river paintings

My creation
Originally uploaded by megan_n_smith_99

this is what i have been working on this week.. these three paintings are each 6.5 x 4.5" and will fit in a 5x7" matte or frame. they are on etsy. i had a lot of fun painting these...
left to right:
like a river in my dreams
river roses
down by the river

Theo (& me)

today' s inspiration comes from Theo Ellsworth. These 2 scans are from his comic/zine called Art Capacity #7. Here is his website:
http://www.artcapacity.com
and here is where you can order zines:
http://www.secretacres.com.
Theo is an art genius overlord.

and, as an after thought, my 2 latest paintings.. they are each 6.5 x 4.5" and watercolor.
Like a River in my Dreams:

Like a River in my Dreams II

brambly hedge

my back is feeling a little better. i even managed to work on a painting some last night, while propped up against my headboard, reclining on an ice pack.

today i have to share with you 2 illustrations from Autumn Story by Jill Barklem, part of the Brambly Hedge series.

gosh, i sure wish i could be a kid's book illustrator.

the book of cowboys

my hurt back is slowing my art way down. and art is what i usually post...so i thought i would post some visual stimulation for the next few days .. meaning i would post some scans from my collection of children's literature.

today's scans are both from The Book of Cowboys written and illustrated by Holling C. Holling. it was published in 1936. a small child has written a bit in my copy. i wonder if donnie griffen is still alive. he says his phone number is 33302.

anyhow, what i like about this book is the pen and ink drawings. here are a couple to enjoy:

hopefully i will scan some more from another book tomorrow!

art journal page

030908j1
Originally uploaded by megan_n_smith_99

the last few days i have been laid up with a hurt back. actually, for the last week.. but the last few days have been the worst. i injured my back last year and the re-injury rate is something like 80%. i've been cataloging hundreds of books at work and they do get heavy. so, well. i have been lying about and not doing much. reading a bit, etc. i did break in my new watercolor moleskine journal with this little painting... i hope to do better this coming week, by being careful, getting extra sleep, and doing the PT exercises i was given last year.

little creatures

My creation
Originally uploaded by megan_n_smith_99

you might have seen these on my blog this morning, but those were not very good scans so i am going to delete that entry. these are a bit better.. and you can see them larger if you click the thumbnail to go to my flickr account. i have also listed these on etsy.

it was a long day and i am tired, so i think i will be going to bed with a book soon. i am reading The Tale of Hill Top Farm (The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter) by Susan Wittig Albert. it is charming so far.

little critters

watercolor
Originally uploaded by megan_n_smith_99

i am still painting away.. trying to get better at drawing and painting realistic animals, with some hints of my whimsy, but more grounded in reality :) it takes a lot more discipline and patience! i like drawing imaginary things because no one can say, "well, honestly, the last winged mouse i saw looked nothing like that. it had smaller ears and a longer tail." so, anyway i am trying. i am currently working on another version of the red squirrel and have no idea if i am going to like it or not. the important thing is to keep painting and keep practicing.

click on the photo to see larger!