It's just that sort of day. A couple more in this series here.

Trying to work out the look of an alien character. And not have it look too creepy...

Still painting wildflowers, this time for a garden blog banner update.

I keep forgetting to take my phone when I walk the dog and miss capturing photos of the wildflowers along the trail (poppies backlit by the morning sun and shady masses of dayflowers). So, the past couple of days I've tried to fix in my mind how I would paint them in watercolor, Frederick style.

A day in the life with a spicy kitty who knows how to inspire action. Below is the back door trim where she hangs from.

Finally brought my portfolio site up to date! Feels so good to get that off the list. And here are a few scenes from today, getting ready for the SCBWI-Houston conference.Painting some graphics for the info page of my site.Trying to get the right order on the portfolio.

Using my ink accident as a starting point for an illustration.

Walked away from my work table this afternoon without capping a small container of Higgins black ink (barely diluted). Add a windy day and open window, and I've got permanent art on my table where it pooled up under a piece of plexiglass. There's a flash flood warning for tonight; maybe it's a sign. And I will have to start a new practice of reading the ink spills.

Sketching some of my usual tools with my new favorite medium.

Gouache is a medium that I've always wanted to try out but have never quite known how to begin. I mean, even spelling it is an adventure. But I feel comfortable using watercolor, and I figured that gouache was like watercolor with the ability to go opaque. Yesterday afternoon I got to play with some colors (thanks, Marsha!), and it was a little weird. I kept expecting it to do watercolor-y things like create nice color bleeds when put on damp areas (it mostly stayed where I put it, and I had to drag a wet brush through to mix the color on the page), or dry lighter (it dries darker). It's also very easy to start out super thick, and get loads of opaque texture, which can be cool if you're expecting it. One really nice thing is how easy it is the thin out/lift dried color on the page (much easier than traditional watercolor). I'm just realizing how watercolor-geek this is sounding...Below are some close-ups from my sketchbook (actually just a 10"X7" piece of hot press paper, on which I crammed way too much). The primary blue/marigold orange are looking a little harsh this morning, but they seemed like a good combo at the time.

So, the air plant & dinosaur holder were a birthday gift (and so awesome). My kitty took it as a challenge, but at least it got her off my paints. Happy weekend!***No plastic dinosaurs or epiphytes were harmed in the filming of this.

Just nice to start out 2012 with a fresh, clean banner at the top of my blog. I've got so many unfocused pictures of whooping cranes and other waterbirds from our Christmas outing. They may not be great for sharing, but they're excellent sketching material.

You may think my cat looks like the tough one, all pirate-eyed in the morning light; but, in fact, this black and white, ink-lipped kitty has got several pounds on her and a lot more territorial prowess. In the past month, I've had to break up several fights/chases, always with B&W chasing my Lena. The 'bad kitty's markings are great, though, and more fun to paint than all-black. Don't tell Lena!My cat is the bossy one inside the house, regardless of size. Poor 80-lb Lloyd!

The jewel tones of winter citrus and persimmons and pomegranates always make me want to break out my paints. I've been going back in my watercolor sketches with pencil to add some darks; still working that out. I actually like the photograph of the persimmon better than the scan because it shows those different textures. The etrog is something I've never seen or bought before, but the description at the grocery mentioned that it was used in a Jewish holiday and could perfume a room for weeks...very intriguing. It smells like citrus meets rose.

A watercolor sketch from this afternoon and another "painting" project this week, one of the furniture sealant variety (two more coats to go!). Funny how they've both got the same colors.

Okay, another watercolor sketch for my goal this month (painting a day for the rest of November). Soaked heirloom beans (these were for veggie chili) just lend themselves to watercolor, so many beautiful shades...

Just getting the feel for painting again after a hiatus. The dill and radish were leftover from today's lunch. Quinacridone Rose, which I almost never use, went into both the rose and radish sketches.

Met up with some fellow illustrators to sketch today at the amazing Barton Springs pool (so cold and refreshing!). Threw together the above scrappy-looking sketchbook this morning. Below is a close-up of some pool folks.