Bird

Doodlewashing for Draw a Bird Day

/ Jodi / 43 Comments

september draw a bird day cowbird art journal

Happy Back to ‘whatever it is you do on a regular basis’ after a nice long holiday weekend!

I recently did some “doodling” in my new art journal for Draw a Bird Day…

september draw a bird day rose breasted grosbeak art journal

Then “washed” it with some watercolor.

#Doodlewashing is a fun word and “movement” that Charlie O’Shields and friends created that describes sketching and watercoloring.  Charlie’s blog inspires me daily.

And Laura at Create Art Everyday is one of my bestie bloggin’ buddies who puts the call out monthly for #DrawaBirdDay.

These were just really quick little sketches done in roller ball pen late one night and then painted early the next morning (for some reason I got up at 4:30 am that day, so took advantage of some free time).  If they look a little bit familiar, I drew them from two photos I had posted from the birds that visit our backyard:  The Rose Breasted Grosbeak and the Brown Headed Cowbird.

I’m looking forward to seeing all the fun and truly artistic creations everyone shares!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

PS  In honor of Laura and in memory of her recent loss of her beloved Penny, I sketched my first cat in my new art journal the other day.  Laura was on my heart as I was thinking of her grief and loss.  I just used a No. 2 pencil and followed some illustrative instructions from a new book I got called Drawing for the absolute beginner by Mark and Mary Willenbrink.  This is my first try at this book, and I look forward to doing more to better understand techniques and values and perspective, etc.  I’m such a jump-iner!  I need to slow down and learn!  Love ya Laura!

penny laura createarteverday

Watercolor Lazuli Bunting

/ Jodi / 18 Comments

lazuli bunting

I am a bit obsessed with watercolor lately…

My youngest son told my oldest son last week when he was over – “Paint, paint, paint – not so many cookies being baked around here – Mom’s too busy painting!”

Of course they were teasing – like they constantly do to me…  (I’ve come to realize it is their way of expressing their love – at least that is what I’ve convinced myself of to maintain sanity!)

But – I do become a bit obsessed with things… (and I am on vacation this week, so scheduled a few posts ahead)

So – when I recently posted my Papa Cardinal watercolor, a sweet blogger friend, Deborah @ CircadianReflections commented how lovely it was and how she wished cardinals were in her area of the world.

I asked Deborah what her favorite was.

When she commented it was a Lazuli Bunting….
I had no idea.
So I Googled,
and I feel in love with this precious little blue bird.

So here is my interpretation of this beautiful little bird that graces the West Coast of the United States…
but not Mars.

Hope it does a teensy bit of justice to this glorious creature.
Thanks for sharing with me Deborah!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

A Happy Thing – Forever and for all Eternity

/ Jodi / 19 Comments

A Happy Thing Forever and for all Eternity

Happy Sunday Friends!  Time to share my design inspiration for The Paper Players Challenge this week.

This week is a color challenge (PP253) with these cool colors.

pp253

My card today is a special one, because it is an anniversary card for my oldest son and daughter-in-law who are celebrating their 2nd wedding anniversary tomorrow.

So hard to believe it has been two years already in one breath…  And then funny to think it is only two years as I feel like Colleen has been my daughter-in-law forever.  🙂

For my card, I used the StampinUp Happy Thing Stamp Set for the bird and Paper Smooches Pretty Phrases for the sentiment.  Some pretty colored paper and DSP from StampinUp, a little bit of watercoloring, a few candy dot embellishments, and a tiny bow of linen thread completed this card for our two happy lovebirds.

Happy Anniversary dear Jake and Colleen… forever and for all eternity!

I couldn’t love you any more… forever and for all eternity.

Love,
Mom

Papa Cardinal in Watercolor

/ Jodi / 48 Comments

watercolor cardinal

I had fun painting Papa Cardinal in watercolor this week in celebration of my Three Month Watercoloriversary!  (How do you like that made up word?!)

It’s been three months since I first ventured into the world of watercolor and shared my very first watercolor on April 4, 2015.

I think I am making some improvements, and I KNOW I still have a long way to go, but oh what a fun journey it is.  I’ve been trying to paint at least one thing a week.

Thanks to Laura @ CreateArtEveryday for initially nudging me out of the nest and encouraging me every day to continue, and thanks to all the other great artistic bloggers and family and friends who have really encouraged and supported me.  This is something three and half months ago I wouldn’t have even ventured at.  I would have told you I could barely draw a stick figure.

papa cardinalI used this photo of Papa Cardinal at the feeder in our backyard as my pose of choice to roughly draw the shape.  I then took LOTS of artistic license in creating an artsy version of him.    Because – hey – if I wanted him to look exactly like the photo – what’s the point?  Just take the photo – right?  (or maybe that’s my excuse…)  I put him on a branch instead of the feeder, because the feeder totally detracts from his handsomeness.  And then I spiked his hair a bit too to spiff him up.

We have several cardinal families hanging out here in our backyard here in Mars.  Maybe I’ll venture to draw Momma or Baby soon.  Baby is pretty grown up and there are other new kids now too.

Oh what a bird nerd I have become!  Thanks for visiting, and happy weekend – enjoy doing things you love with those you love – at life in between!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Ol’ Blue Eyes

/ Jodi / 17 Comments

mourning dove ol' blue eyes

Oh Mourning Dove with your sky blue eyes…
your soft graceful coos and your gentle lament.

You draw me near and you cause me sighs…
as you briefly visit, then gracefully descent.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

The Oriole Feeder

/ Jodi / 25 Comments

baltimore oriole fledgling

I was so excited to buy an Oriole feeder for the hubby for Father’s Day [ahem], so we he could watch the beautiful orange birds that we have occasionally seen in our backyard.

That first day we hung it out, this beautiful young fledgling appeared.

“Score!” I thought.  And a Big Woohoo!

But, alas, we poor hubby hasn’t seen another since.

I guess they moved on to Baltimore with those silly Ravens…  (Football (Steelers!) fans – you know what I am talking about here.)

But………

hummingbird at oriole feeder

the hummingbirds are enjoying it!

And so are we is hubby…

(ok – maybe that Father’s Day present was a little for Momma too – tee hee hee!)

But mostly – it’s all for the birds!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

This week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is “Muse.”

The goal is to post a photo of a subject that keeps you coming back?  I have to admit…  I’ve become a bit of a “backyard bird nerd.”  So I thought an appropriate photo(s) to share would be one from our backyard menagerie.

Gold Finch Mountains to Climb

/ Jodi / 30 Comments

gold finch watercolor card

After painting Spooky earlier this week, I still felt like doing more.

I was on a watercolor roll.

So while the paints and brushes were still out,

I saw a Youtube video by The Frugal Crafter.

Lindsay made painting a gold finch

look like a cinch.

So I made the one above.

Then I felt like Jodi’ing it up a teensy tinch,

which meant loosening it up and splattering a pinch.

So I went at it again – on my own this time.

That’s why this original is having a bit of a bad hair day…

Oh dear…..

I sure have mountains to climb!

gold finch watercolor bad hair day

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Family Teamwork Raising Baby Cardinal

/ Jodi / 25 Comments

The circle of life goes on.

Monday was one of the saddest days I’ve had since I began blogging.

But at the same time we experienced a great loss in our family, we also have the joy of watching this sweet little family that built their nest right outside our bedroom window.

Don’t you love the teamwork?!  (I hope you enlarge to watch this “riveting” video in full screen).

Baby cardinal was 8 days old here.  When Momma didn’t have anything for her to eat….

Poppa to the rescue!  What do you think that green thing is???

And did you see how quickly it went through Baby?  LOL!

How many more days till Baby flies the coop?

As you might have noticed, Baby is an only child.  There is still a lonely little egg in the nest that just doesn’t seem like it is going to hatch.

The circle of life.

It is a beautiful, sad, happy, joy-filled experience.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Houston – We have a Baby Cardinal!

/ Jodi / 48 Comments

Baby Cardinal Day 1

The wait is over!

Remember I shared with you that we had a Momma Cardinal building a nest and then laying eggs right outside of our bedroom window?

Well – right on time – on Mother’s Day afternoon – the first baby cardinal was born.

You can barely make the little bugger out above, and he/she isn’t quite what you might call “cute” yet, but oh what a thrill!

And I wasn’t home when it happened!

My Mother’s Day started out with a trip to the gym in the morning with my youngest son, Nick.  When we got back home, I was surprised to find my oldest son, Jake and his wife, Colleen in the kitchen with hubby, Marty preparing a beautiful surprise Mother’s Day brunch.  What a sweet way to start the day – eh?  It began with a Mother’s day toast of orange pineapple mimosas, homemade chocolate-covered strawberries, pastries, bacon-wrapped filet Mignon, cheesy potatoes and luscious miniature spinach and brie quiches.  And as if that wasn’t enough, there was fresh flowers, cards, and a bunch of fun watercolor art supplies.  Am I the luckiest or what?!?

After stuffing ourselves and relaxing and visiting a bit, the kids asked if I wanted to go play tennis (which I haven’t done for years!),  so off we went, leaving Marty and Mikey home to enjoy some much deserved and coveted quiet R&R time.  After about two hours of sunshine and tiring, sweaty, but oh so joyous running around the court and hitting the ball to racket a few times, I got a text from Marty with this photo:

baby cardinal just born

We had been watching diligently as this was Day 12 after Momma laid her eggs, so this little baby can’t be more than two hours old here, and likely less.

As the day grew dark, still only one baby and one egg remain, and Momma is keeping them both warm.

Is that the icing on the cake for my Mother’s Day or what?

Happy Monday friends.

Wishing you joy in cherished moments.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

PS – I thought this photo would be a perfect submission for this week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge:  Forces of Nature.  What greater display of nature than this?!  A brand new birth – the most extraordinary force of nature.

Watercolor Whimsy – Week 6

/ Jodi / 28 Comments

whimsical green and purple polka dot birdie watercolor card

This week I went in a little different direction with my watercoloring…

Wanting to loosen up and just create FUN like my artsy bloggin’ buddies, Laura at CreateArtEveryDay and Jill at JillsArtJournal, I poked around on Pinterest and found some super fun work by Lucia at StressieCat.  Such unique, original, crazy, zany, whimsy!  I used Lucia’s inspiration to draw and paint this first crazy green and purple polka-dotted bird.  You should check out her blog – crazy awesome talent!  Mine turned out nothing like hers, but I still kinda like it.

whimsical green and purple polka dot birdie watercolor card birdie doo doo inside birthday

And any card that has a crazy green and purple-polka dotted bird on it naturally needs some green birdie doo doo on the inside!  Right?

whimsical watercolor birdie card

Then I made this other silly guy from a photo I saw that stuck in my head, but I’ve lost the source (since I did it over two days – starting one evening and letting the base dry and polka-dotting the next day).  It was a paper mache bird, but I thought I’d recreate it in watercolor and for a card.  I just tore off a piece of watercolor paper and went to town.

whimsical watercolor birdie card 2

I really had fun making these silly guys, and this green one is already on its way to a friend who is celebrating a birthday this week.  He’s a pretty great guy – so he even gets a Superman stamp!

whimsical green and purple polka dot birdie watercolor card read to mail

Have some fun today – and EVERY day!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi