How to Draw a Corydora
Once upon a time, my friend Barbara was moving across the country and gave me her family’s tank full of fish. Among them was Mama Catfish, a gray corydora. My sister helped me figure out the basics of fish care, and my two kids loved the years that we kept the tank. Mama Catfish was the longest surviving of the fish, and I truly expected she would live forever. She laid eggs overnight several times, and what a surprise it was the first time it happened! Today, I’m sharing a drawing sheet for corydoras. I love their little mouths and whiskers (barbels). Kids can enjoy creating a few color and pattern variations once they draw a basic corydora. You could also have kids draw these a bit bigger, cut them out, and put them in a ‘fish tank’ display on the wall.
All the Disruptions
Reality time. This past month has been filled to the brim with challenges. When we talk about the sandwich generation, I am IN the sandwich. My sandwich might actually be a panini. I am pressed. Adding to that, we’ve been having our house painted. It’s been 6 days of banging, scraping, driveway hazards, and a pug that barks non-stop. I think they are nearly done, and I can’t wait to have my quieter house back!
Hank by the Sea - taking a pause in between barking at seabirds and runners.
Despite all that, I’ve been working hard on a new picture book dummy that is getting close to submission-ready. I’m at the stage where I can play with paints and colors and textures for art samples. I should be hopping back into art for SNOW DAY WITH DADDY soon, and I’m also working on a fun assignment for High Five Magazine. I do have one little event left this summer. A KING OF BOOKS storytime at my local library, along with a crown-making craft. Visit the North Hampton NH Public Library website for more information.
Reading / Watching / Listening To
Reading/Watching: Wool by Hugh Howey and Season 3 of Silo on AppleTV The third season of Silo had a slow start, so I decided to start reading the books. I highly recommend both if you enjoy sci-fi. I’m about halfway done, and it’s been a great companion, helping me remember earlier storylines and relationships, and giving me a deeper understanding (no pun intended) of this underground post-apocalyptic story. The real question is if I will finish the trilogy by the time the final season airs next year!
Listening to: The podcast Something to Carry, Something to Burn from Blair Braverman. I first enjoyed Blair as a guest on the You’re Wrong About podcast, then as the author of Small Game, now as host of a survival podcast. She retells historical survival stories, from plane crashes and shipwrecks and adventures gone awry. They feel like stories your best friend whispers to you in the dark of night: awe-inspiring and humbling and (usually) the best of humanity.