New Calendar!

It's always a treat to look at the latest offerings from my blogger friends.  I'm usually so inspired by what others are doing.  One of the artists I follow has a gift for capturing the beauty of nature in her sketchbook -- and then she posts her pages and I'm always in awe.  Her name is Pam Johnson Brickell, and you can find her blog here.  (I'm also a little jealous because she lives in South Carolina where the winters aren't brutal and she can enjoy the outdoors year-round.)  ANYWAY, she created a 2012 calendar and had a giveaway on her blog, and I won it!  It came in the mail yesterday and it was a little like early Christmas.  Every page had me oohing and aahing -- I already have a place in mind to hang it -- right outside of my studio where everyone in the family can admire it.

Here's a couple of pages from it:

Aren't they just magnificent?  I think she is going to be making more and selling them, so be sure to check her blog for details!  I think they would be just the best gifts for nature lovers!!

Thank you, Pam!

Collaboration

Here's the garlic. Along with a great quote that I can't believe I found. My classmates loved it.

It was a couple of hours before class yesterday, and I had two drawings of the garlic, neither of which I really liked. So I texted a picture of each drawing to my youngest daughter, who is also very artistic. She texted me back and told me she liked the picture that you see to the left here, but she said, "add some dimension". So I found a nice color and began to add shading. I like it so much better now. Thanks, Karissa!

What a treasure an outside perspective can be. I think of friends in my life who have given me words of wisdom, and I am thankful as well.

More botanical drawings

This was a fun piece to do because it incorporated pencil work with carbon dust. In order to make the apples so dark and shiny, I had to use a nail file on a carbon pencil to get some dust, then apply the dust to the apples with a small brush.

This class has taught me to really look at things in a new way -- to see texture, shadow and contrast. I can't wait until my next class, when I get to begin using colored pencils!