Red Dog

My favorite dog in the whole world, my granddog, Red Dog, is spending his last weekend at home doing all the stuff he loves to do.  His visit to the vet today was bad news.........he has cancer and is terminal.  The dog psychic said he wanted one last weekend at home so SB daughter is doing all the stuff he loves to do with him.  He got to hang his head out the window of the car, eat ice cream and go to the beach without a leash.  She didn't let him run on the freeway or chase pregnant miniature horses though.  I think he should have red jello - isn't that the best when one is sick?

Beginner

Artquiltmaker suggested a website the other day called Illustration Friday which I managed (after my usual futzing around the web) to get into.

It is similar to Artquiltmaker's Creative Prompt Project.  The website puts out a word each Friday and artists send in their illustrations.  I haven't figured that part out yet.

Last Friday's word was beginner.  As my main art form is drawing I came up with the illustration below.

I have many empty sketchbooks so I choose one and am dedicating it to Illustration Friday projects.

On the home front, I returned from ten days in SB, spent with my nephew, last Saturday.  I drove Super G and JJ up with me.  Planted them at the local Comfort Inn as we are still fixing up our fixer upper.  Also JJ wanted to watch the basketball playoffs.  (Weren't the Lakers sad on Sunday?)

On Sunday, Mother's day, we went to Daly City for the grandchild's confirmation.  The boys took BART and Gma and I drove (the boys don't fit in Gma's Focus!).  Except that Gma disappeared during the mass it was a lovely day.  It turns out Gma was kidnapped by a nun and made to sit in the handicapped section.  But it was scary because none of us witnessed the kidnapping.  My son-in-law found her when he ushered during the collection (does your church have the ushers pass the basket three times?).

The party afterwards was fun.  The kids trampolined and the adults chatted.

The family matriarchs

One of the nice things about the day was that it was Mother's Day.  All my family moms were together.

Well I'd better get back to blundering around the internet to figure out how to post to Illustration Friday.  Belated Happy Mother's Day - you know who you are!

P.S. Finished editing the medical book!

Inspiration deficit

I am back in Santa Barbara with the nephew.  Sad news - I am totally uninspired!  So decided to upload some of my 'inspiration' pictures to see if that will jump start the process.

So, here goes.....

AAARGGGG!!!  I'm not on my computer!  Have to go look for my thumb drive, but think I do not have the inspiration file on it.  Bummer!

I know!  I will web cam the Zentangles I have been drawing!

Well, that took almost an hour!  I actually have four thumb drives with me.  One has 1300+ photos on it!  And still has room for more!

The above ZT was totally off the wall!  I had been on the wildflower train at Railtown 1897 and one of the places it stopped to let folks off to photograph the train was prime rattlesnake territory,  Yours truly did NOT get off the train!  No snakes were sighted, thankfully.  But they lodged in my head and came out my fingers in this tangle.

This tangle is called a 'Bud' by the Zentangle website and is a new design out of their newsletter.  I have a hard time with them as my hands are not very steady anymore.  This one turned out well and I like it.  These are even more beautiful with color.

What do you see in this one?

I love doing these in pencil although the books and website want one to use black Micron pens.  Haven't come across my micron pens recently so am using a variety of media.  The pencil doesn't photograph very well.

I started this one with pink highlighter and then enhanced it with black pen.  Pretty retro!

This was inspired by the big wedding on Friday.  Wasn't Kate's gown perfect?  I loved it.  She looked every bit the princess.  I wish them well.

These are copied out of the books.  Good exercises and references for later drawings.  Also handy when inspiration is lacking.

Lack of inspiration is plaguing me currently.  I have two quilts I can work on, a medical book to edit, a journal to write in and my Zentangle sketchbook.  Nothing appeals.  No passion inside bursting to come out.  Artist block, I guess.  So I will have to give myself some assignments and force me to do them.  Perhaps the passion will sneak in when I least expect it!