Magic Of The Night Pastel Drawing

This picture was just a whimsical piece I needed to add to my portfolio.  I love snowmen, and love to draw them at odd angles for interest.  This was perfect.  For days I had the drawing half done, with the snowman just looking off into blank paper.  I couldn’t figure out what to put as the background, so I left the drawing half done and off to the side until this idea came to me.  It’s just a cute random Christmas drawing.  It was fun to just not be so picky and have fun with this.  Like I was back in grade school with my blank manila paper and crayons.  Love it!

Hope you like it.

Magic Of The Night

Jolly Joe, The Ice Cream Man Drawing

Awhile back, I had posted a story about the ice cream man from my past.  I had written the story for a children’s writing class and when I did this, memories came flooding back to me.  It made me want to search Jolly Joe and see if I could find out who he was and his past or something.  I could find nothing on the man.

I wanted to be able to give this story to him or his family to let them know that he was indeed a special man and many people remembered him (just look at my post on him). I recently painted this picture of what I could remember how the truck looked with the bell and asked a local paper if they would put this in the paper with hope of finding someone that knew him, hopefully even a family member.  It should be in the Warwick Beacon soon.  Hopefully this brings me to someone…anyone that knew him.

But for now, here is the picture of Jolly Joe. Enjoy!

Jolly Joe The Ice Cream Man

 

I had put it in a format for submitting t children’s book publishers, but had no illustrations to go with it.

New Pastel Drawing “Angel Kiss”

Here is the newest addition to my ever-changing portfolio.  This is a picture that was inspired from an old picture taken of my daughter when she was little kissing little sister Kelsey on the head.  Every time I looked at the picture, all I could picture was an angel kissing baby Jesus, and I finally drew it.  Hope you like it!

The Original Photo

The Painting “Angel Kiss”

Down By The Sea Pastel Drawing

Here is a first attempt at drawing a nautical themed picture in pastels.  I wanted really to do a beach scene, but I had put this still life together and figured I would try this first…then the beach.

I like it, but it looked like it could use text, so I put the text in “Down By The Sea”.  It seems to add something.  I would like to go to Photoshop now and take the starfish here and reduce the size and add mini ones in the corners of the frame.  That would even add more interest.  But anyway, here is my first attempt.

Down By The Sea Nautical Pastel

 

Colored Pencil Drawing for God Never Gives Us

Hello!  I figured as I am waiting to finish other drawings in the works..I will showcase an older one.

This is a colored pencil drawing with the quote that says it all.  I really believe this one is true.  I really love the way the picture came out.  As soon as I read the quote, I knew how I wanted to illustrate it.  So here it is… Enjoy.

 

God Never Gives Us More Than We Can Handle

Best Friends Are Like Four-Leaf Clovers-A Colored Pencil Drawing

This colored pencil drawing was done awhile ago.  I figured since it mentioned four-leaf clovers in it and St. Patrick’s Day was Saturday, why not post this.  Makes me kind of realize I should do more St. Patrick’s drawings!  You think I would have more for this special day since my maiden name was Riley and my married name is McNulty!!!!!

Anyway, here is one for friends -and for St. Patrick’s Day!

Best Friends Are Like Four-Leaf Clovers

Charlotte and Friends Welcome Fall- A Drawing

I’m just posting an illustration of some characters I made up for  children’s book or greeting card series.  It is a primitive rag doll named Charlotte, with her two friends.  They are her trusting, Scottish terrier (another primitive icon) Toby; and Gunther,  the goose (primitive icon again). Gunther is the sidekick, comical one, who always seems to get into mischief. Toby just kind of sits quietly by and is usually on the receiving end of Gunther’s antics.  Like the straight guy. Charlotte is the  guiding, mother figure and keeps the two in line.

I must say, I have much fun drawing  these pictures and making them have all kinds of neat adventures together.  I just can’t seem to find the right way to market them, I guess.  I have an illustrated story I have done with them, but haven’t put it out there as yet.  I am thinking maybe cute greeting cards or along that line.  But for now, I’ll just see where it takes me. I do have another post about the book I wrote awhile back.

Anyway, for now, I am posting this picture to celebrate Fall, and I will post more to follow.  This will force me to continue to draw this trio and maybe come up with a  marketing idea as I go along.  It can’t hurt, right? Here it is:

 

Charlotte and Friends Welcome Fall

Best Friends Are Like Four Leaf Clovers

Hello again.

Since my married name is McNulty, and my single name was Riley, and today is St. Patrick’s Day….I need to write a blog that has something to do with St. Patrick’s Day, right?

Well, if not only about St. Patrick’s Day, I can write about the illustration here I did awhile back with a quote about four leaf clovers, which I believe totally.

Friends are sure hard to find, especially the ones that stick by you.  Through the bad times as well as the good.  I just know you really need friends, especially when you are younger.  I am 50 and I may have one friend, but plenty of family members on my husbands side that I could call my friends.  That seems to happen as you get older, friends don’t seem so abundant anymore.  Everyone is doing their own thing or live far away. But that’s ok, family is a good substitute.  At least they can’t really run out on you.  I also have an older sister in my own family that is like my best friend, I wouldn’t change that for anything either.  She knows me the best.  When we were growing up, we shared everything, and that made life seem so much more bearable. Boyfriend troubles, family arguments, money issues, feelings…you name it.  All the tough times seem easier to deal with if you have a close friend.

My husband is like my best friend, also.  I can tell him anything.  I would feel lost if I didn’t have my husband to share with.  You definitely need someone you can call friend. Someone. Anyone.  Even Rover, your dog.  I don’t care.  If they make you feel better…they’re a friend. In my book anyway.

Okay, now getting back to St. Patrick’s Day…who’s having corned beef and cabbage…say “I”.  Who’s having irish soda bread…and maybe some drinks ???

The only part about corned beef and cabbage is finding a decent package of corned beef that doesn’t have a chock full of fat on it and that  doesn’t cost something like a gold nugget!!!!  Come on…you need to buy 4 of those packages just to make a meal for 4…they shrink when you cook them too, like cotton in the hot wash…holy cow!!!  I always panic when I have a table full of people waiting on my corned beef and I take it out of the oven and it looks like the size of a meatball!  Talk about cutting your slices thin!  Thank God for potatoes and soda bread!  Let’s hope your sitting among good friends and loving family members so they don’t make fun of your “tiny” meat.  Hopefully they will have few drinks by then..and no one will notice anyway!

Well, go and have a good St. Patrick’s Day…and think of me at dinner…friend:).

(Also, to plug a good movie about the Irish..”.The Devil’s Own ” with Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford. A little violent, but more of an Irish feel.  Good story.)Enjoy!

Best Friends Are LIke Four Leaf Clovers

For The Laughter Of Children

Here is a quote that I illustrated awhile back.  I really liked the quote, but wasn’t sure how I was going to illustrate it.  I finally decided drawing several children tumbling about and climbing trees and such.  After all, that’s what being a kid is all about.

 I think in the end it served the quote rather well.  And the quote rings true, for whenever I see children at play and being so free, it always makes me smile…and also remember.  Enjoy!

For The Laughter of Children

Thorns and Roses Again

I love this quote!  Trying to find the “positive” in any situation  can be difficult, but if you really look hard enough, you may find it.  This quote really does make you think.

I had posted this awhile back, but thought because this illustration looks so  much like summer, I’d post it again.  I love the roses and the way the girl is all dressed in her summer dress and straw hat.  I just want summer so badly, can’t

Thorns and Roses

 you tell?

I really have to buckle down and get back to drawing.  It really is a stress reliever!  My colored pencils are calling me!  I feel so bad as I look over to my desk, and everything is just sitting there…untouched.  The colored pencils in their holders and paper strewn in piles on the floor and in drawers.  I’ve got countless magazine clippings and photos of things to give me inspiration for the quotes I want to illustrate.  I say I will get to it, but I never do.:(  It is really rather sad, because I feel like I’m losing a part of me, and when I do start back up again, I feel as if I’m starting from scratch all over again.

I will do this…I will.

But for now, here is another “Beautiful Girl” with her heart wristlet.  (I love putting hearts into my pictures!)  Enjoy!  :)