hell yeah, berries!

Warmer weather in California means STRAWBERRIES. Oh, how long I have waited to eat you. Can’t wait for blueberries to come rolling into the farmer’s markets – I will be eating them by the handful. Can you say antioxidants?

I finished a hat melding two patterns together. An in-depth post to come. The beanie has a wintry pattern, and will be broken in at our upcoming Yosemite trip this month. 

And, a shot of babe Moses, for fun. 

spring nasturtiums, drawing, and stamping

Sketch of a tiger I was working on today, to flex my drawing muscles. 

Biked past the neighbor’s fence yesterday and spotted all of their blooming nasturtiums.    

Lovely, lovely shades of warm yellows, oranges and reds. I will spare you and show only two photos of the mini bouquet I picked.

Yeah...I really like cats. I swear I draw other animals!

In other news, I’ve picked up some drawing pen nibs and also am trying linoleum block cutting (e.g. stamp making!). The dip pens are to replace my usage of Sakura Microns and Faber Castells. I find that I get a much wider range of line widths with a single nib, and they’re a much more environmentally friendly alternative to disposable pens. I won’t oust disposables altogether because they are convenient in the work place, and when I travel I probably won’t want to bring my ink bottle(s) and nibs along, but for drawing at home I am doing away with the disposables. I attended a conference and heard Beth Terry of My Plastic Free Life, which re-ignited my interest in decreasing the amount of plastics I use and buy. 

dutchdoor state prints

Louisiana's Brown Pelican & Magnolia

Hawaiian Goose & Hibiscus Flower

Arizona's Cactus Wren and Saguaro 

I really enjoy naturalist artwork of state bird and plant paired together. Mara Murphy and Anna Branning do a lovely job with strong graphics and colors through their prints at dutchdoor. It inspires me to draw and paint!

The print for Hawaii makes me miss my childhood. Hibiscus flowers are like old friends of mine, who I only rarely see in the Bay. Perhaps I should plant some for myself?