Search This Blog

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Challenging myself

To try drawing new things. I had done a commissioned dog before but this time tried a pug. Had gotten most of the way (almost entirely) done and then lost the drawing due to Java trying to update. One problem with digital art. Though I keep coming back to it because I truly enjoy it. I need to do more non-digital paintings and drawings. I have found some methods I can apply to my paintings that I use in digital art so not all bad. ;) 
 Crab that I did today. Not 100 percent on this one but it was a challenge and I enjoyed it. I also discovered crabs aren't so easily done digitally. Some things I could have done better on paper are the bumps and details in the shell as well as the facial features. It is easier to control what you are doing. When I am drawing digitally sometimes the details are really harder to accomplish than you would think. You can't just make say little dots. It doesn't always put them down (you have to tap several times) and it doesn't make a dot it makes more like a tiny line which you must then build into a dot using the colors around it. *I.E. it can be a pain* I think that was why I always liked my pen and pencil and such is I could make those tiny details no problem. In any case I am trying to push myself a bit in that area. As well as with my exercising. I am working past the point where I am tired and don't want to continue to where it will get easier at that point and then push a bit further. On another note I lucked out the other day. My youngest came bursting in the door after school and was all excited telling me to grab the camera and come outside fast! I was like Oh Gawd what is it LOL So I am trying to rush after her and she is telling me there is an eagle in the tree. I found out it was a hawk instead but still pretty awesome I managed to get some good pics of it and she was super thrilled. 


This hawk was in the 50ft cotton wood tree behind our house :) 

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Loving the warmer weather (Mostly Just a photo blog) Tecumseh Lake

Went by Tecumseh lake after my youngest's dr appt. It was a nice day for it. Was surprised to find gulls and that the lake was partially frozen over. Beautiful though. Wish these pics showed up a bit bigger they look better enlarged. Also I had a smudge I guess on my lens. Cleaned it and will see how it comes out next time around. 
Again smudges on my camera lens. One of the gulls in flight though. 



There were currents running through where the ice had thawed some.


One of my faves because of the way they looked like a mirror image of each other almost. 

Where the ice ended

 They would fly in to check it out when the kids threw a small pebble or something and then would fly back out to sit on the ice. 



Just playing around with the camera.




 Ground was covered in tracks. Not sure what the deeper ones were they were pretty big. Large egret maybe? or there are geese too.



The water flowing next to the ice. 



Rock my son found





Rocks out on the ice

Normally I don't add pics of my kids since this is a public blog but I thought this was cute. I had asked her if she wanted to come take a pic and she runs in there says something about wanting Daddy to take a pic of something (can't remember what it was) then drops this face and leaves. She is good at that. 
 My son. He was amused at me LOL I was taking pics of something else and he was standing there so I turned and got one of him too LOL :) 

 Just thought this was cool 

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Can we skip the cold winter months?

 I mean the plants and such seem to agree. :D ;) *my white rose bush getting some buds and new leaves*

 *Slippery Elm with buds
Over by the nursing home some of the trees are heavily budded out and trying to pop out into the blooms you usually see more into like March or so. Meanwhile it is freezing cold here right now. *ICK* I hate the cold myself. I know it is a necessary thing in a way to keep the mosquitoes and such at bay but still. I don't have to like it. ;) I am looking forward to starting to go to the lake again, going for walks, and doing some gardening and outside projects.
 icy out

This is the mockingbird that follows me all over the yard. I was taking pics of him eating berries and he couldn't quite decide what I was up to so he flew up in the top of this tree.  For now though til I warms up I am keeping busy with my knitting, art, and other projects. I am working out every evening and following myfitnesspal religiously (I am also on mapmyfitness and runkeeper etc they are all intergrated with myfitnesspal)  Even my hubby is working out some now. (My son comes in and just grins at me and walks off LOL He humors me with a cup of coffee sometimes LOL He does like to take walks though as does my youngest but still too cold)  I find my old stand by of belly dance is still good for me because while I have some good aerobics/strength training dvds and such it is too hard on my feet with having trouble with stress fractures and my knee soooo..... I stick with my belly dance because it is fun and it still works your stomach (some moves like the camel actually works them as much or more than a crunch or sit up), arm muscles, and hips, and thighs where I need the most work as well as just burning calories (if you do it right you can burn as many as an aerobics work out w/out stressing your knees and feet). Also they use Yoga with some of it. I try to make sure I don't eat back any of the calories I burned which is where I had so much success before before I fell into that rut. Plus another thing that helps now is I actually have a space to do this stuff where I don't have to wait on anyone else if I want to do it . I can just go do it. (that was one thing making it difficult as well) Still going strong so far though ;) I am noticing the difference in a loss of inches in upper arms, thighs, hips, and stomach and even neck. Anyway I also am doing my karaoke. Something else I am working on is getting more into my photography. I have found my favorite brand of camera (Kodak Easyshare really any of the models due to the ability to best capture the color of what you are photographing) and yeah it is a point and shoot but it fits my needs and I have exactly what I am wanting right now. I am excited about getting out and taking pics when the weather warms up. My son is getting that itch to go to the local lake and I kinda am too but waiting til it is warm enough to be enjoyable. (maybe this weekend?)

All in all life is pretty good right now. I worry about some of my friends and family who are going through hard times. I hope that this year starts to go much smoother for them. Several of them are going to be starting new parts of their lives this year. Moving, weddings, babies, new jobs, schooling all that sort of thing. 

(all the previous was old blog that I had started and not finished though it is recent so here is the new parts...) 

It looks like we are getting some of the warmer weather I was hoping for. At least for several days but you can bet I will be enjoying it. I am hoping to make it to the lake this weekend while it is nice. My youngest is sick (seems to have a sinus cold ...every time they always say allergies and every time they turn out to be wrong we shall see what they say this time) I hate that she got sick as it starts getting nice out. Though I am glad that this year we only had to battle one really major illness that I can think of with her which was hand foot and mouth. She was miserable. Last year we were all sick a lot. I think this year I feel very lucky. This warmer weather hopefully means a day or two I can clean up the carport some. Sweep out some leaves and such. 
 I've all ready posted this on my feed but this is a drawing I am currently working on. (Digital drawing) 
 There is actually a newer version where I'd started flowers but still have a ways to go. May go work on those here in just a few. I have my music going and I tend to get absorbed in that when I draw. :) I will do another blog soon and while this one isn't exactly much of anything I still wanted to finish it and post it. :)