, I finally started painting it last night.  It's a work in progress. 

...and these are Maura's most recent pieces, from her drawing class, for her series on Asperger's. She is working on a really cool piece right now.  I can't wait to see it.  She described it to me and it sounds really great.  So this is what they mean, the one with sand is about the sensory issues she has. She hates the feeling of sand especially,  so it was really challenging for her to do this one. The one with the train is about obsessions and fixations.  She rocks often, even while she is driving or riding in the car.  As a child her spine was often bruised, because she rocked so much. But hey, she has some killer abs. The train is about her obsession with trains as a child and a fixation with the number 13.  She also loves circles and curves.

IF_Beneath

 Illustration Fridays prompt this week is Beneath. I started this one for last weeks prompt, but I didn't get it finished in time. I decided to add some things and now it is Beneath the Circus Tent. It's still a work in progress, but I may not get much more done before the end of the week, so I decided to go ahead and link it. I just haven't had time to participate lately and I'm trying to get back to it. Thanks for stopping by and for taking the time to comment!

Something new

My friend Clau had a birthday in August and I did this picture of her daughter for her.  I am working on one of her son too.  I haven't been able to get anything done since last week, so I thought I'd post this. It's just been busy. My husband was home for the holiday weekend. The 4th was my mother-in-laws birthday so we cooked her a big birthday dinner, the kind that takes all day to cook. Then today my husband left town to go on a last minute business trip, I had to take my grandson to the Center for the Visually Impaired for class, which is in Atlanta and it was my son's first day of high school! We home school,  so we didn't get finished today until 5:00pm.  It all made for a really long day, after a long busy weekend. Now, I am looking forward to a little slower pace and a little time to paint : )

Cinderella

So, I think I am done with this one. At least for tonight I am.  Thanks for stopping by and let me know what you think! I do appreciate what you have to say.  : )

WIP_Cinderella

This is what I am working on this weekend. I did the sketch months ago, but never got back to it.  I can't decide if I like it yet. Maybe its the carriage, it's not shaped right or something. Anyway, thanks for stopping by to have a look.  I really appreciate it and the comments too! You are all great! Have a good weekend.

IF_Star Gazing

This is my illustration for Illustration Friday's prompt Star Gazing. It needs more work, but I thought I'd go ahead and post it anyway, I haven't been posting on Illustration Friday as much as I would like lately. I'm not liking the way his face turned out so I may go back and rework him. Anyway, thanks for all the well wishes and prayers. My back is getting a little better each day. You are all wonderful. Thanks for stopping by and for taking the time to leave such kind and thoughtful comments. You make my day! or night ; )

 and here is the amended version, what do you think? better or  worse?

I'm going to have to let it marinate before I decide...

Birthdays!

Well, I hurt my back last week and I haven't been able to do a thing. I mean nothing. My husband was out of town and I had my grandson for a few days, so I had to have my mother in law come and help me out.  I don't like taking medicine any more than is absolutely necessary. I just hate the way it makes me feel, even more muddled than usual. I had to take anti-inflammatories  and muscle relaxers and they relaxed my brain as well as every inch of my body.   I was a total slug,  but I am much better this weekend, so hopefully the worst is over.

August is a big birthday month in our family. A great nieces birthday, then my oldest daughters birthday,  followed by my son's birthday, then my sisters birthday and my friend Clau has a birthday too.  I had so many  things I wanted to do for everyone and I haven't been able to make a single cake or do anything special for anyone.  I just hate having a bad back, it puts such a damper on things! and don't you just hate it when you hurt yourself?!!!