I haven’t been illustrating, though I have two things I need to work on. Right now, I just want to paint so…I paint. I started a succulence series awhile back and never did much with it. I’ve recently returned to my cacti and have re-fallen in love with them. Perhaps it’s the spring weather that draws me to paint those blooming prickly pear. Who knows, I’ve alway been fascinated by succulence. Below is a cacti I found in San Miguel. It was right outside my friends door. I was waiting for the shuttle to take me to Leon and found this wonderful cactus.
This painting is not finished. Just thought I would post the process.
close up the prickly pear.
Zoomed in a bit.
I’ve laid down the color for most of the pears, Now I start adding shadow, highlights and details like the linty spikes. That’s were the fun starts. I’ll post again when I’m further along.
My boys are finishing up their hockey this week. It’s always bitter sweet. I’m happy that I’m not always at the rink …in winter clothes (even though it’s 80 outside) But I will miss seeing my kids play on the ice. It’s really one of the highlights of my life. But now, I can’t complain that I don’t have any time. Trust me I’m still busy but with the new freedom, I will be writing and painting up a storm. Right? I’m going to enjoy this weekend …and
Ok, it’s Thursday, at 7:05 PM. I’m running out of time to post my illustration friday. The theme, time. Time… what does it mean? So many ways to interpret time. Time for an appointment, running late … running out of time..not enough time. Time and I are not friends. I’m greedy and never seem to have enough. How do you interpret something so elusive? This is how I feel about time.
I teach at a small charter school. I don’t want to go into it too much but our school needs every penny that they can get. For this reason, some extra perks that other schools get are simply out of our reach. For example, having authors and/or illustrators come for a school visit. This is a great opportunity for students to understand and appreciate the time and work that goes into making a picture book or YA novel. It connects the student to the artist perhaps even inspires a student to pursue a career in art or literature. You never know how something like that may impact a student. So, being a part of the illustration/writer community, I used my connections and asked my friend Don Tate if he could speak at our school. Here’s the kicker…I asked if he would speak gratis! This man, with his large heart, didn’t even hesitate and said yes. He came to our school last Friday. The kids sat amazed as Don read from some of the books he had illustrated. The highlight was when two students were chosen to come up from the crowd. They stood so still as Don drew their faces on superhero bodies. Their little faces beaming and I know that those kids will cherish that illustration for many years. Afterwards, our kids stood in a line to have their books signed. I never knew they could be so still and quiet, but for our Rock Star Don Tate, they were perfect. He had an impact on our school and I’m eternally grateful!
I cleaned my art room and decided to do a quick illustration for IF. The word is pale. Again, no pressure, just get something out. There is nothing amazing at all about the illustration (at all), but I find it funny. So there! I plan on resuming my Illustration Friday now that my pity party is over.
I cleaned my art room and decided to do a quick illustration for IF. The word is pale. Again, no pressure, just get something out. There is nothing amazing at all about the illustration (at all), but I find it funny. So there! I plan on resuming my Illustration Friday now that my pity party is over.