Moo Card - Cats

Cats are the current theme at Make a Moo or Two. Here, I've stamped my cat with black ink, then colored him with Prismacolor pencils. I added a few fish to the background (what cat doesn't like fish?), corrugated some red cardstock for extra pop, and finished everything off with a silver cord. Now I'm wondering how long that little bird is going to last! Stamps, ink, and cardstock from Stampin' Up!.

Inspire Me Thursday - DNA

5 x 5 inches, Prismacolor pencils, Pigma Micron pen, Sharpie marker

"DNA" is the prompt this week at Inspire Me Thursday, and after admiring the entries that have already been posted, I thought I might pass on this one. But instead, I decided to offer up a simplified double helix and a few random doodles to represent the creative, colorful, and fun life I'm seeking to live.

Unfortunately, my favorite Pigma pen gave up the battle in the middle of this, and I had to resort to using a Sharpie, which I'm not entirely comfortable with. Hmm, my green pencils are getting a little short, too -- I may be forced to shop for some new supplies. Oh my!

Inspire Me Thursday - Goddess

Goddess of My Imagination

6 x 6 inches, Prismacolor pencils and ink on bristol board

The creative prompt this week over at Inspire Me Thursday is "Goddess". I wanted to think about this for a couple of days, so I spent most of the weekend immersed in Harry Potter (yes, I finished it, and all I will say right now is "Wow!" - don't want to spoil it for anyone). Every now and then I took a break from reading to get some gardening done, go to Erin's birthday party, and to contemplate art. So when I visited the IMT website earlier today, I was left speechless by all the beautiful goddesses everyone has been working on.

This is the Goddess of My Imagination, who sees color, movement, and life all around her. She started as a doodle in my sketchbook, and was supposed to be a quick, simple sketch, but became more complex as I worked with her. I think I may have also been influenced by all the violets I've been making in my cake decorating class!

I do love working with colored pencils. I think it's the child in me, who has always loved coloring books and big boxes of crayons. They're portable as well, so I can take them just about anywhere I might want to draw.

Inspire Me Thursday - Bold (Tiny Works - Part 1)

The prompt this week at Inspire Me Thursday is "bold". Instead of a new creative interpretation of the prompt, I decided this time to offer what has become part of my creative process in recent months. This tiny (3 in. x 3 in.) Prismacolor pencil drawing of bold color and movement is actually part of my journey back to art after a long creative famine. I'll try to keep the story short!

In 2005 we were living on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi when Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. We were very lucky (didn't even have to file an insurance claim!), but I was shocked by the devastation in my community and in my neighborhood. I had already been struggling creatively, but suddenly I was paralyzed by the pain of my neighbors and friends, and by the stories of suffering that I heard first-hand every day. So I went to work, or waited in long lines to buy groceries, or drove along the beach looking for familiar places that no longer existed, but didn't make art. Many people find this sort of event creatively stimulating, but I simply could not pick up a pencil or a paintbrush, or even take out my sewing machine. I struggled even harder than before, trying to find a way to put something to paper or canvas, and several months later, after moving back to Alabama, I pulled myself together and decided that I would have to tackle this problem one small step at a time. So every day my goal was to make a tiny piece of art, no matter how simple, and what you see here is my very first attempt. After that, even if I just painted a bold square of color on a scrap of canvas, that was enough. And although I still struggle with ideas more often than not, I at least have a process that lets my mind get in the right place for making art. Now I really enjoy making small things, such as little drawings or itty-bitty craft projects, some of which I may be sharing in a few days.

Oh, and by the way, staying home during a powerful hurricane when you live only a couple of miles from the beach? Really bad idea.