Wild and Wondrous: Cougar

Here is how that cougar turned out in the end:

Here's a fun little fact: mountain lions, pumas, and cougars are all different names for the same creature. And speaking of cougars, I met one on a night hike with my sister this week! I still have my face and a healthy fear for wild creatures, but what an experience! I shall have to share more about that one!

Wild and Wondrous: Monkey

Here's the next in the Wild and Wondrous series:

This silly little monkey has been up to mischief, I'm pretty sure. You can see the previous illustrations from this year-long series here and here. There are some additions in the works, too!

Wild and Wondrous: Lion

Here's the next wild beast I've been working on as part of my Wild and Wondrous illustration series:

His puffy hairdo is a fitting crown. You can see the first illustration here. I've been asking my loved ones what their favorite wild beast is, and I've been surprised at the variety. I can't wait to share more as they are completed.

Wild and Wondrous: Grolar Bear

I'm working on an illustration series this year of wild beasts. I'm calling it my Wild and Wondrous series and you can see more throughout the year on my Instagram account. The first one I finished this year was this crazy grolar bear, a mix between a polar and a grizzly:

This one seems serious, but don't be fooled by the calm expression. The fierceness is just under the surface. I'm pretty happy about how it turned out, and I'm looking forward to adding more to this series. It's such a fun illustration style!

Feather Contour and Watercolor

I've been fiddling about a lot lately with watercolors and contour illustrations, and tried a new way of combining the two:

I wanted to try out a new watercolor approach that wasn't as layered or detailed, and a little more abstract and free flowing. I really like the way it all turned out! I'm definitely going to be doing this some more!

What new things have you tried lately?

Patterns Round-up

One of my favorite creative explorations this last year was playing around with patterns. Here is a sampling of what I've done:

Some of these will be available at the Beehive Bazaar in just a few short weeks. Is there anything that you'd like to see more of?

Recent Read: Selected Poems of William Butler Yeats

Guys, poetry is kind of my jam. I discovered my love of reading it in high school and my love of writing it several years ago. I read the Barnes and Noble Selected Poems of William Butler Yeats, which I later discovered had been carefully annotated by a three-year-old after she noticed me underlining my own lines in it. I digested this little gem in just a few hours, and it was so inspiring:

I love the nature-themed subjects and lilting words and wanted to save some of my favorite passages, so I rewrote some in calligraphy to hang inspiring phrases in my home:

Also, funny side story about reading Yeats: I was in the middle of reading this book long after our three-year-old should have been sleeping in bed. She was having a rough night (a series of nights, for crying out loud!), and kept coming out of her room despite warnings in an attempt to coax someone to sit by her for a little bit longer. I thought about laying down the hammer which would probably have meant she would have cried herself to sleep, but instead I made a good mom move. I told her I would come sit by her but that she couldn't talk or leave her bed, and that I was going to read my book out loud to her. She complied, and after only a few poems, she was fast asleep! Haha! She probably thought it was boring, but I choose to think of it as relaxing instead. Victory.

Have you read any poetry lately? Do you find poetry relaxing or does it mostly help you get to sleep faster?

Word of the Year 2015

The word that picked me for 2015 is a tiny little two-letter gal with a lot of fire behind her:

Boom. I'm excited to explore this word more this year. After last year's break to refocus my energies, this word is just what I need. I realized last autumn that I was lacking in that extra motivation I usually rely on, so I'm hoping that my new WOTY will boost it a bit.

So far, I know I need to focus on JUST DO, DO GOOD, and DO IT ANYWAY.

JUST DO:
I'm hoping to spend less time thinking (the fretful kind) and more time just doing things. I'm a thinker by nature which means I spend at least 3/4 of my time thinking a project through and maybe 1/4 of my time executing it. That ratio has got to change.

DO GOOD:
I'm hoping to keep focused on good wholesome things and choosing to do the best possible thing. I want to maintain what I've worked on this year by ensuring I don't just do good things, but given the choice between two good things, also picking the best one. I need my actions to continue to support intentional and meaningful consequences.

DO IT ANYWAY:
I'm hoping to accept the fact that doing things instead of just planning them means I will make mistakes, and I'm okay with that. No more excuses, but lots more action. (Yikes! This one is hard for me!)

I'm also keeping my heart open to other lessons I can learn throughout the year because I am sure there are many more aspects of this WOTY that will add to my perspective. In fact, it's pretty much guaranteed to happen, just like it does every year.

Last year, the word I chose was peace, and you can read my honest thoughts here if you'd like to see how it went for me in 2014. Other words I've picked in the past are change, savor, and fresh. I love how the word is ingrained in my heart by the end of the year and is a living, growing part of who I am constantly becoming.

Even though I've been doing this for the last five years, lots of other amazing people have similar practices that they've been doing for just as long (or longer!). For more thoughts behind the purpose of adopting a word for a whole year, check out Ali Edward's One Little Word (she also has a workshop to help guide your thoughts during this undertaking, which I've never used it but I'm sure is great), or Elise Blaha Cripe, or Liz Lamoreux, or a growing handful of some of my friends and family who have found their own ways to make this a meaningful addition to their lives. Maybe you have close friends or family who have a similar tradition.

So what say you? Do you have a word? If so, what is it and what are you hoping to gain from it?

New Sketchbook

I'm not easily excitable, but there is one thing guaranteed to make me giddy on any day: a new sketchbook!

Not only does a new sketchbook represent all the progress I just completed, but it also opens the door wide for incoming inspiration. I pretty much love everything about a new sketchbook from the smell, to the crisp feel of the pages. Nothing is as exciting to me as a book full of blank pages! Fresh starts, directional changes, style exploration...so many things feel optimistic. The opening of the cover marks a new era, and anything is possible...hooray!

Do you feel the same way? What is one way you mark fresh starts in your goings-on?

Hand-drawn Sympathy Card

Just popping in real quick-like to share this little hand-drawn sympathy card I doodled:

Because of the peeking window, I layered the pine bough, feather, and berries wreath on both the inside and the outside of the card. Honestly, though, I was having a difficult time of it trying to find the right words to say, so I kept drawing and adding to my doodle until I had my thoughts collected and could write the message that was in my heart. You can see I had to think for a while on this one.

That's one of the things I love about drawing. It is my heart's purest message when words fail. And it's therapeutic. It helps me concentrate on the important things in my life.

What helps you concentrate the best or share your heart when you otherwise struggle to?