snow in june: first the idea

now that i am all done with the gesso, my next step on my snowflake for Robert's Snow 2007 is an idea of what to paint on it.
i am still in love with swallows and envelope paper, so this is where i start.

(detail from OUR FRIENDSHIP RULES)

here is my first sketch. just trying to build a story as i scribble. snowflake--winter--long coat, scarf, earmuffs? a barn swallow or maybe a purple martin against the snow? wait, don't swallows fly south for the winter?
ok, just looked it up. barn swallows: "winters costa rica to argentina" (thank you, mr. roger tory peterson.)
so, yeah, they do. hmmm, perhaps that the story right there...

snow in june, knock wood

so i am working on my snowflake for Robert's Snow 2007. i thought that i would blog a step-by-step.
i'm so excited to be able use my paintbrush to help fight cancer. (100% of the proceeds from the auctions benefit Sarcoma Research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/The Jimmy Fund) robert's snow was started by grace lin.

(and hey, no comments on my poor gessoing skills. i'm not a habitual gessoer, usually i start with white paper, not brown masonite that i have to gesso into submission.)