Thankful Week- Day 7

Thankful Week- Day 7 I am thankful that I have the chance to follow my dreams of being a children’s author and illustrator. There are a world of indie authors and indie artists out there just a click away. Support these indie artists on Cyber Monday.

#indieartist #indieauthor #indieartistmusic #indieart #cybermonday #thankful #flamingo #pug #childrensbooks #kidslit #childrensauthor #picturebook #teachersfollowteachers #homeschool #storytime #storybook #gift #uglydogcreations #writerslife  #holidayshopping #gingerthepug #illustrator #ferdinandflamingo #writer 

Thankful Week- Day 6

Thankful Week- I am thankful to live in a 1928 old Schoolhouse. It is a journey that I never imagined and it is not always easy but the building is amazing. These pics are from the beginning and we have been here about a year. It is slow in renovating but it is a an amazing building. The Schoolhouse has an auditorium, original windows and doors, Old stoves (not in use) and even an old chalk board that is slate rock. Wherever you call Home, be thankful. There are many that are still searching for a home. 

#home #thankful #schoolhouse #house #forest #antique #uglydogcreations 

Thankful Week- Day 5

Thankful Week-Thankful for technology. Although I was unable to be with these two yesterday, because of technology we could still see and talk to each other. Technology can make the world closer and yesterday was one of those times. I know sometimes of technology can cause problems but we need to think it is how we use that resource and knowledge.

And they had fun at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade!

#uglydogcreations #thankful #thanksgiving #thanks #macys #macysparade #parade #nyc #newyork #newyorkcity 

Thankful Week- day 4

Thankful Week- I am thankful for my family. And not just the ones in the picture but all of them. I do have to say that I do love both my son and daughter in this pic. It was right before she walked in the aisle. A private moment before all of the excitement and celebration. Lots of love here.

Thankful day 2 and day 3

I forgot to post my Thankful day 2 on my blog. Yesterday for day 2, we drove into town for groceries and decided to stop for donuts. Not just any donuts but Ed and Barb’s Creme Donuts. First of all, they are the freshest donuts I have ever tasted and they are amazing! But they icing on top of the donut as it goes, is Ed and Barb. They are so friendly and enjoy their customers. So not only was I thankful for the donuts but also for local businesses run by your neighbors. If you ever in Lake City, you must check them out.

Thankful Week- Day 3- I am thankful that we live in a National Forest. It is amazing to drive into our little town with large pine trees that hug the highway. When I sit in my yard I see the beauty that Mother Nature has to offer. If we are lucky we even might spot a fox, deer, turkey , or the ever present flamingo!

We need to protect our National Parks because they hold such beauty.

Thankful Week-day 1

This week, I am going to post each day sharing something I am thankful for. To start the week, I am sharing my wonderful pets. In this house they go beyond pets, they are our babies.

Thankful Week- I am thankful for all of my pet companions. Love my babies!

New Book Received

We got a book in the mail. Ferdinand Flamingo snuck into the pictures. I ordered it and received it before the day of release. Thank you Amazon. It is wonderfully put together with great tutorials. It shows steps in how to draw, how to use copic markers or any alcohol base marker, and even mix media. It goes beyond the drawing and includes setting the background also. Bale Jae uses cute avatar to bring your attention to “Tips” in various areas. I love that so much. 

 If you have an artist working on their craft, this might be a good holiday gift. I am excited to get started honing my own craft and leaning new techniques. I know it is available at Amazon and Barnes and Nobles but you can check with your local bookstore also.

Happy Drawing!

ATC swap arrivals

Last month I joined some ATC swaps on the site ATCforall.com . I joined a skulls and skeletons, Spooky Halloween, and Jack O’Lantern. The swap was 3 for 3 in each. If you want to swap art but not add too much pressure, think about swapping ATCs. They are small so they are manageable on time. The site atcforall is a great venue to start out. I am glad to have across it. Now that I completed my first few swaps, I will sign up to do more. 

Here are the art ATCs I got back. So much fun to get get someone’s vision. 

Skulls and Skeletons featured art from ErsatzEpiphany, JoyceG, and Firefly.

Spooky Halloween featured art from PinkJellyfish, Linda4atc, and TrinaLD.

Jack O’Lanterns featured are from xela7072, Firefly, and PouringDiva.

I made the leap to Copics

I use alcohol based markers in my illustrations of Ferdinand Flamingo. I like the vibrant colors they produce. I was using Spectrum Noir markers and have liked them. They do have some downsides compared to copics. Spectrum markers come with a bullet nib and not a brush nib. This affects the smoothness in blending the markers. I originally thought the bullet nib would give me more control but it really affected the blending. Sometimes I find there is some feathering with the Spectrum and this bleed can ruin your precision. The up side is that they were affordable and I could afford to get the whole set at once. The colts are vibrant. They are refillable but I find the replacement inks in the glass bottles often evaporate before they can be used. I even had an unopened bottled kept in dark place evaporate before opening. I am not saying not to buy them but it is good to understand the ups and downs of a product.

Why go to Copics? Copics have brush nib and blend beautifully with little feathering. They are amazing with 358 colors. There is a big downside and that is they are costly. At full price you pay about $8 a marker. This is quite expensive. You can purchase online at Michael’s using their 40-50% off coupon. You can also do this in stores but I could not find sets in my store. Amazon also has some competitive prices but as with everything on Amazon make sure you price compare. Dick Blick and Oozak online have some of the best prices so check them out as well. I have about 48 markers to start and I will add to my collection with time. One of my first focus on color choice were the pinks so I could use them in my illustrations for my next book. 

Here is a personal piece that is a work in progress to see what they look like. I am learning how to use the brush nib. I find the brush nib on Copics to be firm enough for the feeling of control but flexible enough to blend colors. I know I said it before but WOW! I have upped my game using Copics. Stay tuned to see Ferdinand in his new copic colors! 

Also check out my Copic reveal video

WIP sketch of Niece

I am so excited to be back in the studio after visiting my family. I am working on a piece inspired by Baylee Jae. If you have not checked out her You Tube you should @Baylee_Jae. 

I drew Kylie, my niece, and added items she liked falling out of her hair. I drew rainbow, unicorn, ring pop, candy, poop emoji, cupcake squishy and iPhone. This is a work in progress but will be completed as a Christmas gift:) 

A few Halloween pics

I visited my sister for a week around Halloween. They are awesome and make a haunted house for the kids. To be honest the adults love it even more I think. Friends and family dress up inside the house. Here are a few pics from that night. I will try to upload a video to show the house in motion.