Sprite Number 56

Hard to believe the little flower baby series that started out with the "Woodland Bluebell Sprite" has grown to 56 sprites!  When I was a little girl, my favorite activities were drawing and gardening (I was the kind of kid who would spend what little allowance she had on seeds and plants at the nearby garden center.),so  it's not hard at all to figure out why this is the case.

My sprites are basically little elves representing the members of the plant kingdom.  Costumed in petals, leaves, seed pods, and whatnot, these little ones somehow manage to show different personalities, despite their general basic features being the same simple form.  ^_^  Naturally, some plants are harder to conceptualize into a sprite form.  Take, for example, Queen Anne's Lace.  I still have no idea after months of thinking on that particular plant. lol  One day, though, I will be struck with inspiration and he/she will appear on paper in 30 seconds or less.  That's how it usually goes.  I look at a photo of the plant and I'll know what to do.

I really hope I get to turn them into little figurines/sculptures some day.  That's another one of my plans I've been thinking for a while.  Been wanting to play with the polymer clay to turn these guys into 3D figures, but... with so many plans on the back burner, I have not been able to find time for it.  (Besides, I really need a new work space that can keep cat hair and dust at bay.  May have to build a separate studio...  Boy, wouldn't that be awesome?  I can dream ...  yes, I can.  ^_^ )

Just realized that I haven't posted my Spiderwort Sprite (Sprite # 55) here on the blog yet.  Oops.  She's such a cutie, I don't know how I could have spaced out.

She's a little shorter than many in the series, but I love her for her pigtails of leaves decorated with the flower clusters.  These flowers grew easily... like weeds... in Japan, where I grew up, but I have had no luck since I've moved to the arid desert west of the Rockies.  Soil is generally poor and things are extremely dry and inhospitable.  On top of everything, I just recently lost a large shade tree to either old age or more likely disease, and a huge trunk came falling down at my window one gusty day (Amazingly, no major damage to the house or the car port of our neighbor.). That took care of taking down the tree, but it also eliminated precious shade, where I might have been able to try growing this plant. T_T

I do like coloring my sprites (and other digis that I draw) when I find time.  I do enjoy coloring all of my line art, but I seem to be perpetually running behind, having more and more things piling up on my desk.  ^^;  Coloring my art is one of the few activities that I can do without hurrying.  I'm grateful that my mind doesn't feel the need to rush.  Art is still a meditative activity like gardening, even after it has become my work.  I feel so fortunate to be able to wake up excited every morning for the work that lies ahead for the day.  ^_^  ... Even when I have stuff piled up to do. lol