Cathy Johnson's Sketch With Me - CHANGE

This month's event set by Cathy Johnson is about this time of year and CHANGE.  For many people change can be summer to autumn with changing colors.  For us here down south, there's not a GREAT deal of change due to seasons.........at least with foliage. 

We do have birds showing up now at the feeders that don't through the summer.  The mockingbird will return to the feeders  The black caps and titmice do as well.  We have migratory birds coming through and checking out the feeders like various finches.  There's a bit more activity with hummingbirds.   Another change we see is that the Sandhill Cranes don't come around as much through the neighborhood.

What inspired me or grabbed my attention representing change was/is the tree in our front yard.  What is our biggest show-stopping display with any type of color change is what we thought was a Golden Rain tree.  Doing more research, I've learned the tree may actually be its cousin......the Chinese Flame tree.

Both have the bright yellow flowers that develop late summer followed by paper thin tri-sided seed pods that range from an orange - pink - coral - red color......depending on their maturity and the way the light hits the pods.  Today was cloudy in the afternoon with a passing storm and they looked blood red.  Beautiful coloring!!!  There are only a few areas in our tree with the yellow flowers remaining.  What helps distinguish one tree from the other are the leaves.

FIbook75x75 / Stonehenge Aqua / QoR watercolors / Lamy pens with Dark Red and Dark Green ink

Season for Acorns

Seems our oak only drops acorns every other year and this year they are starting to show up everywhere.  They are tiny compared to the acorns we had up North but the leaves of this oak here are also very different........smaller and of different shape.

This also goes along with Cathy Johnson's theme Seasons for this month's Sketch with Me event.

FIbook75x75 w/Stonehenge Aqua / Doc Brown ink / DS watercolor

Side Note to myself - Black for the beetle is Aliz Crimson plus Paynes Grey giving it a slight reddish-purple tone.  Used the same color for the shadow.

Sketch With Me - Seasons

This month's theme for the Sketch With Me challenge is seasons (Cathy Johnson's monthly challenge)....sketching anything that represents what the season is like where we live.

The last few days could fit into this as I walk around taking note and sketching what's going on right around our house but saved working these last two for the actual challenge.

While northern states may be seeing a drop in temperature and beginning to see Autumn colors, there's not much in the way of change here.  The weather is still hot and humid, although we did have a few nights where it actually dropped into the upper 60s and that was a Blessing!!  But days are averaging low 90s.

Instead of seeing signs of color change you see up north (before flowers, trees, and shrubs go dormant), we are  seeing new life, budding, flowering, and fruit production.  We still enjoy color but not in the same way.

We do have a Golden Rain tree that the green leaves will soon change to yellow but it will be another couple weeks before our tree does that.  Then we will see the seed pods dropping everywhere. 

All in all, our season is basically the same as it's been since April.  If we're lucky, it might start cooling off by December; however, Florida has basically two seasons........Early Spring and Summer.

Sketch With Me 11th Event - Favorite

This weekend is the 11th Sketch with Me event initiated by Cathy Johnson.  Theme being "Favorite".

There are many things I would consider favorite but right off the top of my head, it has to be what's included on this journal page:

Coffee is #1 with the mug being special because it was gifted to me by my brother-in-law several years ago.  It's a Texas mug with Texas colors and on the opposite side of this cup is blue with the white star that represents Texas.

Mini bears and dog (Opal, Cinnamon, and Jake), which I often use as sketching models. 

Lamy pen - Funny thing about this pen is the fact I didn't like them at first due to the shape of the barrel.  However, now they are one of my favorites.

Latest hand-sewn journal.  This one in particular is my favorite as it's the first one I tried making with a two-toned cover structure........part cloth and part paper. 

HSFab01 / Lamy Safari with Urban Grey ink / QoR watercolors

Memories

This month for Cathy Johnson's, Sketch With Me virtual outing, we are to sketch Memories of when we were growing up.

I chose when I first learned I was allergic to bees.  As young as I was, I still remember this incident as if it happened yesterday.

Bumblebees and Honey bees are the ones I react horribly to.  Wasps and yellow jackets, not so much.  But even with that, I am terrified of all stinging bugs.  The other tiny terror is the tick.

HSFab01 / Fab Art 140lb watercolor paper / DeAtramentis Document Brown ink / Lamy Vista

Friday and Today's Sketching

My husband has been coming in saying how bad the midges are so I decided to document them in my sketchbook.  I went outside walking around studying and taking photos of those on the outside walls and car.  While outside, I walked around the house and saw where there were early fruits on the Japanese Yews.  My eye also caught something on the roof and it was this dove peeking over the edge.

Thursday, I got a call from my youngest son saying he had taken a bad fall in the attic of one of the houses he was checking for a break in wiring.  He found the problem and was headed out of the attic when he stepped back off the end of one of the joists onto ceiling.  So that he didn't damage or go through the ceiling, he quickly pulled back which caused him to lose his balance.  He tried to break his fall by grabbing onto an overhead support and his body swung around causing him to lose his grip.  He fell flat on his back across the joists.  Another contractor was below in the garage and heard the loud thud.  He had to help Travis out of the attic and my son's supervisor was called.  His supervisor came on site and saw to it Travis went to be checked out.  Took him to Leesburg Regional Urgent Care.  Although xrays were taken (not read yet), the physician documented Travis was suffering a contusion to the back and a spinal sprain.  He was sent home with instructions and wants him back Monday for a follow-up visit.

Travis is one hurting puppy but if there's a positive in this..........he didn't fall THROUGH the ceiling landing on a concrete floor below.  With two sons working jobs that require them at times up in attics, this has been one of my fears along with passing out due to the Florida heat.

Second page is my participation in Cathy Johnson's monthly Sketch With Me virtual sketchcrawl.  The theme for the month is "Challenge" where we choose to work something we find challenging......either subject or medium, etc.  

I'm always wanting to sketch and paint Miya but always find myself dragging my feet actually doing so.  It's her fur that intimidates me.

This started out as a graphite only sketch but then sprayed it and decided to go ahead and attempt the coloring.  Her fur is one of the things I love about her.  It's soft and I love the scraggly look due to the soft curls going off in various directions.  I keep her fur cut fairly short by sitting her in my lap and cutting with scissors..........it's one of our special bonding times together.  

Thomas' Desert Rose

4th Sketch With Me Event - topic "New".  Worked a little late due to things going on over the weekend this event was held.

It's been a couple of years now since our neighbor gave us a cutting off of his desert rose.  Thomas has since passed on but he's still very much with us through this cutting that has taken off and flourishing.  This year it's loaded with buds!

KG sketchbook / Micron 01 pen / Aliz Crim, Sap Green, and touch of Bt Sienna / Waterbrush

Sketch With Me - Self Portrait

I don't mind working portraits (when I'm in the right frame of mind) but I am NOT crazy about doing self portraits.  Just feels super weird!!!

For the 6th Sketch With Me event by Cathy Johnson, this is the topic set for us to do.  The event is for today and tomorrow.........which I started wee hours of the morning and finished after I got some sleep. 

Worked from a photograph.

This is one of those subjects I could go on and on indefinitely with adjustments but doubt I would ever be satisfied.  It's amazing how a single line or shading can make such a huge difference in how close you get to likeness.  I finally had to have my husband take a look and he said it looked like me so I called it done.....flaws and all.

Cathy Johnson's "Sketch With Me" Monthly Facebook Event

Cathy started this Sketch With Me group where one weekend out of the month she suggests a theme and invites others to sketch with that theme in mind.  This month is "Home" or what makes us feel at home.  Could be a place in the house, a place outside in nature, a home cooked meal........anything that might make us feel at home.

This is my spot.  Worked on Strathmore 500 WC paper, Lamy AlStar with Urban Grey ink, mixed brands of watercolors

Cathy Johnson's Sketch With Me Effort Nov 2018

Miss Kate has initiated a monthly "Sketch With Me" project where people all over the globe work a sketch on a particular weekend and then share online.

For November (weekend following Thanksgiving Day), we were to sketch something we're thankful for.

This is what came to mind for me.