Illustration Friday: Flying

My dog, Milo, has a one-track mind. He loves to play fetch. He would fetch all day long if he could. I drew this picture while sitting on the banks of the South Fork of the Boise River, and while I was drawing the landscape, Milo kept dragging all manner of riverside debris over to me to throw, so he could retrieve it. An osprey flew overhead just as Milo was dragging a large stick (which some people may have considered a log) to my feet. Milo looked intently at the bird, and I could almost read his mind.

This drawing was done in my Moleskine with colored pencil and India ink. Text was added in Photoshop.

Illustration Friday: Drifting

My household is into racing. This all started with my husband, who has a car that he raced at our local circle track. I am a mechanical engineer by trade. We regularly watch NASCAR. We have traveled to NASCAR races, like the Daytona 500; we've also gone to Cup races in Phoenix and Vegas (my husband has been going to these races since 1992.) So yeah, when I saw that this week's word on Illustration Friday was "drifting," I didn't think of the typical pictures like "drifting on the sea," or even "drifting through life." Drifting, to most, gives a picture of a gentle breeze, perhaps; or perhaps a ship in the doldrums. When I saw the word, I instantly thought of drift racing. This illustration was done in a few hours in my Moleskine sketchbook with colored pencil and India ink, using a photo for reference.

Illustration Friday: Unfold

What can I say? I love spring. That a plant can emerge from a tiny seed is so incredibly amazing. My garden has been the focal point of my life these days, so when I saw that this week's work for Illustration Friday was unfold, all of the new plants that I've been caring for came to mind. This one in particular is a petunia - an Eagle Red Star to be exact. Petunias are one of my favorite flowers. They come in so many different colors and patterns, providing endless inspiration for me. This illustration was done in my Moleskine with india ink and colored pencil.

Illustration Friday: Sugary

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This is my first post for Illustration Friday. The topic this week is "Sugary." The first thing I thought of was Froot Loops, a staple of my childhood. It was the only sugared cereal my mom would allow in our house. Ahh, the memories of getting a brand new box, fighting with my little sister over who got to reach to the bottom of the full box to get the free toy... and spilling it all over... then how the milk would turn this purple color after about 5 minutes of soaking.

I sketched this up and colored it with gouache. It was a really nice way to spend a rainy afternoon! Now go enjoy some sugary goodness.