Picnic Cake (Recipe Illustration) as of June 30, 2020

This is the illustration I have been working on for our food blog, Seasoning for Every Palate.  Today I started using conte crayon to add areas of color.  To be continued. . .

Picnic Cake (Recipe Illustration) as of June 29, 2020

I worked on this project today. This is going to be a recipe illustration for our food blog, Seasoning for Every Palate .  Today I did the rest of the work with Sharpie fine-line markers.  I will add the rest of the color with colored conte crayon.  To be continued. . . .

Picnic Cake (Recipe Illustration) as of June 28, 2020

Today I worked on this project, a recipe illustration for our food blog, Seasoning for Every Palate . I am still working out the color scheme, thought about it all day.  But when I first got this idea, the tablecloth was red checkered, so I am going with that, with red-violet to show shadow.

Picnic Cake (Recipe Illustration) as of June 27, 2020

Yesterday's post was a rough sketch of my idea for a recipe illustration for our food blog, Seasoning For Every Palate.  Today I refined the idea and started drawing the actual illustration.  This drawing involves a checkered tablecloth, and I put in the dots to show where the darker squares should go.

Picnic Cake (Sketch for Illustration)

This is a sketch for a recipe illustration for our food blog, Seasoning for Every Palate. The recipe is for Grandma Aptaker's Picnic Cake. For a few weeks,  I had the idea of showing the cake on a checkered tablecloth.  I couldn't quite get the illustration to work out until finally today I thought of a table with an umbrella.  To be continued. . . .

Still Life with Colander (with Prisma filter)

Today I was poking around in my Prisma app and tried out the "Daily" filter, called Crown.  It is wild and very unusual filter, with very strong colors and textures.  It was overwhelming many of my recent photos (mostly delicate spring flowers), but I tried it on this photo (Still Life with Colander) posted here at the end of May, With simple shapes and strong colors, this filter is great and I love the result.

Happy Birthday Heather (with Prisma filter)

Today is my daughter's birthday and we bought her an ice-cream cake.  It looked so good that I took a picture.  Later, I added this Prisma filter, fittingly named "Gelato".

Red Bench in the Yard (with Prisma filter)

Last year, we were given this bench and had it painted red. I love it. Even though I rarely have time to sit on it, I look at it every day, and it looks good in every season. The other day, I took a picture of it, and then added a Prisma filter.

Hosta Leaves (with Prisma filter)

Here's another photo of the hosta leaves in my yard, this time with a Prima filter added.

Reposting: Me and My Dad (colorized family photo)

I am reposting this family classic in honor of Father's day. This image began long ago, as a black and white photo of me and my dad, taken by my Uncle Ike,  who was a talented photographer and also a great dad himself.  Back in 2006, I scanned the photo into my computer and colorized it in Painter. This is one of my all time favorites.  As I said when I first posted this, "This was a good project for Father's Day.  It was fun to 'collaborate' with my uncle across time and space, and also a way to spend some time with my dad, through the blessing of memory and the magic of art.  I was lucky to have a father who always knew how to make me feel like a million bucks." 

Backyard Hosta Leaves

These are some hosta leaves, growing in the shady part of our yard.  The leaves are about four inches across. I love the patterns of hosta leaves, so I took this picture.

Shabbat Shalom Cross-Stitch Computer Printout

Back in the 90s, I did a bit of cross-stitch designing.  I am back at it again so have been revisiting old designs. In the process, I recently came across a finished piece from the 90s, posted here June 13.  I also found the concept sketch, posted yesterday, and this printout from the computer program I used to use.  

Shabbat Shalom (Design for Cross-Stitch Sampler)

Lately I have been working on some cross-stitch projects for Memory Imprints and found a box of cross-stitch patterns that I designed back in the 90s.  A few days ago (June 13th) I posted a finished sampler (Shabbat Shalom) that I made back then.  I also found this annotated sketch of the concept (which I faxed to my cousin), and I am posting it today. It's fun to see how an idea developed.

More Wild Roses (with Prisma filter)

Here's another image of the wild roses in my yard.  I used a different Prisma filter on the photo, and then made some adjustments in iPhoto as well.

Wild Roses on the Fence (with Prisma filter)

Yesterday's post was a photo of wild roses growing on our fence.  Here is the same photo, but this time with a Prisma filter.

Wild Roses on the Fence

These lovely wild roses are volunteers, growing on my chain-link fence.  They have been in bloom since the weekend, and today I took some pictures.

Reposting: Shabbat Shalom Cross Stitch

I have been working on some cross-stitch designs for Memory Imprints. The other day, while looking for more graph paper, I came across a box in my home studio, full of old cross stitch designs that I worked on back in the 1990s, from sketches to patterns, and even found this finished piece of counted cross stitch from my own design.  Back in 2010 I posted a photo of this piece, but this time I took a picture of the actual embroidery. I have no idea why it has been in a box all this time, but I plan to frame and hang it as soon as I can.

Two Rhododendron Blossoms (with Prisma filter)

Here's one more image of rhododendron, currently blooming all over town. Here is a photo of two rhododendron blossoms, with a Prisma filter added. This may look like a tropical paradise, but these are growing in my own yard.  

Looking Up at Rhododendron (with Prisma filter)

Yesterday's post was a photo of rhododendron in my front yard. Today I tried a Prisma filter on the same image, and here it is.

Looking Up at Rhododendron

The rhododendron in my front yard are finally blooming, very welcome but long overdue.  I looked up  and took this picture.

Pink Rhododendrons

The pink rhododendrons in the front yard have finally decided to bloom.  This morning, I took some pictures.

Cross Stitch Pattern Rose (as of June 9, 2020)

I have been working on some cross-stitch patterns. This is my "Rose" pattern, with colors worked out on graph paper with Sharpie markers.  This is a project for Memory Imprints.

Little Rose Cross-Stitch Design

I am working on a cross-stitch design for Memory Imprints .  The project is a simple design with a name, a border, and a bit of decoration. In this case, the name is Rose (my mother-in-law's name) and I want to use roses to decorate the design.  So I designed this little rose pattern using Sharpie markers on graph paper.  

Rough Sketch for Cross-Stitch Design: Rose

This is a rough sketch for another cross-stitch pattern I have been working on.  My mother-in-law was named Rose.  This is going to be a project for Memory Imprints. 

Reposting: Edge of Lake in New Hampshire (Oil Bar Painting)

This is the last of the five paintings we brought home from my husband's office at the University of New Hampshire.  This is a view of one of the lakes that you see on the commute to Durham. This is oil bar on canvas (20" x 20"). Now all five paintings will be headed up to the studio at Porter Mill.

Reposting: River and Mill (Oil Bar Painting)

This is the fourth of the paintings we brought home from my husband's office at the University of New Hampshire.  This is a painting of the mill buildings, the site of the campus in Manchester, New Hampshire.  This is oil bar on canvas, 20" x 20".

Reposting: Path and Footbridge (Oil Bar Painting)

This is the third of five paintings we brought home from my husband's office at the University of New Hampshire. (He is retiring.) This is a footbridge near the student center.  This is oil bar on canvas, 20" x 20"

Reposting: River and Bridge (Oil Bar Painting)

Here is another of the oil bar paintings that we brought home from my husband's office at the University of New Hampshire.  I painting these for a show at the Manchester campus. This is a view of the Merrimack River in Manchester, NH.

Reposting: Woods in Durham, New Hampshire (Oil Bar Painting)

My husband is retiring this semester.  (He is a Professor of Political Science and Public Administration, and as I like to say, teaching "Advanced Cynicism" and "General Despair".)  Today we drove up to the University of New Hampshire in Durham to clear out his office and turn in the key.  We retrieved five of my oil bar paintings -- all of New Hampshire scenes -- that have been on his office wall for years. I plan to take them up to the studio at Porter Mill.  This painting is actually of the trees on the UNH campus.  

Sketch for Cross-Stitch Pattern: Ruth

Today I made this rough sketch, a design for a cross-stitch pattern.  This is going to be a project for Memory Imprints. My mother's name was Ruth, and I am going to create a border using lilacs, her favorite flower. To be continued. . .