The West Coast

We are on our way to our new home in Western Canada. Coming up to this day we have been doing a lot of talking about the West Coast. Who is there, what it looks like, what's in our neighbourhood, what activities we can do as a family. The more pictures I see, the more excited I become for life out there.

While it is cold in Ontario and there is a lot of snow on the ground I am reminded of the kind of winters we will now have in BC. I may become nostalgic for snow and icicles, sledding and snowshoeing but after 30+ years of it I am ready to embrace a wet and green winter.

Hearts

Before I created my sketchbook Valentine I was doodling a bunch of anatomical hearts. Thought I would share a few of my experiments.

 

There's my version of a 3-D heart with red and blue marker.

Cool tone heart with a little yellow for highlights.

 

And lastly,  a close-up of a strictly playful page where I draw quickly and test marker colour combinations.

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Valentine

For my Valentine who is supportive, kind and caring. I said yes on Valentine's Day many years ago and I'm so happy I did.

xx

Friday Love: A Treasury of Hearts

So I'm cheating just a tiny bit and combining my monthly Etsy Treasury List with one of my Friday Love posts. Putting these two posts together is completely appropriate because I am enjoying compiling these treasuries of beautiful handmade goods and becoming increasingly obsessed by medical illustrations -- the older the better.

Butterflies Under Oatmeal

I already mentioned here that there are some really interesting things coming out of my child's mouth. At lunch the other day she said "there are butterflies under the oatmeal." I did a double take because a) we weren't eating oatmeal and b) what's up with the butterflies being under your breakfast? Of course I had to jot that one down and then create a little illustration. I think I'll tap into this gushing fountain of imagery as long as she will supply them. Currently she's better in the imagination department than I am.

A Downpour of Red and Pink

The reason for this image popping into my head might be that February has always been a hard month for me. I usually feel as though winter will never end and the lack of sunshine and gardening wears me out. My energy level and thus my mood is usually at an all time low. 

I was doing something mundane, like washing dishes or making a meal when the imagery of raining red and pink hearts popped into my head. The best remedy being to deflect them with a large umbrella while wearing a gray sweater and a sturdy pair of galoshes.

I wouldn't call it depressing, but I would call it sulky.

 

Pen and Crayola (because all the rest is packed).