I’m really into December art already so I almost forgot to post a recap of November.
November had folktale week which I’m still working on. The prompts were Lost, Ink, Sea, Sleep, Underground, Illusion and Found. My story is inspired by the Finnish folktale about the fire fox whose tails sweeps up snow and creates the northern lights. I finished my thumbnail sketches and I’ve done a couple color studies so far, which I’m quite happy with. Next steps are to paint these illustrations with watercolor.
I did a mockup of this fun accordion book inspired by Gore Creek in Vail, Colorado which I want to paint with watercolor on thick watercolor paper.
I only did a few random pages in my sketchbook. Hoping to get back to filling up more sketchbook pages this next month!
We also went hiking a few times in some beautiful woods in November.
Here’s to more creative flow and local adventures in December!
I looked at my camera roll for the past couple months and realized I managed to go hiking every week/weekend for over 10 weeks. So many wonderful micro adventures really makes me happy!
I went to Owen Conservation Park a couple times, which is only a few minutes from my office, making it very convenient to go for a quick hike on a lunch break. It sits on top of a hill overlooking part of the city, with prairies full of coneflowers and goldenrods in summer and fall and oak savannas and woodlands. I like to take the most outer, longest trail which goes through both prairie and woodland terrain and is about one mile. What a wonderful mid-day reprieve from sitting in front of a computer!
We hiked the trail close to our house which goes for miles and miles through the city and to the next few towns. It’s an old railroad track that was converted to a trail, used by many hikers, runners, bikers and cross-country skiers and snowmobilers in winter.
I also hiked a few times in the woods at my parent’s lake house in northern Wisconsin, which is always a treat. These trails are so off-the-beaten-path that we rarely run into others.
On another beautiful weekend day, we hiked in the Arboretum, on trails through the Lost City Forest, which was a thick woods and narrow winding footpath trails and a couple boardwalks crossing creeks. It was quite magical with all the cool lichen and mushrooms we noticed throughout the woods.
We hiked one of our favorite places, Indian Lake County Park, again taking the longest trail winding all the way around the park, mostly through hilly woods. Always magical there!
We were lucky to go hiking twice in the same weekend on trails close to our house. One was new to us, Madison School Forest, an old oak forest open to the public and used for school programming. There were so many oak and maple leaves on the trail that we couldn’t see the trail for awhile. We had the place all to ourselves so it was very peaceful and tranquil.
I don’t travel much so love going out on these local micro adventures which are like mini vacations. It’s especially a treat to be able to get out there during the work week. So good for my mental health and my adventurous spirit. I’m hoping for lots of winter hiking in the next few months.
Weekends are never long enough, especially in summer.
Spending a long holiday weekend at my parents’ house on Lake Michigan is always full of adventures, from kayaking to hiking. This time we also hiked The Ridges and the Mink River Trail.
Exploring the variety of flora is a fun treasure hunt throughout the seasons.
Noticing the wildlife is an exciting outdoor activity too, finding birds, wildlife and insects.
Some critters are hard to capture with the camera, like this pileated woodpecker, and other critters are fun to watch their shenanigans, like these cute little red squirrels chomping on cones right outside our kitchen door.
And of course, there are many varieties of butterflies and dragonflies to follow. I’ve never seen this particular 12-Spotted skimmer dragonfly before. I had fun following a tiger swallowtail and a few monarchs too.
I always cherish these weekend getaways and wish I could stay longer. I’m already looking forward to the next one! Cheers to more summer weekend adventures!
I don’t go hiking on the trails too often in summer because it can get pretty buggy (mosquitoes love me!) and muggy with our warm, humid summery days. Our weather has been all over the place lately, from temperatures in the 60s and breezy to 90s with a heat index. We’ve had a few nice weekends of low humidity and temps in the 70s to low 80s, so I’ve been able to spend time on the hiking trails the past couple weekends.
I love noticing all the sweet little flowers (er, maybe weeds) along the trail. They look dainty and fragile but they are usually vibrant and hardy.
I’ve also been noticing the bluest skies lately which means low humidity or haze in the atmosphere.
I’m still working from home for a little while longer, which is great but feels like too much time in front of computer screens, so I’ve been trying to soak up more fresh air, wide open spaces and time on the trails or in the woods.
Hope you are taking the time to pause or slow down, get out there and enjoy lovely summer days!
One of my favorite things in life is water, so I love spending time at my parents’ lake house.
Their house sits in between the water and wooded bluffs so it’s quiet and peaceful, perfect to take a nap in the hammock or just watch the wind blow over the water.
Or go for a hike to explore the flora and fauna in the woods.
Last weekend we had the bluest sky I’ve ever seen!
Fun to end each evening with a beach bonfire at sunset!
I went for a hike on Christmas Eve with my parents. It was wonderful to try out a trail new to me and so close to my parent’s house.
I was in awe that these great trails and woods are right in the city. What a reprieve and escape from the daily grind.
We saw a few tress that the beavers have been working on. I’ve never seen that before so it was a cool sight to see first-hand. Too bad we never saw any beavers though.I spotted this little bit of lichen which looked like foam – a cool find and great inspiration for a future sketchbook illustration.
The Milwaukee River was starting to freeze so it was mesmerizing to watch the ice dams flowing.
Hiking is a wonderful way to spend time on a quiet holiday. And always one of my favorite things to do, no matter what day it is. I savor these moments of solitude in the peaceful woods.
Sundays are proving to be a great day for a hike. No snow on the trails yet, but the blue sky was wonderful.
Hiking has become such a wonderful reprieve lately to clear my head. Sometimes I’m just feeling tired and worn out but I go anyway, and I’m always happy I did. There’s not much wildlife activity these days, just a few crows and juncos here and there. I’ve only seen a handful of people on this trail lately so it’s been very peaceful.
I went for a hike on Thanksgiving day, before the food fest. I have been going to the same trail that’s close to my house because it’s so convenient. I always try to notice different things, such as animals or birds on the move gathering their supplies for the upcoming winter weather, or interesting trees, shrubs and vegetation.
It’s been such a great stress reliever and way to relax and clear my head these days. I’m hoping to continue getting out there at least once a week as we move into colder winter weather.
It’s been such a great stress reliever and way to relax and clear my head these days. I’m hoping to continue getting out there at least once a week as we move into colder winter weather.