Illustration Friday - Chicken

There once was a little girl, who loved animals so much! One summer, she went with her family to grandma's farm. Grandma had recently gotten four new chickens, but they had yet to lay any eggs. She said to the little girl's mother, "if they don't start laying soon, they're going to become our dinner". Well, this would certainly not do! thought the little girl. I have to do something to save the chickens!

So she devised a little plan. Every morning, she would sneak some eggs from the house to the barn, then she would come running inside saying 'look what I found!'.
Mother and grandmother were pleasantly surprised that the chickens started earning their keep.
This went on for a few days.  How strange though,  that the amount of eggs  in the bowl on the table never seemed to increase, considering 3 or 4 new eggs would be brought out from the barn.

Ahhh, finally the women got wise to the trickery of the little girl!
So were the chickens safe? well, they were while the little girl was there. She would throw a crying fit if anyone even mentioned having them for dinner. What happened after she went back home? who knows, but at least for a few weeks, they were safe......

and that my friends, is the basis of my Illustration Friday painting, called 'Save the chickens'. I know it's Thursday, but I had to get it finished before the deadline. As soon as I heard this week's theme, I knew I had to illustrate it.
Oh, and the above story is true, I'm sure you know who the little girl was, lol!

thanks for reading
xoxo

Illustration Friday - Beneath

It's Halloween night, and two baby owls fearlessly move through the forest beneath the candle light.

 Hello Friends. I really wanted to illustrate this week's topic, and had a mermaid in mind, but alas, I was afraid I would run out of time. So here is an ACEO I just finished today which fits the topic perfectly I think.

It's now official, I am a terrible blogger. I keep meaning to update, but when I get here I feel there's nothing interesting to say. I'm still reading my favorite blogs, just not updating my own, lol!

The above sketch is what I was hoping to add to Illustration Friday, she is  a mermaid, but she is not done yet. I pictured in my mind a murky background, with her face obscured with color, but not sure when I can get to it. So many other things to do.

Today I started decorating for Halloween. I brought out my skeleton and ghost tealights, and a pumpking which lights up when you plug it in.. There is fall garland, and lots of seasonal candles for display. Can't forget the purple and orange lights!
In one month, the Halloween stuff gets put away, and I start preparing for my favorite holiday of all, Christmas! Would you think I was strange if I admited that I played Christmas music yesterday, haha! I stopped after 2 songs, I didn't want to get sick of them already :-)

Coming soon will be some witch paintings for Halloween.
Thanks for putting up with this absent blogger (yup, that's me).
xoxo

Illustration Friday - Star Gazing

Hello friends.  I couldn't resist this weeks topic at Illustration Friday. I had a great idea for last weeks, but never got to it on time, and was determined to not miss this one. I'm still working on my watercolor skills, I'd like to be more loose and playful, not always controlled.
Here's a tip for anyone wanting to practice with watercolor:   never paint on 90lb watercolor paper without stretching it first. This painting buckled big time!

Illustration Friday - Magnify

Adriana pleaded with her mom not to leave her alone on her first day of school. Having moved to a foreign country where she didn't speak the language magnified her fear.

I hope this isn't a stretch for this week's Illustration Friday word. I originally set out to draw something in my journal for back to school, and thought, hey, this might work! I remembered my own first day of school, and yes, I was thrown into a school where I couldn't speak English, so I totally relate to this little characters fear, lol!

Illustration Friday - Hollow

We are the hollow men....
is the first line from T.S. Elliot's poem titled 'The hollow men'. This week's Illustration Friday topic was a tough one for me to illustrate. I had a hard time deciding how to show 'hollow, so I went with this quick sketch, and I mean 'quick' sketch. This will never be mistaken for fine art, haha!
I made a commitment to attempt each weeks theme, and I wasn't about to be beaten by a little word.
So here are my 'hollow' men (and one woman) trudging off to work.

Illustration Friday - Shaky

This weeks topic for Illustration Friday is the word 'shaky'. It took me a while to figure out how to illustrate this one, but eventually came up with this quick little drawing showing how some of us would feel if we didn't get our morning coffee.

I would recommend joining Illustration Friday, it forces you to stretch yourself artistically. This is out of my comfort zone, but maybe if I stick with it, the ideas will come much easier. It's also a good way to kick your butt if you find yourself in a slump :-)

Illustration Friday - Worn

I've been wanting to join 'Illustration Friday' for a while now, and finally did. The word for this week is 'worn' and this is my interpretation. It is a small mixed media drawing in my art journal.

The first idea that came to my mind for this weeks topic was a young woman worn out by life. It was only after I finished, that I noticed what the collage paper used on her dress said. Very appropriate :--D