Container Garden (Creative Tuesdays)

Remember me telling you about that lil' lemon plant? Well, voila, here it is! This time I decided to do a watercolour which is my least favourite medium to work in. (I don't know how Alex does it!) In fact, I asked her to start laying down the initial wash for me on top of my sketch and then I went back in, adding more colour, depth, contrast, and inking the line work, etc. (Less daunting that way.)

Now, as for what the other two side mason jars* have planted in them, I have no idea. Anyway, these three live happily on the windowsill, giving us a sense of "garden" from our very own kitchen. A lot easier to maintain too, let me tell you. It's pretty hard to kill off succulents, for starters. :)

So, did any of you try your hand at succulents too or perhaps some other varieties?

* These jars were all happy finds, procured at our favourite local thrift store, no less.

Lazy Days of Summer

For this Creative Tuesday theme, I wanted to do something totally different for "summer" where one might expect something brighter, using "hot" colours perhaps. Before starting then, I picked up some blue paper at the art store, providing a cooler shade for the scene forming in my head. I also had this urge to try my hand at charcoal for this piece. Using traditional charcoal sticks allowed me to draw looser, "lazy" flowing lines quickly, then all I had to do was use a white charcoal pencil for highlights and what have you.

Other than running out to grab some spray fixative, this whole thing took me about 45 minutes to draw, including the initial pencil sketch beforehand! Inspiration, I tell ya. It reminded me of the days doing quick charcoal figure drawings way back when, except this time I had no model! (Well, OK, I did ask Alexandra to pose with a broom stick briefly to capture how the boy's right hand might look; the same with the left, although no ice lolly in hand, mind you — didn't want our little Brendel jumping up with excitement!)

Speaking of excitement, today is Alex's birthday. Ironically enough for summer, we're bundling up in lumberjack shirts for a quick drive to the mountains for breakfast and a morning coffee then perhaps a walk around one of the lakes up there.  Yes, it is actually starting to cool here this week. It's meant to be 67F in the mountains with rain (20 Celsius). How absolutely divine. :)

Picnic (Creative Tuesdays)

I so enjoyed drawing the hedgehog last time round that I decided to explore how a family of them might enjoy their very own picnic up on some grassy knoll somewhere. Those fat little hedgies are so plump and cute. I want to poke their soft bellies, watching their needles stick occasionally to the picnic blanket as they endlessly bounce up and down, much to their parents delight and laughter too. Can't you just imagine their darling squeals of delight? :)

Time to check out what other picnic offerings the rest of this co-op has offered.... With a whole extra week, who knows what we will find?!