The Gift of Friendship

I received a beautiful gift this past week...  

Potted tulips - a sure sign of Spring! 

After the large amounts of snow we received this Winter, 

any sign of Spring is a very welcome one!  

I sat the tulips on my table by a sunny window 

and watched as the buds swelled and blushed... 

just two days later they were fully unfurled and gleaming!

   

When I first saw them, looking so striking, the perfect shade of red set atop the fresh green of the stalks and those lovely curving leaves - Oh, I just wanted to sit down with my pencil and paints and have at it!!

But it was Sunday morning, time to sit and paint would have to wait!

Needless to say, I was so looking forward to today!! 

I had nothing on my calendar, which meant time for painting! 

But as I'm teaching myself to keep our house more organized 

I knew that tidying needed to come first.

As I hurriedly worked around the house, I would often snatch a glance at the tulips 

basking in the soft sunlight that was streaming through the window... 

"Just a few more minutes of housekeeping and I will be able 

to sit for awhile with my paints and brushes... just a few more minutes."

 

"Tulips"

 (watercolour, approx 9"x 9")

The anticipation that grew with each glance at these beautiful flowers was simply inspiring!

I'm feeling very blessed for having received them and for having the time and ability to capture them!

♥ Cath-

Cozy Up With a Good Bulletin Board

     Wow! It's been awhile since I last blogged... No excuses, just a realization!  Before Christmas break at our local school the Principal and Vice-Principal gave me permission to decorate the bulletin board just outside the library door.  I had had a design in the works for a couple years but never brought it to completion - it just remained a sketch in my book... This time though I knew that this design would bring a lot of cheeriness to the front hallway of the school, it was time to pull it out of the archives!

    Well, I searched for my sketchbook containing the original design but could not locate it, so I set to work on another quick sketch of the same idea... Here is the design:

    Basically, a North Pole scene, a big ol' polar bear and an elf cozied up reading outdoors with some cute li'l village houses in the background...

    The bulletin board is 6 foot long x 3 foot high... I'm used to doing small scale 6 inch by 3 inch work like the sketch above.. this was going to take some thinking and planning!

    My Uncle Mike (who teaches me wood carving) had given me a giant 6 foot wide roll of white paper in the summer! It was perfect IF it could stand up to the paint I planned on using and that was a big IF!

    So I did some patch testing using watercolour paint and gouache...

    And the gouache was the winner! There was minimal wrinkle while working the paint wet, and even less when the paint was dry!! Woo-hoooo!! I rolled out three and a quarter feet of paper, got my scissors and snipped off my 'canvas'!

    Sprawled out on my living room floor - the only space in my house big enough to handle a 6 foot long piece of paper I set to work with pencil in hand and sketched out the whole idea but quickly decided that an elf locks the bulletin board into Christmas and nobody wants to see Christmas decorations up after Christmas and I wanted this bulletin board up for most of the winter so I began work on a li'l boy character dressed in warm winter woolens and a complete and cozy snowsuit tucked against the polar bears tummy! 

    Suddenly my lack of experience with large dimension work began to show... the polar bear was big, really BIG and the amount of polar bear tummy showing between the boy and the polar bears scarf was WAY too big!  How was I going to fill it??  

    "I guess I could draw a girl..." 

    Some of you may not understand my hesitation in this instance... for the past several years I've drawn nothing but animals - personified animals, but animals nonetheless... I was no longer comfortable coming up with a boy and girl character, especially on this big scale and for the purpose of a bulletin board everyone would see every day for several weeks...

    I knew the 'gap' couldn't be left gaping so I took a deep breath and started working on a girl character, leaning up against the shoulder of the bear.

    When I was done I sat up and looked down at the characters I had drawn and for the first time in a long time I felt like I could actually be an illustrator! These characters, this scene, I could actually see it in a book - it was as though I was seeing my work for the first time and I really liked it!  I began to believe in myself and my abilities!  You can rest assured that I thanked God for this moment of 'discovery' - this moment of realization!

    I was going to show you more of the step-by-step progress but I have already typed more than I intended to so I will skip the detail of the finished piece and you can see how it went from a 3"x6" sketch to the 3'x6' finished bulletin board!

    Here is a detail of the boy:

 "Boy"

(gouache on paper)

    Here is a detail of the girl:

"Girl" 

(gouache on paper)

 "Boy and Girl Reading"

(gouache on paper)

    Here is a li'l something I added that wasn't in my original sketch - a library sign! Pointing of course to the library directly to the left of the bulletin board!

"Library Sign"

(gouache on paper)

    I also opted for a pretty snow-covered pine tree to border the right-hand edge of the design instead of several Santa's Village-style cottages:

"Pine Tree"

(gouache on paper)

    Oh, I don't want to forget the star of the show!  The only reason the characters would ever dream of reading outdoors in the middle of winter - their best buddy, the polar bear, was there to provide a cozy, warm spot to snuggle into while they each go on their novel adventures!

"Polar Bear"

(gouache on paper)

    Okay, that's enough talking - here's the final result - the bulletin board in place at the school:

"Cozy Up With A Good Book Bulletin Board - December 2013"

(gouache on paper, 6' x 3') 

    I cut the whole sky portion out of my paper and laid the remaining design over a background of royal blue construction paper... an hour or so of sketching and cutting gave me my title, made from mid-weight paper...

    All in all, I'm even happier with the end result than I was with the original design that inspired it! :)

♥ Cath-  

 

Woodland Tails - Skunk

I'd like you to meet Skunk!

She's shy and quiet... 

She loves flowers and berries...

 

She's the third member of my Woodland Tails card line!

"Skunk"

~ Woodland Tails ~

(watercolour and gouache, approx. 3.5" x 5.5")

I discovered something else about Skunk... 

...she loves perfume!

"Skunk Eau de Parfum"

~ Woodland Tails ~

(watercolour and gouache, 3.5" x 5.5")

Skunk collects beautiful antique perfume bottles... she especially loves the bottles with the dainty li'l atomizers... she thinks they are 'tres feminin' and lend an 'air of distinction' to her perfume collection!

♥ Cath-

Woodland Tails: Raccoon

    That "mask"...

    That shiny black marble of a nose...  

    Those dainty li'l feet that allow for scampering and climbing...

    That iconic banded tail so thick and fluffy...

- Woodland Tails - 

"Raccoon"

(watercolour, approx. 3"x5")

    I've always had mixed feelings towards raccoons... They are beautiful creatures, there's no denying that, but when I see one during the day and it's just sitting in a tree, staring back at me, it's rather unsettling!

    So in my li'l world of creatures the raccoons may sit and stare back at you but you don't need to be fearful nor do you have to wait long for a mischievous grin to break out across their faces and if you time your glance just right you might even catch them laughing at their own joke!!

 - Woodland Tails -

"Laughing Raccoon"

(watercolour, approx. 3"x5")

    Raccoons are very funny! They gather all the best jokes while they sit alongside the creek meticulously washing their food... They wash and scrub and laugh... all through the night! 

"Hey, what do you call a sliced potato in a monastery?"

Ummm... I dunno.

"A chip-monk!!  

    

 

    Yep, he's here 'til Tuesday and he recommends you try to the veal!  : )  

Maybe stand-up is in his future but for now he's happy to laughingly adorn 

some of my greeting cards, so smiles can be sent wherever they are needed!

    

 Here's hoping his smiling face and his li'l joke

have inspired felicity in you!

♥ Cath-

 

What a Fox!

    I've been busy with a rather large painting commission and every once in a while I just need a break from it because well, how do I put this... the work doesn't smile back at me!

    When the choice is mine of what I paint I will always begin with an animal of some sort, sometime they're serious and sombre but most of the time they are smiling...

    During a recent 'break' I created a new character - an animal I have not attempted before but have always wanted to develop... I chopped some paper down to "fun-size'" and inspiration soon took over!

    Introducing the flagship member of my newest card line:

 "Woodland Tails"

"Fox" 

(watercolour, approx 3.5" x 5")

 I love how Fox turned out but I "dearly love to laugh" so I just had to see if I could get him to smile!

Well, it turns out Fox quite enjoyed my sense of humour because 

not only did I get him to smile - I got him to laugh!!

"Laughing Fox"

(watercolour, approx. 3.5" x 5")

After that I just sat and watched him for a bit... a butterfly flitted into the li'l clearing 

where Fox was relaxing and I was able to capture a bit of their interaction:

 

"Fox and Butterfly"

(watercolour, approx. 3.5" x 5")

Other animals have already been added to the Woodland Tails family!

You'll have to check back often as I begin to introduce them!

♥ Cath- 

Watercolour at the Beach!

    Next week it's back to school and back to a regular routine! But that's next week - this is the last week of summer break and we are aiming to make the most of it!

    Today, the kids called a friend and we packed a cooler with some sandwiches, raspberry lemonade, and some sweet watermelon slices and headed out for a lazy afternoon at the beach....

    We've been adjusting to another bout of humidity and today a thick fog rolled in... the sun was shining somewhere up there - we could occasionally feel it's heat but the mist/fog mixed with the breeze coming off the water made for a lovely day for the kids to 'go jump in the lake' and for me to sit back and enjoy a few hours of painting!

    When we first arrived, we chose the little cove at one end of the beach to settle into and when I looked across at the expanse of the beach stretching away from us I loved how the mist and fog created 'layers' in the distant foliage... I've always been attracted to that kind of scene so I quickly pulled out my watercolour sketchbook and worked away at a loose composition while the kids strolled the beach looking for pebbles...  

"Fifty Point Beach on Lake Ontario"

(watercolour, approx. 5.5" x 8.25")

    The kids came back from their stroll to ask if we could move all our things down the beach to "the perfect spot - where the beach is actually sandy and not pebbly! Just beside the second pier thing-y."

    I love Lake Ontario beaches because the beach is pebbly - millions of perfect li'l pebbles just waiting to be discovered and photographed or picked up to be tucked into a pocket - they are beautiful!!  But the kids were still listing off every possible reason why moving our chairs would be worthwhile, so I began to pack up my paints and sketchbook.

    We settled down in our 'perfect spot' and the kids clamoured into the water and splashed happily while I looked around for something new to paint.  I didn't have to look far! The "second pier thing-y" we settled down by was an old weather-beaten pier... the once strong and mighty timbers held aloft by iron rods were now silvery timbers split and twisted from years of harsh weather and neglect - the iron rods now bent and rusting, grass-like weeds were growing lush atop some of the posts - it was wonderful and completely inspiring!!

    I quickly pulled my sketchbook out and set to work... Just as I was finishing my sketch a seagull perched on the post near the end of the pier, so I quickly added it in!

    "Pier at Fifty Point"

(watercolour, approx. 5.5" x 8.25")

    Now we're back home and I'm tired but happy!  I told the kids as I was packing up that I got two paintings done and that's more than I would've accomplished if we had stayed home so I was very glad our plan for a 'day at the beach' came together!! 

    ♥ Cath-

Feeling Blessed!

"Crab Apple Branch"

- 1st Study -

(Watercolour)

I am feeling incredibly blessed today!  

    I just gave our youngest an old sketchbook of mine - a big 14x20" hardcover that I thought I'd like but never ended up using - I've had it for years and since she was wanting to have some BIG paper to make some BIG art, I happily passed it on!  

    After receiving it, she created a list of supplies she would be needing to fulfill her new creative endeavours: an easel, a pencil and eraser, and some markers.  We gathered all the supplies and then she turned and said, "I'm headed outside to work in the yard, are you coming?"  I thought for a moment, then grabbed up my new travel-size watercolour pad, my paint box, selected some of my friendliest brushes, filled my water pot with some fresh water and followed her outside.

    We found a beautiful shaded spot near our creek under a huge weeping willow.  Soon the easel was set up and our daughter began her drawing... I looked around and discovered that the nearby crab apple was already developing fruit and the sun was shining through the leaves in the most amazing way so I positioned my lawn chair and set to work myself....

    Several times during the next two hours of drawing and painting en plein air with my daughter I paused and thanked God for the wonderful blessings He was blessing me with: eyesight to see the gorgeous colours around me, an ability to capture some of the beauty, and this wonderful time shared with my daughter as we explore our interests in art.  

    I looked up from the painting I was working on and watched my daughter as she worked away at her design.  She would sketch a few lines, then step back to look at her work... I couldn't help but smile when I noticed that she tilts her head just like I do when I'm considering something - I guess it's our way of giving ourselves a new perspective!

    I worked a bit more on my painting and then quietly said, "You know, God has blessed me through you today! I never would have thought of coming out here this afternoon but you asked me to join you and I'm having a lovely time sitting here with you and painting! Thank you!!"   

    A smile grew on her face and she stepped over to me, gave me a quick hug, then went back to work on her design.  A moment later she said, "I'm having fun too!"

 "Crab Apple Branch"

- 2nd Study -

(Watercolour)

♥ Cath-