Sheep Camp

This past weekend, I took Edie to 4H Sheep Camp in New Haven, Vermont.  It was a fun weekend learning all about how to care for and show sheep.  The kids were great, taking care of their sheep, learning and making new friends.  Everyone was helpful and friendly.
The camp took place on Addison County Fairgrounds.  We were surrounded by beautiful rural countryside, like this:

We set our tents up in an old cow barn:

The sheep went in a barn next door.  Here's Sally and the lamb in the neighboring pen:

The kids learned about farm safety, sheep nutrition, showmanship,  blocking and fitting (getting the sheep ready to show), crafts with wool like needle felting and weaving, and the history of sheep.  Here's a photo of Edie and a friend fitting their sheep.  Edie's lamb is a Border Leicester, and her friend's lamb is a Romney.

The last day, the kids participated in a show.  They were grouped by experience.  Our friend Lydia came in second in her class.  She is second from the right in the front row:

The judge examined the sheep and looked at how the kids were able to control them and set their feet.
Here's Edie leading Sally in the ring:

And her final placement at the front of the line:

After a long weekend, Sally definitely deserved a treat!

Thank you 4H!

Thank you teachers

Thank you to all the teachers out there for another successfully completed school year.  Enjoy the summer!

Art from the attic

Though I didn't really find this in the attic, I did find a box of old papers and photos in a closet while I was cleaning this morning.  My mother saved some of my art from grade school, and it was fun to look.
The first piece I have included is the cover from a book about me that I did when I was 7 and 1/2 years old.
At that time, apparently I was 4'3.5" tall.  My favorite TV show was the Hardy Boys.  My favorite song was the theme to Star Wars because there was no singing.

This is what my family looked like (well, to me anyway):

When I was ten, I tried my hand at poetry.  I even did an accompanying  illustration.  Why does that cow have black sunglasses on, you ask.  Must have been the glare from the water.  I bet they're
polarized.  Look out Jack Prelutsky:

I'm not sure I can say my artistic talent was any different from any of the other kids in my class.  I think I just liked to draw a little more than they did, and spent enough time working at it to make it into my career. 

Character studies

These are two characters from a story I am working on.

Mourning Maurice

Many of us will miss Maurice, but his work will live on.
I did this doodle this morning:

Stop Motion

Here's another short movie by Thomas:

My new project

I am having fun sketching for my new book.  I can't wait to get started painting.

Training a lamb

Edie is working with Sally the lamb.  She hopes to show her with 4H this summer.

IF: Vocal

Emerson

more elephants

Baby elephant

What started out like this:

 ended up like this:

 

This is for the baby next door.  I think I prefer the looser sketch.

 

Bedtime story from the Elderly Fairy

Fairy House

Last night Edie and I made a couple of fairy houses.  I was inspired by the pieces of bark that I found in our yard waste pile.  We used a piece of scrap wood as the base and some birch bark for the walls.  The other bark was used for the roof, with a pine cone as a ridge beam beneath.  Moss that we found added the perfect woodsy feel to the house.  It looks like someone may have already taken up residence!
*one note of caution: glue from glue guns is like molten lava and can burn you very badly.  Ouch!

old photos

I have been organizing photos and found one of me when I was about six.  I had just been given a sea otter stuffed animal for Christmas by a family friend.  We were visiting my grandparents in New Hampshire where there were often white Christmases.

Meanwhile. . .

Painting tidal pools for an educational job is making me miss Rhode Island. 

Tick Bait's Universe

Great news!  The app I have been working on is now for sale on iTunes.  It is a great children to learn about science by zooming in to explore at a microscopic level and zooming out to explore the universe.
If you have an iPad, I would definitely recommend checking it out.  Kids curious about science will love it!

Heart Monkey

 

After seeing all sorts of beautiful art at the Kindling Words conference I just returned from, I decided that it would be fun to play around on the computer.  Here's a little something I sketched out for Valentine's Day.

More on the icon

So I am close to finishing the art for the app, and the programmer hopes to publish shortly.  Here is a more recent version of the icon.  Apparently Apple reserves the right to round the corners themselves. ??

Who are you?

Working on the story behind this character.