Scribble Picnic: Forest

I'm sure this sweet illustration isn't a surprise! For those of you who know me, I LIVE to draw the forest with darling woodland animals living life, celebrating every tiny joy along the way. I've drawn quite a few bears in the past but never a poppa and his sweet cub. He's a keeper for sure!

The snow is gently falling for the first time this winter here in Kentucky. It's quite beautiful experiencing snow in a different state for the first time in about 10 years. I love it. It's magical and I feel sweet little stories rising up in my creative soul on this cold, wintry Thursday morning. I love the beauty and wonder that comes with the snowflakes tumbling down. Although I'm not a fan of the cold temperatures, it's perfect for snuzzling up with hot water bottles and sipping tea.

This week, I'm bringing some of my yummy warm, hand-made raisin scones with strawberry jam to Michael's Scribble Picnic. I do hope you enjoy them!

Mr. Muffles' Journey

Mr. muffles fast asleep on this chilly Autumnal evening. He will soon rise in the early morning hours and make his way to Waddlingham (A village on the edge of Hollowbrook) to pick and store berries before the winter months arrive...

Just a sweet little peek at an illustration I've been working on for awhile now. I'm (sadly) not producing as much work right now recovering from my fractured spine. Some days it hurts to breathe! I'm 5 weeks in and although some things have improved, there's still alot of pain in my upper back where the fracture is. I've got several months to go for a full healing. It's challenging as I don't enjoy sitting around and resting but I'm learning every time I get up just how important it is to stay in bed in order to recover. Oh dear.

Wishing a lovely weekend and upcoming week to each of you. I promise to visit everyone when I'm strong enough to sit and write for awhile. x

Scribble Picnic: Double

My quick contribution to Michael's Scribble Picnic theme this week....double (or jolt! You choose).

For me, I chose double. Do you see it? ;)

I'm slowly healing. My injured tailbone is doing much better but my upper back where the fractured spine is, isn't doing terribly well. The past three days have been quite uncomfortable due to the pain and difficulty breathing in. I'll continue to rest, although it's so hard for me to stay in one place all of the time. In fact, this past weekend I participated in a local barn affair event. I did well selling almost everything....but I set myself back. Bed rest, says, Michael James. No matter what.

Oy Baby steps...

Scribble Picnic: Bottle....and then some!

It's hard for me to get comfortable these past few weeks due to the pain from a recent fall. A week ago this past Friday, I slipped and fell down my parents' front steps, fracturing my spine and jamming my tailbone. NOT fun, let me tell you. For those of you who know me, regardless of the pain, it's been hard for me laying around, cooped up inside. Oh dear me...

Well, despite this bit of a setback (as my recovery is going to take months to fully heal) my heart is still dreaming BIG! There are so many projects I’ve been working on over the last several months and I can’t wait to share these with you...including something oober special Michael and I are developing as a couple. Speaking of my fanTABulous husband....he's been so wonderful, waiting on me constantly. Ice...heat....tea....little cakes...ice....heat...etc. It's definitely been challenging for us since our recent move but he's muddling his way through and coming out shining like the brightest diamond! He's my everything and I am so grateful to have him by my side! OOomwah, my love!

Unfortunately, I'm unable to attend the beautiful, Autumnal Scribble Picnic in person this week but I'll be sure so send along my "famous" raisin scones with a bit of clotted cream and strawberry jam with Michael....well...if he doesn't eat them all before he arrives!! (wink)

Much love to everyone! xo

PS The above illustration is available as a 5x5 print for only $10 + shipping. If you'd love to add this beauty to your collection, please email me at a_macvean1@yahoo.com.

Hello Fall and wooly clothes!

Autumn is officially here. The temperatures have been so incredibly cool and perfect for wooly socks, fuzzy scarves and warm boots. This is my favorite time of year...for wearing such comfy clothes and drawing the most adorable woodland creatures.

Here's to a wonderful weekend to each of you and the most beautiful Autumn you've ever had.

Children and Art

It truly is a blessing to teach art. This past weekend I created worksheets to help children understand and learn the basics of drawing faces. Every one of them did an amazing job and it was exciting to see them light up as they drew their own version of little faces!

If you had told me a year ago I would be teaching art, I probably would have smiled and said, "uh huh, yeah right." I'm so thankful to be where I'm at in my career. It means a lot to have the opportunity to teach and impact the kids within the community here. My heart is so thankful to my husband, Michael, who taught me all I know about art and design in general. After my terrible car accident back in 2014, everything in life changed and that's when I started this journey down the path of children's illustration. Wonders never cease.

2018 Inktober

Michael I are already preparing for this year’s inktober hosted by the talented Jake Parker. I’m looking forward to sharing with you this year’s theme. For now, enjoy this little 1-minute fairy doodle I did a few days ago from the window of Harden coffee. He’s a keeper for a magical story in the future!

For those asking, I used my Golden Global Arts handbook sketchbook and my Manuscript Pen Company drawing & mapping dip pen set with their acrylic ink. Got any other questions about the products I use? Feel free to leave those in the comments below and I'll answer them as quickly as possible.

HINTS & TIPS: Always use Indian ink if you plan to paint over your illustration later as it will not run or bleed.

Special NEWS: Hello, Fall!

I'm thrilled to share with you a recent design project I worked on for a fabulous local shop here in the quaint, cute and growing town of Campbellsville, Kentucky - Yellow Rose & Company.

The owner and I met at her cozy space, lattes in hand, and chatted about a number of design projects I'll be creating for her adorable shop and this is one of them. This adorable Happy Fall design is not only available on the softest, coziest tee around, but it can purchased as a print as well (which includes the adorable orange gingham pattern on some of the pumpkins show below.)

Keep an eye for more news on this special collaboration and the my holiday designs. Until then, you can grab your very own t-shirt over on the Yellow Rose & Company website!

Enjoy a peek at the wonderful process of screen printing my Hello Fall design on tees. :)

sdf

A little cat garden

A little break to quickly sketch a cat idea....here’s Hamilton hiding out in his owner’s garden from the neighbor’s dog, Pickles. I'm still working through a few book deadlines so will pop in here as often as I can. xo

New Life. New Creative Journey

I've a brief moment to write a quick post. Truthfully, I'd be working away if it wasn't for the need to charge my iPad and iPencil! Ha! Regardless, it's great to pop in here to say hello since it's been almost 2 months since my last post! Oh dear. I promise to try to write more after this week.

As most of you now know, Michael and I have relocated from Colorado to Kentucky for various reasons, so it has been a bit of a whirlwind with my children's book work and now teaching classes. (Let alone everything that comes with moving across the country in the first place!)

Every weekend I teach both a KIDS and ADULT workshop and thoroughly enjoy it. My heart has discovered just  how much I love teaching! It's a blessing to see such joy on the faces of those learning to draw and paint. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to share my talent and skills with those around me here.

I'm off to finalize the last few illustrations of one of the two children's books I've been working on - The Ripple. For more about it, you can take a peek over at the Clear Fork Publishing website.

Scribble Picnic: Hot Dog

Scrambling still with deadlines but here's my quick contribution for this week's Scribble Picnic theme, hot dog. My popular dachshunds in a little pattern with scarfs representing mustard and ketchup. Hee

For more wonderful contributions to Michael's weekly art co-op, hop on over to his cozy blog for more.

Scribble Picnic: Stars

I'm finally back home in Colorado! Michael is more than thrilled to have me home....as is our sweet puppy! There's still a lot of work to do and deadlines creeping up quickly so will have my creative head (and heart) buried for the next several weeks.

With that said, I'm quickly jumping on board for this week's Scribble Picnic theme - stars. This is Leo....and he loves to sing sweet songs to his cuddly bunny.

OK, I'm off to have a little dinner and then a cup of tea while visiting everyone.

Scribble Picnic: Crunchy

Crunchy.....what's better than an elephant crunching on red apples? Hee Hee This little guy came together out of the blue yesterday. I'm currently with my parents in Kentucky again, as I'm teaching KIDS art classes. (Read more about that in my post here.) Last night we were hit with a horrible storm, resulting in not just losing power but phone lines and more. Without access to anything in the country, I curled up on the sofa and just explored doodling with textures and patterns with Procreate on my iPad. He turned out incredibly adorable, don't you think?.....and a perfect fit for this week's Scribble Picnic in Michael's backyard.

(PS I posted the incorrect version on IG but hey, he's still cute!)

Teaching Art

There's no greater joy to me than being able to work with kids one-on-one. These past few months I've had the opportunity to begin teaching art classes to both adults and kids. It's been a wonderful experience and let me tell you just how creative my students have been! Every weekend, those sweet little faces pop on in and we all have the time of our life!

Scribble Picnic: Classic Dragon

It's been quite some time since being a part of Scribble Picnic so I'm quite chuffed to be hopping back on board this week with the current theme, classic. What do I have to offer this week? Well, the classic Pete's Dragon, of course! I have loved this movie for as long as I can remember and still play, "Candle of the Water" on my piano from time to time.

I've decided to include the sketched version of where I started before choosing to color him in. He's more like a child/baby version of Pete's Dragon and still oh so very cute! Once he wakes up from his nap, he'll be sure to grab his favorite snacks - minced meat pies and a bag of apples!

For more wonderful contributions to Scribble Picnic, hop on over to Michael's cozy blog.

From my cozy home...

It's been quite awhile since I've been able to sit down and write a few words. Goodness it feels like life has been non-stop these past few months. So many good things happening...and sadly, some not-so-great things but my family will push through those and onto the other side for bigger and better things.

I've returned home to Colorado and enjoying some time with Michael, along with my mother and step-dad (aka poppa). It's been gorgeous weather overall and looking forward to showing them more of the beautiful Rocky Mountains before they return to Kentucky the beginning of June.

There are some pretty amazing art projects coming up and can't wait to share some awesome news! Until then, enjoy these Spring photos from outside our cozy home.

Much love to each of you! Thank you for sticking here with me through all of the changes going on.

Scribble Picnic: Pajamas

It's been awhile since I've been able to participate with Scribble Picnic and so glad I've had an opportunity to pop in for a quick bite and fellowship with everyone. I've missed all of you very much!

So, here's a little peek at what I think Michael looked like as a little boy, sneaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night for a snack in his pajamas. hee hee

For more wonderful contributions to this week's theme, pajamas, make sure to visit Michael and his blog.

Scribble Picnic: Start HARE

Oh gosh, I'm having way too many late nights lately...and tonight is one of them. It's 1:30 (Kentucky time) in the morning and I'm just squeezing in under the wire for getting my Scribble Picnic submitted for this week's theme - egg hunt! Phew!

Every year, the rabbits in Thickleberry Village holds their annual egg hunt. You surely don't want to miss it as one will find plenty of snacks and things to nibble on throughout the entire day. Uh huh. Including Mr. Puddlesworth's 3-Tier Vanilla cake filled with strawberry jam.  Mmmm

Here's to a wonderful picnic event and wishing everyone a wonderful Easter week/weekend!

Scribble Picnic: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Alexandra H. MacVean
 

Anna Marie loved to bake.

Her favorite was making a strawberry cake!

But today she was making

chocolate chip cookies,

in hopes to cheer up

her best friend, Susie.

To cream her butter,

she swooshed and swished.

Then tossed in the eggs and flour and mixed...

...and mixed and mixed until it was just right.

"Ahhh, that's it!" she said with a smile.

But oh, she mustn't forget the best part!

And she dropped in the chocolate,

with a dash of love

from the heart!

For more wonderful Scribble Picnic contributions of this week's theme, cream, make sure to visit Michael's blog! And as you can see, Anna Marie and I brought cookies to this week's picnic!

Scribble Picnic: Across the Universe

I've missed a few Scribble Picnic's with so much traveling going on. So, this week I'm jumping on board for the current theme, Across the Universe. As most of you know, Michael and I've been apart these past few weeks and I wanted to illustrate something that showed not only our love for each other but the fact that I know just how much he loves me. No matter how near or how far, he will always catch the moon and stars for me.

Scribble Picnic: I'll Always Be With You

...rain or shine, happy or sad, I’ll always be with you, said Mr. Tugglesworth. 💕

This week's Scribble Picnic theme was, "fill in the blank" and as Michael announced last week, everyone was to incoporate a rectangle into their art piece. Above is my contribution and if you look closely, you'll find a few rectangles here and there.

Little Lois was having a bad day as no one would come out to the special hideout and play. Mr. Tugglesworth was out for a stroll when he noticed Lois crying...and I'm sure you can imagine the story after that! 

I'm off to the picnic, bringing with me a cherry strudel and plenty of tea for everyone!

Scribble Picnic: Mushy Love

Scribble Picnic's mushy love....our house is full of mushy love on a daily basis as Michael is such a romantic and I love it. Hee Hee This little illustration is just a peek at all the things he does for me every day to show me just how much he loves me. I'm such a lucky girl and am so blessed to have him as my husband. He would jar up anything and everything he could, to show me the depths of his love!

This sketch/illustration was designed for the Manuscript Pen company in whom representing here in the US. I've a list of illustrations I'm creating for them to use across their social media platforms. You can see a video of me sketching Mr. Hedgehog by visiting my Instagram page.

Scribble Picnic: Let's Dance

The gang at Thickleberry Village had so much fun dancing and celebrating their newly found friend, Mr. Tussle, the rabbit. Isn't it wonderful to have good friends in life? Uh huh Maybe all of us here at Scribble Picnic can join them in their celebration? Come on - let's dance along and then afterwards, gather together for a wonderful evening feast of all sorts of goodies and delicious drinks.

For more wonderful contributions of this week's theme, make sure to pop on over to Michael's cozy blog and say hello to everyone!

Scribble Picnic: Tablecloth

Well, I'm not sure this really qualifies as a tablecloth anymore for this week's Scribble Picnic. Sigh. When I first started sketching this illustration, my idea was to have these cute little guys playing on a tablecloth outside in the grass. Somehow, my mind made changes along the way and now they're inside playing! Oops!

So, if you're OK with them still joining the picnic, here they are. They've got a lunch sack with peanut butter and jam sandwiches, chocolate chip cookies and a juice box I'm sure they'd be happy to share!

Scribble Picnic: Hot Chocolate

Every afternoon after school, Charlie would venture off into the woods behind his grandpa's house to play with his new friend, Olaf the bear. They loved playing hide-n-seek with Olaf's woodland friends. Afterwards, they would carry berries to the rabbits across the river, buckets of nuts to the squirrels and then shared delicious cups of hot chocolate at the end of the day. Charlie couldn't imagine his world without Olaf. He was the perfect friend...

With that said, please welcome Charlie and Olaf to the picnic. Olaf has brought his favorite peach cobbler pie while Charlie brought along a jug of his grandma's secret hot chocolate with a splash of peppermint. Mmmm.....divine! Me? Oh yes, I've packed a little basket of multiple goodies to make up for missing the last few picnics. There are mini raisin scones, chocolate croissants, snicker-doodles and my favorite....manchego cheese biscuits!

OK....hurry....it's getting a little nippy out. Grab your warm coats and cozy scarfs. Let's snuggle up around Olaf's warm fire and toast to a wonderful new year.

Maxine's New Friend & a Special Announcement

Maxine....she's not quite sure about that bear. Does he really just want to be friends? A cute doodle I started working on a little over a week ago. If you visit my Instagram, you can see where this illustration started compared to where it landed in its finished stage. Can you spot the differences? :)

In other news, I'm thrilled to announce that I'm now an Ambassador for the Manuscript Pen Company located in the U.K. Do you remember those daily sketches I did back in October of last year? Well, they love my work and I'm collaborating with them a bit more and will be attending some upcoming events with the first one in Dallas, Texas this coming March. I'm super excited and looking forward to sharing more about this in the coming days.

For now...happy Friday, everyone! Wishing you a lovely weekend.

Scribble Picnic: The Velveteen Rabbit

The Velveteen Rabbit children's story has been a longtime favorite of mine and although there are other fictional characters I love and have drawn a time or two, I decided to bring this story to life in my own way. I love dreaming and am confident this is how I keep my child-like heart alive within!

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of Michael's Scribble Picnic. It's wonderful to be challenged to not only come up with new ideas but the fellowship at each week's picnic is something to cherish. Thank you to each of you for your well wishes. It seems I'm finally on the uphill and should be fully on my feet by the end of the week. For now, I'm sad to miss the festivities of food and delicious drink this week as I must remain in bed resting, snuggling my hot water bottle...and dreaming new dreams for this year.

Hot Water Bottle Hugs...

I’ve spent the last 8 days hugging my hot water bottle here on the sofa. It’s not how I planned to start the new year but I’ve allowed this required “down time” to heal my creative heart/soul. Sometimes, we get too busy in life or overcome with worries and fear of all the ‘what ifs’... this year, may we live in the now and focus on loving ourselves and those around us. When we do, everything else will fall in place.

New Year doodles

As you all know, I'm horribly sick and have been housebound all week on the sofa, discovering yesterday at a doctor's appointment, that I've bronchitis. Yuck! So, for now, please enjoy these few doodles and I hope to return in a few days to share some thoughts on my heart and mind about the coming new year. Love to you all and thank you so much for your ongoing love and support. I'm truly, truly grateful for each of you!

Scribble Picnic: New Year!

We're back from our holiday visit to Kentucky with my family and I've spent the entire time on the sofa sick! Thank goodness I did my illustration just before leaving to fly back as I would have missed the new year prompt for Scribble Picnic with Michael and the gang!

Most of us tend to create resolutions for the new year....I thought it was fitting to create an illustration on "renewing love"...these two adorable hedgehogs are renewing their love for one another...something it seems our world is in more need of lately.

I've personally not made any resolutions at this point due to being sick. However, all this time on the sofa has allowed time to think about this new year and where I'd like to be or go, not just with my work but with family. 2017 brought many, many joys and blessings but it also brought some of the most stressful months near the last half of the year as well. I'm praying 2018 will be a bit gentler on us!

With that said, this gal is going to have to skip the picnic this week. I'll remain home under the covers sipping on lemon tea, eating salty potato chips and blowing my nose every 2 minutes! Ha! But please do enjoy Mr. & Mrs. Hedgehog as they have lots of yummy goodies to offer!