Wednesday Noir et Blanc: Pie!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. And remember-- save room for dessert!

Nose to the Grindstone

It's hard to stay positive about the book-writing-illustration world when you hear news like this. But as my agent said recently, look at a market downturn as an opportunity to grow, to try different things, to reinvent yourself. Great advice to keep in mind.

Last night I doodled while we watched Antiques Roadshow. It took my mind off bad news and also, doodling makes TV more interesting. I'd call these blind-contour ramblings. The show cut between headshots and items being discussed-- I was focusing more on the heads.



















There was one woman who just would not stop interjecting while the expert was telling her about her find. In the bottom right corner I scribbled what she said. I wanted to yell at her-- Stop talking, and listen, puh-leese! You'll learn something! (I can't even remember what they were talking about, she was so distracting!)

Anyway, it felt good to keep the hand moving, and good to keep drawing.

Monday Map: It's A Small World After All

Friday Fun: I Love My Cats

But why must they shred the good furniture?

Doodly Heads

Not a whole lot of art to post this week. I've been working on the writing and planning stages of a few projects-- a brain-shift from drawing to thinking more verbally. It's a bit disconcerting at times.

But I have been doodling heads during the in-between times. I'm playing around with facial variety-- expressions, ages, different ethnic groups. It's nice to daydream when you're doodling. Sometimes good ideas pop out when you approach them sideways.

Body of Art

A favorite cousin of mine had this snippet of an e.e. cummings poem tattooed on her backside. It says:

bird by snow and stir by still
anyone's any was all to her

(Read the entire poem here.)

This cousin happens to be funny, sweet and smart as heck. (And cool, too.) She teaches at an alternative high school in Colorado with kids who haven't always been valued by society, and she works passionately to instill the love of words in her students. I'm not sure if she encourages them to tattoo literature on their bodies, but hey, here's to creative teaching methods. (What's next, sweetie? War and Peace??)

So here's a big shout-out to you, K!

Little Joyful Things

Abstract patterns in the season's first snow flurries:















The sound of a babbling brook on a cold, clear morning:















A birdhouse bursting with last spring's nest:



















Loads of dry firewood neatly stacked:















Ragweed, frozen at last!:



















What makes you feel joyful?

Monday Map: Los Angeles to San Diego

I can't imagine what people in California are going through right now with those wildfires. So incredibly frightening.

Friday Fun: On Portfolios

Thinking Ahead

When I used to work in magazine publishing it was normal to plan months in advance. It gave one the sense of time passing quickly. Of course, the older I get, the faster it seems to be passing, too. So I might as well go with it and plan new illustration samples ahead of time.

I've got a whole stack of final art to work on!

What? No Real Post Today?

Nope. I'm off to my writer's group. One of my favorite days of the month!

We're All In This Together

A really rough sketch from last week.

Think of how many problems we can solve if we all work together!

Monday Map: Isle of Palms

Friday Fun: Feel Like Dancin'

Some pure fun and silliness.

Napoleon Dynamite was one of those movies with a weird sense of humor that people either loved, hated, or just said- huh? I'm in the love it group. (If you ever felt like a misfit in high school, you'll love it. Really.)

Now who doesn't wanna get up and dance? An appropriate way to finish off the week.

One Happy Donkey

Artists and fellow bloggers Frank Gardner and Christine Mercer-Vernon created donkeys this week in celebration of our right and responsibility to vote for what we believe in. They invited everyone to take part, so here's mine. Yep, she's a happy gal!

I'll second what Frank said in his post, "...here's to a better future for ALL of us."

Wha-Hoo!!!

Finally, hope!

Vote. It's Important.

I'm going right now. Been waiting too long for change.

Monday Map: The USA