I Won a Piece of Toast !

I rarely ever win anything, but holy guacamole, I won this beautiful watercolor by the talented watercolor miniaturist, author and funny blog writer, Vivian Swift.   To celebrate finishing her new book , Gardens of Awe and Folly, (due out in March and available for pre-order on Amazon and probably other sites as well), Vivian held a lottery for this beauty.   Her husband , Top Cat, picked my winning number !!

Then one happy day this envelope arrived in my mailbox.

And inside, my lovely Toast.   "Toast" ?   What's up with that?   Ms Swift calls her miniatures Triscuits (there was a bit of nasty business with the folks at Nabisco over the name, but after some saber -rattling and general silliness on their part, all is settled).   Since my painting is bigger than a Triscuit, it is of course, a piece of toast.

Vivian's blog is a wonderful mixture of laugh-out-loud funny stories from her life and serious information about how she paints - what paints and brushes she uses, how to fix the occasional oops,  and drawing tutorials.  I actually drew a cat - a recognizable cat- from her tutorial and crowed about it here.   There's more - adventures with her cat family, thrifting, and the annual winter champagne-o-meter method for measuring snowfall.  If you haven't checked out her blog, you must!

Anyway, back to my painting, done for the garden book (but not used).  Lucky me.

Remember that all this detail is in a picture that measures 5 x 4 inches! Look at that brick walkway and all the detail in the grass.  Pretty sure she may have used masking fluid on the grass  - something I never heard of until she explained it in one of her posts.

See that great handwriting along the sides?  One of the wonderful thing about Vivian's books (and one that is time-consuming), is that she hand sets all the type in a font based on her handwriting.  This is from her book, Le Road Trip, gushed about in a previous post here.  Gorgeous detailed watercolors of various architectural elements AND handwritten font - swoon!

Even more impressive are the details in one of her tiny Triscuits - this one from a post about Marrakesh.

My toast is in a perfect spot above my dresser .

Thank you so much, Ms Vivian Swift - you're the best!

I DREW A CAT

OK, so I understand that this might not be earth-shattering news, but it is a VERY.BIG.DEAL. for me.

I have been in the "I can't draw" category since my kindergarten teacher dissed my drawing of what I thought was a pretty respectable turkey.   Why have I been carrying that critical comment around

for decades?  I mean, really  - I can still picture where I was sitting and how the teacher came around the desk to comment on every one's turkey.   Time to ponder some words of wisdom from Barbara Kingsolver:   "Why is it that we let words of praise go in one ear and out the other, yet we memorize every word of criticism"?  Pretty sure I've had a complement or two since kindergarten that I've totally forgotten, but the dang turkey comment ?  I've been picking that scab for decades.  Time to let it go!

Anyway, a few weeks ago Vivian Swift  (she of the fantastic watercolor miniatures and wonderful blog and books) did a tutorial on how to draw a cat.   I pulled out my notebook as I read her post, and before you could say " that doesn't really look like a turkey",  I had drawn a cat - an honest-to-goodness, looks - like- a -cat cat!   I scared The Captain with my  screeching, "I drew a freakin" cat"!

So now I am in on the dirty little secret of drawing.  Turns out if someone shows you how to do it, non-native drawers like me might be able to make recognizable drawings of simple things.   Who knew?   Honestly, I have spent hours pouring over those "how to draw" books, but they all assume a level of talent not in evidence.  Not so with Vivian Swift's tutorial - she makes no assumptions about skill or talent!   Simple shapes - do this first, then that, and pretty soon, there's a sweet little kitty on the paper.

I took an online class with Claudine Hellmuth  last year and started out by announcing, "Hello, my name is Deb and I can't draw".   Her response: "Of course you can; everyone can draw."  She's a talented lady, but on this issue I thought she was nuts - maybe not!

I have never felt comfortable putting pen to paper in any of my art projects, because of the "I can't draw" thing.  I am now challenging myself to do that thing I'm afraid of - with words, doodles, and maybe even a kitty or a flower .   I have been working through a couple of doodle workbooks and see some progress that comes with practice.  Turns out that this drawing thing might be like everything else we do - the more you do it, the better your get.

I am envious  of people with real drawing talent,  and I am under no illusions that my cat has put me into that league.  I 'm just happy with my kitty and the notion that yes, with some help, I can draw a cat and who knows what else?  Thank you, Vivian!

PS - About that Windows H8 business.  Thanks for this early birthday present from The Captain, no more hate!  (It IS apple season, after all).

More Year of the Doodle Art Play

I'm still loving my Year of the Doodle planner/art journal.    I love the small size for each day, the beginning backgrounds, and the prompts.  Well, most of the prompts- sometimes I ignore them and do my own thing.

I turned the splotches of color into  little  birds, adding a few more with watercolor pencils so I'd have a whole flock.

I continue playing with doodling.   I'm reading Danny Gregory's The Creative License and appeciating his reminder to draw what you see, not what you think you see.    It is interesting that when you really look at something, it is often not quite the way you see it in your mind .

It's no secret that I love Vivian Swift's art and blog.  In a recent post she explained how she paints teacups, making the tea in the cup lighter at the far rim  as that's the way it is when you look at it.  Sure enough - again, what you think it is isn't always how it really it.   I'm trying to really look at things as I try to draw and , who knew, it makes my drawing more realistic.

The picture on the right started out as the watercolored squares - so fun to turn them into faces!

As if this book isn't fun enough, our Montana grand  loves working in hers.  I love anything that helps me stay connected to this far-away sweetie.

Le Road Trip - A Book Review

" Every road trip has its ups and downs, just like a love affair, or the stock market".

 

 

I just want to gush on and on about how much I loved this book.  What's not to like - a travel book about France, complete with whimsical illustrations and laugh-out-loud tales of the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of travel.  

 

This is not your usual travel book - no hotel or restaurant recommendations ("What, do I look like Rick Steves"?) and  no list of  must-see attractions.  It's about life, relationships (this was a honeymoon trip after all) and  being a traveler instead of just being a tourist.

 

Really,this isn't your usual anything book. It's a book with some serious eye-candy, written by someone who pays careful attention to every detail, starting with the hand-written font that she designed herself to the illustrations that complements her  journal-style writing.

 



 

Wine dribbles, font and cork art love

 

 

 

I'd love to be able to do watercolor sketches like this. (Who am I kidding - I'd just like to be able to sketch something recognizable).  Sketches this good mean that  I can look at this illustration of the Arc de Triomphe and remember standing in the middle of this busy street looking at this very view and it makes me  wish I were there again. 

 

 

 

I have so many pictures of doors and windows in Paris.  Just look at the details in this sketch.  This is why I'm drawn to these illustrated journal-type books; I love the intimacy of hand-drawn illustrations.

 

This is a fun book, with advice about how to pack ("packing light isn't cramming as much stuff as possible into a small bag"), what to wear ("Pack for the person you are on Saturday morning"),  and  how to make a traveler's scrapbook and a Band-Aid box boudoir. It's also a  laugh-out-loud account of travelling, full of funny bits that beg to be read out loud.

 

Now that I've discovered Vivian Swift, I'll be reading her other books, When Wanderers Cease to Roam and  A Traveler's Journal of Staying Put and following her blog.

 

What a find- a writer who shares my obsessions and can execute them in such grand style.