Valentines Update

This time of year, with the snow and cold blustering outdoors, I find myself drawn to bright, bold colors and making Valentines.  Tonight, I brewed up some green tea, carved a new Valentine stamp, and tested it out on papers that I had previously painted with intense Dr. P.H. Martin's Liquid Watercolors.  Nothing like the thrill of bold black lines against vivid magenta, tangerine and violet!

The Speedball Speedy Cut block I used to create my stamp was super easy to carve. 

I painted on sheet music, pages from an old shorthand textbook, and dictionary pages.  The print added another layer of texture.

A finished card.

A Fresh Face for My Bullet Journal

A night of splashing bright paints on paper to create Valentines with led to unexpected inspiration and a new cover for my old bullet journal.  This time of year, my eyes are hungry for bright colors!

The old look -- plain and ordinary.

The back cover.

Let the paint splash!

Figure Drawing Update

Yesterday's Open Studio at the Glitterbox Theater in Pittsburgh gave me the opportunity to sketch two models on the stand at once.  Thanks to the Pittsburgh Figure Drawing Meetup for the great session!

Quick Nature Sketches

In the evening of a quiet day at home, I spotted three White Tailed Deer close to my kitchen door, feeding on the grasses of the meadow.  They snapped to attention, ears perked at any suspicious sound, but mostly, they ate hungrily.  I found myself wishing I could sketch their elegant forms faster, but grateful for the opportunity to observe them so close by.

A Walk in the Wildwood

This afternoon was the last warm day of the week, with snow and colder temperatures coming tomorrow.  Hubby & I got out for a little exercise at the state park.  While he jogged, I meandered under massive oaks, along old stone walls, finding an enchanting wildwood stream trickling down the hill towards the lake.  I felt compelled to stop and make a quick pencil sketch in my nature journal.  Now I will remember the day, the beautiful scene and the sense of stealing the best of the day before the weather turned cold again.

A Warm Winter Sunset

The past week has seen some unseasonably warm weather for us, allowing me the opportunity to sit outside and paint.  What a relief to smell the earth again and hear the little twitterings of songbirds at my bird feeder.