Everything's Bigger -- even the Grackles!

The 2013 Austin Funky Chicken Coop Tour has come and gone, but the thrill of Austin is fresh in my memory. 

Ah, the sunshine! The flowers! The Austinites!

....The grackles! 

We have grackles in New England, and they're a gregarious bunch.  But the Austin grackles are twice their size, 

and far more... um... outgoing.

This here grackle, for example, helped himself to an entire slice of my tomato and basil pizza without even a "Thank you, Ma'am."

But Austin's grackle guys are the exception. All the the other Austin fellas are polite and good lookin'.

Here’s a truly charming Texan:

Pretty Boy, a cream Barbanter, and the official mascot of the Austin Funky Chicken Coop Tour. Pretty Boy stole my heart. He’s a friendly rooster...the kind of guy you'd like to take home to meet the flock. 

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Other Texas observations:

The sky... definitely bigger in Texas.

The boots are fancier.

Flowers are explosive.

Thorns and prickers? Enormous. 

 Rain Barrels are big enough to swim laps in.

Even my head seemed bigger in Texas.

The coop tour was so fun and inspirational that I forgot to take pictures of chickens.  

But I did snap some shots in and around Austin for funky inspiration:

A mushroom greenhouse.

Old baby crib as Garden Gates.

Tidy graffiti,

sweet graffiti.

plates and bowl as chicken feeder,

my dream-home.

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Speaking of dream-home….

The coop I built for the gals is almost three years old now. And while I still love its design, I’m getting itchy to build something new.

With four fresh chicks arriving in May, this might be the perfect time for a major construction project....

I'll keep you posted!

Lauren

 

  

Triangles and Circles!

What a wonderful day!  
Today for our blog tour I got to draw a cat and a chicken!
Wasn't I just gushing recently about how much I love to draw cats and chickens? 

Meet Linus and his ladies, some of the critters in Lisa Steele's menagerie:

Here the hens wait patiently behind a pinecone while Linus gives the shed a kitty-caress.  

I had the best time drawing Linus and Grace for Lisa --
Take a look over at Fresh Eggs Daily, explore this cool farmin' blog, and, yes, have another shot at winning a copy of Once Upon a Flock!

Cluck!...and Meow!

Trottin' Along!

Yes!  Another wonderful blog for your enjoyment: Lessons Learned from the Flock! 

Find out about a special gal, Charlie, the Black Copper Marans chicken! Leave a comment, win a book!

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Here's the blog tour schedule:

March 19 Tilly's Nest

March 20 Hencam.com

March 21 The Chicken Chick

March 22 Our Neck of the Woods

March 23 Our Little Acre

March 24  Red Dirt Ramblings

March 25 Lessons Learned from the Flock

March 26 Fresh Eggs Daily

March 27  Garden Rant

Red Dirt and Hellebores

Today's stop on the Once Upon a Flock Blog Tour:  

Red Dirt Ramblings!

I follow this wonderful blog because Dee's got the gardens of my dreams.  Joyful and unpruned, always a new wall or border being built, and full of plants I've never heard of....

like these here hellebores.   

Hellebore?  What kind of a name is that for a flower?  

....or for a chicken for that matter? 

I've named my chickens "Daisy" and "Fern"... I've known "Violet" and "Lily". 
But really now. Hellebore?

Head on over to read Dee's blog, leave a comment to win a free book, and then go to the top of the blog and click on "My Gardens" for some eye-candy and more Hellebores!


---and here's the full list of awesome blogs on my tour-- Enjoy!

March 19 Tilly's Nest

March 20 Hencam.com

March 21 The Chicken Chick

March 22 Our Neck of the Woods

March 23 Our Little Acre

March 24  Red Dirt Ramblings

March 25 Lessons Learned from the Flock

March 26 Fresh Eggs Daily

March 27  Garden Rant

Copying a Masterpiece

The Once Upon a Flock blog tour continues!

I love being an illustrator because folks give me assignments that I might never have tried to tackle on my own. 

Today's creative challenge is a spectacular living masterpiece:   

Kylee Baumle's Silver Laced Wyandotte, Violet. 

Kylee wasn't sure which of these ladies is in fact Violet, so I chose that elegant form in the background. 

First, to capture those voluptuous curves.

Then, to make sense of that wildly graphic feather pattern.... I began with black, then carved the white pattern.   A bit of shading, and that rich red face....

And here's Violet! ....Makes me want a Silver Laced Wyandotte of my very own.  

Now, please head on over to OUR LITTLE ACRE  to meet Violet and to win yourself a copy of ONCE UPON A FLOCK!

Here's the full list of the fantastic and unique blogs on my tour -- Enjoy! 

March 19 Tilly's Nest

March 20 Hencam.com

March 21 The Chicken Chick

March 22 Our Neck of the Woods

March 23 Our Little Acre

March 24  Red Dirt Ramblings

March 25 Lessons Learned from the Flock

March 26 Fresh Eggs Daily

March 27  Garden Rant

A Beloved Bird

When I asked Tammy Barani of the wonderful blog, Our Neck of the Woods, if I might do a drawing of one of her creatures, she sent me some photos of Buttercup, her dear Wyandotte, who passed away in December. 

I took a look at Buttercup and I froze.

  

It had been easy to draw Melissa's Tilly, chatting and singing on the roost.

Goofy little Rachel was a breeze to draw too. She's basically a knot of orange twirly lines, and she's still alive and kicking. 

Buttercup, however, is only a treasured memory. There was more at stake in creating this image. Emotions were involved.

   

But, being an illustrator, I mustered the focus to hunker down and give it a try. 

I aimed for a more classical, rather than comical, style.  

Tammy, here's your special gal. 

Tammy has already done a book giveaway on her blog, so since my timing was off, we're doing ANOTHER giveaway of Once Upon a Flock --  Please head on over to Our Neck of the Woods and leave a friendly comment, and you might just get lucky!

Rachel and the Chicken Chick

Meet Rachel.

Rachel is Kathy Mormio's gal.  
Her breed: um... a Frizzled Something-or-Other.   

I've never seen another chicken like Rachel, and I've never been so in love with a chicken I've never met.
  
Go see Rachel in full-form on Kathy's blog:   The Chicken Chick, and win a free copy of ONCE UPON A FLOCK, too!

Arrrrg! Blog Tour and Giveaway Continues!

Today Marky and I visit Pip and Caper at Hencam.com!

Take a look and win a book!

BLOG TOUR AND BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Today's the day!   

Once Upon a Flock officially hits the stands, and my blog tour begins!

Once Upon a Flock is the gripping tale of my soulful chickens, brimming with intrigue and suspense, passion, heartache and triumph.... and about 400 color illustrations and photos!

Please click on over to the wonderful blog,  Tilly's Nest, to find out more, and to win a free book!

Thank you, my treasured readers, from the bottom of my chicken-lovin' heart!

-Lauren    

HOW TO DRAW A CHICKEN

I love to draw cats. 

 

Cats are really just a bunch of circles and triangles. 

  

Meet Pekoe.

 

Pekoe is two circles, and two triangles.

Okay now. 

To draw a chicken, you first draw a cat: 

Next, you have to decide whether you really want to draw a chicken.

Whichever route you take, you're pretty much there.

Chickens are made up of a bunch of circles and triangles, just like cats. 

Marky is, too, for that matter.  

But don't tell him I said so.

You can do a quick sketch, 

or you can spend some more time with that pencil.

Here's my elegant Daisy.

There. She's shaping up.

And next, we have a nice Lucy shape:

Don't forget the flip-side of the chicken :

What's up...?

If you're getting discouraged, look for an easier subject:

And if you're getting chicks this spring,

look for those circles: 

Fun thing about chicks and Silkies ---there are no lines... 

Just fluff.

Grab a pencil and give it a try! And then share your sketches on my Scratch and Peck Facebook Page.

Happy sketching!

-Lauren

Lucy's Last Straw

Frigid winters are fine with Lucy.

 

(find Pigeon in this picture)

It's the snow that she can't stand. 

Lounging on one of the 2X4's that crisscross her snowy chicken-yard, Lucy soaks up the sun while her toes stay warm and dry.  

Because Lucy isn't very mobile, I check on her a couple of times a day, bringing fresh warm water and a few treats that I scatter around for all the ladies.   

From her perch Lucy stretches to reach those precious peas. 

And from her perch Lucy watches Daisy vacuum up every last one of them.

Lucy sits up calmly, utters a resigned "Oooh," and resumes her sunbathing. 

When she does choose to make a move, Lucy tends to stagger straight forward on her weak legs. Her turning mechanism isn't so good, and she can't shift into reverse at all.

 

Last summer when she got stuck between the watering can and the wall, Lucy had no choice but to wait there. Eventually I noticed that she was missing and after a brief chicken hunt I found her and set her free.

The day Lucy completely disappeared, I feared the worst.

I checked the nest box, the dog house, I peered frantically into the forsythia and the rhododendron.

"Luuuucy", I called.

Lucy answered.

I guess that bin had been lying on its side and she happened to stumble headlong into it. I don't know how long she had been waiting in there. She squinted up at me, then stood and slowly hobbled away.

In every situation she gets into, Lucy is a model of patience and composure.

So this morning after our big snowstorm I was surprised to hear Lucy fussing furiously in the henhouse.

I thought I had done a pretty good job of plasticizing and weatherproofing the coop, but my handiwork was no match for the blizzard. 

I dug my way to the door and pried it open to find a couple of inches of snow inside the coop. 

Lucy was livid.

The other ladies had bravely trotted down the ramp to investigate their snow-laden coop, but Lucy refused to budge.  

I offered her a raisin, but she just sat there and ranted.  

It took six raisins to get her down the ramp. 

I tidied up the coop and dusted the snow off the perches, but Lucy just raved on.

I've never heard such profanities. 

I guess everyone has their breaking point, and the blizzard of 2013 was Lucy's.

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