Summer Berries and Yellow Fashion Fun

I took care of my in-laws garden a couple of weeks ago while they escaped on a much needed beach house vacay. I have never been a green thumb, but I do relish in making my small collection of house plants thrive(ish), so I delighted in the chance to participate in the creation of food that I would surely eat at some point this summer.

The Phillips' ranch garden was blossoming with soon-to-be, edible abundance - a sure sign of spring in Santa Barbara. The asparagus spears were popping from the dirt and the strawberries were already becoming prolific. As I watered the flowering blooms I could NOT resist plucking a few of the ripe berries right off the plants and straight into my mouth. They weren't at peak season sweetness, but I couldn't resist the fun of feeling like a 5 year old in the garden.

You can watch my gardening in action with my fun Vine video. 

As a fun part of my daily art practice I drew this sweet summer girl savoring a ripe strawberry. I have been having a ton of fun playing with the colored paper in my doodles. Often I pick a color solely based on a snap decision of a feeling I want to capture. In the case of my summer berry girl, I chose a lovely sunny yellow.

Building up the lush green grass behind her and letting the yellow shine through is what keeps her garments so vibrant.

Prismacolor colored pencils on yellow paper, with some finishing touches of ink pens.