Hello and welcome!
It is a cold February day here in North Carolina. For a month that is the shortest it always seems the longest of the year to me. I endure February.
Currently I am up to my eyeballs in a project that tests and improves my skills every year. I design the logos for the shows at our local community theatre. The deadline is very tight for four detailed illustrations and I have to have them finished by this coming Monday! I will show you the finished products after they are announced the end of this month.
I accomplished one longtime goal this past week. For years (literally) I have wanted to learn surface design for fabric, wallpaper, scrapbook paper, etc. I just never have had the opportunity/time. I discovered Spoonflower and their weekly contests a couple of years ago and this year resolved to design a pattern and enter a contest. Here is my design and voting starts today. Feel free to cast your vote for it (hint, hint).
So how does an old dog with no time learn new skills these days? 
YouTube! It has become my on call classroom. Here are some of the things I have learned over the past few years (in no particular order) via YouTube:
- How to change a car battery (saved me $100).
- How to fix a garbage disposal
- How to can food from the garden
- Dog training
- Organic gardening
- Photoshop and Illustrator software skills
- Various and assorted home repair issues
- Painting and drawing instruction
This week has been a series of YouTube crash courses:
- Seamless pattern designs in Illustrator and Photoshop for my Spoonflower entry.
- How to create a neon sign effect in Photoshop
- More dog training instruction (Odie needs some remedial work on his anxiety problems)
- Beekeeping 101 (my next endeavor that is coming up fast)
- Watercolor and acrylic techniques for my logo illustrations
Whew! Yes, my brain is suffering from overload.
Just in case you are interested in any of these, here are some of the subscriptions I have on YouTube.
- Don The Fat Bee Man (You’re not likely to forget it are you?) – beekeeping
- Graeme Steveson (Colour in Your Life) – interviews and instructions from artists in Australia and New Zealand.
- Kikopup – dog training
- Teela Cunningham – graphic design
- Spoonflower – pattern design and custom fabric
- Kristin Crestejo – more dog training (we have issues here that need lots of work)
- Kelly Eddington Watercolors – painting instruction
- Katrinah – Website setup and design
There are several more dog trainers and designers, but half the fun of YouTube is discovering all the crazy stuff out there.
I have to get back to work because I have a deadline breathing down my neck and you need to go learn something new, cool and fun!
Have a wonderful week!
Pencils, Paint & Paper 