just playin’

Today I made a mess of my desk and just played. Following along with Art Toolkit’s workshop, “Playing with Composition with Meagan Dew” (HERE), I made a bunch of thumbnail sketches from two photos of New York — and even added loose splashes of color to some of them. More than the rules of composition, I was learning to loosen up and let go of niggling the details.

a new favorite

A couple of weeks ago, when Bill was still in the hospital, our daughter and I headed across the highway to eat at Freebird’s, a Texas burrito restaurant. But instead of burritos, we ordered “walking tacos” which consists of Doritos or Tostitos corn chips topped with any burrito fillings of your choice: rices, beans, various proteins, grilled veggies, lettuce, guacamole, cheeses, and sauces — perhaps not the healthiest base for fancy nachos but I think it’s my new favorite “junk food”.

A recent article in our rural electric magazine told the history of Frito Chili Pie, the forerunner of the walking taco commonly served at football games. Fritos were originally sold here in Texas c. 1930s as an ingredient for casseroles and the company regularly published recipes, eventually one that consisted of Fritos, chili, cheese, and onions layered and baked in the oven.

wild sunflowers

With all that’s been going on with us in the past few weeks, our bird feeders have been sadly neglected — I found this rogue sunflower growing underneath one of the feeders.

So far, I have only used Neocolor II watercolor crayons in this small nature journal I made (Ink lines are done with a Pentel Pocketbrush pen). Today, I tried regular watercolor to see how a more watery color looks on the toned paper.

a wee visitor

Today’s tiny sketch is from a photo taken last week. As I climbed into bed, I noticed this bright orange lizard climbing the wall. Our cats, Bardie and Scottie, were busy chasing tiny gnats they could hardly see yet they were completely oblivious to this 4” lizard just a few feet away. I’m sure he was laughing at them.

Direct Watercolor tiny sketches

These are the tiny paintings I did while Bill was at the hospital — thank the Lord, he’s home now! Taking the correct antibiotics and healing from a successful back surgery.

These were done directly with watercolor (no pencil or pen) and a tiny waterbrush (Pentel Aquash mini waterbrush with the brush tip from the regular sized small) from photos on my phone. The sunrise was over our barn home last November; the bluebonnet pasture and lake shore from photos taken in April 2022.

a mini sketchkit

Due to an unknown low-grade fever, Bill is still in the hospital. He is walking well and feeling pretty good considering he just had major surgery. This delay is frustrating, but they don’t want to send him home just to have him return. I drive in each day, then home to deal with animals.

This morning before heading out, I threw together a kit for some tiny sketching while I wait with him. A zipper case holds tools, and the tiny clipboard from Bluestar Crafts (HERE) holds my pre-cut pieces of paper. More pieces of paper are taped to a plastic sheet from Travelers Company USA. I keep bits of skinny tape wrapped around a discarded plastic cap because it takes up less room than a washi tape roll. I usually do quick sketches with the clipboard, and tiny paintings with a border on the plastic sheet.

So while Bill snoozes, maybe I’ll do some sketching . . . 

this week’s “adventure”

I’ve been a bit too distracted to sketch this week — except for one very long wait in a hospital waiting room where I did the above sketch (loosely interpreted leaving out a lot of the details). My husband went through a 5-hour lower back surgery, then we waited 2 more hours. Apparently there was an issue with another patient in the recovery room so we had to wait until he was taken to a room. The surgery was successful, he’s doing extremely well, and will be coming home tomorrow.