2011 Sketchbook Challenge

Here's my sketch for January's Theme: Highly Prized

It's done on 5x7 hotpress watercolor paper with ink and watercolor. I think it got a bit overworked with the watercolor. I actually drew it at the beginning of the month and then let it age a bit as I thought about using watercolors to color it a bit. I liked it without the watercolor and ink, but when I scanned it in to post on the internet challenge it didn't show up very well. So that's when I decided to use the ink and paint. Oh well, live and learn. I keep trying to remind myself that it's for practice and it's only a journal entry, not a masterpiece for a museum or anything! Got to put things into perspective! Click the button on the right - Sketchbook Challenge for details and more information on that. You can join us at anytime and if you post on the flickr site which is open to everyone you are eligible for a drawing for prizes. Who doesn't like prizes! And you don't have to participate every month, just do what you can. Oh and it doesn't have to be an actual sketch, it could be a collage, or even a little quilt I guess. Whatever works for you.

So here is my sketch for this month:

New Online Sketching Class

I'm taking two online classes right now. One is a Quilt class and I'll show that when it's complete. Since it's a process class I don't feel comfortable about showing progress shots. The other is through Joggles and it's Sketch and Watercolor On Location. Jane LaFazio is our instructor once again and she's the best! Her comments are so instructive! I highly recommend her if you have the chance and she is teaching lots of classes this semester on Joggles so go on over and check them out! Let me know if you sign up for one, we might be in class together!

While we will be going out on location to sketch and use watercolors, our first lesson was from our own desk or in my case kitchen table. We were told to sketch our keys. I also had a old rusty key and included that as well. My times were much simpler back then! But then if we didn't have the internet I wouldn't be able to take this online class! So I'm thankful for the technology we have!

The picture was scanned in a little crooked, but it's late and I'm tired! Also my arm jarred a bit and I messed up on some of the lettering, then I tried to fix it and have learned that I should just leave it alone next time. If I had more time I might try to do the whole thing over, but then I might just redo the journal box and glue a piece over that one, but it's only a journal page not a masterpiece for the wall to be displayed. I need to stick to the objective, practice sketching and using watercolors!

Our Newest Sewing Project

And Why I don't get a whole lot of art done!

But I love it soooo much!

My granddaughter and I love to look at "fabric" magazines, which are usually Quilting Arts or some other Interweave Publication. In one of the magazines she pointed out all the many things we could make ourselves and one of those things was a skirt. The skirt in the magazine was worn by an adult and it was more of a denim type, A line skirt. But when we went to the fabric store, she decided that the pink shiny type was more her style. The girl loves sparkly fabrics and that's fine with me. So we designed this skirt together and she helped me sew it. She sits on my lap with her hands on top of my hands and we sew. Eventually when her feet can touch the floor, which isn't long, she's very tall, she'll do the sewing herself!

Of course the color is pink! Is there any other color for a 4 year old girl? Actually she was thinking of yellow or blue and I think that's because her other favorite princesses wear those colors. But she finally settled on the pink. We started with Taffata (but I found a much cheaper similar polyester type fabric) and organiza (I think that's what it was.)


This is a close-up view of the bottom of the skirt. After it was finished, she decided that it really wanted lace along the bottom. I tried to talk her out of it, but what's a grandmother to do. Over the week-end, I went back to the fabric store and found a sparkly lace and some ribbon for a waist sash. After the lace was sewn on, she said, "Now see Grandma, I told you that the lace would make it look better!" She was right! And you may be able to see that the pink underlay has a rather large hem so that it can be adjusted as she grows, which is very quickly these days!

She already had the shiny glittery silver shoes that we both thought were perfect for the outfit! She thinks she has a white shirt that she will put with it and definitely intends to wear the outfit on her next "Daddy Date" with her Dad which will be when it gets a bit warmer. I told her Daddy (my son) that he's going to need to dress up for that date! I hope her Mom takes plenty of pictures!

Stay tuned, we've got lots and lots of projects on the list, so we're sure to stay very busy! I think stuffed birdies are coming soon. Or a journal cover, or stuffed bears, or, or, or.......

Gifts

My word for 2011 is "Gifts." As I started seeing other folks post their words for 2011 I started thinking back on my word for 2010. It was "Present." I intended that to mean that I was going to live in the moment, be present and really focus on what's going on at the time rather than being so concerned about many things going on around me. Well as 2010 proceeded, I think I really loss focus of my word and my intentions. So with that my new word this year is Gifts. I want to focus on the gifts that God as given me in my life, my family, my friends, my relationship with God. And also my gifts that I have to offer, the talents and abilities that God has blessed me with.

Happy New Year!

I hope the New Year is a blessed one for everyone! I'm going to try to participate in the Sketchbook Challenge. Several artist are officially participating on the website. Each artist will announce a theme or whatever to work from and then everyone who is participating will create somthing (mostly in Sketchbooks, but perhaps individual pieces that will later be grouped together or something) based on that chosen topic or theme. Here's the link on the sidebar to the right just in case you want more information and perhaps want to follow along too! I've never been very consistant at keeping a journal so we'll have to see how this goes. I know there will be lots of wonderful things to see and learn along the way! Our first theme is January 1, 2011 So Happy Creative New Year to everyone!