Every Day In May #6- A Good Haircut

Well, this was a funny one, I think. I hadn't done a self-portrait in quite a while, and certainly NEVER one in pen and watercolor, so the results are a mixed bag. My daughter thinks it looks like me, but my husband doesn't. My drawing looks like sort of a "cartoon me" to me, but it was still very fun to play with- and that is what it's all about, right!??

The temps here in Florida are starting to rise, and soon we will all be melting as summer arrives and stays, and stays, and stays.. I am a veteran of the heat, having lived in various parts of Florida since I was five years old, but I am still not used to the heat and humidity combo we have.

I took a picture of a really cute short haircut from a magazine into a brand new stylist (to me) and asked her if she would cut my hair like the picture. She was a little worried and kept asking me- "Are you SURE you want it that short?" I was sure, and five or six inches later, I had a cute, new haircut. Let me tell you, it is FREEING to lose that hair!!

So YAY for short hair in Florida! Short hair is what I'm grateful for today. :)


I decided to upload a photo (taken this AM), so you could see what I really look like.

My drawing was done from a mirror, so my hairstyle is reversed. I was also looking down at my sketchpad, so it is a also a different angle. Even with all of those "disclaimers", it doesn't look all that much like me! Who cares! I still like my short haircut.

Every Day in May #5- Every Day Matters

This morning, I was reading through some of the comments I have gotten from many of you wonderful people about my blog and my work, and I felt so good about it all. It made me feel really grateful for this recent foray into daily drawing that was basically spurred on from reading through Every Day Matters posts, so I decided to make an entry in my Gratitude sketch journal about it.

Doing these little daily drawings and journaling has given me a small tidbit of creativity to look forward to doing during the course of each day.

Today, I decided right away what I would do, but it took me until late this evening to finish it. I worked a little on it between other tasks and commitments, and it never felt like a chore. It was what I wish I could have spent more time doing. Some days are just busier than others, and today was one of those for me.

But if we give in to the day-to-day grind without including art, we never improve with our skills. For me, it seems the more I do, the more I WANT to do. Every day does matter so much- especially with art. I am so grateful to be able to express myself in this way.

Every Day in May #2- Dancin' Shoes

I was thinking today about how I am grateful in many ways for the opportunities my daughter has had through dance.

Beginning in Kindergarten or so, she started lessons in ballet, and has continued ballet and tap and progressed to pointe last year, five years after she first started.

She does really well in dance, and that's great. She loves it- that's the main thing. Will she make a career out of it when she gets older? Probably not. But I love that she has a positive activity that she can share with her friends at this confusing age, as she readies to enter her teen years.

Dance has made her body strong, has given her a good self image, and has afforded some great opportunities to dance with professional dancers in several versions of the Nutcracker- with the Miami City Ballet two years ago, and with the Moscow Ballet this past Christmas.

I decided to draw her pointe shoes, and tried something new for me here- I didn't pencil in any shapes first- just "went for it" with the Micron 05.

I have definitely been a "pencil and paper" gal myself. Drawing in graphite is my comfort zone, for sure. Hatching and crosshatching are somewhat new for me. Of course, I tried them long ago (you don't want to know how long ago) in college drawing classes, but I have never been a big fan of working that way myself.

Lately though, I gaze in awe at the fabulous pen and ink sketches I have seen in the EDM forums and elsewhere in some of the sketchbook pools on Flickr. It is pretty darn inspiring.

So I have decided that I too want to hatch and crosshatch! Yes! I can do it it! - at least I will try it and give it a go. I found out that it is pretty fun after all, especially when you throw a little watercolor on it.

I'm still behind in the EDinM challenge, and hope to do another sketch of gratefulness tonight. Yep- I'm grateful for the fun of art. Isn't art fun?

Every Day in May #1

I'm jumping on the "Every Day in May" bandwagon, along with many of my new acquaintances from the Every Day Matters forum.

I thought it would be fun to do daily sketches for things that crossed my mind that made me happy that day, so my theme is Gratitude.

I am a few sketches behind, since I am just beginning this on May 4th, but plan to do a few extra to "catch up" and get my 31 drawings done for my little Gratitude sketch journal.

I chose to start a new journal for this- a Handbook brand that is in the square format. So far so good, but I've just done the intro pages, so am counting that for Day 1. Kinda silly, kinda fun, nothing too deep today. I was thinking as I made dinner that I was grateful for olive oil. Hmm....