work in progress...

Hi there~

It has been awhile since i posted any painting work and the reason is because i have not done much at all. If you visit my miniature blog you will see that i have been so very busy, happy busy!!*grin*

As much as i love to draw , i wonder if I had to take a long term job or book deal, if I truly would be as happy as I think I would... only because I LOVE to sculpt and make miniatures too.
Anyways... I thought to post few work that is in progress for "some day".
This is a complete story and i have done the dummy book and all the sketches are done as well. there are 18 illustrations and not all are done but i thought to share some here... maybe i should add the story too...
You also will see that i added 2 pictures of the same but with different saturation... which one you like best? thank you in advance for your input.... i am curious you know... grin
sometimes one i "stare" my own work, it is hard to make decisions...sigh.

well... I will leave you know but with the news that I am working on a new illustration BUT this is different ... it has to do with my miniatures.... i hope i can post soon...

Christmas in July!

Watercolor

ALMOST JULY ...

I did this illustration in Feb 2011. Christmas seems never to leave my mind and heart....grin.
This is our kitchen.
Hope you like it!!

Summer is time for fishing!

Summer is time for fishing....

At least here at our farm!!!!!!!*grin*

I hope you are enjoying your summer no matter where you are!!!

You can buy a print here!

Mini book and new work

Hello!!!!*grin*

Here I am, happily for having the opportunity to sit and write a post. It has been so very busy here at the farm. We finished planting our garden, repairing all 4 chicken barns and so much more.
I was able to visit some blogs this past weekend and to my dismay many of them were not taking my comments. That was so upset but I guess many people are having the same blog problems.I shall persuade!!!

Well, to the news.....*smiles*

My little book is listed on my esty store. I will truly tell you this, the cost of printing , plus the materials and time to make, does not pay to make them for sale but I was determine to make few for Christmas gifts and some for sale. If you like a copy, send me note or buy at my store. I won't be making more than the ones I already made.

Now... the illustration above is my newest work. I am taking a big breath and some ( NEEDED) courage to put together some work and send out to publishers. It won't be ready for while as I am taking my time and reviewing my work until I am satisfied. At the end, if I am not completely in love with the results , I won't send it until I get there.

Opposite of most of work that I do, when I illustrate , I do one page at a time although I like to have all my sketches done first.Developing a character is difficult at time because so much has been created with animals that leaves very little room too be "original". If one draws from reality, almost for sure it will look like some one's else work, so for that reason I decide to draw in a fantasy level this time. Also this book is all about fairytale animals , there are only a farmer (person) - very different than the rest of my work in which are mostly with children.
I am glad in taking my time because this will allow me to pray about it and to rest in the Lord Jesus for His perfect time and will. I want so badly to be a published illustrator that sometimes I wonder *if* this is the Lord's will or just mine. Then I think of God himself, creator of all Heavens and Earth and its majesty and "how" he created and how he said : "It was good". *grin*

As all good things come from the Lord, I do believe my gifts comes from Him and no matter what , if I do or not become published , still I should continue to create.

The satisfaction and good feeling of finishing a picture is only truly known by the artist and I know that other artists like me can relate to me and how I feel.

Okay... I hope this did not sound as if I am rumbling.... I am so very happy today and all the little encouragements that God has sent me.... including .... YOU!*smiles*

click on picture below to go to my shop:-D

Harvesting ...

Hello dear readers....*grin*

These past few weeks the children and I have been working in both flower and vegetable garden. We have a wonderful asparagus bed that is 16 years old . This is the first thing that we harvest after the winter is over. we love the asparagus but I love even more now because I drink a "green shake" every day and I have been drinking the raw asparagus too... I know , I know, you are probably making a "face" now but wait... I did not tell you that LOTS of fresh strawberries are added to this shake and technically is not totally *green*!*grin*

I also have been going through buckets and buckets of pictures of my children. They are such inspiration to me and my illustrations.....grin!

The one below is Becca and Josh at our garden.... I am making several illustrations based on this year harvest because I found so many wonderful pictures that immediately made me want to draw.

I was "lost" in smiles while I was painting and looking at the pictures... I added our sheepdog Mattie in which seems to be the only one that found out a little visitor.... well, let's don't tell Becca....shhh.... she is scared of frogs until this day!*grin*

Baking with momma!!!

Hello there~

I am pleased to share with you one of my latest work - An illustration of a simple , but precious moment - baking cookies with momma !

All of my children enjoys cooking and baking. I love it too, but is this time of the year that I enjoy the most. There is something * very * special about baking Christmas cookies and it brings out some of the sweetest memories to my heart.*grin*

My girls and I will be doing just that mid this week. I am very excited about it and I think they are too.

I cropped part of this illustration so one can see the details. You can double click to view it a larger too.

Momma has a very sweet expression. Been a mother of 7 children I always thought that "Patience " is one of the most precious gift a mother can possess because that leads to everything good.

When I had Kate , my second daughter , I found a little t-shirt that said "I think my name is no-no". I think all the children after her worn the same t-shirt!!!*grin*

I love the family gathering in my kitchen. My children are no longer babies but still young plus I have so many wonderful memories!

This print is available at my etsy store and it is part of a series of 4 that I will be sharing something this week. They are all part of my line of vintage style recipe cards!

The Night Before Christmas

The Night Before Christmas

By Patricia Cabrera

It was Christmas Eve, the most lovely day of the year.

In a farm house , up a stubby hill and around the bend of a glassy lake, there lived a little girl named Isabella and her family. They were simple folk, and Christmas was the time of the year that brought forth great expectations from the children. Much effort was involved in making this the time of year that could be remembered and cherished in years to come.

On Christmas Eves past ,Isabella would try to stay awake in order to glimpse a sight St. Nicholas, but never was she able to…

Isabella had once been told by her schoolmates that St. Nicholas was not real. This news distressed young Isabella greatly.

This Christmas Eve was better and more special than any other Christmastide past, young Isabella told her family. In order to be able to stay awake through the wee hours of early morning, Isabella declared that she would take a very long nap.

Her older brother Andrew was listening intently to Isabella. He remembered the years when Isabella cried because she would awaken in the morning and, though she saw her presents , was sad because she had once again missed St. Nicholas’ visit.

Isabella pulled her litter sister Juliana aside and eagerly shared the news with her: “ Tonight I will stay up, Ju, you wait and see. I will not fall asleep until I see St. Nicholas!” And with a grin on her face , Isabella hopped to the kitchen to help her momma wash the supper plates.

Isabella hopped to the family sitting room and kissed her momma and papa’s hands good night, asking for their blessings. “ Blessing ,Pa? asked Isabella sweetly. “God bless you my darling” , said her papa. Then Andrew helped her to move the small sofa near the fireplace where she plan to sit and wait.

Isabella’s Christmas tree was a beautiful and everyone enjoyed , but it was the tradition of the family’s for each member to set their slippers at the end of their beds near the foot boards. St. Nicholas would then know which shoes belonged to whom and there he would leave their presents.

Isabella set her pair of newly washed slippers and looked at the fire brewing in the hearth and thought to herself, “I am not tired…. I am not tired at all.”

The little girl kept repeating the same words over and over and soon fell into a deep, sweet slumber.

It was still dark when Isabella jumped up feeling a cold sensation on her stomach. She looked to see if there were any presents where she had placed her slippers, and with dismay noticed two wrapped gifts. One large and one small.

All of the sudden, Isabella heard a loud noise from the kitchen and she yelped in surprise

Andrew came running from the kitchen in a hurried pace and asked Isabella, “You did see him, didn’t you?” Isabella wished she could say yes but she murmured with a sad face, “No, perhaps he is not real after all.”Her big brother grinned and replied, “Oh, don’t be silly ,Isabella. Of course he is real. Do you remember few minutes ago when you heard the loud noise? That was St. Nicholas leaving… I saw him.” Isabella’s face lit up. Juliana, who had walked in just a few minutes before with her eyes half shut, held up her teddy bear blanket in an offering , so that Isabella could dry her tears. “Did you REALLY see him?” asked Juliana anxiously to Andrew. He quickly hurried, “Yes, and he told me to tell you that next year he will try to meet you”.

Normally, these three children would run and open their presents as soon as morning came, but it was still early , and the only source of light was a little glow in the fireplace. All three children snuggled on the sofa and happily waited for the morning sun. This is a merry Christmas, indeed, dreamt Isabella, and in the near distance, a faint tinkling of bells could be heard above the wind.

May you have a blessed Christmas!! *grin*

Special gift to 10 girls and a Coach

About 2 months ago , I started working on a little book that I title * Ten Stars*. This is almost a handmade book except that was professionally printed. This is not the big project that I spoke few weeks ago but again, it was *big* for me because the style was much different than the one that I normally do.
As an artist , the sky is truly my limit. I love the challenges although sometimes I ask my self ; " what was I thinking???", grin. These illustrations felt like that for the first few girls that I draw and painted because I wanted each one to be more like a portrait and yet , with a little of the magical feeling that I so love. I am definitely NOT a portrait artist!


Here they are. All the books now are ready and waiting for the right time so Becca ( my daughter ) can give to her 9 team mates.
Kate my second daughter , wrote the poems about each girl. I sent her enough information for her to write the poems. At the end, I am very pleased and I hope the girls will LOVE it.

Becca plays at MUFC, for Charlotte -NC. Based on the response to my last post ( A GIVEAWAY) , I can see that not many people comes around here, * sad Pat* grin, so I am doubting that any of the parents are reading this. This is meant to be a surprise for Christmas!*grin*

Here you can see one the first page. This is Taylor, a sweet girl that plays forward. I did all the forwards first then....

....Then mid-field, my Becca,grin. What a blast I have in seen these girls playing!

Last page was for the only man on the book. Our beloved coach Ben! Yeap! He has the hearts of 10 stars, that is for sure!*smiles*
ps. you may click on pictures to see enlarged!

Washing Dishes Illustration

"Hurry up" - Illustration , work in Progress

If you have been following me and have read my early posts , you know that I watercolor is new medium for me (a little over a year) . I have now experiment in several ways trying to find my *own* comfortable way to use this medium in my illustrations.
My drawings are simple and have a hint of old fashion ways. I like to evoke the past when I draw but also the present that is not very common these days. *grin*
I was debating with not only the tone and choices of color ,but also ,how light or dark I want the final illustration to look.
After several work , I feel that the translucent , very light approach is were I feel more comfortable however this does not mean that I am done trying.
Another issue that I had was the outlines. I use pen to outline and when I removed that I really liked the results. I found a new *love* for my pencils lines .On this illustration , I not only did not erased my lines , I actually use the pencil to do more outlines in the final step.
Here you can see my second layer or wash.I love the softness and how the paint is starting to tell a story....*grin*

My finished illustration is showing how the primary characters are the focus of my work and the back ground , although part of it, is there to complete the thought but is not taking way from the little girl and the lady.

What do you think? i would love to hear from you!!!!

A book .... a dream on hold....

Once upon a time, in a far-off patch of woods, near the small village of Oakton, there lived a very kind goat. Every autumn he won first place at the Red Oak Festival with his honey-and-acorn pies.Before each Festival, he would make his important journey to visit the friendly honeybees on the other side of the village to gather honey and acorns for his pies. Long ago, the honeybees had promised Mr. Goat that he could keep all of their extra honey, but only if every year he would plant some clover for them. So, Mr. Goat kept his word and every spring he planted clover. For this, the bees were very grateful.

One morning, as he was on his way to the creek with two empty gourds on his shoulders, he bumped into Mrs. Squirrel and her little mouse helpers." Good morning, Mr. Goat," she said, "I know you usually come to pick up the acorns at my burrow, but I have a tea party to attend, so I decided to bring them to you, with the aid of my little friends.""That was most thoughtful of you, Mrs. Squirrel. I shall therefore not detain you any longer." Mr. Goat then went on his way.

As he continued through the woods, Mr. Goat encountered Mrs. Opossum and her two children, out taking a little walk. She was busy holding her baby in her arms while her other child followed behind her, skipping a rope ."How glad I am to see you, Mr. Goat," exclaimed Mrs. Opossum. "I will be bringing some newly threshed wheat for your pies to your home tomorrow.""Oh, thank you Mrs. Opossum; but please, there's no need to rush, the Festival is still a whole week away," he answered considerately."Well, nevertheless, I will try to come by tomorrow."Then Mrs. Opossum waved and off she went down the forest lane.

Mr. Goat had just reached the bank of the creek when he heard two familiar voices croaking a duet in the water. He turned around to see his friends, the tree frogs, practicing their song for the upcoming Festival."My, what a lovely melody," Mr. Goat remarked. "Are you the only tree frogs participating this year, or will your entire clan perform? You did such a nice job last year!" The oldest of the frogs blushed slightly."It will be just my sister and I, this time." Smiling, Mr. Goat answered, "Well, keep up the good work," then turned and crossed the creek.

*************

Here are few pages of my book......

For almost five years now I have been working in and out on illustrating my first book using wool as my main palette colors. You have no idea how many forms of illustrations I have done for my story and how I change for one to another.... I have about 4 different mediums done by far and some I had other artist helping me but at the end I decided to do the entire book using the wool ( needle felted flat ) to depict my story.

Almost 2 years ago , I start working with mold making and thinking about making porcelain dolls. I had to divide my time and thoughts plus the marionette theatre was at full speed.

Crazy, Crazy but fun , fun. life is good ,no? *grin*

Well, I finished the book and got all my prices to have it printed in large quantity. I started then visiting local schools and see how they would respond if I would come to do author visitation and to my delighted surprise , most of schools were eager to have me and also the theatre.

One thing that I learned was that I would had to devote a LOT of time going here and there , school to school and all of the sudden it hit me. I realized that I am not ready to be way from my home, farm and children ( oh yes, my husband too,grin) in order to present/sell the book. I do want to do this ,but not *now*.

I am engaged -big time- with patitadolls and that it self plus the Marionette Theatre
is all I can handle right now . The book will have to wait few more years... meanwhile , I will continue read to my children .

Folk Story Tail

About three years ago , I made a mouse and some babies and gave as a gift. Recently I was request as commission work to make them once again.

They were made from 100% farm sheep's wool but the *rug* and and the book is felted alpaca.

Their tails has wire so one can easily pose it.

Here they are .... Hope you like Cheryl!smiles, Patricia~

Wee herbs....

If you take a leisurely stroll through a kingdom of green trees, blossoming flowers and spiced air,
you will find many busy forest-mice harvesting bundles and baskets of flowers and herbs.
Most mice-folk are fond of freshly plucked herbs to garnish their cheese and salads but many
are wise and swiftly hang their herbs to dry-usually in a knobby hollow of a tree or perhaps draped
against a large tree stump or boulder .In fact ,this is the most common way of drying herbs ( countless thousands of human-folk have passed through woods in the spring time and mistakenly believed bundles of herbs to be moss!) Such a thought…..
Rosemary is a particular favorite with forest- mice ( hence the many mice named so) as well as thyme, savory and sweet marjoram , to state a few.
For medicine tonics and balms, feverfew, and coltsfoot are among the easily recognizable in their glass jars upon the shelves. And we mustn’t forget tea time – Chamomile and Dandelion are often served in the afternoon . But perhaps the sweetest delight is not for our forest friends but for a human- folk. For the herbs that hang to dry throughout the spring give flavor to the air and life to the forest breeze. Perhaps in your next ramble through the woods, you will be able to detect the fragrances of the drying flowers and herbs and appreciate them as they were meant to be.

You can meet Mrs Mouse at my etsy store by clicking the etsy gadget