Strictly sketching it this week for me. Just couldn't fit in time to color. I took some vacation days to coincide with our school spring break, but with Easter also coming and with some other projects I've been working on this month, I was glad just to get the sketch done.
I took my inspiration straight from our garden. We keep a small folding ladder up there to be able to monitor the bluebird box. It took a little bit of a tragedy to learn not to leave it close to the box. If we can climb up the ladder, so can a wiley raccoon. So we make sure to put the ladder far enough away from the box when we're done. The round cylinder on the pole is a baffle to keep them from climbing up the pole to the box.
You see below a bluebird fledgling who made it out of the box back in July 2010 and landed on the ladder where it stayed for quite awhile before gathering enough courage to attempt to fly away. This just might be the Mr. or Mrs. Blue than now inhabit the box coming home where it all started.
I'm heading over to check out all the other LADDERs from the Picnickers. You can join me by clicking here. And should you want to join in, next week's theme is TREE,
Very nice sketch Lorraine!
ReplyDeleteThanks Christine!
DeleteLorraine, that's a lovely drawing and charming stroy to go with it...well except for the lil' "tragedy" which I can only imainge what that entailed! The roudn cyclinder is a great idea for the ladder as you noted! Never would have thought of that. Anyway, great job on your piece. It's very cosy indeed. I think with Easter a lot of us didn't have time to paint/colour in our pieces but that is totally OK..more to post later and more frequent posting leads to greater readership, you know! Well, that is what I tell myself anyway. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for joining us again. SO enjoy having you be part of this group! Keep it up.
Thank you for the lovely welcome Michael. I've enjoyed the themes and hearing from the other Picnickers and I'm in awe of all the talent out there.
DeleteGreat sketch, Lorraine! So sorry about the tragedy that befell the little birds at one time. Definitely a good idea to keep the ladder away and user preventative measures on the pole. The little bluebird is adorable.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like it Serena. We were so sorry the birds had to feel the effects of our lack of knowledge. We'll do anything to not have that happen again.
DeleteI didn't even think of birdhouses and ladder together, sweet drawing and the birds appearances makes it better, and the gloves like someone has been there and gone, tells a story there. good take on the theme.
ReplyDeletehave a lovely day.
Some people put up birdhouses and let them go and that's okay, but we like to put up the kind you can easily clean out. Well, with a little ladder that is ;) Otherwise the birds just keep building nest on top of nest on top of nest until they're so close to the entry that any predator could reach in and grab them. Also, it cuts down on the pests and diseases that would grow in there.
Deleteah, a baby blue bird. So dear.
ReplyDeleteYour sketch is charming and a bit from your life.
Thanks Tammie Lee. We do love our blues!
DeleteYou know, it's OK to not get it colored. I like the idea how Scribble Picnic is simply about sketching out an idea. If it's colored. Great! If not....still great! :) It was the same for me this week, too.
ReplyDeleteWonderful sketch and I LOVE the idea of the ladder in the garden. So sweet and I'd really like to see you bring this to life one day. :)
Thanks Alexandra. I wasn't too worried about not coloring, I was just mostly disappointed in myself because I did it in a mixed media sketchbook. Any other sketchbook and I would be okay with leaving it that way, but now it's going to haunt me a bit. So you may almost definitely see it come to life!
DeleteLorraine,
ReplyDeleteLove the sketch and bluebird box. Never heard of that - It's like a birdhouse? And such a lovely photo of the baby bird.
Blessings,
Janis
Thanks Janis. Yes, you could call it a birdhouse. We call it a nest box because that's where they build their nests. We also have a roosting box out during the colder months for the birds to roost in during cold evenings if they need to. That could be be more like a bird hotel!
Delete. . . . . yes those nightime visitors can really do damage in the garden! Your sketch is really lovely - I see your gardening gloves at the ready too!
DeleteGlad you have bluebirds nesting - they are so exquisite. Ours nest in a birdhouse on a pole - the male came to the bird bath yesterday and shared a dip with a thrasher - I'll post a pic of that encounter soon - really cute.
Happy weekend - Mary
Love your sketch - you are so good at drawing, Lorraine. And what a sweet inspiration photo, love that we can still see the big wide gape. I didn't realise that baby blues were so nondescript - he could be a sparrow or even a young robin!
ReplyDeleteLove your ladder, right down to the little bird perched on top. We usually hang a large number of birdhouse gourds (with wren-sized openings cut out), but have also put out bluebird houses.
ReplyDelete