Week 8 | Birds Of A Feather

Prompt : Sketch a bird

(I think this week got away from Stephanie and I. Our apologies for such a late post from the both of us!)

Annetta | Our prompt was to sketch a bird and it's normally something I wouldn't sketch, therefor I am thankful for prompts like this week that get me outside of my comfort zone. I didn't enjoy what I sketched so I added my own elements to the bird. Its great how a sketchbook is just that, something to practice in as reality doesn't have to translate here. Mistakes are welcome and imagination is encouraged. Stephanie and I also re-created a piece of fabric that I had in my studio. I love how different ours are and what we noticed as the important elements to the fabric were. I've never been bold enough to try and sketch some fabric, but last week was for breaking out of my box and doing things I normally wouldn't. For my other creative I added more stitched to my cross stitch pattern. I am half way done with it and loving my color choice.

Stephanie | I love owls and have wanted to sketch/paint one for a while, but I haven't because I have felt they required more skill to make them look realistic. I looked up some inspiration and found an example that I felt matched my skill level and would provide some much needed practice. He is not realistic looking, but that is not where I am at yet. He is goofy looking with mis-shapen eyes but overall charming for a first try. I loved working on the fabric painting, even though it looks unfinished since its not outlined in pen. I really enjoy it when Annetta and I work off the same pattern or picture and we can see how different we interpret it. How similar yet so different they turn out. Other than this sketching time with Annetta I wasn't very creative, it was a very busy and tiring week for me. I was able to put a few new stitches into my project, but not enough to photograph my progress. I hope this week will turn around for me and I can get back in the groove of things.

Week 7 | Drinks

Prompt: Sketch coffee, tea, or your favorite drink.

Stephanie | This is my favorite teacup. I picked it up at an estate sale a while back, I just love the colors on. Its fully painted, with matching saucer. I love that it is hand painted, you can see the brush strokes. Its just so beautiful.  I spent the first half of the week sick with a cold and the last half still just out of it and trying to catch up on housework and other things Ive fallen behind on, so it hasn't been a very creative week for me. My other creative this week was adding a few more stitches on my cross-stitch I started last week. I also spent a few minutes trying to capture this beautiful crocus bulb that bloomed in my yard.

Annetta | This weekend I spent photographing wine tasters at my uncles cellar and lavender farm. The tasting room was busy all week which was great for business, but not so much for sketching. I did find a moment to grab a splash of my favorite rose he makes (I'm not much of a wine drinker) and sat down to sketch it quickly in between work. My favorite drink is coffee, but when I'm at the winery I do enjoy half a glass of the rose. This week I also sketched another picture from Country Living Magazine, it's not finished yet as I still need to add butterflies to the pictures on the wall. I've discovered that I really enjoy sketching beautiful corners from that magazine. This whole sketching project has been my favorite project in years! For my other creative this week I started a new cross stitch pattern. I guess Stephanie and I are cross stitch lovers! I'm planning on putting this one in my airstream kitchen as I had one in my kitchen, but in a navy blue. I'm hoping it will make my airstream kitchen feel more like home.

Week 6 | Fruit

Prompt: Practice drawing fruit.

Stephanie | I actually like how my fruit turned out, I especially love the color streaks on the apple. Trying to sketch a rounded object was not easy, and it doesn't closely resemble the right shape of an apple, but overall I am pleased with it. Annetta came over again this week and we had a great time working side by sit trying to recreate this image from a magazine. It was fun to see each of our interpretations of the same image. My other creative this week was starting a new cross stitch project. I only got to spend about 20mins working on it, but it's officially started. It should be rather easy to complete too.

Annetta | I did my fruit at Stephanie's and honestly, I did not like my fruit. I messed up and have yet to be inspired enough to fix my mistakes to make it look more decent. I also don't enjoy the subject matter I drew, an apple and a banana. Instead I sketched my favorite fruit, pomegranates. I really like how they turned out. I also did a few other sketched in my sketchbook and really love how they turned out. Stephanie and I got to have a sketch date and we sketched the same image, but I love how different each one turned out. It really fun to see our styles and how we both have our own individually styles when it comes to sketching out something. My other creative this week was finishing up a cross stitch pattern I designed so long ago, maybe even a year now. I've taken this piece so long to do and I am finally ready to finish it this week so that I can start another bigger project. I'm thinking of putting the heart in a white frame and hanging it in my airstream as the whole piece has a beautiful meaning.

Week 5 | Art Supplies

Prompt: Sketch your art supplies.

Stephanie | I am disappointment in my lack of pretty looking art supplies, but I sketched what I had out and available. My other creative this week was making another sketchbook. My friends daughter had her sweet 16 birthday party the other night, she is an artist, so I thought making her a sketchbook was be a great gift for her. However, I did not take any pictures of it as I was kinda in a rush to get it done. So, I decided to do another painting, trying to mimic a painting I have at home. The original is done with acrylic I believe, so mine doesn't look anything like it being done in watercolor, I was unable to get the nice layered/textured look, but overall its not too bad. 

Annetta | I haven't been doing much sketching this week, but spent my weekend catching up and did a few. I finally sketched my art supplies at my friends house during Superbowl. For some reason I've been avoiding sketching my supplies as I don't really own cool supplies yet and probably won't for now. I've been trying to simplify my life and the things I buy. I've also ran into self-doubt and complicate sketching in my head before I even start therefore making me not want to pick up a brush. On the upside, I'm finally learning about light and shadows and how to add them to my sketches. It really does come with practice! My other creative this week was working on my cross stitch that's I've been doing for a few months. I have one more section to do before the piece is fully finished. Hoping to get it done within the next few weeks. It's also time to research for a new piece to start!