In the blink of an eye …… April! The dusty browns of late winter gave way to landscapes full of color! Movement was everywhere ….. Flower buds began opening as emerging insects smacked their lips in anticipation. Birds, flocking to their breeding grounds, had hungry eyes on the growing bug population. Hibernating reptiles began to stir as the earth warmed; lizards stretching sleepy legs in their underground burrows, that will help them flee slithering snakes; snakes wriggling and coiling and hissing, perhaps thinking about a breakfast of juicy lizard or a baby bird. Mule deer moved down from the surrounding hills to nibble fresh plant growth. Coyotes hunted desert cottontails as they snacked on prickly pear pads.
April was amazing! There was so much happening, that it was all I could do to take in so many changes. It was such a challenge just to slow hike the hills every day, observing and taking photos, that keeping up with my “Littles” pages seemed impossible!
So here it is mid-June, and I’ve finally put the finishing touches on my April “Littles.” While creating my tiny framed discoveries, I questioned my desire and/or the need to continue with this project. But then I quickly dismissed those thoughts. After seeing these pages finished, I realized it was not only great fun, but an important reminder of what happens in nature during April.
Again, many thanks to “Made by Fay” for the inspiring “Littles” idea!
June 17, 2023
a curious nature 
Wow! There is so much going on in this spread! Your layouts keep getting more creative. It gives a feeling of new life bursting into view. And each segment tells its own little story. Thank you for sharing with us. Happy sketching!
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Thanks so much Fay! I agree, each splotch is a unique story, and it’s doubly fun because I can remember where my encounter took place! April turned out very complicated. Short of nesting each circle ⭕️ or square, or even go onto another 2-page spread, this arrangement allowed for a bunch while still maintaining white space! Loving this “Littles!”
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Oh yes, I’m so happy there will be a May Littles and a June Littles…. and hopefully more. For the curious (you) there’s always more to observe and be curious about. These Littles pages will be a grand reference and starting point for many years to come. I would think (if you were to persue it a bit) a publisher would LOVE to make these into a picture guide book to your beautiful area of the world. And another benefit is (I bet) speeding up your drawing and widening the scope of it. All good!!!! I also agree with Made ByFay above.
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Oh what super wonderful comments, Robin! It seems like my vision for each month of Littles is way too ambitious, but taking a deep breath and only focusing on a single splotch at a time, keeps this approach doable. So I plan to continue, knowing I may never catch up until the snow flies! I love your idea about compiling my Littles collection into a guide book, maybe after a year is complete! And I’ve expanded my thinking into month-by-month guides to my favorite trails! Hmmmmmmmm? !!!!!!!! Thanks Robin for that brilliant idea!
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Super interesting pages, Barb! Full of color and life! I love your butterflies and the birds are so darling! You have put so much joy and energy into these pages and they are sure to be a wonderful reference full of memories! It’s so much fun to watch and hear spring waking up, isn’t it?! Well, maybe not the hissing, coiling snakes :-\ Wow, coyotes eat prickly pear pads – that’s interesting! Thanks for sharing your stunning drawings and descriptions!
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Thanks so much Karen! It’s rewarding looking back at my April discoveries. Ooops! I meant the bunnies were noshing on cactus pads as the coyotes were hunting them. But it is true that coyotes will take chunks out of the cactus pads too, as well as deer, especially if it’s been really dry! My typo is a happy accident!
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Love ALL your littles!
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Thanks so much!
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