Friday, January 28, 2011

My Day Job

A small chipmunk drank deeply from the birdbath this morning, then scurried down and ran across the yard with its usual lightning speed.  We haven't seen chipmunks much lately, cold as it's been, but today promises to be beautiful, and our furry friend most likely has a long list of outside jobs to catch up on.  The entrance to its den is just outside my studio window, and a couple of times, I've been able to see young chipmunks when they first emerged from the den.  They would come out part way, hesitantly, squinting toward the light, and look around, then duck back inside, only to emerge a few minutes later with the courage to come a little farther.  After repeating this process several times, 3 of them appeared together and stumbled over each other, and over the rocks outside my window.  People sometimes ask me where I get the inspiration for my cards.  Being able to see those small chipmunks was ample inspiration.  

First, I took some photos, 



then, did some sketches,


then I painted a little scene and did the lettering,
which became a greeting card.  


I've recently opened a Zazzle store, selling some of my art and photos on the internet, and this image is there on a friendship card, a Valentine card, and a mug.  If you'd like to check it out, the link is above.