Ghost in the Window

Here's the photo I posted yesterday, but this time dressed up for Halloween.  I used Painter to add lighting and then applied a woodcut effect.  I took the original photo during a recent walk at Long Hill Gardens here in Beverly, MA.  This is the main house on what was once the Sedwick estate.  If you catch a glimpse of the ghost in the window, it's just the photographer, taking a selfie by accident.

Wisteria in October (Long Hill Gardens)

On October 20, we took a walk through Long Hill Gardens. Here's another photo that I took that day.  This house was once a private home on the Sedgwick Estate, but now the property is public, owned by the Trustees of the Reservation.  I love the big wisteria branches against the windows of this house, especially when they make great purple flowers.  This time, some of the leaves were yellow and some were still green.  I took a picture, and if you look closely you can see my reflection in the window. Today I cropped the original photo to get this composition.  While I was at it, I also used Painter to play with this image, to make a version that looks a little scary for October 31.  I plan to post that tomorrow.

Red Leaves on the Tree Trunk

With this week's rain and wind, lots of the leaves are starting to fall.  I decided that it's time for me to catch up with editing some of my fall photos. This is from a walk we took back on October 20, at Long Hill here in Beverly, MA. (also known as the Sedgwick Gardens).  I love bright red leaves so I took this picture!  By the way, I believe this is a variety of poison ivy or poison sumac, so I look and admire but I don't touch).  

Feijoada (Recipe Illustration as of Oct. 28, 2016)

Well, I am still working on this project, but even though I was able to put in more time today, I still didn't finish. This project is an illustration for a recipe for feijoada (Brazil's black bean stew); the recipe and illustration will soon be published on our food blog, seasoningforeverypalate.wordpress.com.  This illustration is organized like a mandala, with black beans in the middle, then sausage, oranges, slices of kale, and flowers, with rice grains for petals and in the centers farofa (Brazilian garnish). Today I kept going with the background color, trying to get it even. It's slow and a little tedious, but it's a kind of meditation I guess.  I hope to finish soon. To be continued. . . .

Feijoada (Recipe Illustration as of Oct. 27, 2016)

Today was very hectic and I had very little time to work on this project, but I used the time I had to continue applying the background color. I wanted to see how the little flowers would work against the blue. This project is an illustration for a recipe for feijoada (Brazil's national dish, a black bean dish); the recipe and illustration will soon be published on our food blog, seasoningforeverypalate.wordpress.com.   I decided to organize this illustration like a mandala, with black beans in the middle and ingredients and garnishes served with  feijoada arranged in circular patterns. To be continued. . . .

Feijoada (Recipe Illustration as of Oct. 26, 2016)

I worked on this project for a while this afternoon. This is my illustration for a recipe for feijoada (Brazilian black bean dish); the recipe and illustration will soon be published on our food blog, 

seasoningforeverypalate.wordpress.com.   This illustration is organized like a mandala, with the black beans in the middle and other components of the feijoada are arranged in circular patterns. Today I continued to apply the background color.  I worked my way around the orange slices and the couve (collard or kale leaves cut into strips).  I didn't think there was enough contrast between the blue background and the green, so I went over the green areas again to make them a bit more intense and a bit darker. I am not sure it was enough. To be continued. . . .

Feijoada (Recipe Illustration as of Oct. 25, 2016)

It has been about a week, but today I went back to this project. This is an illustration for a recipe for feijoada (Brazilian black bean dish); the recipe and illustration will soon be published on our food blog,  seasoningforeverypalate.wordpress.com.  I decided to organize this illustration like a mandala, with the black beans in the middle and other components of the feijoada are arranged in circular patterns. Today I started to apply the background color.  I was undecided between light pink and light blue, but I tried putting blue and pink on another sheet of paper and putting them next to each component to see what happens. After doing that, I decided that the blue would work better. This is as far as I got today.  To be continued. . . . .

Red Leaves in the Fog

One more picture from last week's walk around the Cummings Center Pond.  The fog rolled in as we walked until we could no longer see the other side of the pond.  I liked the way the red leaves looked in the fog, so I took this picture.  I struggled to edit this because the fog took away many of the cues that are useful in figuring out if the orientation is straight.  The result is that the scene becomes surreal.  Is one of the trees leaning or is that a reflection?  It was only by looking at the little ripples in the water that I could tell that this image was straight.  Fog makes you look harder and it makes you think.  (Maybe that's why there is so much fog in mystery novels.)

Ducks, Pond, and Fog

Here's another photo from last week's walk around the Cummings Center Pond.  The fog rolled in as we walked until it became hard to see the trees on the other side.  Near the end of the walk, we saw some ducks swimming out into the pond.  Today I edited the original picture and cropped it to get this composition.

Pond and Fog

This is another image from our recent walk around the pond at the Cummings Center.  Yesterday I posted a photo of the path, and this picture was taken from the other side, maybe a 20 minute walk.  But by then, the fog was so thick that it was hard to see the trees on the other side. In fact, I had to adjust this photo to make the trees more visible. Although fog can be a nuisance, and it makes me nervous to drive through.  But I do like the fact that it makes you look hard, pay attention,  and see things differently, 

October Path (Cummings Center Pond)

Here's another image from a recent walk around the Cummings Center Pond here in Beverly, MA. At this point the sky was cloudy and the air was misty.  But as we walked, the fog came in.  Tonight I cropped the original photo to get this composition.  

Fog at the Pond

Yesterday we went for a walk at the Cummings Center Pond here in Beverly, MA.  It was just cloudy as we began but the fog began to roll in as we walked around the pond.  

Another Heart Shaped Box as of Oct. 19, 2016

I went to Porter Mill Studios this morning and spent a little time working on this project, a heart-shaped box that I am covering with collage and decoupage designs.  This was once a candy box (Turtles to be specific) and I am creating designs with pieces of printed metallic ribbon.  I didn't have a lot of time today, so I concentrated on the underside of the box, which I am covering with brown patterned ribbon.  I am still working on the top of the box, also in the photo, but didn't have time to do any more with it today.  I call this project "Another Heart-Shaped Box" because it isn't my first.  If you want to see how my first heart-shaped box turned out, follow this link: www.flickr.com/photos/randiart/albums/72157632769935420

Feijoada (Recipe Illustration as of Oct. 18, 2016)

Today I continued work on this illustration for a recipe for feijoada (Brazilian black bean dish); the recipe and illustration will soon be published on our food blog,  seasoningforeverypalate.wordpress.com.  In this illustration, the black beans are at the center, with other ingredients and garnishes arranged around the main dish. Today I adding color to the rest pf objects and to the letters.  I still need to add a background color, but I haven't decided what color that will be.  Maybe soft blue or pink.  To be continued. . . . .

Feijoada (Recipe Illustration as of Oct. 17, 2016)

Today I kept going on this project, an illustration for a recipe that is going to be published on our food blog, seasoningforeverypalate.wordpress.com.  The recipe is for feijoada, Brazilian black bean stew, served with many garnishes and side dishes. This illustration is organized like a mandala, with the black beans in the center, surrounded by sausages, oranges, kale, etc.. Today I continued to add color, using colored conte crayons and conte pencils. I added green for the kale or collard greens (couve) cut into chiffonade, and also used red and brown to get the color I wanted for the sausages. That's what I could get done today. To be continued. . . . 

Feijoada (Recipe Illustration as of Oct. 16, 2016)

Today I had a chance to work on this project, an illustration for a recipe that is going to be published on our food blog,  seasoningforeverypalate.wordpress.com.  The recipe is for feijoada, Brazilian black bean stew, served with many garnishes and side dishes. But a feijoada is not just a dish; it's an event. And through a series of coincidences, Brazil and feijoada became part of our family story.  I decided to organize this illustration like a mandala, with the black beans in the center, surrounded by ingredients and garnishes (sausages, oranges, kale, etc.). Today I finally started to add color, using colored conte crayon.  I used purple and blue-violet for the black beans, trying to let the pattern of the beans show through.  And I used red-orange and orange to get the color I wanted for the oranges.  That's all I had time to do today.  But I enjoyed it. This is the fun part.

Feijoada (Recipe Illustration as of Oct. 15, 2016)

Here is the recipe illustration I have been working on. This is for a recipe that is going to be published on our food blog, seasoningforeverypalate.wordpress.com.  The recipe is for feijoada, a black bean stew that is a Brazilian national dish, and part of our family recipe collection. I organized the illustration like a mandala,  with the feijoada in the middle, surrounded by ingredients and garnishes (sausages, oranges, kale).  I was almost ready to start adding color, but decided to add the little floral element to the design. I had been trying to think of a way to include two additional foods served with feijoada: rice and farofa (a garnish made with manioc flour).  I had the idea of creating flowers with the rice grains arranged like petals around a yellow center (to represent the farofa, which is sprinkled over the beans).  I tried my idea out in pencil and then added the flowers to the design and inked them in.

Morning Light in Boston

This image started with a photo that I took during today's early morning drive into Boston. I liked the way the buildings looked in the morning light. Tonight I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

Feijoada (Recipe Illustration as of Oct. 13, 2016)

I have been working on an illustration for a recipe that is going to be published on our food blog, seasoningforeverypalate.wordpress.com.  This is to illustrate a recipe for feijoada, a black bean stew that is a Brazilian national dish, and also part of our family recipe collection. I decided to organize the illustration like a mandala,  with the feijoada in the middle, surrounded by ingredients and garnishes (sausages, oranges, kale).  I had the basic layout a few days ago, and over the past few days, I drew in the beans in pencil, and then went over them in dark purple Sharpie. 

New Year at Sundown (Edited Drawing)

Yesterday's post was my little animation for the Jewish High Holidays ("New Year at Sundown"). Jewish holidays start (and end) at sundown, incuding Yom Kippur, which began last night. The Brushes app on my iPad captures a stroke-by-stroke video as you draw.  Tonight's post is the drawing itself. Before it was ready to post, I used Painter software to edit the lettering a little bit.  

New Year at Sundown

I made this little animation today using the Brushes app on my iPad.  This is for the Jewish High Holidays. (Yom Kippur starts at sundown.)  Even though the new year started ten days ago, still we say Happy New Year tonight.

Beverly Coastline from Independence Park

Here's another image from a recent trip to Independence Park.  It was about an hour before sunset (the golden hour) and the light on the water was beautiful.  Tonight I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

Feijoada (Recipe Illustration as of Oct. 8, 2016)

I have been working on an idea for an illustration for a recipe that is going to be published on our food blog, seasoningforeverypalate.wordpress.com.  The recipe is for feijoada, a Brazilian black bean stew, a dish that has become part of our family recipe collection. I decided to make the illustration look like a mandala, with the feijoada in the middle, surrounded by ingredients and garnishes (sausages, oranges, kale).  I started working on the layout a few days ago.  Yesterday I made so many corrections on the layout that i had to ink it in and then trace it to get a clean copy.  I finished the layout last night and photographed it this morning.  

Sailboats at Independence Park

Here's another photo from yesterday's walk at Independence Park here in Beverly, MA. The light was amazing.

Golden Hour at Independence Park

Today we went for a walk at Independence Park here in Beverly, MA. It wa getting close to@Sundown (the golden hour) and the colors were amazing. Here is one of the pictures I took.

Feijoada (Recipe Illustration as of Oct. 6, 2016)

Yesterday's post was a very rough sketch for an illustration for a recipe that will soon be published on our food blog,  seasoningforeverypalate.wordpress.com.  The recipe will be for feijoada, a black bean stew that is Brazil's national dish. This is in the family recipe box for sure, introduced to us through life-long ties to Brazilian friends who have become family.  Today I started working out the layout for the illustration, based on yesterday's very rough sketch. 

Feijoada (Rough Sketch for Illustration)

It's time to post another recipe on our food blog, seasoningforeverypalate.wordpress.com.  This is going to be a recipe for feijoada, a Brazilian black-bean stew, a dish that has played a big role in our family history!  I might  usually draw a little still life showing the main ingredients. But I decided to try a different idea instead. I organized the illustration like a mandala (circular pattern), with black beans in the center, surrounding by other ingredients and garnishes arranged in a pattern: sausages, oranges, strips of kale.  So this morning I did this very rough sketch.  The layout is rough, the measurements are uneven, but still I think this might work.

Another Heart Shaped Box as of Oct. 4, 2016

Today I worked on this project over at Porter Mill Studios. I am covering this heart-shaped candy box with collaged designs created from pieces of printed metallic ribbon.

Today I continued to work on the gold border for the top of the box, already covered with orange and purple stripes.  And I also kept going on the underside of the box, using pieces with brown background and purple and green flowers for accents. I call this project "Another Heart-Shaped Box because it isn't the first one I have made.  If you want to see where this is headed, follow this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/randiart/albums/72157632769935420

New Year with Bees

This is my greeting for Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year).  I drew this on my iPad with the Brushes app, which captures a "stroke-by-stroke" video as you draw.  Last night I posted the resulting animation, and tonight I am posting the drawing itself.  This image shows with the apples and honey traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah, but it also shows bees (not traditional for the holiday). But without the bees, you can't have honey or apples or much of anything else!  Bees have recently landed on the endangered species list.  So my new year's greeting also includes a reminder about the bees, that as we are charged with tikkun olam (repairing the world), we need to protect the bees.

New Year with Bees Animation

Here's a little animation that I made with my iPad, using the Brushes app.  (The Brushes app captures a stroke-by-stroke video as you draw.)  I created this to use as a greeting for the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), when we dip apples in honey to symbolize a sweet year. But why bees? Bees have recently landed on the endangered species list.  We can't have honey (or apples or much of anything else) without bees, so this is also a reminder that we need to  "heal the world" (tikkun olam). Sending this out to wish everyone health and happiness and a sweet year ahead.

Honey Bees and Apple (Rough Draft)

Yesterday's post was a rough version of an idea for a Rosh Hashanah project, a video animation created on my iPad with the Brushes app.  (The Brushes app captures a stroke-by-stroke video as you draw.) To make the animation work, you have to figure out not only what to draw but in what order. Yesterday's trial run was to see if my idea could work, to make honey bees spell out 5777.  The basic idea worked, but I wasn't crazy about the composition in the resulting drawing, posted here tonight.  Since then, I have already made another version, which I plan to post for Rosh Hashanah tomorrow night.  But meanwhile, here is the rough sketch from yesterday's first attempt.