30 Sketches Projects I-VII

     And that is a wrap! Day Thirty's photo was taken at Oliver Nature Park in Mansfield, TX earlier this summer. The labeling of each drawing evolved during the project. In the bottom left-hand corner is the sequence number of the drawing within the 30-day time frame and the location of where the reference photo was taken. My take away from this particular project was having the opportunity to spend more time with a special moment I had in nature. It allowed me to marvel at the intricacies of the plants and animals around us.

Holy moly: One. Day. Left.

I brake for beetles!!!

One morning, earlier this year, I found the saddest little mushroom in my backyard. I've drawn him before and I'll probably draw him again. Ode to the saddest little mushroom...

This little dude lives his snail life in Oliver Nature Park.

Dang Day 24!!!!

My husband and I crossed paths with this wonderful bird's nest. I am sure many a fine bird babies were nestled within its stitched walls made of bark, grasses, and sticks.

The studio went on the road for Day Twenty-Two's drawing. This mushroom lived in my backyard but I drew its likeness at my mom's house.

Some days you just have to crumple up and be grateful that you get another shot tomorrow.

Day Twenty's ram drawing comes from a photo taken at the American Museum of Natural History. I had a rough day and the mark-making is a reflection. Thanks for hanging out with me Ram.

I know, I know...Day Four was also a Prickly Pear but you can never have enough. I. Heart. Prickly. Pear. Cacti. 

I hung out with the subject for Day Eighteen's drawing earlier this year. I don't remember ever seeing a flower like it and she was very humble and quiet - not revealing too much about herself which made me like her more.

     My second favorite collection of diorama displays are at Denver Museum of Nature and Science. They're fantastic. They follow the format of American Museum of Natural History in NYC: glass-enclosed scenes of specimens within their indigenous environments. Behind the animals and foliage is a curved painted backdrop, giving the illusion of a 3D space but Denver takes it a step further. The painted backgrounds are beautifully rendered - they could easily stand alone as paintings. The muskox diorama made the top of my list. I. Love. Muskox.

Past the halfway mark with Day Sixteen - Common Mullein aka Verbascum thapsus aka Cowboy Toilet Paper. Mom's place is covered with this plant and the fuzzy leaves catch the light of a sunset in the most perfect way.

     Alright. Day 15. It had already been a long day in the studio and tacking this drawing onto the end of it was a wee bit tiring but I am glad I got to spend time with this little snail shell. Some detail was lost in the photo so I had to bust out a real-life empty snail shell I had on hand to finish up. No drawing on the planet could outshine the awesome of the real thing - I can't even wrap my brain around how many of these little guys are out there in the world.

Day Fourteen is from a photo taken earlier this year in Idaho Springs, CO. I knelt down to look at a barely visible cactus flower and then noticed the delicate sprigs of grass that surrounded it - pure loveliness.