Category: Artistic Endeavours

What’s On Your Bookshelf – When Books Make You Shop…er… Work Edition

On By Widow BadassIn Artistic Endeavours, Read Books, What's On Your Bookshelf70 Comments

Usually reading is a very passive thing. That’s why we like to do it, amiright? One can escape into a book and leave the present world behind…at least for a little while. I love those kinds of books, especially for the past 18 months since we have pretty much all had to assume the role of armchair travellers if we wanted to get someplace different.

But for the past few weeks, I have been diving into a book that is making me sit down and paint. I bought Everyday Watercolor back when I was still working for a living…thinking I would find the time to do the exercises every day. Well, that never happened (quelle surprise!) yet somehow this book made the cut and got packed to come with me to my new home on Vancouver Island.

I have to hold the cover down as I’ve been weighting it down with objects to keep it laying flat while I work through the exercises.

I’ve been making s-l-o-w but steady progress through this book (hindered somewhat by a strained back that makes sitting forward to paint – or blog – quite fatiguing). I am enjoying it. So much so that I have been tempted seduced forced inspired to shop for more watercolour painting supplies (See Princeton brushes, above! Thanks to Karen, for telling me about these!).

For instance, this beautiful palette of Kuretake Gansai Tambi paints (Thanks again to Karen, for introducing me to these paints as well!):

Swatching the colours in the conveniently provided chart, inside the lid. You can buy this palette on Amazon.

And these gorgeous colours, “Northern Lights” by Indigenous-owned company Beam Paints (Thanks yet again to Karen, for making me aware of this company…uh, I think. Hmmmm. 😉 ):

I love their commitment to avoiding any and all plastics in their packaging.
I like that the paints are made from local (to them) and natural ingredients. But that doesn’t make them safe to consume. Be safe:
Kinda sad that this needs to be stated. Besides, these paints would make a pretty expensive snack!

Here’s what they look like, in my workbook:

Close-up:

Such a beautiful shimmer, created by the mica in their paint.

Have you ever used a book that helped you learn a skill, with daily exercises? Did it make you shop better? I can see some improvement already and am encouraged to keep up with this, as my back (and credit card) allows.

Thank you to Donna et al, for providing this interesting monthly blog challenge! And thanks to Karen, for helping me to drain my bank account and increase the art supplies hoard. 😉

Rock (and paint) on,

The WB

Badass Adventures at Dollarama: Drag Queen Edition

On By Widow BadassIn Artistic Endeavours, Badassery87 Comments

I’ve been visiting Dollarama a lot lately. Partly because the weather is great and it’s a lovely walk to my local dollar store; partly because I am gearing up for an adventure that I will document on Ye Olde Blogge within a week or so, and what I need to complete my project can be found there, on the cheap! And mostly because I think Dollarama is a great little store staffed by lovely people and there are so very many cool things to be found there.

On my latest visit, I noticed that they sold devotional or prayer candles there, and that reminded me of this thing that I came across on my internet wanderings that I really, really wanted to buy: a devotional candle with a drag queen’s face plastered on it, instead of the usual saint-type personage. Here’s what they cost at Ye Olde Amazon:

That’s right, folks. For a mere $60 and change CDN, you too can own a prayer candle with St. RuPaul adorning it.

So I got to thinking: could I make myself a drag queen prayer candle, for less? Why yes, of course I could!

Prayer candle: $1.75, with all of the labelling soaked off. Photo of one of my favourite drag queens stolen from found on the internet and printed at home: free.
Stick on “drag jewels”: $2.00
No drag queen worth her rhinestones would be caught on stage without her earrings.
Those eyes are following me.
Not today, Satan. Not today.
Total cost of my Bianca del Rio devotional candle: $3.75
Satisfaction: priceless

Thank you, Dollarama!

Well, that killed a coupla hours. Including the walk to and from Dollarama. What can I say? It’s gonna be a loooong week until the finale of Season 13 of RuPaul’s Drag Race airs…

Shantay Rock on,

The WB

Answering The Call: Ally Bean’s Questions

On By Widow BadassIn Artistic Endeavours, Hmmm?, See the Beauty53 Comments
Pre-dawn, Departure Bay March 2021

Fellow eclectic blogger Ally Bean of The Spectacled Bean fame put out a bunch of questions to the Blogoverse a short while ago, and I thought it might be a good idea to try and answer them. Ye Olde Blogging Well has run a bit dry of late, and I could use some prodding, to get more…ahem…product out, you know? Here are Ms. Bean’s questions, and here goes nothing…

  • Q1 – What’s your favorite favourite movie?
  • A1 – It used to be Moonstruck, but I guess I snapped out of it (see what I did there?). The last movie I fell in love with was Rocketman…I saw it 3 times at the theatre and I bought the DVD. I think that makes it my new favourite!
  • Q2 – When trying to buy shoes, what’s your biggest problem?
  • A2 – Dealing with the guilt of buying yet another pair. It doesn’t stop me from buying them; just that now I have to bring home some guilt along with the footwear… 🙂
  • Q3 – Ice cream cone or cupcake?
  • A3 – Ice cream cone, definitely! Cupcakes are pretty, but I find them to be kinda dry and boring. And the frosting is usually a disappointment too. Good quality ice cream almost never lets me down.
  • Q4 – What’s one good thing you have learned about yourself during this pandemic?
  • A4 – I unintentionally timed my retirement from working to basically coincide with the beginning of the pandemic so I got a “crash course” in slowing my life waaaay down, which was and continues to be a good and necessary thing. I learned that I like living this way.
  • Q5 – Any eccentric people in your family? Discuss.
  • A5 – My paternal grandmother was a warm and wonderful woman who had some…um…peculiarities. Oma told me she couldn’t wear nail polish because it made her finger tips feel too heavy. And speaking of heavy, she liked to have a heavy purse on her arm. So much so, that if she felt her purse wasn’t heavy enough, she would add a few stones from the garden (washed, of course) to her bag to help with its weight. There were probably more eccentricities, but those were the only ones I remember from my childhood. Apparently I am the spitting image of her. It must be true because lately I keep seeing her face looking back at me when I catch myself in a mirror!

When not running down the hill to the beach like a mad fool in the wee hours in order to catch the fleeting sunrise (see above photo), I am spending a lot of time getting covered in paint, in my spare room/studio space. I’ve been taking a couple of online art courses and feeling inspired, after a long dry spell. And I actually did an underpainting. The old WB would never have taken the time to make an underpainting. You mean I have to paint a painting to go under my painting?!?! Who’s got time for that?!?

See how much I’ve been able to slow down? 😉

Underpainting based on a photo of the dawn taken in Bowser, BC in 2019.

Well, friends – do you feel inspired to answer any of Ally’s questions on your own blogs or in the Comments below? Has March and the spring equinox brought any more energy, creative or otherwise into your life?

Do tell all, and keep on rockin’…

The WB

My Last Ontario Blog Post?

On By Widow BadassIn Artistic Endeavours, COVID-19, Move to Vancouver Island84 Comments

I’m sitting in my almost empty dining room, sipping coffee, listening to the last pair of my home’s curtains spinning in my washing machine, and watching the snow blow past my window. YES. SNOW. The second snowfall in 3 days. IT’S MAY 11, people.

As if it’s not already hard enough for me (and others) to remember what day of the week it is, I am having trouble remembering what damn month I’m in. Looks more like late March or early April to me. If this is Mother Nature’s way of getting people to remain in isolation indoors, it’s working!

In 2 weeks and 1 day the movers will be pulling up to my door to take away all of my worldly goods to my new apartment in Nanaimo, British Columbia. I feel pretty calm (I know; I am surprised too), and confident that I am ahead of schedule in the packing department, therefore I am taking the time for a short blog post. If this means the Universe will now smite me because of these feelings, well…so be it.

Seriously though, Universe. I’m not at all being smug and thus smite-worthy. By no means. Nothing to see here. Please move along. Please!

All my curtains are down, washed and mostly packed away. (I have 11 big windows in my apartment so this was not a small job). Extra furnishings I didn’t want to take with me have gone to new homes. Artwork is off the walls. It’s getting very echo-y in here.

A lot of my things are already packed or staged for packing. A lot of my things I have decided are no longer going to be my things going forward, and I’ve said my goodbyes to them. I’m living out of boxes as far as clothing is concerned. My walk-in closet has been emptied.

The only room as yet untouched is the kitchen.

Art supplies have been put away (again!) and repacked, for realz this time. The art I have created these past weeks in pandemic quarantine is going or has already gone to new homes.

I painted these 3 in the style of British artist Yvonne Coomber, during the course of the pandemic. I see more of these in my future. They are such happy paintings, and fun (albeit messy) to create. Think of Dexter’s Kill Room. That was pretty much my set-up, to paint these.
My first attempt. It wasn’t planned but apparently I was channeling hollyhocks because that is all I see in the finished painting.
2nd painting – I wanted to put water in the background. Think of peeking through the dune grasses for this one. The flowers are more abstract, and less recognizable as a certain type.
3rd painting. I find with this style of painting that MORE (not less) is definitely MORE. I loved going all in, with the flowers.

I’m itching to do at least one more of these – this time one for me. For my new home. With mountains in the background, and an ocean instead of a lake.

But for now I will only dream. Because I am NOT unpacking my art supplies yet again.

That would really be asking to be smitten- wouldn’t it now, Universe?

Rock on,

The WB

Turning the Corner

On By Widow BadassIn Artistic Endeavours, COVID-19, Good Times, Hmmm?68 Comments

Something happened to me this past week. An inner mental shift happened. I think it had to do with our Prime Minister mentioning that THIS (pandemic situation and all its necessary restrictions) could go on until November or beyond. There was a “click’ (and it wasn’t my still-swollen wonky ankle, either), and just like that, I stopped spending hours agonizing over Twitter et al, and started doing THINGS. Positive things, besides spritzing myself with my favourite scents after every shower… no need to worry about running into the scent-sensitive or -averse, after all!

What’s in rotation…I wish you could smell me this. I smell fabulous. Yes, that is a men’s cologne in the upper right corner. It smells good and I like it on me.

This weekend of all weekends so far, I have every right to be depressed and feeling sorry for myself. My BC daughter was supposed to be here, spending a week with her ol’ Mom. And one of my sisters was supposed to come down for a weekend visit as well. And I was supposed to have a house full of family and friends over for supper today. Instead, I am at home alone. Of course. However, I am not depressed OR feeling sorry for myself. I am surprisingly light-hearted and full of creative energy, instead. Whodathunkit?

I am following Joanne’s lead – and heading back into art. So much for all my neatly boxed up stuff. See here for the Before Picture.

Yup. Every damn box opened up. An explosion of the arty things.

I’m inspired to make “happy” paintings, bursting with flowers. This is my first attempt – inspired by British artist, Yvonne Coomber:

No name yet, although I was thinking of the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, when I painted this: The earth laughs in flowers.

I’ve been gesso-ing up old canvases and already have another painting in progress.

Background done. Going to do some beach grasses and flowers in the foreground.

I’m also excited to report that I tested my ankle out with a yoga session this past week, and it passed the test! Somewhat crankily, and demanding wrapping and other types of baby-ing…but that’s OK. That led me to exploring other types of workouts and I found a new love: Body Groove. I always loved dance-type workouts – a class called DanceFit and belly dancing were some of my favourites, in days past. You’d think then, that Zumba would be right up my alley too, but I never really cottoned to that one.

I’d been seeing the Body Groove “commercials” on Facebook for some time now but just scrolled on by. This week I decided to check it out. And then I signed up for the 30 day trial. I already know I will be getting a year’s subscription.

Usually the ho-hum “muzak” that accompanies most workout videos is my least favourite part, but so far I’ve found all the Body Groove music to be diverse, uplifting, and amazing.
YOU BETTA WERK! If this doesn’t put a smile on your face, check your pulse. You may be dead.

I wish I knew the secret to my change in attitude/behaviour/outlook. My brain probably just got tired of wandering around my place in a lethargic daze, just going through the motions of life. And realizing finally that this is going to be going on for a loooooong time – much longer than any of us want it to – so my brain might as well come up with a more positive, more productive fun, new normal.

Don’t get me wrong. Like everyone else, I still have an undercurrent of stress and worry as my constant companion. But I am now also making it a habit to do stuff that puts a big smile on my face and in my heart every day. Like connecting with friends and family (Virtual happy hour, anyone? I have my favourite cocktail ingredients and wine in good supply, still!). Like daily yoga and dance. Like playing with paint. I even started knitting again.

The start of a sock. Knitting keeps my hands busy so they are not busy bringing snackies to my mouth while watching TV. Win-win!

How about you? Are you managing OK? Have you turned the corner? If so, how and why? Tell all!

Rock on,

The WB

Packing in the Time of COVID-19

On By Widow BadassIn Artistic Endeavours, COVID-19, Hmmm?, Move to Vancouver Island54 Comments

(Apologies to the late Gabriel Garcia Marquez for riffing on his book title…)

My goodness, what a year this week has been, eh? Kudos to whoever came up with this witticism first; it wasn’t me. When I haven’t been glued to my tablet, obsessed with watching responses to the pandemic unfold, I have been keeping myself busy (and away from others – way to social distance, right?) by making more progress towards my relocation later this year, to Vancouver Island.

This past week I have bundled up my art supplies, an action that practically guarantees I will be imbued with the urge to create from here on out. I did this for a couple of reasons. First, no sorting required. It’s all coming with me. Second, I haven’t been doing much “arting” lately, and probably shouldn’t, as I have a household+ to sort through and dispose of/pack.

I already know I will be fishing a sketchbook out of one of these boxes soon. As predicted, I am now flooded with ideas of things I wish to draw and paint.

To elaborate on “household+”, last week I also went through the last remaining boxes of my mom’s stuff – mostly paperwork. In one of the boxes I found a manila envelope containing handmade cards my sisters and I had created and given to our parents over the years. Oh my, what a find and what a trip down memory lane! At least it would be, if I could even remember creating these childhood “masterpieces”. Many are unsigned, and all are undated unfortunately. So it’s hard in some cases to tell which sister did a particular card. And for privacy reasons, I won’t blog about any that aren’t mine. But let me tell you that some of these cards that my sisters made are quite funny. Here are some photos of one that is definitely my creation:

Front of card. So far, so good.
Apparently I was a pioneer in the adult colouring book craze! Who knew!?! Based on the clothing I drew I would say early ’70s. I would have been 11-12 years old.
I was also clearly a fan of how Archie Comics were drawn at that time, as you can see by the girls’ faces. Well, in the words of Picasso: Good artists borrow; great artists steal. HAH!

Also in terms of “household+”, I have to sort through the items of my late husband that survived The Great Purge Part 1. (I am now fully into Part 2). These things are all deep in the bowels of my building, in the room off of the furnace room affectionately referred to as the “Freddy Krueger Room”. Because it used to be so scary, being dark and dingy and filled to the ceiling with tottering piles of mouldering crap. Come to think of it, just about the whole building was like that a few short years ago. We’ve come a long way, baby! And I am making good progress there too, with weekly trips to Value Village as well as salvaging some old items in good shape to sell at a local antiques market.

Last week I reserved my container – to hold all my wordly goods that need to be sent to my new home. Which I don’t have yet. I also don’t have a firm moving date yet. (I can’t believe that I – the planning machine – am so fine with all this, but I am.) The company I am using – Cubeit – has been wonderful to deal with so far. We have a tentative date for drop-off of the container at my building, which I can move up or down as needed. And I can keep the container at their yard in Nanaimo, for as long as required. Nathan from Cubeit told me they understand how stressful moving can be, and are committed to make their part of the process as easy as possible on their clients. Perfect!

This is how I am keeping out of trouble while I am social distancing these days, doing my part to try to flatten the curve and protect the vulnerable. Truth be told, it is not all that different from my normal day-to-day. I tend to avoid large gatherings of people (live performances of my favourite bands excepted) at any given time. I shop when I know think the stores are least busy. I don’t go out to bars or nightclubs. I exercise at home or out in nature. As a card-carrying introvert, the bulk of my social interaction needs can be happily fulfilled without having to be in the physical presence of another human being. 😉

Thank you, Interwebs!

One thing that kinda worries me in this pandemic time is my cough. Thanks to a medication I take, I have a bit of a dry cough even on my best days. I don’t even notice it anymore, usually. On Friday morning (Early! And it was crowded already!) I was in the grocery store and I must have coughed because all of a sudden it seemed like everybody stopped to look at me. I need to wear a sign, maybe?

As much as I like being home, I do need to get out once in a wee while for some perishables.

So, that’s it for me for this week. How are you managing these interesting times we are living in?

Rock on,

The WB

Retirement Thus Far…

On By Widow BadassIn Artistic Endeavours, Badassery, Retirement, See the Beauty54 Comments

It’s been a little over a week now that I have been untethered from full-time work, and friends: I have to say that it is pretty sweet. I know it’s early days but I seem to have taken to retirement life like a duck to water. When my SIL texted me to ask how I was liking being a lady of leisure, I replied immediately that I was born for this role.

I keep waiting to feel guilty for not being “productive” and it hasn’t hit me yet. I don’t think it will. I feel more like a marathon runner who has finally crossed the finish line, upright and smiling. I did it, everyone saw me do it, and no one can ever take my medal away.

In other words: Yup, these are my laurels and I’m gonna happily rest on them.

I’ve had one work dream (that I can remember) so far. I was dealing with a scheduling issue in my dream and when I woke up and realized I didn’t work anymore, I burst out laughing.

I considered my very first day of retirement to be January 2 as that is the first day I would have been back at work, in my old life. Instead, I went with my BIL and SIL to the McMichael Gallery. We had no idea what was being exhibited in addition to their permanent collection and I was literally screaming with delight when I saw who was being featured.

Beloved Nova Scotian folk artist, Maud Lewis (1903-1970). Her paintings (done with house paint, someone said) evoke a happy, simple life – even though Maud’s life was not that happy.

Another gallery I really enjoyed was the exhibit of miniatures by Quebec artist, Clarence Gagnon. I felt we really lucked out with our spontaneous visit to this beautiful gallery of Canadian art. A great way to start off retired life!

So, what else have I been doing with all my new-found free time you may be wondering. Well, the decluttering has begun. I am starting with my home office (I guess it’s my only office now, duh!).

The desk, the iMac and the chest of drawers have already gone to new homes. In their places are boxes I have been collecting, to fill with items bound for my new home out west.

I’ve also updated my LinkedIn profile. I find that website difficult to deal with, and there was no option to change my status to “Retired” so I had to get a bit creative. I marked the end date of my last position and created a new “job” for myself: CEO of Everything at Widow Badass Retirement Industries. The comments from my colleagues upon my “new role” have been heart-warming. I still get random people wanting to join my network though, so I don’t think everyone got the joke.

I suppose I just could have taken my profile down, but there are some friends that I only communicate with through LinkedIn so up it stays. For now.

In other news: I went for a mid-week lunch with a couple of retired friends last week, at a lovely bistro in Elora. We supped on roasted apple and brie soup and enjoyed fresh salads while we watched the snow fall with increasing ferocity outside. By the time lunch was finished I couldn’t see the opposing bank of the river through the flakes, so it was a good time to head back home in case the highway got closed due to whiteouts. Despite the weather, a gal could used to this kinda life! And I fully intend to.

Other than these activities, I’ve been doing a lot of reading and relaxing (including enjoying more time to watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Crave TV)…and getting out almost every day for a hearty walk.

There’s beauty to be found in all seasons and all kinds of weather.

How’s your 2020 starting out? Do tell!

Rock on,

The WB

2020: Alignment

On By Widow BadassIn Artistic Endeavours, Hmmm?, Retirement64 Comments

Happy December everyone! I hope you have plenty of celebrations and family/friend time to look forward to, in this month of festivities. 

For me the countdown to retirement is in its final push – work is busy as you can imagine, as I not only keep working away at my job, but also have to think and plan about handing it over to another. In 2 weeks my successor assumes my role, and I will spend my last 2 weeks educating her and making for a smooth handover. I feel just fantastic about all of this; my days are just flying by; people are saying nice things to me about me; I have absolutely no regrets or second thoughts about what I am doing. 

From the countdown app on my phone, as I finish off this blog post…

I have been hearing about a couple of people I know, who will also be retiring shortly, that they seem to be struggling a bit with their decisions; backtracking and saying they want to continue to stay on and work part-time; seeming to be having trouble “letting go”. I don’t understand this, as they chose to retire – it was not asked of them, nor forced upon them in any way. These people are also men, and that may be part of the difference?

For me, work has always been something I do and never something I am. I would love to hear how others retirees felt as their work life ended – was it something you embraced wholeheartedly? Or did you have mixed emotions? Did you choose, or was it chosen for you?

The other thing I am most excited about (besides anticipating my new, retired life) is an online art journalling course I signed up for. A couple of years ago, I signed up for and wholeheartedly enjoyed a year-long course by the same artist, called Mandala Days. Julie Gibbons is an artist residing in Scotland who works primarily with mandalas. Please check out her website (linked, in her name) if interested!

In a few weeks (on December 21, the winter solstice), I will be beginning a new course of hers, called Mandala Magic: Alignment. This course again focuses on mandalas and art journalling, and tying the lessons into the 8 “seasons” – the solar cycle – of the ancient pagan wheel of the year. This is so up my alley, it isn’t even funny!

I love the word Alignment so much that it will be THE WORD for my life going forward into 2020. Yes, my word of the year! My big intention for 2020 (and beyond) is to bring my life better into Alignment with my values and my intentions for how I want to live, going forward. During the next few days, I am planning on drawing up a mind map using the word Alignment to further suss out what it means to me and how that will impact/guide/inform this next important phase of my life.

So that’s what I’ve been up to, lately. If you care to share your thoughts on retirement, goals and intentions for 2020, art, whatever – I’d love to hear from you!

Rock on,

The WB

The Story of a Painting, Part Two: With Interruptions

On By Widow BadassIn Artistic Endeavours, See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors21 Comments

Well, wouldn’t you know it – the weather got better, so I got outside to walk, and painting progress has slowed considerably. Also due to the other interruptions in this thing called life.

Sunset on Mill Pond
Better weather means after-work walks to enjoy the sunset on the Mill Pond!

But here is what happened to the painting since the last time I blogged.

drawing of mermaid on canvas
Drawing traced onto canvas.

Painted outline in burnt umber and erased graphite marks.

Latest progress on mermaid painting
Starting to fill in colour. Loooong way to go yet.

I’m not expecting to get much done this week. Today I am flying to the US for a work conference.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with Joanne, at the Fashion History Museum’s Tango Tea. She’ll be writing about it soon. You should go check out her blog!

Fashion History Museum Tango Tea Event
At the Tango Tea. This event was so much fun!

Unfortunately I got some bad news while at the Tea. My late father-in-law’s girlfriend (who is 92 and much loved by me and everyone who knows her) is in hospital, suffering from a bleed into her brain with no hope of recovery. We were planning on going out for dinner when I returned from my work trip. I rushed from the Tea to the hospital and met with her family and offered what comfort I could. I also spoke with B, but she was unresponsive. They say hearing is the last sense to go, so hopefully she heard that I was there and that I love her.

And now I really have to shower and pack.

Have a great week, everyone, and rock on!

The WB

The Story of a Painting: Part One

On By Widow BadassIn Artistic Endeavours28 Comments

Since I am a beginning (again) artist and a few of my blogger friends and readers are as well, I thought it would be fun to share my process as I work on a painting I’ve had in my mind for quite a while. For me, creating art can be broken down into a series of problems to solve in order to get to the finished product (and get the painting in my mind put down on canvas).

I love tattoo art, and am especially fond of old-school tattoos. I also have always loved mermaids.  So, it should be no surprise that I would want to paint a mermaid, in an old-school tattoo style.

I haven’t spent much time in the studio this summer as I’ve been enjoying the great weather, but now that’s changed and I have this mermaid painting that needs to come out of me.

I started by covering by 16×20″ canvas with primary magenta cut with a little titanium white and a touch of burnt umber. I wanted a nice warm, rich background.

Actually I started by cleaning off the mess on the table so I could place the canvas on there, but does this really need to be said? I feel this is just a given.

Then I scraped on a bunch of colours with an old credit card. I think it was unbleached titanium, yellow ochre, cadmium red, and bit of hookers green.

Nice enough, but not what I was going for, for this painting.

I decided the background needed more work, so after it was dry I went back at it with just unbleached titanium and yellow ochre. Went horizontal instead of lengthwise with the paint application this time.

After scraping the paint on with the credit card, I blended it out with my new favourite brush – the mop. I deliberately left some of the under colours showing through. Now it looks aged and a bit distressed (like the artist, hehehe!). Me like!

Now that I was happy with the background, it was time to work on the mermaid. I had printed off a drawing I found on Ye Olde Interwebs, for inspiration. I needed to make it larger, so I grabbed a piece of tracing paper and gridded it to match the simple grid I drew on the print-off.

The top of the freezer I inherited from my mom makes a great work surface – as you can see, from the paint spatters on the wall behind. 🙂

It took me almost  45 minutes to be satisfied with the mermaid, but after some erasing and redrawing, I am pretty happy with what I drew.

Her face looks more like my first Barbie doll’s than the face on the print-off, but I kinda like it. I also changed her hair for better symmetry of design, with her tail.

I’m ready to trace my design onto the canvas once it dries completely. Not sure if to do the outlining first, or paint her in first. If this was a real tattoo, I’d be outlining first, then filling in.  Hmmmm….Stay tuned for Part Two. And, if you’re looking at these posts for actual artistic advice, please remember:

Rock on,

The WB