Carolle's Paper Doll Themed Maruman...

 Carolle's pages 1 and 2...

 followed by Cindy's pages 3 and 4...

 followed by Barb W's pages 5 and 6...

 followed by Judy's pages 7 and 8...

...and then, lastly, my pages 9 and 10...

which were inspired by the art of

Mary Englebreit.

It was quite an interesting experience

to rethink how clothes

would need to be drawn to fit a paper doll...great fun, too!

We meet

monthly to exchange our sketchbooks in person

except

for the middle of the summer

when everyone seemed to seek cooler climates

and few of us are in town.

This book was exchanged the beginning of

August...

and since I was in Illinois I had to mail her

back to Arizona...

which was like watching your child leave home for the first time.

I was so anxious about her flying cross country...

and like a little mother hen

I eagerly awaited email news of her safe landing.

All ended up well...

and she has now moved along to the

next couple of artists in line.

Click on any image to enlarge to better see details...:)

Time Travel...

...at snail's pace...

of some waiting room sketches

drawn "ink straight in"...lead free...at my brother's dental practice

over a span of three years.

And...

(just like many of the other pieces in my Illinois sketchbook)

they have just now been watercolored

and

finally uploaded to my blog.

Click on any image to enlarge...:)

"Every tooth in a man's head

 is more valuable than

a diamond."

~Miguel de Cervantes,

 Don Quixote, 1605

Sending Some Soft-Focused...

...midwest crackling coziness

from my part of the world to yours...:)

I love this time of year!!!

Ahhhh!

Oldies But Goodies...

...some more sketches from my

Illinois Sketchbook...

each drawn ink straight in...lead free...

quite some time ago...

but never watercolored or posted until now.

Click on any image to enlarge...:)

The Past Three Weeks...

...in quick review...

and

hopefully never to be repeated again!

3 doctor's appointments...

(one convenient care doc...one internist...and one surgeon)

1 CT scan...

4 abdominal x-rays...

4 kidney stones...

1 episode of diverticulitis...2 clear liquids diets...

2 extremely potent antibiotics...

taken for 10 days...

2 bottles of magnesium citrate...

 (followed by the hours of the distress it causes)

1 out patient procedure...

and, finally,

real food...pancakes at Egg Haven...

and

one cup of "Recoup Soup"

for dinner.

Thank the lord all is well and that is now OVER!!!

Yes,

I did the sketch while at the hospital...

ink straight in...lead free. :)

Sooo...does
"An apple a day (really) keep the doctor away"...???

"A Sketchbook Dump..."

...for your viewing pleasure.

These are remnants...

my unposted sketches drawn while waiting for flights

at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, Arizona.

They were all drawn ink first...lead free...

 in my Illinois travel sketchbook...

(check out the dates...)

and

finally watercolored a couple of weeks ago

and uploaded

today!

Click on any image to enlarge.

"I fly

 because it releases my mind from the tyranny

of petty things."

~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Here, Kitty, Kitty..."

 I am severely allergic to cats.

I sneeze and get all itchy and terribly congested

whenever I am near them.

I take allergy medicine...but to no avail.

All that being said...

I don't mind drawing them...and actually am

extremely fascinated by their

beautiful eyes.

To me cats seem almost like messengers...spiritual entities...

if you will.

These photo are of my pages are, actually, yet another

"work in progress" for you to enjoy

They were made

in Cindy's "cat themed"

zentangle inspired

Japanese fold Maruman sketchbook.

Pencil outlines came first...above...

 ...then an ink overlay...

 ...some color trials...

 ...all followed by the first layers of watercolor.

 Next on the agenda was

 more layers of color...ever deepening the values.
(Click on any image to enlarge.)

Lastly,

a zen filled "Bali Cat" emerges all perfectly primped

and

florally blinged out

ready for a fun night on the town

and,

possibly, a special magical encounter.

You know...

I thoroughly enjoyed this project...

no sneezes...

no itchiness...and no congestion...

Purrrrr...:)

"I believe cats to be spirits come to earth.

A cat, I am sure,

could walk on a cloud

without coming through."

~Jules Verne

Designs, Doodles, Drawings...

...and some playful pen dancing...all done "Waterblossom style"

 in my

2012 Tangle*A*Day calendar.

All drawings are done "ink straight in...lead free"...:)

(Apologies for the quality of my Illinois scanner)

Click on images to enlarge.

“I dip my pen in the blackest ink,

 because

I'm not afraid of falling into my inkpot.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson