A Baby Doll ~ Work in Progress ~

A new sketch book for Christmas, (not even the best of paper) but still with all these blank pages, I just couldn't wait to start filling it!!  Here is the first page...she's not finished yet, still a bunch of details to complete, a bit more color (thanks to Kristin's influences, thanks btw, I've become obsessed with adding color to my drawings!). I just couldn't help but want to share, I'm in love with her so far :)




Oh & Best wishes for a most Happy & Creative New Year!!

xoxo

A Fairie's Letter part 3

OK it's slowly turning into a "Fairie's Name" :)  Here is the 3rd letter in her magical name...have you figured it out yet? 






This is my favorite of the bunch so far...I'm trying to keep the set cohesive at the same time, trying to make each piece individually magical & still be special on it's own as well.

A clue;  an ~ I ~ is currently in the works....what fun I'm having with this project...

A Fairies Letter Part 2

Well, I've come to the conclusion that the little girl receiving these monograms, is a fairy indeed...a true Kindred Spirit, full of innocence & joy... You've seen the C for the first letter in her name...here is the next letter ~ A ~ I'm currently working on a ~ T ~. & of course working into it another little fairy...I want it to be real magical for her. I can't wait to see the project in it's completion... in the meantime, I'm simply enjoying seeing it all come together for the little girl.



They are all 11 X 14 & I wish I had a scanner, because taking a picture of this piece truly does it no justice :/

A Fairie's Letter

I can't tell you how busy I've been between Thanksgiving and now! First of all we had a most wonderful Thanksgiving at Grandma's house (my mom that is). We made a fabulous turkey, all of the trimmings of course & lots of deserts....all in all it was a wonderful day, with tons to be thankful for...this is our second Thanksgiving now without my dad & I'm still not used to him not sitting at the head of the table. On that note, I'm so thankful for all of the gifts that he has given me that I don't think I ever even realized till after he's gone.

Anyway, on a lighter note, I've been so busy tending the shop...black Friday & cyber Monday, had tons of traffic!  & most importantly, creating artwork. My current project is a "C" that I finished for a precious little girl for Christmas. I say "current" project because, not only did I do her initial, but I'm doing all of the letters in her beautiful name as well :). So, with that, here is the first letter in the project...OH Kristin, seriously, look at ALL this color!

Fairy No. 2...

Well, here she is, "His" counterpart :) I made her so she's looking at him .... gazing at him... wanting him to want her.  I think they make a lovely pair... I also included a pic of them together. This was my first duo drawing, how fun it was to create them as a pair!








They are each on 11X14 card stock I hope she decides to frame them using a matted frame, together I think can be stunning!

xo

On to the next project...what shall it be? ... I simply love staring at a blank sheet of paper, lol. Anything is possible ;)

I've missed you more than you'll ever know...

This is an exerpt from my photography blog one year ago tittled "I'll miss you more than you'll ever know"...I thought it fitting to blog about him here today because it was after his passing that my passion for art was awakened...I've always loved to draw, but for the first time in my life I can see clearly that this is what I was *meant* to do...

"I'm blogging now...as the kids are at school, and for the first time since September 24th, the day of my Dad's surgery, I don't have anywhere to go to visit him...He's gone.  He's gone now, & I have no where to go to see him.  He passed on Monday November 15th, peacefully in his sleep.  He had cancer and he just never recovered.  He tried so hard, but I could see him slowly slipping away with each week that went by.  I feel so empty inside right now.  There is so much in my soul that I can credit him for, he was truly my Kindred Spirit.  & I'm going to miss him more than words can express.  He gave me my love for music, my love for drawing, my love for animals, my love for photography.  It was the simple things in life that I can appreciate and know that he would always relate to.  There was never a pretty flower or a tall tree that he would pass up and not notice. All that is good and pure in me came from him, it's that feeling in my heart that tells me so.  He was such a unique, quiet man with the capacity to love more than I've ever seen in a person.  He cherished his grand kids and spoke of my mom as if she were an angel.  & during his last days, when he couldn't even speak, lay there staring at my mom and me as if he was laying his eyes on us for the last time.  The day before he passed, he saw my Jason with a tear in his eye and I knew then this was the last time we would see his precious brown eyes.

Although I'll miss him terribly, each time I look at my kids I will think of him & know that he will live each day through them. Rest in peace sweet Daddy."

A Most Original Commission...

I have to admit, I've never drawn anything like this before...but was more than excited to take on the challenge when I received the request to make a male fairy... It was someone who stumbled upon the piece I created of the portrait of the little girl recently.  She was so taken with that piece that she just had to have me create this unique drawing for her very own... (I'm still not used to hearing these sorts of things...too good to be true, if you know what I mean) Well, here is the final work of art & I really hope that she's pleased & that he brings her many years of magic & mystery...



Just when I thought I was finished with this post... to my surprise, the client has just requested a female fairy to go along with this piece! I'm besides myself with anticipation to begin his significant other...  I've got very particular details that my customer is requesting she look like...I won't give away anything yet, you'll just have to stay tuned!

xo

"Afraid"

I've had her completed for some time now, (see, girl in my header) don't know why I've not listed her till now...I suppose I'm not really happy with the way my art's been photographing lately...It looks just so much darker than the original drawing making me very unhappy :/  I really need to invest in a scanner!!

Anyway, have I mentioned I love drawing detail!? The eyes...I always put so much emphasis on the eyes...without emotion in the eyes, to me the piece would be meaningless.  Later, I gave her a lovely delacate dress, little wings & long flowing hair incorporating a braid & just a touch of flowers....So... here she is; I've caller her *Afraid* she doesn't know what lies ahead of her.  All of the fear in her eyes is because she's uncertain of her future & keeps looking back, wishing she could go back in time. But there's no turning back now...

A Precious Little Girl & her Monogram

I was commissioned to draw a portrait of this beautiful little girl. Isn't she just a doll? What an inspiration she was to me... Not only is she beautiful but what personality she has in her little face :) It's amazing, because a picture does tell a thousand words...So what joy it was to create this piece using simply a photograph to capture all the loveliness that she possess.



I was told that she loves princesses...but of course, she is one!  Couldn't help but work the tiara into this piece & well, the butterfly slowly transformed into a princess as well :)

A Beautiful Photographer

Her photography to put it mildly is amazing! She's Jodi over at Fresh Art Photography    Here
and to celebrate her 32nd birthday, she's having an awesome amount of giveaways! Which I think is so fabulous because it's giving us small businesses some exposure, as I know all too well how hard it is to get your shop out there!

So needless to say, I'm sponsoring one of her give aways, my most favorite print "Innocence"

My go at ACEOs :)

OoOO lookie, I made some ACEO's ... & how fun are they!?  A little miniature drawing...too cute for me, I think I'm addicted already!  Here are 2 that I've made in the past few days...the drawings measure at 2.5" x 3.5" comparable to a baseball card.


"Doubtful" Poor thing, look at all the doubt in her eyes!

&  "A Little Ray of Light"

"Patience"

Well, I've been going back & forth between her & some newer works, & think I've finally finished this one.  I've called her "Patience".    She simply strikes me as a girl who's waiting...waiting for something unattainable perhaps... something she may only attain in her dreams. & I'm afraid she's just come this realization....

For My Blogging Friends!

I know I've mentioned it before, but I just wanted to throw it out there again for all of my lovely wonderful followers... ALL in my shop will be 15% off...the code is:  KINDREDSPIRITS1

Love you all...have a fabulously creative & artsy day!! xoox

"A Simple Girl"

I've finished this piece a few weeks ago and have completely forgotten about her! I even photographed it, yet didn't blog about her...oh well, no better time than the present.  Here she is "A Simple Girl" just a little sketch smaller than what I'm used to...she measures about 5 X 5 on 11 X 14 paper.



I've been in the throes of drawing, & there's no better feeling than finishing a piece, then getting to start, fresh, all over again...so with that said, I've got 2 other pieces that I'm currently working on. Hopefully, they won't get overlooked at completion as my simple girl.

Monogram For a Sweet Girl :)

I've ventured to do some monograms in the past...but was recently asked to do one for my good friend's little girl... She is one of my daughter's friends from Pre-school and is truly an angel. Here is her monogram, pleased with it's completion. However even more pleased to find out that Maddie's little friend was beside herself with joy once seeing it! What more could I ask for?



I usually don't work with colour...but what the heck it was just one of those things... after drawing the little butterfly, it was just calling out to be coloured in yellow!!!

Time Well Spent

Well, we encountered a bit of a hurricane this past weekend ;) I'm thanking my blessings that we didn't get hit that hard... the worst of it all for us, was that we lost power for a bit & our phone, cable & internet for about a week. With this said, I had no problem filling my time with drawing. Darling husband on the other hand didn't fare too well...he missed a football game, & other things... I joked & told him to take up drawing or read a book or something.... of course video games won out.

 I sketched her mostly Saturday, & Sunday during Irene. I haven't decided on a name yet, I'm thinking *Believe* just because she strikes me as a girl who believes in herself.

New Banner...

I really love the way this looks, although it may be a tad dark? Also, I hate that etsy's dimensions are so tight, squishing & distorting how it should appear :/ Anyway this is what I created this morning, I think my shop needed a new face lift  :)

Oh & I'll be blogging about her soon too, just need to upload my shots of the entire piece...

edit...ok blog header needed an update as well :D

Love at First Sight

Some pieces I create it's not always love at first sight, requiring a ton of work until I'm finally satisfied with the outcome... This one however I have to admit, that I fell in love with the moment her face took form on paper.  The expression, the detail, there's just something about her look that I simply *love*.  I'm however stumped with what name I'll yet give her.  & although she's still not complete yet, I coulnd't help but want to share her...

"Heartbroken"

She's simply besides herself with grief, with nothing to do but cry....I believe she's suffering from a loss, not really sure who has left her forever, I suppose one can only imagine...

A Work in Progress...

Well, darling husband went away this weekend for a short bike trip down to VA with some friends...& of all weekends for heavens sake, it's been poring rain out all day today for his trip home...but anyway, back to my post, with him away, it gave me a ton of time to start on a new project... I spend a few hours during the day yesterday, but mostly last night after the kiddies were tucked into bed.  Here's the beginnings of just another girl, a pose that I've been wanting to render.  Still so much to do, & so much to learn, as I'm seeing it on screen I'm already noticing some things that need to be adjusted!



August 15th



lengthened her arm....went back and forth with how her hair should look, but here 's an update this morning 8/16 :)


8/19  Getting there;  after struggling with how her hair should look...here's where I'm at...

Morticia!

Halloween came early for me! I had this awesome challenge given the choice of of Mr. Adams, Frankenstein & Lurch...then Morticia was offered & couldn't pass up the challenge.  & what a challenge it was, I absolutely stink at portraits, they simply just never seem to come out looking like they should.  Needless to say this was amazing practice & I'm really pleased with the way Mr. Bat came out... So here she is after a week worth of being in the throes of sketching!



& after being told, please no butterflies, this is Mortica now... well, this is when Mr. Bat came to mind. Ironically enough, after my attempts of adding the bat to keep this piece as scary as can be... I ask Maddie, well, what do you think? Her reply was, "awww, I love the bat, he's so fluffy!" lol.

The Summer of Colour! ~Show & Tell~

What a colourful summer this has been, thank you so much to Kristin for hosting such an amazingly inspiring challenge! I've *met* so many wonderful & talented people through this challenge & am looking forward to continue following you all on you artsy ventures!!

Here's a snapshot of all my works this summer...I have to admit, I'm sorry to see it come to an end... at the start I was so apprehensive because, well working with colour just has never been my strong suit, so I'm quite pleased that I was able to complete each weekly challenge!



Week one ~blue~ is a perfect example, here is an old drawing that I coloured using photoshop...(not quite ready to tackle colouring quite yet....week two ~green~ well, here I used some water colour pencils to fill in the leaves & flowers on my *Wall Flower*.  By week three ~pink~ I went on a limb and bought a set of coloured pencils & created *All Dressed Up & no Where to Go.*  Wow, yellow, I thought for sure I'd be skipping since this was the week we took our yearly vacation to Busch Gardens VA.  Well, sure enough I stumbled upon a pic of Maddie w/ her face painting...& was able to pull off my *Little Tiger* :)  Week five ~Brown~ well, right away when I heard this colour I knew it just had to be *Brown Eyed Girl*  really, for the first time working with water colours... Water colours once again with my purple Unicorn.  *Lady in Red* was the obvious choice for me, using coloured pencils....& last but not least my *Little Fairy* once again being inspired by my Maddie...what a better way to end the summer than to make her into the little fairy that I know she already is ;)

What a wonderful way to celebrate summer, than to celebrate it with colour!!!

Thanks again Kristin...I'll be sure to continue you on your journey full of colour & art!!

"Take Me Away"

Well, here she is, upon completion...




...."I started with the eyes, then worked around them, the hair just flowed & the flowers sort of blossomed all on their own. The butterflies however appeared once seeing how much pain she was in, & realized that she needed someone to help *take her away*...so, the butterflies came. What journey will she take with them, one can only imagine..."


& I just finished listing her in my shop as well :)

xo

"Take Me Away"

Well, she's a work in progress & still needs a bit of finishing.  She needs to be darkened & the eyes need some work...so anyway, I've been creating her what seems like all summer long.  I started with the eyes, then worked around them, the hair just flowed & the flowers sort of blossomed all on their own.  The butterflies however appeared once seeing how much pain she was in, & realized that she needed someone to help *take her away*...so, the butterflies came.  What journey will she take with them, one can only imagine...



I'll post her again of course, once I feel like she's completed; give or take an hour, a day, a week or so...

Summer of Colour ~ Orange ~

Yet again, my muse came through for me!



& turned her into a little fairy...



Well...you know she is a little fairy at heart, so it didn't take long after I started sketching that she grew her wings :) & coloured them orange using a bit of water colours... I'm going to be sad seeing the *summer of colour* come to an end... I've used more colour this summer, than ever before!

I'm looking forward to seeing what beautiful works of orange everyone has created!

Summer of Colour ~ Purple ~

What a fun week of purple! I was inspired, when listening to "The Unicorn" by  The Irish Rovers....minus the long neck geese and the green alligator... Here is my take on "The Unicorn". I seriously haven't drawn a unicorn since I was probably 10! I felt like a little kid again while creating this piece :)



Loved working with water colours as well. Still all so new to me, still learning & having fun while doing it!

Can't wait to be inspired by everyones' works of purple!!

Thanks Twinkle Twinkle :)

"Be Mine?"

I've completed her a few weeks back.  I've been so busy with other pieces in between, playing with watercolours for the first time, so exciting...I've just completed a unicorn, of all things, I swear I haven't drawn a unicorn since I was probably 10 yrs. old!

Anyway, in the meantime, I've forgotten all about her...

She's called "Be Mine?"  Dressed to impress from head to toe with a look in her eyes of yearning... with the sole hope that whomever she's looking up at, will be hers...forever & always.

Summer of Colour ~ Red ~

Loving this summer of so many colours...what lovely people I've met with so many diverse talents...thank you so much for visiting & your comments have been making my heart smile!

OoOoo red...so many options...but yet again, I opted to go with the obvious. I really need to get my creative juices flowing & start thinking outside of the box. lol.  Here is my  "Lady in Red"




I really enjoyed creating her. I knew I wanted to keep her dress simple yet sleek, & was happy with the embellishment starting in her hair then continuing onto the train of her dress. The butterflies, well, they just appeared after realizing that she's looking up at the sky.

Can't wait to be inspired by every one's works of red!

"Damsel"

She's *Damsel*  After several weeks of going back & forth...not being entirely happy with the way she was turning out, I finally completed & am pleased with the finished piece! It's just that when I start a piece I have a certain look that I want to achieve, in her face that is, and it just wasn't happening in the beginning. So I took a break here & there & little by little I worked on her...& well, now she is done & is available in my shop as well...

I've called her *Damsel.* She simply reminds me of a girl in waiting, just waiting...

Summer of Colour ~ Brown

It's that time of the week again, over at Twinkle, Twinkle! & we're working with Brown. So, at first I wanted to do a bunny or a teddy bear, but of course switched it up once my pencil hit the paper. I probably should have worked with my ordinary colour pencils. I used my water colours here & I'm afraid it didn't come out that good... Although had much fun in creating her...

Here she is, simply "Brown Eyed Girl"



Seriously, this piece has more colour in it than I'm ever used to! I have such a tremendous respect for all the wonderful painters out there!!

Can't wait to check out every ones works of  Brown :)

Dear Blogging Friends

What a wonderful blogging community, I consider you all a true kindred spirit! I started this blog to journal my love for drawing and along the way I've *met* so many fabulous people with so many different & diverse talents, many that I'm so in awe of...I truly enjoy following you all and you've all inspired me in so many ways! 

Anyway, I just recently realized that I can create a coupon for use in my Etsy shop & what better way than to offer it to you all!!!

All in my shop will be 15% off using the code:

BLOGGINGFRIENDS
xoxo
Joanna

Summer of Colour ~ Yellow

She's "Little Tiger"







Well, we just returned from our vacation to Busch Gardens VA! How fun it was... this was our 4th year visiting, I think it's becoming a family tradition! The kids have such a fabulous time, one of Maddie's favorite parts of the trip is always getting her face painted... Anyway, after going through my pics from the week, I stumbled across this one and right away thought, yay, YELLOW! How perfect for Twinkle, Twinkle :)

Can't wait to check out every ones works of  Yellow :D

And because you all have been so kind in your comments to me and have been such an inspiration through this challenge...I just recently realized that I can create a coupon for use in my etsy shop & what better way than to offer it to you all lovely ladies!!!

All in my shop will be 15% off using the code:

BLOGGINGFRIENDS



See you all next week.... I've already got an inspiration for my *Brown* piece :)  Got to get to work!

xox
Joanna

Summer of Colour ~ Pink

"She's all dressed up & no where to go."



Again, so pleased to be part of this fabulous *summer of colour challenge!* This challenge has inspired me to go out & get me a set of some wonderful colour pencils... Not that far out of my comfort zone this week as pencils alone are always my choice of medium, but still what a difference from my usual graphites!








Can't wait to check out every one's works of *pink* :)

Posting today because I'm going to be away Monday, but hopefull to still get a chance to link up with Twinkle, Twinkle. We see how the day goes!