Swimming in the Pond...

My niece asked me a few months ago to draw a picture of herself, her sister, and the cousins as animals, swimming in a pond.

I started the animals, and then didn't go back to the drawing until last month. Then I started coloring it and life interrupted.

Now. After 3 weeks, I finally have it finished. I just need to get prints made for each of the kids and a few friends :)

I colored it with Copic markers. It's on a piece of 17 x 22 inch bristol. My second big piece with Copics. It's time consuming, but fun!

Rhoda

Hearts and Sugar

We are sneaking up on that special day in February.

Not really one of my favorites. But I do have a few things I like about it.

When I was in college I used to deliver flowers for the local florist. I LOVED that. There is nothing better than the smell of roses and the smile on someones face when you show up at their door with a handful of them.

I also liked the way my dad gave us Valentines. It was usually some small trinket and he would take them to the ladies in the local bakery early. They would make each of us girls a small personal cake and our trinket would be hiding inside.

No cakes or roses here this week. But I do have a free digi for you :)

You can right click and save the image or you can click "here" to download it :)

Enjoy your week!

Rhoda

Some Mini Crafty...

This weekend I switched things up a bit.

Not a ton.

Just a bit.

Kyla and I went and browsed the fabric store and found some fun Valentine fabrics. I have a friend who is a photographer and is getting ready to start her Valentine Mini Sessions. I got to be crafty and make some props for her :)

My craft table was covered. Things were piled. The sewing machine was whirring.

Here is what I created:

It's a mini session kit. Things can be mixed and matched, or used all together. Fun!! I also made a set for my Etsy shop. If you take photos or know someone who does this kit will be a fun way to add some pizzaz to the sessions :)

It was nice to be creative this weekend, and nice to be creative in a different way.

Happy January!

Rhoda

You Can Do It...my version

I read this post, by Beth, a while back: You Can Do It...

And I started my own list. Then it just sat on my desktop. Up in the corner. Staring at me.

The idea was that I would add to it as my "Rhoda-isms" struck me.

Well. They have been really quiet lately.

Here's what I have:

• Do something nice, just because you can, not because you should. "The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway."
• If it is worth doing, it is worth doing to the best of your ability. 
• Besides "always kissing me goodnight" please be sure to continue touching when you roll over to fall asleep.
• Cherish the little things, they add up to be the big things.
• An instant can change your life.
• Don't strive for perfection. Strive to be the best "you" possible!
• You can't always get what you want, and that's probably for the best.
• Spend time doing what you enjoy. Not because you think you should, but because you truly want to.
• Create beautiful things, because you can.
• Breathe, and know, that this too shall pass.

There are many more, I'm sure. But they are the type of deep thoughts that strike while I am driving. My "ah-ha" moment...and then it's gone when I park the car. No chance to write it down or make note of it.

Happy Sunday!

Rhoda

A Hug or A Gift

Morning,

This morning's little freebie is a sweet hedgehog. I was originally going to put a gift in his hands...but then decided to leave that up to you.

Is he giving a hug?

A gift?

I don't know...that all depends on how you decide to incorporate him into your project:

Right click to save the image, or click "here" to download it.
Enjoy :)

Rhoda

100 Things...

Morning,

It's been awhile. We have been busy.

The good part of busy was we were spending a lot of family time together.

Time watching movies.
Time going for walks.
Time just being silly.

School. We have been super busy with school as well. A few weeks ago I gave my english class a lesson that was both writing and some creative art. I had them write a fancy title and then fill in the paper with images and words, listing 100 things they love.

I'm sharing my title with you...and then you get to be creative and find a way to color it and list your 100 things:

I've made a 100 things list a few times. It's fun to see the way it changes, or the the things you love the most each time you list them. There are way more than 100 things that I could list...but it's a nice start :)

You can either right click the image to save it to your computer or click "here" to download it.

Happy December!

Rhoda

Fall Back...

Happy November!

Winter has arrived for us. We turned back our clocks and the snow started falling.

Bring on cuddles, blankets, coffee and books!

The leaves were beautiful this fall...that's probably my favorite part of fall...that and scarecrows :)

Enjoy this week's freebie. Should be super fun to color! You can right click and save the image, or click "here" to download it.

Happy Fall Ya'all

Rhoda

Black Cat Crossing...

It's only two nights until all the little ghouls and goblins are running around. Mine are right at the edge of that stage. They like the idea of dressing up and the candy, but they also don't think it is as fun as it used to be.

I can't say that I am going to miss the scramble for costumes when they can't decide what they want.

Our candy problem was solved years ago. I take my kids out trick or treating and then they sort out what they like the most. Whatever is left goes into the "out bowl". We hand it all back out to the other monsters.

Saves me money, and we don't have candy floating around the house until Christmas.

Beware the black cats while you are out tromping around :)

Click the image to save it, or download it "here".

Have a safe and fun night!

Rhoda

Beware the Full Moon...

A full moon probably wouldn't be so scary if all werewolves were as cute and cuddly looking as this one!

You can click on the image to save it...or you can click "here" to download it. A little more than one week until "Fright Night". You will have a whole boo crew to color by then! :)

Rhoda

Just a Little Nibble...

Morning!!

It's time for another creep!

He promises to only nibble a little :)

You can click on the image and save it or download it "here".  More creeps to come...

Happy Haunting!

Rhoda

Who's Ready for Fall?...

Happy Tuesday!

I know I'm late with this, but at least it's on the correct day, right?

It's starting to feel like Fall. Our first day of fall was rainy, cool, and perfect! We spent the day playing checkers, baking, and doodling.

I'm ready for fall colors, crisp mornings, warmer evenings, and pumpkins!

Time to get ready for fall harvest and Halloween. My favorite scrapbook papers are the Halloween theme :) You can download this little witch "here" or by clicking and saving on the image.

Rhoda

Something to Snuggle

So I just had to pop in and show you the most fantastic pillow!

Leanna at Twirlocity made this pillow and a few others using some of the graphics from my store. Super fun! You can find them in her shop "here" if you would like more details.

She has other fun pillows listed as well :)

Rhoda

Alligator Love...

Out of all the cards I made last weekend, this one is probably my favorite.

Just can't seem to resist his cute little gator face :)

Rhoda

Buckets of Cards...

Happy Monday!

I spent the weekend in my craft room. Creating.

No motorcycles for us the weekend. Thunderstorms and rain slowed us down just a little.

It was really nice to just putz around the house, drink coffee, and play with paper. The rest of the family might have gone a bit stir crazy, but I was happy :)

I made a bucket full of cards. Really. I think my final count was 67. Not sure what came over me...I had a few ideas and the cards just started multiplying...

That was the fun part. The not so fun part was the photos, editing, and now the slow listing. I have put a few in the shop, and there are more to come.

Anyone need a card? :)

Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be nice again. Most likely we will be out on our motorcycles...since it's been a handful of days that they have been parked in the garage. The freebie is scheduled and ready to go. Enjoy!!

Always,
Rhoda

Get Your Color On...

Wahooo it's Friday :)

Except...during the summer that really doesn't matter much. Most of the time I can't even remember what day it is...just the way I like it!

I'm sponsoring a challenge for the "Designed to Color" blog.

If you visit me regularly, you should have tons of images to color. And if you want to try to win a gift certificate to my shop, you should visit the challenge and submit some of your lovely work!

The theme is a color palette. Refreshing yellows and greens.

Check it out:

So what are you waiting for?

Go get your color on :)

Have a creative weekend,
Rhoda

A Little Character...

Phew! It's finally Friday :)

It ended up being a relatively calm day, which was a nice break.

My first hour kids wanted to color, so I took out the Copic collection. They saw the blank paper and couldn't decide what they wanted to draw.

One of them told me "I just want to color, not draw". I offered to do the drawing, and we were off. We started with picture number one, and then I spent the rest of the morning listening to "draw me next", or "now can you draw insert name".

They are high school kids, but you would have thought I was surrounded by Kinders :)

Part of our collection:

And a few of them close up:

A few times we were just rolling on the floor laughing. A piece here and there was just so close to right...funny how a person can be simplified into a cartoon, and still be recognized.

Loads of fun!

Rhoda

Turtles Color Digitally...

Happy Tuesday Friends :)

I finished my digital coloring today...and then I colored a few doodles with markers. My creative expression was all over the place!

I'm not sure I really want to continue coloring this image (since I have been playing with this same picture for over a month now).

Paint on this one might be out of the question.

Maybe I'll come up with another image that I would be willing to paint, color, and digitally render. The more I look at this one, the more pieces of it bug me. I suppose that is a good thing, it highlights the parts I still need to work on. Right?

In my previous post you can see the same image colored with marker...I like different parts of each of them. Not sure I can pick a favorite...and that's okay. It just means I can bounce back and forth between the two mediums...

And...since it's Tuesday, I have an image to share with you. He even comes bearing flowers:

You can download him by clicking "here".

Hope you have a wonderful week :)


Always,

Rhoda

Sweet German Bear...

Just wanted to pop in really quick and post a finished project (not by me).

Anna shared a link to her finished card with the "Sweetheart Bear" colored in the most adorable color scheme. It's a must see:

If you get a moment, there are some other wonderful creations on her blog. Have fun browsing :)

Rhoda

An eBook and More...

My name and work is in an eBook!!

This is my first big illustration job and it is finally available on Amazon.

If you want to peek at it, you can look here: 40 Traditional Bed-Time Stories

There are other versions (including traditional print)...just click on the publisher's name to see their other work.

Also Mae (from Custom Mae'd on Etsy) has created some adorable Holiday Card templates.

She used one of my camper graphics and then added an adorable wreath, that makes it super festive. You can visit her shop here.

:)

Rhoda

Penguin Polar Bear Present

I finished an acrylic painting!

From sketch to finished product it took me most of the week.

There were a few moments where I was pretty sure I was going to loath it, and never wanted to work on it again. Who cares if I can paint or not? But I pushed through and finished it.

Walking away is always a risk. Will you come back? Will it be worth finishing? Well, I won that round. I walked away, came back, and finished it.

When I looked at it again on the monitor, I noticed a problem with some proportion. I cheated and used Photoshop to fix it. Much happier now. I even did the "turn it upside down, flip it over, grey it out" trick. All good for the most part.

Now to figure out what I want to draw and paint next. Ideas?

Have a great weekend,

Rhoda