Ship Ahoy!

I was not familiar with Artist Trading Cards (ATC) when I was invited to join an ATC swap group through Ravelry, an online knit and crochet community, a few years ago. I had too many things going on at the time, so I didn't participate. One of the members recently contacted me and invited me to begin participating in the monthly swaps. Since I guess I have less going on these days, I decided to give it a shot.The size of these cards is the same as baseball and other trading cards, so you have to be able to think small. They can be done in any media and as creative as the artist wishes. The Ravelry ATC group members sign up each month if they want to participate, names are matched up (usually at least five per participant), then their finished cards are mailed out to the other participants. It is really fun to receive these little jewels in the mail.

Each month has a theme. Your cards should have something to do with the theme, but this is a rather laid-back group and there are theme options. The main purpose of the group is to have fun. One of the September themes was "Talk Like a Pirate" to commemorate International Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19. I decided on this Amazon parrot, inspired by a friend's longtime parrot companion, who might be saying "Ship Ahoy!" to the ship out on the water. Because of the small size, I had a little trouble keeping my hand still when I got around to trying to draw the ship in the distance. After practicing for a while, things got better and those are the ones I sent off to the other swappers this months. I kept this one as my example of this month's theme. (click on the red text for links for more information and on the photos because the cell phone format gets cropped on the right)



Here's the partially completed draft (I didn't get the full length of the card in the frame when I was making the pictures, so both edges got cut off)

And the finished card

The Lookout

This fellow was having a leisurely stroll on the fishing pier at Gulf Shores State Park when the wind picked up and he flew-hopped up onto the railing to get a look at the developing weather situation. Although fairly heavy rain was again headed our way, he did not seem concerned and just hopped down and continued strolling. The photo was made in July when we camped at the state park for a couple of days.

What We Have Here

is Yogi in full molt. I comb and comb and comb and comb. The other two buns make molting rather easy on me. Not so with Mr. Rexie. It brings back memories of all the years I saved Periwinkle's fur and blended it with wool for spinning. I called it Winkle Wool. Rex fur works like Angora, but is shorter. I believe that Yogi is producing a bumper crop of Yogi Wool.

The Original Photo

Oops! I meant to include the photo I took of the heron in the last post, but didn't get around to it. Here it is.

WIP

Working on a watercolor from a photo I made at Gulf Shores, AL back in July.

 Backlit shot of a Great Blue Heron in a gnarly old Live Oak tree at sunset at the state park campground. Still have some work to do, but it's getting there. I guess.

I'm thinking I might like it better in oils or acrylic, so I might do another one.

"Hey!!"

Yogi says  "What's a bun gotta do around here to get some fresh grub and a treat or two? And how 'bout some housekeeping while you're at it? "

(the electrical outlet on the wall is not as close to his enclosure as it appears in the photo; with the angle of the shot, it looks like his pen is about a foot wide, but it's actually about 5' x 2')

Yogi is doing well. He and Pants amuse themselves by playing a bit of tag when Yog's door is open. Pants passes a good bit of time reclining beside the enclosure and ventures inside when  the door is open if Yogi will allow it. I think they might become buddies.

The girls are coming along, but are still not quite themselves since the loss of Mopsy. Matilda is nipping ankles less and is interacting with the cats a bit more. Today she stopped by Yogi's enclosure and had some dialogue with him that consisted mostly of grumping at each other through the wire.

Gabby's progress is somewhat slower. She is still shy and a bit grumpy. She keeps to herself and quickly runs back into her space whenever any folk approach, buns and humans alike.

They all seem to get along better with one another outside where they are less territorial. Unfortunately, it has been either too hot for the buns to go outside or it's been raining. I guess things are just going to take time. In the meantime, I'd better go refresh everyone's hay, bring out the treats, and tidy up.

Watercolor Study

I'm trying watercolor again. It's been years since I've done any painting with it. The medium has always been difficult for me and I have been rather intimidated by it. I decided it's time for that to change. After working on a few paintings, I don't feel quite as uncomfortable with it, but I think it is no easier than before. After working on this study using a photo of a painting from an old artist's magazine, I could only say to my teacher "It's hard!" Her response would be a gentle chuckle and kind words of encouragement. I draw well when I practice, but have never felt competent as a painter.

Here's a photo of the original, a still life with a Roseville vase, fruit, and money plant (lunaria), 

and my version. [As usual, I've loaded these with the iPhone and the format cuts off part of the photo--click to view entire photo] Obviously, I changed the colors and the fruit. I also made some changes in the background because I did not want to attempt all that design in the drapery. I might continue to tweak it a little, but I think it's mostly finished--at least I am fairly happy with my version. Fairly happy.

Watercolor artists amaze me. These last few weeks have given me an even greater respect for their work.  I am fascinated by their skill and the way they manage the medium. I do not know if I will ever gain any proficiency with it, but working with it during this period of time in my classes has made me want to keep trying. I just hope that at some point in the course of these classes I will become more comfortable with my painting.