What's on the drawing board

Here's the colored pencil drawing I am currently working on in its beginning stages. You can see where I have begun blocking in some of the darker areas and bits of color here and there over my first layer of a creamy yellow. It still has a long way to go before completion, but it's only approximately 5 x 7 inches, so hopefully this little sea urchin won't take me too awfully long to finish.

Sketchbook Tuesday - sage

Despite my neglect, my herb garden has done well this year. I had plans to neaten it up and mulch around all of the plants but never got around to doing that. However, all of the herbs flourished and filled in the entire bed so that no weeds could be seen, so it didn't look too badly neglected. I have begun cutting some of the herbs for drying. I have oregano, thyme, chives, tarragon and sage. A lot of sage. The scent of sage is one of my very favorites.

How can a man grow old who has sage in his garden?

ancient proverb

(this moment)

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama 

 

Sketchbook Tuesday - Squash

No, I didn't grow these. Are you kidding me? But they looked great at the grocery with all of their various twisty stems. I just had to buy some. They are destined to be dinner later this week.

We started back full-time with our homeschool lessons this week. It's always tough getting going again after a break. Right now there seem to be so many reasons not to stay on task and the days so far are dragging on and on. Hard to convince this 12 year old that she could finish her work sooner if she didn't dawdle so much. Oh well. I am hoping we will ease into a more comfortable routine soon. And that I can stop dawdling and get some art work done.

(this moment)

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama 

 

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I apologize for the lack of posting this week. I was away for a few days and since being home it's all about catching up, you know. I do so appreciate all of the kind and encouraging comments on my last post. You all are the best motivators! I promise I will be back with more art very soon.

I have decided to resume my weekly postings of (this moment) images. I had let it go last winter and recently realized that I have very few images saved of our day-to-day since then. I miss that. Sometimes I wish there was a button to push, a way to stop time and say "now!", because each day is so precious. You turn around once and years have flown. So one way to do that is to cultivate the habit of saving images on my camera. Participating in (this moment) is the inspiration I need. If you are inspired to do the same, leave a link in the comments. I would love to see your extraordinary moments!

Daybreak

Daybreak

colored pencil on Rising Museum Board

10.5 x 13.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

Here it is, more or less finished. I am stopping on this for the time being anyway, although I may go back and tweak a few things here and there after I have looked at it a while. I have to say that the sand/beach area was the most challenging area of the entire drawing. In the end it was cotton swabs that saved the day. They were just right for lightly smooshing (art terminology) the color together to get that sandy texture. I don't know that I'll try another one this large for a while, but I am glad that I did this piece in this size. I know it's not that large by any leap of the imagination, but it was just enough of a jump in scale to create new challenges for me. However, with smaller sized pieces I can explore many more ideas in the same space of time. So I figure it's a good thing to stretch yourself every now and again, just to keep everything fresh.

Sketchbook Tuesday - a little water play

After working for so long on my current colored pencil piece I really needed a break to do something loose and splashy. So here is a quick sketch done with watercolor in my hand made sketchbook, a view of the creek at a nearby park. I haven't been out sketching as much as I would like this summer, just too darn hot. Hopefully that will change soon.

A quick update

Here is where I am on my current colored pencil piece. As I move into each new area I continually go back and rework some of the previous parts. As you can see I have just begun to block in the color of the wet sand. When I move into the sand/beach at the bottom portion I will likely be making more adjustments to the water. I find I need something there in terms of color and value in order to make decisions about all the other parts and to hopefully bring a sense of unity to the scene.

Getting an image to post of this piece continues to be a challenge for me. At 10.5 x 13.5 inches it is too big to fit on my scanner. So it's taking photos indoors, outdoors in the shade, waiting for the sun to come out and then outdoors in the sun. Making comparisons to choose the best image. Trying to adjust the most acceptable image in photoshop. I miss being able to use my scanner! I have come to the realization that if I am going to work this large I either need a larger scanner or a professional photographer. Hopefully, the next time I post I will have a better image of this piece to show you! If all goes well, that is. And the light is just perfect for photographing. And the planets are aligned just so. And I have more patience with the whole process.

Sketchbook Tuesday - You say tomato

I am a terrible gardener. There. I've said it. Not an easy thing to admit but it is time that I face up to the awful truth. What you see here are the only tomatoes from our 4 tomato plants. I could blame all of the rain that we have had that seemed to do the plants in before they really got going. Or our poor, clay soil (that I have done so little to help along), or that even though the vegies are planted in the sunniest location there is still a good amount of shade. But really, it has more to do with my inattention to the plants in general. Yeah, I've tried growing tomatoes and other vegies in pots and planters on the deck in quality, organic soil and where there is more sun. But just plain ignoring them, wherever they are planted, obviously doesn't produce results. I start out each spring so hopeful, full of good intentions, that I ultimately never follow through with. It is time that I realize it is actually in my best interest not to put these plants through the agony of neglect and never bring them home in the first place. Then I wouldn't have all of this guilt and the plants would have a chance to live productive lives in someone else's garden. I say that now. Please remind me to leave the vegetable plants alone when next spring rolls around, okay?