IMT Challenge-Swirls

The challenge for this week at Inspire Me Thursday is Swirls. I did these pages in my Moleskine sketchbook while listening to Guns and Roses' version of "Knockin on Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan. I didn't know at the time that the theme was swirls. I closed my eyes and just let my pencil move as I listened, then I went over the lines with a black sharpie, filling in some spaces, and adding a face. The way the light was hitting the page added to the effect.

Artygirlz, Smile, and Nettie the Belly Dancer

This week's challenge at Artygirlz is Smile. I decided to enter Nettie, the Belly Dancer and her coy little smile. She is 11 1/2 " tall plus her hair.

Nettie is my second attempt at an art doll. She has been made for several months, but I've been waiting til I found the right embellishments. I still haven't found what I wanted, so I improvised temporarily with some of my jewelry. She's using a box lid for a stage today, which is a little short, but it was what was handy. :)

She is made of off white cotton material with inspiring words printed all over it, which I found at Hobby Lobby, so she has a few tattoos. Can you see Joy on her cheek, magic on her neck, and heart on her arm? She is stuffed with fiberfill. I intended her to be much rounder all over than she is, but I made my own pattern, so she is what she is, but I like her. Her hair is fun yarn and is inspired by Cher's hair in her "Believe" video. What can I say? Nettie is a wild child and a free spirit, much like Cher.

Her face is painted on, as are her shoes. Her pantaloons came from a sheer tieback, and her little satin scarf is a pj scrap with fringe added. She has a red heart sequin in her belly button and buttons and ribbon for her bra.

Of course, she's nothing like I envisioned her when I started. I didn't think belly dancers had pockets, but she insisted, so there you go. She also insisted on wearing her red toe shoes with the little pearl buttons. Nettie is new to belly dancing, but she is enjoying it very much.

Incidentally, I named her after my Aunt Nettie Verle, who was by no means a belly dancer.


Close up of Nettie's face. Sorry about the picture quality. It's very cloudy here today. The top one is without flash and the bottom one is with. Hope she made you SMILE!

Red Fox in Black Boots

We've seen this red fox in the backyard two evenings this week. The first time it was running one of the cats across the yard until it found some cat feed and it stopped to eat that. It was right before dark. It saw us watching it through the kitchen window and didn't run.

I wondered where Sammidog was and went to the door to see. He was laying on the porch with his feet dangling off the edge watching the fox. The fox didn't move until I stepped out on the porch and yelled at it. It ran through the fence and up through the pasture.

Of course, as soon as it started running away Sammidog took out after it like he was going to eat it up. He stayed on this side of the fence though. :)


Click on to enlarge --See his black boots

Yesterday evening it came back a little earlier and I managed to snap a couple of photos through the window over the sink. Sammidog was on the porch and the cats were all hiding. The fox was looking for something to eat as it ran back and forth on the little bank behind the house. All of a sudden it started toward the porch.




I made a racket trying to get a closer shot of it through the window (below) and it turned and ran back across the yard with Sammidog giving chase. It is so beautiful, but dangerous, not only to our animals, but to us. Sadly, we will have to do something about it. It's the first fox we've seen in a long time, and it's much larger than the others. I love animals and I always want to make a pet out of everything that wanders into the yard, but that's not a good idea most of the time.





I started to delete the above photo, but when I adjusted it some and enlarged it, it looked kind of dreamy looking, and I liked it, so I'm keeping it. :)

Sammidog and the cats were all acting hyper-alert this morning, and Sammidog was whining and carrying on, so the fox is probably still around close. Jim thinks it may have a den in the hayfield next to the house. He's seen a den that something is using. We'll see.

Sorry about the picture quality, but I had to take them through the dirty window over my sink. Didn't have time to clean it first. :)

Have a great weekend!

CED Check In-More Doodles

These pictures are a portion of the doodles I did this week in the CED challenge. I continued to do at least one a day every day, but I decided not to show all of them this time. I also did this one and this one this week on this blog and this one on Scribbles. Well, I actually did Ze Artiste a while ago, but I just decided to share her this week.

"Rabbit Ears"--is a Judi doodle. The image was drawn out of the shapes with a pencil and gone over with a black sharpie in the Moly journal. I will color him evenutally and write around him. Excuse Sammidog's face from the previous page looking over his behind. Too much sharpie. :)

"Sammidog"--is a Melissa doodle in the Moly sketchbook, colored with watercolors/pencils. I did add the toe divisions and the face with my eyes open. I forgot his face when I was drawing with my eyes closed. ;)

"Kibbles and The Cats"--is also a Melissa doodle, but in the Moly wc book. I added the ball and their whiskers after I opened my eyes.

Not too much arting this week. I played on Facebook and with my mp3 player too much. :) I did take some of the clay, that I softened up to make a doll, out and played with it some. I think it's now too moist. It got all over my hands like biscuit dough, and I can't stand stuff on my hands. I had to wash it off that time, but I am going to work with it again. I'm determined to sculpt a doll out of it somehow. :)

Hope one of these made you smile. Have a great week. I plan to! :)

Artygirlz Challenge-Blue & Yellow

Memories Passing...

The Artygirlz challenge this week is Blue and Yellow. This is a journal page in my Moly sketchbook using inktense and wc pencils, watercolor, and pencil to color my Judi doodle sketch. I don't know if you can tell, but the whitish oval on the right is a fur muff over her left hand. Her other hand is holding a tulip and her purse. She just looks to me like she's having a lovely memory pass through her mind. So lovely that she had to close her eyes and remember.

The Moly pages are slick, which is why the watercolor looks like it does, plus I have a bad habit of doing the whole thing with whatever brush I start out with, but I like the brushstrokes kind of helter skelter looking. I'll go back later and write an entry in the blank place on the left.
Hope she made you smile. :)

My Melissa Doodles in Gallery on Pugnotes

The blind doodle drawings (I call them my Melissa doodles) that I did of Kibbles (1981-1997) trying out a new doodling technique, are being featured, along with several others who tried it, in a gallery on Melissa's blog page Pugnotes.

She generously shared the technique a few days ago on her blog. Her pug drawings are such fun that I wanted to try it, and I loved it. While you're there check out Melissa's blog. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks Melissa! What fun!

Introducing Ze Artiste

I thought I would share "Ze Artiste in Ze Raspberry Beret" with you this morning. She is one of my first Judi doodles in a regular sketchbook on thin paper. I was learning to use the wc pencils. Her colors are made with wc/pencils and a black sharpie. She loves the color blue/green and her raspberry beret. She feels every bit the artist in the beret and when she's wearing it she means business. Can you tell? :)

I just love her, and she always makes me smile when I see her. Did she make you smile? I hope so. Have a great day!