T stands for....spring or not?

 I missed out last week for the T party, as my car decided it's time for a new one. But here I am with last week's post.

I met dragons during my lunchbreak last week. I love spending my break in the local cemetary. it seems weird, but it's really nice there: quiet (dead people don't talk ;)), lots of birds and lizards to watch, nice benches in the sun or in the shadow, where I can sit and draw/paint.

This time I tried a Chaffinch with minimal watercolor equipment. Love how it turned out.

Although we got some very cold temps, the hedgehogs woke up from hibernation and are back on the terrace to feed on mealworms.

And here's the proof, that I also paint other things than birds. *LOL*

These will be made into greeting cards.

During the few warm days last week, I tested some new BBQ equipment and it worked great. Tasty meat, sausages and veggies.Yum! Love to use this BBQ table like an outdoor kitchen.

And after the BBQ is finished, there is still enough heat to make a nice coffee. The Bialetti works great for that, too, although one has to be careful with the plastic handle, so it doesn't melt.

Sharing with T stands for.... by Bleubeard and Elizabeth.

T stands for....steam juicer!

 Welcome and Happy T Day!

Just for the protocol, that I also draw other things than just birds. *LOL*  I got myself two very nice books about drawing flowers with fineliner and I really like them. Here's a Foxglove.

A dear friend brought me a stack of worn-out jeans in some lovely colors. That's perfect, as I plan on some Christmas gifts made from recycled jeans.

I love jeans, as they are sturdy and you can make so many things from them. Here are some examples. That was a wall hanging for my niece, made from her favorite jeans. It has pockets to put in small things, so it's also a kind of organizer.

I love this cushion pattern and have sewn it several times.

Denim fabric is the perfect fabric for thick oven mitts.

I also made many bags from old jeans, spiced up with details made from colorful fabric.

You can also use it for sturdy quilts and blankets. I also made several of these blankets and gave them away as gifts.

I really love sewing things from hexagons, but sadly I couldn't find pictures of the seat cushion I made for our garden bank. But you get the idea.

And for qualifying for the T party, I share something drink related. I got my self a steam juicer. Why? With the new garden and its berry bushes and neighbors with lots of fruit trees, I get a lot of fruit during summer and fall. Yes, one can make jam and jelly, give it away to family and friends, but who should eat all the jam? So my thought was to make juice from most of the fruit, as I drink a lot of it, mixed with water.

Sharing with T stands for....by Bleubeard and Elizabeth!

Friday Face Off (FFO): Cynthia the Song Thrush

 On Bluesky (and formerly on other platforms) I follow many bird and nature photographers and one of them is Aintright, who takes beautiful photos of European songbirds and many others. One of my favourites is "Cynthia the Song Thrush" (all bird species have names and I love this fact). She's an absolute beauty and I love to sketch her, although I have to admit, that her markings are really challenging to capture.

Sharing this post with Nicole's Friday Face Off (FFO).

T stands for....wasps and willows!

Monday morning and I needed a "real coffee", I mean one from a Moka Express, with the typical noise and heavenly smell and all. 

Not much on the drawing table lately, but I finished this little bookmark. I had it sketched out for quite a while, but only colored it last week. It's Grey Heron. I love to make bookmarks from paper cutoffs, which otherwise would go to the bin.

While I'm not much at the drawing table, I spent a lot of time in the garden, as the weather was nice and warm last week. I spotted the first wild bee burrows. I have a slope in my garden and during spring and summer, the whole slope is covered with burrows and a cloud of flying bees in all sizes. Amazing how these small creatures can dig these holes into our clay soil, which is hard as concrete, when dry.

And for those, who aren't already in love with those little souls: Here's a male Hairy-Footed Flower Bee (Anthophora plumipes). Isn't he gorgeous and cute? And it's perfectly clear, why they are called "hairy-footed".

And since these beauties fly very early in spring, it's essential that they find something to eat. Besides crocus and many other early bloomers, willows offer lots of food. Gladly I planted some of them in my hedgerow. Look at these colors!

And there are lots of other species foraging on the willows. And yes, that's a wasp. But one of the Polistinae family, which are much more relaxed than the pesty little members of the Vespinae family. "Feldwespen", as they are called in German, don't go after your breakfast. ;)

Sharing this post with Bleubeard and Elizabeth for T stands for.... Happy T Day!

 

T stands for....ink and pen

You know, that I sketch a LOT of birds (and occassionally some other animals or things). I do oit while watching tv or being on the phone, in boring meetings or while sitting on a park bench.

I mostly use a pencil for these sketches and am able to correct a wrong line. Every now and then the only pen available is a fineliner or a fountain pen. I decided I need to practice this a bit more: sketching things without the possibility to erase.

This Eurasian Wren is very small and done with a calligraphy pen.

Some days ago I filled a whole page with garden birds, while watching tv and using a fountain pen with black sketching ink. Not all turned out good, proportions off etc., but overall I  love them.

Robin is always easy and recognisable due to the markings.

And so is the Wren. Technically only an orb with a beak and a tail. That's how I started to learn drawing birds and I found such simple how-to's like this one by John Muir Laws very helpful, as talent is not everything and practice is the key.

The same is the Long-Tailed Tit, which is also only an orb with a long tail and a short beak. A fellow birder told me, that most birds only need very few lines to be recognisable and he is true.

And now for the drink to join in on Bleubeard and Elizabeth's T stands for....: A co-worker gave me this Pumpkin Spice Tea. It smelled good, but like many teas, it didn't hold what it was promising. :( Hope your tea experience was better today!

Friday Face Off: Guinea Fowl

 I'm a bit late to Friday Face Off, but here we go. In March I do a drawing challenge called #animalmarch and there's a prompt to paint every day.

Guinea Fowls are fun birds with beautiful coloring on their heads and gorgeous dotted feathers.

I painted these on some cardboard strips, that I get from a friend. They are used for marking transport boxes and are thrown in the bin after single use (there's often only a number on the back).

I've already drawn a  lot of animals on them and hope you like my entry for FFO. Thanks, Nicole for hosting!

T stands for....the coffee discussion and a new (old) watercolor set!

About two years ago I changed my employer and shortly after I brought home my private office things, including a Winsor & Newton Sketcher's Pocket Box, this beautiful little watercolor set went missing.

After waiting for two years for it to show up again, I finally gave in and bought a new one, when it was on sale. (I expect the old one showing up any time soon.:D)

I also ordered some Clairefontaine watercolor paper, as it was highly recommended to me by an online art friend.

New colors and new paper all in one is always a challenge, but here we go with a familiar topic: Birds! Starting with rough pencil sketches,....

....then adding some watercolor. Always keeping in mind, that....

....these are only sketches and not finished paintings.

Really love how this little Blue Tit turned out.

Great Tit.

And now for the coffee discussion and my entry ticket to "T stands for....". What's your favorite way to make coffee? A fully automatic bean to cup machine? A filter machine? Or the classic Italian Moka Express? Please share!