Slowly moving towards winter

The weeks are flying by very quickly at my house. The days on the other hand get longer and longer. Is that possible? I notice that each day I think several times of how many weeks I still have left till the baby comes...And then before I know it-the whole week is over.

I am not posting any photos of myself at this stage, since I can barely stand the way I look and feel this time around. Getting bigger and slower day by day. The homeschooling is moving along better than I expected. Andrei being in 3d grade now, has much more work than last year. Anna is in Kindergarden and is the easier student to work with.

I am trying to paint and sketch daily, despite the fact that I am hardly inspired at all. At this point I think it is persistance that matters. That and just keeping myself in the habit of working daily. I have listed a few new small originals and ACEOs in my etsy shop. Struggling not to turn into a couch potato is the hardest part now. Will be meeting with my agent to discuss the possible book project that we have been working on next week. I wonder if it will turn into a book, and if it does, WHEN am I going to do it?

Spring Give AWAY and new pictures

My favorite time of the year is here, and in honor of the first spring birds , first spring smells, and first spring sun I wanted to host a give away. I will be giving away an original ACEO of your choice. To enter please visit my Facebook page and leave your comment. The rules are posted there
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-Usova/29913441534

I have seen the geese fly by several times already in the past few days, and my cats took a keen interest in them:) So did the kids.
Here are a couple of ACEOs on the subject.
Wishing you all a great week and lots of sunny vitamin D!

We are back

And we are cold. I can uderstand when it is cold and snowing, but this kind of weather is a perfectly wasted cold, to which I personally do not see any rhyme or reason. Not that anyone has asked me to moderate the weather...Just complaining

Painted 3 new ACEOs today.After a break I usually have a bunch of images that need to be painted, or I will explode.

And here they are the winter bird, Neptune and the Moving Snail. (all listed on Etsy)

Little by little

Little pieces of Art little by little taking over my head , hands and table. While working on a big custom order I find it very helpful to create little pieces , so I do not get bored with the big one and I can let my wintery creatures out.

All listed on Etsy.

I feel winter coming

The air is getting colder, the wind is getting stronger. It is becoming harder and harder to convince to sit for hours at the playground. The benches are freezing! And I am feeling the wintery feeling coming. The feeling that makes a hot cup of tea extra desirable, and the warm pair of shoes a must. My wintery creatures are coming out of their summer hiding. These and more coming in my Etsy shop.

some new ACEOs

A few new guys here and there....

IF: Music

The horse loved to listen to the music the girl played while riding.

New Smalls

I am back in the painting routine. Getting 1,2 or 3 small painting done in a day. After a period of dryness the images are pouring out again. This one is a carrot puzzle. Can the rabbit guess which carrot is the biggest?

A big moon is calling the dog and a couple of cats:


A make over for this little girl in red(new image to the right):

Silly Sunday creatures

Those two are quite silly, but I hope they find their special place in this world:)

It's full Moon here

and I am painting Moons, or should I say planets?
A planet of a lonely little Princess and a planet of Cats
these two ACEOs are in my shop now.

IF: Worn

The bear was playing a cheerful melody on his balalaika and was wearing a worn hat that was passed on to him from his Grandpa.

An ACEO SALE

I am clearing out some of the space and will be having an ACEO sale. Please check my store's SALE section to see the reduced items. A new batch of ACEOs is coming in as we speak:)

New Baked Goods

A home made organicly baked wolf, and a wholesome tea loving elephant. Brand new and waiting for their new homes.
Sculpey is my favorite medium, did I ever say that ...I am sure I did

the creative block has passed!

And I am making about a dozen new ACEOs. I like to paint them, they are little glimpses into something bigger that comes later. I like playing with various ideas, and characters, and seeing them develop into full functioning critters.
Here are a few that are already finished.
My son picked the one with the Giant Night bear, while my daughter picked the Lady Snail. Only she called her "fairy snail"

IF: Celebrate

Celebrate new Life!
Celebrate Spring!
Celebrate Love!

Never stop drawing--that's the key!

that's what keeps me going--no time for big projects--do little ones! that's my motto lately.

IF: Rambunctious

Even the moust Rambunctious kids get tired. However sometimes getting them there takes the whole house being turned upside down.

Little things count, or counting the little things

Those of you who are married, especially for many years know that make us happiest and irritate us the most are the little things that happen...

Several weeks ago we had dinner with some good friends of ours and the parents of one of them came along. As I was watching that couple who have been together for almost 40 years, since high school I believe, I realized that there is such an unspeakable warmth between them!

No traces of irritation, aggravation or those small sharp words that could have added up over the years. A little smile here and there, a small pat on the shoulder, a quick caring question. That's what I want to have 35 years from now.

Little things, little paintings, little surprises, little miracles.

You know what was one of the best gifts, I received from my husband during the past 7 years we were together? Several magnets for the refrigerator. Yes, I have gotten many beautiful things from him, but this one stands out. Why? Because it was a surprise, because they were beautiful, and because they made me feel very special on that day, I felt like the woman in the cave receiving the skin of a tiger :)

I used to be very upset that I cannot paint a HUGE painting, like in the old days. An oil giant,t hat would take up half the wall...I am past this feeling, and to tell you the truth, I love painting ACEOs (tiny watercolors, that take up not too much time, but end up looking like a finished creation). They are my main artistic endeavor at this point in life. Just because I have tiny bits of time to work, I have tiny moment of inspiration, I make tiny little colorful bits that travel all over the world.

Here are a couple of my latest minis.

The Wind

I was very surprised how hard it is to find a good image of the wind!
I am doing a custom illustration of a children's song, that involves the moon, the wind and a mother with child. In my mind the wind is this cheeky fellow , blowing his head away, with big nose, and big lips. Did I image him, or did I see him somewhere?
My attempts to google this image were useless. So I had to come up with something without any references. Which is also fun, but a bit harder to do.
I will keep looking, and if any of you have any ideas where to look, it would be greatly appreciated. Meanwhile, I introduce to you The Wind. (available in my shop now)

Black and White Birds

what do you think of these?