Have you drawn your self portrait for Nicole's FFO challenge tomorrow?
I just finished mine.
I haven't drawn a face in a long, long time, but it was fun.
I didn't capture my sparkle, but at least it's a face.
Of course, Last Minute Louise, started her self portrait
for Nicole's challenge on Thanksgiving Day,
and she worked on it between cooking dinner and watching football!
What can I say? I've been busy! 😂
Since I'm a geologist and not an artist,
I decided to map my face like it was a geological feature.
I printed off a recent photo of me, and I drew a half-inch grid on it.
My father taught me this technique for copying maps when I was eleven or twelve.
Sparkly Me at the Carousel Bar with Terry
The Plaza, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
July 1, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Half-Inch Grid
Aurora, Colorado United States
November 27, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Next I drew a half inch grid on another piece of paper,
using my trusty third grade classroom ruler and my Twist Erase 0.7 pencil.
That was the easy part.
My Second Half-Inch Grid
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Ready! Set! Go!
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
An Ear's a Start
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Starting on My Glasses
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Eyes and Nose
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
It took me a nanosecond to realize that rocks are way easier to draw,
but I was not going to back down and not participate in Nicole's FFO challenge.
Meanwhile I had to push aside my art work to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with Terry.
He was really happy that I made his favorites, roasted chicken breasts,
sweet potatoes, dressing, cranberry jelly, and a blueberry and spring greens salad.
No china or silverware or serving dishes ~ They're still packed.
But we did have a delicious chilled chardonnay.
We having pumpkin pie and homemade whipped cream when I finish this post.
Roasted Chicken Breasts
Enough for Leftovers
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Thanksgiving Dinner ~ For Rain's Dinner Date #1
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Thanksgiving Dinner ~ For Rain's Dinner Date #2
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Meanwhile, a coyote ran down the golf course in the middle of dinner.
I haven't see one in ages, so both of us ran out with our iPhones to capture it.
I hate the zoom lens on my iPhone! 😂
A Coyote Looking for Dinner
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Once I got going, I began to sketch more than map.
A one-inch grid would have been better.
I erased more than I drew, I swear, and I draw dinosaur teeth way better than human.
But it was fun, especially with a glass of chardonnay,
and the Cowboys beating the Chiefs 31 to 28.
😂🥂
😂🥂
Overall I was quite happy with the results.
Maybe I'll try so more faces down the road.
VOILÀ !
I'm linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off, Rain's Kitchen and Garden, Tom's Aloha Friday, and Gillena's Lunch Break.
For Rain: Crescent Moon ~ Rain shared some beautiful photos of crescent moons. As I hunted through my photos, I realize I really like full moons. A crescent moon was hard to find.
Crescent Moon Over Aurora
March 4, 2022
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
For Tom: Full Moon Over Waikiki! ~ I am so missing Hawaii!
Full Moon Over Waikiki
March 14, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
For Gillena: Walk the Moon! ~ You literally cannot stand still listening to Walk the Moon sing "Shut Up and Dance with Me."
Walk the Moon Performing on Fremont Street
Downtown Vegas, Nevada, USA
June 3, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Walk the Moon ~ Shut Up and Dance with Me!
Have a great weekend!
Terry and I are looking forward to yummy Thanksgiving leftovers.
Till next time ~
Fundy Blue
Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com
Copyright ©2025 – All rights reserved.
My next post will be
Wednesday, December 3, 2025 🤞
On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
I love ❤️ your portrait, dear friend. Your roast chicken looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda! We really enjoyed the chicken. Each breast was 1.5 pounds, because it included the ribs and skin. We have a whole breast left over for today. I love Thanksgiving leftovers. 😂 Do you? Have a great weekend!
DeleteMy sweet friend Louise 🥰
ReplyDeleteFirst of all happy thanksgiving day to you and Terry 🤗
You are wonderful cook no doubt as everything you prepared looks really tempting 👌♥️🤗
I absolutely loved this post and I felt great admiration and respect for your undefeated talent to try harder when do something 👍👍👍 . This is amazing how you figure out that how can you create self portrait and your powerful and very creative mind turned towards what you have been taught by your father long long ago 🥹
Hats off to you for showing skills in field that you might not belong to? Yet I could see you in this beautiful portrait easily,specially the upper area from nose line and above everything looks fine . I bet few more tries and you will be painting smoothly 🥰
I am happy you two love birds had such a wonderful thanksgiving together 🤗
Hugs and lots of love with prayers heartfelt 🥰♥️
Hello, my special "sister" friend! Thank you for the portrait feedback. I'm going to practice drawing, because it was fun. I have a long way to go. I miss my dad every day. Terry and I are having a lazy day this morning. Ahhh! I hope that Ali and you are enjoying yours. Much love and many hugs to you! ❤️
Delete...we have the same plates! I hope that your Thanksgiving was a happy one. Take care and be well.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tom! We had a great day. I love those plates. They're much more practical than my china. My friend Cheri is aghast that Terry and I haven't finished unpacking. 😂 We've had a hectic summer, and I'm catching up with life which is more important than unpacking. I hope that you and your Sweetie are relaxing and enjoying yourself today!
DeleteAwesome, Louise! The grid technique is often used by artists to reproduce a portrait, so your geological instincts were sound. Personally, I don't use grids unless I absolutely have to, simply because I'm so lazy that I hate having to draw the grid and then erase all the lines afterwards. What a suck, eh?
ReplyDeleteYes, drawing and erasing the grid is a suck! I won't use a half-inch grid again! 😂 Wishing you a happy day! ❤️
DeleteWell done on the self portrait Louise!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christine! Have a great weekend!
DeleteWasn't this a fun challenge? I have enjoyed seeing so many self portraits.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was a fun challenge, Gene! I'm looking forward to seeing all the self portraits. Happy weekend to you!
DeleteOMGosh, I'm so happy to see that you squared up, (made a grid). I have tried that but I guess it's dyslexia that makes it confusing to me. LOL That fact that you created the fabulous portrait while fixing TG dinner deserves and applaud. I do think you captured your sparkle, that's just part of your beauty. Not to mention, but I will, how impressed I am for you to go out of your comfort zone to create a truly lovely portrait. Your dinner looks so good. Ohh the Trickster came to visit you. The Coyote. Part of the meaning is laughter, humor and the ability to learn from one's own foolishness. I see that in you. Thank you so much for sharing with FFO and have the best weekend.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words, Nicole! And thanks for interpreting the coyote visit. I appreciate that! I'm going to try more faces. I've got a year until the second portrait challenge, right? 😂 You have the best weekend too! ❤️
DeleteMuch better than I could do 😂 my art skills are abysmal
ReplyDeleteHappy belated Thanksgiving 🦃
The same to you, Adam! Family at Thanksgiving is wonderful. I'm sure you had fun with yours!
DeleteBy George, I think she got it! Well done, Louise! It was fun seeing the progression. And dinner looked terrific!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jeanie! I enjoyed being your Thanksgiving meals! How delicious! I'm going to get better at drawing. Enjoy your weekend!
DeleteNice portrait
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking to Art For Fun Friday
Much♡love
Thanks, Gillena! Your post was fun!
DeleteMapping your face is a great idea, Louise, but I agree, maybe an one-inch grid would have been easier. I find teeth difficult to draw, if I try to do that they always look like horse teeth. Your Thanksgiving dinner looks delicious and a blueberry and spring green salad sounds wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carola! I should have found a photo of me without my teeth showing, but I always mile big. 😂 Enjoy the ret of your weekend!!
DeleteHappy Friday! Oh i love your portrait! I really like the idea of the squares! That is amazing. Lovely work and your food looks so delicious! :) Have a wonderful weekend!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Maria! I am having a very nice weekend, even if I woke up to our first snow of the year. I hope that your weekend I going great!
DeleteI hope your weekend is going great!
DeleteChicken Breast looks yummy. Didn't know about the self portrait.
ReplyDeleteIt was yummy, Dora, and I'm making dinner from leftovers shortly. I love Thanksgiving leftovers. I'm looking forward to more of your stories in the future! Happy creating!
DeleteClever idea with the grid. Oh, but I think I would´t have the patience! Coming from architecture, having had a A0 (broken) drawing machine this is no fun to me ;-)
ReplyDeleteI mean, I loved that thing but, oh, loooong ago!
Lol, your "geological formation" made me laugh!
And your food looks delicious!
A Coyote " Meep-meep!!! Oh and footy!!! Lucky you! Must look if they have on German TV as well, last season they did!
Cheers to your portrait!
And to the moons - I only had a "cheesy" one for Rain.
That song! The cute "boys" from Supernatural danced to this - loved it! Have a great Saturday and weekend, to leftovers!
Thanks, Iris. I can feel your energy, Iris! 😂 I loved seeing the coyote ~ only mule deer today. I'm sure the fawns facing their first winter were looking at our first snowfall this morning and wondering what the heck happened. All the best to you! ❤️
DeleteYou've done very well with your portrait. I find teeth really hard to get right so that's why I chose photos not showing them.
ReplyDeleteYou're smart, Lin! Nicole has hooked me, so I'm going to try some more drawing. Have a great week!
DeleteThat is sure a neat way to do it indeed. Turned out great. Best i can do is stick people though haha grid or no grid.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen a coyotes in a few years. Last one I saw glared at me in the woods like I was a snack. Did see tracks with the kids a few months back though. Near a bag of deer bones someone went all Dexter on. Put em in a bag and put rocks in bag and then heaved em in the river. Like why? Suffice to say, Tom started having a panic attack about the coyotes eating him and the murderer coming after us for finding his bones lol
Sounds like you had a great Thanksgiving. Yeah, let's hope you get up this year. The Cove may also be done along with a few other things. One of which you said I should do.
Your songs, I hope!!! Poor Tom! It sounds like he has a great imagination, a too vividly real imagination. 😂 Maybe he'll end up writing like you have. All the best to you, my friend! ❤️
DeleteThat's a fabulous face Louise. And wow, a coyote. I haven't seen one Ina long time either. Happy weekend. hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteThanks, Erika! It was a fun challenge! Definitely I want to try more drawing. Hugs to you! ❤️
DeleteLove your self portrait! Loved watching it come together.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Annie! It was fun! All the best to you!
DeleteYour portrait creates a special energy!
ReplyDeleteThanks, ?Roentare! It's good to see you!
Delete