Day 6: Sole pepper

Here is my thought on green peppers: They are the ugly ducklings of the vegetable world. Leave them on the bush, wait a long while and the boring pepper will eventually turn into a luscious red, sweet, and rather expensive pepper worthy of the prettiest salad.

This sweet red pepper is destined for the dinner plate!

Day 4: Grapefruit

Insomnia is great for my drawing commitments! I'm on day 4 of 75 of my sketch challenge and I'm finding my joy again.

10-minute sketch

Just a quick sketch in my good ole moleskine before I head off to bed. G'night ya'll!

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 #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)

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! :)

Textures study

Using a pen definitely has its challenges, including capturing textures and I surely needed some practice so this is it. I had such a fun time with it that I may start another texture study tonight! (Click on the image to see it larger)

Daisies are everywhere

One of the wonderful things of summer is the daisies that fill my little daisy garden. 

Last piece

I've been savoring my last pieces of Godiva chocolate that my friends Leon and sweet Sunshine sent me. Yummm, creamy dark chocolate! This is the very last piece of my stash and while I held off biting off pieces so I could draw it, it is now safely tucked away in my belly. LOL

A time for work ... a time for play

I have this pretty planter in my living room, which stands about a meter tall and am still looking for the perfect plant to put in it. Being a lazy Saturday, it was really nice to bust open my moleskine this morning and break the drawing block I've been struggling with the past several months. In the meantime, I've been getting outside and enjoying the blue skies and warm weather we've been having ... which has been pretty rare lately.

Ernie and my 50,000th visitor

Ernie was just lying around the house today. My Godson was over and I found this on the living room floor, under a chair and figured what the heck, I'll draw it as is.

Thank you everyone for all your visits. I'm having a glass of wine to celebrate my 50,000th visitor. Whoever you are, thank you! This one's for you.

A Smart Computing Interview!

A few months ago, I was approached by a writer from Sandhill Publishing and invited to be interviewed for the November issue of Smart Computing magazine that featured art-related websites! I was so thrilled to come home from my vacation to a package that held a couple copies of the magazine with this Drawing on Nature Artblog featured in the "That's News to You" section (green box) on page 41! You may read the article if you subscribe or just google "Joan Yoshioka" and "Smart Computing."

The article shows three drawings, my tropical flowers in colored pencil, Shaggy the dog in watercolor, and my Star Wars figurines in pen. I was quick to call my friend to let her know that her dog is featured in a national magazine! Of course, the world is now privy to my little-known Star Wars obsession, but I figured that is just a small price to pay! LOL.

Thanks Kris Glaser! (the very professional writer who was so generous to send me the magazines and so pleasant to deal with).

Garlic, anyone?

While sitting at the kitchen table with Kate on my last night in Illinois, we began drawing potatoes and garlic that we had saved just for the occasion. It was fun but also bittersweet, knowing I had to leave bright and early the next day. I finished up the drawing on the plane back to Hawaii and you can see what Kate finished later, here. This special time was such a nice way to cap a very, very special trip.

Chicago waterfront

Chicago is gorgeous in September! I had some time to myself so I stationed myself at the end of a walkway, sat with some gulls, and drew for a bit in my moleskine. I added the color after I got home. Looking at this drawing, I can practically smell the ocean, er, uhmm, Lake (heh heh, thanks Kate), and the sound of the waves lapping the sides of the boats and gulls flying about. :)

A smile that lights up a room

I was able to capture Sunshine's sweet repose with this quick sketch as she lay at Kate's feet while Kate worked on her latest illustration project late one night.

Peeking allowed

Thought I'd give you a peek of my Moly X9 entry in Scoach's accordian moleskine. The full layout and other member's drawings are here. Thankfully, my team members have not hung me out to dry for holding up two molys. *smiling meekly*

Thanks everyone who has been of great support to me the past few months. Since April, I have had an issue with an ovarian cyst that has caused me to rethink my life. Apparently, it is not an uncommon thing for women *ehem* my age, but my cyst caused me to bleed heavily for a month and a half ... continually (too much info perhaps?)! Ok, and then there were the cancer scares, serious anemia, and getting sick as a result a few times the past two months. I am recovering right now and on five medications (I feel like a walking medicine cabinet!). So, that is the scoop. Sorry for being a poop and posting only a couple drawings the past month. That was about all I could handle. But, I'm eating better now, exercising, and feeling much, much better. The road to recovery is so sweet.

Thank you everyone for your emails and calls! Makes me feel glad to know I have friends out there that care. *hugs*

Day 17 of 21: iPhone envy

I have iPhone envy. Don't get me wrong, I love my wonderfully pink Blackberry. I mean, shouldn't all phones be pink? But come on! How can I possibly not love hybrid maps, that beautifully large screen that is yearning for my touch (it is a touch screen after all), easy access to my email, and pinch zooming! I LOVE pinch zooming! I feel like I am having an affair ... with an iPhone that I do not have. Ugh, talk about unrequited love! Here is a 15-min quickie of my presently underloved Blackberry. I think that is a tear in the corner ... : (

Day 16 of 21: Branch of `ohi`a (EDM 145: Tree in Autumn)

Can you see the little lacewing on the branch? Ok, they are not that large in reality but that's the beauty of drawing, right? Give me an inch of creative license and I just might take a mile! :)

I'm baaaaack! (Everyday Matters #122: Something where shade is prominent)

Ah, I've missed the smell of a newly sharpened pencil! It felt so good to have a pencil in my hand the past couple days! Drawing this plant from my front yard has done wonders for my spirit and disposition. Goodness knows what the name is tho' ... but I'm pretty sure it is in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). In times like this, a botany degree comes in handy. It's good to be back folks! I look forward to continuing and completing my 21-day creative drawing challenge!

Day 11 of 21: Garden guardian

At this very moment, I am staring at a mynah bird nest about 4 ft from me, just outside my window. As I sit and write this, a pair is setting up home, happily gurgling, screeching, warbling, and making all kinds of kooky noises. I thought about dismantling the nest but I'm afraid I'll suffer the karmic consequences! Although I now know I have to tolerate their incessant racket, I can't complain. They will have to tolerate my repeated playing of James Blunt's newest CD long into the night! I figure we're even.

This is my entry for the International Moleskine Exchange with my group (Moly_x_9). I'm including the cover of Stephanie Sicore's moleskine cuz I think it's just FAB! This one is off to Laura (Laurelines) tomorrow. Oh, if you want a better scan of my drawing, you can check it out here.