Sketchbook Tuesday - a weekend of sketching

I hope all of my American readers had a good holiday this past week. We sure did. It included a wonderful visit from a great friend who in addition to bringing photos and sketches from his travels also brought a new recipe to try for our Thanksgiving dinner. Mashed parsnips with carrots and parsley. Yum! Of course we all had to sketch the parsnips. Mine is above.

As is our tradition, we headed over to our local tree farm to pick up a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. It was unusually sunny and warm, about 60 degrees F! Above is a view looking across the road from the entrance to the farm, sketched from a photo once home.

This is a view from the tree farm, again sketched from a photo. The pine branch I added later from life, one of the clippings from our tree. And yes, our tree is now up and fully decorated. Just in time too. With the snow we are getting here today it really does feel like the holiday season has begun.

(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 - a lesson in seeing

This is the second sketch that I did in my sketchbook of this bowl of apples. I am not going to show you the first because it did not make me happy. When I first sat down at the table with this bowl of apples in front of me and started in with my watercolor I was thinking about a billion things, none of them having anything to do with sketching. So I began by painting the bowl. I then looked, and had placed the bowl right in the middle of the page. Why did I do that? But, still without thinking I continued to paint, putting the apples into the bowl. It was awful. A struggle, to say the least. So I put my sketching gear away, disappointed with my lack of attention and my failed sketch.

The next day, feeling calmer, I decided that I really did want to try to get a sketch of these apples in this blue glass bowl. So I started in again, only this time I began by looking at the apples. I painted in the apple shapes one at a time and when satisfied enough then I began to concentrate on the bowl. Even though the perspective isn't perfect, by looking at the apples first I was able to get a sketch that pleased me, the one posted above. I suppose some days are like that. You are either looking at the bowl containing the apples or seeing the apples in the bowl.

(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 - Two for one

Two sketches today, just for one visit. Above is a sketch from a photo that I took through the car's wind shield with my phone's camera while driving home one evening last week. With the moon rising the light was magical. I posted the photo here.

I had been wanting zucchini bread for breakfast for some time now and finally made some last weekend. No one complained. It's a recipe that I have had for so long that I don't even remember where it came from. Back when we could grow zucchini I used to grate it and freeze in baggies in 2 cup quantities, since my favorite recipes using zucchini call for 2 cups. In this way I could make zucchini patties, muffins, and bread throughout the winter. Here's my zucchini bread recipe :

 Zucchini Bread

(makes 2 loaves)

~ 3 eggs

~ 2 cups sugar

~ 1 cup oil

~ 3 cups flour

~ 1 tsp. baking soda

~ 1 tsp. salt

~ 1/2 tsp. baking powder

~ 2 tsp. cinnamon

~ 2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini

~ 2 tsp. vanilla 

~ optional ~ 1 cup oatmeal

Cream together eggs, sugar, and oil. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Bake in 350 F oven 1 hour to 1 hour + 10 minutes or when tested done with a toothpick. Cool. 

This bread freezes beautifully.

(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 

The next step

Here is my current colored pencil drawing in its next stage. That point when I am already looking forward to the next piece that I will do and really wishing that I could get this one to a state of completion. But drawing this way is not something that can be rushed. Since I posted the last WIP of this drawing, I have filled in the rocks in the upper right and begun filling in areas of color in the water at the central part of the composition. These shapes of color are then further defined and altered by drawing the white shapes back into them with either a kneaded eraser or white plastic eraser stick. Then I go back with more color to deepen the contrast or adjust the shapes. As I expand the areas of color I tend to go back and further define previously drawn areas. Kind of like two steps forward and three back. But eventually I get there. Somehow.

Sketchbook Tuesday - here again

How can it be so long since my last post? Well, I was kind of busy doing other things and before I knew it an entire week had flown by. Even though I had done a few sketches and worked a little more on my current colored pencil drawing, I just didn't feel that I had anything significant to share. But I do plan to be back on track now. Anyway, here are a couple of things found in my yard on a November day, watercolor in my handmade sketchbook.