My First Digital Angel

I have been painting lots of girls lately.  Last night I created this angel girl on my iPad using the Paper53 app.  If you are into digital art then you must try this app!  you can pencil sketch, use pen, and watercolors to draw as well as paint.  I am still getting the hang of things but its fun trying something new.  

I started out with the pencil and sketched her out.  The I added colors with the watercolor brush.  The stars were done with the pen and of course there had to be scribbles.  I always love to draw eyes and this was fun to dress them up with some makeup.  lol

I think she will find her way to a canvas eventually but for now I am enjoying this digital creation . . . my first digital angel :)

Sharing her over at Sunday Sketches hosted by the lovely Alexandra from Blue Chair Diary!

Today Lou and I went to the movies and saw "Grown Ups 2".  It was great!!  So, so funny!!  If you are an Adam Sandler fan go see it!  I guarantee you will laugh!  

xo

My Girls Are Back

I startled myself when I reached for my sketchbook today.  It has been a long time.  Yes I have been doing some digital sketching, and mostly painting lately but old school pencil to paper sketching has not happened.  

I prepped a 16x20 canvas with molding paste today which prompted me to quickly sketch out this girl.  I plan to try and paint her on that canvas very loosely and with bright colors.  We will see how that goes!  Painting portraits even whimsical ones stress me out.  Silly I know.  lol

The words "she lives for love"  came to me as I finished this sketch.  And then the little heart on her face just seemed to fit.  I am loving her hair! It was my favorite part to draw in.  

I am sharing this lovely over at Sunday Sketches.  Be sure and stop by to see some great work!

I have a couple of new paintings to share. Been on a black and white kick lately.  I will share them this week!  xo

Sunday Sketches . . . Its Digital

With such an awful week in the world and so much negativity around these hearts make me feel better. Hearts and love often find there way into my work.  Somehow they bring happiness just seeing the images and words.  

I created this sketch in my iPhone using the ASketch app.  It was fun to create that way.  I still have not gotten an iPad but if I keep this up I will need too for my neck and hands.  lol  Working so small can wreak havoc on the bod!  

Sharing today over at Sunday Sketches

Wishing you a Sunday filled with love  

xo

Scratching A Portrait . . .

I tried another sgraffito portrait.  This time I painted a layer of yellow acrylic and added black oil pastel over top.  Oddly enough I had a hard time with this one.  It kept ending up looking like the negative of a photo.  I was thinking too much.  And then all of a sudden it clicked and I was able to wipe away the lights to bring her face alive.  

Creepy as she is there is something about her I like.  There is some kind of mystery to her.  I added some scribbles and stamps to this one.  I really like the scratching and wiping away.  Its good to get some angst out!  Maybe that is what shows in her face . . . my angst!  

Sharing her today for Sunday Sketches.

xo

Faces And Sgraffito

We are successfully dug out of the snowstorm here in NY.  It was a doosey!  And it could have been worse.  I am grateful that we are all safe.  I am hoping all of my artist friends here in the northeast faired as well with all the snow!

I have been getting back to some face sketching as I am in the midst of a love affair with abstract painting.  Misty Mawn has a new online course going on right now called "Face To Face".  If you have never taken a class with Misty I recommend it!  You will not be disappointed!  I took her class last year and it was great as is this one!  She packs so much in the class it is hard to keep up!  

I created this girl using a sgraffito technique.   Scratching is something I am loving these days, making marks in paint and now marks in oil pastel.  I had a pack of portfolio pastels that I had not yet used so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to break them out.  This was done on white pastel over black acrylic.  I am trying to continue to let go of wanting to be perfect.  So I do like this girl's face imperfections and all.  

Sharing with Sunday Sketches .

Sketching Faces . . . Its Been Awhile

I don't quite know why or how I got so far away from sketching . . . anything . . .

The other day I was watching reading through Misty Mawn's book Unfurling (amazing book, a must read!! )and felt inspired to sketch a face.  It was so long since I had sketched that I feared I couldn't do it.  I used charcoal and white pastel which is new for me.  Typically my sketches were only graphite.  I used the eraser to pull out the light areas.  I found this way a bit trickier, adding the light with the pastel.  Despite the fact it blended like a dream with the charcoal I found myself annoyed with the dust.  And then there were too many layers to erase.  Don't worry, there is a happy ending to this rant!  

The moment I began writing the word love all over her I finally fell in love with the sketch . . . 

Sharing with Sunday Sketches

Missing My Girls And Hearts . . .

I only have a few more days left on these antibiotics and I will be very glad to be done.  I am not tolerating this one well.  My poor digestive system is in a tailspin.  I have even lost my appetite which is so unlike me!  Not much sleep last night so I am a bit cranky today.  I did however grab a pencil and notebook to try and sketch.  I miss these girls.  My favorite part of this one is her hair with the hearts weaved through it.  

Hope you are enjoying your weekend.  I apologize for not responding to all the wonderful comments lately.  I read each one and appreciate them oh so much.  I am just not myself as I have said before.  I haven't wanted to blog but I force myself to because it feels better when I do it. 

Sharing at Sunday Sketches.

xo

Scribbles and Bandages . . .

As I write this post I am hoping that all of you are having a better weekend than I am.  Most of you know already about my arm cyst debacle and that I had surgery 4 weeks ago.  I had my stitches removed 2 weeks ago and yesterday I ended up at the doctors office for an emergency visit. I am so thankful that she was home for the holiday weekend.  Long story short my incision became abscessed.   So she needed to clean it out (OUCH!!)  pack it and bandage it.  Today I was able to remove the bandage and packing.  I am so exhausted tonite from complete anxiety.  I was shaking as I was removing it and was freaked out at the open hole in my arm.  I have begun 10 days of a super duper antibiotic different than the one I took 3 months ago when this BS first began.  I go back to see her Tuesday find out where we are at.  

So, now that I got that out of the way, I wanted to share this scribbled page I did for Alisa Burke's abstract class.  I found a face in this one as you can see and went back in with my markers to bring it out.  Looks pretty weird and I hesitated sharing it.  Maybe I am not crazy about this one because it feels like my state of mind lately!  lol

xo

The Girl With Scribbled Hair . . . Sunday Sketches

I grabbed a simple lined notebook the other day and wanted to try a quirky face. I am a fan of Mindy Lacefield at Tims Sally and that is what inspired this girl.  Mindy is offering an online class called "Paint Your Story".  I have been thinking about taking it. 

The only words that came to me as I finished her were "she knows".  I shared this pic with a friend and she asked me "what does she know?" I didn't have an answer.  I guess she is keeping it to herself for now!  And since I am in full on scribble mode these days I added them to her hair.  lol  

Something about being simple that is fun.  

Sharing today at Sunday Sketches

xo

Can I Just Scribble My Way Out of It ??

I started yet another new class. Big surprise I know! Anyway, I am a big fan of Alisa Burke so when she recently announced her new class was about abstract art I couldn't resist. I did this piece in my 5x7 sketchbook using a black pen and sharpie marker.

I have to say I really enjoyed scribbling and scratching on the paper. It feels good. I was not trying to be perfect or trying to create much of anything. I was curious to how it would turn out. I feel like scribbles represent the state of my mind lately.

If you have been following my blog than you know I have not been feeling up to snuff and just not been myself. Today I started to realize that the loss of my dog back in September has affected me so much more than I care to admit. Actually I am afraid to admit how much because I don't think I can handle it. I feel lost, sad, frustrated, and seem to cry at the drop of a hat. Yesterday I was out in the backyard and looked out to the place where Bosco and I would play and I broke down. Never even saw it coming. Hit me like a ton of bricks. It was like I could see him running around . . . I am crying now just typing this.

I have not been creating much lately. I feel like I have lost my muse. I am glad I was able to take pen to paper today and get some angst out. Sometimes I wish it were that simple . . . I wish I could just scribble my way back to happy . . .

Sharing today over at Sunday Sketches.

Sunday Sketching . . .

Here I am still on the mend from this stomach bug that hit me last week as well as my stupid arm cyst trouble that I will spare you the details of. I have not been creating much but it felt good to sketch this morning.

I never know what these girls are going to share with me but this one had some lovely sentiments that seemed to fly right into my head! lol

"On my mind, never far from my heart . . ."

Since her eyes were closed I figured she must be thinking of someone. She never told me who it was though . . .

Linking up with Sunday Sketches today.

xo

She Was Ready . . .

"She was ready to share her love . . ."

5x7 graphite sketch

Another week has zoomed on by. Hope yours was a good one. We are enjoying lovely weather here in southern NY but I am distracted. And sketching sometimes helps.

I have a dermatologist appointment in the morning. I thought I got all of my doctor stuff out of the way over the past 2 months with my oncologist checkup, breast surgeon, and annual mammo which all turned out fine thankfully. However about a week ago a benign cyst I have had on my upper arm for 15 years decided it was time to get angry and cause a ruckus. It is painful, and inflamed. It grew back after having been removed all those years ago. And I am a nervous wreck over it. Mostly because I do not want to have surgery to remove it. UGH!!

So I tried to distract myself with this whimsical sketch that I have had running around in my head for a few days now. I love hearts and I could see this little girl hanging them on a clothesline. I was going to add color but I think I will get her on a canvas with some collage and paint.

I am sharing this girl over at Sunday Sketches. Wishing you a delightful day! I on the other hand will do my best to not continue to stress out over tomorrow! (fat chance! lol)

xo

Its All About The Hair

Today I am not feeling like myself. I am a bit bummed out, a bit sad and anxious. Its just one of those days I guess. I don't even want to create. And yet I know that would help. Instead I went out for a walk alone with my ipod. It worked for awhile but then the yucky stuff came back on in.

Anyway, I was happy to share this latest sketch with all of you. I did this one the other day in a 9x12 sketchbook which I have decided is rather large! However it did give me ample space to fill in her crazy hair. It was fun taking the graphite pencil and just scribbling. I even had it on my tabletop easel as I worked on the hair. I loved creating the smudginess around her eyes.

I am sharing her over at Sunday Sketches. Hope you are all having a joy filled day.

xo

Sunday Sketches

This girl looks a bit more relaxed and happier than the girl in my last post. Its funny how each face I sketch is completely different than the last. I couldn't replicate one if I tried. Its as if they have their own soul that I bring to life. So far though my girls have been quiet! No words or names are being told to me. lol

I would really like to try and sketch a little everyday. Whenever I say that though I somehow distract myself with something else! But in the past 2 days I have already seen improvements in my sketching. The noses don't scare me as much anymore! I think I like this girl just in graphite rather than watercolor.

I am sharing her today over at Sunday Sketches.

Hope you are all enjoying the last moments of your weekend!

xo

Back To Still Life . . .

I am still enjoying cardboard as a substrate. This piece I ripped off one of my watercolor paper pads and collaged lots of paper onto it. Then I gessoed it and began sketching. I used a marks all pencil and some graphite and attempted a vase with flowers as you can see. What I struggled with though was getting the flowers to not look like boobs! lol After much frustration I think I succeeded. It is still amazing to me that once you draw that line behind your object it immediately gives it a surface to rest on and establishes depth.

I used some watercolor crayons along with the marks all pencil on this piece. I love to draw and am discovering how much I like to combine it with painting. Of course for me this piece was just not complete without the dripping. And I think I may have gone a bit overboard with drips but I like it.

I am sharing this over at Sunday Sketches. Hope you are all enjoying the weekend!

And thanks so much to all of you who commented on my last post!! I was overwhelmed with all of your lovely words!

xo

A New Sketch And A Blog Update

"flying on wings of butterflies"

5x8 sketch done in graphite and pen

I forgot that I sketched out this girl! I had so much fun with her hair. She is similar to my girl with the hearts I shared a couple of weeks ago. I am planning on getting her to a canvas soon. I am enjoying using black pen over the graphite to make the sketch pop a bit. Those words popped into my head as I finished her up. So weird how that happens but I always welcome it!

Not sure yet of the color palette for this painting. I always get stuck at that point in the creative process which is probably why she isn't painted yet! Any suggestions? I had thought about a light blue background and her dress either yellow or white. Hmmm . . .

I wanted to take a moment and discuss blog comments. I always enjoy each and every comment I receive on my posts. And I want to reply to all of them however some of you have a "no reply" as your address so I cannot send a response. I have felt bad about that. But thanks to my friend Silke over at Metamorphosis I have now embedded my comments into my post which enables me to reply to each comment individually! So now you will find my response right below your comment. Very cool thing! :)

I am sharing this sketch over at Sunday Sketches. I hear it is the 2 year anniversary for this lovely sharing party hosted by Sophia! Happy Anniversary!!

Sunday Sketches

Thanks to all of you who commented on my last post. I so appreciate the encouragement especially when I try something new. Today I have a new girl to share. I sketched her out late Friday night. I am always my most creative at night. Not good for sleep but good for art!

I used graphite and then added a black pen to outline and make her eyes pop. (you all know how I just love eyes!) I was not too happy with her hair but it was late and I just didn't want a do over.

I am sharing her over at Sunday Sketches this week.

Hope you are enjoying a lovely weekend! Been painting today, a new portrait I am excited to share soon! Amazingly I don't hate it! lol

Lou and I went to the movies earlier today to see "The Vow". OMG sooo good!! Seen any good movies lately??

A Drippy Landscape

abstract landscape on 5x8 journal page

After having spent the past 4 hours decluttering my art space I am exhausted. Physically and emotionally. I have a huge desk with drawer space that has not been used other than to house personal clutter in the form of papers, old photos, and surprisingly my wedding ring from my late husband circa 1992, among many other things. Thankfully I was able to hold back the tears.

I fear for what all those hours of standing and poor bending techniques will do to my already tentative back. I was in such a zone that I didn't even realize how much time had gone by. Thankfully I had help from Lou who is super organized and sadly I am so not! Anyway, I am finally sitting, relaxing with a new clean space to work and am happy to finally writing this post.

I quickly sketched out this landscape scene the other day with charcoal pencil and just this morning added some black caran d'ache crayon with some water. I also added some pitt pen marks to doodle a bit. I may have gone drip crazy though. This is the first landscape I have sketched. I wanted to try one for awhile. I approached this one abstractly, hence the messiness.

I am sharing this over at Sunday Sketches today.

Hope you are having a lovely clutter free weekend!

xo

Hold On To Love . . . Back to Some Whimsy :)

Aside from my digital collage addiction ( click HERE) I enjoy sketching my whimsical girls. I think I will always love to draw. No matter where my art journey takes me I know that graphite pencil and paper will never be far from my hands. And as long as I can incorporate hearts, well, that feeds my soul.

I am thinking of putting this girl on canvas with collage, acrylics and stamping. Its has been awhile since I have done a piece like that. She may have inspired me to get back to some paint. I also thought about using watercolors but collage and texture is calling me.

I am sharing this girl over at Sunday Sketches today.

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend!

xo

Sketching and Sneezing

untitled

graphite on drawing paper

Despite the fact that I have been sneezing and stuffy for the past few days I picked up my graphite pencils and created this new girl. She looks rather calm so I am guessing she obviously does not sense my frustration with my sinuses and nose! But no words came to mind maybe because I feel foggy. Allergies be damned! I never had them in my life and now the past couple of years I seem to get them every once in awhile.

I am sharing her today over at Blue Chair Diary for Sunday Sketches hosted by the lovely Sophia.

Click HERE!

Short and sweet today (she says reaching for a tissue)