Spirit Guides

I have been working on channelling Spirit Guides. We are all born with a network of guides, or Angels, to help us lead our lives. I'm just trying to capture their likeness on paper. 

Spring is here

Spring is finally here. Not that you can really tell in Wisconsin, but soon the daffodils will be up. Karen challenged me to paint something springy, so while I was out back playing with the girls, I noticed the daffodils were pushing up. 

So I grabbed my travel kit and my Stillman & Birn sketchbook and put pen to paper. I used my Lamy Safari filled with Noodler's Lexington Gray to outline my design, then painted in the colors. I used my favorite M. Graham watercolors, some stolen from Karen's stash and finished up in time to push the girls on the swing some more. 

I really need to paint more, but the three girls keep me from having any time to myself. I even blog surrounded by children. At least they aren't fighting. For the moment. 

Cherry blossom girl ~ wip

There is something about watching Heroes on Netflix that makes me want to draw. So after the girls went to bed the other night, I grabbed my little 5x7 pad of hot press paper and my pencils and came up with this little sketch. 

I was definitely inspired by Hiro's time in 1671, but we'll see if my cherry blossoms can get up to snuff. I'm definitely not feeling Alizarin Crimson or Pyrrol Red for the pink so used my tube of Daniel Smith's Garnet that sparkles (I'd go read the name, but my lap has been taken over by a cute little snuggler). Unfortunately, the tube of M. Graham's Quinacridone Rose I bought wasn't a watercolor tube, but gouache and tends to take over any washes and I haven't had a chance to replace it. 

These are just the first few washes, but I'm enjoying how it's coming along so far. 

You are amazing

I have been in this horrible funk lately. It's the time of year, and the fact that my dad has been gone for ten years now. Ten! Sometimes I forget. So, while the natives are napping I just decided to pull out my sadly neglected paints and whip a little something up to remind myself that we are all amazing.