My last dog went to the Rainbow Bridge just after Christmas. I drew her a lot. I also drew pictures of a lot of my friends’ dogs. It helped but it didn’t completely heal.
Enter Nikki and Kody. They are foster dogs from MaPaw Siberian Husky Rescue. I think I may be drawing and painting a lot more now!
Meet Nikki:
acrylic on panel
12 x 12 in
30 x 30 cm
Sadly, MaPaw Siberian Husky Rescue lost another life yesterday. It happens too often. But, in a way, it’s a good thing. While MaPaw rehomes many young, healthy dogs, they genuinely have a soft spot for special needs dogs and seniors. And they often just don’t have that many years left. The years they have, though, are lived with love. They don’t spend their last days in a shelter, sleeping in a cage. They share a home with a family. If they are still able to jump high enough, many sleep in the foster parents’ bed! So, yes, we are all terribly sad that Sadie has left us. We are also extremely pleased that she spent her final days in comfort, surrounded by love.
Day 49 of my one a day resolution: Yes! I skipped a few days. You caught me! I haven’t been keeping up with my resolution to draw every day. Been busy, been sick, etc. No excuses! I will be catching up! I officially owe days 38 through 48. I already have a landscape drawing and a dog painting to post, so I’m not too far behind. Guess I’ll be busy drawing today!
Day 37 of my one a day resolution: I’m trying to add a little personality to my charcoal sketches. This puppy was born in rescue. As you would expect, the entire litter was quickly adopted. They have gown into wonderful dogs and are planning a reunion soon…
Day 36 of my one a day resolution: Goats are sweet, funny creatures. Best of all, they have square pupils! That’s just too fun not to love! This is one of the goats that hangs out in the petting area of my local zoo. These goats pretty much act like pets. They love to be hand fed and brushed. They pose for photos and beg for treats.
Day 35 of my one a day resolution: I drew this from a photograph of myself all “dolled up” for Halloween. While it looks like I looked, it doesn’t really look like me.
Day 34 of my one a day resolution: We’re switching back and forth between the Superbowl and the Puppy bowl, but puppies are much more fun to draw!
Days 33 of my one a day resolution: Meadow has been a guest of MaPaw Siberian Husky Rescue for over a year. She was raised in a family with a small child, which is evident in her good manners. She takes treats from your hand with such gentleness that you know she was trained to be careful with a child. She also tolerates big bear hugs and all manner of touches and tugs. She is a sweet and gentle girl who is also ready to throw down and play if you say the word. So why is this girl still homeless? I’ve noticed over my years in rescue that young ones often go very quickly because they are cute and playful and everyone wants a bouncy, beatiful husky. Then there are the people who feel sorry for the old guys, It takes longer to find them good homes, but their stories touch the old heart strings and eventually they find the perfect retirement home. Meadow is middle aged. People looking for a young dog thinks she is too old, but she isn’t old enough to play the senior dog card. Too bad, because she is wonderful. She will make a great addition to some very lucky family someday!
Days 29, 30, 31 and 32 of my one a day resolution: I may not have been posting to AnimalCraft, but I have been drawing. The past few days have been a bit busier than usual. My daughter has been battling a virus, I’ve been catching up at work and in between, we’ve had all of life’s usual events. Nevertheless, I’ve managed to draw something every day. Bear in mind, I’m not promising that any of it is good!
Day 29: This is a quick sketch of my daughter bundled up to sell Girl Scout Cookies.
Day 30: On the 30th, I drew two different versions of a mocking bird who visited our bird feeders earlier in the day. The first sketch was done with a large, charcoal pencil using strong, expressive strokes. The second sketch was meant to be much more detailed, showing a more realistic representation of the bird.
Day 31: On the 31st, I gave the same mocking bird a much more abstract treatment. I’m trying to find the spot where I feel like I am representing the true nature of the animal, yet introducing enough of myself so it doesn’t fell like I’m merely recording a scene.
Day 31: I drew a quick sketch of my seven-year-old daughter last night while she was playing games on her laptop. Somehow she looks more like a teenager!
No, not me. I was working! My daughter has what ever nasty respiratory bug is going around and could not go to school today. She was sent home yesterday with a fever and even though she is back to normal today, she go back until she has been normal for 24 hours (good luck with that…she’s never all that normal!) So while I posted to Facebook and composed internal messaging, she sat on the couch and doodled in her sketchbook. She’s developing quite an individual style! I plan to send her to a cartooning class in the spring. I hope it helps her hone her skills and doesn’t encourage her to conform to the teacher’s style. I think she is already enough of her own person to keep that from happening.
I combined a few of my favorite girls here:
Check out all of her great work in the cartoon gallery!
