Seahorse

Seahorse

I love  the ocean and most of the animals in it. The seahorse is definitely on my top sea animals favorite list. They are fascinating in their unique courtship, as the female inserts the eggs into the male and he has a true pregnancy and carries the babies. They can have as many as 2,000 babies. There are 45 species of Seahorse that marine biologist have identified. Their habitats include coral reefs, mangroves, sea grass beds, and estuaries. They maintain a vertical position when swimming, and use their soft-rayed dorsal fin to propel themselves forward. Their pectoral fins, located on the side of their heads, are used to maneuver. Some scientists oppose that approximately 25 million years ago, the seahorse started evolving to this upright position shortly after the expansion of sea grasses in the western Pacific.  To avoid enemies and abduct unsuspecting prey, seahorse use coral reef and  plants to camouflage themselves. Seahorse are unique in the fact they have an exo-skeleton. Their bodies are made of hard, external, bony plates that are fused together with fleshy covering. Unlike fish who have scales.


 Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Syngnathiformes

Family: Syngnathidae

Genus: Hippocampus comes from Greek hippokampos, hippos meaning "horse" and kampos meaning "sea monster"

Diet: Carnivore

Life Span: One to Four Years

        Quick Fun Fact:

• Seahorse is a fish  and has gills to breath
• Seahorse can change color and hide into the background
• Seahorse do NOT have teeth or stomach. They have to eat almost constantly, as food moves through the digestive system quickly
• To move up and down, they adjust the volume air in their swim bladders
• Monogamous
• Slowest swimmer in the sea

We drew our seahorses:

E.B. left M.B. on right 

Mine

Here is a great video:

Mountains

Mountains

 I came to Colorado in April of 2017 and I knew the one thing I wanted to see was the mountains. I have always been a nature lover. I don't know as much as I would like, however I learn as much from others every chance I get. My husband as awesome as he is took me right away so I could take pictures for references and feel close to nature. I feel in love! So beautiful. I decided to try my hand at soft pastel. I drew this in 2018...

Finished turtle

Turtle

I finally finished this colored pencil drawing of a sea turtle.

Celebrate the day

Celebrate the day

Wow! What a beautiful day... It has been a little over a year since we have moved to a new state. With this move our whole world has changed. We are not in our community of friends. So we decided to paint some mountains- ok I decided and the kids well they picked their own style to celebrate...

Introduction to Drawing With Charcoal

Charcoal

When you think of charcoal what do you think of? This...

OR...

 There are many things you can think of and many kinds and uses of charcoal. We are talking art...so... Think charcoal is hard and/or costly? Here is a YouTube video about supplies.

Here are some of my students work:

Hand Sewing Project

Hand Sewing Project

Younger kids sewing teddy bears: Little Bear

 Older kids are sewing the Great Lakes: Paddle to the Sea

 

Refinishing Furniture

Refinishing Furniture

I come from a mother who is a crafter and seamstress. I was also lucky enough to get a  mother in law who is also an artist and creator. They both have taught me to take what you have and create what you want, to the best of your ability. I have learned a lot from both of them. Some time ago, I went garage sailing in my neighborhood. I have looked for wicker furniture before, but it wasn't in the greatest condition and/or close to new price. I will walk away from buying something, even if I am crazy about it, if the price just isn't right. So, to my amazement I found a nice super cheep wicker furniture set.(2 chairs and a table) They needed a new coat of paint and had no cushions. I re-did one and here it is...