A Springtime Doodle and Collage

Halloooou out there! Hope this post finds everyone getting a little bit of springtime sun.  This is our 2nd day of sun and it's been wonderful!  No flowers to show you yet and tomorrow it's back to cold rain again.  I learned my lesson the hard way not to plant flowers until April.  Living in So. California most of my life, I always planted anytime I wanted to.  Not so now!  Just last week it was still freezing in the early mornings.  I won't be putting anything new into the garden this year but I can pot up some nice blooms to enjoy.

The balmy day inspired another doodle girlie, Goddess Tara.  I did her on plain white paper with my usual prisma colored pencils.  The black liner is a copic multiliner .05.  You know I always have fun doing these quickies and she helps satisfy my need for blooming flowers...

I've been in the studio working a little bit on my art journal cover.  I found a piece of cardboard that already folded over like a binder and decided to use that instead of cheerio boxes.  So far I have...

 Gessoed.  Cheerios and strawberries anyone?

 Added decorative tape - $1 from Michael's - and craft paint.

 Glued on pieces of old painted papers and copies of art...

Gessoed a bit around the edges of the 1st layer before adding more papers...

I will just keep building from here and then do some doodling on top of it all.  Not crazy about it so far but I should wait to see how it progresses before getting discouraged I suppose.  So far I couldn't sew on this cover, the cardboard is too thick.  I'll save that technique for the next one or the pages inside maybe?

I've been very busy with my physical therapy and not doing too much afterwards for fear of a flare up.  I did manage to take a drive up an old wagon road after my P.T. yesterday.  Here are a few shots...

 End of the trail.

 Looking down on Lookingglass and Melrose areas.  The Cascade mountain range is in the distance.

 Check out that blue sky!

This one hurts my soul - clearcut logging practices.

Some of the logged areas are so bad it makes me physically sick.  There is a law in place requiring them to replant but it seems like they take forever to do it and the sides of the mountains are so steep that sometimes it just doesn't get done.  When they do replant, the seedlings are just a tiny 12" to 18" tall.  Don't even get me started...!  I need to have a serious talk with the forest fairies on this one!

I'm still working on my gorilla art plan and went to Eugene this last weekend for Montana spray paint and huge paint markers.  They were all on sale at the University of Oregon art dept. store!  More on that project later...  

Thank all you lovely creatures for stopping by for a peek and leaving your encouraging and fun comments. I appreciate them sooooo much!!!  It's taking me a tiny bit longer these days to check out all your new blog posts but I will get there eventually.

If you can't get out into the garden or do a little potting yet, maybe you too can create a little bit of Spring blossoming in your art.

Keep the pen and colors flowing 'til next time!

Forever in art, Jessica