Rough Monday Theme

Well, missed last week all together and though I have a million and one excuses for my laziness, I won't bore any of you with them:)
Since there is unseasonably great weather here in Eastern Canada (haven't checked but I'm assuming we are all having an early Spring, yes? For the moment anyway, this IS Canada, 10 ft of snow could fall on us tomorrow:) our theme is "Mud Puddles" aka, "Spring"!

Pets - Myles

This wasn't my pet, but I recently did a watercolor painting of a pny previously owned by a friend of ours (he sadly passed away). Here is both the rough sketch and final painting... (from a reference photo, which is why you see the initial sketch with gridding, to help keep the details consistent). While a bittersweet project, I enjoyed the challenge of a realistic horse...

Adrian

www.croftcreations.ca

Rough Monday - Pets!

Meet our dog Heidi.  I added a bit of colour to this week's rough because that's just part of Heidi's appeal.  She's a Bavarian Mountain Scent Hound, and though the difference is faint here, her head is a darker brown than the rest of her body. It's as if she tripped and fell head first into a vat of dark chocolate.   She went through a few homes early in life before we adopted her, so she's got some self esteem issues, but she's improving. All she wants is love, constantly.  Good thing I've got the kids to snuggle her endlessly.   Oh, and she can RUN. Her hind legs are so muscular that when she has chased a squirrel up a tree, she bounces at the base of the tree like Tigger bounces on his tail.  It's quite a site. 

Rough Monday

I have no idea why but all of our pets over the years have lived a long and healthy life. Two previous, medium  breed dogs made it to 15. Two previous cats, to 18 and 19. Never an illness nor vet bill other then the regular shots. These two seem to be no exception. Jake is heading towards 13 and Christopher turned 20 in January. For the past 3 Summers we have told him, as he lounged out on the porch, "Enjoy it while you can cat, I'm sure it's your last". He is in great shape, so it looks like he's holding on for at least one more Summer of chasing dogs and cats off the property and sleeping in the sunshine.

Rough Monday Theme (yet again, late)

Yep, did it again, sorry all, do NOT know where the days go!
So, easy theme I think for us all. "Pet/s"

Rough Monday: Childhood Heartbreak - Or Not

With so many illustratable (no, it's not a word, but you get it) moments from my childhood it was difficult to decide what to do for this week's theme of "Childhood Memories".  I settled on an instance somewhere around the time of grade 5 or 6 when I was "going out"  (and by "going out" I mean walking laps around the back field holding hands and chattering with other grade school "couples") with a boy who gave me a bracelet.  A week later I saw that he was walking around the back soccer field holding hands with another girl ... a friend of mine!  This was his way of informing me that we were through. So, this image is of the moment I returned the bracelet, which he then gave to the other girl . I was confused at what to make of all of this, but oddly, not at all angry. It remains in my mind as my first odd, awkward interaction with the politics of dating. Even though it's been years since I've seen either of these people, we went through nearly our entire school careers together and I still count them as dear friends.  Fortunately, I was much too naive about the ways of love at that point to be scarred by the incident.  haha. I chuckle every time I think of it.

Rough Monday-Ah the Memories of Youth!

Funny how you probably had 2345 great things happen every week while growing up, yet it's only the bad stuff that remains etched in your mind. I was not six yet, not till the Winter, and had come in to my Grade 1 class from a freezing Autumn  recess. I had forgotten to "GO" before class.
I put up my hand, trying to get my teachers attention, but she never called on me. In those days, you had to have permission to speak, let alone get up and leave the room.  So..... it happened. I spent the rest of the morning hoping no one would notice. At lunch time I threw my coat, mitts and hat on and just before I could make a clean (though dampish) get away towards home, the teacher called me over to my desk. As I remember, she was very nice about it, even though I denied any knowledge of how "that" got there or what "that" even was, and insisted it wasn't of my doing. I walked the 5 blocks home with a note for my Mother pinned to my jacket.

Yes, that is an ink bottle and dip pen on my desk! I can hardly believe it myself but when I started this sketch, I could picture the desks in our school. Beautiful hard wood, with Ink wells carved into the tops of the desk, chairs attached to the scrolled cast Iron base and legs, the seat that tilted up and down, like in the movie theatre.  (The teacher would hand out blotter paper every morning, you had to make the 1 sheet last all day:)