Veggie Tale

BreesMimi Design Studio (BMDS)

Hi Everyone!

It's hard for me to remember a time when I didn't eat veggies, even when I was little there wasn't much in the veggie department I wouldn't eat.  But when my husband and I met some forty plus years ago, he wasn't a fan of vegetables, in fact the only veggies he ate were corn, tomatoes and onions.   He told me the story about how much he disliked peas and how he put them down the heat register in the floor to hide them!  Many years later his father discovered the dry, hard peas when he investigated a strange rattling sound..... coming from the heat register.  We still laugh about that one.

Watercolor sketching veggies

SO how did I get him to willingly eat veggies?!?  The answer was to smother the vegetables in cheese sauce.  Yep, I lured  umm, introduce him to veggies smothered with cheese and gradually weaned him from the sauce. He's a big veggie lover now, with the exception of beets.  Okay, I can live with that, because I Do have one vegetable I won't eat. Brussel sprouts.  Ewww! Gag. Enough said.

But why all this talk about veggies?

 I've been painting veggies for an online class with on of my favorite artist, Tracy Fletcher King.  Having fun with the sketching and water color.

Finished watercolor of fruit & veggies.

Here's a few of my favorite veggies/fruits, in case you can't make out what they are: eggplant, pears, apples, carrot and zucchini. 

Sometimes a process will inspire other things like the Index Cards below.

Hope you find some delicious inspiration today!  

Bee Creative,

Suzy

31 DAYS IN MARCH CHALLENGE (ICAD)

Hello Out There!

It's me and I'm BACK!  Are ready for some FUN in March? A little March Madness???  A few years ago I participated in a 60 day Index Card a Day Challenge with Daisy Yellow.  Look at the Link over on the right side of this page and check it out.  Sixty days was a LONG time to do a challenge and to do it everyday was REALLY challenging as well as inspirational and super fun too. I love to do art challenges because it makes me DO something creative every day!  Also it continues to inspire me to create more art, larger pieces and sometimes a series of ideas comes out of it.  I love when a little piece sparks a larger piece and that sparks the imagination in other ways.  

So, I've set up this little 31 Days of March Challenge for myself to get back into the art everyday routine.  The best part about doing this on index cards (3x5) is that the small format isn't intimidating, its not time consuming either.  I like that.

I'll be posting my index cards on the page "31 In March (ICAD)" so please check it out each week during March.  Oh, and there will be other March Madness coming too. Hope to see you around and please leave me a comment when you stop by, I'd love to hear from you. 

Bee Happy! Bee Creative! 

Suzy

Painting with a Fountain Pen

Hello Friends!

Things are heating up here quickly in South Florida!  Actually we've seen mid-eighties already and close to 90 degree mark one day.  It's a bit soon but soon we will be acclimated to those steamy days and nights and 80's will look like a cool front to us.  I know that some of you probably can't relate to those temperatures at all but it is rather the usual weather for us.  Now that you have the weather report, here's what's been happening in my neck of the woods.

Remember me saying I needed to practice sketching and spending more time in my sketchbook? Well, I've been playing around with ink, the kind that comes in a fountain pen.  It's pretty cool what happens when ink and water meet.

First I sketched the birds in pencil and then come back to outline them with blue ink and then use a small round brush dipped in clear water to go over the ink. The ink reacts to the water and begins to spread out. A few more times with the brush and water and a dab more blue ink to make the shadows pop. The whole time I was painting/drawing this I was saying: ooh, ooh, this is fun!  I hope you'll give it a try! 

Black ink will produce nice grey shadows when wet.  

Purple ink with the help of Inktense watercolor pencils on the Little Bird. 

Do you have a particular time of day that you like to draw or paint or be in your studio?  My perfect time is at night when the house is quiet, just before bedtime and my mind is shutting down for the evening.  I'm relaxed and not over thinking what I am doing, my creative side kicks in gear enough to paint or sketch something simple.  Or first thing in the morning, before I'm really awake is also a good time for creativity in my studio. 

I've been busy, how about you?  Anything to share? Do tell!  

Grab your fountain pen and paint brush and give this ink thing a go!  Let me know if something good happens....

Bee Creative

Suzy

Handmade Sketchbook Journals

Hello Everyone!

Welcome back to Sketchbook Tuesday! 
 I'm pumped up to begin sketching in a my new Sketchbook Journal made from an old children's book. Even though it was not one of the well loved books my children read, it is a book with fabulous illustrations I couldn't bear to get rid of.  

So I've re-purposed "Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm "into a sketchbook by replacing the pages with a selection of cold and hot press watercolor paper and mixed media paper .  

The first page in a new sketchbook fills me with a feeling of excitement but also overwhelms me with feelings of what if I mess up the very first page! Not this time! I knew exactly what I would sketch and with a feeling of joy as I sketched and then painted my palette! 

You might remember this hand painted cover of another sketchbook, it has been sitting on my shelf and not used after the initial pages I did in 2013. Something about it didn't seem right.  Turns out it just needed a few more signatures added to fill out the large spine.  

I l

Now it is a book filled with watercolor paper and mixed media papers for drawing, sketching and watercolor. 

 It was important to also incorporate some of the pages I'd previously done.

 and NOW the book is perfect for a new sketching and watercolor adventure.  

 My goal is to fill up both sketchbooks in 2015!  Won't you join me on my sketchbook journey?   

Sketch on my friends!

Suzy

SKETCHBOOK TUESDAY-Key West Lighthouse

Happy New Year!!

Come join me as we continue our Lighthouse Sketchbook tour in the little latitudes known as Key West.

Welcome to the Keys

A trip to Key West is only a hop, skip and a jump from where I live.  About six hours if you stop along the way to have conch fritters and take in the views.

Conch Fritters

Today I'm sharing some sketches of Key West Lighthouse and some history about the lighthouse keepers.

Key West Lighthouse from a distance

I love the history of lighthouses and the KW Lighthouse is no exception.  Read about Barbara Mabrity HERE. Barbara was the assistant lightkeeper with her husband and six children. After her husband died she was appointed lightkeeper.  She was the first woman lighthouse keeper. You can read about the Hurricane of 1846 HERE, that wiped out the lighthouse and part of  Mabrity's family. And what happened when the Civil War came along and the area was occupied by the Union forces HERE.

Key West Lighthouse up close

 It is all very interesting historical events and I hope you will take time to read about these brave men and women who kept the lighthouses.

Come join me next week as we explore the west coast of Florida when we visit the Sanibel Lighthouse.

Until then, grab your sketchpad and get outside and sketch!

Happy Sketching,
Suzy

PLAYING WITH COLOR

Hello Everyone!

Old Set Up 

It's Sketchbook Tuesday!  Time to see what's going on in sketchbook land. This past week I received my online order of Koi Watercolors. I was looking for some lush, tropical colors and these fit the bill!   The colors are much brighter than my usual palettes of Winsor-Newton and Davinci watercolors.  I like BRIGHT colors because I live in the tropics where there is an abundance of tropical colors and Koi Watercolor Pocket Field Sketch Box doesn't disappoint.  Love the compact size, even the 24 color size is small enough to fit my pared down art bag.  

Yes! Did you just hear me say paired down?  It is true! I've paired down my art supplies but stepped up the water color palette size.  Yeah, yeah, it is  possible to leave home without all the colors, but I don't have to with my new amazing Sakura Koi Watercolor Pocket Field Sketch Box! 

New Palette

It is just a tad bigger than my compact but it has 24 colors and comes with a water-brush too!!! Whoo hoo! Love it!! Throw in a few Micron waterproof pens and a pencil and I'm ready to go. 

So what has me so geeked up?  I'm getting ready to go on another adventure with my sketch buddy, Bonnie (see Sketchy Girlz blog). We're going to Michigan to visit my daughter and her family!  We've lot of exciting things to do while we are there....including celebrating my DD birthday (Happy Birthday!!) and baby Jackson's SIX month birthday! 

 Oh yeah, there will be ice cream and cake!  


All that AND an opportunity to visit a state I've never been to, with my BFF and traveling around with our sketchbooks too!! 

Should be lots of fun and adventure....we'll keep you posted.  Stay tuned!



Happy Sketching!
Suzy

SKETCHBOOK TUESDAY-Word Prompts

Hi Everyone! 

Happy Sketch Book Tuesday!  About a year ago I was participating in a Lil' Journal Project that had to do with daily word prompts.  You may remember this page if you were following along at the time.  

Each day I looked forward to getting up to check what words I'd be using and making a list of word associations for each. Then I would sketch and watercolor my ideas. This was a new way for me to work and I found it extremely enjoyable.

Yes, the sketches are a bit amateurish and stick figure like, but maybe that is because the memories associated with the words brought back the days of my youth. Maybe you will think of some fun times you had when you do a word association sketch, go ahead, and check the prompts out here! Then pull out your pen and sketch pad and get busy! I'd love to see what you come up with!

Go Sketch Something!!
Suzy

SKETCH BOOK TUESDAY-NEW BLOG

Hi Everyone! 

Welcome to Sketch Book Tuesday!  I'm so pleased to announce my best friend and I have created a new blog together!  It is called Sketchy Girlz and will feature lots of sketches, paintings, drawings and whatever we come up with each week to share with you.  We'll post on Monday and Thursday so come on by and check us out.  This is our logo created by Bonnie, you can click on the side bar logo and it will take you directly to SG. 

There will be stories (may a photo or two)  from our 40 years of friendship that will make you laugh and if that doesn't do it, there is art work that is pretty fun...at least mine is.  Bonnie is a decent artist but me, well I just have a go at it and sometimes it turns out okay and other times, not so much.  I'm putting it out there anyway, if anything it might encourage someone to start sketching or drawing or painting.  We all have to start somewhere.  I hope that you will start today. Pick up your pencil and get going.....I'd like to hear what you are doing and who knows, maybe you will be featured on Sketchy Girlz (when we figure out how to do that). 

Till then......Happy Sketching!

Suzy

SKETCHBOOK TUESDAY-DOWNTOWN

Hey Everyone!

It is SKETCHBOOK Tuesday! 

There was a threat of rain in the overcast sky, my dear friend Rhoda and I sat outside under the umbrella along with an older man and woman sitting at a table nearby having coffee watching as people wandered in and out of the bagel shop. 

 The first thing that comes to mind is what a picture-perfect little place it is to sketch with a beautiful bubbling tiered fountain and quaint herringbone brick pattern patio, café tables and market umbrellas, surrounded by lush green flowering bushes and trees.

 Arrrgh! Why didn’t I bring my sketchbook?!?! I was not prepared on Sunday after church for the spur of the moment plan to have a bagel with my friend, oh well, next time, right? I did have a camera phone handy, so  I shot a few photos to help recreate the scene in my sketchbook later. 

Being super shy about sketching in public so honestly speaking, even if the sketchbook were in my purse, I probably would not whip it out anyway.

Really, I keep telling myself that I MUST get over my fear of sketching in public. Anyone else out there that feels this way? Any suggestions would be welcomed. 

Grab some paper and pencil and go SKETCH! 

Have a wonderful day!

Suzy

Somewhere to Sketch-Vacaville, CA

Hi Everyone!

I've recently joined a group of artists at blog called Some Where to Sketch hosted by Lynn Cohen and Ann Hyde.  Each month via Google Earth we are invited to sketch in a location chosen by Lynn or Ann.  During the month of August we have been sketching in Lynn's hometown of Vacaville, CA.


  I sketched and painted 418 Main Street. Of course I took artist license to the original street location.

418 Main Street Vacaville, CA 

Please come and join us!  If you aren't familiar with Google Earth, it is a wonderful FREE program that let's you type in a location and gives a great overview and street level view of any city in the world! It's pretty fab! This is a great way to explore other cities and sketch without leaving home!

Grab your pad and pencil and come out and play sketch us! Join in before the end of the month to sketch in Vacaville!

Happy Sketching! 
Suzy

Linked to: Somewhere to Sketch

SKETCHBOOK TUESDAY: FARMER'S MARKET

Hi Everyone!

It's Sketchbook Tuesday again and as promised last week, there are more sketches from last weekend spend with my BFF in town. 

After our experiment with Rice paper on the patio during the rain (read about it here), we were optimistic that the rain would stop and we'd be able to take a mini road trip to the Farmer's Market the next day.     Saturday we awoke to heavy darken skies but determined not to let a little rain (heavy humidity and heat) bother us, we packed up our art bags and took the 30 mile scenic route up the river to the Farmer's Market.  

Since neither of us had ever been to the market we weren't exactly sure what we would encounter. The Farmer's Market is held each Saturday along the river.

Even with threatening skies there was a buzz of activity as people gathered fruits, veggies and bakery goods from vendors displaying their farm fresh wares.  And though bakery items were a feast for the eyes, the smell of grilled seafood and specialty dishes was even more tempting. 

Our plan was to sketch at the Farmer's Market but we soon realized the storm was approaching rapidly, so, instead, I opted to take photos we could draw from later. Drawing in crowded, public areas is not for me, so I was just as happy snapping a few photos.  Yes, really it freaks me out to have people look over my shoulder....I'm working on getting over that fear. 

I leave you with a couple of sketches:

There is more to this adventure, but you'll have to come back next week to find out what happens.

Until then, grab a sketch pad, pencil and go have fun sketching! 

Suzy

SKETCHING...... ARCHITECTURALLY SPEAKING

Hi Everyone,

Happy Sketchbook Tuesday!  

I've been running around like crazy-busy this week getting ready for a visit from my VBFF.  Yes! She's coming for a whole week to visit me and we have such grand plans of drawing and painting wherever we go.  

Of course our drawing and painting en plein air totally depends on the weather and whether or not it will be raining cats and dogs in the afternoon. 

Keep your fingers crossed for sunny days!! I'm pretty excited about being able to spend time with my BFF so even if the weather doesn't co-operate we will find plenty to do and talk about for hours.

And since this is Sketchbook Tuesday I've dug a few Architectural sketches out for you today!

I love the architecture of old buildings, Spanish tile roofs, balustrades, arches and stairways all speak to my romantic heart.  Below I am practicing how to draw these types of architectural details. 

 A five minute sketch of downtown store fronts in an older section of town. 

 Throw in a quick sketch of palm trees here and there.

Another favorite architectural delight is the Cupola. According to Wikipedia: in architecture, a cupola is a small, often dome-like structure on top of a building. Well the ones I've seen and refer to as cupola(s) are rather square and usually have a nice weathervane on top. Whatever they are called, I love the look of it on a house or building. 

This building was a challenge with the arches and complicated roof lines. 

Next week I'll have new sketches to share with you and more adventures from Bonnie and Suzy. Hope you will join me again soon. Meanwhile, pull out your sketch pads and get busy!! 

Happy Sketching!
Suzy 

A CHANGE IN THE PLAN

Hi Everyone!

Over the last month we been on an adventure exploring The Neighborhood and The Parks near my home. I've been sharing my sketches and paintings of the areas. I do hope you've enjoyed visiting and getting closer to my home destination. 

When I began this series it was originally planned to go for four weeks but soon discovered when it came to A Walk in The Park, it just wasn't complete without sharing the special places where I love to paint.  A slight detour in the plan but isn't that what you do when you are out and about? Sometimes it pays to take a turn down an unfamiliar street or path to discover hidden delights. Anyhoo, that is what we did when we veared off the path and explored my favorite painting places. Last week we ended up in my Backyard, and this week a final destination post was planned for Inside The Studio.  Sorry that just didn't happen this week! BUT......

I have some GOOD news!  Let's just say there has been a change of plan and the Inside The Studio post will now be expanded into a mini series!!!  Ohhh, I'm SO excited to share these posts with you!! So please bear with me while I gather my wits and photos and join me next week for the Intro to Inside The Studio.   

Remember, I'm a fly by the seat of my pants kinda girl!  :-) Some days that is a good thing, other days not so much.  I'm finding in bloggerland, there is a definite need for pre-planning. ;-)

Thanks for being patient while this series is under construction! See you all next week!

xoxo
Suzy

THE SECRET COVE

Hi Everyone!

Welcome back! Moving closer to my home we're visiting another one of my favorite parks where I go to sketch and paint.  I take my sketch pad and practice the roof angles on the boathouse, or the window shapes and roof shingles or the intricate patterns of the palm trees.

 This tiny park is well hidden within the neighborhood and I love to go here on a lazy afternoon and watch the boats going in and out and try to capture the little boathouse across the creek. This painting was done before the hurricanes came and blew away the shaker shingles on the boathouse.

There isn't anything to do at this park other than enjoy the water view and the tropical plants and trees, but that's ok with me. It is very peaceful here, usually a nice afternoon breeze and shady places to sit and draw or paint. I call this place the Secret Cove.

Here I am writing about the new roof on the boathouse, the old shaker shingled roof has been replaced with a shiny new aluminum roof. Doesn't have the character of the old roof but it looks pretty good.

 I take my paints and a little folding chair, kick back under the mango trees and enjoy the afternoon sketching or painting.

Thanks for taking a walk in the park with me again today.  I hope you will come back next week when we will be even closer to home.....in my back yard.  Come join me! Until then keep your pencils sharp and your paint brushes loaded with color and ready for the next adventure.

Happy Painting and Sketching!
Suzy

KEEPING A JOURNAL OF IDEAS

Hi Everyone! 

Some days I like to doodle and stamp random designs on my journal pages.  I dabble with watercolors in different color combinations and often the results sparks more creative activities, like the one below I used to make a birthday card.  

 I used book text to create a twisted stem and a leaf on the flower below.

 Another flower made with book text for the center of a hand drawn flower. 

 Gluing punched circles onto the page with a few squares and then some doodling.

 See how the design doodles above morphed into another design which in turn was used on a greeting card. 

 I jot down ideas to the side of the designs for future consideration. 

How do you process your ideas for different projects? Do you keep a journal or sketchbook to record them?  

Busy Bee-ing Creative!
Suzy