More folk art, and a great link for Health conscious people

hi folks, well I finished the second primitive style painting a few days ago. I like how she turned out even though this isn't my normal style. It's nice to try different things to keep you fresh. At one point I was ready to just give up, I had white paint on my brush and was going to eraser her, but I pressed on, until I got a face I was happy with.  So now, maybe it's time to incorporate this loose, and colorful style, with my usual big-eyed girls I am used to doing...?
I'm starting to find that I absolutely love doing backgrounds now! that used to be my weak spot, but now it's so relaxing to glue bits of paper down on a canvas, and cover it over, add more paper, add more paint, and on and on. This is the sort of thing you can always do when you are not in the mood to paint. Just put 3 - 4 canvases on your table, rip up various bits of paper, and start gluing. Then put them aside, work on them when the mood hits you, and when you finally feel the urge to do a full painting, you've got part of the work already done...no need to wait for stuff to dry either! 

I also wanted to recommend to anyone who is interested in their health, to join this free 'summit'.
You simply sign up with your email, and will be getting links to these really great interviews which you can phone in to, or what I do is listen after the event, through the internet. Each interview is available for 24 hours. I just finished listening to one by a Dr. Michael Kloper which was really fantastic, and wanted to link you all up before it's done.
this is the link to the Food Revolution Summit:
http://www.foodrevolution.org/summit#.UYJtQ8rotJQ

I've listened to many of these type of broadcasts in the past, and gain so much knowledge from each one.  Sorry I didn't get this post up yesterday when I wanted to!
thanks for reading!

Some witchy art

Does anyone else feel like Blogger is way more complicated than before? Maybe it's because I'm not used to it yet, but I find myself almost dreading making a new post....it's too glitchy! and from some comments I've been receiving, I'm not the only one having trouble!

Above is my latest witch, sorry about the not so great photo. I am still without a printer/scanner, and trying to get a good photograph is impossible! It's so overcast here, that by the time I get home, the sun is gone over the neighboring houses, so I can't get an accurate image  Now that I started painting again, the last thing I want to do is stress over photographs. 

It feels good to get some new art done. Once again my sketchbook is filling with ideas, and any day now, I will start with the Christmas art. It's coming alot faster than you think! Once Halloween is over, the holiday season swings into full speed- at least here in Canada, and every year I am left unprepared. It would be nice to be ahead for once in my life, lol! I really envy those of you who are so organized,  manage to get everything done on time, and manage to take gorgeous photos too! 

Have you ever looked through the magazine called Artful Blogging? pure eye candy. I just want a fraction of the prettiness found inside. My blog is so plain, no frills, no fancy lettering, but with so little time,  you have to pick and choose where you spend it. Right now I need to focus on getting better at my art, and as much as I wish I could take gorgeous photos of my art to put on Etsy, it just isn't going to happen.  It sucks, but that's life.  Besides, I went on an art supply shopping spree on Etsy and at Micheals, and  got myself a whole lot of fun stuff to play with!  Papers and stickers and tapes, oh my!

thanks for reading, and have fun wherever you are
xoxo

Happy Thanksgiving Canada, and some art

Hey friends, it's the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, and it fell on a much earlier date than we are used to!  We had our big dinner today, and I overate of course. That's ok, tomorrow I get back on track with healthy eating. It's amazing how much better I've been feeling when I stick to a natural diet. I tried one of the most delicious juices I've ever had a few days ago, and have been making it every morning since. I copied the ingredients from Youtube, where you can find the video

 Recipe for Kristina's FullyRaw Fall Beet Juice Cleanser:
5-6 Honeycrisp Apples
1-2 Large Beets with Tops
Thumb of Ginger
Half of One Sweet Potato

I've been working on more Halloween painting, and the one above with the wee owl on the pumpkins is my latest. Inspired by Christy Tomlinson, as I would never think to make patterned pumpkins.! That woman is a genius and I just love watching her work.

It sure feels good to get working back on my art again.  I had taken several months break from blogging, and while I don't paint as much in the summer, the truth is I couldn't seem to make myself create at all. It felt like
my creativity vanished, and all I felt like doing was watching tv, or reading novels. Thank goodness the slump is over, and now I'm back to thinking about art all the time :-)

Just a quick note to my fellow bloggers, I was catching up yesterday, and was trying to leave comments, but there must have been problems with Blogger, because I kept typing in the correct word verification, and.it would say the word was incorrect, so just keep in mind that no one would have been able to leave you comments.

that's it for now, hope you are all feeling inspired, wherever you are,
thanks for reading!

New art, and some skywatching

Well I finally got some new art up, after taking a few weeks off to mostly play around with techniques and stuff.  The above is on a wood panel, and looks much better than the crappy scan. You know when you get something in your head, and try to recreate it? doesn't always work out as you imagined. I was hoping to give her a more circusy feel, so not sure if I accomplished that. I defintely like the plain wood background though.
Anyway, the real reason for the post was to let you  know to look outside quickly, lol!
There is a lovely show between the crescent moon, the planet Venus and Jupiter. I'd caught the tale end of some stargazing discussion on the tv, about the moon and venus, and never thought about it again until I hopped in my car to head to Michaels, and upon looking up at the sky, saw the most lovely spectacular scene. The crescent moon is just above the very bright Venus, and until I checked online, didn't realize this is something we won't see for a long time.

Here is a nice description of what's happening:   http://www.space.com/15047-venus-jupiter-moon-skywatching-tips.html.

I've been wondering the last few weeks what the  2 stars were that I could see very brightly over my house, and now I know :-).  So if you see this post on time, run to your window, lol!

that's all I got for today, thanks for reading!

Does music move you?

After a bit of a dry spell, today I finally had the urge to paint a face.It's funny how music can move you. Yesterday I was shopping with a friend, and a song came on, that I remembered from many years ago. It was so haunting, that I pulled out my pocket journal, wrote a few lyrics so I wouldn't forget, and went on with my day.
Today I pulled out my journal,  googled the lyrics, and found it was an old Glen Campbell song. I cranked up the sound and let the melody take me away. In the middle of the song, I had an idea for the very last page of my Art and Music journal that I started several months ago. The last page has been blank all this time, (although I had painted the background, I couldn't decide what kind of face and lyrics to put on it). Just like that, I had the answer, and wasted no time getting my pencil out and drawing the girl. This is the end result
(sorry for the bad photo, but I had to take it indoors, with poor lighting)

Ok, can you tell I have serious issues with my handwriting?? It is beyond terrible, lol! there are a couple of online workshops on creative lettering, and I think it's time to take one of them :-)

So, months later, all it takes is the right song, to move me into action. Have you ever had a song that does that to you, that inspires you? For me, it's usually oldies, as I don't like today's music. My Youtube playlists are full of classics from the 60's and early 70's. That's just the music I seem to resonate with.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on music, and how it affects you.  Go ahead, name your idols, or your fave songs. I have too many to mention, but over the years, I've shown some art on my blog that was inspired by them.

for you young folks, if you are curious about the song, here it is:



thanks for reading!

Owls and Beagles

 hi friends, I couldn't think of a more creative title for this post, it's late, and I'm tired, lol!
After a busy few days, tonight was going to be a painting night (after I got my hair done), but instead watched a video that was sent to me....and then of course, had to click on another video and another....I love youtube, but it's easy to spend lots of time there.  Oh, and while watching videos, I had a plate full of the crappy  shortbread cookies I baked yesterday. I make these simple ones for the holidays, but for some reason, they were not coming out right.  Every cookie I removed from the baking sheet  cracked, so I guess that leaves them all for me, haha! They taste ok, they just don't look so pretty.
And as I was writing this post, I got up and had another...oh boy! they need to be removed from my house immediately!

Artwise, I am still creating my little owl ACEOs (see above ). I love doing them, especially the Christmas ones. So many ideas, but running out of time!
I've been wanting to try some  larger paintings and my recent trip to Montreal has really got me inspired. I'm just afraid that if I wait too long to begin,I will put it aside for another year.
There are so many ideas in my head I don't know where to start! so I don't. That's a big problem for me..I look through my sketchbook, and can't seem to settle on one thing. And because I can't decide, I go back to what's comfortable, which are my owl ACEOs, and my whimsical girls...not that there's anything wrong with that, lol! but it feels good to try something that might intimidate you at first.  We shall see....I have an idea in mind for a Christmas present, and if I ever get started on it, you will be the first to see (as the recipient doesn't read my blog).

So I will end this  post with the video that got me started tonight. It's about 9 beagles that were released from a research lab, and this is their first time outside in the sun. Having had beagles in my family for so many years, I am very partial to these beautiful creatures.
thanks for reading!

ps- please double click on the video to see the larger screen, I have no idea why it is cut off at the sides!

“Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened.”

Anatole France

Two New Snow fairies

hi everyone. Did you all have a nice Thanksgiving (those of you in America)?Now the countdown to Christmas begins. Can you believe it's less than a month away?
This year I wanted to get some seasonal fairies done before the end of the year, and the one above is the first. She is on a wood panel, my favorite base, and this time I let lots of the wood show through. Maybe she will sprinkle some flurries my way, lol!
The original is listed in my Etsy shop (I'm also offering prints of her as well), and hopefully, will have some blank greeting cards as well. If I manage that, it will be the first time I've been this organized for the holidays!

For the second fairy, I think I went a bit crazy with the sparkle, but I think she will appeal to those who love fantasy, and sparkly things, lol!
Prints are offered in my Etsy shop, as well as the original.

Well, that's it for the night. I thought I'd give a quick update. Hopefully I can get some Christmas photos up next time. I was in some cute shops today, but  haven't checked  the camera yet to see if they turned out.
thanks for reading!

Time is a flyin!

hi friends, it's September already, and it sure came fast!! We had a very late start to our summer, basically it was crappy until July, then we got record heat. August was so-so. The past month we had overseas guests, my aunt and uncle were here, so we did the usual tourist things, and we probably visited most of the malls in our area, which my aunt loved, lol!

 Yesterday we took them to the airport, so hopefully now, I can start working on my art again. 

  Looking back at the last few pages of my blog I am a bit disappointed in myself. I don't feel like this blog has been well maintained. I feel like I let my readers down, and know some of the posts have been forced. It's true I wanted my blog to be about more than art,  but I can't believe some of the stuff I tortured you with! I had a post about the location of a bird's nest!! Good grief, what was I thinking, lol! 

I just haven't felt all that creative the last few months, and I hope my muse is coming back. I did a little illustration last night of a fox and an inukshuk. That's a good thing for me, as I tend to procrastinate...still, after all this time, and after all I know.  How many times can I write myself little motivational notes? At some point, you have to just do it! 

Especially now, when time seems to be speeding up. 

Art is my refuge, I take comfort in it, and it never fails me, but I fail it.  By not creating, by spending more time than I should in front of the TV.  The excuses come way too easy : I'm tired, I was at work all day, it's too late to start, and on and on. There is no shortage in excuses when it comes to not doing what needs to be done. Art isn't a chore, and once I start, it feels so good, that I wonder why on earth did it take so long to start? I guess this is just the ebb and flow of creativity, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Sometimes we need a break to refresh ourselves, I just wish that break wouldn't take so many months, lol!

That's it for today...but I'd first like to say thanks to those of you who replied in my last post, letting me know my blog opens up quickly for you. I won't need to remove anything then.

I also said I was going to blog about my perfume obsession, it's coming soon, as well as new art, and maybe some sketch book pages.

thanks for bearing with me during my ups and downs, I look forward to the new fall season, and getting back into the groove :-D

thanks for reading!

betty

Love Shy

hi friends, thanks to all of you who left comments on my last post letting me know that Blogger was acting up. I thought it was just me. I see the curser problem is still not fixed, you click enter and you never know where the curser will end up, lol!

Above is my latest small painting titled 'Love Shy'.  I thought her expression looked hopeful, and vulnerable at the same time....which I didn't plan, but you have to let the painting go where it wants.
She is now listed in my Etsy shop.

We had quite the exciting thunderstorm this morning. I was just making breakfast, when I looked outside and it was pitch black. A big storm rolled in, and luckily I made my first coffee, because we lost power for a bit.
Can you imagine not being able to make a nice big cup of coffee in the morning, lol!

If the sun ever comes out, I want to take some photos of this gorgeous lily my mom bought me.  After the storm ended I thought the sun would come out, but once again, all we saw is a totally white sky...those damn thick white clouds that block out the sun don't want to go away. Sounds like various parts of the US have the same crap weather.  At least the sun shone all of last week -- while I was at work- and surprise! clouds and rain, just in time for the weekend, lol!
Oh well, gave me a chance to get all my housework done :-)

hope you are all having a lovely weekend wherever you are,
thanks for reading!

new mermaid painting

It's been a while since I did  a mixed media paintings on wood, so here's my newest. I must have spent at least 10 hours on it, the background originally had seaweed, but I hated how that looked, so I kept playing around with it until I was happy with the result. I forgot how much fun it was to use my wood burner. It also gave me a chance to get out my glitter and gold stars, lol!

Since the weather is still crappy and overcast, I will take advantage and stay inside working on more art.

I have a question for my fellow bloggers: does this happen to you?  when I am writing a blog post, and I hit the enter key to move to a new paragraph, the curser jumps to the top of the page...what's up with that?? and I noticed last night, Blogger won't let me sign out. Is there some weird glitches happening?

hope you are all having a lovely weekend where ever you are, and thanks for reading!

First Journal book (almost) done, and a new friend

hi friends, Here is the cover of my first altered book which I filled with paintings of girls, and song lyrics  .I may add a bit more embellishment, because all I have right now is some baby pink pom poms on the bottom, lol! and I think she needs some more glitter.
I can't wait to start another one soon.  Using these recycled board books was a great way to practice my faces, with no worry about ruining a canvas. I was able to try different faces, and even paint a portrait without starting with a sketch first.
Now I also want to make my own journal. I've seen some artists with those really big juicy journals, with thick pages, and torn edges. I've been looking on Etsy hoping to find something similar, but had no luck.
However, I can make something similar, and the very talented Teesha Moore has a fabulous Youtube video, showing you how to make a 16 page journal. I love Teesha!

Last Saturday we finally saw the sun shine, yay! so me and my dad drove to a greenhouse to buy some flowers and vegetable plants for my garden. I wanted to go to this particular place since hearing they have animals, like chickens, goats, pigs, ponies,  and of course parrots. This cute little guy was hard to photograph, each time I would move back trying to get a good profile pic of him, he would follow me, lol! 
I used to want one of these birds since seeing one on the tv show Baretta,! does anyone else remember that one? I'm showing my age now, so I will stop :-)

thanks for reading! and have a blessed day

Today I got dirty....

Hi friends, now don't get any ideas.....I got dirty with paint. 
I know many of you love to paint using your hands, and don't mind getting messy, but not me,
In fact I can be a bit of a princess, and head to the sink to wash off the slightest paint on my fingers, lol! Well, this little painting got me messy, and there was nothing I could do about it. There was no plan, I simply sat down and put some colors down on a canvas and played. The green bits looked like flowers, so I went with it. Normally I tend to over control things, to know in advance what I will be doing, so this was very freeing!  I got sick of the excuses I kept making for not creating art larger than my ACEOs (not including my journal pages from the previous post).  I love painting whimsical girls, and my sketchbook has been filled with these little folk art ideas for several months. It's about time I let them out on the canvas to play :-)

I don't know about you, but lately I have made a conscious effort to appreciate every moment, to be grateful for each day I am given on this beautiful planet. We have so much to be grateful for, and we mostly go through life without noticing. I guess maybe we are waiting for the big moments to come, but life is made up of small moments, every single day. Life is in the yellow tulips from your garden you bring inside, it is in that first delicious cup of coffee in the morning, it is spending time with people you love.
There is so much going on in the world right now,  to help us keep our balance we need to make the effort to be present in every moment.
Something has changed for me last few months, and for the first time in my life, I am paying attention.. And it has made a world of difference.
Many blessings to you all and thanks for reading!

More art journal pages

hi friends. Well, I'd hoped to update my blog more frequently, but looks like I failed again, lol!
I guess we all go through phases where you feel like you have nothing interesting to say.  Since my last post, I continued working on journal pages. The above is more my 'style', and I attempted to paint a fox with the fairy girl. He didn't turn out too great, haha! but if you don't practice, you will never learn. So far I've been adding lyrics from songs I love with these pages, and I wasn't sure what to write with this one. I had some oldies music playing in the background and when this song by Marvin Gaye came in, I knew it was the perfect song to add. Funny how it's still appropriate today, in fact, even more so.

Now this girl gave me lots of trouble, I was trying for an innocent look but I think she looks more irritated than anything, haha!
I can't tell you how much fun I have had working in a recycled children's book.  There is no pressure to make anything look perfect, and it's a great way to experiment, and find your style. There are a couple more pages to go before I finish, then I need to paint something on the front and back, and maybe embellish it with ribbons, or lace. The entire book is simply girls, with lyrics to various songs on the other side.  I'm not happy with the 2 pages I showed  in my last post, and will go back and add more 'stuff' to them, just to fill up the pages. Do you know that there are dozens of art journaling videos on Youtube?? You could spend hours getting ideas, and being inspired! If only there were more hours in a day to fit in everything. I could never be bored :-)
thanks for reading, stay inspired ♥

Some journaling portraits

hi everyone.  I finally started doing some of the workshops I had signed up for. I am forever behind , it's worse when they are ongoing. It gives me an excuse to postpone working on them. Last week, I decided it was time to get to to Jodi Ohl's workshop called 'lets face it'. The above is my first page using her instruction.
I was watching American Idol, and Casey sang Nature Boy, which was going through  my head as I painted the girl, so I thought I'd write some of the lyrics down, changing it to 'girl' of course. The rest of the page is blank, as I am stumped as to what else to add, lol!

This next one is another fun portrait I did. For this one, I didn't do a sketch first, but started painting the face free lance. This looks nothing like my usual whimsy faces but I am very happy with it.
I am trying to get more creative with journaling, as it's been something I love when others do, but I have such a hard time with it. Practice makes perfect I suppose. I love the quote used. It's a reminder for me to work on what I love and stop wasting so much time!
Once I finish this post I will be working on my next face. Who knew this would be so much fun?
Maybe my renewed motivation is due to spring coming? Or the fact that it feels like time is speeding up, who knows?  With everything going on in the world, art is a refuge for me, and I know for many of you as well. It's what makes us happy. It's also a way to leave a bit of ourselves in our art.  When I paint, everything is beautiful, and time stands still. I could do this for hours, taking only short breaks to make some delicious coffee.
After the long slump I  had this is a refreshing change. Hopefully my muse will stick around longer this time, lol!

______

PS -Regarding my last post,  Thanks to everyone who mentioned stretching my watercolor paper. Of course!! How did I not know that? That's exactly what I needed to hear, so thanks to those of you kind folks who  took the time to remind me of something that should have been so obvious. The art community is filled with the best people on the planet, and I adore you all :-)

Just one of those days...

hi friends. Do you ever have one of those days when you plan to paint all day, but by the end of the day, you've accomplished so little? that was today for me.
I woke up looking forward to a day of painting. My goal was to create at least 5 or 6 ACEOs, and work on a portrait workshop I am behind on. Well, everything I painted came out just awful! I spent hours on a flower fairy, changing it, trying to make it better, and in the end scrapped the whole thing. My owls, which I paint regularly, were also giving me a hard time.  The above painting is the second version, the first was a disaster, so I started that again as well. I couldn't do anything right!

I'm going to blame the paper.  I know most people when using watercolor, use 140lb paper. How do you all do it?? I find it warps so easily. Am I adding too much water? Also, I find the colors are dull.
I ended up starting over again on 200lb paper, which I normally use. So what am I missing, is there some secret? The 140lb paper isn't cheap, it's Arches brand. Any of you watercolorists out there, do you have any tips for the rest of us?
In the end, I worked most of the day and have 2 lousy ACEOs to show for it...I swear time sped up! Before I knew it, the day was over.

On a happier note, on Friday I went to my nearest art shop, and picked up some Copic markers. Folks, if you haven't used them before, they are a joy! I will be going back for more. They're perfect for little details, and the colors are gorgeous! Unfortunately they are a bit pricey, so I can only pick up a few at a time.

Well, that's it for today, hope you are all enjoying the spring weather (or the fall for my friends in the South hemisphere).


I

And just like that the snow is back...

It's been sunny and mild (for this time of year) the last couple of days, so naturally you would think we were on our way to spring right? Forget it! As I was at my desk painting, suddenly it started snowing, and blowing around.  Well after a few hours, we now have a winter wonderland out there, the trees are covered with snow, and it is beautiful! Thank goodness I didn't remove my snow tires yet, you just never know what crazy weather you will get from one day to the next.
It didn't stop me from creating some new spring time art though, like the ACEO above.

This weekend was one where I mostly sat and watched movies. Yesterday I finally watched 2012, which I enjoyed. I'm probably in the minority but I've always loved disaster movies like War of the Worlds, the Day after Tomorrow, Independence Day.  Besides, I've had a crush on John Cusack for a couple of decades, lol, so that made the movie more enjoyable. He still looks great after all these years.

Next movie on the menu was The book of Eli. Fantastic movie, but it did have a bit of violence in it. Loved the premise, and would not have been able to predict the ending.

Today I watched Brothers, and boy it sure had some intense scenes in it! Another great movie which I would recommend.

The only dud of the bunch was an old one called Baker's Hawk. Sorry if anyone likes this, but I could only get through 15 minutes before I was bored, and moved on.

I'm still in that phase where I can't get too motivated to create, even though I did manage a couple of cards. Hopefully as the weather improves, I can feel like spending more time painting. For now I will just go with the flow.

New Easter Owl artwork and a Film recommendation

What? you haven't heard of Easter owls yet??  Well my friends, they exist in my silly little head, and I like nothing better than bringing them to life - unfortunately I've been slow in creating Easter themed art this year.
Do you ever go through phases where you just want to be lazy, and sit in front of the tv? I have some favorite shows I watch, like American Idol, and Project Runway (yes folks, the one  you in the USA saw last year, is finally airing in Canada!).  But mostly I've taken the time to borrow lots of DVD's  from my public library.

**This is an update, I have removed the documentary recommendation that I had here yesterday, after reading a news report of some barbarian behavior from the country in question. Violence is never the answer,
and because of this report, it has made the entire country look bad. I can not leave my review of this film  up on my blog
Any country that resorts to this kind of behavior will be judged accordingly, and cannot expect the world to treat them with respect, or understanding. 


If you are only now reading this post  obviously you won't know what film I talked about.  Sorry to be so cryptic!
For those who read my blog yesterday and know of what film I wrote about, I'm sure you will understand why it would be offensive to leave it up.

I will definitely be talking about interesting films in the future though.  Thanks for reading!

It's the Celebrate OZ blog party!!

Hello everyone, I mentioned in my last post that I would take part in the Celebrate Oz blog party, hosted by Linda. There are many other blogs participating, so if you click the banner on the side of my blog it will take you there. Some are even having giveaways, woohoo! So grab a coffee and muffin, and join us in our celebration of all things OZ.

The above painting is my whimsical take on Dorothy, when she runs away with Toto in her basket. Originally I had a tornado in the background, but decided to paint over it.
I will be giving away a print of this painting to one winner, whose name I will draw on Monday March 21st, so if you are interested, just leave a comment on this post.

The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite classic movies. I watched it again last week, and it is still charming and sweet, a feel good movie - for me at least. 
Needless to say I have been humming  'We're off to see the Wizard'  all week, and almost started skipping along, haha!
As a child I used to be afraid of the flying monkeys, now I think they are adorable, lol!

Thank you for stopping by, don't forgot to visit all the participating blogs

New ACEO series

hi everyone. I started a new series of ACEOs (for those who don't know what they are, they are miniature artworks, the size of a baseball card).
I love painting whimsical girls, and I love adding text, so why not do it with my ACEOs?  I have two finished so far, and will see how many I end up doing. I was hoping to do a large painting this weekend, but time got away from me again, lol!
Is anyone watching American Idol this season? What an impressive group of talent they've got! Thank goodness it's not on for several hours a week,  because all I seemed to do lately is watch tv!

A couple of days ago I went to an art show in Toronto, it had quite a few artists, maybe 200? It was great to see the types of art out there, and I tell you, people are so talented! Some of the artwork really inspired me.
I wanted to come home,and paint a big abstract...except I haven't a clue how to do so, lol! it's not a matter of just throwing things on a canvas, it takes a great amount of skill to make an abstract really work. Abstract art used to be something that I just didn't understand, but I found as the years went by that I can appreciate it for what it is. I guess that's it for now, thanks for reading!

Deep Freeze

It's been so cold the last few days! This morning when I left for work, the temperature was -24 C (-11F). By the time I got to my building my fingers were so frozen it was difficult getting my keys out. lol! Seems a lot of you bloggers are in the midst of the same weather pattern from what I've read :-)

 This past week I've been in a rut. With Valentine's Day coming I was hoping to make more ACEOs of my whimsical owls to sell, but everything I touched  turned to crap! What do you do when you just can't get it right? I've done hundreds of owl ACEOs, but nothing was working last week. At least 6 or 7 were thrown out, after spending so much time to get them right. That's not including the many drawings that just weren't working.  It's frustrating, I feel like a beginner, lol!

So I got out my sketchbook and worked on my faces.  I've neglected my girls, and it's time to bring them to life again. The above was drawn on good quality paper, she is not done yet, but once I finish,, she may find her way into my Etsy shop.

 I finally got out my Pan Pastels to try on the background. They are fabulous! They are a nice creamy pastel, which you add with an applicator that looks like a makeup sponge, and I can't believe they'd been sitting on my shelf for months before I finally opened one up. You can't see it well in the picture above, but they truly give such wonderful, soft color. Remember, this is the year to pull out all your good supplies, and stop saving them for when you are a 'better' artist.

I have a question for anyone who draws on paper with pencil, do you spray your finished work? I know pencil smudges, but spraying it makes me nervous. I've gotten spotted results before...there must be a better way.

thanks for reading, and stay warm :-D