Kelly - I Fall for Fall

It is my favorite time of year. We've not had a great Fall in NY in a few years. Lots of rain- the leaves have been washed off too soon. So this year I am trying to get my Fall fix the next two weekends in Amherst, MA at the little house we're fixing up. Fingers crossed, it's all golden and crisp. A feast for the eyes is Fall.

Gathering Leaves with Heather

Gathering Leaves
by Robert Frost

Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.

I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.

But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.

I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?

Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.

Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop?

Welcome, Autumn!

It finally feels like Fall in Texas, and in celebration I give you this excerpt from How the Leaves Came Down by Susan Coolidge: 

"So, for just one more merry day

To the great tree the leaflets clung,

Frolicked and danced, and had their way,

Upon the autumn breezes swung,

Whispering all their sports among,"

I hope to do much more with this poem, as I have all kinds of imagery floating around whenever I read it. ;)

Priscilla ~ Hello Autumn, And . . .

Celebrating Johnny Appleseed Day (Sept 26)  

and Apple Harvest season is upon us!  

Crispy green apples, refreshing apple juice, warm apple cider, applesauce, and of course, delicious homemade apple pie!  ~ a la mode, of course!  =0)

YUM! and Cheers!

Argh...it's Peg-leg Peet!

Here's my pirate take for this week. I want to do more with Peet, but we'll see if I make the time. He can be more dynamic in his composition and could use some more detail. What a fun topic!

Thanks for stopping by!
-Joy

Kelly - SWAB Faster Larry!!

Larry has a problem with authority.


The next sketch would be of Larry dueling with Captain Hairball -a la Erroll Flynn - with only the mop(swab) handle! Mutiny on the Meownty!

Swashbuckling with Heather

Argh, give me your candy loot or ye be walkin' the plank matey.

Diandra-Salty Dogs

I originally was going to have this crew on a REAL pirate ship ( I even referenced the ship!) but I quickly realized that the rounded features I had given them would work better on children. Besides, I think we all remember how much fun a few empty boxes can provide.

Priscilla ~ Savvy?

Avast ye!  we here are just having a bit of fun celebrating Talk Like A Pirate Day! - all week long!

So, whilst ye may, join in and share your favorite pirate phrases or words!

Here's a pirate joke for today ~  What's a pirate's favorite food?   Arrrrrrrtichokes, of course!  =0D

The "Joy" of the Sea...and typography!

This was a fun topic! I wish I had more time to think about it though and that I had different initials. I need a "D" like Diandra so I could have made Doxies, too! At first I was having a hard time with figuring out what to use for my initials, then it hit me. They at least had a theme I could use... the sea. I couldn't decide which jelly fish sketch I liked better, so luckily my middle name starts with a "J" as well :o). It needed some sandy texture behind it, so that explains the "parchment paper" behind the sketch.

Thanks for stopping by to visit us!
- Joy

Kelly - Today is brought to you by the letter "G"

I love a good ghost story. My head is full of them these days as I think of ones I may want to illustrate for a middle grade portfolio. The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde was one of my favorites. I love the mystery of an old house with hidden paneled walls and a deep well... that someone may have fallen in only to show up 100 years later as a tortured spirit...

.....oooooooooooooooooooooooo. Spooky.......

 I think I failed the assignment-didn't follow instructions... I didn't do my initials and my letter is just an altered font. -sigh - I am not a natural typographer. 80's bubble letters and cartoon block letters are about all I do. To save my grade I offer for extra credit- my scribbles.  Again- as this is a sketch blog - I will reveal all. I start everything I draw with scribbles... here they are... spelling mistakes and all....

HP in the House!

What a fun challenge! What can you create with your initials?

I wanted to tell a little story with symbols - trees, houses, roots, homes. So here we have a tree, home to a bird, a nest made of sticks that offers protection for little ones. And a house, a home to a family, made from the tree, offering protection from the world. That suits me to a T, or an H or a P - you get the idea.

Typography Lessons - check this out if you'd like more info on illustrative typography.

D is for:

For as long as I can remember, I have really loved the fact that my first name started with a "D."  After all, some of my favorite things started with "D:" dinosaurs, dogs, doughnuts, December (my birthday month and the month with Christmas, my favorite holiday), dozen (again, 12th month), etc. It made the requisite letter art projects that much more simple for me to do.  And I actually sketched several versions of this post, because I was having so much fun. I finally settled on a family of dachshunds, or doxies as their owners affectionately refer to them.  They're performing quite a balancing act...a real doozy!

and as a little treat head to my blog and see a few other sketches I did for "D."

(By the way, have you noticed our new fall-themed blog header? Joy did a great job putting it together for us, didn't she?)

Priscilla ~ Initially Speaking

Having some fun with typography and what to sketch for each of my initials!
I had to stop myself from having too much fun, however, because of course now I am craving
Popcorn, hot - - and - Buttered !  =0)
Hope your week is off to a great start!

The Labor (Day) of Love

Labor Day is always a great time to spend with friends! Enjoying the last bit of Summer the year has to offer is precious. This year my husband and I spent some time with our good friends and their precious twin girls. Luckily the weather was nice enough for them to enjoy some time in their baby pool. I can't believe how fast these girls are growing! It's so fun to see their personalities develop and how different they are from each other.

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day celebration or at least enjoyed the time off of work!

Thanks!
-Joy

No Labor Today

I am off to a spa today. I shall ring in my 4th decade with a massage - some horseback riding - my family and a really beautiful old hotel. I'm gonna count the laugh lines as proof of a happy life so far- and hope to turn up the volume on the rest of my life. I hope you all have a wonderful day and rest of the week.

I was born the 9th day of the 9th month at 9 o'clock. My lucky number is seven - go figure.

Labor Day - Heather

In celebration of the hard working artisans who make a living doing what they love!

This is for a dummy book about beads.  It's a story inspired by how I make my living at the moment.

Diandra-Labor Day

When some are relaxing and enjoying their holiday cookouts, there will always be some working away!

(And as a nod to last week's apple posts, look what I found at The Decorated Cookie blog!)

Click here to find out how to make them

Priscilla ~ Happy Labor Day!

The "Joy" of Fall apples

I actually drew this while waiting for my car to get the oil changed! That seemed like the only time I had this week for some sketching. Just busy with work, but that's good, right?

With this sketch, I figured I'd depict the apple at a different scale. I don't know why, it just came to me. Trying to use my imagination I thought of a miniature world of lady bug fairies and their pet centipedes. She's calling him to come in. It's time to eat some apple donuts!

Thanks for stopping by!
-Joy

It's all about the Apple Cider (DONUTS)

I LOVE apple picking. I love the scenery - I love the act of picking each one off of the trees. I love the Fall air- the sweatshirt wearing - golden sunlight bouncing off of the red, yellow and orange colored world of the orchard. I really really LOVE hot apple cider in  a cup warming the chill off of my hands. BUT - all of this love pales in comparison to my love for the apple cider donut. At the end of the day- a warm, brown paper bag- slightly oil stained.. inside is the freshly baked- cinnamon and sugar coated donuts. Stick your head in the bag and inhale...  the smell of Autumn!!!MMMMMmmmmmmm

The perfect ending to a perfect Fall day. I will be there the end of September in Massachusetts - come on and join me- you know you want to!!

Market Apples

I'm trying to live more green and eating local.  We need more farmers that aren't corporations and the best place to support them - your local farmer's market.

Check out Local Harvest to find a market near you!