The Prince and the Swallow

 

This piece is from a tutorial by Eulalia Mejia for A Year of Magic and Fairy Tales. Her reference is to "The Happy Prince" by Oscar Wilde. The tale is "The Prince and the Swallow," the tale is of selflessness and love featuring a statue of the prince who, with the swallow's help gives away his jewels and gold to help the city's poor. The Happy Prince wasn't happy, when he saw the city's poor suffering. It's a sad tale.

Eulalia uses acrylic paints throughout the project. I don't paint in acrylics and substituted gouache paints. Instead of painting a sheet of paper with acrylics for the background, I used Stonehenge black cold press 240 lb. watercolor paper. The gems were painted on computer paper. The snowy city was drawn on the black paper with a white Prismacolor pencil. I used Carn D'Ache cryons for the snow on the roofs.

Challenges: 

https://avenue613.blogspot.com/2026/04/april-2026-anything-goes-w-optional.html

https://hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-202604-april-2026-anything.html 

https://classicdesignchallenge.blogspot.com/2026/04/classic-design-challenge-04-2026-marapr.html 

https://creativecrafterschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-99.html 

Farmer Mr. Briar

 This fun painting "Farmer Mr. Briar is the result of a Guided Drawing Lesson on "Backgrounds," with Terry Mead for "Plum Loved Art." She noted ahead of the Zoom lesson to prepare a couple of drawings, in case students in the class wanted to draw the backgrounds to the images during the lesson. I did draw it ahead of time but watched the lesson and drew the background later on my own.

I drew Mr. Briar with a Graphgear 1000 Pentel Pencil and following the lesson, I added farm details. I shaded the piece with pencil and a paper stump and went over my work with black Molotow liner pens. Small details were also added using these pens.

I  painted this piece using Jane Davenport watercolors. 

I totally enjoyed this Zoom lesson and drawing my own version of the farm was a lot of fun!

Challenges: 

https://avenue613.blogspot.com/2026/04/april-2026-anything-goes-w-optional.html

https://hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-202604-april-2026-anything.html 

 https://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-847.html

https://craftycatzweeklychallenge.blogspot.com/2026/04/crafty-catz-challenge-711.html 

https://craftinghappinesschallenges.blogspot.com/2026/04/crafting-happiness-challenges-210-all.html 

Victorian Gown 1850s

 

This "Victorian Gown 1850s," is from a tutorial by Karen Campbell for Awesome Art School. This fashion came into being when the Crinoline was worn under the large skirts of the period. It was a weird cage like object that took the place of as many as 7 petticoats.

I drew this dress using a Graphgear 1000 Pentel Pencil in my Ohuhu Marker Pad. I watched Karen's videos and used and a printout she provided for a reference. I outlined the dress using a black Molotow marker and colored it in with Ohuhu Markers. I added the detail at the top and the cording down the front with that same marker.

I enjoy both the history of fashion and drawing it! This was an enjoyable challenge to my drawing skills!

Challenges:

https://avenue613.blogspot.com/2026/04/april-2026-anything-goes-w-optional.html

https://hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-202604-april-2026-anything.html 

  https://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-847.html

https://paperfundaychallenges.blogspot.com/2026/04/april-2026-challenge-86-anything-goes.html 

Red Riding Hood

 Back in 2020 I was looking for a new creative outlet for my art. I found alcohol inks and explored pouring, blending and textures. I also discovered gelli plate printing and made -media monoprints without a press. Between the two, I kept busy making sheets and sheets of lovely prints, which eventually, I gathered into a handmade book. And there they all sat in the cabinet for years. Until now!

Then along came Tamara Laporte hosting "A Year of Magic and Fairy Tales."  I've always loved  whatever Tamara  offered and so I jumped into the course and found lots of art to work on. Now, I'll tell you about the tutorial by Artist Sylvia Gryczuk, that brought those printed sheets out of that cabinet. It was her lesson on Little Red Riding Hood!

I drew this little girl and the wolf from the reference provided, using a Graphgear 1000 Pentel Pencil on Canson 140 lb. watercolor paper and painted the drawings in Jane Davenport watercolors. I used a Micron Pen for details and enhanced the drawings. I cut the images out and put them aside.

Next, I painted a blended greenish oval for the imaginary entrance with a dark green background using the same Canson watercolor paper and Jane Davenport watercolors.

I cut pieces from those old prints and adhered them to the background illustrating the forest. I partially hid the wolf among those pieces. I put dimensional stickers on the back of Red Riding Hood and adhered her on top.

I love how this piece came together!

Challenges:

 https://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-847.html

https://avenue613.blogspot.com/2026/04/april-2026-anything-goes-w-optional.html

https://hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-202604-april-2026-anything.html 

https://paperfundaychallenges.blogspot.com/2026/04/april-2026-challenge-86-anything-goes.html

Girl in 1840s Evening Gown

 

 

 

This "Girl in 1840s Evening Gown" on toned paper is from a tutorial by Karen Campbell for Awesome Art School.

I drew this lovely girl in my Strathmore Toned Tan sketch book. I drew it following Karen's instructions and making use of the reference, she provided. I used a Graphgear 1000 Pentel Pencil. Shading was added with a Blackwing Pencil and a paper stump.

Challenges: 

https://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-847.html 

https://morgansartworld.blogspot.com/2026/04/morgans-artworld-challenge-99.html 

https://avenue613.blogspot.com/2026/04/april-2026-anything-goes-w-optional.html

https://hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-202604-april-2026-anything.html 

1840s Evening Gown

 

 This "1840s Evening Gown" on toned paper is from a tutorial by Karen Campbell for Awesome Art School.

I drew this lovely gown in my Strathmore Toned Tan sketch book. I drew it following Karen's instructions and making use of the reference, she provided. I used a Graphgear 1000 Pentel Pencil. Shading was added with a Blackwing Pencil and a paper stump. I used a white Sharpie Creative Marker and white Prismacolor Pencil for highlights.

It was so relaxing working on this gown, I can't wait to draw the gown on the girl!

Challenges:

https://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/03/challenge-846.html 

https://morgansartworld.blogspot.com/2026/04/morgans-artworld-challenge-99.html 

https://avenue613.blogspot.com/2026/04/april-2026-anything-goes-w-optional.html

https://hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-202604-april-2026-anything.html 

Blue/Green Mermaid

 

This mixed media "Mermaid" is from a Taster tutorial by Tamara Laporte for "A Year of Magic and Fairy Tales. I followed Tamara's drawing instruction using a Graphgear 1000 Pentel Pencil on a sheet of Fabriano 140 lb. hot press watercolor paper. I painted the piece with Jane Davenport watercolors. The details were added with Prismacolor pencils, Gelly Roll Pen and Holbein Artists Gouache, and Winsor Newton Gouache.

I'm so glad I had the time to go back and work on this tutorial. I love how it came out.

Challenges: 

https://avenue613.blogspot.com/2026/04/april-2026-anything-goes-w-optional.html

https://craftycatzweeklychallenge.blogspot.com/2026/03/crafty-catz-710-anything-goes.html 

https://paperfundaychallenges.blogspot.com/2026/04/april-2026-challenge-86-anything-goes.html

https://hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-202604-april-2026-anything.html