Mary's First mailing for Round 5

So wait, I'm confused.  Are we supposed to be posting our work HERE or THERE (at the group page.)  I just posted there and guess I'll post here, too. As always, click images to view larger.

I painted, with acrylics, the front cover and am calling it:  "A Marriage Blessed by Love."

"A Marriage Blessed by Love"

 Then I painted 3 watercolors of animals, a fox, an owl and a pika.

fox, watercolor

owl, watercolor

pika, watercolor

 Then I made a half of a painting for Steve.

Frida, watercolor

Then I made 3 cards for a pocket gift for Steve.

Mary's Mole came home!

I've got my Moleskine back and I want to thank you all for your lovely art.  So fun looking through this.  When I finish the blank pages, of which there aren't many, we'll hopefully post a video.

I still have Mike's Mole, I'm nearly done with it, just painting the envelope and a couple small touch-ups.

Mary's book is on the way home to her!!

Here are some snippets of my work in Mary's book.  I'm so excited for it to get home to her!!  We made it y'all.  It wasn't speedy or very organized by your leader, but thank you all so much for taking time out of your busy lives and contributing to each other's books.

Kissed Frankie goodnight/Mole arrove

"and then all the animals kissed Frankie goodnight"
click to view larger
painting by me, Mary Taiit, watercolor

I just received Aya's Moleskine from Andrea and am ashamed to admit I have not sent Ballookey's to Mike.  I had out of town company and we were extremely busy going to the zoo etc.  Now they have left and I will try to make it a priority to get that mailed.  The above painting is in one of my own moles which I painted after I finished Ballookey's mole, but before I mailed her mole.  The thing that is holding me up is the card that I made for her and then gave away!  (My mother-in-law saw it and asked for it!)  That is the next thing I will do, hopefully, after breakfast!  I am running late with breakfast trying to catch up with things I didn't get done while company was here.  (I do painting a the dining room table after dinner, while Keith is having wine, but the card is a different kind project the requires a different location and tools.)

Still Working on my own Mole: Back cover

I am working on a painting for the back cover of my Moleskine.  I figured it would be nice to finish it before I sent it off, but it is slow.  I am making my own acrylic paints with pigments from France my daughter brought me from her visit there.

First coat of paint:

Self-portrait with Keith
handmade acrylics
after one coat of paint
(not yet finished.)
Click this and all images to view larger

Second coat of paint:

Self-portrait with Keith
handmade acrylics
after two coats of paint
(not yet finished.)

Working at the dining room table:

We had more than a foot of snow and it was 11 below zero--I couldn't get to my "studio."  It's a little crowded and cluttered.  (Okay, it;s a LOT crowded and cluttered.)  The little vials are the dry pigments from France.

The photograph I am copying was taken December 28, 2013 by Harry Teichert at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House.  I hope to finish it soon and mail it off.

Mary in Mary's, page 4 pass 2 round 4: On a bright red caboose

On a bright red caboose
watercolor on watercolor moleskine
click this image (and others) to view larger
Second draft

On a bright red caboose
watercolor on watercolor moleskine

Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Goose                                      

and their friends Aloysius and Frangelica Moose     

And two herons who complained their stockings were loose

all rode together on a bright red caboose.

Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that I can get the book done in time for Christmas. (For my grandson).

This completes my work on this pass of round 4, except for the back cover and envelope if I have time--I'll be mailing soon.

(Now that I've signed it, scanned it and posted it, I've decided it's not quite done yet.) (By the way, the complexity of that caboose was just about beyond me!!!) (OK, I did work on it for another hour, not sure if I made it better or not, but the second one is on top.)

"Tut tut, Woman Scolding" Collab for Mike

"Tut, tut, Woman Scolding"
First half of a collaboration for Mike to finish
pen and ink with watercolor "wash"
click image to view larger.

Okay, here's my collaboration of the second pass of round four in my own Moleskine, for Mike to finish.

I still have one full page to do of my own work, plus I was going to do the back cover.  I may skip that until later, same with decorating the envelope,  If I'm running late.

Cardinals Collab with Hennie Mavis in Mary's Mole

Hennie's lovely start
(First half)
(click this and all images to see larger)

Hennie's gorgeous painting is wonderfully balanced and has really nice composition and color.

my half of the collaboration
cardinals fly, by Mary Taitt

Unfortunately, when I started this painting, we company for dinner and I only had one of my small watercolor kits, it was the wrong one, and the colors didn't match.  Wrong reds and blues.  Of course, that wasn't the only flaw, I'm sorry to say.

full double-page spread
Cardinal Dream
collab Hennie Mavis and Mary Stebbins Taitt

I have one solo piece and one first half collab for Mike left to do before I mail.

Collaboration, Part I, Cardinal Dream and Two pocket items

Cardinal Dream, by Hennie Mavis, scan
Click this and all images to view larger

Here is a scan of Hennie Mavis's Cardinal Dream. I totally love both the dreama nd the art!  Do click on it to see it larger.  We spent a wonderful couple days together in Syracuse, NY, where neither of us live any more, hiking and doing art.  As soon as I can, i will complete the collaboration and post it; I've been absurdly busy.  Confession:  On top of all the other problems and commitments, I am also trying to do NaNoWriMo this month.

Braid by Hennie Mavis on Banana paper

I have a sketchbook  made of all nature fibers.  The paper is made largely of banana skins.  It is very lightweight, but responds differently than other paper.  hennie did this picture of my braid as a collaboration for me to complete.

Biker Buddy, for Andrea's pocket

Here is a portrait of Biker buddy in water color for Andrea's pocket. I did it last night. We had ML over for dinner, keith's Mom, And I worked hard making a fairly elborate dinner, so then I rested doing art. YAY art.

In the Garden, for Andrea's pocket

When I was with Hennie doing art at the motel, I finished one picture and started this, which I finished when I got home. I did without the benefit of anything to look at, and I also didn't sketch it ahead, just painted directly on the paper out of my head.

Three Poppies, banana paper

This is the painting that I did on the banana paper while Hennie was doing the cardinals and before she did the braid.

a bit of silliness

at the motel

doing art at the motel

Hiking with Scott (by BB)

Arrove

My Moleskine arrived on the 29th.  YAY!  I was so pleased to have it back.

Biker Buddy and Biker Buddy,

I did my collaboration with Andrea first, which I posted as a Halloween Card, but here is is plain:

Sugar Skull by  Andrea Martinez and Mary Stebbins Taitt

And now I have done my first piece, which is an illo for a book that I working on for my grandson Frankie for Christmas.

Mrs. Goose and her Mate
Acrylics and watercolor
by Mary Stebbins Taitt

Mrs. Goose read the invite to her beloved mate

and said, hurry, my darling, we must not be late.

I was hoping to have it done for his birthday.  Now I hope to have it done by Christmas.  We will be traveling Sunday through the following Monday (~N3-11), and I may not be online much and I apologize for missing stuff, but I have yet to figure out how to work the gmail tabs, so I missed a lot.  I will catch up at some point, but probably NOT while traveling.

To see images much larger, click and scroll.

Round 3: "What if Everything I told you was True?"

"What if Everything I told you was True?"
Golden "Open" acrylics
in round 3 Moleskine
click image to view larger

I did this on one of the blank pages in my round 3 Moleskine sketchbook.  I bought some open acrylics and thought I should experiment in my own Mole rather than Mike's, in case I screwed it up.  The first thing I did was lay down cobalt blue, red and yellow and blend them, then painted the forest scene over that--it is almost entirely painted with the primary colors, with just a little white and black added at the end.  (I only bought 3 tubes of paint to try out.)  The "open" acrylics are supposed to stay workable significantly longer.)

I am thinking of the scene as something from dream shamanism.

Round 2: Castle LeFini

Sissy and Garryd at Castle LeFini

I sent off Aya's sketchbook to Mike, because I was having surgery and not sure how I would be afterwards.  I had the surgery and am recovering, and wanted to paint, so I painted in one of the old returned Moles from 2011-2012 (Was that Round 2?).  This is an illo for another kids' book I am working on, faber Castelle Pitt Pigment pen and watercolor.  If interested,you can read the chapter here, it is fairly short (3 pages typed).  I gave it the tag children's picture book, but it probably will be a novel if finish it.

Mary's Last piece(s) in the first half round of Round 4: Dino-Drag

Dino-Drag
2 half collabs
Mary Stebbins Taitt first halves

Dino-Drag
half collab for Ballookey
Mary Stebbins Taitt first half

Dino-Drag
half collab for Aya
Mary Stebbins Taitt first half

I did Two more half-collabs this morning, and I did them together so that Aya, Ballokey and I can to a three-way collaboration.

Feel free to draw, mark or paint OVER any portion of what I did to make the wings bigger, add a damsel in distress, add flying teradactyls, or hunters with nets or approaching vampires or whatever.  Add clouds, change the color of the sky, alter the articulation of the wing bones, whatever you want--fix any mistakes.

And the same goes for the collabs I left for Mike and Andrea--too bad I didn't put those together, too.  For another three way.

Make yourself at home.  Have fun!

This is my last piece and I am hoping to mail today, but I think the post office closes at 2 and if I don't make it,t hen it won't go out until Monday.  Seems unlikely I can make it by 2:00--DANG!

Well, anyway, hopefully it will be on it's way Monday to Mike, then.  WAHN--I'd hope to mail it today.

Round 4 first half Mary's pix

Half a collab for Andrea in back of Mole
Faber-Castell PITT Manga Kaoiro set pens
Click all images to enlarge

The Arctic Trek
Watercolor

Leaopard Lept
Sloth Slept
Reptile Crept*
(*see note)
acrylics

Thunderbird
half a collab for Mike Kline
Faber-Castell PITT

I've been busy working on the Mole.  I intend to leave a collab for each artist in the back, except for Mike's, which is in the normal place in the front.  This may mean fewer pieces in the next half-round.

*San Cassimally asked me to illustrate a kids book he's written with nonsense rhymes and this is my first attempt.  I will probably fiddle with it some more.

I hope to be ready to mail by April 15.

Sadly, I got blue acrylic paint from the leopard etc on the arctic trek and the poppies.  I will need to be much more careful--I had waxed paper taped over the other pages and still messed it up.

Lakeshore Poppies, Approaching Storm

Lakeshore Poppies, Approaching Storm
Watercolor in watercolor moleskine A3
by Mary Stebbins Taitt
Click images to view larger

I painted this this morning in my round 4 Moleskine with watercolors. Last night, I did the one below, which is smaller and in a different oritnetation and with gouache instead of watercolor.

I am tempted to darken the Moley one a little (so it looks more like the Graham-cracker-box one), but haven't decided yet.  I guess Iw ill do more work first and come back to it if I have time.

This is my third page in the Round 4 Sketchbook.

If you are interested, you can read about my Graham cracker box sketchbook here. I also did a raisin-box sketchbook here.  Although some of the images don't show up in the small versions, they do show up if you click on them.

For some reason, the images look a little washed out on my screen--they look brighter if you click on them.

Lakeshore Poppies, Approaching Storm
5 x 7 gouache sketch
in Graham cracker sketchbook on Canson mi-teientes
by Mary Stebbins Taitt