Happy New Year!

Hello Readers!

As we embrace the year ahead, I hope for some sense of sensibility in our government to do what is right. I hope for happiness to continue, for joy to visit each day and smiles to never cease. I hope for enough to eat, a roof over my head and a warm place to sleep. I hope for friends' words of encouragement and family to always be near. I hope the peony bushes survived the winter to bloom again outside the front door. I hope for a good year! 

2012 is gone so I'll not dwell on what wasn't or was in that time frame. I accomplished much in the art arena in 2012 and for that I am pleased.  I suspect 2013 will end in the same manner with much art being made. 

I know, I know....we are well into 2013 and I haven't been here since before Christmas. I have no good excuse for that.

The scanner died so for the time being pictures are REALLY crappy when it comes to little pieces of art; ATCs and the like. I'm pretty sure three years of cats turning it off and on has contributed to its demise. I've tried all I know to make it work. It's dead. 

It snowed day before yesterday and it's quite cold outside. I have vehicle keys out in the burnt house that I need to retrieve when the snow melts and it warms up a bit. While getting the keys I'll bring in the old scanner that's sitting out there taking up space. I'm hoping the cords are with it. It worked when it went out there. So until that happens...there will be crappy pictures. Nothing I can do about it. The weather gurus are predicting temps in the high 40s for Saturday so we'll see.

On to the art:

Owls were on the brain and the muse said, "Let's see what happens." This may be the year of the Owl. I really enjoyed doing the scruffy owls. 

I did a few flowers. Markers on cardstock.

ATC

markers on cardstock

ATC

You all have seen this elephant before. I just glued him to a piece of white cardstock to turn him into an ATC and he promptly got a ticket to Australia!

markers on cardstock

ATC

markers on cardstock

ATC

markers on cardstock

ATC

I forgot about the dog! I think that might be ET's foot there?

markers on cardstock

ATC

I really shouldn't attempt portraits. This is Annie in Orange. She's really more pink but that's neither here nor there. She ended up in shades of orange and pink because I shouldn't attempt portraits, even those of the abstract nature. This is markers on cardstock. It's the eyes I must work on! I'll do another portrait of Annie at the end of the year and see if I've made any progress on my drawing skills. This one is an ATC as well.

Blue Dog

ATC

markers on cardstock. 

markers on cardstock

ATC

markers on cardstock

ATC

markers on cardstock

This one is my favorite of all the owls. He's also the very first one I did in the scruffy style.  ATC

markers on cardstock

ATC

acrylics on cardstock with marker outline.

ATC

My muse really wanted to paint but everything that came from the painting session wasn't really all that great!

snake face

markers on cardstock

ATC

red round flowers

markers on cardstock

ATC

orange owl

markers on photo paper adhered to cardstock

ATC

orange butterfly

markers  and silver paint pen on cardstock

ATC

I like this guy too! 

markers on manila paper adhered to cardstock.

manila paper and markers are not a real good idea. If you want to drain your markers...sure, go ahead. I was doing some weeding of the markers while drawing this owl. Killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.

ATC

rainbow cat

ATC

markers on photo paper adhered to cardstock

I've tried drawing with markers on photo paper in the past. It didn't work out like this photo paper has. I'm uncertain what the difference between this PP and the other I tried before is. The one thing I'm certain of is how it came packaged. The new PP is on a roll. I've no clue how long the strip is but it is 4 inches wide. There will be more marker drawings on photo paper. 

Hopefully a working scanner will be available and the  pictures won't have that bright white spot on them.

I did a book project for Christmas for the grandkids. 

There are six of them. They all look pretty much alike. Green duct tape covering the front cover and stickers of all sorts covering the back cover. The covers are both pockets the kids can store things in. Each bears the name of the recipient such as GABE shows in the picture. Letters are stickers. I'm going to give them each a package of crayola markers too. 

Christmas happens tomorrow with the grandkids.

I started this chunky page the other day. Not sure where it's headed. Chunky pages throw me off sometimes. The backside looks like this side minus the bumblebee.

I discovered another origami project. This little butterfly was a cinch to make and it's pretty as it can be! I see butterflies of all kinds of paper appearing in the near future. I need to find my wire cutters and pliers. I think the cat knocked that stuff on the floor behind the desk. I looked for them but couldn't find them. His feelers are gold craft wire. I cut it with the scissors so it's not a very high gauge...24 maybe?....you just twist it into feeler shape and glue it to the butterfly. The glue wasn't quite dry when I took the picture so I still needed to position them correctly. I started off with a 3.5 inch square so the wings are 3.5 inches wide at the top. It really is a pretty little thing!

Thanks for stopping by to read.

May the new year bring you nothing but happiness and love!

Be good to one another!

It matters!

Peace

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