This large tin rooster is one of many sold at the Eastern Market Weekend Flea Market in Washington DC. The vendor says that they sell as soon as he gets another one from the artist in Mexico. I saw it early in the morning when walking through several weeks ago, but it was sold by the time I went back to sketch it. The following week my son emailed me a photo of the rooster proudly guarding a home on the lawn on 12th Street. They have so much character - rusted tin and all!
We took the train to Washington DC last weekend for our first visit with Annabelle. I used 3 Cachet Linen Watercolor Journals for our multiple visits to London to visit our other grandchildren when they lived there in 2006-2007. I had one more just waiting for a special theme - and I decided that it would be my travel sketchbook for Washington DC and my visits to see Annabelle. When we arrived Friday evening I had just enough energy before bed to sketch a few flowers from the bouquet from her greatgrandfather and the tiniest cutest little pink socks I ever saw..
On Saturday morning I held her on my lap after I finished feeding her, and held my sketchbook up in one hand while sketching her little hands and feet.
The edges of these 7 X 10 pages don't scan very well.
We took her out for fresh air Saturday and visited Eastern Market where I always find something fun to sketch and paint. The tin rooster I saw in the morning was already sold, but there was a ceramic one that worked just fine! And I loved the cute lion face on a batik wallhanging made by another vendor.
On Sunday I sketched her new "lovey," a Jellycat stuffed animal called "Miaow Bella Mocha." This was a gift from her cousin - before anyone knew her name. Now Annabelle has her cat Bella. It is customary in our family to take a picture every month with a specific stuffed animal to see changes in my grandchildren's size and development during the first year. My daughter and other daughter-in-law have been so creative that these are among my favorite pictures of our grandchildren. Bella will be used for those photos with Annabelle.
