AED.30/Cactus Monday

I made it!!! I really did something art-related every single day this month!

For the last day I broke out the oils...because I avoided them all month. Here is a veritable monstrosity for the last day of November and also Cactus Monday.

It's not a great painting but I did get out the oils and that's what counts. Also, my apartment smells like linseed oil and I love that. I wanted to do it all in one day and I did.

Did you know that when you haven't touched your oils in too long a time you forget what colors you are out of?

I attribute this painting to being...meh...due to the following reasons:

1) I am out of cerulean blue!!!
2) For the majority of the painting I had to listen to The Wonder Pets as my background ambience
3) Focus seems to be an ability that eludes me

Cactus Flowers
9 x 12
Oil on Canvas


I am very glad to have done the Art Every Day challenge. This was such a great way to get myself moving again. In all honesty I do still feel artistically sluggish but at least I'm working and that's what counts. What I decided going forward is to commit to doing art most days instead of every day. And what's nice is that I have a starting point.

Thank you all for your comments and support! It has meant a lot to me to share this journey with you!

Daya update: she's still sick but I think getting a little better.

AED.29

One more day to go! Tonight I did a little more work on the Lithops Faerie.



I took Daya to the Central Park Zoo today...a quick trip; I wanted to get out of the house and walk around a bit. No place like Manhattan to do that. We visited the polar bears but then Daya got realllly sleepy and I discovered she was running a fever. So we went home and both uf us slept for 4 hours. Around 7pm she was still running a high fever. I gave her some medicine and now she feels better.

Except it's 11:26pm and she's WIDE AWAKE.

And I've got that surreal feeling that comes from too much sleep and odd sleep schedules.

Daya is upset that the cat just used the litter box...she's got a strange idea that cat is using *her* potty. The things three year olds get flustered about. It's NOT helping the surreal feeling.

Here is the polar bear.

AED.28

I started painting the Lithops Faerie. It's not much to look at...just the basic colors blocked in after transfering the drawing to watercolor paper.

That lamp I got for my drawing table is wonderful. Makes it so much easier to just sit down and work. I'd love a new chair and drawing table. I've been working on this table since high school...it's a little rickety. (Except in college...all the dorm rooms were equipped with pretty decent and BIG drafing tables) But still, I am so glad to have something to work on! :)



Mary kidnapped Daya for the day and took some beautiful photos. My daughter is the Queen of Hair.

AED.27

A Lithops Faerie sketch.



I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. We spent the day with a friend and her family. It was a very nice time and Daya had a blast.

AED.26

Quick kitty sketches.

AED.25

Here is a little zentangle that wonders what is in store for the future.

AED.24

Here is the Prickly Pear Faerie. Click the image to enlarge and view the detail.

Watercolor
11 x 14



I like watercolor. I like what it can do and how it feels, but my first love is still oil paint. :)

AED.23/Cactus Monday

I am so happy to now be part of Cactus Monday!!

Here is the pencil sketch for the Prickly Pear Faerie. She will be very fun to paint.

AED.22

How deeply unfortunate for the Stape. G* Faerie that she attracts legions of flies. I'll definitely have to add some in the painting.

It stands to reason that she's a little weird.

She'll look good painted, I think.



Also, I found *fingerpaint bubble bath* in the drugstore yesterday!!! This stuff is so fun I might even use it.



PS My bathtub is clean but never ever looks it cause it's at least 50 years old. I have tried everything believe me. One day I will have a beautiful new shiny claw foot bathtub. Until then we make due with what we have.

*Stapelia Gigantea

AED.21

Here is a pencil sketch of a Tea Faerie. I did not ink her because 1) I am reallly tired and must test out my new lime-scented bubble bath as soon as possible and 2) I decided to transfer her to watercolor paper at some point and paint her. She'll definitely go through some much-needed edits in the process.



Most probably there are more of these faeries to come, each based on a different plant. Tea had to come first because frankly I'm obsessed with it. Perhaps a stapeliad faerie comes next...I wonder what she looks like?

AED.20

A Zentangle Faerie!
:)

AED.19

I have a bad headache...so here is a little zentangle circle thingie.

AED.18

How come no one told me how wonderful and FUN these zentangle thingies are???



Here are a few pics from Daya's third birthday:

AED.17

My cat is as lazy and sleepy as I am. Quick ink sketch. I just can't focus on amything requiring...errr...focus.

AED.16

Here is a simple black and white drawing. It was very relaxing to do.



Daya's party went very well. I'll post pics tomorrow.

AED.15

Today's offering is a cake. Tomorrow I am having a very small party for Daya's third (!) birthday. Have been cleaning and running errands. There is a lot left to do. I am very tired. The big question is whether to drink a few cups of tea and keep plugging on or get a little sleep now and wake up at oh-god-thirty in the morning.

Caffeine will most probably win. And since Daya is always up early I'll have to wake up at oh-god-thirty whether I want to or not.

So anyhow I just finished Daya's cake. Here it is- more fun with fondant. I bought the Dora image at the cake and baking supply store on 22nd street. If you've never been there you HAVE to go it's so awesome. In fact you should come to NYC just to go there.





I also made a huge mess in my kitchen, and of course I do not feel like cleaning it. Any volunteers would be greatly appreciated. In fact, if you come over right now and clean my kitchen I will make out with you for real.

AED.14

Crown Chakra
Oil Pastel



Well, the chakras are done. Perhaps now I'll stop being so predictable!

Serena, to asnwer your question...it's sort of a meditation. I get the image the same way I would any concept I want to illustrate. I focus on what I am trying to depict, relax my mind, and let the image come.

Daya's birthday is on Sunday and I have to clean my apartment and make a cake. She'll be three...amazing.

AED.13

Third Eye Chakra
Oil Pastel

AED.12

Throat Chakra
Oil Pastel

AED.11

Heart Chakra
Oil Pastel

AED.10

Solar Plexus Chakra
Oil Pastel

AED.9

Sacral Chakra
Oil Pastel

7 Random Facts

Soulbrush tagged me.

So here goes:

1) I had a pet skunk named Truffle when I was a kid. He was really cool except we had to re-home him because he refused to be litter box trained. The person who took him in had the same problem. The third person kept him outside and I heard some years later that he only lived for a year or 2 more after that.

2) I deeply love all kinds of tea and do NOT like coffee. Not even coffee ice cream with chocolate syrup on it.

3) When I get mad at someone for being obnoxious I am the one who feels bad for getting mad at them.

4) I don't believe in canned pasta (with the exception of emergency rations).

5) I still believe in Unicorns.

6) I dearly hope that my daughter and I will be close friends when she is an adult. I never had a good relationship with my mother, can't see that I will in the future, and I don't want my child to feel the lack that I have always felt.

7) I'm still mad that Crayola retired Lemon Yellow and Green-Blue crayons.

AED.8

Root Chakra
Oil Pastel



Julie:
The stapeliad sketch from yesterday was done with a Micron pen tip size 005.

AED.7

Quick ink sketch.

AED.6

Today I went to New Jersey to see a client. The foliage was spectacular, and I wish I had my camera with me.

This is a quick sketch in oil pastel.

AED.5

Oil Pastels

AED.4

Anatomy study after Burne Hogarth.

Cat

I'm not sure exactly how but I managed to change my camera settings. Click on the photos to enlarge them.