A Little Coy -Paint Party Friday

Here's my latest attempt at making a coy pond on a rock.  He turned out to be quite fat!  However I think fat fish are happy, so I'm satisfied.

I am having SO much fun painting these rocks and leaving them around town.  What fun!

I hope you all have a beautiful weekend.  It actually rained yesterday--there was a hint of Fall...  I can't remember the last time it rained in August.

Happy Paint Party Friday.  Stay safe out there.

Chasing Bubbles, Happy Mother's Day!

This is a drawing I completed in 2010.  I had my dear son, now in his late 20's, in mind.  It is hard to believe ten years have passed since I created this piece.  Seems like my son was born just yesterday!

You can see these sweet fishies are his baby sitters.  They're having a marvelous time distracting the little fellow with lots of bubbles!  I just love the look in his eyes.  Heehee

Happy Mother's Day, dear Friends! 

Her Favorite Fish -Paint Party Friday

I have always loved goldfish.  For years a flurry of them lived in my small garden pond.  Perhaps there will be more this summer.  Fish are smarter than most people think--they actually learned to recognize the sound of my voice and would often come up to eat and sometimes, they'd play with my fingers. 

I drew this piece of artwork last year as a birthday gift for one of my daughters.  She loved it and spoke of naming each individual fishy.  I love how they turned out.  Just like snowflakes and human beings, there are no two fish exactly alike.

 

Here is my original photograph of lovely Rena.  She reminds me of a Grecian statue!  I love to draw this beautiful girl.  I am blessed by her friendship.

Thank you for dropping by, dear Friends.  ((Hugs))  Have a lovely weekend and Happy Paint Party Friday!

Under the Sea

Here is a look at a painting I was commissioned to do recently.  Her hair turned out better than I thought it would, and I was totally surprised at how nice the rock work looked!

This little mermaid was fun to do--I used watercolors for most of this painting.  For her skin, though--I did something a little different. I used a bit of coffee and cream--from my coffee cup--and added a tiny dab of crimson.  The skin tone turned out perfectly--though the scanner didn't do justice to the smooth look of the painting in real life.

Have a wonderful weekend friends--Ah, isn't summer marvelous? 

Daughter of the Sea -Guest Heart Thursday

This graphite drawing from my sketchbook is the preliminary sketch for a commission I'm working on.  I'm drawing this for a dear friend of mine, who will be giving the finished piece to her daughter for her birthday!  

Above you can see the original photo I've been working from.  Her real name is Denise, and I have had so much fun figuring out what her hair should look like as a mermaid.  

Of course, I have hidden hearts in this drawing--how many can you find?

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.

Circus Menagerie -Weekly Word Sketch

This is a lineart drawing from some time ago. I thought it would fit for one of this week's words--circus!

This week has been an adventure--not much time for artwork or drawing!  We have discovered there have been critters living beneath our home.  My darling husband set a trap--thinking he would capture an opossum--but what we found instead was a little skunk.

Dealing with this little fellow has been pungently interesting.  We eventually had to hire someone to come out and take him away.   He is now free and happy in the Baskette Slough, a wildlife reserve near here.

Have a lovely day!  If you would like to join us for weekly Word Sketch, click on the picture below to visit Oak Moon Studios for the details.

Gathering Sea Shells

This is a commissioned piece I just finished.  I love the way the rocks turned out--almost translucent in places.  These two are great friends in real life.

Funky Fish - Guest Heart Thursday

Here is another ATC watercolor of a funny Funky Fish.  There are at least two hearts in this picture--can you find them?

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.

Catching Bubbles

Here is another of my "Merfolk" drawings.  This little fellow is just learning to swim.  His babysitters, these darling fish, are blowing bubbles up in front of the baby's nose and he's trying to chase them.

In my mind's eye, the baby's hands and arms are kicking like the dickens.  He's so excited over those bubbles!

Have a wonderful day!

NOTE to all Artists:  I am going to begin Featured Art on Tuesday (FAT Tuesday) starting next week to showcase some of the amazing artists found on line.  If you have a piece of your own art you would like submit for FAT Tuesday, or know someone who's art blows your mind, I would love to hear from you.   My email address can be found under my profile!

Deep Sea Romance

This is number one in a set of various pieces of artwork dedicated to mermaids and merfolk in general!  I thought you would enjoy being the first to see them.  I just now finished the first two.

I love fish--I have a pond full of them.  I decided I didn't want a complex background interrupting the grace of the two merfolk.  Hence these happy looking fishies.  I was pleasantly surprised at the way the fish seem to glow, giving the piece an almost 3-D look.

With the kiss trembling between these two, anyone can see they are deeply in love--Theirs is the classic story of two kingdoms at war.  He is from one, she is from the other.  They will move heaven and earth to be together for the rest of their lives.  Their adventure is only just beginning as they seek to end hostilities between their homelands beneath the sea. 

I have this drawing up for sale on Ebay under Bethartworx.  I'm SO excited!

UPDATE:  This original drawing has been SOLD!  

Malaya's Lessons - Happy Mother's Day!

I have been collecting fairy tale books for years--a whole shelf full of them. In particular, I've loved stories of mermaids, mermen and their families. I even found a book called The Mermaid Reader, which details the lives, stories and legends of the merpeople.

This morning, in honor of Mother's Day I am re-posting one of my favorite drawings.

Here you see a tiny mermaid learning how to swim, instructed by her lovely green and blue tressed mother. The fish is a helpful friend--bubbling encouragement to the little one as she learns to flip her fins.

My reference models were my Sister Leigh and darling little niece Malaya.

Happy Mother's Day!

Kiss the Girl

This confident lover boy seems to think he's "all that."  And maybe he is! However, the mermaid seems rather amused.

This pen and ink drawing drew itself. I laughed and laughed when the fish's face came into view. It seems this funny fellow is truly expecting to kiss the girl!

Hidden Friends

Here is another early graphite drawing. I was around 19 years old when I drew this interesting picture. I've always loved to hide things in my drawings. Can you find what I hid in this picture?

Menagerie

This little doodle is a sample of some of the cartooning I've done over the years. When I'm doodling, I often draw people and animals in great clumps of penned personality--hence, the name of this doodle--Menagerie. (grin)