Sail Away

Here's a little something I was working on just for fun. It's one of my favorite subjects to paint, a little boy and his dog.

These two little guys have been a prominent part of my illustration work since I introduced them into Finn's first bedroom:

This was Finn and his dog Odyssey travelling all over the world. [Odyssey was our imaginary dog before we got Trixie.] 

This was probably the hardest thing to leave when we moved. I almost had to paint over it, but thankfully, the new owner's daughter liked it enough for me to leave it there.

Ever since I did this mural, Finn and Odyssey have made their way into my illustrations. Maybe one day I'll write a book about their adventures, but until then, I can look at these old pictures.

xo

nessa dee

I'll be listing a few new paintings in my shop tonight, so be on the lookout.

Finn’s Room

Someone has been begging me to paint his room for the past month…no months…no year, so last week, when he was away, I finally started. Here’s a sneak peek:

For size reference, I called Finn away from one map…

to pose with the other…

It’s not done yet. If you recall, I still have to add all of the stuff mentioned here:

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Me: Finn, do you want me to paint a big map on your walls with pirate ships in the water and cowboys on the land?

Finn: Yes, and I want me fighting the cowboys.

Me: Oh, you want me to paint you as a cowboy, fighting the bandits?

Finn: No, I want me as a pirate fighting the cowboys. And I want me flying an airplane, and me on the moon, and me as a police officer, and some Halo guys, and a robot, and a rocket ship.

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‘Twill be a challenge, a challenge I’m not sure I can tackle, but I will give it my best.

xo

nessa dee

Good Morning

I think an introduction might be necessary. My name is Nessa Dee, and I write this blog, although it’s been a while since I’ve written anything hence the intro.

I hope you haven’t given up on me. I’m trying to get back on the blogging/art making track, but we’re gearing up for school [which starts Friday] and I didn’t want to bore you with pictures of the mess that is my house.

We’ve also been painting…

This is Finn’s room all spiffed up in a soothing shade of blue. It’s a far cry from the black he originally wanted. His room will eventually be adorned with pirate decor to satisfy my little buccaneer, as well as his dad who thinks the blue isn’t manly enough.

Additionally, I’m trying to get a homeschool room put together in a nifty little nook located off our gameroom. It hasn’t been easy for I am one indecisive lady. I just want to do it once and do it right, so figuring out what kind of storage will suit us best is taking some time.

We’ve also been camping…

in our gameroom. The kids slept in the tent last night, but it didn’t hold up. At some point in the wee hours of the morning the tent collapsed. At least the campfire we built on the train table lasted long enough to roast some marshmallows.

Well now I’ve gone and bored you with pictures of my messy house. I apologize. And just in case you’re wondering, we didn’t really build a fire in the gameroom. We did have marshmallows for breakfast though.

Now on to using my kids as test subjects for my first art lesson on color theory.

xo

nessa dee

Finn’s Room

After several requests to show my kids’ rooms, I might have mentioned that I would after I got a few things finished first. Well, Finn’s room is still not finished, but since it’s been a while since I made that statement I’ll share it anyway. I apologize for the picture quality. I took these in the morning and his window faces west, but anyhoo… welcome to Finn’s explorer room:

This is looking in from the entrance. His bed was my brother’s bed from junior high through college. I plan to paint it black one day [his crib was black], but that’s further down on the “to do” list. The bedding was stolen ‘er borrowed from my mom. I sewed the curtains to match his baby bedding. I’m not a great seamstress, I didn’t have a pattern, I just kind of winged it, so don’t look too closely at them. The airplane was a gift from Finn’s grandparents.

This is looking back the other direction. The entrance is the door to the left, and his closet doors are on the right. My original plan was to paint an outdoor scene with a farmhouse and a red plane flying over, plus a dog and frog by a pond. Well, I nixed that right after I started painting it. The explorer idea came after lying awake in the middle of the night, uncomfortable from the pregnancy. The whole concept is of a boy [Finn] and his dog [Odyssey] traveling all over the world. The color palette came from two bolts of material I bought for $10 about 3 years before I had Finn [just in case I ever had a boy.] I painted the scene, the plaid wall treatment and the chair rail to coordinate with that fabric that became his bedding. I was 8 and a half months pregnant when I finished.

This is the top of Finn’s armoire. These are supposed to be decorative, but they’ve been a part of many imagined adventures.

This is Finn’s art gallery, which is displayed by his changing table. The changing table was purchased for $10 at a garage sale. It started out white, but as with most of the furniture in my house, I painted it black. I stenciled the star on to match the chair rail. I know Finn’s potty trained, but the table houses a bunch of toys and books, so it earns its keep. The two plastic boxes underneath are full of wooden train sets which were given to Finn from a neighbor. They have been some of the best toys we’ve owned. The rug is from Ikea, $14.99. The dog on the rug is an ornery mutt who made her way into most of the pictures because she thought I was playing with her.

Well, that’s Finn’s room. His is one of my all time favorite mural’s I ever painted. [I was a muralists for almost 4 years until Mr. F came into the picture.] His room’s always this clean, and his bed’s always made, and I didn’t stage this at all. Nope. Not one little bit.

xo

nessa dee