grateful

This sketch was begun in the waiting room of St. Joseph Hospital as I was waiting for my second cataract surgery. The tree in the lobby was filled with feathered birds and vintage-style glass ornaments. 

Afterwards, it took a few days rest and recovery time before I could finish with watercolor. But praise God, my eyes now work well together and I can see clearly!

December roses

We have roses still blooming everywhere here in central Texas, including these enormous deep red roses at our back door. Their old-fashioned fragrance is the best I've ever smelled.

more random drawings

My young friends came into our church last night seeing me sketch my cat from an iPod photo, and wanted to join in. Kathleen perched a couple of stuffed animals and ask me to draw them. Evie chose to draw her multi-color ink pen inu journal. Then it was time for church to begin so I added color later at home.

Earlier the same day, Bill took me out to lunch, trying another of the hometown restaurants in Somerville. This one actually offers choices in HOT tea! Most places in mid-Texas only ask "sweet or unsweetened?", meaning iced tea.

learning to see

I still love finding and sketching twigs sculpted with various forms of lichen, but this week I'm not so good at seeing the details.

The new implanted lens in my left eye corrects my vision to be able to see clearly at about 12 to 14" away. When combined with 20/20 to be placed in my right eye, I will be able to see without eyeglasses. 

But I have been used to holding objects much closer when drawing fine details and I keep forgetting to move them further away. This is going to take practice to learn new habits.

one-lens Nellie?

For this time between surgeries to remove cataracts, only the undone eye needs glasses. So Bill removed the left lens from my eyeglasses. Looks a bit weird! Looking forward to not needing glasses at all.

slowly progressing

Now that my left eye's swelling is gone, I am better able to focus enough to sketch it. The "white" of the eye was very red, not from the surgery but from the "trauma" of being worked on. Not as scary as it looked!

My left and right eyes are not playing well together, with 2 cataracts still in the right one. But I have surgery on the right one this Thursday, after which I will be able to see without glasses. So worth it!

sometimes a pocket sketchbook is needed

On my way to Bellville, TX for the first of two cataract surgeries, I knew I'd want to sketch but did not want to carry much with me. Random sketching is wonderful for calming nerves!

So I grabbed this tiny accordian-fold journal made from watercolor paper scraps. I left the first spread blank to fill in later with my current palette and a verse.

This is what I later added to that first page spread after coming home. Actually, a couple of days after coming home. When I could see a bit.

I will later add contact info here in case the sketchbook is ever lost.

My plan to sketch through nervousness was good . . . but it didn't work out. Just as I began sketching this wee lad sleeping in the waiting room, I was called away to take care of admission business. Then I was wisked immediately away to be prepped . . . including a nasty IV inserted in my RIGHT (sketching) hand. IVs and I do not get along so I didn't even try to move my hand.


So I later added the stuff given to me for after-care. The surgery on my left eye went very well; my two eyes just don't happen to be getting along at the moment. Next week the remaining cataracts (yeah, there are two different kinds on this one) on my right eye will be removed, then I hope to be able to get back to sketching and painting . . . this time without glasses.

a couple of new toys

I recently found 2 new toys . . .

France Belleville-Van Stone has a delightful little book out on sketching -- "Sketch!: The Non-Artist's Guide to Inspiration, Technique, and Drawing Daily Life". Not wanting to wait, I bought the Kindle version but I later saw a print copy in a chain bookstore. It's fabulous!

Later, while goofing around on eBay, I found a very inexpensive watercolor kit from Daler-Rowney (sold way below retail price) to add to my little collection. The student-grade paints will be saved for grandchildren's use and I will fill this with my own choices from tubes.

waiting . . .

Not a good way to treat a visiting mother. But we do what we can.

My mother flew here from Kansas for Thanksgiving --- the first Bill and I cooked for many years. We've been having a wonderful visit up till early Saturday am. Toured the BlueBell factory, walked the gardens of the Rose Emporium, and even visited Stephen F. Austin University in Nacagdoches. 

But fluids were slowly building up in her lungs, which are compromised by chronic asthma. So she's now in the local hospital for breathing treatments and an iv drip to get rid of the fluid.

Of course, sleeping in the presence of a sketcher can be dangerous --- but I think it's safe to just draw her hand.

Galadriel, a royal elf

Still trying my new fountain pen out on various papers, this time in an Earthbound recycled sketchbook from Cachet. I'm using an ink cartridge that came with the pen, containing a water-soluble black ink, and a white colored pencil.

This book contains Everyday Matters challenge list drawings. I first began keeping sketchbooks in 2007 with this prompt list but never finished it. This is #280 -- Draw Something You Don't See Everyday. It is rare to see our granddaughter smile at a camera; even more rare wearing elf ears. She was Galadriel from Lord of the Rings for Halloween.