ICAD Wrap-Up 2020

Well, the last five cards are posted here and a picture of all of them circling the title card also.  It has been a great experience again this year.  I must admit that the last two weeks were a little more challenging for me but I persevered.  I hope that whoever is reading this enjoyed looking at them.  If you'd like to see those from the past you can check out the headings for ICAD 2014 through ICAD 2020 on my side index.  This will be a total of 427 cards over the last seven years with a few more here and there that didn't make it into the official count.

Day 57 - Billiards

You would think that these tiny billiard balls and cue stick would have been hard.  Not so much.  Coloring in the background took more time.  Looking back, if I had made them bigger I would have had less background to color in.  Lesson learned.

Various Pens, General's Watercolor Pencils

Day 58 - Tea Set

We had a busy day with the 4 yr-old GS and he wasn't interested in "arting" with grandma so this was just a quick sketch and comment on a painted background.

Arteza Watercolor Gouache, Micron Pen

Day 59 - Arboretum

Well, this is the greenhouse in the arboretum.  I actually had a brain-fart forgetting that an arboretum involved trees so those tree leaves were an afterthought.  Hope you buy my description.

Micron Pen, General's Watercolor Pencils, Graphite Pencil, Arteza Watercolor Gouache

Day 60 - Bossa Nova - This is a Brazilian Bluebird

Crayon Resist background with ACMoore watercolors, bird/branch/flowers Arteza Watercolor Gouache

Day 61 - Adventure

When I saw the prompt for this day I thought that it would be perfect because this was the last day of my employment.  On Thursday (we don't work on Fridays during the summer) the principal sent out an e-mail to the staff that was working in all the buildings and to our school staff at home that today was my last day and invited them to come over to "clap me out".  I gathered my belongings with the help of the secretary and principal and opened the door to a crowd of masked colleagues.   My heart was overwhelmed as they clapped, cheered, some even brought noisemakers, and some of them brought their children whom I've come to know, some since they were babies.  I wanted to hug them all good bye - these hearts are my hugs to them all.  A little blue, but happy too.

They lined the sidewalk to the parking lot exit and did more cheering, clapping, waving, as I pulled away.  I can't say that I didn't tear up.  It was and is bittersweet.  I love the people that I worked with.  There were days that were not as good as others, but that's to be expected.  Our staff was a caring community and I was blessed to be amongst them.

I'll have some more to post about the end of that chapter, but to round up ICAD I have to say that I always learn something whether it be how to use a new material, the topic (bossa nova, suzani pattern, different kinds of mirages, etc.), and I learn more about my strengths and weaknesses, what I like to do, what is hard for me, what comes easy.  I hope my readers enjoy looking at the cards as much as I have enjoyed making them.