My mom is an oil painter.  I learned from her experience, that oils and canvas are costly.  So I chose to sketch with the medium that I could afford.

For my first sketches, I used a pulpy sketch pad and ordinary pencils.  That lasted for about 10 years.

It was not until my daughter and I attempted to scan the drawings to the computer, that we discovered the difficulty of scanning that paper.  It makes it difficult to get a clean look.  Scanning picks up the imperfections on a  pulpy piece of paper.

I still use the ordinary pencils, but we have moved into using 8 1/2 inch by 11 inch copying paper for the sketches.   There is much less to attempt to erase when making a copy of these originals.  We have found it to be far superior.

Some of my drawings come by sight; for instance, the Day Lily, the Wildflower Bouquet and the Dahlia.  Others, such as the Iris, the farm buildings, and machinery come via the aid of photographs.

Photos are scanned and displayed on the computer monitor.  I tape a piece of my drawing paper onto the monitor screen and mark the main points of the subjects that I wish to draw.  That bit of tracing speeds up my drawing process.  It eliminates the mistakes of improper proportions as I work.

Then I use a ruler, as needed, and my pencil to darken lines and add the shading that brings the sketch to life.  I keep an eraser handy, too.

The drawings are then scanned and put in a “card” format on the computer.  That electronic image is then printed on card stock and made ready for the customer.

You are welcome to browse our store for many of these note cards.
photo credit: ilovememphis via photo pin cc
photo credit: GranthWeb via photo pin cc

By nature, I am one who can enjoy doing activities that are quiet.  For example, knitting, crochet, and other needlework.  So it is not surprising that sketching is a relaxing activity for me.

I did not realize this for many years, however.

As a young child, I do recall sitting on a sandy beach drawing a nearby tree in great detail.  In third grade, I got honorable mention in a city-wide safety poster contest.  Other than that, though, I did not excel in art.  It was dormant for a long time.

Not until we had our children, did art come into the picture again.  When our son was born it marked the beginning of a custom - making homemade Christmas cards.  Some came with photos in them, but some had designs and artwork that our kids could color.  As the kids grew, their abilities developed and the cards became somewhat more complex.  The Christmas Card forced me to dabble in several forms of creative artwork.

As our children got older, they rode the school bus.  Some days I chauffeured them.  When I did, I spent time in the car waiting for them to get out of school.  That is when I started sketching the St. John Lutheran Church steeple.

When they reached the high school years, my interest in writing began to emerge.   I hope you can see how the children have enriched my life.

Note: Steeple cards are available in our store.

Little House-Happy Home

I came from a happy home with a mother, father, two brothers, and one sister.  Because of the lives we led, my heart’s desire was to also have a husband, a home, and children.

As I entered adulthood, I formed values that became my own by conviction, not just by influence from my family.  Although many of those values were the same or similar, I began to take responsibility for my life.  So I busied myself with learning in Bible study, music, and relationships.

I met the love of my life and we married.  We moved to the family farm.  I became a nurse.  We began our family.  Every one of those events was filled with new experiences for me.

Along the way, as the challenges came, survival was an issue.  Finances got tight; parenthood was demanding.  Rest and relaxation became less and less available to us.  And yet, coping with life, as hard as it was, became the vehicle to new discoveries, enhancing and bringing new joy to life.

The day came when a life-changing question popped into my head.  “If my Mom can do it, why can’t I?”  This question has played out many times in  my life.

The result:

• I became a nurse.
• I give myself home permanents.
• I cut my own hair.
• I play guitar.
• I sing in public.
• I sketch.
• I have painted murals.
• I cut my husband’s hair.
• I crochet, knit, and embroider.
• I sew.

I have other interests that have developed over the years, too.  But what a blessing it has been, to come from a homelife where I can look to my parents and appreciate how they have influenced me.

photo credit: Jeffrey Beall via photo pin cc
photo credit: icantcu via photo pin cc