Summer is almost gone

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Megan

How quickly she has flown. California summers are pretty much the same as our springs and falls, just a little warmer. Makes me long for the humid living green summers of the east coast. I made a collage of some photos I took during a visit to my Dad’s house last year. Everything was so green, and the woods were begging to be explored.

I miss the sounds of bugs at night, and having a reason to sit out on the porch after dinner. Mainly, I miss not having to have sprinklers.

Behind my Dad’s property sits several acres of a Christmas Tree farm. It’s steep hill makes for great sledding during the winter, and every Christmas a tree from this farm sits in my parent’s family room. Its been fun watching the little seedling grow into tall trees, and then be replace by new seedlings as the cycle starts over.

Arizona sketches

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Megan

I took a road trip to my old stomping grounds in Arizona to visit my Mom for mother’s day. Saturday, we spent the afternoon down at Tempe Town Lake, enjoying the sunshine (translate=getting sunburn), throwing ketchup packets at pigeons (they were trying to steal my fries!), and just relaxing.

I recently lost my beloved fountain pen (waaaah!), so I had to find a replacement for her. I bought a new one at Aaron brothers, but ended up with a much broader nib that I like. But I thought I’d try and see if I can make it work. I did a sketch of the Mill Ave bridge that crossed over Tempe Lake. The results were…interesting. Not in love with it, but it is a different look than my normal sketches. Also, the ink is NOT waterproof, so that means no watercolors over it.

On the way home to California, since I was by myself, and in no major rush to get home, I stopped at a rest area about 50 miles from the border to do some more sketching. It was reeeally windy, and I must have looked pretty funny perched on the top of a fence post, with my sketchbook and watercolors in my lap. I wouldn’t have been surprised to have been blown off the post, it was so gusty. But I manged to get a quick painting of the Kola mountain range before climbing down.

There were so many times on the drive home, that I wished I could pull over on the side of the highway, and sit and paint for a while. But alas…the little voice of common sense in my head (that unsurprisingly sounds a lot like my mother) told me it would not be a good idea. So instead I tried to capture some really good mental images to store for later paintings.

Girls girls girls!

Random doodle

Phoenix flower

San Jose del Cabo trip recap

The Cat and the Custard Cup

392-Blade Runner

Day at the Del

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Megan

A few weekends ago, Clint and I drove down to Coronado to attend a friend’s wedding. It was a beautiful day, absolutely gorgeous, and just perfect for getting married outside. I had some time to kill before the wedding started, so I pulled out the trusty sketchbook. I love the way the sun was making the red roof of the hotel just light up a fiery red.

I must have looked a little odd, all dressed up, and standing there with my sketchbook. I had another wedding guest wander over and stand behind me to watch over my shoulder. “Don’t mind me…I just wanted to see what you were doing.” Its a good thing I’ve gotten over my fear of having strangers watch me draw.

Daily sketch 379-Father's Day

397-To Our London Brothers

Snow eyes

Witch sketch

Mice!

IF: Norton in the rain (Double)

Sketchbook: tough-guys and donuts

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Megan

Last weekend, my mother-in-law came to visit, and on a wet and rainy evening, we happened to drive past a Krispy Kreme.

“Look! The ‘Hot Now!’ sign is lit!” she exclaimed in delight. Well, of course we stopped and went in.

As I was sitting at the table waiting for my husband and his Mom to come back with their coffee and donuts, I noticed a man standing at the counter. A rather large man, his shirt straining to keep all those beefy muscles under wraps. His arms were crossed in a very “Don’t come near me or I might eat you” attitude. And it just struck me as hilarious, because…well…he was waiting for a doughnut. You can put out all the tough guy attitude you want, but dude, you’re in a Krispy Kreme…buying a doughnut. It makes it a little harder to take you seriously as you lick glaze off your fingers.

Note, that I did not say any of this to face (nor show him his pretty drawing), cause I was fairly certain he could kick my ass and hang onto his fresh doughnut without breaking a sweat. Stupid I am not.

387-Westworld

401-No Trespassing

Egg-sitter: a pencil sketch

Sketch book: Sleepy Guitar player

Freebie for February

My Giraffe-thingy (Sketchcrawl #30)

So, a frenchman walks into a bar…

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Megan

Let me begin by saying…I love my husband. So very much. No one is more supportive of me and my art. He is usually the first person I show my art to, and the one whose opinion usually matters the most.

Being married to an artist is not always easy. Or should I say, being married to me can be a real pain in the butt some times. I’m an artist, a geek, a girl, and often times…a four year old who wants her way NOW.

One of the “fun” benefits of being married to me is being subject to my artistic whims. Which means if you happen to be sitting across the table, couch, or room from me when I decide to draw, you must sit there and be drawn. You cannot escape me. (Strangely, I’ve started to notice my friends and family refusing to sitting in my line of sight when I have the sketchbook out. Whats up with that…?)

Over the years, Clint has been the victim *cough* subject of many sketches. I have a giant life sized drawing of Clint on purple paper, as my final project in figure drawing class in college. I have drawings of Clint playing video games. I have ugly drawings of Clint that looking nothing like him at all, and pictures drawn in crayon. I even have a picture of the SHAPE (just the shape) of Clint’s head…drawn on a napkin, at a wedding, after a few glasses of champagne. I was trying to make a point. (LOOK! YOU HAVE A UNIQUE SHAPED HEAD! ISN’T THAT COOL?) Anywhoo…

Clint has gotten used to me drawing around him over the years. The embarrassment has worn off for the most part. Take your wife to a sports bar pizza joint to watch the game, and what does she do? Cheer for the wrong team? No. Spill beer all over some one? No. She pulls out her watercolors and starts drawing the bald guy sitting in front of her. Sigh.

Picture it for a moment. Our evenings out go something like this: We arrive at a lovely English pub, and get seated a our booth. Clint pulls out the menu to decide what beer he wants. I pull out my sketchbook and pen. Clint looks up from the menu to find me staring at him intently…in a really creepy way…while drawing furiously in the book.

“Really?” he says with a sigh.

“But…the red wall behind you! Its sooo red!”

Now one of two things happens. He will either decide to ignore me and return to the menu, OR he will start making funny faces and wiggling around in his seat. I prefer to be ignored, though the funny faces make for a more entertaining picture.

After a while, I will put down the pen. Usually around the time our food arrives.

“So, do I get my wife back now?”

“Yes,” I say grumpily (see comment earlier about a four year old).

Now he wants to see the drawing I just completed of him. I hand it over for inspection.

He starts laughing.

“What is this? I look like some french dude. Posing for one of those weird french paintings!”

“Hey!” I grab the book back from him in a huff. “You do not!”*

He laughs and starts making weird…french…noises. “Ah-huh-huh. Oh chante! I should be drinking a cappuccino!” And proceeds to make sipping motions with his hand while holding his pinkie in the air.

This is when the evening falls apart. I throw my pen cap at him, which ends up under the table, and the dinner winds to a close with Clint, the waitress, and I on our hands and knees looking for the missing pen cap with a cellphone flashlight.

And this, boys and girls, is why I’m not allowed out for parties and get-togethers. Because inevitably, pen caps will fly, and someone French will be offended.