Written by For our art challenge prompt of “seals” today, I opted for a sea lion as I think they’re totally adorable. Perhaps because I like dogs and once read somewhere that dogs and seals are more closely related than we think. The term “seadog” is used to refer to sailors at sea, actual dogs at sea, mythical scary beasts, and this little pinniped which is the official name for all types of seals. Seals are known for their various vocalizations which include a barking sound, so I do like to think of them as seadogs. I don’t think my dog Phineas would enjoy having a little barking brother, though, being a barkless dog himself, so we won’t be adding one to the family. It just wouldn’t seem fair. Perfectly ignoring the real reasons, of course, that seals are not actually domesticated animals, and prefer to live near large bodies of water. I’d be curious to see how Phineas would react were he ever to actually meet a seal. There could be a bond, like meeting a long lost sibling, but sadly I don’t think I’ll ever find out.
I’m typing this rather quickly as I made my sketch early today, since we have friends coming over very soon and I’m trying to sneak in a post before they arrive. First up, we’re going to see the new Star Wars movie and are then coming back to our place to meet more friends for dinner. Should be a lovely time, so I’m going to unplug for a bit soon and enjoy it. Philippe is also rushing to get ready, having pulled out a giant pork butt that he’s got to get prepped and in the Instant Pot before they arrive. We didn’t feel like doing dishes, so we picked up paper plates. We were thrilled by the boring ones in the adult section so we went to the kids party section instead. So, later, we’ll be eating on plates with an image of a T-Rex and drinking cocktails out of blue and white paper mermaid straws. Yeah, we couldn’t really agree on a single theme either. But it will be a fun time indeed!
It’s been a fun weekend so far and I’m happy to have tomorrow off work as well. There’s really nothing like a three day weekend and time with friends to make me smile. I was hoping to get caught up on some things I really need to do, but finding it difficult to do much of anything that isn’t roughly related to relaxing. I wish there could be more time in the day or I could find a way to better make the most of it. I’ve just looked up and realized that our table looks like we’re preparing for a garage sale, so perhaps I should attend to that quickly as well. But that’s the great thing about having close friends over. There’s no real need to pretend you’re somebody else. They already know what they’ve gotten themselves into and like you anyway. Perhaps one day, I’ll find more time and won’t approach things in such a rushed manner, but for now, I’ll just settle for making a quick little sketch each day and rambling on about seadogs and other tales.
About the DoodlewashDa Vinci Paint Co.: Cobalt Turquoise, Terra Cotta, and Cobalt Blue. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Send me a note with a link to this post, and I’ll add it to my shop! |
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Oh how I wish for a non-barking dog. Otto has a very manly bark today after his spell in daycare yesterday. It sounds awful but he is otherwise unaffected.
Hehe! Glad to hear that Otto is doing okay! I’m sure he’s quite proud of his manly bark! 😉 But yeah, a barkless dog is rather amazing.
Lovely job on the sea lions’s skin. They are among my favorite creatures, along with all sea mammals.
Thanks so much, Sharon! 😃💕Yes… I love seals! They’re such awesome creatures!
Super seal they certainly put on a lovely show when in the sea
well done Charlie
Thanks so much, Tao! 😃💕 hehe… yeah, they are quite the showmen… love them!
He’s a cutie! I just came in from watering the gardens. It’s a scorcher out there. But my pork butt is done, and all I have to do is make a coleslaw for the pork tacos we are having for dinner. With leftovers tomorrow, I’ll have the entire day to rekax, and m maybe splash some paint around.
Thanks so much, Lisa! 😃💕 Yay to leftovers!! hehe… they’re the best! And we just ate WAY too many tacos today. But it was a great long weekend!
Beautiful seal! There is a pier on the Oregon Coast where the fishermen come in, and the sea lions gather to eat what they throw off. You can stand on a dock above and watch them. We used to take our mastiffs – you could almost see the shock on their faces, “Those guys are BIGGER than we are!”
Thanks, Sandra! 😃💕 LOL … I would have loved to see the look on the faces of your mastiffs! hehe… I think Phineas would yelp and run away! hehe
The seadog is so well done and I really like the way you painted the coat. Sounds like a fun evening. Relax and enjoy.
Thanks so much, June! 😃💕 It was a beautiful and relaxing evening!
Haha, eee, the post I’ve been waiting for all month! What an aborable character! And I totally haven’t just spent an age watching cute seal videos…
Enjoy the rest of the long weekend!
Yes good name seal dog.she is adorable.
Have a great time with friends.enjoy the evening cheers.
Thanks so much, Snehlata! 😃💕 It was a wonderful time indeed!
that seal is so huggable. I love it..
How was the movie?
Thanks, Sarah! 😃💕 The movie was so fun! Especially for a Star Wars fan like myself… hehe… I’d definitely recommend it!
Love your seadog, reminded me of when i almost stepped on one in New Zealand when i was living across from a beach… Oh & I just heard your podcast, you sound exactly as you look! It was great to hear how you started, i admire your dedication to your paintings & your blogging. Hope you’re having a great long weekend.
Thanks so much! 😃💕 Almost stepped on a seadog?! That sounds like a great story indeed! hehe And oh, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the podcast! And that my voice wasn’t shockingly different than expected! lol It sounds totally weird to me when I hear the recorded version. But it was fun to finally show up on audio so I think I’ll be doing it again soon. 😉
Yeah i’m always surprised at how i sound in my videos too. You could video yourself painting and sharing your thoughts at the same time. That would be fun to watch/hear!
hehe… one step at a time for me. I’m going to stick with audio for the moment, but who knows, one day I’ll probably add some video to the mix. 😉
Your seal! He’s a colorful beauty just like watercolors are meant to be…Listening right now to your blog with Birgit. It’s nice to relate a voice to your face. Thanks for creating and sharing Doodlewash for us.
Thanks, Linda! 😃💕 And yay! So happy you enjoyed the podcast! It’s been almost three years and I’ve never yet appeared on audio or video so that was a big step! And so I’ll definitely be showing up again on audio at least in the future. 😉
I love your party theme, Charlie – whatever’s bright and on sale – seems to go perfect with pork butt! Your little seadog here is really a charmer. Love those glistening eyes, sleek coat, and nubbin nose. Better let him back in the ocean soon.
Thanks so much, Sharon! 😃💕 hehe… glad you liked my little seadog. And the party themes were a hit… it became a battle of dinosaurs and mermaids which really should be made into a story someday. 😉