Monday, October 31, 2011

Pictures of our flowers



The orchids that my husband rescued when we got back are now in full bloom! They are so pretty.

































































The passion fruit is blooming again. Their blooms are really neat looking.













 The white Bird of Paradise are blooming, but their huge blooms are behind the plants or hidden in their foliage. They have no stem to speak of and are stuck in the stalks of the plant, this makes them hard to see.

Cavies: Continued


I finished Pirate and Cream Puff's cage yesterday. Cream Puff is the closest one. AB and I went out and got the materials, then I made the cage, while she helped/watched/held the babies :) They like their new home. The next thing I need to do for them is make them a house. The cardboard one is very temporary (at least I hope it is). Making it will require another trip to the hardware store for materials and getting out the power tools. Oh, and making the plans for their house - one minor detail ;) I have an idea of what I want it to look like, so that's a start.

Sketch #34 Rainbow Water Dragon

I love the movement this guy appears to have, he's going places. His ears and head turned out just right :) This guy makes me happy.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Sketch #33 Red Water Dragon 2

I like how both of these guys turned out. They would be nice framed together.. I could flip one so they face each other, that would be cool.

Cavies

 We have been thinking about getting Guinea Pigs for a while now and when we saw them at the Honolulu Zoo last Sunday, My husband and I looked at one another and said, "We have to get Guinea pigs." We went out looking yesterday and this morning for some Abyssinian Guinea Pigs. PETCO had some cute ones, but they wanted $37.99 for them. The other pet stores ranged from free to 24.99. Much more realistic. We ended up going back to Pets R Us in Mauka where we saw two yesterday and getting these two brothers. We thought they had the prettiest coloring. They are 4-6 months old and about half the size they will eventually be. Pirate was born without an eye, he's the darker brother with Cy, and was free. We didn't want to split the brothers up and they have great personalities, plus they do better in pairs, so we bought them both :) Cream Puff is the lighter one with Megs. The bottom picture is of their temporary home. Tomorrow I shall get cage materials and build them a 2'x4' home on the back lanai. The chips are Aspen and I seem to have less of a reaction to them than the usual pine chips, hurray!


A plug for Pets R Us - They are nice, helpful, and friendly in their clean shop.


Saturday, October 29, 2011

Sketch #32 Red Water Dragon 1

This is the first of a pair of Red Water Dragons. I have decided to color them both Reds and oranges because of their tails.

Sketch #29 Green Blue Sea Dragon

This is the female. She is hiding in the grass :) This pair was fun to color.

A few of the kids and I went out looking at guinea pigs. They are so cute and way less expensive then a dog :) They would be fun to sketch.

Sketch #28 Green Blue Sea Dragon

This Sea Dragon is the first of a pair. I think this is a male because of the horn. He is in a hurry to get to the next post ;)

Sketch #25 Green Blue Dragon

I have been thinking about this guys colors for awhile. Finally, this morning I decided to bite the bullet and go for it. What you see is what I did... A blue booted and spined green dragon with pink ears. Friendly - don't you think :)

Friday, October 28, 2011

Sketch #24 Momma and Baby

I like this one, because the little one has such trusting eyes...

Sketch #23 Swirl A

This swirl is more like the doodles I do on Sunday mornings - without the color ;) I enjoyed sketching this one with all the curves and then choosing the colors was fun.

Sketches #21 and #22

 These two I did when I was thinking about visiting my parents. I hope they like them :) I sure enjoyed drawing them and then deciding the colors.

Sketch #15 Orange Leaf

It's fall and now I have a pretty fall leaf :) We don't get this kind around here, memories... This leaf turned out better than the last, I think.  Much Cleaner :)

Well, I spent about two hours waiting for the car and ended up doing about 7 sketches in my waitbook. I'm very glad I brought it, but now I have a lot of inking and coloring to do :) It will be fun!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

I scanned some more sketches last night and early this morning. After I take the car down to the dealership for it's check-up, work with the boys on their school, and get the sketches cleaned up, I'll start posting them :)

Sketch #16 Fire Dauber

This guys eyes are what led me to color him red, orange, and yellow. He has a bit of a different attitude carried through in his eyes, ears, and stance. Annabelle's cat sometimes got this look, especially before he attacked.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Sketch #14 Blue Water Dauber

This happy guy I sketched about a month ago and colored this week. I like the way his coloring came out.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Sketch #30 Elf/Gnome Scene

This is the Elf/Gnome drawing I did for my son last week. He wants an even more involved scene, so I may have to get out the drawing board and a bigger piece of paper.

Sketch's #17, #18, #19, and #20

Ok, so my daughter and I are going through this simple learning how to draw book (You Can Draw Anything, Kim Gamble) as a precursor to a better, more complicated drawing book. This exercise is sort of to get us warmed up for the other book :) I had a half hour break between tutees and decided to see if I could a) remember what we had drawn the day before and b) see if I could remember how to draw them according to the book. Well I did and they turned out okay. The cat has a long neck and looks like he is either annoyed or trying to hypnotize you. Mr. Tiger has great fur and whiskers. The pelican needs to eat better. And, believe me, the owl looks way better than it did the first time.

We finished the people last week and this week will start on perspective in the book. The people were interesting... Perspective will be better.



Sketch #13 Fall Leaf

I'm not sure how much I like the way I colored this one; I think I was in a funk. Oh well, I have another leaf to color and I can always draw this one again or colorize it in Photoshop, if its worth the trouble.


On another issue, I took one of those thin plastic cutting pads that come three to a pack at Wal-Mart and cut it to 5"x8" and it works excellently between the pages of my sketchbook. It is thinner than the Sizzix pad I was using and is a better size. I am quite happy with this solution.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Sketch #12 Mud-Dauber

This guy I decided to color brown after the mud-dauber. He looked like he should be 'skipping' around in the mud having a grand time.

#3 Layout for The 2011 Book

So this is my third layout for the 2011 Year Book. For some reason I'm going for simple this year. Maybe 'cause I'd rather be drawing :O

These are some photos from the Keaiwa Loop Trail which is billed as a keiki trail, i.e. it's suitable for children. The children in question better be hung onto tight or they might slide down a ravine. There was a lot of mud on parts of the trail when we went, so their was quite a bit of cleanup before getting into the car. The views from the trail are fantastic of the airport  area and the upper H-3. This particular day we were also blessed to find brightly colored fungi and mushrooms.

The Keaiwa Loop Trail is a fun trail when it's not too muddy. There is also plenty of parking (a plus on island), several bathrooms, and the trail is marked well. So even though it can be a bit heart pounding at times when with little ones, it scores pretty high.

Sketch #4 with additions

My dad added some surfer dudes on short boards - phantoms of the waves.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Sketch #7 Mouse Scene

This day I felt like incorporating several elements into a scene. I started off with the mushrooms and then doodled in the mouse. The mouse had to be looking at something so I added the ladybug. Then to fill fill the page and make a better setting, I added the foliage.

The 5x8 sketchbook is quite sufficient for my individual sketches, but I feel the need for more space when I do something like this. One thought I had would be to use 12x12 paper, then store the pages in a scrapbook album. In other words build the pages rather than have them already in a book. Then I could use page protectors and the chalk wouldn't get all over. That could give me more medium flexibility. I have page protected some of my small pastel drawings in the past, but not stored them in an album. The are samples for the kids to see.

If someone does this already, please leave a comment on how it works or doesn't in your experience.

Sketch #11 Yellow Green Sea Dragon

Here is another Sea Dragon, this time in yellow and Green. His horn is a bit hat-like, bit I think it's cute :)

Sketch #9 Pencil Baby Dragon

This guy I started shading while sitting and waiting. Later I decided to do a bit more shading and not ink or color it. The family has differing reactions to that. Some people definitely prefer everything to be in color. I guess some people just don't see in black and white ;)

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Sketch #31 Dancing Water Fairy

While the boys have been working on their schoolwork, I have been drawing or coloring while I wait. This morning my 10 year old asked if I could draw a dwarf, fairy, elf, sprite, or something like that. I drew him a gnome sitting on a mushroom, that wasn't what he had in mind; so I drew him a water fairy dancing in a puddle, well that wasn't what he wanted either. Maybe next week I'll try drawing an elf or brownie or something and see how that goes over ;) Anyway, I finished the Water Fairy as you can see. I decided not to create a pattern on her wings so that she would stand out and the drawing would be less busy. I think though a light veining pattern, maybe in white or blueish white would look good.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Sketches #2 and #5 Flowers



These flowers I sketched 5 days apart and colored about a month apart. They are the 2nd and 5th sketches in my sketchbook. I usually enjoy drawing flowers, but I haven't drawn any in my sketchbook since.

Sketch #1 Flower Explosion

This is the first sketch in my book. I think it shows how happy I was to be drawing again, instead of only doodling in the margins of the Sunday school literature. I really hadn't been taking time to draw since we returned from Libya. There every year I worked with the girls on preparing for their IGCSE art exam and the boys were working on an art curriculum. This fall we started art again, but that was in September/October after I started this journal.

From September 9th to today, October 21st, I have 29 sketches in various forms of completion in my sketchbook. I do not sketch one every day, sometimes I go a week without sketching in my book, but on some days I sketch several objects. Sometimes, I sketch, ink, and color in one day; other days, I sketch one day and a month later ink it. A lot depends on time and mood :) Color is definitely a mood thing for me.

Sketch #4 Darker Blue Waves

This is the 4th sketch and the 2nd of two wave sketches. It is similar to the 3rd, but the colors are more varied.

Sketch #3 Waves Blue/Green

This drawing (the third) and the 4th were done early in September, when I was thinking of waves and the ocean. The slight variation in color isn't showing up as well as I would like on my screen. I may post the 4th later today or tomorrow.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

 Last week I made up this simple flyer for Mr. Dionisio at church for his group, Oahu Baptist Network Ministry - Fan the Flame. His men's group is hosting a retreat for all the guys and they are encouraged to bring their sons and/or grandsons. The event begins Friday evening after work and ends after lunch on Saturday. It looks to be a lot of fun. I can't remember who the speaker is going to be, but he speaks to all of the age groups at once instead of splitting them up.

I decided he needed some sort of logo for his group because people were confusing his group name and the event name, so I came up with the swirling flame and cross. Now there is no confusion :) I drew both the bridge and logo in illustrator. It would have been much faster for me to draw them by hand, but I wanted them scalable and clear, just in case. It is a good thing I thought ahead since Mr. Dionisio is talking about making some posters now, not just the flyers.

Sketch #10

Continuing on my quest for curves and thinking about the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I sketched this Blue Sea Dragon in mid September and colored it in today. I like the feeling of movement this particular sketch has. Extracted, it might make a good element to go on one of my aquarium scrap pages.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

#2 Layout for The 2011 Book

This is the second layout I've finished (more or less) for The 2011 Book. These pictures were all taken in Libya. It was so great to meet the people on the Logos Hope and be able to visit with them. We even met a lady from Kauai.

On a different note, I called the allergist and got some of the test reports. I am extremely allergic to ALL the grasses they tested for, allergic to house dust mites (no wonder I have trouble breathing when I sweep or vacuum; or someone else does), and mildly allergic to a host of foods... Also the Epstein Barr virus is present and the figures were very high. The Allergist told me that is why I am hypersensitive to things I am minimally allergic to. In doing some internet research, the virus could also be behind the Fibromyalgia. Something to ruminate on anyway.

Hugs to all - especially those we are far from...

Monday, October 17, 2011

Sketch #8 Red Dragon

This Red Dragon I sketched in mid September and colored today. I don't usually bring colored pencils or an ink pen with me when I'm out, so I ink and color later when the mood strikes (and I am waiting for the kids to finish an assignment).

Sketch #6 Bird

This is a sketch a did September 9th, inked, and then colored with colored pencils. I then did some clean-up in Photoshop before posting it on Picasa. I enjoy the process of creating. I started a sketchbook after visiting my parents and my dad showed me his 'waiting book'. That's not what he called it, but the name suits. Now at the doctor's office, at break times, and other sit-and-wait times, I have something I enjoy doing. It makes the time speed by!

#1 Layout for The 2011 Book

I updated my header, as you can see. I'm trying to decide if I really like it or not...

However,


this is the way the layout should look.

Friday, October 14, 2011

I have been taking a break from designing. Re-aligning my priorities with people who care for me and those that need me to care for them, has been very good for my health. Although allergies and Fibromyalgia still plague me at times, I am feeling better overall. As homeschooling settles into a groove, I may think about designing again, we'll see. The kids and hubby are a priority :)

I am beginning work on a year in review book. I am hoping it will be done before Christmas, but as busy as things are, that may be wishful thinking.

Below are my first set of layouts. I chose to use my April of 2010 Color Challenge kit that I created for the now defunct Deco Pages (Deb has a neat Blog now). The colors are excellent for continuity throughout the album as they will work with any season or event.