30 in 30 Day 29

So here I am in a motel in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where it is cold and grey. We're watching the weather south of here where we are headed tomorrow. Lots of wind and tornado watches and warnings. I sure hope you who live in those areas are staying safe.

Here is just a little art I was able to do on my iPad while I am on the road. Here is the link where you can see it. Apparently I can't upload the pic directly.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200487075243778&l=78fb6ffa8c

I'll see if I can't get this to work better tomorrow.

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 28

I had the most unusual breakfast this morning. We had a serving of tomatoes and onions that we'd poached some salmon in for dinner the other night, so I heated it up to a simmer and dropped two eggs in, covered and let them poach. It was delicious - it would have been even more so if we had some bread to toast. I ate Wasa wafers with it instead.


I have attempted another loose bird - but I couldn't stand it at the end, so I added a bit of black ink to define a couple of things. If only I could learn to walk away and just see what happens.

I will be spending most of the day packing - laundry is going, I've tried on a bundle of clothes and decided which ones to take, I've done one stretch homework, and the treadmill is calling me. I do have to find some time to go back to the salon and get my pedicurist to fix this mess. She told me it was dry enough to put on socks and boots, but they are a big mess.

I am taking some art supplies with me when I leave tomorrow morning and am hoping to finish out this challenge strongly.

What about you? What are you up to these days? I'm seeing tons of wonderful art online these days. Even if you are not playing along with the challenge, you might want to go visit Leslie's site to check out the art of all the players...

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 27

For my painting today I chose to paint my special bear again. I tried to mimic the furriness with a black fine point Sharpie marker before applying watercolor.

I have a zillion errands to run today including getting the oil changed, doing some last minute shopping, and therapy. I will also be stopping by my daughter's house to help her get her computer to recognize her iPod.

I need to get on the treadmill before I begin my running around and hope to get an hour in. I've actually lost 5 pounds since my fall - not be accident - I've been working hard and watching what I ingest. I hope to continue this trend until I reach my goal weight - just 7 pounds to go.

It is rainy this morning after a mix of rain and ice overnight. All the schools in the area are closed. I am hoping to see my girls today after my errands so I can get some more hugs and kisses before we go away. I am packing a bag of art supplies and am planning to draw/paint something each day while I am gone.

Do you have plans to make something today? Do you sew? knit? crochet? do paper crafting? paint? draw? Do share.....

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 26

For today's painting I made some pears using the airbrush feature in the iPad app My Brushes. I've been spending so much time in front of the tv watching the Australian Open that digital seemed the way to go. I have no excuses now until Roland Garros (the French Open) in late May, so I think I'd better spend some time in the art room and I'd better pack some art supplies for my getaway to Pensacola Beach.

I've made my lists for the packing portion of the trip, but have not actively started yet. Perhaps this afternoon I will spend some time getting bags out and supplies in hand. I don't look forward to the clothing part as it means that I have to gather them, try them on, and launder them. I guess I'd better start that process this afternoon.

I walked uphill an hour on the treadmill already this morning and have heated the arm and done my therapy exercises. It is almost time to do another round of stretches. I am seeing an improvement in the range of motion, but the pain is still extremely uncomfortable and sometimes almost unbearable. My hardest time is upon awakening - my hand, wrist and upper arm are stiff and achy to the point where I almost don't want to get up. But once I heat the arm and get moving, I am able to relieve it somewhat. I am trying really hard not to take pain meds as I think they are so bad for other parts of your body.

I am going to load some meditation tapes onto my iPod, both open ended and guided, and hope to find some relief getting lost in those when the pain needs to be overcome. I am hopeful that a month of warmer temperatures, walks on the beach and good company will help my recovery.

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 25

Miss Z just went home and so I hotfooted it back to the art room, got out a fake pear that I keep around for still life setups, and painted the following.

It looks like this 5 x 5 piece was cut from the edge with the Arches info embossed. I think this one might be my favorite so far. You can see I didn't dare to add a shadow - maybe at a later time.

I thought I would also share another photo of the cardinals who frequent the tulip tree in the backyard waiting for their turn at the bird feeder. I can't believe how many of them we have around here daily. On one day I counted 13 pairs.

I do love these birds - they are especially nice to see in the winter when so much of the color is washed out of the landscape.

I cannot believe there are only 5 days left in this month and I have actually had a painting/drawing each day so far. I hope to make it to the final day and then continue to produce something at least on the week days.

What about you? Are you participating in some kind of challenge? What are you willing to share?

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 24

I'm afraid the day has gotten away from me. I was planning to either paint a red breasted woodpecker or another pear, but I left it too late. It is time for me to get started on the home made pizza I am making for dinner and Miss Z is due anytime now to spend the night.


I'm afraid my offering for today is an imaginary bird in a tree. He is based on several birds I've seen today flitting into and out of my view as I was unable to capture just one of them. His coloring is of my choosing, too.

I hope to have a more weighty, thoughtful offering tomorrow.

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 23 and Library Sketches

My friend, Nancy, came over and got me this morning. We went into Jackson to the library and sat in the reading room sketching. It was quite a nice place to do this as the people mostly sat still.

She also took me out for an early birthday lunch. My birthday is actually next week, but we are leaving for Pensacola Beach on that day.

When I got home I had to go to therapy and then stopped at the grocery to pick up a few odds and ends. I am making spicy chorizo navy bean soup for dinner this evening and pizza (without real cheese) for tomorrow.

I did a quick close-up study of three pears from a photo that I found on Paint My Photo. I rather like the pears, but as usual my shadows leave a lot to be desired.

I guess I'll just have to try again tomorrow.

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 22

It is really cold here this morning; even with bright sunshine it is 5º F with a wind chill of -7º F. I am getting a slow start, but have tried my hand at more fruit. This one is a bit more ambitious and not as nice as yesterday's offering, but I am playing and hopefully learning more and more as I explore.

I took some photos of the cardinals at the bird feeder. First I focused on Jack Frost on the bathroom window.

And then I focused on a patient female waiting her turn at the feeder. I must say she looks a bit better groomed than the male who is on the feeder.

The hubster just got off the treadmill and it is calling my name. I didn't use it yesterday and there is really no excuse to miss two days in a row. I did walk about 8 minutes at therapy yesterday swinging 4# weights, but that hardly counts.

I stayed up too late last evening watching the Serena Williams/Sloane Stephens match. Sloane made it into the semifinals and will play Victoria Azarenko later today. Wouldn't it be grand to see this young talent take it all??!! For now tennis will have to wait; the next hour will be spent walking uphill on the treadmill. I will make time for some art later today.

I will leave you with a wonky sketch using Art Set on the iPad. It started out as a blind contour (which as you can see ran off the page) and then I just tried to make it actually look like my shoe.

Bye for now; do try to find time for your creativity today and then share it.

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 21 and A Self Portrait

I cannot believe that I have kept up with this challenge so far. I hope to make it to the end of the month. Today's offering is another attempt at pears. I like this better than any of the previous ones thus far. The shadow is still not so hot, but I am getting better (thanks for the hint, Nancy).

I managed to get an hour in on the treadmill again yesterday, but I put it off until late afternoon. When I walk at that time I need to remember to turn on a light as it is getting dark by the end of the hour. In the hours between breakfast and the treadmill I watched some tennis and did a bit of art. Here is a self portrait that I attempted. The lips aren't right and I think the glasses are too small compared to the head, but there is something of me in it.

Another busy day planned today. I watched a bit of tennis this morning (the hubster taped it from the wee hours) and I have therapy later. I hope to find some time for a bit of art later so I can stay on track for the 30 in 30 challenge.

I hope you are having a great day and that you are finding time for your creativity.

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 20

I tried my hand at a line up of different pears with watercolor and was less than pleased with the result, so I took a photo and then went at them with some soft pastels - way too smeary! I ruined it altogether. So I am going to have to use what was intended to be an under painting as my finished product. Overall I don't think they are so bad, but the shadows are awful.

Awoke to my most painful day yet - actually brought tears to my eyes. I spent the first half hour drinking my coffee with a heat source on my upper arm and followed up with my stretching exercises. It is a bit better - now the trick is to stay busy and get the positive attitude in place to override the pain. I will try to get in about 6 sessions of stretching today.

I am intending to do the treadmill again today - yesterday I did mostly uphill and according to the readout on the machine, I burned over 500 calories. Yowza!

I am planning to make some chorizo bean soup today and spend time in the art room. I don't have to be anywhere and I am glad as it is snowing and the roads are snow covered.  The hubster is working the mall today, so dinner will be around 7. I think I will try to do a bit of sketching as well as some watercolor while he is away.

What about you? Do you have plans for the day? Do those plans include time to make some art? Do share.....

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 19

Today's offering is a combination of watercolor and digital. The background on the ballerina in watercolor was a disaster, so I removed her digitally from the photo I took of the watercolor and put her on a digital background instead.

Tomorrow I will try some pears again. I really need the practice.

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 18 and More iPad apps

I recently downloaded a couple more art apps for the iPad and have had a blast playing with them. Here is a quick sketch of a pear using the airbrush in the My Brushes app.

And here is a couple of pears in the same setup as yesterday's, except this time I used the Paper 53 app. I wish it looked a bit more like watercolor, but the glassy look is a bit cool.

I have Miss P and three friends staying overnight tonight to celebrate her birthday. I am still asking myself, "What was I thinking?" We are going to have them sleep in the guest room where we hope to have the small flatscreen tv hooked up and the daughter is bringing a DVD player. Miss M and her Mom are also staying overnight. I have already begun the cleaning that needs to be done, but I have more to do.

I hope to get some time to make some art, but with all these girls in the house, my art room is going to be off limits to them. I know how much I can trust my grandgirls with but have no idea what kind of behavior to expect from the other girls and would rather err on the strict side than to have regrets later.

The sun is shining and I am trying to keep a positive attitude in the face of my diagnosis of RSD that the doctor delivered yesterday. I am planning to be one of those for whom the condition goes into remission and I am doing my stretches religiously hoping to get some relief from the constant pain. It may be time to get out my meditation tapes.

What kind of day do you have planned? Does it include some time out of doors? Are you making time to do some art? Do share....

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 17

I downloaded a few apps while waiting for my therapy appointment yesterday. One of them was called Art Set and boy is it fun. It has a thin and thick marker,  a pencil, oil pastel, wax crayon, colored pencil, and oil paint. It also has an eraser, but it only works as it would in real life - in other words you cannot erase anything except the pencil; and it only has so many undos, so I wasn't able to remove the purple colored pencil that I began to use as a background. This was made using the oil paint and I definitely need more experience with it.

I tried another couple of pears with watercolor this morning and they are a bit better than yesterday's attempt, but I still have loads of room for improvement. I think I may have to do pears until I really get them in a way that I am really pleased with.

I need to do a bit of house cleaning today as Miss P is having a sleepover tomorrow in celebration of her 10th birthday. Her Mom assures me that she is taking care of everything as far as food, snacks, entertainment and cake. I must admit I am a bit nervous about it, but I am going to stay positive and let my daughter handle it. Miss M will be staying overnight, as will be her Mom, so I guess I have no worries.

Meanwhile I will try to attempt another pear painting to share tomorrow.

xoxo

30 in 30, Day 16

Busy, busy day! Stayed up too late watching the oldest woman in the Australian Open beat a youngster and then watched the youngest woman in the tournament giving a good battle against Caroline Wozniacki, which meant I didn't arise until almost 9 am. Miss Z got up just a couple of minutes after I did, so no art time in the morning.


The hubster and I took Miss Z to the grocery store with us in the late morning and then she actually took a nap after lunch. However, by that time I had to go to therapy. By the time I got home I needed to get on the treadmill if I was going to get to it today. I walked at high inclines for 30 minutes and then at moderate inclines for another 30. By that time it was dinner time. I made a scrambled egg with spinach, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes with a piece of whole wheat toast kind of dinner. Afterwards I spent about half an hour on my stretches from therapy and then iced my arm.


And then came back to the art room with a couple of pears to set up for a sketch and paint session. I'm afraid they aren't much, but maybe tomorrow's offering will have more time put into it and will be a big improvement.

I hope to have more to offer tomorrow. I just have the chiropractor and my exercises to do. I think I will try these two pears again and see if I can do a better job.

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 15

I am so happy to see that the 30 in 30 challenge is half over and I am on track to actually accomplish this feat.

Yesterday is a bit of a blur. I woke up at my daughter's house around 4:30 am. She was getting ready for work. After she left, I went back to sleep until Miss M arose around 6:45. She and I snuggled on the couch until 7, at which time we began the morning rituals to get ready for school. I dropped Miss M off at school around 8:15 and brought Miss P home with me. She hadn't gotten home from Chicago until after midnight. The train was, as usual, late.


Miss P and I did a bit of computer work and then she made herself at home in my art room and painted several watercolors. Her Mom and Miss M arrived around 4 pm and we had coffee (the hubster, the daughter, and I) and visited until it was time to meet the son and his girls for dinner. We had a lovely time, but didn't get home until 7:30. The Australian Open is in session and I stayed up until after 1 am watching. Each year at this time I get less and less done because I am glued to the TV watching some remarkable tennis. Last night's riveting match was between David Ferrer and Tim Smyczek.


I did find a window of time to do a bit of a painting on my iPad. I used the Paper 53 app.

Making art on the iPad reminds me that I have Art Rage too. That app has a much higher learning curve, but you have layers and blending modes and I don't remember what all. I am going to have to spend some time relearning that program so I can try something a bit more sophisticated to share.

I was so busy at home yesterday that I missed my therapy appointment, so I am going today. After my therapy, I need to pick up a belated present for Miss P and then get Miss Z to bring to our house for this week's overnight. Whew! another busy day is beginning.

What do you have planned for the day? Do you have some art in the works? Do you have any hints or links for me to help in my development as an artist? I'd appreciate some input if you have the time....

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 14 and iPad Art

I'm a little sleep deprived this morning. I spent the night at my daughter's because she had to be to work at 5 am and the birthday girl didn't get home from her birthday trip until after midnight. We are celebrating Miss P's b'day with a celebration dinner this evening.


I did find a bit of time to do my Day 14 painting and hope you like it.

While I was at my daughter's house I took advantage of her WiFi connection to download a new art app called My Brushes. I used it to paint the little cupcake below. I modeled it from a sweater that little Miss M is wearing to school today.

 

 

I need to spend some time with the treadmill today as I didn't get to it yesterday and I ate things I shouldn't have, but it is hard to be good all the time. I have therapy later today and then dinner with the family.

What about you? What are you up to today? Are you making time for art? I sure hope so.....

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 13 and A Face

It is my firstborn grandgirl's 10th birthday today. Where in the world has the time gone? I am spending the night at her house tonight because her Mom has to be to work at 5 am. I will get the girls to school and then the hubster and I, my son and his girls, and my daughter and her girls will meet for a birthday celebration dinner. Fun, fun!

Meanwhile, I've been doing more art with the iPad and have a couple of things to share. The first one is my Day 13 art. I actually painted this one using Bamboo Paper.

The second one is a face from my imagination. I drew it onto gridded paper (another option in the Bamboo Paper app) and rather like the result.

I am going to spend some time with my friend, Nancy, today playing with the iPad apps and am sure to have a great time. I can't wait to compare apps and help each other out to figure them out. We may go out for lunch, too. I will be getting home a couple of hours before I go to spend the night at my daughter's house, so I will try to get my Day 14 painting done then.

What about you? Are you busy today? Do you have some time set aside for your art? Do share.....

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 12

I've had a pretty busy day. Miss Z was here until about 2:30 and then I just had to do a bit of picking up of toys,  emptying the dishwasher, and then begin filling it once more. The kitchen is clean and the living area is picked up. The little girls' room is a disaster, but I can ignore that if I choose to. While Miss Z was down for a nap I walked uphill on the treadmill for an hour trying to keep up in my quest to lose a few pounds.


Once my little darling went home with her Daddy, and I was done with the house work, I came back to my art room to put together a small painting that could qualify for my Day 12 entry. I began with some loose wet into wet color with blue, a bit of reddish and then some yellow. When it was almost dry I decided to add a bit of stuff near the middle. I put in a variety of hilly shapes and then added a bit of salt. I think I overdid on the salt and/or was overzealous removing it. At any rate here is what I have to share.

I haven't gotten any other art in today and think I am having Miss M overnight tonight. The hubster will take her to school in the morning as I think I may be spending Monday with my dear friend, Nancy. We will play with Paper 53 on our iPads and who knows what else. Tomorrow night I am spending the night with my daughter as she has to be to work on Tuesday at 5 am. I will get her girls to school and then come home, coffee up and go to the chiropractor. I have therapy on my right hand/arm in the afternoon, and then we are meeting our son with his girls and my daughter and her girls to have a mini celebration of Miss P's 10th birthday at the restaurant of her choice.

Here we go - another busy week! Ain't life grand??

xoxo

Day 11 and A Bit of iPad Art

We had Miss Z overnight and will have her until some time tomorrow afternoon. She is napping right now, so I was able to do a bit of art.

Earlier today I spent a bit of time with my friend, Carol, while her husband went grocery shopping. Carol had knee replacement on Tuesday this week. Just before I left to come the peacocks that frequent their bird feeder came for a visit. That may explain my choice of subject for today's painting.

Here are some doodling art from my iPad using Paper 53.

And here is the little sweetie I am spending the weekend with.

What about you? Are you keeping up with whatever challenges you've set for yourself in this new year? Do share....

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 10 and iPad Art

Today's art offerings were all painted/drawn using Paper 53 on my iPad. I am really loving this app and hope to get better at it so I can do a little tutorial. It's been a long time since I've tried to write a tut and I think all the ones I've done before have been for Photoshop.


Here are the works I have to share:

The bear was painted with the paintbrush without a sketch first. The other two were drawn with the pen tool first and then colored. The blocks were colored using the paintbrush and the hen candle holder was colored in with the marker tool.

I need to get on the treadmill this morning as I didn't get there yesterday. I still have quite a bit of pain in the upper portion of the arm I fractured and am so looking forward to the day that I arise without pain. My hand/wrist continues to improve with just a bit of soreness/stiffness upon waking each day. I need to keep doing the exercises from therapy at home and I have therapy with the pros twice a week. They think I will get full use of the hand/wrist in time.

I hope to find some time to do a bit of art today. Miss Z is scheduled to arrive around dinner time. I don't know if we have her for one night or two. At any rate I will enjoy that time as she is such a great joy. She will be 2 at the end of February and is changing by leaps and bounds.

What about you? Are you setting aside some time to play with your art supplies? Do you have something to share? Do tell.....

xoxo

Day 9

I slept from just after midnight until 10 this morning. I am very stiff and sore in my right hand and arm, but I think the old bod must have needed the extra down time. I stayed up late reading a book by Harlan Coben called Long Lost. It was quite good. I've read something of his before and remembered liking it, so I thought it was worth another try. The one I read before is called Tell No One and it was a very good read, too.


I've attempted my next watercolor in the 30 in 30 series and I'm afraid I've overworked it, but it is going to have to do. I think it was perhaps too ambitious for me. Maybe I'd better stick to simpler ones for now. This is from my rough sketch from a sketch that Marilyn Harris Mills (aka Maer) provided through a Yahoo! group that she moderates. It is supposed to be a take on a Van Gogh. I think I must heartily apologize to both Van Gogh and to Maer. It is pretty awful.

I was going to trash this and do a painting of my camera instead; I even began a sketch, but then I decided that part of this process is to do a painting a day and learn from each one. Here is the beginning of the camera sketch. Maybe I will use it another day.

I have to eat breakfast (or lunch - look at the time!) and get ready for the day. I have therapy and then have to stop to pick up some library books that are being held for me. After that I need to stop at the grocery store for a few items and then I want to come home and get on the treadmill. 

What about you? Are you up and bright eyed? Are you making art? Do tell.....

xoxo

More iPad Sketches and Day 8

Yesterday after my therapy I came home and spent a bit of time sketching my surroundings using Paper 53 on the iPad. Here is what I saw around me.

And later in the evening I came into the art room to paint my offering for the 30 in 30 Day 8. I do really love painting fruit and birds - maybe the next one will have to have both.

And here is another look at the owl who appears to be living in the wood duck house. I took this one with my Canon SLR with a long lens. The auto focus appears to be on the fritz, but I can use manual focus.

Last evening just before dinner (grilled chicken on a bed of mixed greens with mushrooms, tomatoes, and dried cherries) I walked uphill 3.0 to 5.5 incline at 3 mph for a total of 417 calories. I need to get on that bad boy again today. And then I will decide what my Day 9 offering will be for the 30 in 30 challenge.

What about you? What are you doing today? Does it include time for yourself? I hope so....

xoxo

30 in 30 Day 7

I had a very busy day yesterday. I cleaned the house pretty well - there are still some things that are beyond me. I picked Miss P up from school and took her to the library where we got her a PIN number and I walked her through the process of borrowing an ebook using her Kindle Fire. We then went to Red Lobster (her favorite restaurant) and shared three kinds of shrimp, fries, and broccoli - way too many calories, I'm sure. Afterwards I took her home, had a cup of coffee with her Mom, got kisses from Miss M and finally came home just before dark.


I still had that flamenco dancer in my head, so I headed for my art room and tried to do a quick watercolor. The blacks are not black enough and it is way too much one dimensional, but at least it is not overworked.

I started a new notebook in Paper 53 on my iPad and will use it for fruits and other edibles. I did a quick watercolor pear. I really need some practice with the watercolor brush in this program. I do like the lightness of it.

I have the chiropractor at 10:30 this morning and then therapy on my wrist/hand at 2:15, so a running around kind of day today. I will make time for today's watercolor for the 30/30 challenge and will share it with you tomorrow.

What about you? What are you doing today? Do you have a blog that you would like to leave a link to? Do share.....

xoxo

Day 6 and Some iPad Sketches

I am so enjoying this 30 paintings in 30 days challenge and it is a really good incentive for me to get in the art room even when I don't think I have time. I've tried another loose watercolor for Day 6 - I need to figure out the right time to begin painting as I think both of my attempts thus far were started when the paper was still too wet. I was thinking about painting a flamenco dancer, but when I got the reds mixed on the palette, suddenly a cardinal was in my head and I do so love birds.

I was reading someones blog yesterday and she was talking about how to use Paper 53, an app that I own that is on my iPad. She made it sound so easy, so I tried using her tips  (come to find out there was a little "how to" included that I hadn't taken the time to find) and I think I am addicted. I used an InStyle magazine to find some faces to try.

See, I wasn't kidding. It is quite addictive.

Today I need to clean house. I haven't done much at all since I fell and broke my wrist. I still don't have the whole thing back, but I think I can do most things. I will begin with vacuuming and then scour the bathrooms (I still don't feel that I can do the tubs, but I should be able to do the rest). I am also planning to sweep floors a bit. Who knows, I may even dust.

This afternoon I am picking Miss P up from school and we are going to get her Kindle set up to borrow books from the library. I think she has chosen Red Lobster for dinner. I guess that means I should spend some time on the treadmill - unless I really do hours of cleaning and then that can be my workout.

What about you? What do you have planned for the day? Does it include time in your art room? Are you participating in any challenges? Do share.....

xoxo