A Closer Look | Cicada

I let my parsley grow wild in hope of attracting black swallowtails.

I inspect every bit of milkweed along the roadside, eyes peeled for a monarch chrysalis.

Summer after summer I patiently wait but I never quite find what I'm looking for.

This morning after cutting back my now inedible parsley, 

I looked down to find a different kind of hatching.

Perhaps it's not a butterfly, but wow, isn't the cicada beautiful too?

Click Click Click

I love summer evenings. The hum of cicadas. The clicking noise of moths at my window.

Fireflies lighting up over the fields. The smell of hay bales.

It's delightful.

Growing Like A Weed

I thought you might like a little Cowboy update. 

He's grown a little bigger every week and he's definitely in his gawky teen years now!

A far cry from those early days. Remember this picture?

He's a fantastic retriever and will fetch a tennis ball all day long.

We're all having such fun with him.

By the Sea

 Starfish

 Sand Dollars

Shells

Watercolor 101 | Make Your Mark

It's time to get out your brushes and make your mark!
Gather up an assortment of shapes and sizes and mix up a big wash of soupy paint.

Load up your brush with paint and use the whole brush from tip to base and stamp with it.
Each brush will naturally create a different mark due to its unique shape and size.

Practice making strokes with your brush.
Start with the stamping action and then draw your brush in random directions.

Make short strokes, long strokes and swirling strokes.

Create calligraphic lines by change the pressure on your brush.
Start with a light hand and just use the tip of your brush,
then add weight and pressure to change the width of your line.
Lift the pressure off your brush to make a thinner, finer line.

Note the difference in the marks you can make by working with a dry or wet brush.
With a dry brush the bristles splay out and separate, creating a textured mark.
A wet brush will create a more even flowing brush stroke.

Paint simple shapes and forms in both positive and negative.
Try different brushes, layer your brush strokes and add in washes.
I'm sure you will come up with your very own marvelous combinations!
If you have any questions post them below.