Sketchbook updates..........................

These ones don't show so well as they are just pencil sketches so far. I was doing coloured pencil but I don't care for it that much. SO for now I will sketch and maybe colour later.

I have to say here that I am copying pictures off of Pinterest. Purely for practice. If I do work to frame or whatever then it has to be my own work and ideas. Here in my sketchbook for me anything goes.

I am trying to work on the human form, be it cartoon or realality its getting proportion. That's why I am using Pinterest, to find examples to try to emulate.






I have a very hard time with masculine figures and faces


Proportions are also a challenge

I enjoy doing faces



The beginnings of an elephant. They have a lot of wrimnkles, this will take awhile.

I did a lot more but this will do.

Sketchbook updates................

Some I have shown before maybe, but I finished them and am done with that book. I started another but its on drawing paper and so I am colouring with coloured pencils. Not liking it much.
Most of these are watercolour. Nothing spectacular but I will share anyway.



I borrowed the next one from someone, well the idea anyway. I was trying to get the shine on the shell and I do quite like it



Most of these do not photo well as all I do is a quick shot without setting them up properly


I am not doing anything in any sort of order, nothing is organized. I am just doing a rough draft of ideas. At some point I may go back and actually pick some of the ideas up and do proper pictures,





In most cases I am still not trying for realism here. I want to get the idea of more childlike pictures with the idea of maybe illustrating. To do that I must loosten up. Depending on what I decide to do in the end. Probably nothing but I am enjoying the process



I do enjoy doing simple faces







I know I am posting a lot this time and some is already familiar but rather than sort them I am just putting them out here.















A couple of Haiku thrown in



Thats it.........thank goodness. This Winter I am thinking of making some painted stones. I have loads of ideas but will it get done. Tristen is in school all day now, well I have to leave at 2.30 but thats still a bit of free time. Then again I also want to quilt and do other sewing projects so who knows how this Winter will go. Meanwhile I am still making the most of whats left of summer

Nifty thrifty.........

I have to do a short post on my last Thrift shop find.
Gerry had to go to the dentist and it was right next to where we get the poodles groomed so.......that means it was near my thrift shop.
I had to go in.

These lovely crystal dessert cups. I just had to have them for just 8 dollars'

There was a nice set of planters for my kitchen window. I think I will get some African violets for the winter

Not one but two little houses. One a coffee house and the other, hmmmmm just a house. Eventually they can be made into garden ornaments but for now they have a place in the house.


Next and I think last of that haul was this little stone planter. That will go outside and maybe put an ivy in it later. I cant have any more things in the house.
I am so over gardening right now so I have not done anything with it this year. The ivy all needs to go in the garden so no point but it is rather sweet.

Thats it folks.....all for this time. I am wanting to go back......I have the urge. Maybe this week.

Beach treasures......

In between everything that was happening this summer we went beach combing. I think I have written about us collecting Petoskey stones often enough. Well we did that and got pretty big hauls.

The above was a small amount of what we got most days that we went. Petoskey stones are only found in this area. So they say. It is an extinct coral that used to live here in Lake Michigan. People make jewelry and keepsakes from it. I just like to find it. I am thinking of trying to make a few things this winter though. I would like to make some jewelry but the process seems complicated. I did buy a little drill though. It's the polishing and cutting that is daunting.
The other thing we really got excited about was the "Leland Blue" ..........well, here's the story. The Leland blue is simply slag. It comes from the process of smelting iron. In the late 1800s a whole boat load was dumped into the lake near Leland. They have over time washed up on the beaches. Some of it in the form of slag.

The stones are rough and full of bubbles. Some though is washed up as pebbles and are found in aqua, blue, green, purple and turquoise,

These are much sought after now. It's sort of ironic because years ago I had loads of them. I threw most away because I knew it was just slag. I also know a place to find them in the UP. I want to go and get a load. Not sure if I can do it this year though.
As well as stones we pick up beach glass. Realize that people mostly use plastic now. Glass bottles are not allowed on beaches any more and so beach glass is becoming rare. Its fun to find.

Anyway, the search is the fun part.

This is a piece of local made jewelry made from Petoskey stone and Leland Blue with Silver. I don't know the artist but I would like to have it

I will use my drill and see what I can make myself but I am going to look for something like the one above because I will never be able to do that myself.