The Pet Doctor

I don’t know why I didn’t think of drawing this bird before.  About once a week, a young friend and I go and walk dogs awaiting adoption at a local Pet store.  So many dogs….so many personalities.





Whoever taught this parrot to say “Squirrel” has a sense of humor.  If you’ve seen the movie “Up” you know what I mean.





Who can resist a beagle?  I had a beagle for about 2 days when I was 7.  It was a gift from a relative on Christmas……but the thing is…..relatives can’t give animals as gifts without the parents consent.  “Aww...c’mon Mom”!





Paula the Pet Doctor…..having not had an easy life growing up, caring for her furry friends has helped heal her “Heart of Gold”.

Birds fly….

So….I’m working away….minding my own business…





When I notice I’ve got a song stuck in my head.  Not sure how it got there….but by golly, it wasn’t going away.





If you’re familiar with “Wizard of Oz”, then you’ve probably heard this song too.





Yep….”Somewhere over the rainbow”… that song Judy Garland sang in the movie.  I can’t carry a tune…but it doesn’t stop me from trying!  Haha





I used this picture as my inspiration.  Changed up her dress…added the rainbow and the bird. 


And now…guess what song I keep hearing over and over ….. in my head?

Coach Crane

Here’s to all the good coaches out there.  The volunteers, the part-time, full-time, Big-Time.





Stumbled upon this definition of “A Coach” at www.daringtolivefully.com and thought it applied here.


    A [good] coach assists and facilitates, and they can help you in assessing the situation and recognizing recurring patterns.  In addition, they can help you analyze how you’ve been responding to the situation in an ineffective manner.  They can help you decide what steps to take in order to move forward.  However, they will never take power away from you.  Instead, they empower you to make your own healthy choices.





Coach Crane…..He sort of fell into coaching and discovered that he was good.  His influence with the athletes stems from the way he observes them.  Some kids need coddling & coaxing, some need logic & explaining, and some just need to get mad to perform their best.  The most valuable trait that his athletes will take with them into adulthood….is…their willingness to TRY.


I have a young teen friend who has a lot of energy, needs friends and needs some confidence.  But she’s afraid to try.  Kind of breaks my heart.


I don’t think we ever outgrow our need for “coaches”.  After all, our parents, teachers, mentors all have played the role of coaches to some extent in our lives and they just want the best for us (or from us])…haha.

Ursula….the Unfiltered

Wow!  It’s been awhile since I’ve shown you any birds here.  The last one was Sassy Zany Birds in February.  I drew this bird back in March because well….I was bad inconsiderate and I needed to apologize to someone dear to me.





I guess I could’ve bought a card….or baked cookies….sent flowers.  But this was the way I chose to grovel. 





Ursula-the-Unfiltered….She thinks she can handle anything cuz she likes to multi-task.  One clue that she’s having trouble keeping all the balls in the air is when she loses her filters.  The connection between her brain and her tongue will collapse.  All of sudden she speaks without thinking.  Every fleeting thought is voiced without care.  Trust me, this is not a good time to be around her.


What I've learned about myself over time is that if I don’t care about someone….they can never get me mad.  I’ve also learned to fess up when I mess up!

Kate…the Kid Again Bird

Another bird was begging to be drawn, so I did what I do and drew her.



Brought in some fun elements here, like the IKEA furniture in the background and the pink/green patterned pillows.



Kate really isn’t a kid anymore, she just thinks she is.  As an adult she has to stay connected to the real world, hence the cell phone.



My absolute favorite part of the picture!  This Peace Bird!  I opted against white.



Kate-the-Kid-Again-Bird….She’s rediscovered a gift, and it is this.  Seeing herself as she did when she was 10 years old.  When she was excited by life and wanted to make something of herself, do something, create something.  It’s nice to have uncovered this eager attitude!  It is a gift and she’s not sure who to thank.

I bet a lot of people can relate to this feeling that Kate has.  When she’s done the work, been responsible, cared for others.  Now she’s finally letting herself play again…..cuz it is allowed,  you know.   No matter what your age!



I’ve been asked a few times where I get my bird personalities.  Every now and then I'm lucky enough to snag it from my journal.  Love it when that happens.

Have a good Day you guys!  Go out and play….no matter what your age! Haha

Fred….the Farmer

I was asked about a year ago to draw a bird on a John Deere tractor.  I hesitated and I was stumped each time it was mentioned. 



You see….I don’t know anything about Farmers and I don’t see a whole lot of tractors where I live. 



Then…..it came to me…..the bird personality.  I really didn’t have to know how much land the farmer had, what he grew and when he planted his crops.  I didn’t have to know where he bought his fertilizer and what season he harvested…..I could describe a farmer without all the specifics!!  Whew!! I was off the hook! 

The easy part is the drawing….the hard part is the describing.



Fred-the-Farmer….He likes to do everything himself because he learned a long time ago, that if you want something done right you have to do it yourself.  He usually knows the best way to do the job, too.  Good thing he doesn’t need much sleep.

My hats are off to this hard-working breed!!  I’m a big fan of your corn, wheat, oranges, grapes and the like!

Libby….the Libra

It was time for another bird, so I thought I’d add to the birds I’ve drawn in the Zodiac Series.  Louis and Jen.



Since I was drawing a Libra, and they are all about truth, justice, fairness and balance.  The obvious choice would have been to draw a judge.  But….have you noticed how boring all the judges look?  Unless I drew an American Idol judge, but I’m not sure if they are all that fair….haha…just kidding!



Libby the Libra…..she didn’t foresee that a lot of her Law School training would come in so handy while raising her kids.  She has to stop what she’s doing, hear both sides to their story and then help those little guys negotiate the best solution to their problems.  Every now and then, it’s best to separate them.  Amazing how clear they can think after a brief time-out.

Siblings, I think it’s our first taste in how to get along in the real world.  It may seem like it’s just a battle over a toy or the remote control, but so much else is being learned under the surface!  God Bless our families!!  Happy Thanksgiving you guys!

Judy….the Gym-Rat

I’m thinking this is an appropriate post for the day after Halloween when so many Judy’s will be hitting the gym. 



I was in need of color (or I’m just procrastinating).  Because I’m on the hard part of the sketch I started last week.



She looks a little Zombie-like, right now.  Would’ve been a good costume last night!  Haha



What gym-rat shows up without their tunes?  Makes it so much more fun!



Judy-the-Gym-Rat……she hates to run!! Hates it!  Once she realized all she had to do was add jumping rope to her work out and that would help keep her in shape.    She was so relieved….. Now, she could get out of signing up for any more marathons.

My description is a bit skewed….don’t we wish that only 5 minutes of jumping rope would keep us as healthy as those big-time runners?  You gotta give her points for trying

I believe in Angels….

I spent an hour today searching for the “perfect” journal entry to go with my new drawing.  I love going back thru my old journals.  It’s amazing how the same themes seem to keep re-occurring.  What surprised me the most was how shy I was just 5 short years ago.  I wasn’t shy in a “too scared to speak” way, more like private.  I just didn’t bother saying much about myself to others (you know acquaintances, co-workers).  Yea, I was probably a big bore too!  It can get tiresome if someone else has to do all the talking (tiresome for the speaker). LOL!

After that hour, I still hadn’t come up with any journaling blog-worthy enough for the drawing.



I really want to sketch right now…cuz I’m due….but I haven’t found anything that’s inspired me in that way.  So, instead I pulled out my stencils and watercolor pencils and played.



I’m such a sucker for color!!  Gotta have my whole spectrum!



Since the black/white doodling has worked with other watercolor drawings, I went back to that technique.



If you’ve been following my blog then you’ll probably remember the above journaling.  It’s from The War of Art and it reads:

I believe in Angels.  They work for God- it’s their job to help us.  Wake us up.  Bump us along.  They shout “Evolve! Evolve!”….Angels are like muses.  They know stuff we don’t.  They want to help us.  They’re on the other side of a pane of glass shouting to get our attention.  But we can’t hear them.  We’re too distracted by our own nonsense.  Ahh, but when we begin.  When we make a start, when we commit and face our fears- a crack appears in the membrane.

However, I ran out of room up there and couldn’t journal the entire paragraph. Shoot!

Louis the Leo

Coloring Book page to start with.  I always start these birds in coloring book style, but I really have to struggle if I want to doodle this way.  Much more fun to doodle as I go, if you ask me!



I had a lot of food-for-fodder when I looked at my photo stash from my Downtown Chicago visit last year.  Amazing how each skyscrapper has it’s own personality.



Watercolor pencils for the yellow shirt, the desk and the window sill.



I photoshoped the #1 Sales onto the coffee mug.  Photoshoped the clouds peeking out from behind the buildings.  And photoshoped the frosted glass to make the buildings appear behind glass.  Totally messed this up when I drew this because I should’ve made a frame.  But this is a big display type window, much more pleasant to look out of…haha



Louis-the-Lion…..He does everything with flair and charisma, that’s how he got to be the number one salesman in his company.  He has a big heart and is very organized.  He’s always been good with names which helps when he asks his associates how Johnny’s baseball team is doing, or if Sarah got the leading part in the upcoming play.  When he walks in the door at home after being away on a trip nothing makes him feel more like a king than the attention and pampering he receives from his family.  They just missed him.

Jen….the Gemini

I think I may start a new series….Zodiac Birds, haha.  Since my daughter is a Gemini and I’ve got many Gemini friends and relatives I thought I’d start off with this giddy type.



Markers can be so limiting!  Even though I prefer them….but the jeans needed some white-wash to them so out came the watercolor pencils.



Since Gemini’s are the sign of the twin, that lady in red up there is suppose to be Jen’s reflection in the mirror when she’s in split-personality mode.  Haha



This was a fun one to draw.  Haven’t drawn a cute little dog in a while and I love her purse.  Apparently, boots are going to be really big this year, so I thought I’d make her all vogue.  The hat was a risk, but I’ve seen a few of those out at some retail shops.  Love the iphone case!!  I don’t have a personalized case but then again, my parents have stopped buying me things a….long….time…ago!



I thought I could find a wooden paneled background for the wall in photoshop.  My version must not have one….so I had some fun with some other tools in there.  Now, I like this wall!

Jen-the-Gemini…..this one is On-The-Go….All-The-Time.  She has friends that she shops with, friends that she studies with, friends that she exercises with, friends that she walks her dog with and friends that she figures out the meaning of life with.  She can’t sit still.  Unfortunately, she sometimes forgets who she made plans with and when. But because she’s so fun to have around her friends forgive her this little flaw.  Talk about adapting, no one can adapt better, cuz she..is..smart!  She’s just a bunch of different people all rolled up into one energetic package.

Donna n.e.e.d.s. to Draw

My favorite way to start a drawing…..yep, the good ‘ole coloring book stage.



It’s so nice that our personal music library can go everywhere with us!!  And….we can get just about any new song we want without much effort!  Just a click away!



Absolutely had to have her wearing a colorful outfit!



The less I say about the shoes, the better….I’m not quite sure where I was going with these!



Markers for the girl, the trees and the boat…..watercolor pencils for the rest.



Donna the Drawer……growing up in a big family, she often got irritated with all the demands and distractions created by her brothers and sisters.  She really didn’t mean to be so snippy with them, but she couldn’t help it. She  just forgot how easy it is just to remove herself from the commotion.  She doesn’t need to be away long, just long enough to hear herself again.  She then rejoins everyone and they are very happy she took that little break!
I don’t know about you, but I sure can relate to Donna.  Why do we feel so selfish when we take time for ourselves?  It’s always best if I can figure out what my triggers are……it’s a bit of a relief, cuz then I can do something about them …..or not.