couldn't help but play with the sketch...

Gee, it doesn't take much to make me happy!

2nd Advent sketch

2nd Sunday of December, 2nd Advent before Christmas. Makes me think back to childhood when there was a fuss over these days before the 24th.

Quick sketch of the lights over the breakfast nook. Brought some cedar in and laid it on...smells lovely. Not much time for better drawing due to the last of marking this morning. Never a fun time judging the work of students. Some tried hard and just didn't get there, others with tons of ability just did not push it. Others surprise me, and some sadly disappoint me. I have never found putting a number on something so complex easy and even frustrating. Part of marking is science, the other alchemy. The science part is the math, the numbers. When added up they don't always reflect the complete picture. That's when the alchemy as I like to call it kicks in. I stand back, take in the big picture and go with my gut. My gut has been correct more times than the math. I balance the two. With all these years of teaching, you would think it gets easier, but instead it becomes more complex as I am aware of subtlies that experience reveals.

Christmas Decorations

This year I am determined to do at least one study a day of the decorations. It's a beautiful time around here. Work is keeping me from getting lights out but there's a tree in the shed waiting to come in, the Nutcracker is back up in the balcony in his house and hopefully I can get big wreath up on the house this weekend. I'm getting tired of tripping over a big pile of boughs in the basement.

This is a sketch I came across today done many years ago of decorations around the front closet doors.

Basset Hound Studies

I needed to do some studies of Basset Hounds for a project. Where else to go but the web. Mind you I would have prefered a read model but with time constraints the web has been a life saver.