Sketchpad

Time to look at a couple pictures from my sketchpad.  This is the little Moleskine which is ever-present in my purse.  There's nothing ever finished in it - it's really a jumble of, well, ideas, phone numbers, notes and quick sketches of wherever I am.  I pretty much use only art pens, and add color when I get home.  This particular pic is the gumball machines at the mall when we sat in the food court and ate.  Thought I'd try some new color and simply smeared the stamp pads all over it.  The little gumball touches are watercolor.  Definately not perfect, remember this is a quick sketch.  And students, I know, I know.  Never an even number.  Paint only odd numbers of items... one, three, five...  You're lucky I'm sharing these unfinished ideas at all!

Here's some crazy work for you!  Okay, I admit it.  I like stickers.  Not necessarily the kind you buy, but the kind you FIND.  I found this one on a nice big water bucket I found at Jerry's Artarama, complete with three wells.  (Yes, of course I bought the bucket!)  And this page seemed the perfect place to see what kind of color I could lay down with the ink pads.  Gets the hands pretty dirty.  I use a barrier cream, and it helps quite a bit, but those little pads are heavily pigmented.  Funny thing is that the ones least likely to come out are the children's washable ones! I bought these for my young students once and we all had magenta hands for a day or two - it was hilarious (but I haven't done it with them since!)

 See?  Here I am again with my stickers!  The big one I ripped off who knows what, and the little one I drew on.  It just seemed like the page to draw an octopus.  I like to draw them AND eat them.

 I know, I know.  He's not from my sketchpad.  But he really is a work of art, isn't he?  His name is Pickles, shortened from Piccolo.  I call him Pickles Paintbrush, because he always knows when I'm painting and comes running for a drink of  1) the paintwater; and 2) a few licks off my brush.  Plus, his amazing tail could feed a number of paintbrushes.  Next you see, well, my sermon notes from last Sunday.  Our pastor is preaching from James right now and it's been really moving and inspiring.  If I take notes like this, one look at the page and I remember the sermon.  As usual, I added the color when I got home - of course!  The book of James tells us that not only do we need to believe, but we must act upon it.  What we do should reflect our beliefs.  Father, may I continually live out my faith in actions!