Sketchbook Sunday - July 29

This is what he looked like the day before the fair when I decided to give up on getting him done in time.

I entered tons of photos in the fair, however, and I'll let you know how I did with them. If you want to take a peek, they're all posted on my Facebook site.

Sketchbook Sunday - July 22

The draft horse continues to come along, but I don't think I'm going to have him done for the county fair which begins on Thursday. I was really hoping, but he's just so big, and I don't want to run the risk of ruining him by rushing.
I got to the mane this week and seriously started questioning WHY I chose to draw this horse - I despise drawing white hair!
Here's his current state:

Neither his mane or ears are finished yet. I had to move on from the mane for a little while, so I started the ears. To give some perspective, I have 45 min. in so far on the mane and 15 min. on each ear. That's why I don't believe I can finish him by Thursday.

In other news:
-I finally called the Art Instruction Schools to check on my assignment. It should be in the mail right now. I'll be receiving lessons 23-28 all at once, and that's everything that's left! Nice to see the end in sight!
-The church sign boards were supposed to be prepped yesterday, and I'm just waiting to receive them.
-I'm working frantically on getting photos ready for the county fair. I went through all 1500+ photos I've taken in the past year, picked out around 50 that I really liked for the eight different categories, and now I have to cull them down to four in each category (color, black and white, sepia, and computer enhanced).

2012 Crystal Springs Rodeo

The last weekend in June is one of my favorite weekends of the year - it's the weekend of the Crystal Springs Rodeo near Clear Lake, SD. This is my favorite rodeo ever, and I was extra excited this year because it was my first year with my Canon Rebel!

Here's a look at some of the photos I shot.

Opening ceremonies:

A special award was presented to the Suttons (one of the best known names in rodeo), and they came into the arena in a stagecoach.

Bareback Bronc:

Calf Roping:

Saddle Bronc:

Thanks to a delay because the ambulance had to leave (rodeos cannot continue without an ambulance present), it got dark pretty early, but my camera held up pretty well. I had to sacrifice brightness and clarity for a fast shutter speed, unfortunately.

Steer Wrestling:

Team Roping:

Barrel Racing:

Bull Riding:

Not a clear photo at all, but it was just the right moment to snap the photo!

The Cowboy Girls trick riders performed this year as the special entertainment:

 This gray horse was performing for the first time ever in front of a crowd!

Hope you enjoyed the photos!

Sketchbook Sunday - July 15

Progress on the draft horse this week:

That's really all I've done this week that I can show you.

Other things I've been doing:
-I'm still waiting on my next assignment from the Art Instruction Schools. It's been two weeks now, and I'm getting a little impatient - will call tomorrow to check up on it.
-I've been going through all my photos from the past year and choosing possibilities for the county fair.
-I gave my church sign sketches to the ministerial association, they chose a design, and now I'm just waiting for the boards that I'm to paint.
-I'm also done editing rodeo photos and just have to put together the post, so you'll see that early this week.

Sketchbook Sunday - July 8

I made quite a bit of progress on the draft horse this week. I'm pretty happy with how he's coming along so far. I'm adjusting to the texture of the paper and am able to work more quickly.

I've also been working more on the church sign designs. I have two sketches finished and decided to add one more. That one is partially done at the moment.

In other news, I was accepted to display at a show in September. I'm super excited as it will be my first outdoor show. Since I don't own a canopy, I've been limited to indoor shows, but this one offers a large tent for artists to display under.

I'm still waiting for my next lesson to be sent from the Art Instruction Schools. I mailed in the assignment last Friday, so I'm hoping the next lesson arrives soon.

I'm editing rodeo photos and am hoping to have them to show you this week. I also took a trip to Door County, Wisconsin, for my fifth anniversary and have some photos to share from that trip, so stay tuned.

Sketchbook Sunday - July 1

Here's what I've gotten done this past week:

Still working on sketches of signs for the churches. Here's two of the designs I'll present for consideration. There may be a third depending on if I can make it work the way I want. It's hard with the variety in the length of the names of the churches. These are just larger sketches. I'll do a more final version with everything measured out better to actually present.

Which one do you like better?

And here's a current view of the draft horse. I'm really not liking the texture of this paper. It's got more of a grain than I'm used to, and it's really difficult to get that leather to look smooth. I'm at the point where I need to decide if I'm really going to kick it to get him done this month or if I should abandon him for July and work on the bison drawing. I'd like to have something to show at the county fair the last week of July besides my ACEOs.

I haven't forgotten about rodeo pictures from last weekend. I promise they're coming. I'll also have tons of photos to share of my anniversary trip to Green Bay and Door County, Wisconsin. Stay tuned!