Possum Patty from Pencil-vania's Hauntingly Strange Sketchbook

Car Art: Barney

Long car ride on Sunday so I decided to color in a sketch of my friend's dog, Barney, that I did weeks ago. 

There's that rule about not painting in the new car with the white leather seats so I used the Neocolor II crayons and a water brush.

This is Barney's dog "brother" Cody.

I just noticed that I sketched both dogs with their tongues hanging out! The sketches were done on different days but both are summer portraits. 

More about art supplies to Play with:

News from the Mushroom: Purple-spored Puffballs Popped Up

Possum Patty stopped to peep at what were possibly Purple-spored Puffballs that popped up in the pasture but they were past their prime.

"Outsider Nature Journaling" 

Klimt inspired gold collage and spirals. 

Summer Birds: A Giant Swallowtail Visits

Young Maria Merian called butterflies her Summer Birds. During the Middle Ages, some people thought that insects were born from the mud and thus evil creatures who could change shapes (metamorphosis). Maria loved the beautiful insects and studied them in secret so that people would not think she was a witch. She grew to be an artist and a scientist. 

This Giant Swallowtail is so common in the South that it seems to be a pest in some areas. Here, in the Mid-Atlantic, we see a few every summer. This one was in my front yard feasting on Zinnia nectar. It was a first time sighting for this species at home. Started this page with watercolors, didn't like the shape of the wings, do-over with some acrylic paint, and topped it off with the Sakura Glaze pens just for fun. I think I tried out all of the colors on the leaves (which, by the way, are only there to hide the old wings).

Nature Morte: Sunday at the North Museum

Volunteering at the North Museum, F&M College, Lancaster, PA. Love this gig. I sit at a large table with paint, brushes, paper and pens and smile at people passing by and say "Come and paint with me!" This month's program theme is "Spooky Science". Working with skulls, a plastic brain, and poisonous plants. Nature Morte means "dead life" or "still life". 

Hunter's Moon and Fog Rising from the Valley

What's on my mind?  This daybreak: the sun low in the east  and the Hunter's Moon in the west. The fading lunar light brought life to the autumn fog rising silently from the valley.

Art and Oatmeal with Honeycrisp Apples and Neocolor II Crayons.

Added Klimt inspired doodles over the Neocolors with a Zig Writer and then colored the doodles with Tombow Markers.

Detail of the swirly valley fog.

Loving the Sakura Black Glaze Pen for outlining!

Freaky, Orange, and With Warts...

Happy Harvest Home from the Knucklehead Pumpkin!

(Watercolor in Strathmore Mixed Media Sketchbook.)

The rains came and washed the stars from the heavens...

After a long hot dry summer, several rainy days were welcomed. A walk in the woods was a sensory banquet. The strong aroma of pine was healing and the wonderful autumn scent of wet leaves lying on the ground was pleasing. There were late blooming flowers and absolutely a million tiny fairy mushrooms to see. A few bird calls for the ears and yummy verdant moss to pet. Please note: Possum Patty has a new weird yoga practice. 

But the shining moment of the day was my very first find of Earth Stars! Earth Stars are mushrooms with a round spore case sitting atop a star of 4 to 9 rays. They are not sparkly - I was just celebrating the occasion with my sparkle pens!

Tree #140/10,000 Acrylic in Strathmore Mixed Media Sketchbook

Another van Gogh tree. This one with an Autumn flavor. Acrylic paint in Strathmore Mixed Media Sketchbook.

A springtime van Gogh:

Dino Day at the North Museum

Nature Journaling at the North Museum in Lancaster, PA. The day's theme was dinosaurs. As I encouraged participants to paint their choice of these exquisite extinct reptiles, I kept doodling on this page with gouache.

I never really "finished" the creature. Just stopped working when it was time to go.

But for some reason, I really like this part!

Art and Oatmeal with Peaches and Purslane

This past summer was so hot and dry that even the weeds struggled to survive! One hardy soul was this purslane plant. It not only grew "like a weed" but its petite yellow blooms were in evidence. 

Look at the wonderful pattern that a low growing mat of purslane leaves makes on the ground!

Even though purslane is edible, and yes, I have eaten it, I did not really add any to my oatmeal with peaches!

The ruler stamp was painted with Le Plume II markers, sprayed with water and then pressed to the page. Warning! It soaked through to the underside and even onto the page before that. It may have been the "pressing" because the rest of the page was also painted with Le Plume II markers and water and those colors did not soak through the page. The ruler marks the two rainfalls we had during a four week period: .02 + .08 for a total of 0.1 inches.

Had so much fun with the purslane that I did some more. This time I used gouache on a black gesso background.

Welcoming In Inktober!

October means Inktober!

Yummy! Dragon Chinese ink and ink stone.

Dragon brush holder and Chinese brushes.

All the supplies came in a beautiful red Chinese box set: ink, stone, brushes, holder, chop, red ink (for chop), and small water bowl. Found it at the flea market for a very reasonable price. I bought the roll on rice paper on line. 

I'll probably burn through the whole roll during Inktober just practicing! Maybe that should be my goal?