04.29.13 SPRING!!!

Hi there!
So this week Spring finally arrived in Minnesota and I am embarrassed to admit how happy it has made me!  So I spent most of the weekend enjoying myself in the park like a kid and not getting much work done--I know--Shocking!!! But I did finish up a few things I started the week before so I will start this post off with some fun, full color illustrations and then move on to sketches...

   First,  I want to show you the finished, colored Girafficorn--I went with purple because I like purple and it just felt right.  (:

And here is an image of ME(Beckarooo!) riding the back of the girafficorn, along a rainbow, across the sky--can life get any better than this?  I think not!

(:

 Well, now that that silliness is out of my system (for now!), here is an image of Joseph.  This started as just practice for his coat but then it ended up being more about the stars and the universe around him...I really love the dream-like quality of this image:

I've had this dream, before... (:

Now I'm thinking about doing something with the animal constellations....And speaking of animals.....
  This weekend I decided to go to the zoo and sketch--and what a great idea that was!  It was the biggest ego boost I've had in a long time--so many compliments from so many strangers!  And the kids were all way more interested in what I was doing than the animals--they stared at me like I was performing magic or something.  It was really sweet!  Kids give the best compliments because they are always the most sincere and creative about it.  The last thing someone said to me was:  "You have a beautiful gift!" How sweet is that?  So I decided to leave because you should always leave on a high-note ... also I was tired and wanted a nap. Here are the sketches I came up with:

This guy was so cool!  His horns are so incredible and fun to draw--he's called a Kudu, btw, and he's a type of antelope. 

Of course, I headed straight for the giraffes--they are so elegant and oddly graceful for how huge and lumbering they are.  They also--well, at least the one I was drawing, anyway--have very soulful eyes.  I swear she was trying to see what I was drawing, so I made sure to show her before I left. (:

Here are the Lions doing what Lions are most passionate about--sleeping in piles like giant kitties. (:   

I had so much fun this weekend in the sunshine it almost made the long, horrible winter worth it .... almost....But I definitely am back to the love phase of my love-hate relationship with Minnesota so here is the last image I'm posting this week...Two lovely Bald Eagles loving life!

It's great to see the Bald Eagles coming back from the brink of extinction--and they are kicking some ass!  I've seen five different ones just this month!  And only a couple of years ago you wouldn't see any around here.  It's really amazing to see them soaring above you--they kind of look like little stealth bombers because of their white heads. They make being an eagle look really good.  I'm jealous!!!

Well, now that I've finally posted for this week I'm going back outside!  Next week I'll have more to share but till then, be well!  Next week:  pictures of ducks....I love ducks!!!
Thanks for the visit!
Love, Beckaroooo!