Happy Holidays / Merry Christmas 2023

 

This Year's Christmas Card

After sketching and painting a few other of our plush tree ornaments, I decided to put these guys together for a Christmas Card.  These have been a lot of fun to work with.

FIbook75x75 / Lamy pens with Doc Brown ink / Stonehenge Aqua / DS watercolors

This is my wish for everyone viewing, to have a Merry and Blessed Christmas.  To be safe during travels; to enjoy without a lot of pressure or stress; to embrace this time with family and friends.  For those who are alone and may not be able to spend time with family or friends...........just know that there ARE people out here who think of you and send warm heart-felt wishes your way!

FAST Group Monthly Challenge

Our sketching group, FAST (Fetch a Sketch Trekkers), is starting a monthly challenge where the folks interested take turns coming up with ideas for us to work on through the month.  One of the gals got us off to a great start with the idea to sketch 12 things that represent the Christmas Holiday season.

I chose to go with plants and flowers we are all familiar with during this time of year, as well as a page of ornaments I have on our tree plus shelf sitter. 

As I worked on my page of ornaments, it took me back years ago when the boys were young and I made all of our Christmas ornaments.  It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I added a few store purchased ornaments like the little plush hanging toys (reindeer, santa, snowman, penguin, etc) that have these little totes you can add goodies to.  The gnome is a shelf sitter rather than an ornament.

Worked in my large Beta journal using Pilot Falcon with Lexy Gray ink.

The Gift of Giving and Christmas Wishes

My youngest son works as an HVAC tech and was on call a couple of weeks ago.  On one of his service calls, he worked on this couples' unit who normally receives service by another service tech. 

The lady asked Travis if he would be so kind to give her regular service tech these hand carved Santas she had for him and his family which Travis was more than happy to do.

The couple was very pleased with Travis's work and mannerism and had him choose two Santas for himself........a tree ornament size and a larger one.........as a special thank you.

Ms Carol doesn't sell these but instead makes them out of chunks of wood as gifts to people.  I'd give anything to learn how to do these!

Anyways......Travis was excited and immediately thought of me.  Although he loves these Santas, he chose to give to me as a gift because of my love for crafts and art.  He also knew that I would want to sketch them...which of course I've done for this post...lol.

Thank you Carol Williams for your kindness and giving nature!!!  Your Santas are absolutely gorgeous!!! 

Because of what these Santas mean to us as a family, I have decided to use them on my primary Christmas card to you.  A special acknowledgement and tribute to Carol Williams and our Wish for Happy Holidays to you.

Holiday Wishes

We are well into the Holiday Season now that Halloween and Thanksgiving is behind us which can bring happiness as well as frustration to many if not most folks.

To help in maintaining peace of mind and one's sanity........any Christmas shopping you plan to do........I suggest to do so from home (sorry, local businesses).  

* NO idiot drivers to contend with
* NO parking woes
* NO long lines at the stores
* NO fear of being robbed walking from       stores to car (or vice versa)
* NO people looking for money at every       store entrance
* NO grumpy rude people to endure




I prefer to be a hermit this time of year because of all the things just mentioned and stay put in the SAFETY of my home!!! 

Here's wishing for you all a safe, fun, stress free, healthy, 
2017 Holiday Season. 

Holiday card created with Procreate sketching of one of my vintage snow people.

Snowpeople Figurine

I have a thing for snowmen and each year look for new figurines or plush snowmen to add to my collection.

This is one of several picked up throughout this year.  I hope to eventually record in my journal a page for each.  :-)

Strathmore Visual Journal, Micron pens, and Watercolor.

I worked with watercolor first and then used the microns for the ink lines.  Not sure which way I like better.......inking first with color added or color first and inking as final.  Either way it's nice to work both ways as a change of pace.

Holiday Wish #2

Wednesday, I purchased a poinsettia and last night worked on this in the Strathmore Visual Journal (watercolor).  Again using the Kuretake Zig Clean Color brush markers along with a wet brush.

End results as an e-card.

Holiday Wish #1

Several posts back, I shared a graphite sketch where I came up with Opal dressed up and the two other elements.  Using that, I worked this in the S&B Zeta sketchbook using the Kuretake Zig Clean Color brush markers and waterbrush.

And here is the ending e-card results I created from this color sketch.