I Don't Do "Cute"... or Do I?

As the school year approaches, we as teachers gear ourselves up with workshops, staff development, lesson planning and room-readying. Today, I was at an art teacher workshop. Got to do some really cool activities that I can't wait to incorporate into my lessons. One of them was creating a design for a creature and then create its egg out of modeling material. Well, without visual reference, I am a lost illustrator. So, I experimented with doing something TOTALLY out of my head and leaned it towards "cute." I have never done "cute" before, so this is my very first attempt.

En Plein Air

I've been on a real "en plain air" kick this summer. I think it's just been a nice break from painting from photographs. Nothing compares to painting from what you see through your own eyes rather than through a camera lens. I can see how colors and perspective can get distorted through a camera.

Today, we went to the pool with the kids and I took along my sketchbook and watercolors. It's not about details, as it is about shapes, composition and color. Not to mention, drawing and painting my 3-year-old daughter from life is a near impossibility.

Well, back to the lesson plans. School starts in 2 weeks!

Me, Myself and I

Well, every now and then, I just gotta draw myself. Not to mention, I am a member of networking sites and I was tired of using the same old pic of me as my profile image. It was weird digging through my old photos and drawing myself. It was almost like I went back in time to see what I once was – and to see how some of those physical features are still apparent and how they were passed down to my children. There were times I wondered if I was drawing myself or one of my kids.

Yeehaw!

I added a third illustration to "There's a Dinosaur in My Backyard" series. This one, the main character has made friends with the T-Rex and he takes her for a ride. As I said before, I would like to go back and flesh these stories out. Originally, the dino approaches her, then leaves. How boring is that? Anyway, next step: paint.

A Family Once Again.

"With the danger behind them, Mother watched her two boys with pride as they finally got along."

I finally finished the tiger painting early this morning. I changed the title from "Mother's Pride" because I didn't want to give the impression that I was making a double entendre to a lion's pride. Anyway, as I keep "retro-writing" for my illustrations, I'm starting to get a little inspired to see some of these stories through.

Ahhhh! The Great Outdoors!

Well, I'm back from Colorado. What a great time! I think to make vacations more enjoyable, you have to put as much into the journey as you do into the destination. We went as a family to see my brother-in-law and his family, and along the way, we stopped at The Great Sand Dunes, Lake City, Creede, Santa Rosa and even took the ole historic Route 66 back into Texas. I even had a little time to do some watercolor sketches at some of these places. It has been a long time since I painted outside. The colors are more vivid. You see things with your eyes and not a camera. And there's less restraint. I should do this more often!!

Like Riding a Bike

It's been a while, yes. I spent the last week and two days doing some freelance work for the agency I used to work for. It was a surreal experience to be back in the saddle again – in front of a computer doing design production work. At first I was extremely nervous – it had been 9 - 10 months since I designed or produced anything. Not to mention, I hadn't seen my friends there all year – up until just recently. So it was a strange experience – not a bad one – just "dreamy." I equate it to visiting your home and neighborhood that you grew up in, having not been there for years. It's a different neighborhood, with different people, and your old home is painted a different color. It's not bad. It's just that things moved on. But it was really good seeing my good friends there again.

Now, I must prepare for a trip to Colorado. I'm excited – haven't been there in about 3 years. I just miss the wide open space, the mountains and the cool air. And what I really want to do this time around is some "en plein air." I've got my travel palette and watercolor pad ready to go. In the meantime, I have a quick painting I did with this travel set. From "Lord of the Rings" – Liv Tyler as Arwen.