From Where I Sit & Paint

My sunny space and quiet corner.

May Journal Pages... and a Speed Painting

My journal pages, prepped for the week.

Ducks are my favorite.  :-)

Speed Painting by JennyFrith on Youtube

Happy Monday!

Happy Mother's Day

Thank You Mom from Michael Marantz on Vimeo.

Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful mommas and like-a-moms out there!

I made my mom a blue bird card with a love note inside.

I am thankful for my mom's gentleness and goofiness and love for Jesus.

. . .

What do you appreciate most about your Mom?

Pet Portrait in Progress

I've been working on a Labrador Retriever named Emma, 

all the way from Finland.

My watercolor tools include:

 Schmincke watercolor pan

 watercolor brushes

 mason jars (one for clean water, one for dirty)

 teal toolbox
 portable drawing lamp

 paper towel

 kitchen table

 Arches watercolor block

 and a sweet reference photo

I posted some of these images a few days ago on Instagram.

I'm under jennyfrith, if you want to join me there. :)

May Journal Pages

My journal ventured outside with me this weekend....

Spring reminds me to have hope.

"Hope is patience with the lamp lit." 

- Tertullian -

And the winner is.....

The winner chosen at random is 

Cinder from New York!

Cinder, please email me your mailing address at:

jennifer @ jennys-sketchbook.com (no spaces).

Thank you SO much everyone for the sweet comments.

You all made my day.

I hope to have more fun give-aways soon.

xoxo

Happy Friday, friends!

Thank You Give-Away

You all are wonderful and so supportive of this little blog.  

I don't express nearly enough how grateful I am for you visiting.

To say "thanks",

I would like to giveaway the following goodies to one lucky winner:  

* * *

A Cahier French notebook.

The spring 2013 issue of Art Journaling Magazine

(Pictured here are pages from Pam Carriker's journal.)

A pretty little date stamp.

And ephemera from my own paper collection.

* * *

To enter, leave a comment here with your name.

Contest ends on Friday.  

I'll announce the winner then.  :) 

****  Comments are now closed. I"ll announce the lucky winner at 8pm, EST (May 3rd)  **** 

Spring Journal Pages

This week's pages, 

prepped with magazine clippings.

...

And a sneak peak at an upcoming giveaway.  :)

Gratitude Journal - Road Tripping

This past weekend, my little family & I packed up my car 

and headed out to visit Jason's mom in West Virginia.

It takes us just about 6 hours to travel from PA to WV.

But our mini-getaway was a breath of fresh air.  

Jason drove both ways.  

I was grateful to be able to clear my head and watch the scenery from my seat,

my feet propped up and my pillow tucked by my shoulder.

We took turns spotting cows and sheep and silly billboards.

(I think I have the best mother-in-law too; she makes us not want to come home.)

journal pages in watercolor and ink

My heart was full.

I can't think of anyone else with whom I'd rather be "stuck traveling".

...

Do you do road-trips?  Where to?  

Inspiration - Real Beauty Sketches

RSS subscribers can see the video here:  

Real Beauty Sketches from Dove

Emiko

Thank you, everyone, for the sweet congratulatory comments.

I have a little something up my sleeve to celebrate soon - stay tuned. :)

. . .

In other news, I've been working on a portrait of a  

Llasa Apso named Emiko.

I was asked by a friend to draw her.

Emiko sadly passed away not too long ago.

From what I can tell, Emiko was dearly loved by her whole family.

It is such an honor to be able to memorialize her.

I hope it helps to bring back warm memories of sweet snuggles.

. . .

"The best and most beautiful things 

in the world cannot be seen, nor touched,

but are felt in the heart."  

- Helen Keller - 

Art Journaling Magazine

I'm so excited to share with you that my Gratitude Pages have been published 

in the April 2013 issue of Art Journaling Magazine. 

It's packed with great artists.  

How cool to be printed alongside them.

(I might just have to have another giveaway soon to celebrate! ;))

These were some my favorite artists from the magazine:

...

Tina Koyama

http://tina-koyama.blogspot.com/

Patti Sokol

http://www.pattisokol.com/

Julie Valentine

http://thereddragonfly.blogspot.com/

Carrie Todd

http://www.mystudio13.com/

....

You can purchase the magazine at Stampington.com and your local bookstores.

There are lots of goodies and tips inside.

Happy Journaling!

April Journal Pages

My usual supplies:

 watercolors, white ink, and washi-tape.

♥

"She stood in the storm, and when the wind 

did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails."

- Elizabeth Edwards - 

Is it Kind? Is it Helpful? Is it True?

watercolor and white ink in my 3x5" Handbook Journal

Last week's journal pages.

(My writing is blotted out this week.  I didn't want to bore anyone with my everyday, life stresses!)

...

I used to get frustrated with myself because I think so deeply about lots of different things:

politics, people, planning, etc.

"Is it normal to think this much?"

While I definitely agree that analysis paralysis can be a real issue,

this is something incredibly magical about thinking...

After all,  great actions spring from our hearts and our thoughts.  

So I'm going to keep thinking,

and keep doing.  

♥ 

What reminders or guidelines would you add to your "thinking list"?

The Most Musical Person I Know

My grandfather has always been the most musical person I know.

I've posted before about how much he means to my family and me.

As a kid, I remember him bursting into joyous songs from The Music Man. 

I remember him taking us grandkids to deafening Scottish Bagpipe festivals.   

Even up into his 80s, he played his clarinet in marching bands with big, barrel-chested pride.

He has recently moved to a nursing home, and

I am responsible for carrying out his end-of-life wishes.

While it is an honor, it has also been a trying, hectic time for me.

In the midst of going through his important paperwork, I found old pictures, letters, and poems.

No drawings or paintings.  But still, they were pictures of his life. 

It reminded me to slow down, 

to not let the unimportant things get to me as much and as often...

 to enjoy the music and rhythm of life.  

"Of all the music that reached farthest into heaven,

It is the beating of a loving heart."

- Henry Ward Beecher -
...

Who has brought music into your life?  

Pet Portrait, in Progress

I've been working on a dear, sweet Llasa Apso named Emiko.

...

Wishing you all a Happy Easter!

Sketchbook Journal - March Pages

Last week's pages, all filled in.

I used scraps of paper, watercolor, washi tape...

and a quote to help me get through a silly frustration.

I'm also a big fan of Handbook Journals.

Do you have a favorite quote to help you deal with every day annoyances?

Bookmarked

How have you guys been?
I've got a case of the sniffles. 
I plan to stay in my PJ's and read as much as I can today.

If you are looking for some new reading material,
here are a few blogs and such that make me happy: 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Grit & Grace

www.pinterest.com/robertsdesi/grit-and-grace/

a Pinterest board by Desi Anders

Gustavo Aimar

www.gustavoaimar.blogspot.com

mixed media artist & illustrator

Beatrice Alemagn

http://thetopsyturvybook.tumblr.com/

author and illustrator

Paisley Farm
http://paisleyfarm.blogspot.com/
pretty illustrations and quilts

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Enjoy!