Illustration Lovers

I received a nice little shout out from Illustration Lovers a nifty site featuring neato illustrators on a daily basis. Check it out!

xoxo

For I have no friends

Dollface LaLa

Promote Your Page Too

I contemplated making a Facebook Fan page for a while and here it is. I have zero fans. Is there anybody out there?

When Insomnia Hits

The really cool thing about insomnia is not only do I get all this extra time in my life, I am super productive as well! Here are some drawings done in the wee hours of the night, somewhere between 1-4:30am...

But this is how I feel the next day, sorta seeing in 3d but without the glasses...with 5 hours of sleep every night.

I can get a bit grouchy the next day...you would too if your balloons were minuscule.

Is it wrong that these faces are inspired by my kid? (she is 3 years old)

Don't ask me how I can draw such a happy image when feeling sorta zombie-ish.

As I was drawing I also was watching "The Alaska Experiment, Out of the Wild" and got totally addicted to this series on Netflix...about surviving in the wilderness....where the people were starving and eating mice and squirrels and porcupine.

Hope you enjoyed the work of an insomniac...lets see what I come up with tonight/tomorning!

New Fun Things at Shoppe

I finally got around to uploading some new paper goods & a precious trinket box at my illustration shoppe! It is kinda fun to make things from my artwork and I am really stalling on making some cloth dolls but that is next on my list! (It has been about 13 years since I last made a doll!) P.S More trinket boxes to come!

xoxo

My collection of heads.

These prints are available at the Dollface LaLa shoppe!

Summer Containers

Summer is almost here and I picked up a couple of young plants for my containers. The squash decided to flower this week.

I am using a self watering technique with a water bottle. Cut the bottle, turn it upside down, cut some drainage holes and create a water tray and there you have it. The container is not very handsome but you can always dress it up by putting it in a fancy pot.

The strawberry is next on the transplant list.

The youngsters happily in their previous little seedling pots.

I enjoy container gardening. It is a great way to grow something if you are short on space and the soil is suspect (or if you have 2 untrustworthy mongrels). I actually like to visit with the plants and water them daily, but in case I am busy painting away and forget a day, the self watering container is a real prince.

Somewhere a Cat is Waiting

This painting was inspired by my beloved cat Coco who no longer walks this earth plane. He was my dearest and loyal cat. All black... he was a skinny flea bag kitten who I adopted from a lady in front of the grocery store. She had 4 all black kittens and Coco was the runt of the litter but grew to be big and healthy with a luxurious coat of shiny black fur. He was loving and hug-able!

This is my actual amulet and locket of Coco with bits of his hair on the other side.

Loosing him was rather depressing...This book by Derek Tangye "Somewhere a Cat is Waiting" helped me get through the loss. A wonderful book about life with cats and the lessons they can teach us about life and loss. And exactly a month after Coco passed a cat was waiting for me. I was on a temporary assignment at Disney Studios and a coworker suggested I accompany her to the pet store. There sat in a cage was a big beautiful tom cat, with gray striped markings, white paws and green eyes. He was left in a box that morning. He left with me that day. He was big and hug-able! ...That was 9 years ago and he is curled up under my desk as I type. I have no idea how old he really is, but he has lost his girth over the years so I am guessing he is elderly now. He has grown a bit ornery but I need to remind myself that he is really is a good cat and I must be
sweeter to him.

Oliver, doing what he does best.
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I often think about my Coco. Cats are magical creatures so Im sure that he is with me at times...well...that topic is for another post.

Cat Girl - A Transformation

See my little Cat Girl transform from a sketch to a oil painting...(going back in time)

2-3 additional layers of color glazing & details...voila! She is brought to life.

Dead layer to even out the warm tones...


A layer in red tones to further define

Layer in warm tones to get the shadows down

Loose sketch directly on panel

Photography at the Shoppe

I spent most of the day uploading my nostalgic photography to the main Sandee Rose Shoppe. Now it is time for a cat nap before I start painting and my little ladies come home....

Back to the Sea...

Some works in progress that are inspired by the sea.

Above the girls are in the under-painting stage...I started the painting below in acrylic but have since switched over to oils, which is a superior medium for blending and getting a dreamier look.

I will post the next layers and stages as soon as they are ready to be revealed!

One can't help but to think about our oceans lately...I have been quite inspired by the ocean and all its creatures so I will be doing a series of these paintings...Back to the Sea.


We need to be better stewards of our beautiful oceans...

When we went up North

Here are some pictures from our trip up the coast to wine country.

We came upon this charming little town.

It wasn't a fancy town...

But it did have this doll house that called out to me...

and an old Hotel that I like to imagine is haunted...

So many stories and lives must have gone through this place.

As well as through this old stage coach station.

Our hotel did have a sky view, and a view of the surrounding hills.

It was really nice to get away from the hustle of Los Angeles and get a little quite time to relax and hear the ocean.

The Ocean which has been on the minds of many lately.... which will be the inspiration of my next series of paintings....Stay tuned.