Taos Sketch Journal Workshop Part 2

Sketches of the Earthships

I put the Earthship sketch first because I loved this site. It is a collection of self-sufficient structures that grow their own food, make their own energy and recycle their own waste. They build them from recycled materials. I have heard that the UC Architecture department has a program has done programs in Taos before, but I could not find a link.

I am pretty sure these structure inspired the home of Luke's aunt and uncle on Tatooine...

This is a panoramic of one of the structures...

On the solstice, we watched the sun set over the gorge from another angle.

The ice cream bus, sadly not open for our visit...

This is Taos Gorge. The little river at the bottom is the Rio Grande. It is certainly dwarfed here. It looks like the earth just opened up in a catastrophic event.

Finally, the San Francisco church. St. Francis is really big in this area. This is the mission church made famous by the painting by Georgia O'Keeffe.

This is the San Francisco Mission Church which was made famous by Georgia O'Keeffe's painting of the back of it... I am sorry I gave Georgia man hands in my sketch.

The famous Georgia O'Keeffe side, different angle... We watched the sun rise over the church.

Finishing this post with a magpie. They were everywhere! 

 

Book Trailer: A Warm Winter Tail

I am really excited about this one. (OK, I like both, or rather all 8 books coming out this fall, but this one is so lovely.) Thanks to Theresa Franke for recording her children Gwen and Max for the track. It makes it over-the-top adorable. Theresa is also an amazing artist. Check out her work: https://www.facebook.com/TheresaFrankeIllustration

I should get a copy of the book in a couple weeks; looking forward to seeing the printed version. Of course there will also soon be a Sylvan Dell App. Stay tuned!

Taos Sketch Journal Workshop Part 1

Except it is not quite Taos yet. We went to Santa Fe First. Here are some sketchbook pages. They had a coupe cats, prairie dogs and chickens at the store in addition to many other wares. We also we to the first of a couple St. Francis churches.

We spend a day going down Canyon Road where there are A LOT of galleries. We saw a lot of cool work but Geoffrey Gorman's was probably my favorite.

Inspired by a boat we saw hanging in Jackelope.

Children's Chapel

We also went to Chimayo, an interesting church complex with a lot of cool stuff to draw. It is known for its holy dirt which people take away in bag and is said to have the powers to heal. Troy is still mad I did not get him some.

Horse on the Grounds

These Mary statues (there were several) were so interesting. They had big eyes and hands...

Finally, on our way to Taos, we stopped for a soak at Ojo Caliente. They have a variety of mineral tubs like iron and soda. It also claims to have healing properties. So by that time, we were set for a good workshop...

There were a couple swallow nests with babies on the porch outside the restaurant. I did this little ink sketch of them

Sensing Their Prey Coming This Fall!

From Smelling Prey: Available September 2012 through Magic Wagon, a division of the ABDO Group (www.abdopublishing.com) or your educational wholesaler.

From Extreme Senses-Abdo Group

 This has been an ongoing project for a while. The project was 6 books and 84 paintings, so this is just a taste. I will be sharing a lot more in the coming months.

It was a wonderful project and the ABDO folks were amazing to work with, I can hardly wait to see the books in print.

They are on the Barnes and Noble site for pre-order: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/?series_id=792947

From Hearing Prey-ABDO Group

Rough Cat Studies

Boris and Spike

Boris and a little Miffy Sketch

In preparing for our journal workshop, many of the books about making journals have lovely cat studies so I decided to do some of my cats. 

Yes, Boris really looks like this. He is almost 17 and has been shaved because his fur gets severely matted. It gives him an odd appearance. He has a huge head and a little old man body underneath. Great for sketching cat anatomy...You can see every bone and muscle.

Preparing for Taos

Journal alone

My Main Journal Cover

Breaking in the new sketchbook with Spike...

Vanessa's Lovely Color Study

This is my current journal. I decorated it as part of the class...

As many know, I am going to Taos this month for a sketch journal workshop through the Art Academy. As part of the prep, we are preparing our journals and learning how to get the most out of the least amount of art supplies on the go.

I wish I had this cute little watercolor set when I was in Greece! I have long liked many of the pigments Winsor Newton has for acrylic (I use a hodgepodge of Golden, Liquitex and Winsor Newton for my acrylic work. I go for favorite pigments over brand loyalty), but their watercolors are really nice and smooth.