Daily Sketch Reprise: Dishtowels, 2014

August 17, 2023August 23, 2023 Bernadette

Remembering Mewsette and Jelly Bean with Artwork

I decided I would share some of my favorite artwork inspired by Mewsette and Jelly Bean as a way of sharing their memory. My Daily Sketches were sketches from life and catch not only the best of the moment, but that visceral memory of studying them as I worked. It’s a very deep and special bond. Below is what I posted with this Daily Sketch on that day, and I love to read and reference my thoughts from then.

Before the entire family piled up on the dishtowels today, Bean settled himself cozily on top of the pile. Because he was happily purring and the dishtowels weren’t going anywhere, I had more than the usual five minutes to complete a more detailed sketch, like maybe ten minutes until the rest of the family joined the fun.

I’ve been experimenting with adding shading to these sketches, and especially to the black cats. Bean would just look like a meatloaf with ears if I couldn’t add the detail to his face. I had great fun with all the wrinkles in the dishtowels too. Definitely time to commit myself to a new and higher quality set of markers, though.

This will be another in what I’ll call the “kitchen set” for now. These include a series of a sort including images from the kitchen with the enamel table with its red edge and others featuring tiny bits of red trim with white enamel and black cats. See “Mewsette and Her Apples”, “On the Chair” and “The Dishtowel Drawer”, though this second is not the table but the cabinet with the red Bakelite handles and the red gingham dishcloths. There’s also “Lounging on the Dishtowels”. Hmmm…

And this sketch inspired a few things!

brush marker sketch of cat on dishtowels — “Dishtowels”, brush markers, 9″ x 7″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

set of cat dishtowels — “Dishtowels” dishtowels

"Dishtowels" hot pad/trivet. — “Dishtowels” hot pad/trivet.

This one sketch inspired a whole lot of kitcheny ideas, including my set of dishtowels. I’d always wanted to do a dishtowel with the sketch of Jelly Bean, one of my favorite sketches in marker, then went looking to see if I could make a set, and that’s how I ended up with the dishtowels I sell today.

In 2015 I also made another product, a hot pad or trivet, using a wooden base with a print on the top, and varnished with marine varnish. The third image above is my trivet that I still use today, which I have used right next to or near the refrigerator to set down my coffee to pour in the half and half and any other things that go in or come out of the fridge. The print yellowed in time with the varnish, and since the prints were on paper moisture eventually soaked in under the varnish. I may try these again with my fabric transfers.

Search “dishtowels” on www.PortraitsOfAnimals.net to find all the things with this design, as well as all my dishtowel designs.

Click here to see other daily sketches.

For a gallery of the ones available for sale, visit Portraits of Animals in the “Daily Sketches” section.

Read about the reason for the daily sketches in Three Years of Daily Sketches.

A collection of 34 images of feline artwork

**The award-winning* Feline Style Sampler**

Now in its third printing, and its fifth anniversary!

Daily sketches, illustrations, commissioned portraits all in a small coil-bound gift book.

Click here or on the image to read more or find this book on Portraits of Animals.

*Certificate of Excellence, Cat Writers’ Association 2014 Communications Contest

Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals

Fine Art • Photography • Gifts • Greeting Cards • Books • Commissioned Portraits & Artwork

Copyright

All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission, although links to your site are more than welcome and are shared. Please ask if you are interested in using and image or story in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including it, check my animal and nature website Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.