Loco Moco

I tried this dish in Hawaii since it's a local favorite.
 
  It's rice topped with 2 big hamburger patties and 2 fried eggs, smothered in gravy. To me, it sounds icky, and looks questionable, but it's really quite delicious! But it's huge...I think it would feed two people!

Glossary of Hawaiian Words...

...and some beautiful tile depicting Hawiian life long ago. These tiles are on the side of the visitor center at the "Place of Refuge."

 Here are the actual tiles. I wish I knew the name of the artist, but haven't been able to find it.

Pu'uhonua'o o Honaunau

This one was sketched from a photo I took. I stamped the page while I was at the park, and bought the little stamp there too.This is such a beautiful place. Black rocks, white sands, blue, blue sea.....

Using Photos....

I've been printing out some photos and using them in my travel journal. I've just been printing them on plain paper, and have to be careful not to get them wet, because that printer ink runs something terrible. But I like using some photos...how else can I capture that look when my mom and dad were reminiscing about old times at their first home:

As always, you can click on the picture to see it larger...much easier to read that way. Here's one from when Joe and I went out to see the lava flowing into the sea. It's an amazing sight.

And here is one from when Ted and Jenny and I went driving up the Hamakua Coast:

At first the the type Aish part of me freaked out about having the trips all mixed up in the journal instead of in chronological order. But I'm journaling bit by bit, about whatever strikes my fancy. And I'm also journaling around pages that I created while I was there, and on pages I had stamped with park stamps or postmarks while there. So my journal will be a collection of memories in no particular order. And lots of the pages are being done after I'm home and have more time to work on them...some purists only do theirs on site. But that's not me. And who is going to care anyway? The journal police?? I'll tell you what...creating a journal this way certainly extends all the fun of the trip way past the time I came home on the plane :D

The gods guarding ...

These are carvings of Hawaiian gods. They are guarding the temple at Pu'uhonua o Honaunau. It's a facinating place that gives you a feel of what old Hawai'i must have been like. These carvings tower over you and feel very menacing.

And here's a few photos!

 

 

Captain Cook on Dwellable

Lava at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Today I dug out the maps and bits and pieces I brought home from Hawaii. I want to make pages for some of the park stamps I collected in my sketchbook while we were there. I thought I might be hauling too many brochures and maps home, but now I wish I had packed even more! This page is about the types of lava on the island..the smooth and curvy pahoehoe, and the ouchie a'a. Facinating stuff, how the earth is formed!

Here is a pic of the a'a lava...it's truly next to impossible to walk over! Looks like another world, doesn't it?

 While I was at it I added a Hibiscus to the corner of the page I did awhile back. It looked a little blank there..so it got the state flower.

Pepeekeo on Dwellable

At the Lake

I didn't draw too much up at the lake. I spent most of my time floating on an inner tube. Which is, of course, ideal.

I find that I have trouble drawing this little place. Of course, when I look at the cottage, I see it with all the memories I have of growing up here, and that's hard to capture. I'll just have to keep trying!

It's a start...

I started another travel journal style "page" on artist's panel. I'm doing these as if they were done in my journal, but to hang on the wall.  This one has a little watercolor of a barn that advertises Meramec Caverns. This barn is just north of Pontiac on Route 66. So far, I like the start, and can't wait to see how it ends up...how's that for spontaneous?

Rainbow Falls, Hilo, Hawaii

I haven't drawn in several weeks as I've been spending some time with my sister and her family. I'm feeling very, very rusty. I dug out the Hawaii photos to try and get back into the swing of it. And it was hard! (whine, whine) But at least I have broken the ice and gotten started again.

Our family is reeling from the loss of my brother-in-law, Doug. He was a wonderful person and left us much too soon. I have talked to so many people lately whose only sign of a heart attack was shortness of breath (this was Doug's symptom too).  Please familiarize yourself with the signs of heart disease.

Happiness is....

I love this quote, so it was the jumping off point for a little doodling.

Rainbow Falls

A friend is going to the Big Island on her honeymoon. It was motivation to get out my Hawaii photos and do a drawing! I marked up a guide for them with stuff I thought was wonderful and made them a little book to stick their ticket stubs, menus, snapshots and such into.

I cut out some pages to leave room for the things they will stick inside.

I'd say I hope they have a good time...but, hey. They are young, in love, and going to Hawaii for their honeymoon...of course they are going to have a great time!

We did draw!

Ok...so maybe this drawing doesn't count! I did love this little toy I found in a Hilo shop though, and I bought one. I'm weak. It's called a Buddha Board....paint on it using just water, and as it dries, it disappears...and you are ready to start over! Great way to learn to enjoy the process and not obsess. Or so I hear.

We did find that sometimes, despite our determination to slow down and draw, we got carried away with experiencing the island and didn't leave enough time. So, we'd finish up in the evenings or sometimes work from photos we took. The drawing I was working on above is almost done in the pic below:

Jennifer saved bits and pieces of wrappers, napkins and tickets to make postcards to send home. It's a fun way to use all those great little scraps, and would work in your sketchbook too. Here's one all done:

Of course, you already heard about our attempts to draw this waterfall.

We took tons of photos to work from in the evenings and after returning home. I've started working from some since I've been back. We tried to take close ups of buildings and foliage, as well as broad views, and this has helped quite a bit. I did this watercolor from a photo we took earlier in the day.

Big Island on Dwellable

Just a Little Card...

I did a wonky little drawing of the house where we stayed while we were in Hawaii. I used several photos from different angles...and that's probably part of the reason it looks a little off kilter. Couldn't possibly be my rusty drawing skills, right? I still kind of like it though, so I used it to make a thank you card for the owners. I hope they like it.

Drawing on the Big Island

Somehow, I haven't managed all the blogging I intended to do, but I have been doing a little drawing. This little drawing is from the north end of the Big Island. We stopped for treats in Hawi and discovered the Kava Kafe run by some free spirited folks. I had a great time making this sketch. There are also lots of galleries and neat little places to shop and eat there. Plus, on the way home we parked by the ocean and watched the whales playing. There were so many of them!

And this one is of the lush vegetation, which is one if the things I love about the Hilo side of the island.
One day, my sister, Jennifer and I hiked down to this little waterfall and pool (just outside Hilo) and spent the afternoon trying to capture it on paper. I guess I just didn't have the knack that day, because as hard as I tried I just couldn't capture it....so I pitched the drawing and ....
swam in the little pool instead. Nice deep clear water...and cold!
Jennifer decided she had to have a swim in that pool too. Who can blame us? It's a daydream come true...swimming in a pool at the base of a waterfall in the rain-forest! So I not only ended up with a bad drawing (at least I can count it as practice!), I also ended up with a wonderful memory.

Ninole on Dwellable

Silver Moon's Sparkling....

Drawing at the Lake

I didn't get much drawing done for some reason. Too much serious lounging on the porch I guess. But here's one on a toy from the toybox.
Then I tried to do a watercolor of a nearby island. I usually just color in my line drawings, so it's definitely trial and error trying to watercolor. I worked on parts of this too long and muddied it up...and then stopped before I probably should have on other parts. It could have used some darker darks.
Used my artistic license and got rid of all the houses and the choppy water. Pretty breezy that day.