Sketchbook Sunday - August 26

I'm working pretty slowly on that chain. I also did the halter's throat strap and horse's cheek this past week.

I started the assignment for the lesson on human proportion. My drawing is so light it's hard to see, but you can see the photo I'm working from.

And I sketched another of my fair photos. This was done with colored pencils. I've never really used them before, so I didn't worry about getting in the details, but it was fun to just try blending colors together to somewhat match the photo.

In other news this week, I finished up with the photos I took of the county fair. Narrowed them down to the five best photos of each event, and now I just have to get them to the fair board president to put up on the website.
I also went to the Renaissance Festival in Shakopee last weekend. It was lots of fun, and I'll try to get some photos from that put up in the next few weeks.

2012 County Fair Photos - Sport Action

Sport action was a category I was really looking forward to this year after getting a camera with which I can control shutter speed.

1st place! I took this photo at our annual family reunion near Canby, MN, in July 2012. It's tradition to have water fights, and one of my tactics for staying dry is to be the one holding the camera! This is my cousin soaking her dad. I love the expression on her face and the way the fast shutter speed "froze" the water.

1st place! Was also considered for the best of show award! This little Dachshund is named Champ. He belongs to my sister's in-laws, and she brought him with to visit one time when she was dog sitting. Being a city dog, he loved our trip to the creek and playing in the mud. Afterward, he needed a bath, and I was waiting with my camera when it was done to catch a series of shots I'd always wanted to capture. This was the best of the bunch.

1st place! This photo is from the Crystal Springs Rodeo near Clear Lake, SD, in June 2012. This is the calf roping event. I made it sepia but only somewhat transparently, so the original color shows through somewhat. I just love how it turned out - very old west looking, I think.

1st place! And was possibly considered for best of show - either this one or the sepia photo in the landscape category (my informant couldn't remember for sure). This photo was taken at the same rodeo as the photo above. This is the bareback bronc riding event. Shots like this are what make me love my Canon Rebel T3!

Other county fair photo posts:
Animal category photos
People category photos
Landscape category photos

Next up - Still life.

2012 Yellow Medicine County Fair Photos - Landscape

Here were my entries in the landscape category at the county fair. There's only three since I didn't feel any of my landscape photos looked good in black and white.

1st place! This is one of my personal favorites, and the judge must've agreed because it was in the running for best of show! It's from our trip to Door County this past July and was taken with my Canon Rebel T3 while hiking in Peninsula State Park with my husband, sister, and brother-in-law. This is the kind of hiking I love - walking along flat mulched trails is just so boring. Climbing over fallen trees and scaling natural rock stairs is so much more fun!

1st place! This photo was also taken during our Door County trip. It was the view over Green Bay from the pier in Fish Creek, WI, as the sun set on our first five years of marriage. What a great end to our anniversary! I played with the color intensity a bit, and I love how it turned out!

1st place! And possibly in the running for best of show. It was this one or the rodeo bronc - can't remember which. I still can't believe I took this photo in January in Minnesota! This was my first photo shoot with my Canon Rebel T3, taken on a back road in Freeland Township, Lac qui Parle County, MN. Most years in January, this road would be impassable due to snow.

The 5x7 prints that I displayed in the fair are available for $5 each plus shipping. Nothing wrong with them - they just have the class numbers and placing written on the back. Contact me if you're interested.

Other fair photo posts: Animals and People

Sketchbook Sunday - August 19

Getting back into the swing of things with a more normal work schedule this week.

This was the last page of practice, and I'll start the assignment this week.

Finished the studded rein and am starting on the chain attached to it. There is a lot of chain, and I'm kind of dreading it. Wish me luck!

I sketched one of my fair photos this week too, thinking it might be fun to draw someday.

Don't forget - my blog subscribers can use the code 3rdetsybday for 25% off when checking out of my Etsy shop until Wednesday in celebration of three years on Etsy!

2012 Yellow Medicine County Fair Photos - People

More photos from the county fair.

These are the photos I entered in the People category and the one I had for the Children category at the fair.

3rd place. This was taken in June 2012 at the Crystal Springs Ranch Rodeo near Clear Lake, SD, with my Canon Rebel T3. It was just before the calf roping event, and this cowboy was warming up his horse and rope.

2nd place. This photo was taken just after the photo above. While waiting for the calf roping to start, this cowboy had to make some adjustments to his saddle.

1st place! I took this photo of my little sister in June 2012 in Canby, MN, with my Canon Rebel T3. It was the annual town celebration, we were watching the parade, and she was holding a puppy and laughing. I focused on her, said her name, and snapped the photo as she looked up. The puppy was upside down in her arms and had a funny shadow across his face, so I cropped him out and blurred out the background a bit since it was pretty distracting.

1st place! This photo was taken in August 2011 on Lake Amelia near Glenwood, MN, with my Fuji FinePix S700. A group of our friends were on vacation at the lake, and this couple was catching some sun on the tube trying to get tan for their wedding that fall.

Didn't place. This was my only entry in the children category and my only photo that didn't place. It was taken in May 2012 at Sylvan Park in Canby, MN, with my Canon Rebel T3. It was the first time someone had asked me to take pictures for them, and I had a lot of fun. The photo shoot was a celebration of this couple's anniversary, and this is their granddaughter.

You can see the animal photos here.

Next up - landscape!

Three years old!

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2012 County Fair Photos - Animals

Here's some of the photos I entered in the Yellow Medicine County Fair this year along with a little of their stories.

Each category has four sub-categories - color, black and white, sepia, and digital enhancement, so I have four photos in most of the categories.

I'll be posting photos by category as I finish each post.

Animal Category:

1st place! This photo was taken in March 2012 with my Canon Rebel T3 at my parents' house near Canby, MN. The dog's name is Bailey. She belonged to my little sister's boyfriend, and my sister was dogsitting for the day. She was a hyper Border Collie puppy, and this photo was one of very few moments when she was sitting still. Sadly, she's since been hit and killed by a car.

1st place! This photo was taken in June 2012 with my Canon Rebel T3 at my parents' farm near Canby, MN. The cat's name is Bummer, and he is my mom's youngest "child" and easily the most spoiled of the family. He showed up at their place one day as a kitten and has been much loved ever since. He enjoys waking my mom up at 3 a.m. to be fed or let outside or whatever whim strikes him at the time. He despises her playing violin and will literally jump from the nearest piece of furniture onto her chest to make her stop! He's got quite the personality!

1st place! I took this photo in May 2012 at Jerland Farms near Cumberland, WI, with my Canon Rebel T3. My family was looking in on the baby horses in the barn, and this beautiful mare had such great lighting on her. The only editing I did to the photo was some cropping and softening the background to make the mare's face stand out.

1st place and was considered for the best of show award! This photo was taken in September 2011 at Swensson Farm near Montevideo, MN, with my Fuji FinePix S700. This was the Horse Power event held each year in which horses are used to demonstrate the old method of farming. They plow, dig potatoes, shock corn, rake hay, grind corn, and other things. This horse's name is Mike, and his job for the day was to walk in circles around the corn grinder. Not as glamorous a job as some others had, but he seemed pretty happy about it.

Next up... the people category!

Sketchbook Sunday - August 12

Not much done this week. I worked every day since the head librarian is on vacation, and I had my friends' wedding on Saturday.

Still working on the practice work for my art course. Nothing too exciting.

Still chugging along on this guy. Worked on the base of the collar and also that studded rein lying between the collar and the mane.

Looking forward to some more studio time this week with my schedule back to normal.

Sketchbook Sunday - August 5

Got a little bit of time in on the draft horse this week. Art Instruction Schools is having a contest I'm hoping to enter him in. Just have to get him done and to them by Sept. 30.

Also started on the next lesson for Art Instruction Schools. Figure drawing - very intimidating for me. I am NOT good at drawing people! This is just some practice work in the lesson book that I just started on.