#AprilA2Z Art Sketching through the Alphabet “C”

Hello, Kitten & Dawgs,  I’m delighted you joined me for the next A2Z Art Sketching through the Alphabet.  Today’s alphabet prompt inspired sketch comes from my FB friend, Cheryl Tarrant, who paints cows and quaint country images.  I’ve always been fond of how she captures such soulfulness through her cows’ eyes and decided I wanted to try drawing one.

I used my iPhone to photograph my art sketches to transfer to the computer. I don’t want to tear the sheets out of my journal to scan. I think cows have cute faces with their big brown eyes and although my sketch is B&W, I still like the way Maggie turned out. Yes, I gave my cow a name! Not very original I know but it seems to suit her. Don’t you think? Here’s a close up of Maggie.

Naturally, thinking about cows made me think about chickens.  Hey, you can take the girl out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the girl! I grew up in rural West Virginia. My grandparents had plenty of chickens. I helped to gather the eggs with my grandma. That was a terrifying experience. I was always afraid they’d get tangled in my long hair. The highlight was the baby chicks. Those little yellow downy covered critters were cute and we loved trying to catch one but never could. Instead, we got a good workout.

Is it okay to think I’m doing a decent job with my artwork? We all feel good about what we do and that’s not a bad thing.  Hopefully, that bubbly, feel-good feeling will only energize me (or you) to keep pursuing my passions while looking for ways to hone my technique and ability.

Finally, the letter “C” prompt wouldn’t be complete in my opinion without a cat drawing, so I thought I’d sketch a big cat using these step-by-step instructions.

Could this be Ole Green Eyes?

What “C” things do you think would make great subjects to sketch?

 Do you what a cackle? This video is purrfectly for today’s alpha-character with some crazy cats caught in action!

 

 

Hopefully, what I share with you every day will encourage you to do something that interests you that you’ve long put off because like me you just don’t think you can. My advice is, just do it! Maybe, you’ll be surprised. I know I was! 🙂

I’m heading off to link up with other fellow AtoZers and you’re invited to come along.  I’ll see you on tomorrow for the next installment of Art Sketching through the Alphabet!

 

A2Z Art Sketching Through the  Alphabet post recap:

  1. “A” for Angels
  2. “B” for Boys, little

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48 comments

  2. Kathy, your art is remarkable. I love how you capture the animals as if it was a photograph. Loved the kitty video at the end especially. Thank you for your visit to my page. For anyone stopping by, I hope that they will stop by to take a listen to some of the amazing Christian Music I am sharing for my A to Z Challenge, here.

    1. Mark, I appreciate your return visit. The link you provided says I do not have access, so if I’m having trouble getting back to your site then others will, too. You may want to share a corrected link! Have a good day and God bless!

    1. I grew up with chickens and it’s sorta interesting in a funny way how people are drawn to these critters and will keep them like pets. That’s ok, whatever makes someone happy. Who am I to judge, right? lol Thanks for visiting!

  4. I had no idea you knew how to draw so well. You’re doing great my friend. I’m very sad today 🙁 My numbers has catapulted downward this morning. I cannot believe it. They’re over 100 lower of people who have stopped by. I’m so sad I cannot believe it. I’m on here all the time and this happens. I was up there and now I’m in the 300’s ? NOBODY LOVES ME!!!! sniff-sniff…. I need to figure out something to make my blog more interesting… any suggestions my friend????
    363 Unique Visitors
    Powered By Google analytics & it was close to 500 yesterday 🙁 I’m such a boob!!!

    1. Thanks, Marie for your kind words! The only thing I would suggest is moving your A2Z content to the top of your post if you’re including non-related A2Z stuff. This may keep A2Zers from leaving your blog before they see your theme, “From the Heart Mewsic” choices for the letter prompt. Don’t fret over the numbers, just have fun! 🙂 Besides, I love you! ? Thanks for visiting, my friend!

  5. Cathy thanks for your visit today.
    Nicely done. Like your animals very much.
    Youv’e inspired me to draw (a little)

    Cheers (and C you tomorrow)

    @moondustwriter

  7. Love your cow and her eyes…She looks like a model:) Your chickens are quite well done as well as the big cat. You have a talent and glad you are exploring it and feeling the need to take it up again. I can’t watch the full 33 min of those cat videos but the first few made me laugh

    1. Birgit, Maggie is a sweetheart. She loves posing and hopes one day to be a Chick-fil-A model. Your encouragement means a lot to me. No worries about not watching the entire vid. It’s a bit long but it’s one the best ones I’ve seen in a while. 🙂

  8. I really like how your chicken turned out! And your cat reminds me of some friends I had when I lived in Central Idaho. They had all sorts of wildlife that would come and visit their backdoor – bear, deer, elk, etc. One day they were outside, and they saw a cougar up on the hillside. My friend automatically, without hesitation, at the top of her lungs “Here, Kitty, Kitty!” Needless to say, her husband was not very thrilled with this and made her go inside before the cougar arrived.

    ~Mary
    Jingle Jangle Jungle
    #AtoZChallenge 1970’s Billboard Hits

    1. Mary, your story about your friend calling out to that cougar cracked me up. What on earth was she thinking? lol It’s a good thing her husband told her to get inside for her own good or that kitty might’ve made a meal out of her. 🙂

  9. Nice, Cathy! I am happy that you are sharing these sketches. I look forward to more.
    Some of the cows I have known were: Gladys, Edith, Emma, Rose, and Betty. Maggie is my cat. She is big, but not a cow! *wink*

    1. Annie, those are some good cow names. I like them all! I’m glad your Maggie isn’t as big as a cow. You’d have a hard time with her indoors. 🙂

    1. Debbie, The vid is pretty funny, so whenever you get a chance to watch then please do come back. I think cows are cute in general. They appear to be gentle creatures but I remember my great-grandparents’ old heifer and she was a bit nasty which terrified me. Of course, I was really small like two, three, or four years of age. Maybe, she wasn’t as bad as I thought. Thanks for popping by!

  12. More fun drawings. I think we need to appreciate our own art or we will stop trying to create more. I think Maggie the cow is my favorite. Like one of the other commentors said I think she has a secret, maybe she wants us to come closer so she can share it with us.

    1. Lori,

      I agree. We do need to appreciate it because that’s what keeps you wanting to do more and more. I think cows might be a little curious. Last spring, we were on the Blue Ridge Parkway and we came upon some cows grazing in a large field. We were a long distance from them but I had my zoom lens on so I managed to get some good shots from a distance. What I thought was interesting is how quizzical one of the cows kept looking at me. She could hear the shutter click. I could tell by the way her ears twitched and how attentively she watched me. If you’re curious, check out Judaculla Rock Petroglyphs and Brown Eyed Girls. Now, I’m off to see what you’re sharing today! 😉

    1. Tamara, The funny cat video is great, isn’t it? I love watching stuff like providing lots of good laughter which is the best natural medicine known to man. 🙂 Thanks for popping by today!

    1. Ellen, what kind of Cathy would I be if I didn’t draw a cat? 🙂 My cow’s face turned out nicely for a first attempt but I really like how my chicken and chicks turned. The online sources are a huge help with shaping my mind to draw my subjects and I’m having a blast!

  15. You’re definitely doing a great job. I’m glad you surprised yourself doing this! Maggie looks like she knows something that we don’t.

  16. Hi, Cathy!

    Happy “C” day to you, dear friend!

    Yessum, “C” is for chuckle and chortle, and I did plenty of both as I watched those cat capers. I got a kick out of the kitty stealing money, the one that jumped when the toast popped up, the one that jumped into the trash can, the one that dove into the fish tank and the one that kept ambushing and pouncing on his little doggie brother. 🙂

    You asked if it is okay for you to think you are doing a decent job with your artwork. I say it is more than okay, because these animal sketches of yours are fantastic! Cows are among my favorite animals. As a boy I loved to visit my aunt and uncle’s farm, ride through the pasture on a wagon drawn by my uncle in his tractor, and stop occasionally to pet, scratch and feed apples to their cows. As an adult I lived next to farm property and befriended one cow in particular that always made her way over to the fence so that I could talk to her and scratch her. She had a #32 tag on her ear. We tend to remember details like that in happy memories. Getting back to your cow sketch, your Maggie does indeed have soulful eyes. She reminds me of my dear old bovine friend #32,

    The chicken + chicks is a wonderful drawing, Cathy! The fowl look real and natural and the drawing conveys a sense of motion as the peeps peck at the feed on the ground. The big cat is marvelous, too! Its musculature, stance and tail position all look natural. I can’t believe you whipped up all of these fine drawings exclusively for this challenge. it is a remarkable achievement, Cathy!

    How did you make out at the doctor’s office? I hope you found a solution and will get your hearing restored completely so that you can fully enjoy mewsic again.

    Have a fabulous day, dear friend Cathy!

    1. Tom,

      Thanks for asking about my doctor appointment. It went well. He prescribed steroid nasal spray for treating the fluid behind my eardrum. If this doesn’t work in a month’s time, he’ll make a small incision in the eardrum to drain it and I’m a bit confused as to if or when that doesn’t work he suggested tubes but there’s a problem with that procedure making me an unlikely candidate because I have small eustachian tubes. We’ll just see how things go. He also put me on an antibiotic ointment for my nose. Off and on I’ve experience folliculitis but I didn’t know it was now in my nostrils. I thought crusting was caused my congestion. OH well…just as long as I get fixed up I’m not going to worry about it. 🙂

      I’m delighted you enjoyed my latest art sketches. I found drawing very therapeutic and I had no trouble producing at least one image a day during my A2Z prep last month. It’s amazing the resources that are available online to help a beginner with instructional vids and how-to steps. This is exactly what I need until I visualize mentally what I want to draw while putting it on to paper. When you reminded me the other day Mrs. Shady paints Victorian women it inspired me to look at images to try and I hope before I get to the letter “V” that I can add an extra image to my post to include my own Victorian woman drawing. 🙂 Thanks for being ever so faithful, my friend! Have a good day!

    1. Lee, ooh, I like that my cow’s gaze pulled you. That’s precisely what I was looking for in my cow’s eyes to do. Mission accomplished! Thanks for hosting the fun and the visit! 😀

  19. I love your “C” sketches! I have a fondness for all three of the creatures that you featured. 🙂 I took a picture of a cow ear today. I think this kind of cow was a Brahman…the gray kind with the hump on its back.

    Let’s see…for other “C” words: cherries, children, chocolate, and how about a chimpanzee? 🙂

    Have a blessed week!

    1. Suzanne, great drawing ideas! You may recall I drew a monkey on DS’s Valentine’s Day card this year. I’m not sure what the difference is between a monkey and chimp, do you? Thanks for stopping in, my friend! I’ll see you in a bit!

      1. Thanks. 🙂 I have no clue what the difference is between a monkey and a chimp. Sounds like a Swagbucks search idea to me. I’ll let you know what I find out. Have a blessed evening. 🙂

        1. Suzanne, I tried doing the Swagbucks thingy once but it just didn’t seem to work out for me. Is that working for you? Are you able to make a little from using their site? Do let me know what you find on this difference!

        2. David and I initially thought monkey is to chimpanzee as dog is to Chihuahua. But, this is not so. A chimpanzee is an ape and more closely related to humans than a monkey is. A chimp does not have a tail, but a monkey does (though sometimes it is very short). Chimps are more upright, like a human. Between the two, chimps generally have a longer lifespan and better vision. The two sites where I got this information are: Difference Between and Curious Meerkat.

          Yes, we have earned money (gift cards) through Swagbucks. It isn’t a fast way to make money, but every little bit helps. I’m going to be searching for things anyway, so I may as well use Swagbucks to do it and make a little money here and there.:)
          Have a blessed day!

        3. Suzanne, thanks for the tidbits on a monkey vs a chimp. Oh, yeah I remember that now about Swagbucks, you earn gift cards and not actual money, right? If that’s correct then that’s probably why I got away from doing it. Have a good day, my friend!

        4. You’re welcome, Cathy. Yes, it is gift cards, you can choose PayPal gift cards, too. In the past, we’ve gotten Walmart and Amazon gift cards. Right now, I’m working on earning a PayPal gift card. I have yet to figure out how to make Swagbucks my default search engine on this computer, so most of the time I end up forgetting to go to Swagbucks to do my searches. That doesn’t exactly get me any closer to getting that gift card. 🙂 Do you know how to change the default search engine?

          Have a blessed day, too, my friend. 🙂

        5. Suzanne, You can change your search default depending on which browser you use. Just Google “How to set search engine default” and you’ll find links for the different web browsers. Since I use Google so often I made this my browser homepage. That’s another way you can do it, too. Maybe one or both of these options are doable for you and it’ll help you to get that PayPal gift card quicker!

  20. I think you’re doing a great job! I’ve recognized each of your drawings for what they are, so there’s that 🙂 Can’t think of any more C’s right now.

    1. Well, that’s a start if you recognized what I’ve sketched then I reckon I’m doing something right. LOL Thanks for stopping by, dear!

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