Four More Work Weeks to Full Retirement, In the Meantime ...

Semi retirement continues. I work parts of three days a week, seeing clients in my counseling practice. I love my work, and I used to joke I'd die in my chair. But finally decided not to let that happen. (I hope it won't happen in the next four weeks! I feel fine!) Instead I've been looking around to add to my already very arty life for new things to do.

I have a call into my grandkids (age 12) art teacher at their school. I want to volunteer in her class starting once a month and maybe more often ... it's a 45 minute drive from my home. But it would include a day with grandkids, probably taking them to their soccer games on the day(s) I am there and having dinner with them afterwards at my daughters home.

I also talked to a woman at the local knit shop (in Winters, CA) and she  told me they meet on Mondays to make quilts for charity. That sounded like a good way to be with like minded people.

Of course I will continue drawing at Starbucks and Barnes & Noble. And my Sktchy portraits at home.

Speaking of which here's one for you.

A few Sundays ago we went to Sacramento, CA to the theater. I hadn't been in a very long time. I have a very talented cousin named Donald Corren, who lives and preforms in New York City and his show, On The Town,  came to our area so we went. It was a fun musical and I drew these two young women who were also waiting in the on call area for their tickets before show time.

This gentleman was fun to draw on the Sktchy App.
I'm enjoying playing with my Copic markers experimenting with different skin tones. He let me know he was pleased with the results.

These women were at Starbucks. I'm not sure what they are discussing. But I am guessing they are all retired too as it was a work day. Or maybe not. Maybe just on a lunch break.

This next one was a very fun experience at Starbucks. This guy sat across from me while I was drawing people behind him. He motioned with his head and eyes as if to day: "Are you going to draw me next?"
So I did. He was very occupied on his cell phone and I doubt was much aware that he was actually being drawn. But I showed it to him afterwards and he said he loved it. He asked to take a photo of it. But he wanted to know why his head looked like a potato. I said it was just my wonky style. He sent a copy to his daughter. We had a nice conversation and he signed the drawing for me too.

Meanwhile back at home on my Sktchy App. on my iPhone. This guys wife made him this hat and I was very pleased, as was he, at how well I could replicate it.

I loved her wonderfully fun smile.

Here are some women talking about me as I draw them ...

And another Sktchy woman.

Okay, time to brag. Sktchy gives out "Picks" and I have had a few. This is my latest! It feels very nice to have one's art chosen in this way. It's the equivalent of finding a blue ribbon on your drawing at the art gallery or county fair!

I have started top sewing free motion style on the grandson's monster quilt. My next door neighbor lent me one of her sewing machines that is a little larger than mine making the quilt easier to sew on at this stage. I am so appreciative of her generosity. The free motion sewing seems much more user friendly on her machine too.

Here are more examples of what it's like to draw on a quilt which in turns Quilts it.

I like finding photos to draw in Sktchy that have interesting facial expressions. I am sure you will agree with me that she fills that bill just perfectly.

 

Today I drew all six of the young women sitting across from me at Starbucks. I am pretty sure they knew I was drawing them, but none of them came to ask or check it out. Just as well, as when they left it was still in black and white and didn't have the life color gives it yet.

On another note I am back to making vegan, non-dairy N'ice Cream. That bowl full below on the book is what I ate today. Very creamy and very delicious.
I took a little from a few different recipes so if you want to try this at home you pop in a food processor or good blender the following:

1 13.5 oz. can of organic coconut milk. Put in the refrigerator the day before and then only use the solid creamy part.
2 cups of frozen organic strawberries
1 frozen banana (optional)
3-4 Teaspoons of organic maple syrup for sweetener
(I used 3, I could have used less as the fruit is already sweet to my taste)
1 Tbsp. of nut butter (also optional)
I added: A handful of almonds, and 2 squares of dark chocolate from a bar of Ghirardelli Raspberry Chocolate.  I like a little chocolate and crunch in my N'ice Cream.

  Bon Appetite.

 

Have a wonderful week. I am late in posting this week. I had way more art I could have posted, but I hope you enjoy the ones I chose for you.

 

Have a very Creative WEEK and thanks for coming by. I appreciate your comments as they inspire me to keep drawing.

 

Four more weeks till I am fully retired. Oh, did I already say that? :-)

Urban Sketches, Portraits and My 200th Portrait for Sktchy!

 

 

 

Today we went to Barnes & Noble Café where I drew patrons. This lady was with a guy, but he kept getting up and leaving and coming back and leaving and finally they left together. Just so you know.

 

 

She came in and ate a nice little piece of cake with her coffee and then got up and left.

But stayed long enough to draw her. I'm fast now so they don't have to stay long.

 

My husband was my next victim (or model) as he sat across the room from me drinking his coffee and reading the newspaper. I caught the guy above him too.

 

 

This couple had the honor of being the last drawing in the art journal I started in March and finished on Wednesday. April, 12, 2017. Took just a bit over one month to fill it.

 

This was a day I chose a bag of markers and crayons from my bag to use different that my usual tools. Something for variety sake.

 

Another day, another Starbucks. Long lines, oh yes, it was on Sunday last.

These guys were there too. When they got done they shook hands in a sort of knocking knuckles thing and each turned his hat the opposite direction. Not at all sure it that was significant of anything, or if it was totally unconscious acts on both of their parts. Your guess is as good as mine.

And then there are the Sktchy portraits I am doing one a night. The challenge is Sktchy30, one a day for each day in April. But I am sure I will continue it.

 

We are drawing to themes. This one was the use of a quote.

This one was "Storytelling".

 

This one was using a medium I don't generally use. So I chose water soluble pencils and pastel crayons, which I had not used in a very long time.

 

The theme here was "frustration". I thought this guy was a teenager and we all know how frustrating that can be. However, he later told me he isn't one. He looked very young in his photo.

 

Do you recognize her? She's me. Theme was "Selfie". I did three.

 

 

And my (DRUM ROLL) 200th portrait done this evening is to the them of a cause that matters to me. I chose Black Lives Matter!

This one was last week at Barnes & Noble Café.

 

And another Starbucks fellow.

And last but not least the Garden ladies, or so I dubbed them. They were really enjoying themselves and me drawing them.

That's it for me this week to date. I wish you a very Creative Week ahead. Have fun drawing, painting, creating in whatever ways you do that. HPPF too.

Thanks for coming by. Your support and encouragement keeps me drawing.

My Arty Week in Portraits and Urban Sketches

This week I will start by sharing four Sktchy Portraits from the Sktchy App. I do these relaxed in my recliner at night, often while watching TV. Or the TV is on in the background, as I do pay full attention to my art journal as I am drawing. It's very meditative for me.

This is "Big Al", a California artist, who said he loved what I did with his photo.

I'm really having fun with backgrounds as you can see ...

And I love, love, love focusing on fabrics like the folds in her head scarf.

Needless to say the background on this purple/pink/redhead's photo was a true challenge and one I enjoyed immensely.

Then during the mornings of my week I have time to stop in coffee shops where I draw the other folks there, embellishing colors sometimes, and of course putting thoughts in their heads and words in their mouths.

Sometimes it's  a body position that catches my eye, or a bright red hat ...

And sometimes it's just the next person my eye finds along the wall or at the tables in front of me, who gets chosen.

 

It's fun to make up conversations they may or may not be having ...

And sometimes those thoughts and words come from my own experiences and from what's on my mind at that particular time.

It's definitely spring in California. I've been planting in my vegetable garden, pulling weeds, and thinking of more things I can plant in containers. I found three wire bowls at the thrift store today and will fill them with those inserts and add dirt and maybe some strawberry plants or tomatoes that can spill over their sides after I hang them on my fence over my veggie garden.

These women were more interested in the colors of the season ... And almost everyone has changed their black coats for more colorful outer wear.

Except this woman below, who may or not be a spy. I think she probably isn't, but again the stuff in the NEWS gets stuck in my brain when I write these things.

I wish you a creative week to come. Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for your comments that are the fuel that keeps me drawing.

My Crazy MIxed up Week

 

WELCOME to my blog this week. I load photos from my iPhone using a Blogger App because all my photos are now on my phone; it's a slow process and it gives me lots of headaches (error messages, "try again") But here I am and here they are, NOT in the order they were drawn this time, but here nonetheless.

 

Drawings  #1  #2 and  #3 were all drawn today at Barnes & Noble Café.

 

The two ladies in the first drawing are regulars. I overheard their conversation while greeting a third woman momentarily, and heard said something to the effect that told me they were all "Writers"! So NOW I know what they have been up to all these months that I have observed them working together there on their computers. I have drawn both of these two many times before. You may even recognize them by now.

 

 

 

These two guys are also a couple I have drawn numerous times before as well. I am sure they now recognize me too. I have no idea if they realize I am drawing them or not.

And these two guys were new to me. I haven't got a clue what they were doing, but it looked like work.

My eye was drawn to all the gardening books behind them, as you can see.
I have become an avid gardener myself since this past summer and our new landscaping.

Meanwhile I am also continuing to draw from the Sktchy App on my iPhone. I like drawing from those photos of people. It's fun when they see my renditions of themselves and tell me they like them.

I did both of these portraits last night sitting in my recliner in front of the TV.

The day before we were in Starbucks in Dixon where I saw these two women chatting away.

Drawers License allows me to put words in their mouths and thoughts in their heads.

 



And this woman, who had extreme hair was begging to be drawn.

 It was truly mind boggling HIGH!

The night before last I drew a few more Sktchy folks.

 

Earlier in the week I drew this handsome fellow. He really liked it.

And this guy had a distorted photo of himself much like a distorted photo I had of my self so I drew us both as a couple. He said we were  "cute".

 

Back at Starbucks on a different day these two lovely young ladies were busy at their laptops.

And this woman had a tall orange knit cap that caught my eye.

This fellow was busy blending into the background.

These two women were actually at the same table talking to each other, but sometimes I miss place a person on my page so they get their own separate table.

 

Another Sktchy person, who I think I got a very good likeness of. I don't often do that, but am pleased that this time I did. I guess it can happen.

 

Another day another Starbucks in town this time, was busy.

More Sktchy models. I have drawn her twice before. I am mesmerized by her look.

 

Vin is on Sktchy too and I've drawn him before from different photos. He was one of our teachers in Sketchbook Skool.

Speaking of which, they have a brand new klass for beginner drawers for people who think they can't draw, but would like to learn. Basic stuff, and I'm taking it, as I never really learned basics before. I just draw what I see. But feel I can learn new tricks. It's called Drawing for People who Think they have NO Talent.

Check it out at SketchbookSkool.com and it's only $29 for 26 videos

with Danny Gregory.

 

This was in another town in another Starbucks.

 

She liked my portrait of her too.

 

 

Last week at Barnes and Noble Café (these photos were meant to be at the top of this post, but due to the error messages, etc. they made it to the bottom) No matter.

It was the day after Thanksgiving. We did NOT go shopping.

Just out for coffee and drawing and then home again.

I loved this woman's tights. They were shiny and bright and did look like a mosaic of fish fins to me.

 

She was showing off photos on her phone to another woman.

 

There's the other woman with grey hair and they were joined by a third woman.

These gals were there too, but sitting behind them on the next level up on high stools and table.

The Dinosaur is a friend on the wall behind them.

Ah, this was drawn at a fast food joint we went into because my husband's blood sugar level was down and he needed a food boost before getting to our Thanksgiving Day destination.

 

Another happy Sktchy person.

 

Back at the Dixon Starbucks on another day.

 

And here ...

 

and here ...

Last, but not least, we were in Winters, CA for lunch at the El Pueblo Meat Market on yet another day. We are busy getting out and about on purpose to get me places and people to draw. It works for me.

 

Thank YOU for coming by and visiting my blog. Your visits and comments keep me drawing.

Hope to see you all next week again.