Peace on Earth

I hope you are all cozy and peaceful, wherever you may be today. I'm sending good wishes out to all of you. More soon!

Mr. Woodward's Peacock 5/5

That's the end of the peacock story. But there are lots more to come, you lucky things. Heh-heh. Thank you for sticking with me. I'll start another story in a few days. Meanwhile, have a good weekend!

Mr. Woodward's Peacock 4/5

Ha!

Mr. Woodward's Peacock 3/5

Don't forget--you can click to enlarge the picture. And I should mention that the anecdote about Mr. Woodward's peacock comes from a memoir by A.C. Benson called The House of Quiet, published in 1907. More tomorrow!

Mr. Woodward's Peacock 2/5

I know you saw that coming! Poor Mr. Woodcock. More tomorrow.

Mr. Woodward's Peacock 1/5

Uh-oh! Please stay tuned for the inevitable.

Carlotta and the Storm 5/5

That's the end of Carlotta and the Storm, but please stay tuned for another little sequence...coming soon to an Everdello blog near you.

Carlotta and the Storm 4/5

You GO, girls!

Carlotta and the Storm 3/5

Yiiiiiiikes....! Don't forget, you can click to enlarge. More tomorrow!

Carlotta and the Storm 2/5

Click to enlarge...and please stay tuned for Part 3!

Carlotta and the Storm 1/5

Here she goes again . . . !

Maggie and the Bishops 5/5

That's the end of Maggie and the Bishops, but please stay tuned for another of Carlotta's ballooning adventures. . .coming soon!

Maggie and the Bishops 4/5

Maggie and the Bishops 3/5

Maggie and the Bishops 2/5

Are you breathlessly awaiting Part 3? Please stay tuned.

Maggie and the Bishops 1/5

Margaret Benson was one of the first women to study at Oxford University, and the first woman to receive official permission to excavate in Egypt.

Her father was the Archbishop of Canterbury. This letter to her partner Janet Gourlay was written from the archbishop's palace in London, England, while Maggie was between archaeological digs.


More tomorrow!

Carlotta in Ottawa 5/5

That's the last page of the "Carlotta in Ottawa" episode. I'll share another story soon!

Source note: This episode is a shameless meld of phrasing from two sources--a book called Careers of Danger and Daring by Cleveland Moffett, and an article from the Ottawa Citizen (July 3, 1883). Both sources are in the public domain.

Carlotta in Ottawa 4/5

Disclaimer--don't try this at home! Hahaha. More tomorrow...

Carlotta in Ottawa 3/5

Ooooo! More tomorrow...

Carlotta in Ottawa 2/5

You'll never believe what happens next. But it's true! More tomorrow...

Carlotta in Ottawa 1/5

Please stay tuned. More tomorrow!

Maggie and the Sheep

I came across this anecdote in a book about the Egyptologist Margaret Benson. It's a morsel from a letter she wrote to her mother in 1892. Nothing dramatic--just a little something to help start your day. Like a timbit.*



To enlarge, click the square icon on the bottom of the slideshow frame. If the slideshow above isn't visible in your e-mail or reader, please visit http://everdello.blogspot.com/ to view it. BYOC.** Enjoy!

* that's donut hole to you non-Canadians
** Bring Your Own Coffee

Carlotta and the Forest Fire

Here she is again! Welcome to another of Lady Carlotta's true adventures. I loved working on this, but I would just like to say that smoke is not easy to paint. . .

If the slideshow below isn't visible in your e-mail or reader, please hop on over to http://everdello.blogspot.com/ to view it. Thanks!


To enlarge, click the square icon on the bottom frame of the slideshow.

Trebizond Partridge Seller

I'm working on the next episode of Lady Carlotta, but in the meantime here's another little sequence for you. I came across this bit of text by accident, and couldn't resist doing some pictures for it.

If the slideshow below isn't visible in your e-mail or reader, please visit http://everdello.blogspot.com/



To enlarge, click the square icon on the bottom frame of the slideshow. Then click to turn the pages.

Lady Carlotta

Just when you think sketching can't get any more fun, along comes the Sketchbook Project 2011. I couldn't resist! I signed up immediately. I chose the theme In Flight because I'm itching to share some true stories about the balloonist Carlotta Myers. Between 1880 and 1890 she made more balloon ascensions than anyone else in America. She was one of the most expert aeronauts of her time. But nowadays, few people know about her.

Here's one of her adventures. In the coming weeks, I'll share a few more with you. I hope you'll find her stories as fun and amazing as I do. This text is from her memoir Skylarking in Cloudland. Enjoy!


To enlarge, click the square icon in the bottom frame of the slideshow. If the slideshow isn't visible in your e-mail or reader, please visit http://everdello.blogspot.com/

Change of Seasons

The zip of autumn was in the air today. I felt as if I was coming back to life after weeks and weeks of heat. While I was sketching, cicadas were buzzing in the trees, crickets were chirping in the grass, and Canada geese were honking on the bay: a real "Change of Seasons" Symphony.

Have You Seen the Rain?

I went to see my old choir singing at the Women's Art Festival. It was great. One of their new songs is "Have You Seen the Rain?" and luckily I finished my sketch before the heavens answered yes. Umbrellas mushroomed all over the park just as the concert was ending.

Some Like it Hot

Some like it hot...but tonight the cool breeze was a welcome relief after weeks of heat-wave. Market Square was crowded with people just hanging out, greeting friends, and watching the movie. Delightful!

Ripples of Hope

A few weeks ago a message came through the Illustration Friday blog, asking people to donate sketches of ocean creatures and birds. The proceeds would go to help wildlife that has been affected by the oil spill in the Gulf.

It took me a while to get my act together, but I finally sent my contribution. In the meantime, I was able to watch the Ripple blog grow from a few sketches to nearly 900. It has raised nearly $10,000, which is apparently enough money to wash the oil off a thousand birds.

I love that!

Lazy Hazy Days

I sketched this one a few weeks ago, and finally got around to putting the colour on it this weekend. Check out the size of that seagull. It was begging for a bite of my muffin and I guess that made it seem larger than life. I made it the size of a goose!

Illustration Friday - Breakfast

The Illustration Friday theme this week is breakfast. Too bad they couldn't have come up with one that would suit me better. Heh-heh.

Just kidding. I loved going to my usual bakery to do my usual sketching while my clothes were in the dryer at the laundromat as usual.

I was just getting ready to snap one of my usual photos of the sketch-in-progress when a woman walked into the shot. For some reason I suddenly felt self-conscious about taking the picture, so I snapped the photo quickly without actually looking at it and stuffed the camera into my bag.

I didn't see the result until I got home. Isn't it great? The mug looks so shiny! And you can see the reflection of my sketchbook in it. As for the people...um. Not so much.

Illustration Friday - Diary

This one is a bit of a cheat, because I wasn't actually writing in my diary at the time. But I might have been. I might have been writing "Dear Diary: Aaauuughhh! Save me from the buskers!"



For four days each year, they set up their amplifiers and gather their screaming crowds right under my window. They are so loud that I can't listen to the radio, watch TV, sleep or think. This year they did it during a heat wave. So on Sunday I escaped to Wolfe Island and sat at a picnic table in the shade until a different kind of visitor came and joined me. This one was much quieter than the buskers--but equally determined to keep me from working!

Tiny Little Sketch Box

I'm excited about my new sketchbox. Look how small it is!



I made it out of an empty mint tin and one of those plastic doo-hickies that allergy pills come in. The eye-drop bottle holds enough water for a couple of paintings, and I can get by with just one Kleenex (for wiping my brush and cleaning up afterward.) Hooray for the end of allergy season!

Canada Day, Eh?

I had the most wonderful day. I felt thoroughly happy from breakfast to fireworks. I hope you felt the same way!



I took some photos and assembled them into a short slideshow. Click here to view it. Check out all those smiling faces, eh? That's the kind of day it was!

Illustration Friday - Paisley

It's been ages since I did an Illustration Friday picture. It feels so good to get back to it! This week's theme is "paisley." To see everyone else's entry, visit the Illustration Friday website. But be careful! Those little thumbnails are as irresistible as popcorn--once you get clicking, it's very hard to stop.

Wolfe Island Flowers

I was over to Wolfe Island this morning, for a museum-and-cemetery tour with the local branch of the genealogical society. It was fun! And as an added bonus, there was time to sketch while waiting for the ferry.



When you're on the Island, you never have to look far for a yummy sketching subject!