Hello, Kitten & Dawgs! April is vanishing on us, isn’t it? Victory is nearly mine for this year’s challenge but I struggle to clearly vision what my next alpha-prompt subject yields. I attempted last year to sketch Victorian women and exhausting any fresh ideas then I felt compelled to try it again this time using my iPad, Apple pencil, and my drawing app Procreate to illustrate this lovely Victorian lady.
The biggest improvement I see is in facial expressions. I still struggle with drawing hands but even with this I am getting a tad better. It’s interesting to looking back at what I did and where I am now. Hopefully next year this time I’ll see more progression in my artistic ability.
Finally, I borrowed Joyce’s Wednesday Hodgepodge questions for a finishing touch to today’s fun. Feel free to join in the fun.
1 They say you learn something new every day. What did you learn yesterday? Generally, I do pick up something new every day but when asked it flies right out of my head. Why is that?
If I were a betting gal, then I’m 99% sure someone passed a bit a bit of mewsic trivia my way. I have a lot of blog pals who make mewsic a big part of their weekly posts. Do you like mewsic? Of course, you do. That’s such a silly question but if you don’t know I co-host Monday’s Music Moves Me and we’d love to have you step out on the dance floor with us! This coming Monday’s mewsic theme is ‘your choice’, so whatever tunes are movin’ you then share them with us!
2 Have you ever had a now or never moment? Elaborate. Actually yes, I think that was my way of thinking last April when I considered my A to Z theme. I knew I wanted to began sketching again but I kept putting it off for one reason or another until finally, I decided it’s now or never. I knew I had to force my hand to get started and I’m glad that I did because in the process I found a new passion for life.
3 April 25th is National Telephone Day. Do you still have a land line or have you gone mobile only? When you receive a text message do you respond immediately? Last time you turned your phone off? In two or three sentences share with us a story/memory/incident from your childhood (or something current if that’s too hard) where the telephone is featured. We moved to VoIP years ago which saves us a lot of money every month going from $100 to $3 is a pretty big deal. Generally, I respond to all texts immediately. I only turn my phone off to restart it on occasion but if I don’t want to receive any calls then I just put it on DO NOT DISTURB. I remember very well as a kid the Bell Telephone commercials.
4 Close call, at someone’s beck and call, call the shots, call a meeting, call it quits, call in sick, call on the carpet, wake up call…which call have you ‘heard’ recently? Explain. DH recently used the phrase ‘close call’ when taking about God keeping His hand on him when someone did something stupid on the road. Drivers today take too many chances and are not as skilled as they think they are plus they are usually doing something while trying to maneuver that 3000 pound machine in traffic.
5 What subject do you wish you’d paid more attention to in school? I wouldn’t say that I didn’t pay attention as much as I lacked confidence in mathematics. This just seemed to go straight over my head if it was anything beyond basic math.
6 Insert your own random thought here. On Saturday, we went to the mountains. We’re trying to take in all the day trips we can because after DH has his surgery next week then there’s the possibility we won’t be able to go to the mountains for a couple of months IF this Retina surgeon decides to put a gas bubble in at the time he takes out the oil bubble. Should that be needed then he can’t travel anywhere above 2000 feet in elevation. I’m not sure why unless there’s risk of expansion caused by increased elevation to the gas bubble. Anyhow, we went to Mt. Mitchell then later in the day, we were in Cherokee as we wanted to go through the Smoky’s on our way home when we came up on this little gal. I’m assuming its a girl since there’s no rake.
I often forget I can shoot video with my phone, quickly remembering, I began filming. I did a bit of editing in iMovie to add the description banner and the bird chirping. I did a little voice-over but the passing traffic was much louder muffling my voice. It’s always an amazing sight to see these animals in the wild and if that wasn’t the best, I did get a chance to see two bear cubs in the Smoky’s nearing Gatlinburg. I couldn’t get a picture because there were too many people blocking my view and there was no place to pull off. Poor DH didn’t get to see them.
You’re welcome to join my not-so Wordless Wednesday linky party. It’s open to everyone this month, so have fun! 😉
Thanks for making me apart of your day. Don’t forget to leave your footprints in comments with your signature (URL) so I can find my way back to you. Please let me know if you’re a new follower, so I can do the return favor. I realized the importance of building social networks. You might find me participating in my usual daily blog hops but right now I’m heading off to link up with other fellow AtoZers and you’re invited to come along. Join me tomorrow for more Creating iPad Art Sketches!
X💋X💋, Cathy
In case you missed a previous A2Z post this time around, here is a quick link to each one:
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I , J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
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Oh, Miss Victoria is very pretty. Nice job, Cathy. Btw, I can’t get the code under your button to work. Sooo, I copied the image and added it as a widget. Take a looky and see if you approve and if you click on the image it will take you to your site. https://amanpan.com/
Eugenia,
I’m glad you like my Victorian lady. Thanks for letting me know my button code isn’t working right. It looks like what you did worked fine, though. Thanks so much for adding me to your home page. You’re the best! 😉
I like your Victorian lady. Many artists have trouble drawing hands.
Linda,
Many people have told me this and of course, I know it first handed. I know it’ll take practice, practice, practice to make it purrfect. Thanks for visiting, my friend!
Hello from Idaho and stop in from Songbird. I also played the HODGE PODGE question and joyed them. We swith over to a Voip phone. Big saving.
I’m in North Idaho and quite often I see Elk grazing in the field.
Coffee is on
VoIP service does offer huge savings. MagicJack averages to be only $3 per month. When we had a traditional landline with unlimited calling it was almost $100 each month which is ridiculous. I’m not sure what the pricing is like today with AT&T but if they got their services down dirt cheap like that then I’d actually prefer a landline because when the power goes out we can’t use our home phone but we’re not without outside communications but even cell phones will die if power isn’t available. That’s the only thing about a landline that I like the service is rarely out.Thanks for visiting.
What a lovely blog post. The Victorian lady you drew has a very expressive face. The animal drew my attention immediately – is she a deer or a moose? Also Wednesday HodgePodge looks like a super blog hop. Happy to have found your blog through the A to Z Challenge.
I apologize for not mentioning the animal in the photograph is an elk. We do not have moose in Tennessee but elk are as bad or nearly as big as its moose cousin. Have a great day!
Your drawing is lovely, and i like your movie, too!
Thank you, Mimi! It’s always such fun to come upon an opportunity to view an elk. 🙂
It sounds like your husband’s upcoming surgery is giving you guys the perfect reason to get out and do stuff. What an incredible picture you were able to snag!
I don’t know how much we’ll be able to do after his surgery. The first few days will more than likely be spent indoors as he adjusts to the abundance of light entering his eye. His eyes will be mismatched which causes confusion for the brain. I’m hoping it isn’t as bad as it sounds but I won’t surprised if we find it to be as bad as the doctor’s office is trying to prepare him. Thanks for the visit and come again! 😉
Lovely drawing of a Victorian woman. As for you questions: math, I wish I paid more attention to math in school because now I have to help my middle-school-age son, and well, it’s getting tougher and tougher. Now or never moments … yeah, I’ve had a few: such as ‘blog every day for a whole month or not’ 🙂
Great post, enjoyed visiting.
Silvia,
Math does get harder and harder as kids progress through school. Blogging every day is a challenge. Usually after the April challenge I’m exhausted and in need of a break but I’m hoping to resist that temptation but instead push forward. I will probably fall back to a more normal posting routine of 3 times per week in May. By the time June rolls around Blogosphere will thin out due to summer and vacationing plans for most bloggers, so I think I will cut my schedule back even more as I need to get somethings done around here and that’ll be an excellent time for me. Have a good day and thank you for stopping by!
Hi Cathy, your lady is beautiful and I think you’ve captured the face perfectly and there is a real sense of the person in her eyes. Thanks for sharing your encounter with natures beauty – we love going to the mountains too, it’s a chance to restore our souls surrounded by such grandeur.
Glad your enjoying days out before your husband’s surgery.
Pamela,
We live in an area with much to do. Years ago it was more common to see wildlife in the park but I guess increased tourists keeps much of the animals deep in the woods. They don’t seem necessarily too bothered by people but it’s not a good idea for them to get used to them, either. The elk, especially the males can be a bit intimidating and very dangerous with their huge rakes. I recall one year there dozens along the roadside and some in the middle of the road that created quite the traffic jam when some wise guy accidentally or purposefully honked his car horn. It freaked out of one the big guys and it’s a wonder he did ram a vehicle or tear off a side mirror or worse. It actually scared me and we were several cars away and on the opposite side of the road.
Nice Victorian lady picture! Looks like she’s coming down with a case of the vapors…
John,
Hmm, she is a lady and ladies were often fragile in those days. So, perhaps something has rattled her nervous. I hope she doesn’t faint away!
I definitely see a difference in your sketches from last year to this. Love your lady today.
Janet,
I’m glad that you can and maybe you’ll see further improvements in my drawing (whenever that may be). 😉
I like your Victorian woman. She’s much like part of me sees myself–approachable, beautiful, gentle. But I must admit, your elk stole the show for me. Proud, strong, Not afraid to look you right in the eye.
Jacqui,
I’m glad you liked my Victorian Lady but you’re right the elk is a show stopper. They are incredible animals and so much bigger than you think until you see one face-to-face. This one is small compared to some that we’ve seen in the same general area. Thanks for visiting!
Same for me and math. At first, I got it but in high school I really started to lose it and I basically gave up on it.
Allstarme,
Most people don’t use anything more than the basics and while I know college-bound students generally are required more advanced mathematics I wonder just how many of those kids actually use what they learn. Couldn’t that come later when a kid decides his/her field of study? Thanks for stopping by for a visit. Have a good day! 😉
I’ve so enjoyed all your sketches this month. You do them so very well.
Prayers for the upcoming surgery. I hope the recovery is far less than anticipated.
Have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday. ♥
Thank you, Sandee for the prayers. I know things will be alright with DH’s surgeries next week. God placed a good feeling in my heart. Have a good week!
We also use VoIP (OOMA). I really like it because I can block whoever I want, when I want.
It does save a lot of $$. Only thing, when the internet doesn’t work neither does our phone.
So, we also have cell phones. How to stop spam calls on cell phone s?
I usually don’t text.
Michelle,
We have MagicJack so when our electricity is out so is our phone but I keep it connected to our fax machine which is no big deal for us since we have cell phones. I don’t think there is a way to stop spam. Supposedly there are apps you can get that identify those calls but why pay for them when all you have to do is not answer any calls you do not recognize. If it’s someone important, they will leave a message. And, if I answer an unknown caller the instant they begin their sell pitch I say, “place me on your no-call list’. Either they hang up or I do at that point. lol
Beautiful drawing and what beautiful pics. Thanks for sharing. Hope you have a wonderful rest of the week.
Patrick,
Thanks for linking up and taking a peek at my newest artwork & photo, my friend.
I love the Victorian look and your Gibson girl is very pretty. I immedia5ely noticed the lips and eyes which are done very well. It will be nice to see your progress. The now or never moment…there are a few but one in particular, when I was a kid, was very scary but it made me stronger. I still have a land line and will not give that up. Too many people have cell phones that echo, becomes muffled or they talk outside or in noisy places so it’s more difficult to hear them. Since the terrible event in Toronto with the crazy SOB mowing down people with his van by going on the sidewalk, I have heard many say close call. It reinforces how quick our lives can change. It is disgusting that he clearly had mental issues and nothing was done. I know someone plus other people who have a family member with mental issues and no matter how much they try to get them into the psych ward for treatment, The so-called psychiatrists say they are fine and these people are free to go.
Birgit,
It is hard to understand some people on cell phones but technology keeps getting better at noise cancellation that it’s hard to believe when I talk to DD#2 while she’s driving just how crystal clear her voice sounds. Part of that muffled sound is the caller’s fault with the improper placement of the mouthpiece from the lips or covering the speaker with my hand. I think bad things come from an evil heart. You have those who are in their right mind committing horrible acts just like the man in Toronto. Now, you take an evil heart linked with an unstable mind making any situation more volatile. Both scenarios are really bad and people die but when said mental patient plows through a crowded street using a van there’s a huge outcry. This brings me back to the heart. In both circumstances, evil is the underlying disease and needs to be eradicated from the heart. Hatred for mankind or oneself must be replaced with love and whether one finds this peace through God or resolves it himself/herself, then these problems will continue. It’s a sad time that we live with so much disregard for life with the unborn, the elderly, or the clash of different cultures, races, & religions.
Very nice drawing. I like learning more about you through the hodgepodge. I am sorry DH needs surgery, I hope it all goes well. Great shot of the moose.
Ellen,
We knew he’d have to have these procedures more than a year ago. The Retina attachment surgery accelerates cataracts growth even when none are present before the procedure thus the need to replace the lens usually 6-months from Retina surgery. Also around the same time, that’s when the surgeon removes the oil bubble but we’ve held off a year with the hopes of improving his odds that a detachment doesn’t occur when the oil bubble is removed. We’re feeling confident that things will go well and before summer is over he’ll be seeing much better. I’m sorry for not mentioning that I photographed & filmed an ELK. The Smoky’s doesn’t have moose but I’m sure elk are cousins.
Wow! Such a nice hubby to take you for a ride to go sight-seeing!!! I remember we went for a nice Sunday afternoon ride when we were dating, and we drive to get to our destination when we go on vacation, but we’ve really hardly ever go sight-seeing! We live right by Fox River and I take the grandkids up there when they come over to visit because we have beautiful things to see in our city and Fox River is our biggest asset believe you me it can be breath taking sometimes, but do thank R for me for taking me along to see your sites… hehehehe~!!! Loving your Victorian Lady too. She reminds me of Audrey Hepburn playing My Fair Lady for sure! Very beautiful! Oh yes, and we shall skip together over that finish line victoriously & in our hearts hand in hand!!! BIG HUGS to you my friend… HUGE HUGS! Truly you have put a smile on my face this morning. I sent you an email.
Marie,
DH is the sweetest! We enjoy getting out on the weekends when we can to go to the mountains. The foothills of the Smoky’s are only 45-minutes from Knoxville and going across the mountain we can be in Cherokee in less than 2-hours. That’s not bad. Saturday, we drove to Asheville North Carolina (2-hrs), got on the Blue Ridge Parkway heading north to Mt. Mitchell. After we puttered around for away, I shot another video there that I might share another time, before going back to the car. We thought about going south on the parkway toward Cherokee but that would take about 3-hours, time that we really didn’t have so we went back to Asheville got on I-40W to go to Maggie Valley (30-minutes from Asheville) where we wanted to get back on the parkway to go back to Water Rock Knob. You might remember, we were there last weekend. Anyhow, we stopped in Maggie Valley got some chicken from Bo’jangles to have another late lunch or very early dinner from there. The view is incredible. 🙂 After we ate, savored the wide-openness we had to decide what to do next. Do we go back to Maggie Valley to take the interstate home or go across the Smoky’s, we opted to take the scenic route all the way home. Luckily, I had my big girl camera by the time we got to Cherokee. DH commented as we neared the end of the parkway that the time of the evening was right for elk sighting. I was certain there wouldn’t see any because it seems they are more visible late summer but no sooner had we passed the Visitors’ Center, we noticed a small gathering beside the road and this lone elk grazing. I never tire of seeing these creatures in the wild. They are huge animals. What an amazing treat! 🙂
Yeah, I see that my Victorian Lady does make me think of Audrey Hepburn from ‘My Fair Lady’. I didn’t make that connection when I drew her, though. I found an image on Google to model my lady. Skip to the finish, no way, I say we Volt for Victory like Voluptuous (I have to pretend this applies to me) Viking maidens greeting their men home from a long Voyage. 🙂
Great video, Cathy. Mine never come out that good. Hope your DH’s surgery is a total success and he heals quickly!
Katie,
The video turns out generally good but I never know what to say and I’m sure I sound dopey to others. lol The traffic behind me muffled my voice, so I decided to add a bird chirping clip to my movie. I thought it was a nice touch. Thanks for the good wishes regarding DH’s upcoming surgery.
I love to see people improve at something. It’s amazing what a little practice can do. Your Victorian lady is lovely. Melanie’s Stories
Melanie,
Practice is the key. I have much more practice to do before I feel totally comfortable with what I’m doing. The good news the more I do the more at ease I become which shows in my work. That makes me feel victorious!
That sounds like very serious surgery. I hope all goes well and that he’s soon able to resume normal activities. Good for you for starting to draw again. It’s something i always admired in those who do. Lovely Victorian lady!
Judy,
It was really scary last year when he had the retina attachment surgery. We didn’t know how it would play out. I suspect if his Retina surgeon replaces the oil bubble with a gas one it’ll be more or less an additional measure to ensure the retina remains in place. There’s the concern that once the oil bubble is removed that the retina could separate again. However, at his last follow-up appointment, his surgeon felt confident that this was of no great concern since his eye looked so good. Cataract surgery isn’t a big deal like it once was so that doesn’t bother us like the retina woes. I know God has His hand upon DH and I will trust that He will guide both surgeons next week when they do each procedure. Thanks for visiting!
Hi, Cathy!
Your Victorian lady is lovely indeed, dear friend! As I think I told you, possibly last year at this time, Mrs. Shady is an artist who specializes in painting women of the Victorian era. On this project of yours, the facial expression, hair and hat details are spot on, resulting in a Very pleasing portrait!
I enjoyed reading your fill-ins. I believe it would be impossible to remember everything new we learn in a single day. We just need to have faith that it is in there, stored in our minds, to be retrieved later on when needed. As you well know, I have an insatiable craving for mewsic trivia and enjoy exchanging it with friends like you.
Like you and DH, Mrs. Shady and I recently had a close call on the highway. An impatient motorist got tired of driving slowly behind a couple of tractor trailer rigs, decided to pass them both, and wound up heading directly toward our car coming the other direction. We needed to swerve off the road and onto the grass to avoid a head-on collision and were left shaken by the close call.
Like you I am stumped by advanced mathematics. I had no difficulty grasping arithmetic in grade school, but high school algebra, calculus and trigonometry went sailing over my head as did chemistry and physics.
Thank you for sharing a picture and video taken on your recent day trip to the mountains. You were fortunate to spot wildlife including bear cubs! It would be a shame if a gas bubble in DH’s eye prevents him from traveling to high elevations. How long would he be under that type of restriction?
Thank you Very much, dear friend Cathy, and have a Very Very Very nice V-day!
Tom,
Good-morning, dear friend! Yes, I do remember that your lovely bride is a painter of Victorian women. It was you’re telling me this mews last year that inspired my curiosity to try sketching a Victorian woman. Please encourage Mrs. Shady to share her talents with Blogosphere if she’s not already. I would love to see her work!
I always learn a thing or two from you every day and I’m delighted you enjoy sharing your mewsic trivia. When I was younger I wasn’t into that but now I enjoy the education. Drivers today are VERY impatient and reckless. They do the dumbest stuff imaginable. We’re all guilty of making dumb mistakes on occasions but we don’t seek out to do it. *sigh* I’m glad to read that although shaken by these experiences, you came away from the ordeal unharmed. Should the Retina surgeon place a gas bubble in next week, then he’ll be under this restriction until it dissolves which could take as long as 2 months from what I’ve read. We won’t know until after the procedure. Say a prayer and keep your fingers crossed. We want the best possible treatment to ensure that he does not have to go through his again. Thanks for stopping by today and here’s hoping you have a good day!