Waves

We had some ginormous waves pass through beautiful Santa Cruz this week. When the winter storms blow through this area, the Monterey Bay crashes into the receding cliffs, sprays salt into the air, and inevitably brings pent up Santa Cruzans out in hords to experience the energy and see the beauty Mother Nature left in her path. It is a magical time for all.

Etsy Store

I decided to try something new. I have created a new store called Lofty Mornings. It is located within the walls of Etsy. You can check my little widget on the right of this page. It is a fun new adventure and a good way to get feedback on my drawings.
I will be creating and listing teeshirts soon too. Check back often to see what's happening.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5569373

Tints, tones and shades

I am taking a painting class. Our first assignment was to mix primary colors to make secondary colors. Then mix the secondary colors with white, grey and black to make tints, tones and shades. Also, mix the primaries with their compliments. Apply the mixed - aka muted - colors to paper or canvas. This is when we were allowed to be creative if we wanted - go abstract, he said, if you want. I did - it was fun - this is what I got.

acrylic on watercolor paper. 12x17

Sunglasses

I tried for three mornings to get this to look like what I wanted it to look like but I just couldn't get it. If I had been using acrylic paints I could have painted over it until I got the look I wanted. Not the case with colored pencils. "Painting" over it with the pencils would have made it look more and more muddy. So it's done. Oh well. Lessons learned.
By the way - Blogger.com really drags these colored drawings and photos out. They suck the colors out. I try to over-saturate the colors in photoshop but still the colors appear flat. Not sure how to fix that yet.

Silly Guy

He makes me smile.

Fox

My friend and I went for a walk in Quail Hollow Ranch today. For the first time in my life I saw a fox in its natural habitat. I got a few shots of it with my new point and shoot. They are from very far away so the photos aren't great. We watched as the fox hunted down a gopher. I have pictures of the fox with the gopher but I will spare you the realities of natural selection.

Hanging Shapes

I usually begin and finish a drawing in one morning. I spent three mornings on this one. I just liked playing with it and didn't want it to end.