As I had hoped, sketching daily (or almost daily) has now become a habit. I look forward to it; I get grumpy if I don't get to sketch and it makes me happy when I do get to sketch.
Another thing that makes me happy is song sparrows. They are just so damn cheery, with that sweet little song and the jaunty way they sometimes hold their tails, as shown in this sketch. There's one living in a park next to the lot at work and every morning for the past month he's been singing his song as I get out of my car. There may still be snow on the ground, but he's like this one-bird cheerleading squad for spring.
I stumbled onto a new
art blog today by David G. Derrick, Jr. that just blows me away. He's a sculptor but I love this guy's loose sketches - so expressive! I envy how he totally captures the essence of the animal in so few strokes. He talked about going to the zoo and sketching. I wish we had a zoo nearby. Whenever we go to a city, that's pretty much the first thing I want to see - well, that and to gorge myself on ethnic food.
This whole past week has been glorious, and every day brings changes as Spring finally takes hold. Of note: early wildflowers such as biscuit-root, buttercups and yellowbells are blooming, and the spotted towhees are back.
