Illustration Friday "lonely"

It's hard to be lonely when you've got friends!

I was working on this drawing last night while watching the Olympic Games on TV. In swimming, it's amazing to see how incredibly close the finishes are with only hundredths of seconds between winners and losers. Also incredibly difficult to understand the scoring for gymnastics with judges making deductions on minute errors that are undetectable to those not in the sport. Looking forward to track and field, but will probably watch a bit of everything over the course of the Games.

I wanted to post this today, but will hopefully have the finished colored version up soon.

Summer Projects

I just posted about my latest summer projects on the illustrators' group blog, Smells Like Crayons. We're a group of artists who met through our mutual interest in children's book illustration, and have maintained a loosely organized support system for all our artistic endeavors through the years. You can check out our blog and my post at Smells like Crayons.

Illustration Friday "carry"

This week's theme made me think about all the stuff we carry onto the beach every time we go. No longer am I lugging the kids' paraphernalia, but the chairs, the beach bag, cooler, and umbrella are still part of the trek from car to sand.

Illustration Friday "Lost"

When Mouse got lost, he climbed a flower to find his bearings.

It's hot and humid here today. The cat is spread out flat on the porch table, which has a grid-like surface. She's probably trying to find a little ventilation from underneath to keep her cooler.

I've been working on a new print, but I may have to go over to the college printmaking studio where the temperature is more comfortable to continue. I don't think the inks will dry in this weather. I will have a booth at an outdoor art fair on August 4th, so I need to keep busy during the next few weeks, creating some new prints to add to the ones I have.

Even when it's this hot, I am still so happy to be on summer vacation! Just wish it wouldn't fly by so fast!

Illustration Friday "suspend"

The builders had to suspend operations when the tide came in.

My husband had the past week off from work, and we enjoyed a pleasant day at the beach on Thursday. This was my first trip to the ocean this summer, and the water was surprisingly a comfortable temperature. I admit I didn't really go swimming, but it was pleasant to walk along the beach with my feet  in the water. My daughters had a blast kayaking a bit, and trying out a paddle board. My illustration this week reminds me of when they were much younger, and we always brought all the paraphernalia for building sand castles.

Happy 4th of July!

Hope everyone has a Happy and safe 4th of July! Looking forward to a little grilling, and later watching the Boston Pops and the fireworks display on TV. The rain came through early this morning, and now there's a beautiful blue sky!

"Refresh"

For this week's Illustration Friday prompt, "refresh" I was thinking about summer vacations, and how we all need time to refresh our minds, bodies, and spirits. Because I teach full time in a high school during the rest of the year, my summer vacation tends to be the time when I feel like I must get a lot done---new art, better Etsy shop, organize my studio space, on and on good intentions. Some days though, especially the hot ones (no central air here), I find myself pulling out the latest library book and plopping down in front of the fan for a refreshing escape into another's world.

I just read "The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D." by Nichole Bernier, and enjoyed it very much!