Alphabet Journal X, Y and Z

Looking for an idea to sketch for the letter X was a wee bit of a challenge. On line I discovered interesting names and their meanings and found one I really loved; Xindel, protector of humankind. The next thing I had to do was find a face to match a name with such importance. This kind face with little bit of tweaking was a perfect match. 

Wouldn't it be grand to meet Xindel?

My husband is from Yarmouth. There are hundreds of interesting historical pictures I could have chosen to sketch, but this one was calling; "paint me, paint me!" 

Many people were expecting a Zebra for the letter Z and I did consider several pictures of them, but then, while eating an orange one day zest just popped into my head! 

It was quite fun deciding on a composition for this simple little sketch. There were so many things to consider; how to pose my orange? How to peel it so it hangs just right. What surface should it sit on? What colours would enhance the orange. How should I place the orange? What shadows look most interesting? Creating a composition took more time than sketching and painting the orange. 

The Alphabet Journal was inspired by my very talented sister Mary and the Sketchbookers Society I belong to on Facebook. 

Every day looking for something interesting to sketch was an exciting journey.  While finishing my final little painting I was rather sad; "what will I do tomorrow?" I thought. 

"I know! I'll just start another journal! Gardening season is here, wouldn't a journal on gardening be awesome?  First I will begin with the seeds I bought, when I planted the seeds, when they began to sprout, how well the grow light works, and ...."