Blog Archives

Black Wolf Pup in the Snow

Hello Friends!

I started working on this wolf pup last week, but I just finished it today.

I went back to the surgeon who removed my gallbladder on Tuesday. He gave me the all clear on being able to eat anything I want now. But I don’t crave sugar like I used to which is good!

When all of my problems started in April and I was in and out of three different hospitals, I lost my craving for sugar. There were many times they had to put me on a liquid diet, so between then and now, I have lost about 30 pounds! I am feeling a lot better, but the doctor said I shouldn’t exercise for another two weeks. However, I will be glad when I can get back into my old routine.

Have a wonderful day, and give someone you love a big hug. 😃

White Wolf Pup Peek-a-Booing from a Log!

Hello Friends!

It has been quite a year for me so far healthwise which is why my posts have been so few lately. But I believe I am definitely on the road to recovery!

I finally had my gallbladder removed almost two weeks ago. The pain is lessening, but I still feel little sharp pains when I yawn and when I first move to get out of bed in the morning. I also can’t sit for too long at a time without having to stretch out in the recliner. But I am thankful the operation went well, I went home the same day, and I am getting better every day.

It still may be awhile until I can really get back into my art. So I am easing back into it with my pencil sketching.

Have a wonderful day, and give someone you love a big hug. 😊

Wolf Buddies in Pencil

Hello Friends!

I am very slowly getting back into creating some art. So I decided to revert to pencil to start.

I looked around my studio at all of my paints, markers, and mixed media materials. But I just sighed knowing I am not ready to plunge back into those mediums quite yet. That’s okay, though.

I hope all of you are doing well. I have an appointment in a few weeks to consult with a doctor about getting my gallbladder out. I have been feeling great, though, and haven’t had any more problems. So I can’t wait to get it out to avoid ever getting gallstones again!

Have a wonderful day, and give someone you love a big hug! 😃

Character in Watercolor

Hello Friends!

Here are the illustrations for our first character, Coco Moloko, that I came up with in my Bootcamp Caracter Play class.

They are a donut who has to be decorated. So we had liberty to create them however we wanted. In the story that our instructor wrote, several ingredients are suggested.

I decided to show Coco inside the bakery with entering the decorating room with other donuts. Then I took close-ups of each stage. In my illustration they liked swimming through frosting, getting sprinkled, and being topped with a cherries. But unfortunately a chocolate chip hit them on the head, ha ha!

Anyway, I never realized how hard it can be to illustrate a character. In my next post, you’ll see how I changed the character and developed it into a toy which was our second assignment.

Have a wonderful day! 😀

Donut Characters in Pencil

Hello Friends!

Yesterday I sketched these donuts for my class called Bootcamp: Character Play. We are going to be working on this character for a month and even being taught how to make our character into a toy!

I am already having fun with this class. It will be going until the end of May!

Have a wonderful day! 😃

Elizabeth Catlett Drawn with Inktense Pencils

Hello Friends!

This past week for my Week 3 assignment in my “Redrawing Black History” class we learned about Elizabeth Catlett. She was a painter, a screen printer and a sculptor.

I wanted to show her age progression, because she began doing art when she was young, and evolved over her lifetime into an amazing artist!

She lived from 1915 to 2012! After she graduated high school in 1931, “she enrolled on a scholarship at the Carnegie Institute of Technology only to have her admission rescinded when the school learned she was Black. Instead, she enrolled at Howard University, her tuition paid with scholarships and the savings of her mother, a teacher. In 1935, she graduated cum laude with a degree in art.” (‘Triumph Against All Odds: Black Artist Elizabeth Catlett’ by Sandy Lewis, wednesdayswomen.com. I encourage you to look up this article! Elizabeth had to overcome many obstacles in her lifetime to get her art out into the world!

I have been enjoying this class so much especially because of the great black art history I am learning from Tamisha Anthony! I have always loved the richness of the African American culture. Their art, music, and traditions are really beautiful!

Have a wonderful day! 😀

Gwendolyn Bennett in Colored Pencil

Hello Friends!

This week in my class I have been learning about Gwendolyn Bennett. She lived from 1902 to 1981. She was a writer of poetry, short stories, editorials, cultural and social articles, reviews, essays, an unfinished novel, and her own diaries. She was also a painter, but unfortunately, nearly all of her artwork was destroyed in a fire. However, her magazine covers are online, and there is one oil painting, Untitled (River Landscape) that she painted in 1931 which was located by Belinda Wheeler in 2012. Art historians hope to someday recover more of her art that may not have been destroyed in the fire.

As I was reading about this amazing woman online, I found a book about her that I purchased. It is called Heroine of the Harlem Renaissance and Beyond: Gwendolyn Bennett’s Selected Writings. It was just published in 2018 and was edited by Belinda Wheeler and Louis J. Parascandola. I have just started it, but it’s inspiring to see discover that she accomplished so much in her lifetime! I recommend this book if you are interested in learning about her.

Have a wonderful day! 😀

Edmonia Lewis in Pencil

Hello Friends!

This is the drawing I did for the first week’s assignment for my class “Redrawing Black History” with Tamisha Anthony and Lilla Rogers at Make Art That Sells.

Edmonia Lewis lived from July 4, 1844 to September 17, 1907. She was an American sculptor. You can read more about her here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmonia_Lewis

I’m sorry this post is short. I didn’t get much sleep in the last couple of days. I hope you are all doing well! I am hoping to do this week’s assignment in mixed media. Our subject this week is Gwendolyn Bennett. She was a poet among many other talents! Stay tuned!

Have a wonderful day! 🙂

Marian Anderson in Pencil

Hello Friends!

This is the third person we learned about in my “Redrawing Black History” class. She had such a beautiful voice. She sang mostly opera and spirituals. She won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the NAACP Image Award, and others.

She was allowed to sing at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, after she was denied permission to sing for an integrated audience for the Daughters of the American Revolution at their Constitution Hall. That day she sang before an enormous integrated crowd of 75,000 people!

You can find videos of her singing on YouTube! I think she really had a gorgeous and melodic voice.

Have a wonderful day! 🙂

Betty Davis in Watercolor

Hello Friends!

Meet Betty Davis! Surprised? This Betty Davis is not the white acclaimed movie star whose face most likely comes to mind when you hear this name!

I had never heard of this Betty Davis before. I learned about her in the “Redrawing Black History” class I am taking online with Tamisha Anthony and Lilla Rogers.

Betty Davis was an African American soul and funk singer from the late 1960’s through the 1970’s. She was also married to Miles Davis. Apparently she was never allowed on television, because her performances were “sexually aggressive.” I listened to some of her songs, and I thought her lyrics were, too! But that’s just not the kind of music I have ever been into either. To each his own, though. She definitely conveyed a lot of emotion!

I am enjoying learning about black artists and musicians from the past that I have never heard of, though. And Tamisha Anthony is a great teacher. She’s young, sweet, and very energetic as she teaches about her awesome culture!

I have a few more posts of others she has taught us about coming up. Stay tuned!

Have a wonderful day! 🙂

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