Photo of the Day and A Sketch Using Photoshop

It is another beautiful day here in southern Michigan and I hope to make the most of it.  I am thinking art, art, art. But maybe I should be thinking bathrooms, dusting, vacuuming.

*Ring, ring*

We interrupt this posting for a phone call - It seems I will be spending the day with the almost 3 year old and the 2nd grader will be getting off the bus here. That means I won't be getting all the art done that I wanted to do, but that I will be doing other wonderful and creative things.

At any rate, here is today's photo:

 I have this same plant in my yard, but haven't seen any monarchs. There must have been about two dozen of these beauties flying around my sister's garden.

I didn't go to my watercolor class last evening. I am going to join the Wednesday afternoon class instead. I found an old photo of a blue heron in the creek in the backyard and hope to sketch him and take this to the class to begin painting. Here is the photo:

I am going to have to make the background on the left more interesting!

Here is what I will use as my guide when I sketch him:

I got this version by using Photoshop and the filters Stylize > Find Edges; New Adjustment Layer > Levels to darken the lines a bit; and finally New Adjustment Layer > Invert to get the darks and lights right. I'm not sure why there is a dark blotch below him in the water just in front of his front leg, but that is supposed to be one of the brightest spots. I'll have to remember that when I am sketching and then painting him.

I will share hope to share the sketch with you tomorrow.

For now, I'd better get on the treadmill before my little sweetie gets here. I've really missed my morning visits on this lovely machine and can't wait to get back into the routine.

I hope I will see you tomorrow.

xoxo