Amanda's Birthday Art Project

 Every April (well... MOST Aprils) the kids and I usually do a little art project and make some sort of drawing or paintings for Amanda's birthday. 

Last year it was birds. 

Another year it was Horses from Greek Myth. 

(apparently I didn't post what we got up to here very often...) 

This year, kids suggested fantastical/mythical beasties... 

Keiran and I worked on ours in the afternoon, together at the kitchen table. 

We took up a lot of space. 

Finnegan was preparing for a D&D game in the afternoon, so he did his later in the evening (luckily Amanda had to stay at work until quite late...) 

Keiran Brown, Gem Collector - 30cm x 30 cm - ink and watercolour on paper 

The story here is that Amanda, in a moment of self-awareness, came home from a Yoga Workshop and told us she realized she was a crap detector and not a gem collector - but she really wanted to be a GEM COLLECTOR. For, REASONS, she had always been a very critical person... and... that's who she is... but she's tried really, REALLY hard to learn to NOT just open her mouth and point out EVERYTHING WRONG with... whatever is before her. It's been a struggle. 

I thought maybe there was a subtle little double entendre going on here - perhaps Keiran was suggesting that Amanda was was still, in fact, a DRAGON, and going about "collecting gems" in totally the wrong way... But Keiran assured me the thought never entered their mind and they just thought DRAGONS ARE COOL AND COLLECT SHINY THINGS! 

Tim Brown - Great Horned Owlbear - 30cm x 30 cm - ink and watercolour on paper 

Finnegan Brown - Merlin-Lynx-Griffon - 30cm x 30 cm - ink and watercolour on paper 

Finnegan wanted to do a different take on a standard classic fantasy griffon and instead of an eagle head and lion body, he wanted to do more local animals and so made his griffon referencing a Merlin's head and wings and a Lynx's body - both critters found around Saskatchewan - we've even had Merlins nesting in our neighbours tree for a few years. 

I'll be sneaking these out after Amanda goes to sleep... not sure if I should replace some existing art work or just leave them on the dining room table for her to discover in the morning. The problem with the former, is Amanda might not even notice them!? Probably just leave them on the table... She can decide where to hang them later. 

(She totally doesn't read this blog, so I feel pretty safe posting stuff here before she's even seen them!)