Back in 2011, I did a "Christmas In July" eClass in the hopes that I'd be ready for the holidays before December 23rd…it didn't work. All I can say is that I had my cards ready! I've decided to share how I painted a cat face for my Christmas card from that class as a thank you to the many wonderful artists that...
Two Kittens and A Naked Tree Watercolor and Ink Stillman and Birn Bound Beta Journal 5.5 x 8.5 inches Most of you who read the blog now know that Chris and I have been acquired by two kittens and it has had a definite impact on our lives. One of things we wondered about was how the kittens and a Christmas tree would...
Raw Ideas Scribbled in my Junk Journal I like to change out the blog header during the holidays and this year is no different. For whatever reason, I seem to have snowmen on the brain and that's where I started looking for ideas for this year's header. I grabbed my junk journal* with black pen** and started sketching lots of faces, hats and...
Pieces of AutumnWatercolor in Handmade Journal7 x 7 inches Pausing just a few minutes as we get ready for Thanksgiving (here in America) to post an old sketchbook page that shows some of my very favorite "pieces of Autumn." I've been sharing over on Facebook some of the things I am most grateful for and I'm posting just a quick list that is by...
Moby Cat I would love to tell you that I haven't lost my mind, but at this point…I'm not so sure. I would love to tell you that Chris has lost his either, but again, there is evidence to the contrary... "You work too much! Pay attention to ME!" The darling creature you see above is Moby Cat, the latest new Ferlita family member....
Fridge ShoppingStillman & Brin BoundBeta Sketchbook5.5 x 8.5 inchesink drawing We need a new fridge. We've been looking for a while now, but have yet to agree on a model. On Friday, instead of going to an outdoor antique market, in the rain, we opted to do our shopping indoors. And we found a fridge! Finally. Finally, a model we could both agree...
In last week's post, I put up a sketch of a witch in honor of Halloween and invited everyone to submit their interpretation of the art. I had two wonderfully fun submissions! The first witch I received was from Timaree Cheney from Freebird Drawing! I love the bright happy background and the way she created the Halloween title along the side. The second...
Download the witch file below! Several years ago I bought a Halloween banner to adorn the outside of my office wall when I was part of the cubicle nation. I felt pretty witchy in those dark days and it suited my mood to a "T!" I've always admired the work of the art. When I pulled it out of my trick or treat...
Willis in the sunshineStillman and Birn Bound Beta Sketchbook5.5 x 8.5Pentel color brush and watercolor We have a window seat for the cats in the front window of our living room and Willis, our new kitten, likes to climb up there in the late afternoon for a warm, sunny snooze. Good time for a sketch of her, right? Only if I'm super quick!...
As I'm getting ready for an Imaginary Trip To Greece starting next Tuesday, October 15th, I thought I'd share some of the cool, fun facts about this country. In no particular order: Greece is about the size of the state of Alabama with approximately 10 million people living there. Over 16 million people visit the country each year! Tourism is 16% of the...
Cat Toy Masquerading As A Pillow Ink with Watercolor Stillman and Birn Beta Sketchbook 5.5 x 8.5 inches Autumn has already arrived at our house despite temperatures in the mid-90's. (To that end, I've recently bought a few pillows, a wreath and some other things to help usher in the season in the hopes of convincing myself it really isn't 107º! [It's not....
You may think I'm jesting. Let me assure you that I am not... One evening this past week, Chris and I were headed out of our neighborhood and were stopped waiting to merge into traffic on a busy street. I glanced out the window to see this Pipevine Swallowtail* sitting in the road. *Mine doesn't look like any of the photos on Wikipedia,...
Willis' Ouch!Stillman & Birn Beta SketchbookWatercolor They say life is what's happening while you're making other plans. I wasn't aware of making other plans, but life was and is happening. As it turns out, we've had two family members in the hospital and a sick kitten in and amongst other (not so) fun happenings since my last post. About a week and a...
Last Saturday, Chris and I found ourselves in the possession of a bow-legged, bat-eared, talon-toed kitten. Make no mistake as to who was in control of this situation. Her name is Willis. Mostly. She's also been called Skunk Monkey, Demon, Dammit, and NinjaPuss. Willis Ferlita And before you ask, no her name has nothing to do with the TV sit-com from the 80's,...
Elk Carcass Blues Jam© Chris FerlitaColored Pencil and InkStillman & Birn Alpha Sketchbook5.5 x 8.5 inches (If you missed the first post, you might want to read it here before continuing.) "I don't remember saying that," says my husband after he seeing the last Alaska post. "It sounds like something I could have said though." "Seriously? Guess I must have just made that...
Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band Watercolor and Ink Stillman & Birn Beta Bound Sketchbook 11 x 8.5 inches Back in May, I went off for an evening of music and entertainment with some friends and to support a very worthy cause. We went to see Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band in downtown Tampa. They were playing to raise money...
Suggested Alaskan Sketchbook Cover Idea© Chris FerlitaColored Pencil and InkPrinter Paper During the Imaginary Visit to A Past Vacation class, I asked my husband what his strongest impression of Alaska was as this was the vacation I used to create the class demos. He replied it was a bear eating an elk carcass. Pausing, I turned to stare at him and said, "But...
Tuscan Gold7.5 x 5.5 inches on Arches Cold Press 140 lb. paperWatercolor It's summertime and the travel is easy—just take an Imaginary Trip to a wonderful location and never leave home! No packing, no fatigue, no hassles with luggage or security lines. Come take a look! Imaginary Trip to Italy 2012 - Six weeks to visit the wonderful country of Italy. This class...
Double blue peanut M&M candyWatercolorStillman & Birn Beta Journal Yes, husbands are funny (odd) creatures. This may not be a newsflash to you. Actually, it isn't one for me either and before I get a bunch of "hate mail" just let me go ahead and acknowledge that the same could be said of wives. Why do I feel compelled to share this non-newsflash...
...are about as rare as hen's teeth. We've had days and days of wet weather for the last week or more. We finally had a reprieve yesterday and was it ever fabulous! The temperature dropped and even better the humidity dropped to make it a fantastic day. Breezy, cool and low humidity is a Floridian's idea of a perfect day. Chris and I...
Wild Yard Birds, Ybor CityStillman & Birn Beta Journal11 x 8.5 inches, Full SpreadWatercolor and Ink I would love to tell you that I sketched these wily critters out in the wilds of Ybor City, a historic area just outside of downtown Tampa, but I didn't. I sketched and then painted them in my studio. First off, we were in a busy parking...
