My first "Zendoodle" ...a zentangle completed March 20, 2012

Yes, it has been awhile!!  I am a woman of leisure...taking a little leave of absence from the hustle and bustle of the sales world..and am trying to fit in a little artwork.  So here is the latest little doodle hot off my little drawing board.  It is a pen and ink on bristol board...called a zentangle.  I prefer to call mine "zendoodles"...sounds more fun!  The idea is to place random lines on a page and sketch, explore, "zone-out" while relaxing.  Right up my little sketchbook alley!  Let me know what you think.

IF "Cocoon"

The IF prompt this week is "cocoon".  I thought of an illustration I had completed back in 2002 and thought it would be appropriate for this week's challenge.  "She spreads her wings for the first time as she sheds her chrysallis...emerging as a vibrant and beautiful butterfly."  This illustration was created with watercolor and colored pencil.

IF "Ahead"

This is my latest illustration for Illustration Friday.  This week's word prompt is "ahead".  I was lying in bed trying to come up with an idea for this word and I was inspired by a beautiful photograph of my daughter.  In the photograph, she is standing on a rock in a river with her face painted for fun, her arms outstretched toward the sky.  I began toying with the idea along the lines of, in order to move forward in life, one must be strongly rooted in who she is today.  And then it hit me.  A saying...a quote by someone unknown to me...that says:
"What lies behind us
And what lies ahead of us
Are small matters
Compared to what lies within us."
I interpreted the photograph and this quote in this illustration of my oldest daughter Avery. 
This illustration was painted using acrylic paints.  It is 14"x17". 
I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed painting it!

It has been ages since I've been here and a lot of changes have taken place in this last year for me! I am alive and well in San Antonio, Texas...my hometown. I am a newlywed as of January 2, 2010 and loving my wonderful husband and soul mate, Duff Starrett. Life is beautiful!

I haven't illustrated...except for the little doodles I create at work on any piece of paper I can get my hands on...in almost a year. I've told myself, "you will paint again when it's the right season". Now, let's see...I am 46 years old and I have been telling myself for years now that I will eventually get to a place in my life where I won't be doing a million different things at once. Where I will be able to disappear into my studio and get lost for hours on end, while I create my next "masterpiece". Ha ha...that just has not happened, curiously enough. What if it never does?

I read a quote by the great comedic columnist, Erma Bombeck, who said: "When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.' How precious is that?!

The long and the short of all of this is to say that I want my "creative season" to be now. I want to be able to stand before God someday and tell him that I used His gifts to bless others and to allow Him to work through me. Maybe I'll just post a little doodle here and there...maybe I will be inspired to illustrate something wonderfully whimsical.

So here I am again...with my little illustrations. I hope they bring a smile to your heart.

IF: "Impossibility" (Sold)

This week's IF prompt was the word impossibility. I pondered this for a bit and thought at first I would post nothing, as it was impossible for me to think of anything I wanted to illustrate. And then, the old Perry Como song "It's Impossible" stuck in my head. I decided to illustrate the last line from the lyrics of that song.

I stayed with my whimsical illustrating style since I am having so much fun with it. The drawing was executed in pencil and painted in using acrylic paints and pens. I had a blast! I hope the cheerfulness that I felt and the essence of this painting will bring a great big smile to your face and a few butterflies for you hope-ful romantics out there.

"...But to live without your love would be impossible". from the Perry Como song "It's Impossible".

All smiles....
debbie

Prints of My Work...

Thank you to everyone of you who has been so encouraging. I am delighted to be illustrating again! It is such a freeing experience....a wonderful escape from the daily-ness of life. I have had several friends ask about prints of my work. It is something I am pursuing and am flattered that my illustrations could possibly grace the walls of your home, office or church. My artwork is still in the re-discovering process...the fledgling stages. As my style continues to develop, and my artwork becomes more cohesive, I will pursue printing. In the meantime, please ENJOY!

IF "Fleeting"

The IF challenge this past week was "fleeting". The first thing that came to my mind is how time is all too fleeting. I chose to illustrate this in transparent watercolor using my whimsical style of illustration.

The old adage "Time flies when you're having fun" is the title to this illustration. I had great fun with this challenge. I hope it brings a smile to your face as well!

Remember to take time to smell the flowers, chase butterflies and watch beautiful sunsets, for as we know, time is all to fleeting!

Happy day!

debbie

"Stuck"

I am feeling creatively "stuck". I don't know why. Just stuck!

I want so much to be able to creatively express myself. Some days it comes so easily. Lately, not so much. Perhaps I am putting too much pressure on myself to find the perfect expression of a subject. I want to branch out...I want to spread my wings and push myself in new directions. The artist in me wants these things. The perfectionist in me fights with the artist in me.

I wonder...are the two mutually exclusive?

There are those artists, of which I am not, that can completely create with reckless and careless abandon, allowing their free thoughts to express themselves effortlessly.
There are other artists, of which I am probably more like, who enjoy control of their medium and subject taking great care to express their passion in great detail.
I look at the art created by both....and of all the artists who fall in between these categories...and I appreciate their love of life and their fearless expression of that passion.

For now....I'll relax...perhaps study some of my favorite artists...enjoy my weekend...until I'm UN-stuck!

Have a fabulous weekend.

IF "Subtract"

Well, I have been a bit remiss at keeping my posts up to date. It's funny how real life tends to creep into my creative time. Ideally time would not be divided into real life and creative life...I'm still trying to find the balance therein.

The IF challenge for last week was "subtract". I had immediately felt inspired and excited about this challenge and had a fun illustration in mind to produce for this exercise. The medium I used was my old "tried and true" graphite pencil and eraser. My subject was taken from a photo of my oldest daughter at her Pre-Kindergarten graduation. The actual photo does not have her holding the tooth that she was missing so I added that to emphasize my interpretation of "subtract". The big gap in her beautiful smile minus two teeth, did not subtract from the joy she showed that day!

Have a creative and amazing day!

Delighted!

I am so delighted to those of you who have welcomed me back into this world of creativity!! It is a wonderful family we have to be among so many gifted and giving people who truly enjoy the beauty of life and so willingly share it with others. I am looking forward to growing with all of you and learning from those of you who have commented on my first little exercise. I hope you will come back often and I know I will enjoy visiting your blogs and websites, savoring in this amazing journey together!!

Have a lovely day!