Seeing Silly Faces.
Sometimes I feel like just splashing paint and seeing what happens.
I recently played with my Brusho Crystal Paint Powders, and this is what happened.
As I looked at the painting, faces just popped out at me, so I took a black micro pen and drew them in.
Sometimes we just need to be silly and have fun while creating.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Mason the Monkey 11×14 Watercolor
Mason the Pickle-Loving Monkey.
Mason was a monkey that many considered fickle.
Instead of eating bananas, Mason loved a sour dill pickle.
He would often pay a nickel,
and sometimes even triple
for that tart, tangy prickle
of a pickle on pumpernickel.
On tasting leaves and seeds, he was truly noncommittal,
for his taste buds and his palate, they simply did not tickle.
He loved the pleasant pucker, and he would often stickle
over anything that was even remotely artificial.
Dilled cucumbers he claimed to be the official
absolute favorite and most nutritional.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Mason the Pickle-Loving Monkey is another in a series of paintings and poems I am working on for a new children’s book. This new book will be special because it is going to feature characters that are based on the grandchildren of my best friends. Mason is the grandson of Joyce, son of Nikole, and brother of Ella.
Prints and greeting cards of all of these paintings are available in our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy shop, where you can also order a customized painting and poem of or for someone dear to you.
Other fun products, like pillows, canvas prints, tote bags and much more are also available at our Mx2D Society6 Shop.
I will begin putting my book together soon and let you all know about it! If you are interested in my first children’s book of watercolor animals and silly poems, you can find it here: Klaus the Mouse and Other Silly Animal Tales.
Ben the Brave Little Beetle Bug.
Nestled in a rare and exotic Persian rug,
lived Ben, the very bravest little beetle bug.
Many of his friends preferred to stay snug,
but Ben liked to go out and dance the jitterbug.
To get to the club, that was named Jolly Jug,
Ben had to sneak past a tough, ferocious thug.
Doug was the meanest bug north of the wall plug.
He was known to pinch and swing and punch and slug.
Doug lived in a filthy, fur-covered shag rug
beneath slumbering Brutus, the beloved family pug.
Ben would wait patiently each night for a tiny little tug
from his dance partner and best friend – Lucy the lady bug.
He would carefully inspect Doug’s grumpy ole mug
to assure he was sleeping as snug as a bug.
Then he bravely would venture, without even a shrug,
to go dancing with Lucy and give her a hug.
You may not think dancing is such a brave chug,
but consider the diminutive size of a little beetle bug
and how far it would ultimately be just to lug
your teensy-weensy body out of that safe and snug rug.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Ben the Beetle Bug is another in a series of paintings and poems I am working on for a new children’s book. This new book will be kind of special because it will feature characters that are based on the grandchildren of my best friends. Ben is the first grandson of my bestie, Jill, and the first son of Jackie, my McHendy daughter, who first inspired me to start this blog.
Ben also brings to mind and heart a dear boy and his grandma (Gem) who are regular visitors here at TheCreativeLifeInBetween.com blog who were huge encouragers for my first book, Klaus the Mouse and other Silly Animal Tales.
Prints and greeting cards of all of these paintings are available in our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy shop as well, where you can also order a customized painting and poem.
Liz the Lizard Watercolor – 11×14
Liz the Lizard.
Have you heard of the lizard whose name is Liz.
Classiest lizard in the desert she is.
With pearls and diamonds and sparkly pink nails
She daydreams often of being in show biz.
She practices rhymes and humorous lines
as if she was preparing for an audition or pop quiz.
Nailing them every time – she surely is a wiz.
She’s a modern-day lizard, so be sure to call her Ms.
Yes indeed, Ms. Liz
that is.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
PS Liz the Lizard was made especially for a friend’s grandaughter, who loves Klaus the Mouse – my very first published illustrated children’s book. Granpap asked if I could make an Alex the Alligator and a Liz the Lizard for his two special little grandies. I hope they all enjoy these two characters as much as I enjoyed creating them.
A Snowy Blanket – Mars, PA – Winter 2018
A Snowy Blanket.
Winter’s blanket
of snow
is soft
and fluffy.
It’s cozy
and fuzzy.
But oh
snowy blanket…
you are not
warm.
What kind
of blanket is that?
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
It was all such a Blur.
It was cottony,
it was fluffy,
it was soft,
it was flaky.
It was powdery.
it was picturesque,
it was drifting,
it was blowing.
It was cold,
it was wet,
it was icy,
it was blinding.
It
was
all
such
a
blur!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Halloween Watercolor Pumpkin by Moonlight 8×10 140lb Cold Press
Happy Halloweeny!
Spooky, Screamy,
Orange and Greeny.
Funny, Silly,
Brisk and Chilly.
Trick or Treaty,
Sticky and Sweety.
Bats and Boo-ey,
Happy Halloweeny!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
“It’s All My Friends!”
People author and illustrate and publish books for many reasons I’m sure.
Dreams of fame and fortune…
Checking off a bucket list item…
Creating a legacy…
Fulfilling a life-long dream…
Sharing an important story…
For many – it’s a passion.
Writing is like breathing.
It is something they just have to do.
I love to read.
I admire writers.
I admire artists and illustrators.
I never, however, really aspired to be an author…
Well – maybe it fleetingly crossed my mind from time to time…
Maybe a cookbook…
or an autobiography of sorts.
I definitely never considered I’d be an illustrator.
Heck – until about two years ago, I would have never
even dreamed I would share a stick figure I drew.
But then I discovered the joy of blogging
through the encouragement one of my sweet McHendy “daughters.”
And then I discovered watercolor art
through this wonderful blogging community.
With the encouragement of so many,
I shared my watercolor paintings.
I created some fun little animal characters
with silly rhyming stories to go with them.
One very special friend here at TheCreativeLifeInBetween.com
began sharing my little animal characters and their stories with her grandson.
Three and a half year old Benjamin
became one of my greatest supporters and fans.
Benjamin would ask daily to hear stories from his grandma “Gem’s” computer,
along with those of his favorite books.
He even started asking for special characters,
which is how “Earl the Squirrel” came to be.
So with full permission from “Gem” and his Mom,
I am sharing this joyful photo of Benjamin with his copy of my first-ever
authored and illustrated book, “Klaus the Mouse – and other Silly Animal Tales.”
Per Gem, when Benjamin received his book,
he squealed with delight and laughter,
“My friends! It’s all my friends!”
Could there be any greater joy…
any greater reason or purpose…
to author and illustrate a book?
The joy in those words…
The twinkle in those eyes…
The delight in that smile…
Those beautiful little hands holding the book.
Thank you Benjamin!
Thank you Ellen (aka “Gem'”)
for fulfilling a dream
I didn’t even know I had.
Because of you…
I visited the dentist yesterday,
and the receptionist said,
“I just saw your book!”
Because of you…
a friend told me he purchased my book for his 4-year old niece’s birthday.
Because of you…
my book is being shipped all the way to Ireland.
Because of you…
so many sweet friends have bought “Klaus the Mouse”
for their children and grandchildren.
What a joy it is to share a little piece of me...
A little bit of my art…
A little bit of my writing.
Thank you Benjamin!
I can only imagine the impact you will have on the world in 20 or 30 years!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
If you would like to order a copy of “Klaus the Mouse and other Silly Animal Tales,”
you can do so by clicking here.
A 60th Birthday Candy Bar Card (in large print for the sight impaired!)
Turning 60 is nothing to SNICKER about.
Your joints may start to CRUNCH,
and your WHATCHAMACALLIT may not work like it used to.
You'll likely have BUTTERFINGERs,
and your mind may play TWIX on you.
We still wouldn't trade you for 100GRAND.
You are a HOT TAMALE and MOUNDS of fun!
Wishing you an EXTRA special birthday!
We celebrated a friend this weekend.
I've known Mary for over 30 years.
What a privilege it is to have "old" friends! :)
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Buzz the Bumble Bee 8×10 Watercolor 140lb Saunders Cold Press
A Bumble Bee Named Buzz.
On the edge of a meadow lives a bumble bee named Buzz.
He lives near his aunt and his uncle and his cuz.
Aunt Sally, Uncle Sam, and Sherman they was.
They love Buzz more than any other in Americas.
Sherman and Buzz love to play and dance because
It is what all the bumble bees in the meadow does.
So if you see dancing bees and think your eyes are a fuzz,
don’t be surprised if it’s Sherman and Buzz.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
This is just one of a series of fun animal watercolor paintings and rhymes I am pursuing.
See the others:
A Rare Hare with Flare
A Duck Named Chuck
A Fawn at Dawn
Rooty the Rooster
A Precocious Pink Pig
Hal the Colorful Cow
A Mouse named Klaus
Pam the Lamb
An Otterly Awesome Otter
Earl the Squirrel
Adele the Gazelle
A Snail’s Tale
Chippy the Chipmunk
Hedy the Hedgehog
#WorldWatercolorMonth
Watercolors Used: Daniel Smith Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Orange, Indigo, Perylene Violet, Permanent Rose, Olive Green, Perylene Green.
the creative life in between 