Facing anyway but Forward…..in a car

My sister gave me the idea to do a car pool birdie-mom months ago. I just now got around to it. I didn’t notice until after I sketched the scene out that I messed up!! Ugh!! I wanted to do this page for my Sketchbook Project. Which means it wasn’t supposed to be drawn in my favorite watercolor moleskine. But drawn on the pre-cut paper that I get to adhere in the sketchbook later. Ah well, at least I got some sketch practice in.

My clueless-ness kicked in again, after I finished outlining this little bird I noticed something odd. Look at the phone….now…..look at the hand….what’s wrong with this picture???? Yep, it’s the fingers….I should’ve just made a thumb on the front side of the phone, not all those fingers. Ahhhh well, livin’ and learnin’….still!

This was the fun part!! Putting these kids in similar polo shirts. My car-pool kids all wore uniforms, which would’ve looked quite b.o.r.i.n.g to have them all in white tops, so I decided I’d dress these birds up a bit.

This guy cracks me up….cuz it’s obvious he doesn’t want to talk to his mom (much less be seen with her), and he’s listening to his ipod AND he’s talking to his friends in the backseat. He’s one of those kids that doesn’t want to miss a thing, that’s for sure!

Sharon-the-Chaperone……No matter what she’s doing, she has to drop everything at 3 o’clock, cuz that’s carpool time. When the kids were younger they’d run up to her and tell her all about their day and show her their art and their “A’s”. Now, that the kids are in Junior High, she has become invisible. Out of the 5 kids in her car pool, only one of them ever says “Thank You”.

Wow, this wasn’t meant to come off as a slam on kids, really! These little guys are changing so fast and learning so much about people and the world, its no wonder they are somewhat tunnel-visioned. And of course….all they really want is to fit in! Now, I’ve always loved my little birdie-kids, but I only like them when they like me. Thank goodness, this stage doesn’t last forever.

I need your help out there!! I want to add more accessories to the picture….you know like rings, and necklaces. But that’s all I can think of that’s an easy draw. Any suggestions? Thanks :)

Gloria…..not your ordinary bird

Gloria- the Gifted Gardener……Everything she plants Blooms!! Everything!!! She’s the neighborhood “green thumb”. Almost daily you’ll see her out in her yard putzing and pruning from early Spring to late Fall. If you ask her how she gets her plants so full and healthy, she’ll say “Oh, I just water them”. She’s got this incredible talent and doesn’t even know it. One thing you won’t see her doing is writing a book about it, because it would only have three words…..”Just Add Water”.

This bird is based on a couple relatives (you know who you are) and it’s pretty frustrating to ask them about their plants because you’ll never get any specifics, hence they’ve kept their secrets to themselves! Ugh!!! This does not help me at all! I need all the information I can get in the plant department, clueless is what I am. Oh well, no “yard of the month” sign in my front yard.

I used lots of stencils here; from the birdhouse to the flowers, to the watering can and trowel. Just plain fun to draw with stencils if you ask me! If there’s a tool for the job and it works, I say use it!

Since, I’m confessing to my reliance on these stencils, I thought I’d show you the type that I use. Sorry, I don’t know the manufacturer but you can get them at your local craft stores (JoAnns, Hobby Lobby, Michaels). They're pretty cheap and versatile. Great for kids, too. May just help get over an artist’s block too.

The original drawing was pretty stark with all that white, so I played around in Photoshop and gave it some clouds and grass……Now, it’s a little easier on the eyes I think.