Photo of the Day and More

I hope you aren't tired of photos of roses because here is another one:

I think I want to draw this and try to paint it with watercolors.

Remember my blind contour drawing of the wooden cats that I couldn't find. Well I found them. I mean I found one of them and the hubster found the other. The one with the long tail was discovered in our bed. I guess Miss 2 had a nap with him. Here they are:

I didn't get to the non-dominant girls drawings yesterday. I went to the library to pick up a book I had asked for through MelCat and browsed the new books. I found one I wanted to read and read it in one sitting. I am really awful good about reading and disappearing into the world of that book. It was a good day. I must remember to read once in a while because that kind of afternoon is fulfilling and enriching and good use of the imagination.

I did get more work done on my third Faces in Technicolor girl. I don't think she is done yet, but she is getting better. What do you think?

Sharon has suggested another flower to the left on her neck and I think I will do that. I also think her eyes are way too "staring". I'm not sure what to do. For one thing I think I may need to lower the top line of her eye a bit and I think I need to put a hint of a lighter color between her eye and the crease.

I also spent some time putting a bit of color on the plover from yesterday.

The most exciting thing about the plovers wasn't adding color, although that was fun! It was trying to print onto watercolor with my printer. I took a large piece of 140 lb cold press watercolor paper to my guillotine cutter and cut it to 8.5 x 11. I used Photoshop to make 4 copies of the sketch and placed them into the four quadrants of the paper. I printed using the matte photo paper setting and printed in grayscale. I am thrilled to find that I can print very nicely onto watercolor paper!

I am spending the day with my friend Nancy today. I don't know where we are going yet, but I know it will be a good time. I still don't have my car so Nancy will drive and I will buy lunch.

Before I go, I have a wonderful video to share with you:

Now I really need want an iPad!!!!

Gotta go! Have a great day!

xoxo

Reading, Eating and Redos

A friend of mine was telling me about a great book she was in the middle of and I knew I wanted to read it. I tried to find it at the local library, but they didn't have it. I tried to borrow it through MelCat, but they had a waiting list for it. So when I was in Target the other day, I saw it and it was 20% off in paperback. I couldn't help it - I bought it. I finished it around 2 this morning and LOVED it. It is "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson. I am taking it to my daughter today so she can enjoy it too. Don't you love sharing books?

Last evening the hubster played tennis so I was on my own for dinner. I made myself a large salad with Romaine lettuce, tomatoes and dried cherries with a teaspoon of Kraft Zesty Italian dressing. I also mixed up some Albacore tuna with hard boiled eggs and a touch of mayo, and ate it with two Wasa wafers. It was quite yummy and satisfying. I am chasing my goal of mid 150s with a vengeance! And I am eating well and not feeling hungry between meals. The meal looks so wet, but it is mostly water on the lettuce.

I so appreciate your suggestions and comments on my failed attempts to make art and so I am reposting my watercolor picture after adding to it a bit with black fine liner. Thanks freebird for your wonderful suggestion. I do like it better, but there is still lots of room for improvement.

The 7 year old has a performance at the Potter Center tonight and tomorrow night doing ballet and tap. I am so looking forward to it and am getting my camera with the long lens ready to go. We have tickets for tomorrow night. Today I am going into town to get the 2 year old sister to bring her to my house. She may stay the night. She is too young to sit through the 3 hour performance.

I'm still in my pajamas and haven't had breakfast yet, so I gotta go!

Love you all - thanks for reading and commenting.

xoxo

Birds Singing, Warmish Breeze Blowing

It is April and the weather is really beginning to feel good. The furnace is turned off for the day time hours and the screened porch is open to the house. The hubster has taken the two little girls to the park, so I am taking this opportunity to blog.

Beginning this week, we were only going to have the girls all day on Tuesdays, but then their Dad had surgery yesterday and so we have had them most of this week. I don't yet know how the recovery from his procedure is to progress, so don't know when my schedule will improve.

Meanwhile, the mail person drove into the driveway to hand deliver some larger parcels. Two of them were for me. One was the lovely journal I won from Rice at the Voodoo Cafe. If you haven't yet subscribed to her blog, you really should.




The other was the paper painting I purchased from Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson. If you are not familiar with this artist, you owe it to yourself to go take a look.



I did get a chance for a little while to work in my art room and began pasting torn text papers to 140 # watercolor paper in preparation for the 9 inchies I am making for a swap. I have never made inchies before and thought this would be the way to get text onto all of them before they were cut so small. It looks like I need to reglue some of the corners of the torn pieces before cutting them. I then put strips of masking tape on it in random places and brushed a green wash over all.



For now, the library just called to say that some of the books that I had ordered through the state wide library, MelCat, had arrived. I think I'd better finish reading "The Power of One" so that I can begin reading "The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox".

Also, I should list the books I read during the month of March:

Fire and Ice by Julie Garwood
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by Wrobleski
Letting Go by Pamela Morin
Shelter Me by Juliette Fay

So far, I have read 14 books in 3 months, so I am still ahead of the average to achieve 50 books read this year.

See you later.

Bye!