My Japanese watercolors

My Japanese watercolors Michael got for me years ago as a Christmas present. When you don't know what else to paint — paint your paints! :)

Flowers from Papa

Papa spent the night Tuesday night. He went on a run in the morning and brought me back this little bouquet. Sweet.

Bright {watercolor + Sharpies + black pen}

Just for fun. Maybe I will use it for a card set.

Sarah’s poinsettia

Guess some of those doodles from the last post helped me out on this one. A late night sketch from Sarah’s last Saturday night — after all the Christmas treats were baked, Mama had gone home and all the kids were finally asleep.

Coffe cup doodles

Doodling during Mom's
group this morning.

West Seattle Xtreme Makeover : Gingerbread Edition

I can’t decide if this should go in design, illustration or sketch — so I'll just post it here!
Fun holiday event with proceeds going to help drill a well in El Salvador.

Birthday morning :: Greenbridge birds :: View from Dubsea Coffee

I was only going to sit down for a few minutes. My birthday treat to myself — do nothing for 15 minutes at Dubsea Coffee. Then I wanted to sketch something. I got a napkin and thin wood stir stick to draw on, then discovered a blank postcard back in my purse. Perfect size. I had no idea what I was going to draw, then I saw those dark repeating shapes up on the wires across the street. Perfect subject. I wanted the emphasis to be the birds. I hope I didn't ruin it with the bits of color in the foreground. I couldn't help getting some fall colors to contrast with the gray rainy sky.

Fall with Stumptown Coffee

I hadn't meant for this sketch to look just like the last one. Just trying to get back into it.
The only reasons for this one:

• I love drawing and using white colored pencil on kraft paper.
• I love Stumptown Coffee, especially when I buy it from Dubsea Coffee.
• I love taking a break from the giant bag of cheaper Costco coffee.
• It reminded me of drawing on a Stumptown bag in the car on the way to Bellingham. I bought some for my parents for a thank you gift on the way out of town. I didn't have a card, so I doodled all over the bag instead. I didn't document that one (and there was no color), but this gives the general idea.
• Nice way to repurpose this used bag.
• I would love to do more illustrations and design for food packaging.
• I love orange.

Tea + chocolate with Sarah & Yancey

Just back from the art show at Dubsea Coffee (which was an awesome time — thank you!)...and here I am in my studio again with my Mama over my shoulder so she can get a print of this one!

Sketched this the other night at Sarah & Yancey's after all the kiddos went to bed — after a full day at the fair in Lynden. This tea and chocolate, and the company of Sarah & Yancey at their kitchen table, was the perfect way to end the day. I couldn't find a glue stick for the bits of black Sharpie-colored paper at the top and bottom, so I used some thread I found in Sarah's office.

Art opening at Dubsea Coffee! Saturday, August 20 :: 11am – 1pm

You are invited to an art opening!
Come see favorite sketches from this blog on display with framed pieces for sale!

Sketches {by Naomi Cox}
A collection from everyday life  ::  favorite Seattle spots, food, family and bright bits of nature

Family-friendly  ::  art supplies for kids to have fun creating their own drawings + paintings!

Saturday, August 20  ::  11am – 1pm
Dubsea Coffee  ::  9910 8th Ave SW  ::  Seattle
dubseacoffee.com
Event page on Facebook 

Art on display August 15 – September 14

Spread the word — hope to see you there!

Blue hydrangeas + orange cotton {part 2}

Part two. Wanted to go for a lighter, more airy feel. Paired the hydrangeas with my favorite orange cotton cloth I brought back with me years ago from Barefoot in Sri Lanka. I love Hannah Mae's version!

{below — painting by Hannah Mae Cox, age 5.5} 

Blue hydrangeas + orange cotton {part 1}

{above — painting by Hannah Mae Cox, age 5.5}

Finally, I'm back! It's been too long! Got some inspiration from the bright blue hydrangeas in the front yard and a bit of leftover purple bits from some flowers my sweet husband brought me a couple weeks ago after work (yes, there was still a little bunch I had saved that made it into a mini arrangement when I threw the lifeless ones out a week ago!)

Hannah Mae loves painting with me. It was her idea to add water to the soft pastels — she ended up sort of finger painting with soft pastels and water {see image above}. I had never thought of that — I couldn't help trying it out myself! Ended up using gouache, acrylic (only because my yellow and white gouache had dried up), pen and soft pastel — going over parts of the soft pastel with a wet brush.

More blue hydrangea and orange cotton to come — check back this week for another sketch!

Want to see this up close? Come check out my collection of sketches from this blog at Dubsea Coffee in White Center this month! Stay tuned for more details!

Thank you

Little something for a set of thank you cards.

In memory of Mr. Blue

For Christine, in loving memory of Mr. Blue.

Alexander Calder’s Eagle, red chairs + Hannah Mae at Olympic Sculpture Park

 

I have always loved this photo of Hannah Mae (top) — taken last spring at Olympic Sculpture Park. I forget to work from photos. I also forgot about my soft pastels, and was so excited to pull them out from under a stack of sketchbooks and magazines after a couple years.

This little series was inspired by a few things that all came together at the right time — the strong colors and shapes in Picasso’s work at SAM, the bold curves of Alexander Calder's Eagle, and the clean swooping lines that jumped out at me on the sails of Oprah's regatta with the Sidney Opera House in the background.

Click here for another Alexander Calder’s Eagle sketch.

{ black ink + Sharpies + watercolor + soft pastel }

Oprah’s regatta + Sydney Opera House

Rarely does something I see on TV inspire me to sketch. As soon as I saw the lines of the sails on Oprah’s regatta and the curves of the Sydney Opera house, I had to get them on paper. That’s it. Nothing too fabulous. Oh, and the big red "O" that lit up the sky.

Green tea from Christine

The packaging for this green tea inspired this sketch — the colors, simple tea illustration on the box, typography. I love my neighbor, Christine. She is always surprising us with little treats. Last week it was super mini alphabet noodles for the kids and this tea for me.

A Dubsea date with HM

With about a half hour after picking HM up from school, on our way to pick up E, I had just enough time for this quick sketch at one of my favorite coffee shops in our neighborhood. Right after leaving the house, I ran back into my studio to grab my pens and travel watercolors — remembering I had a free coffee waiting for me with my filled up punch card. HM loves using my Sharpies. We sketched and munched on some of my chocolate chip cookies — also grabbed just before walking out the door. Perfect.

Black only

Just a quick sketch I did while sitting at SODO Macrina. Resisted the urge to add a bunch of colors.

Sharpies + watercolor + my birthday

A quick test of my new Sharpies with watercolor on my new giant watercolor paper. What is more fun than using your kids' markers? Your OWN set of bright colored Sharpies! Blick on Capitol Hill is amazing. First time there...after a lovely birthday lunch with my sister at Oddfellows. Fun. Thanks for all the birthday wishes, friends!