Poulsbo, Washington

Poulsbo Telephone Booth Poulsbo Phone Booth

 

Poulsbo, Washington is such a lovely little city with lots of wonderful restaurants and shops.  I often take guests there to shop a little, eat a little and wine a little.  One of the fun places is our local “Hare & Hounds Public House, where you can get great food and in the summer sit out on lawn and enjoy Poulsbo like a tourist.  In the next few weeks, I will be adding more Poulsbo attractions to my blog.  I live it Kingston and love it there too, and will be SO glad when Kingston has as much to offer as Poulsbo or Bainbridge Island.  Stay tuned for more drawings.IMG_8881

 

Sometimes it is fun to show the photograph that prompted the drawing.  In this case there needed to be a bit of editing to make it a little more interesting or hopefully so at least.  Maybe a person actually using the booth (if it is operational) would have been more fun.  When I was teaching at The Art Institute of Seattle, I often asked my students how many of them had ever used a “Telephone Booth” and unless the student was over 50, they really did not have the concept of what they were or how to use them.

When I was working my way through college in sales, I had to use telephone booths (often in not so wonderful neighborhoods) and a map, not a map book, but a map to try to find the homes of my clients.  This part, the gps/cell phone part of life I believe is much improved.   The not talk to the person standing next to you and texting them, not so much.

 

http://www.dianakingsley.net

Poulsbo, Washington

Seattle’s Running of the Slugs

Seattle's Running of the Slugs

The Famous “Running of the Bull’s” is a happening re-creation in the greater Seattle area. People are being slimed everywhere! Watch out as you walk along the boardwalk with all the unknowing tourists.

No one really knows till you move here, how big the slugs really are…..

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I am beginning to understand…

I beginning to understand...

I am beginning to understand why they win. With technology, they must have baby computers in their world figuring out how we cannot get rid of them in our garden.

One was climbing my purple fence this morning, and I had to run back into the house to get my As Salt Rifle….

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Slug Wars

Slug Wars

The slugs they are a growing in my yard. As of this morning there more than 225 -250 less in my yard due to my diligence.

But I am beginning to worry about my personality, if it is bringing such joy to be ridding my beautiful garden of these ugly little critters.

Maybe I should post a few photos of my garden, so you know I am not making this all up.

It might just be the creative side of my mind working with the more analytical side of my mind. Right versus Left.

Next year I am going to design covered beer swimming pools, so I don’t have to see the victims. What do you think?

Maybe this is the beginning of a new design career..

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Quick sketch for your Journal

Quick sketch for your Journal

When I originally drew this I used pen & ink and added a little water color pencil, but to use as an example in my new book coming out, I wanted to show that it can translate very well into black and white with gray scale.

Value Marker is a tool you can use to see all your photos or artwork in black and white or gray scale. It is an Ap you can use on most smart phones or on your Ipad.

Any tool we can add to gain knowledge is helpful. Learning to look for values in your work can make it much better.

In hand drafting it is important to pay attention to details and to line weight. Darker lines bring your eye to them, and lighter/softer lines help something slightly disappear.

In hand drafting, the darker line represents something closer to the front and the light line represents something not as important or further away.

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Sketches from Venice

Sketches from Venice

When I traveled to Venice last June with my husband, Michael, there was never really time to sit and sketch. Now that I am retired I find sketching the photos I took to be so relaxing.

These are done with ink pen, soft colored pencils and a black prisma pencil.

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