Little Walks That Make Me Happy

Just a few little sketches from little walks here and there:

Sketchbook as a Reminding Tool

As you know, I enjoy layering things in my sketchbooks - because I like to keep my notes and drawings in chronological order and also because it is a nice way to revisit things. Speaking of revisiting - I realized that I rarely flip through my old sketchbooks, but when I do, it is a lot of fun! I was planning a video flip-through of my winter sketchbook and found these pages. They were little experiments that were happening at a large table filled with beer glasses, teacups, snacks, art supplies, and sketchbooks, bunch of friends talking and working next to each other.
I kept some parts of the larger pages showing to share my joy from all the color conversations that are happening on this page. It reminded me that I have this ochre ink I wanted to play with more, that I am still working on mixing a dark purple, and I promised my friend a gouache stick and I find sculls challenging, macabre but also fun to draw!

 

Little Things Here and There

These are little sketches that fit between larger sketches in my sketchbook. Mostly "this is a super busy day! let me draw whatever is in front of me on my table, otherwise I might not find time to draw today" :)

Update on my Parents - Refugees from Ukraine - February, 2026.

You can read a whole story about this series of portraits here: War in Ukraine: Guide Through Posts on this Blog.

Dad's birthday (and this year we celebrated a round number of 80!) is very close to the anniversary of the beginning of the war, which means that there are lots of phone calls in one week, and the war is never too far away from being mentioned in these conversations. But there is a good reason to talk about other things, too. We celebrated with a wonderful lemon cake that he made (as usual, the recipe was modified for the occasion with new ingredients) and a new artwork for their wall and table. 

He is still playing chess regularly and looking to expand the pool of adversaries. The electric wheelchair is allowing him to get out of the house regularly and explore the area in all sorts of ways. 

Mom is reading and writing a lot, and it seems that the latest prescription glasses are actually doing what Mom wants them to do - which is a huge win. New flowers blooming under her window are helping with returning to regular walks outside. Winter in California is not harsh at all, but a memory of what winter was all her life makes it hard to believe that one can go for a walk in February, especially after one reads about the destruction of infrastructure, power blackouts, and lack of heating in Ukraine. 

They talk to family members and friends in Ukraine and spread around the world every week, and try to support people with what they can. 

I collected all the portraits of my parents from four years of war in one place:

You can see them all larger and read about my conversations with my parents during this war here: 
War in Ukraine: Guide Through Posts on this Blog

Experiment Result: Changing my Schedule to Get More Walks During Daytime Results in More Sketches! (and a happier me)

I actually like when time changes twice a year, but not in a rational way. 

I like lights everywhere and special baking projects that I start when this time arrives. I like that mornings are lighter (at least for a bit), and I like that later I can track changes in the light as the day begins. 

Rationally, I know that this sudden change is a cause for a lot of stress to a lot of people, including me! In reality, I am unhappy that it gets dark so early, and my evening walks are a struggle, a fight with myself that I start to lose. So this year, to get a cure for my struggles, I decided to embrace morning or lunch walks - and this brought some sketching opportunities!

 

African Violets getting ready to winter.

Things in front of me on my drawing table are what I draw when I have a new paint to test, a new idea to try, have no clue what I should be doing next, and just want to draw, or have only two minutes and a ballpoint pen. Hence, my African Violets Series.

Update on my Parents - Refugees from Ukraine - November, 2025.

You can read a whole story about these series of portraits here: War in Ukraine: Guide Through Posts on this Blog.

We recently celebrated Mom's 85th birthday with ice cream and a lemon pie. Lots of phone calls from all over the world and some good presents made it a good day. I got Mom an illustrated book about trees, and she is reading one little chapter a day. Her potted plants are doing great, and I think we need more pots :)

In October we had a great time visiting the pumpkin patch, where Mom got to draw with me (something that I've been trying to introduce back into her life). I think the pomegranate tree was almost as big a hit as the variety of gourds and squashes with their varied colors and textures. 

Dad got an electric wheelchair now and can get to more places around the neighborhood, which has led to some discoveries and adventures - mostly of a good kind. He plays chess with the neighbors, and we are working on getting his cataracts removed so that he can go back to playing on the phone, too.

Both my parents are watching the news about the Atlas comet with a lot of interest, which helps with my attempts at limiting their exposure to the news. However, they are staying on top of everything that is happening in Ukraine and are in touch with many friends and family members both in Ukraine and around the world. 

More Little Outings

We had our first real rain of the season - and for a couple of days, between the weather and a gazillion things on my to-do list, I was left with my window and my own hand (drawn left-handedly - a record of some wheel-throwing injuries) for sketching. But then a gorgeous sky called for me to go out and paint it with my pocket gouache kit!

Little Notes From Walks and Hikes

These are three sketches from different days, but they tell a story of how some of the sketching is happening these days. I always have some drawing materials with me, but recently I started using more colored pencils but my black pen is always with me. Often when I draw on location the light situation is making me move super fast - palm trees were on a super sunny day, and the paper was blinding me. Where the evening sketch was done while the sun was disappearing. When I add these little sketches from the day to my main sketchbook, I might add some notes. And sometimes all the notes are from the moment when I was sketching - like on the very last drawing - where I was trying to find with my eyes all the birds that I was able to hear - and ants were driving me away from my perching spot!

Update on my Parents - Refugees from Ukraine - August, 2025.

On August 24th, Ukraine celebrated its 34th Independence Day! My parents and many people around the world were sending messages of support to each other. And I will share a few sketches and updates about my parents as a part of my celebration of the country whose bravery and determination remind me every day that democracy is something we make with our own everyday actions. By not being indifferent and doing what we can when we can - even a little bit at a time. 

Last time I wrote an update on my parents was in February of this year, and I was lamenting the fact that my Dad is not happy when I draw him, so there were more portraits of Mom. Since then, Dad had significantly more medical appointments than Mom and, this time I have way more portraits of him than of Mom - hopefully by the time I make the next update, I will find a balance :)

Mom got new glasses, which are not perfect but an improvement. She enjoys her pots of flowers and takes pictures of all kinds of insects that come to visit. She cooks many new things (from Dad's recipes, so the results vary) and plays word games with her new friend. They also read aloud to each other and watch lots of movies together. She is excitedly reading "Everything Is Tuberculosis" by John Green in English at the moment. 

Dad plays chess every day and uses google translate to communicate with his chess buddies. He is inventing many new recipes for Mom to try. And watching the movies as well. And he is hoping to get some assistance with his mobility soon, but for now, he takes short trips between benches near the house. 

They keep in touch with the family and friends in Ukraine and around the world, and try to support people with their care and strong belief that the world will get better - perhaps not as fast as we wish, but believing in this is part of making it better.

To read the whole story: https://blog.apple-pine.com/2022/08/war-in-ukraine-guide-through-posts-on.html