Tag: art

Maybe When You’re Older

Maybe When You’re Older

by doodleplix ♥ 2 Comments

I recently started drawing Custom Pet Portraits.  I had forgotten how much people and families love their pets.  Their pets are like family members.  Dogs and cats provide companionship, comfort and a lot of fun.  Growing up, our family had two dogs and my sisters and my husband had cats in college.  Unfortunately, the two dogs and one of the cats met an untimely demise.  Trigger, our golden retriever simply went missing one day.  Hermie, our miniature schnauzer suffered an accidental death.  Piggy the cat never woke up.  Sooza and LiLi developed cancer and had to be put down.  My husband’s cat Saby just left the house and never came back.  I was traumatized by these events.  I haven’t gotten over the pain of losing them.  Even though I love animals, I haven’t been able to get another dog.

My kids are always asking for a dog and I keep telling them “maybe when you are older…”  However, they do play with their friends’ pets all the time.  It is sort of like having fun without the responsibility.

The pets I have illustrated are all so cute.  You can find them below and at my Etsy shop.  Doodleplix Custom Pet Portraits

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Doors

Doors

by doodleplix ♥ 1 Comment

Doors are intriguing and mysterious.  Doors lead to curiosity… What’s behind that beautiful door?  Is the house or building as amazing as the door itself?  Are the people who live here as wonderful as the door?  Doors are like book covers.  You can’t judge a book by its cover.  And you can’t judge a building by its doors.

On a recent trip to India, I was amazed at all the doors I saw.  They ranged from very ornate to very simple.  The first door featured below is from a courtyard at the Amber Palace in Jaipur.  The color and intricate design makes this my favorite door.

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Grand door at the Amber Palace, Jaipur

 

Here are some of the other fantastic doors:

 

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Door at the City Palace Museum, Jaipur

 

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One of the many doors at the Amber Palace, Jaipur
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Door to the library at the Gandhi Museum, New Delhi
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Traditional Indian door at the Gandhi Museum, New Delhi

 

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Door at Humayun’s Tomb, New Delhi
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Door to a handicraft emporium flanked by Dragons, Connaught Place, New Delhi

 

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Intricate stone carving atop a door to the City Museum, Jaipur
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Beautifully carved door at the Amber Palace, Jaipur

While I was marveling at the art and craftsmanship of all the doors we saw…my kids’ favorite door was the one to the Dessert Refrigerator!

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Doors to the Dessert Refrigerator, Novotel Aerocity, New Delhi

 

Trying It

Trying It

by doodleplix ♥ 8 Comments

When was the last time you tried something new?  Something you never imagined you would do or even like?  The last new thing for me was becoming a vegan three years ago.  So, it had been a long since I did something new until a few months ago.  My husband kept bugging me to try art classes at the Art Museum.  My response to him was “Meh…”  I thumbed my nose at the idea.  I liked my comfort zone and didn’t want to leave.  Then he left the colorful brochure from the museum on my desk.  I was signing up the kids for art classes and ended up reading about the adult classes.  I  signed up for a paper art class.  I am an artist and illustrator.  I knew nothing about paper art.  In this class, we had to use four pieces of card stock to make a three dimensional scene.  We used X-acto knives to cut designs into the paper.  It was really cool and really fun.

I didn’t think much about the class after taking it.  But slowly I started noticing paper.  There are so many cool things made with paper.   Cardboard, fast food packaging, various food product packaging, electronics packaging (iPhone boxes), gift boxes and greeting cards.  Paper is such a beautiful material.  There are so many types of paper from shimmery card stock, plain white watercolor paper to stiff solid colored card stock.  I got a variety of these papers, an X-acto knife and a paper trimmer and I have been having a lot of fun since.  Paper art is not the same as illustrating, painting or digital art.  The art class made me think of designs in a whole new and different way.

 

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My First Paper Project

I have included some cards that I have made further in the post.  My cards are for sale at my Etsy shop (My Etsy Shop).  I encourage you to try something new.  Get out of your safe zone and just do it!  You never know what you might like, what might inspire you and where it will take you.

 

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Gray Lotus

 

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Dandelion

 

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Pineapple

 

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Home Sweet Home
Holiday Greeting Cards

Holiday Greeting Cards

by doodleplix ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

My Holiday 2016 Greeting Card collection is on deep discount at Zazzle!  Click on the cards below.

Friendship

Friendship

by doodleplix ♥ 3 Comments

“Don’t walk in front of me…I may not follow.  Don’t walk behind me…I may not lead.  Walk beside me…just be my friend.

__ Albert Camus

 

It is so much easier to make friends as a child.  No inhibitions, no baggage and no preconceived notions.  The majority of adults have an average of two close friends.  Why is it so hard to make friends as an adult?  I am referring to friends other than a partner or spouse.  Family, kids and schedules cramp friendships.  As people get older, they get set into their habits and are unwilling to change.

I had a lot of friends as a child, teenager and as a young adult.  However, having kids really strained some of my friendships over the past decade and I have lost many. Facebook has connected me back to many of those.  These days I have a few really “immediate” friends.  By that I mean friends who I interact with daily and appreciate me for who I am.  They know the good, bad and ugly, yet remain friends with me.

My parents and my two younger sisters are my closest friends.  It’s a different relationship because we’re family.  It’s unconditional.  We are constantly teasing and joking.  Insults are the norm.  Some of our friends are shocked and appalled at the things we say.  But it’s all in good fun.  We have always been there for each other, barbs and all.  I can’t imagine not talking to my parents or sisters everyday and not crack a joke.

My workout buddy “M” and I are friends.  Our friendship is very simple and pure.  We have been running and biking together for almost six years.  We spend countless hours on trails talking about life, family and just cracking bad jokes about people on the trail.  It is nice to talk to a friend that listens to rants and does not judge.  We finish our workouts and say “see you next time”.  My youngest sister always says “I can’t believe M puts up with you for those 8 mile runs!”

Then there are my other friends.  They know who they are!  There are the ones who text me funny gifs long-distance.  There are the ones who keep my neighborhood funny and interesting.

Friendships are a two way street.  I have found that there is no perfect friend.  Some of my friends have shocked me with their views which are polar opposite from mine.  Yet, we respect each others views and agree to disagree.  Even if some of them have made rude or insensitive comments over the years, I have realized that they have a good and caring side too.  As I get older, I find myself brushing off comments and issues from my friends that would have ended our friendship years ago.  I have learned to let things go and it takes a lot of patience. Even if you are an introvert at heart like I am, you really do need to have a few friends.

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Spring Time

Spring Time

by doodleplix ♥ 1 Comment

Jodes…

Jodes and her sisters.
Jodes in the City
Happiness is reading a good book.
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Jodes’ words of wisdom.

I love drawing pictures of Jodes.  She’s a fancy, sylish and single girl in the city.  These illustrations chronicle her life at the moment.  She’s fun to get to know and there’s no one like her.  Stay tuned for more…