Hanami

Sakura
watercolor on bristol
9" x 12"
The act of viewing sakura blossoms this time of year is called Hanami. The blossoms are stunning and smell amazing. We have even had sakura icecream! The blossoms in Tanabe are nearly complete and in full bloom now in Kyoto. We visited Kyoto on Saturday with Tim and Lindsay. We toured the city by bike, it was a blast. I highly recommend renting bikes for any vacation. The trees line the Kamo river in Kyoto and are definitely a must see!!

Elephant Friends

Elephant
up close shot of Elephant Head on wood

Elephant Friends
ink on wood
(drawing made into a linoleum stamp)
I really like elephants and this little guy makes me smile. I am having to remind myself when making these to think backwards, it is definitely not easy. I think the negative/positive space on this baby animal is successful.

Illustrations for Pronunciation Practice

These are part of a collection of illustrations that I made for a pronunciation practice activity.
Each illustration is about 8" x 10" and feature a word for the pronunciation activity. The students are given a sheet with columns and rows that have words with similar sounds to compare for listening. I made illustrations of the words to make it more fun. Other words include rice/lice, grass/glass, very/berry. It is a challenging exercise and it is difficult. The students have various reactions of despair and dread. Mostly, however, improve significantly on accuracy once we have done the exercise about three times. I have been inspired to create more illustrations for classroom projects.

Illustrations for Pronunciation Practice

These are part of a collection of illustrations that I made for a pronunciation practice activity.

BERRY
(forgot to photograph the text)

Illustrations for Pronunciation Practice

These are part of a collection of illustrations that I made for a pronunciation practice activity.

Around Tanabe

Wakayama Mikan and Momo Blossoms
watercolor
Wakayama is known for its mikans and ume. I am working on a kind of travel journal and wanted to create a page about Wakayama, but these blossoms, turns out are momo, a kind of peach. The mikans are delicious and sweet. They are plentiful through the winter. The momo blossoms were a gift from Pyar. The blossoms are beautiful with varying shades of pinks.

Palm Tree at Sawabe's Home
pencil sketch
I am working on resolving the rest of the drawing that shows Sawabe's home and part of the gardens. Now, this is my favorite part. I am drawn to palms for their shape and textures, also they remind me of the Gulf Coast.

Documenting Recent Trips

Momo Trees in Shinjo
watercolor sketch
I thought I was painting ume trees (plum trees). Turns out that the ume trees have the white blossoms and the momo trees (peach trees) are the pink ones. I have three schools in Shinjo. The area is beautiful, there are many momo and ume trees blossoming.

Chikatsuyu
pencil sketch
I drew this last Sunday from the window of our bed and breakfast. Pyar wanted to hike before our morning bus and I stayed to draw. We hiked along the Kumano Kodo the day before and enjoyed the onsen at the B&B.

Palms at Kushimoto
pencil sketch with station stamp on the back of page
This sketch is from the outside of the Judokan where Pyar and Carolina had their belt tests. I was nervous before hand and thus stayed outside to relax and draw.