Chloe Nesting

This was a hard picture to get a decent image of. This is the lovely Chloe who makes nests in the bed covers.

EDM challenge #152 Draw a nut

What really happens when crayons break

EDM challenge #61 draw a group of similar objects

This is actually done all in colored pencil, no crayons used.

Last offerings from colored pencil class

This is my first attempt with watercolor pencil.

Please note that this image is drawn from a frog at the Portland, Oregon zoo and is copyrighted by the photographer. It is here just to show progress in colored pencil class.

EDM #27 Draw a book

Click on pictures for a better view

Of my posts so far this is one of my favorites. I am still trying to get a decent picture or decent scan (bottom). I loved this book when I read it years ago and on rereading it, it is still one of my favorites.

Ball point pen drawing and doodle

This was my attempt to draw directly with a ball point pen. There is an artist, Andrea Joseph, who is a master at this. I still am in awe and still can't quite get how she does it.

I try often to sketch my cat and she always moves. This is the best one so far.

EDM challenge #158 draw popcorn

I started reading Bert Dodson's book Keys to drawing with imagination, a very interesting book. He has many exercises and one is Macro drawing which consists of using a magnifying glass and to draw something small in a big manner. I did this without a magnifying glass, just drew it oversize. I would like to explore this again.

EDM challenge #188 draw a peanut

Invite a fairy to tea day

I started this drawing by drawing the little teapot in the center. I have a small collection of teapots that are about an inch high. So the teapot by itself was boring so I made up the cups and saucers and cookies but the fairies are real.

Still Life with thread

I am still having trouble with getting decent photos/scans of my work. My scanner is cutting off all the pictures right now. I hope to work on adjusting that today.

Monday's daily drawing

Okay. So here are two more scans. I am not sure I am happy with this. The bottom one is the original scan and the top one I tweaked in Photoshop elements. I still feel the yellow is not as sharp as in the drawing. Also the scan didn't pick up the date on the drawing. I am not sure about this. I needed a new printer anyway. Technology, what to do. If you have advice please leave me a comment. Thanks

EDM Challenge #197 Draw a remote

Okay, so I have my computer back and here is my first scan. I am not sure if this is better. If you click on it you can see more detail. So I have now not had TV for about two months. It hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. I can still watch a couple of shows that I want on line. EXCEPT anything on ABC. Their set up keeps skipping and is intolerable to watch. So I will have to wait to catch up on Grey's Anatomy when it comes out on DVD.

Computer in shop

I am unable to post a drawing today as my computer is in the shop. Actually this all started when I bought a new printer yesterday so I can scan my art into the computer and hopefully have better detail on the art. So I go to install it and get a fatal error. Anyway the computer and new printer are at Best Buy with the Geek Squad in hopes that the printer can be installed. So I figured while the computer was there I'd have them check it out. Hopefully I will have them home tomorrow and will be able to scan drawings tomorrow. Yesterdays drawing that I will post tomorrow along with today's drawing is a remote and will update on not having a TV for almost two months now. See you tomorrow...

EDM challenge #191 Draw paper money

I wish American paper money was more interesting. This was extremely hard to draw, lots of patterns. So I thought this might be the most interesting bill so I got one out of the bank with the intention of redepositing it when I was finished. But, of course, something came up (broken chairs that needed to be fixed) so I had to spend it instead. I probably should draw the money evaporating or going up in flames.

EDM Challenge #195 Draw a fork

Who knew that trying to draw a fork would be so difficult?

EDM Challenge #169 Draw a piece of cake

Here are three different attempts in drawing a Trader Joe's mini carrot cake. These are really wonderful and I shouldn't be eating them. I realize I do not like drawing food. I don't mind fruits and vegetables but other things seem to escape me.

Drawing teabags

So in my attempt to stop drinking coffee I have lots of tea bags around.

I love drawing tea bags. Very odd I know.
So I am still trying to figure out how all the artists I look at seem to be able to just draw with pen and make it look perfect. Here is another attempt by me to do that.

Other People's Dogs #4 in a series...The beautiful Tika

Tika is next in my series of other people's dogs. You might remember her when she met Chloe back in September. If not, be sure to check it out. I wanted to draw Tika because she is beautiful and she has an interesting past. She is a "career change" dog from the Guide Dogs for the Blind training program. In other words, she just didn't make the cut. I put her story below, as told by her mom. I became interested in Guide Dogs when I met a lovely puppy named Tova in an Albertson's grocery store. I was smitten by her. The people who raise the puppies are volunteers. Guide Dogs for the Blind is one of my favorite charities. A year later I ran into Tova and the man who raised her at my gym. Tova did make the cut and went on to be trained in California and placed as a guide dog.

Again, I don't feel my drawing has done this lovely dog justice. Another photo of her smiling is below.

Tika's story as told by her mom:

Tika's puppy raisers returned her to Guide Dogs for the Blind when she was less than 9 months old. Having had successful placements with their 2 previous Guide Dog puppies, they knew a bad dog when they saw one! (2/3rds of the puppies/dogs-in-training flunk out of the program before ever being placed with a blind person.) She was deemed "too distractible" and was returned to Guide Dogs for the Blind as a "Career Change" dog, eligible for adoption.
Tika's puppy raisers warned us that she went wild around stuffed animals and that she would steal the throw pillows off their couch and play keep-away with them. They said as a young puppy, Tika would launch herself onto their couch and leap up over the back of the couch and race around the house, looking to put something in her mouth.
The first day we brought Tika home, she went straight for the pillows on our couch. Removing them from her reach, we solved that problem. Then she pulled a magazine from the coffee table and ran around with that! The puppy raisers did say that she loved to cuddle and that the only thing that would calm her down was to sit with her on the floor and hold her in your lap. It worked like a charm. She would curl up and fall asleep between your legs. She also loved to get her teeth brushed, they told us. And, lo and behold, sitting on the floor with Tika between my legs, I could brush her teeth while she laid stretched out on her back. She would then fall asleep.
As soon as you left her alone, she would become really naughty. To keep her out of trouble, I would have to put her leash on and tie her to the dining room table while I prepared dinner. This way, she would sit calmly and watch me. Otherwise, she would race around the house, grabbing anything that she could get her mouth around, creating general mischief.
My husband and I took her to obedience classes for a year. We also worked with her on a 40 foot lead (a long, long leash) at the park to train her to "come." We would say the command "Tika, come!" and when she didn't respond, we would reel her in to us using the lead. It took many months of training before we felt comfortable taking her off a leash at the dog park. As she has gotten older, she has been able to focus more and is not as distractible as she once was. She is still extremely cuddly and loves to be with other dogs, romping and chasing squeaky toys.

Autumn ornamental squash

Mini dried corn

A touch of autumn. My cat liked chewing on the ends.

Other People's Dogs...Number 3 in a series

This is number three in my series Other people's dogs. This is Candy. She is a minature fox terrier. She is only a couple of months old. She belongs to my neighbor Jack. She is very cute. I spent part of an afternoon watching her play and run around her house. Well, actually she prances and gallops. Very, very cute. Yesterday I saw her and she had her winter coat on. I don't think I quite did her justice so see photos below.

What? You mean my leash is not a toy?

EDM #179 Draw an onion

EDM Challenge #69 Draw a beverage

I have been trying to give up coffee so now I am addicted to tea. Even though I didn't draw it my favorite right now is stash orange spice. I love drawing tea bags.

First results from a colored pencil class

I can't seem to get the photos to load in the order I want them. This is the third drawing done at home trying the techniques I learned in class.

This was done in class but finished at home yesterday.

This was done for homework at home. I really enjoyed this one.

I am taking a short, four week colored pencil class and the above are the results so far.

Autumn Leaf

Portland is now filled with streets of fallen leaves. Soon the trees will be bare and the streets and yards will be full of leaves turning a winter brown.

Drawing out in the real world

So on Saturday I was at the library to hear a local writer speak about writing and I sketched some of the people in the audience (bottom picture). Then I went to Border and sketched the woman in the top picture. I hope these drawings get better and easier! I posted these to chart my progress in case I improve.

A view from a deck

Please click on for a detailed view

Monthly Inchie drawing

So I spent the morning catching up on my inchies and enjoying the past month of drawings. Be sure to click on for a better view of the drawings.

Please note I will not post on Sunday. I will go back to posting the day after. Sunday's drawing on Monday, etc. Thanks

Thanks to all the candy that participated in the great Halloween draw off

Click on for a detailed view

Click on for a detailed view

These are some more items that I bought and didn't use. Though the fingers were in the grand finale drawing.

Thanks to all who looked, commented, participated and enjoyed.