John William Waterhouse

 

J. W. Waterhouse. His paintings will grab you by the balls. He painted various women from famous myths and legends. The imagery is always powerful, which is so refreshing after studying so much artwork depicting women as wimps.

Petunia is Here!

After months of researching and preparing, my little hedgehog is finally here! I met her breeder on Monday and brought her home. It was a long drive, but as hedgehogs are nocturnal, she slept through most of it. I let her explore her cage on her own the first night without pestering her too much. She really took to the wheel, ran all night long!


It didn't take long for my husband (Stephen) and me to realize that we needed to do something about our cats trying to stick their paws in her cage. We ended up putting plastic garden netting on the lid and sides, which has been very affective. Last night I introduced Petunia to one of my cats, Hoggle. I held her close to me and let him sniff her. Once his nose touched her quills, he jumped back and ran off! Now he doesn't want to have anything to do with her (with the exception of eating her food).


She is so sweet. We let her crawl all over us and the couch while we watched TV last night, then put her back in her cage so could begin her nightly routine of eating, wheeling, and napping.


So far, she seems to be adjusting very well. More updates and pictures to come!

I'm Adopting a Hedgehog

In less than two weeks, I will be the girl you know who has a pet hedgehog. Yep. Prepare yourself for posts about the process, both good and bad... plus lots of freaking cute pictures.

Like most pets, the hedgehog takes quite a bit of commitment. First of all, finding a place to adopt them from is tricky. The slightest bit of research will reveal that buying a hedgehog from a pet store is not a good idea (which probably applies to a lot of animals, especially exotic ones). Even if you find a breeder in your state, you have to wait until they have babies available and try to get one reserved as soon as possible. I am driving four hours out of state because it was going to be the fastest and easiest solution for me.

Hedgies aren't cheap. I don't know what hamsters run, but I bet it isn't in the $150-$300 range. And that's just the adoption fee. They require a large living space, an exercise wheel, bedding, a hiding place, quality food, toys, and controlled temperature.

Despite all of this, hedgehogs supposedly make excellent pets. They tend to get along fine with other pets (cats want nothing to do with them since they're pokey). They aren't rodents, so they don't chew on things. They don't have an offensive odor, and are relatively quiet. You can snuggle with them on your lap while watching TV. They are good swimmers, so bath time is not too stressful. They aren't known to be biters. Did I mention that they are stinkin' cute?

Enough chatter. I will have more to discuss once I have her in my home. Here are some baby pictures my breeder recently sent me.

Meet Petunia.

Treasures from Strangers

So I bought this cute little number at Goodwill yesterday.

So many wonderfully roomy pockets and pouches!

So many, in fact, that the previous owner missed a few when they emptied out their purse before generously donating it to Goodwill. I discovered the following treasures:

A sanitary napkin

A keychain mirror (obviously goes with the purse, so we will let that one slide)

A quarter

A pill (looks like ibuprofen) 

A phone number

Okay, so nothing that unusual. I still enjoy the mystery behind these lost items. I mean, who writes down phone numbers any more? Why were they traveling with only one ibuprofen, when everyone knows that it takes two or three to resolve the problem?

I think I may have to develop a story or a painting out of this...

Hair History

Someone once stated that you should re-invent yourself every 10 years. I prefer every 6 months or less. I like trying out new things and absolutely love to change my hair.

I am also very nostalgic.

Below is a timeline of various stages my hair has undergone in the last 3 years.

Hooray for Watercolors!

The art therapy class I took last fall really opened my eyes up to different media. I had never painted with watercolors before, and now I'm crazy about them! The painting above was done with watercolors and Sharpie, which I found to be a wonderful combination. See more of my work below.

I encourage you to try watercolors. Just experiment, get to know them. Then if you like them, try adding another media, like ink, crayons (which will resist the paint for lovely effects), or collage materials.

Artist Review: Jake Parker

Welcome to the delightful world of Jake Parker. His artwork is warm and wonderful. Upon exploring his website, you will find robots taming birds, a boy with antlers, and rather impressive concept art. I had the pleasure of stumbling upon his comic Hugo Earhart from Vol. 1 of the graphic novel of short stories Flight, which is also available to read at his website (and I highly recommend that you go read it). Parker's imagination is rich with fantasy scenarios that tap into a dreamlike world. Enjoy and share.

 

 

You Know Who's Awesome? Emily Martin.

Emily Martin, aka The Black Apple, is one of those painters you just fall in love with instantly. At least, I did. Her artwork reminds me of old fashioned storybook illustrations that got left behind when Walt Disney came to town. Girls in dresses with wide-set eyes, pastel surroundings, and tame bears are the stuff of fairy tales. I love it.

Well hello, there!

I am one bad blogger. Exciting news, though: I am going to start my very first painting series! I've never done a series before, and thought it was about time. More details to follow.

Right now, I'd like to share what I am reading with you:

Rendezvous with Rama (science fiction, oh yeeeaaah)
Maximum Gaga (wacky poems)
Photographing 2D Work (fabulous tips!)

Pathetically short and pointless post after not posting in months, yes. I'm over it.

Weekly Drawing: Portrait Practice

Magazine ads are great for practicing portraits. Even if my drawing isn't completely accurate, it's good practice to try different angles and test out various styles of drawing.

Weekly Drawing: Self Portrait

Proportion

I recall teaching a class full of kids about the importance of proportion, and one student had an interesting way of thinking about it. He said,"It's kind of like, when you change the size of a bug, it can either be a monster about to step on a person, or a person about to step on an insect." 7 years old and already knows his art principles.

The subject featured in the photograph is my parents' cat Sophie. The baby has yet to be named.

Weekly Drawing: Not a Drawing

You may have noticed, this is not a drawing. It's a watercolor. I didn't use watercolor pencils either, so it is truly not a drawing at all. The fact is, I need to take more pictures of my drawings. Another fact: I need a new camera. So today you get a painting. Self-portrait, actually. Hope you like it.

Weekly Drawing: Stegasaurus

Sorry about the quality of the photo, I took it with my phone. This was a design I did on craft foam for a mouse pad. Unfortunately, the marker ended up smearing :/ 

Weekly Drawing: Meditation

Weekly Drawing: Cat in Window

Weekly Drawing: The Toad

Weekly Drawing: Diversity

Note: I know my updates have been few and far between.  Life has thrown me a few curveballs and my priorities have been rearranged.  I am still drawing almost daily, but my camera is busted and I have no scanner, so posting art is going to be tricky.  I will do my best to get back to posting weekly.

Thanks to those of you who have chosen to stick with me!  You are super wonderful, and you should know it.

Weekly Drawing: Avocado?

Weekly Drawing: Detached

Ever feel like your head is floating away from the rest of your body?... Just me?