Giraffe Mother And Baby Watercolor Painting
By Charlie

The Love We Share

Written by Charlie O'Shields

For our prompt of “Giraffe” today, I sketched a mother giraffe and her little baby. There’s just something so sweet about seeing any animal interact with their newborn. For many of them, it’s simply an exercise in instinct, but I always like to view it as it appears. Like true love. And, there’s really nothing better in this world than love. This time of year is my favorite because I always end up getting to spend more time with friends and family. It’s a time to relive old traditions and sometimes even start new ones! I’m excited to see my own mother in less than two weeks when I travel to Texas to visit my family there. Though, unlike these giraffes, the mother and son positions are reversed. I actually tower over my mother by almost a foot. We always make jokes about that with each other. Sometimes, I will walk toward her like I’m about to hug her, miss entirely, and end up hugging myself. She smirks and makes a crack about the weather up there in the clouds and then we hug. It’s a ritual that never gets old, even as we both get older. And, I’m thrilled to spend time with her again soon.

Tonight we’re having friends over for dinner. Since our dog thinks he runs everything in our house, we refer to it as attending Café Phineas. It’s actually been a year since this particular restaurant was open. The head chef, of course is Philippe since Phineas doesn’t really know how to cook. This doesn’t stop him from carefully watching every move Philippe makes as though he does know exactly what’s happening and is ensuring the quality of the meal. For my part, I don’t cook, so I do the cleaning. This involved “finding” our dining room table. It was still in its usual place, but had various things stacked on it, since we never use it when it’s just the two of us. For the menu, Philippe decided on French onion soup, chicken cordon bleu, and potatoes. We’ll be starting with a cheese plate and champagne, so it really will feel like going out to a restaurant. And best of all, we’ll get to spend some quality time with our good friends.

These are the things in life that remind me I always have everything I need. It doesn’t take much to be happy in life. Sure, more money would always be nice, but I’ll always find myself enjoying the things money can’t buy much more. And as I cleaned house today and tried to make things presentable for our friends, I found silly little trinkets we’d acquired. Each time I grabbed one to try to figure out where the heck it should go, memories flashed back to me. It was magical to remember that fun trip to California or simply that fun find on a regular trip to HomeGoods. That’s part of the reason for the accumulation of things. For Philippe and I, nearly anything can be made valuable simply for the reminder of a moment. Not even a big or notable moment, just a moment spent together or with a friend we adore. And as I shuffled each little thing into its proper place in the house, I found myself actually enjoying cleaning. It wasn’t a chore, it was just a lovely trip through all of the little things that remind me of the love we share.

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About the Doodlewash

Da Vinci Paint Co.: Gold Ochre, Vermilion, Terra Cotta and Ultramarine (Green Shade). Staedtler Pigment Liners 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!
 Giraffe Mother And Baby Watercolor Painting Sketchbook Detail

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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28 thoughts on “The Love We Share”

  1. Okay, I want to come to cafe Phineas because dinner sounds awesome! Since we are having Thanksgiving company, I’m not doing much cooking before hand. A big pot of goulash will last two or three days, and then it’s turkey all the way. Since I’m still in recovery from my crushed vertebra, I’m paring t-day down to the essentials: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy. And pie because some people would call that the most important thing of all.

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  2. I’m having leftovers for dinner – your’s sounds much better! I always feel a little sorry for people who always have to be doing something. They must never slow down enough to just enjoy the basic blessings in life. Enjoy your meal and the visit with your friends!

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  3. There’s something especially wonderful about a mama and baby giraffe….maybe it’s just that it’s not something we see everyday? Dinner sounds wonderful and even more so for being shared with friends. Enjoy your evening!

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  8. Charlie says, “I found myself actually enjoying cleaning. It wasn’t a chore, it was just a lovely trip through all of the little things that remind me of the love we share.”

    There is peace and beauty radiating from those words, and from the loving interaction
    of Mama and Baby Giraffe.

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  10. I love giraffes almost as much as elephants. I think it is the size thing. They are so tall and I am so short. I think I would love you too if ever we meet. I would probable love your mom, because I also love minature things. The tinier the better. Amazing job on this pair!

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  14. I love this warm sketch, Charlie🥰. When I’ve seen your sketch, I haven’t painted any Giraffe yet, so I thought : Awwwwee, Charlie painted this beautiful moment already hehhehhe, and it’s beautiful 🍀Then the other pose of Giraffe was born hehe.

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