Painting Hosta

I'm not even sure where this old shelf came from but it's going to come in handy around here to set coffee cups and stuff on next to one of our recliners here.

You may have noticed that I grow a lot of hosta in my garden both for landscaping and to share with gardening friends. I thought it would be nice to have the image of it in the house to brighten things up over the winter.

Painting it is going to be easy and only requires 4 different colors of paint: black, white, brown and green. I'm using a # 8 round and a 3/4 inch flat brush.

New Art in the Garden

I had company yesterday and we all had some fun with the old Arbor.

It seems to be off to an interesting start.

I don't think it could be much brighter if we tried.

A few thoughts on the changing seasons

Like a lot of people this time of year I find myself attempting to make peace with the fact that very few of my summer plans or goals worked out this year. My takeaway is that each season I create new work that goes on for years and each season I attempt to better than I did the season before.

Pencil sketches continue on the outgoing mail and are a good way to sort and try out different types of pencils. I'm still looking for some good pens but this will do for the time being.

Yesterday was an amazing day for art in the garden but we were all so busy painting sections of the arbor in dozens of bright colors that I didn't get any photos taken to share with you here.

Next time that I get outside I'll be sure to get some pictures for you.

Ink Sunflower

Yes, I drew this on a corner of an envelope in today's outgoing mail

Watercolor Sunflower

It looks like I need a lot more practice to really capture the look of the sunflowers as well as work on the shapes and proportions of the flower petals and the leaves.

3 envelope drawings, fun with outgoing mail

Here's a pile of letters on the way out today. They're just decorated with pencil and ink.

Fresh Sunflowers

A friend brought me these Sunflowers yesterday.

I think I'll start by painting sunflowers on that birdhouse.

After I've done them in acrylics I'll either try pencils or watercolors next.

On the envelope I started with a sticker that came in today's mail from another friend.

I started the card with a photo, some pencils and watercolors then finished it with ink.

Here's one of the flowers I painted on the inside of the letter. I also started this one with a sticker.

A good day in the garden

 It's nice to have a vantage point to see the birds up close and the little deck that Doug built so that I can roll out and sit where the front steps used to be works perfectly for that.

This woodpecker stopped by for lunch in between trying to peck larger holes in the birdhouses.

Here's a look down the little hill we've built to use as a ramp. The estimate for a wooden ramp was three thousand dollars and art paying as well as it does there was no way to do that. The Three hundred dollar
load of dirt was a gift from one of Doug's sisters and will have to serve the purpose.

It's a lot of work for one guy but like everything else here we do the best we can with what we've got and don't go around asking for help.

Once we've sculpted the little hill into the shape we want it to be and taper it down to meet the yard the fun will begin as we start planting the areas around the paths with more of our hosta and flowers. It won't look like much this year but should be amazing next spring.

As soon as I can get down the hill and back into the yard and garden things should start looking better around here. It will be a refreshing change after all the construction going on. We're combing the internet for people giving away gravel or patio blocks to pave the paths with. Each day it gets better and we haven't given up hope yet. Wish us luck!

Project updates

I've been busy planning the garden and landscaping but haven't drawn it up or written notes on it yet.

The crocheting continues, I've got 3 hats and 2 scarves ready to donate to a local charity as soon as one of the gals from crochet group picks them up.

I'm painting another birdhouse that my sister brought up here yesterday.

I'm still designing lost of products with my old artwork on them and am hunting for my sketchbook so that I can get started on some new stuff.

The seasons are changing out in the garden. Quite a few birds, a squirrel and a butterfly passed through yesterday.

I should have photos for you soon.

Envelope art

I've got several different sorts of pencils now so I'm taking my time trying them out and getting used to some of the new ones.

This little drawing went out on the corner of an envelope today.

Cheap envelopes are a bit difficult to blend colors on. Most of the time I'm just trying to make sure that extra color doesn't rub off them onto the rest of the mail. I just rub them down with a tissue or a rag to make sure that they're good to go.

Bringing in the fairy garden for the season

I removed the summer flowers and the agates and took a few minutes to re-arrange things and trim the "trees". Now I'm kicking around plans for the winter garden season. If I get enough sunlight from this window I'm considering using it for an herb garden or filling it with micro greens so that it will be useful as well as ornamental. I'll keep you posted on my progress..

Just finished

I just finished crocheting this hat and am starting on a scarf to match it.

I haven't been in the mood to draw other than the things I do on my letters and I haven't cleared enough space to paint in yet. There are so many things I'd like to do in a day that it's sometimes hard to decide where to start.

Becca's Art in the Fairy Garden

Becca is a clay artist too and made the Gnome, horse and birdbath here.

  

Julia painted the furniture, Birdhouse and watering can along with the little stand for the gazing ball.

It will be time to bring the fairy garden indoors for the season soon and a few changes may be made then.
(those tiny purple flowers don't do well in the house)

The little plants that I'm using for trees in here have nearly doubled in size this summer!

Clouds, Trees and Lake Fabric Painting

This is an old project but remains good information. I "found" it again while sorting through my art things and thought I'd share it here.

Let me know if you'd like me to retype or redraw the instructions to make them easier to read or if you'd like to see a few new projects made step by step.

Fast and Free Pillowcase

No measuring, fuss or bother. I just pinned a chunk of fabric around the pillow. Remove it from the pillow before sewing it up and trimming off the excess. When it came to the hem I just put it back on the pillow, rolled it back twice and poked pins in the side seams and center before removing the pillow and sewing the hem.

Watercolor pencils, crochet and a few other projects

I started this on the corner of an envelope and then went back to crocheting another hat. Once I've cleared the table of those projects I'll probably do some sewing or painting. I need some pillowcases and those would be easy to run up out of some of the fabric I've got here. I've only made $1.67 today for royalties on my art so saving some money by making those pillowcases is about the best I can hope for today.

Someday people will see my products and they'll begin to sell but in the meantime I just do the best I can with everything else.

Well, I finished the hat and started another one so I didn't get those pillowcases made yet but I am just clearing the worktable so I'll be ready to lay those out for tomorrow.