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Hoopa Doopa Valley Children's book , watercolor illustrations

  All three of the Hoopa Doopa Valley books are now available at Amazon.com! My aunt and I worked together to create this wonderful trilogy ...

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

"Tool" for Illustration Friday


My daughter is constantly drawing horses.  I admire her attention to detail and she appreciates my use of color.  We inspire each other, so when the theme of "tool" was announced on Illustration Friday, I decided to draw a girl using a comb on her favorite horse.  

Food, water, a good brushing, clean the feet, and don't forget to comb the mane!  

Sunday, April 10, 2016

April showers bring birds and flowers

Every day I step outside to enjoy our mountain view, observing the light and shadows, occasionally spotting a hiker on the distant trail.  As a gardener I always check the plants while I'm out there, to see what's growing, hoping for flowers, strawberries, tomatoes.  The birdwatcher in me is scanning and listening for which of my feathered friends might be visiting. Often one of these things sends me running back into the house to grab a camera, binoculars or field guide.  

 

This week brought more roses, beautiful blooms on the prickly pear cactus, and two surprise guests. A pair of white pigeons. 


This much white is rare to see so they really stand out.  The last time it happened the bird was wearing a band, so naturally we wondered if these were also some escaped birds, but no identification.  We need Anna Breytenbach, animal communicator, to tell us their story.


I love to watch the different birds come to the seed block I put out for the quail.  Also, if there's any seed left in the cup when I feed my own parakeets and finches, I throw that out there too.  These white pigeons have been visiting for a few days now, since they've found food.  The cold and rainy weather brought a bigger crowd to the seed block.  In the bottom picture you can see quail, sparrows, a curve billed thrasher and the white pigeons.  There are even days when it gets so crowded, that  even hawks will swoop in for the buffet.  Be safe white pigeons!  



Thursday, April 7, 2016

Sparkle for IF



Considering the totally optional "rainbow" theme from Creative Every Day and "sparkle" from Illustration Friday, I came up with this idea of a circus horse and performer.  What better place to find color and sparkle?