E.D.M. Challenge #3

A while ago I promised myself that I would do all of the "every day matters" challenges in order to keep the creative juices flowing. I puttered out after the first two. Mustering up my resolve, I have moved onto #3 (Draw a wallet, purse or bag.) This is a sketch of my watercolor bag. I've had this old rawhide bag since my mission in Brazil and have been storing brushes, watercolors, gouache, and pens in it for the last few years. It's been through the ringer...

A visit to the park...

Today we made an excursion to the park. It let the kids run around and go crazy, and also let the parents sit around and enjoy the shade, the green, the squirrels and not being cooped up in our house.
I did a quick journaling page while I was there, and was unable to completely finish the sketch. I added text just to fill up the area a bit.

Wood pile...

Today was Memorial Day and we spent the evening in our friend's backyard surrounded by our family and other friends from the neighborhood. It was a good evening eating, chatting, relaxing and watching the children play, get dirty and run, run, run.
I was fascinated with the woodpile by the fire and decided to whip out a sketch of the various shadows on the logs. This is what resulted:

The great chicken dilemma....

I've recently been trying to convince my wife of my genius surrounding my chicken dreams. You can read about my attempts on my writing site. I did this painting tonight after being thwarted.

Fiver

I have been reading "Watership Down" by Richard Adams for our book club. I'm about half way through the book and am enjoying it. There have been a few passages that have been extremely thoughtful, particularly when the little adventurers happen upon a warren that is seemingly paradisaical, yet is really a grouping of rabbits that have gone against their nature for luxury and are willing to pay the price of a farmer killing them off here and there.

"The rabbits became strange in many ways, different from other rabbits. They knew well enough what was happening. But even to themselves they pretended that all was well, for the food was good, they were protected, they had nothing to fear but the one fear; and that struck here and there, never enough at a time to drive them away. They forgot the ways of wild rabbits. They forgot El-ahrairah, for what use had they for tricks and cunning, living in the enemy's warren and paying his price?"

As promised in other posts, I am continuing the tradition of illustrating something from every book that I read. Here is the sketch I did of "Fiver", a character in Watership Down.

Japanese "INK" drawing

As previously mentioned, I am participating in the Moleskine Exchange #24, which has been pretty fun. I got my first exchange in the mail the other day from Kerstin in Germany. She wanted to keep a "Japanese" theme for her sketchbook, so I pondered and puzzled about something along that line. I kept thinking of squid, ink drawings, etc. This is what resulted. The scan didn't come out as good as I'd have hoped, but it's fun to see how everything starts blending together in this project.

Moleskine Exchange 24

Recently I was invited to participate in an international sketchbook swap where we send Japanese Accordion Style Moleskine Pocket Notebooks around the world filled with sketches. I WAS STOKED TO BE INVITED. This little post is my homage to "Japanese Accordion Style" (I know, it's pretty cheesy, but I had fun doing it.)

A Grief Observed...

Yesterday marked the 7th anniversary of my father's passing. Time is only beginning to heal make the loss less painful, yet, the path of grieving has been enlightening. Tonight I tried to catch some of the feelings of lonliness, and insight in this little sketch. I've blogged a few more of my feelings on my writing blog.
Can you relate?