Party Animal Digi Sketch

I started this post on September 13..... so remember that when I say "yesterday".

Yesterday I walked into the kitchen.  I walked right by a box on the table.  I guess my subconscious thought it was for packing.  I was fixing my coffee, etc., and walked by the table again.  The box had a pocket knife stuck in it like a flag.  "Look at me!" it said.  Then I saw it was to me from Gene.  I opened it to find a much larger animal gift than usual.  A doggie and is soooo soft that you have to move it around to see which is the front.  Sort of like our grand-dog, Chewie, when he was a tiny puppy.   You can't see the eyes unless you move the fur around.

I put him on a chair pillow for sketching and showed the small eyes even though you can't see them when he, Angelito, is still.  He is sketched on my iPad with the iPencil and the app, Brushes.

Number 8, animal SH 556. Thanks, Gene for the new puppy.

I had another surprise for my birthday, too.  Gene won the quilt at the Old Timers in Magdalena so we also picked that up and he gave it to me for my birthday.

***. ***. ***

Now we are in Arizona at Roger's.  We had some adventures as usual, but we finally made it here.  We stopped in Grants to visit my sister and daughter, in Magdalena to visit Gene's sister, in Socorro to visit 2 more of his sisters, and in Truth or Consequences to visit his cousin.

Next stop was in Las Palomas to have our teeth cleaned.  We stay in Columbus, New Mexico, drive to the port and walk into Mexico.  Gene needed a crown, so they made the impressions, etc.  We will stop there on Wednesday on our way home to have it installed.  We should be home by the 29th at the latest.  We shall see.  We hadn't planned on the crown.

I sketched a bit here and there.

For Scavenger Hunt 557, Number 1, shadow - in the room in Grants with a brush pen for a challenge to use equipment we don't often use.

Number 2, 4 legs - chair in Columbus. iPhone sketch with Brushes

Number 3, above - at the dentist's in Mexico. Travel sketchbook with a Pilot ball point pen.

Number 4, below - in dentist's office

I'm posting from Gene's MacBook Air.  Could not get the photos up from the iPad.  I really to not like change and Blogger has changed again.  Pbfttttt.....

I will try to sketch here, too.

I may have shared this song before, but it describes me over this move.....

Bad Attitude by the Carper Family:

Bad Attitude
https://youtu.be/6tBw1mMUtmg

Photos along the way will follow when I can use Gene's computer or whenever......

ArtRage Sketch

Maybe I have art rage, eh?  That may be my problem with all my painting, sketching, etc.  I will think about that for a future post.

The coffee table sketchbook is packed away so used ArtRage for sketching this morning on my iPad with the Apple pencil.  ArtRage is a good sketching app.  I have not added any of the extra tools and have not figured out how to go back to a previously picked color.  You know me, just plow ahead and not worry about the small stuff.   It is difficult to correct if you can't match colors to rub out mistakes.  I don't intend on printing any of my sketches or do actual finished drawings so will stick with the basics and not study.

For Scavenger Hunt 556
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1453565

Number 7, rectangular - nice cedar chest here in AXX

This is the view to my left from my computer table.  Nifty.  Before too long it will have snow.  Time to hit the road.

Sketching for 556 and a Plein Air Pastel

We started packing today.  Hopefully we will do better than when we came this direction.  We always bring too much but we didn't have a list and left some of the important stuff behind.

I packed all my art stuff with the exception of my sketchbooks and bag.  I sketched in the big book before I put it in the tote.  I sketched with a Prismacolor 01.  I moved the big book from my computer table about 8 feet to the coffee table to sketch.  I got the set of Prismacolor pens out of the sketch bag and selected the 01 pen.  I normally put the cap on the other end.  When I finished sketching I went to close the pen and no lid!  I still haven't found it and I sketched about 9:00 a.m.  How can you lose something when you know you were not out of the room?   Sigh.....

For Scavenger Hunt 556  http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1453565

Number 6, fruit

The next step was to go downstairs and pack the art supplies.  But wait!  It was a beautiful day and I have been wanting to paint the high country marsh, so took the pastels for a last run and did a small plein air.

High Country Marsh

Pastel 12 x 9 inches on U-Art 400 grid sanded paper

I try to paint in the shade and used the tailgate of the car for shade.  It was/is a most beautiful day and I spent about an hour playing in the dust.

I have all my art gear packed now.  A sigh of relief.  Next are the extra groceries and extra clothes.  We still have 4 days..... no more procrastinating.

Forgot to add the sunset photos, a panorama and regular.

Boot Scootin' Sketchin'

I was trying to keep from packing today, as I mentioned.  The Southwest and Western forum has the September Challenge going on.  One of the photos was two pair of brown boots, sitting on some steps.  I decided that if I painted our boots live, I could post the sketch in both forums, the SW and the Scavenger Hunt.

Scavenger Hunt 556
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1453565

SW Forum September 2018 Challenge
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1453301

I would rather paint from life than from a photo anyway.  The perspective in the photo of the boots was almost straight on.  I sat our boots on a table.  I like to paint/sketch with pastels standing up so the new perspective view was a bit looking down on the boots.  Much harder for me.  I should have put them on the hood of the Expedition!

I worked on them about 3 hours.  I took a break in the middle and when I started up again the sun was gone.  I was not enjoying the shadows, details and perspective so decided to stop where I was.

For Scavenger Hunt 556
Number 5, shoe - substitute of boots.  Pastel on Uart paper, 9 x 12 inches

For the Challenge, substitute real boots for the photo.

Hey!  I did play in the pastel dust and will pack my art equipment tomorrow.  All except my sketching stuff.  No more pastels until we get back home in Bastrop.

Short Timers ...

Our time is running out in Angel Fire.  We leave a week from yesterday.  I will start packing my art stuff today.  I bring way too much.  I'm thinking of taking Pomona's watercolor class in Bastrop so I can just take a watercolor sketchbook when we travel.  I color in some of my sketches but would like to be better at the washes and blending.  Of course that would mean studying .. so maybe not!

Yesterday, Gene wanted me to take a video of him as he flew down the mountain on his Catrike.  He has been trying to top 50 mph.  Completely crazy, but what can I do.  He is 3/4 of a century old and has a mind of his own.  I found him on the other side of the mountain coming back to AXX and then came ahead and waited where he told me to wait.  I started a quick sketch but as I saw the cars coming down, I knew I had to be ready or I would miss him.  The speed limit there is 45 mph and I saw it was taking the cars about a minute to come by me after I saw them on the curve.

So, my sketch was in the small Canson Mix Media book with a Sharpie Pen.  A very few minutes.

Number 5, landscape

I may try to do a quick pastel this morning before I pack them.  Sounds reasonable and a way to put off packing for a while.   (Evil grin)

Which brings me to the class with Pomona.  She is teaching in Bastrop at the Lost Pines Art Center in October.  You can sign up on-line:
http://www.lostpinesartcenter.org/classesclass-sign-up/watercolor-by-design/

Hunting for 556

An item on the Hunt 556 http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1453565
was "gives out heat/smoke".  I had sketched the fireplace here some time ago so decided on one of the vent-less wall heaters.  My sketch stuff was in the car, so I used colored pencil and then used a Pilot ball point pen to give it a boost of detail.

 Number 4, gives out heat - wall heater

We went to Taos yesterday.  We thought we might get tickets to the Michael Hearne Barn Dance if we showed up there, but they were still sold out.  We visited the Fechin Art Museum.  Very interesting, he carved most of the wood that is in the house himself.  His wife was very short so he made the furniture very small.   His paintings are not strong, but interesting.

We then decided to make the Enchanted Circle tour and come back via Questa, Red River and Eagle Nest.  Beautiful drive that I have posted photos of many times.  Here are a few more just in case.

Near Questa.

St. Anthony's Church in Questa.  This is the one we were supposed to paint on the second day of the paint out.  I couldn't take the sun so painted in the shade of that big tree in the back and the houses across the street.  They did a beautiful restoration of the church.  I didn't take any photos that day or they didn't come out.  Hmmmm.

After Questa on the road to Red River.

Sunset as we got back to Angel Fire.  We couldn't decide where to eat so we came back to Angel Fire.  We had a drink at Zebs and then went for pizza at Angel Fired Pizza.

For the Procrastinator in Us

This article, Organizational Skills for Artists, by Luann Udell, was in the FASO newsletter today.  It is way too close to the way I operate.  Reminds me of Bag Blog, too.  Maybe we aren't quite as unorganized as the article.  I think hope it is tongue in cheek.

A smile for all:

https://fineartviews.com/blog/136891/organizational-skills-for-artists