Excuse Me...But Is That a Dog or a Small Horse?

So I started this little puppy piece yesterday that features a little doberman puppy. This is an 8 x 10 drawing done in pen and ink stippling, enhanced with Prismacolor pencils and Tombow markers

Pretty much all puppies are cute, no matter the breed but dobermans in my opinion really are one of the most beautiful dogs in the aggressive dog breed category.  I'm not fond of pit bulls or rottweilers but dobbies are so athletic, strong and very intimidating.  My oldest son owns 2 of them and the oldest one is absolutely huge.  His name is Odin and I think that is pretty fitting name.

My tiny granddaughter is dwarfed when she stands next to him and that concept of the problems a tiny girl could face owning such large dog just keeps rolling around in my head and I just can't seem to let it go.  I think it has the possibility of being a cute story line.  So I'm revisiting some of my earlier drawings on the subject and I have started writing some verses to go along. I thought I might share both of my works in progress with my blog readers as I work my way through this.


Here are two verses of about seven or so I have written so far.  I will share more of them as I work out more of the illustrations.  I hope you enjoy this and don't mind my anxiousness to share all this fun I'm having.


The smaller the puppy....
The cuter he appears
From his little black nose to his floppy ears
If only he could stay this size for all his years.

The growing puppy....
Don't fall for all this cuteness and be deceived
He will surely grow much bigger than you have believed
I hope you're ready for all the PUPPINESS you have received.

Drawing a Crowd

I took a few minutes the other day to finish up a sketch I started the previous day of a nose licking calf.  The sketch is on Canson Bristol paper and is primarily done with my Prismacolor Fine Line Marker .005 using a stippling technique that I just love to use .  It is time consuming but I find the repetition very relaxing.  I can quickly get into the "ZONE" with my sketchpad in front of me.  I also lightly tented the drawing later in my studio with a Tombow marker and my Prismacolor pencils and overall very pleased with how it turned out.

I have found, as a busy artist, grandmother and working part-time as an accountant that I must seize the opportunities presented me to be creative.  Because of this, sketching is a perfect solution.  Dragging my rolling art case, easel and canvases everywhere is just not practical. So I have developed the habit of caring a portable drawing kit that I've made up with me everywhere I go. (I think that will be an excellent future blog)   As it is my custom habit on many mornings to be found enjoying my favorite cup of coffee and the free WiFi I can often be found at none other than McDonalds writing this blog or sketching in my sketchbook.

Coffee in hand, It wasn't long before I was into the zone only to become faintly aware of the fact that I could hear voices behind me and I looked up to find a young man, red-haired and freckled face standing there.  He looked to be about 11 or 12 years old.  I could tell with his father's encouragement he came over to me to tell me that he really liked my drawing. I smiled and thanked him.   How sweet is that?

A short time later a small group of African-American ladies had also taken up a position behind me.  The obvious mother of the group shared with me how her daughter likes to paint and the she proceeded to use me as an example of how how her daughter needed to keep practicing her artistic skills.  I thanked them and gave them an invitation to my up coming solo art show next month.

What a positive morning that was.  I can honestly say that "It made my day!"  I love sharing my love of art with young people.  Well honestly if you're even anywhere close to ear shot and still breathing I would enjoy talking to you about art in general and specifically my art.  I guess that is why I love this blog and have spent the 5 years now writing it.

"Who Needs a Tissue"-8 x 10" pen and ink sketch

The original artwork of "Who Needs a Tissue" is available for sale and is matted to an easy to frame 11 x 14 inch size.  Prints and blank greeting cards are available at Julie Townsend Studio or  Julie Townsend's Etsy Shop

The Start of Something Big....

So as part of my Year Of Art in 2016, I want to create a portfolio of sketches.  Don't worry, I will continue to paint on canvases and cowbells,  but I want to develop my skills in the illustration arena.  I've been reading a number of articles about getting your art licensed and this thought excites me. The one e-book suggests that you take 3-6 months and develop a portfolio of ideas so that you can share them with potential companies that buy art for licensing.  I will make a little confession here that a secret dream of mine for years has been to have my art published on a Leaning Tree card so art licensing has been a goal of mine long time.

The last several days I have been a bit under the weather, so yesterday I brought all my drawing supplies out of the studio and arranged them near the sofa and the warmth of the wood stove.  I spent a good portion of the day drinking hot tea, watching movies, drawing and trying to stay warm.  The result of these efforts is a little 5x7 sketch that I'm calling "Take the Time to Enjoy a Good Book".  I think this idea has potential to make a cute card.

"Take Time to Enjoy a Good Book"- 

So my first sketch for my portfolio is almost finished.  I need to decide if I should do something to the background at this point.  I don't want to distract from the book but if I put a light color for the background then the book might actually stand out more.  It a lot of light colors so I can see a beige watercolor wash perhaps.

Here are some other recent drawings I have done for my darling grandchildren for their birthdays. I'm trying to create a unique piece of art for each grandchild as part of their birthday gift from me.  I never liked buy cards from the rack and so I thought it would be much better if I tried to create them something special.  These are the three 3 year old grandchildren and I had so much fun turning them each into little cartoon characters.

JoJoda....The Force is Strong With This One!

Katherine- and her "Lovely Lime Green Tutu"

"It's a Bird, It's a Plane...no It's Super Noah"