Popcorn

2.5"x3.5", artcard

Drawing with a pencil feels natural to me. Can't get more basic than a pencil and a piece of paper. It's the first thing they give you in kindergarten and it's the first thing I reach for when I feel the need to create. :) This is a very small drawing of my first harvested purple popcorn that I grew in my front yard. It might be the only ear that I get this season and although it's really tiny, it's a pretty one, isn't it? I'm drying it right now and maybe in a few weeks, I'll pop it. That will be an adventure!

Laua`e fern

2.5"x3.5", transparent watercolor

I have to admit that painting is not as fun as it used to be, and I miss those days when I could actually see what I was working on. I've needed reading glasses since last year and getting used to them has been a challenge. Then again, I have to remind myself that I can still see and that is something to be very grateful for. So, despite the urge to toss my reading glasses into the toilet :O (!), I decided to paint tonight. It felt good. BTW, laua`e fern is often used in lei.

Tulips for Reyna

2.5" x 3.5", Prismacolor colored pencil

For my friend Reyna U., who is a nurse doing one tough job! Hang in there girl! This one is for you! Hope it brings a smile to your face. *hugs*

Oh, hello!

2.5" x 3.5", colored pencil

`Ohelo kau la`au (Vaccinium calycinum), a native Hawaiian relative of blueberries, grows in the wet forests and bogs on all the main Hawaiian islands except Ni`ihau and Kaho`olawe.

PS: How boring! When I posted this at 1:30 am, my brain was jello and believe me, saying something witty or interesting was the farthest from my mind. I was thinking "pillow." LOL Thanks for stopping by and leaving me comments! They always mean a lot to me! :D Have a great day peeps!

Illustration Friday: Artificial

2.5" x 3.5" artcard

Aren't all tree-climbing goats of Morocco most happy when they are balancing on artificial trees with pipes spewing what not? Don't ask. LOL

Evening silliness

each 2.5" x 3.5"

It's good to be silly once in a while.

Illustration Friday: Double

artcard, 2.5" X 3.5"

Laysan albatrosses have got to be the coolest birds on Earth! They're really inquisitive so they'd stop by for a visit when I'd hang out at Mokuleia Beach Park on Oahu, hovering a mere 10-15 ft overhead. They have a 13-ft wingspan so it is a pretty impressive visit, if you know what I mean. Not only are they cool-looking but they mate for life, staying together for the time it takes to raise a chick and return year after year to the same nest and same mate to do it all over again! (And yes, males and females look alike!)

artcard, 2.5" X 3.5"

Juvenile albatrosses look like a cross between a chick and an adult and are really goofy looking. Laysan albatrosses are vulnerable to longline fisheries and ingestion of floating plastics, including land-bound threats like cats, dogs, pesky Big-headed ants, etc. For more information, check out Joan Goes Green, where I share some pics taken on Kauai by a friend of mine.

Under and over

When things got tough, I used to crawl under a pumpkin cherry bush ...

I've been experiencing a bit of a creative dry spell lately and I can't really put my finger on the reason. I think we all go through that once in a while. But today, my fingers itched to put this on paper. I can't explain why or how it came to be, but this is what they produced. It reminded me of important things.

Illustration Friday: Ripple

pen and watercolor, 2.5"x3.5"

(SOLD)

A black-bellied whistling ducking, rippling through the water, rushes toward its mother and toward safety. Unfortunately, this little one is just one of the countless animals affected by the Deep Water Horizon Gulf oil spill and its fate will be sealed if it comes into contact with the oil. What can we do to help?

This art card will be donated to Kelly Light's Ripple blog and sold for $10 to benefit The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies and The International Bird Rescue Research Center. If you'd like the card for a $10 donation, please look for it on Kelly's blog. Kelly, driven to help with the cleanup effort and saving our wildlife, started selling her sketch cards for $10 each and donated the proceeds to these two organizations. Quickly, other artists joined her efforts shows us that we can each play a part in the cleanup. As of today, Kelly has raised over $1,350! You go girl! Please help with the effort and consider donating for a card on Kelly's blog. Thanks!

Roostering

watercolor

(SOLD)

My pet chicken has a father! I met this rather handsome rooster (Lily's father) at the Farmer's Market where "Jus' Tom", the local silkie chicken guy was carrying him around town. He was looking rather regal so I got a couple shots of him before he padded away.

Watercolor on Arches, cold press, 140 lb.

Life

Hi all! Just want to let you all know that I am actually back to drawing. I hope you don't give up on me! Will be posting some new stuff soon ...

I just had to show you some pics of my sweet chickies. They are 1 month old right now and if you have had chickens, you realize how sweet I am on these fuzzy butts. :) They've been keeping me busy. If you're interested in seeing the progression from egg to now, check out my Joan Goes Green blog. See you again soon! *hugs*

For Danny and Jack...

It is with a sad heart that I report that Danny Gregory's wife, Patti, passed away on Thursday. Danny started Everyday Matters, a drawing group that has inspired thousands to pick up their pencils and draw, including me and I owe him so much! My heart aches over what he and his son, Jack must be going through now and my eyes have been filled with tears since I heard the news. My heart goes out to both of them and their families. I pray their hearts and soul will find comfort and peace through this very difficult time. Praying for you ...

Road find

Is anyone like me? Do you pick up interesting and sometimes dead things to take a closer look later? When I saw this while walking around the neighborhood, the biologist in me instantly thought, "Oh goodie!" I also picked up a fluorescent blue fly and a penny! I'm such a nerd and I can't help it!

EDM Challenge #234 - Something that belongs to someone else

Aren't kids' toys the best? These little buggers are my friend's son's ... and of course Aunty Jo had fun playing with them too! The little giraffe is a finger puppet and the frog ... apparently, is a chew toy (he's teething). I added a little bit of watercolor to the pen sketch in my moleskine; it accepts color, if applied carefully.

EDM Challenge #250 - Something I got for free

A few tomato seedlings came up in my worm bin after I had thrown some tomatoes out. I transplanted the little seedlings and months later, I have huge plants dripping with plump, luscious tomatoes, fertilized with my vermicompost, of course. One of the plants produced yellow tomatoes! I love when I get free stuff like this! (Transparent watercolor on Arches, cold press, 140lb.)

EDM #253 - Draw your socks

Felt like a quick sketch tonight, nothing planned, nothing serious. Just an ordinary pair of socks on the floor ...

If you feel the urge to draw but have a creative block, Everyday Matters group is a great way to overcome your hurdle. Everyone meets at the Everyday Matters Yahoo group and California artist Karen Winters provides the EDM list on her blog site. A new subject is posted each week. Start at number 1 or start at 256 or anywhere between, at your own pace, in your own medium. Pretty much anything goes. When you're done, you may post your work on the Flicker EDM group site after you've joined. It's easy and fun! All levels welcome! Come draw with us! :D (PS: I'd like to acknowledge Danny Gregory who started the group)

Daisy girl

Chickens are funny-lookin' creatures, aren't they? Daisy is a "blue" (but really black) Japanese silkie chicken ... all fluff and tons of personality. She is sitting very quietly on a little non-fertile egg day after day and I'd hate to tell her that it is to no avail. She looks serious, doesn't she? She'd be a good momma, that one.

Kamoamoa

Transparent watercolor on cold press Arches, 140lb, 26x36cm (Sincerest apologies for the blurry photo). :)

I've been obsessed by rocks lately, huh? The layers of red cinder between layers of gray pahoehoe rock was obvious in the sea cliffs of Kamoamoa, down by the ocean in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Pretty fascinating for a naturalist-type. Plus, the sound of waves crashing on the rocks is still in my ears and salty sea breezes still in my nose. It's a lovely spot.

Pahoehoe rock sketch

Spent the day at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and found beautiful forms of pahoehoe rock doing their "dance" at the coast. Thought I'd share this quick sketch I did of the rocks and some pretty beach naupaka plants (Scaevola sericea) (from my reference pics).

More drawings to come, I promise! :)