Pun intended

I was scrolling through my saved Sktchy photos this morning and saw this photo and the caption just popped into my head…..😂

My morning routine is down to a page. I used to do a two page format but I switched to a one page format for December and I like it so much I may stick with it. Now there is a sketch on every page. Maybe for tomorrow’s post I will post the new format.

The sketchbook I am using for my morning pages is the $5 Artist Loft from Michaels and it handles Tombows (and waterbrush) quite well with no bleed on the other side. I am quite astounded and impressed. It’s perfect for my early morning “soccer drill” sketches.

Quick Morning sketch

I sketched this early this morning and almost forgot to post it here. My husband was urging me to get my morning routine finished quickly so we could do Christmas shopping. (I am typing this while John is driving on our tour de shopping.) I whip through the morning sketches pretty quickly. These quick early morning sketches are actually my “soccer drills.” I take 5-10 of my morning doing these to start my day off finishing something. It’s a good drill and a good way to start my day, plus have something to post here.

I saw this photo on Sktchy and thought, “wow, those berries are pretty.” It made me think that we should take the time during the holidays to enjoy nature. We haven’t hit winter yet on the calendar and there are so many ways that nature brings autumn to a close if you just stop and take the time to look. If you are feeling overwhelmed, take a nature walk. Yesterday I was in Bayport Flower House and I love going there because there are plants, flowers, and they have lots of fountains with water tinkling all through the place. It’s a perfect spot to slow down and enjoy the beauty of the holidays. The displays are so tastefully done that you don’t feel like you are being slammed with “BUY THIS!” It’s done in a gentle tasteful manner that makes you slow down and enjoy the peace and quiet….I am sure that Saturdays are a zoo but Mondays were almost meditative.

PS, they have they have beautiful poinsettias. PINK poinsettias. I bought one!

Santa Clown and something totally awesome

I found out last week that my Horses of Asia map was selected for They Draw and Travel’s Maps of Asia book! I am so excited! You can get a copy of the book from Amazon!

This morning’s sketch inspiration:

There are multiple submissions on Sktchy of clowns, especially since clowns are thought of as being sinister, thanks to Stephen King. I sketched this clown and turned him into something benign, a clown Santa.

Sketch club show, sketches, resurrection of an “old friend”

Last night we installed our sketch club holiday display at our local library. It came together very nicely. There are five of my sketchbooks on display….see if you can pick them out.

The foxes were sketched today and yesterday.

The polar bear is an old holiday blowup that has been dead for a few years. He has spent many Christmases on my front lawn as my children grew up. Our holiday decor didn’t seem the same without him. Gemmy Inflatables finally sells replacement blowers so today John swapped out the blowers. We are still tweaking him and looking for air leaks but hey, he’s up and running again!