Give the Gift of Nature! Shop Small this Season...

Natural stones all polished and strung, check out these gifts for some holiday fun!

15% off of everything in my Etsy Shop from now through this weekend! 

Use Code: BLACKFRIDAY12

Knotted and beaded with stones to match, long enough for your favorite hard back, these handmade bookmarks are unique and personal so consider one or two for your favorite reader:

Yellow Botswana Agate and Golden Autumn Leaf Macrame Bookmark

Lapis Lazuli and Starfish Macrame Bookmark

Perhaps a pendant or necklace is what you seek? A single nugget of earth's beauty or some sliding stones, adjustable from large to small they are a great fit for one and all!

  

Crazy Lace Agate Adjustable Pendant

 Labradorite Sliding Stone Necklace

Bracelets and jotter sets I have as well. What you might like I cannot tell so take a peek and have a look-see, especially the jotters that have artwork done originally by me.

Practical art for your pocket or stones for your wrist, you might find a stocking stuffer or perfect hostess gift!

 

Mookaite Jasper Triple Leather Wrap Bracelet

  

 

Garlic Scapes Jotter Journal Set (3 mini-journals.)

Last, but not least, be sure to check back as I will continue to add to the shop, that's a fact. 

Happy shopping!

Colorful Edibles! A new coloring book by the ASBA.

Hot off the Press! The American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) has published a wonderful new coloring book, Colorful Edibles. It features 28 pages of delicious line drawings by 26 ASBA members selected from nearly 80 submissions. I am excited to say that two of my drawings have been included! 

You can find my garlic scapes on p. 14 and my raspberry plant on p. 22.

Contributing artists are: Bobbi Angell, Mary Bauschelt, Beverly Behrens, Irene Blecher, Doreen Bolnick, Silvia Bota, Carol Creech, Carrie DiCostanzo, Jan Denton, Beverly Duncan, Joel Floyd, Keiko Fujita, Gretchen Halpert, Carol Hamilton, Wendy Hollender, Lois Jackson, Jeanne Kunze, Marjorie Leggitt, Derek Norman, Suellen Perold, Kelly Leahy Radding, Maryann Roper, Nancy Savage, Pauline Savage, Judith Scillia and Kelly Sverduk.

Informative and attractive, the coloring book makes a great gift for children of all ages. Proceeds from sales benefit ASBA's educational programs. The book will be for sale at this month at the ASBA conference in Boston, and if you are interested in ordering, please contact the ASBA for details:  

Phone: 212-691-9080 or Toll free tel (USA only): 1-866-691-9080

Email: asbamembservice@aol.com

And now for something a little different - garden shoes anyone?

I have been having fun exploring Zazzle's products offerings. With spring on the brain lately (could it have anything to do with the foot of snow we are expecting tomorrow??), I have created some wonderful, new -- wait for the drum roll -- SHOES!

I am thinking these would make fantastic and fun gardening shoes - what do you think?

Check out my shoes page to see more designs.

Sending warm thoughts your way!

Garlic Scapes - ink and colored pencil

I finally had a chance to do a color version of my garlic scapes drawing from last year. This was done in pen and ink and colored pencil and the image is about 5 1/2 inches wide by 6 1/2 inches high. I did the pen work first, using my Rapidograph 3x0 (.25) size nib. I really like the fine line that I get with this size and think it works well when adding color with pencil later. I did do a thicker trace over the outer edge of the stems so it reflects a slightly larger pen size. In the original ink drawing, I had used a size 0 (.35) nib for the stem outline.

For the colored pencil, I used Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils, layering permanent green olive (9201-167) first on the stems, then adding pine green (9201-267), darkening the edges for some form/shadow. I used a light wash of earth green yellowish (9201-168) on the bulbs and some on the stems as well in the lighter areas. Finally, I added some chrome green opaque (9201-174) to darken the stems (they are kind of darker/duller in real life) and then burnished with ivory (9201-103) over the whole thing to blend everything together and dull some of the brighter areas. I think it turned out pretty well and it's fun to finally see it in color!

Garlic Scapes

I found these garlic scapes at the store earlier this summer and just had to draw them! The curling shapes were really fun to render in pen and ink. Hope you enjoy! P.S. They were really tasty, too. :)