Map making

I started a new sketchbook as part of my daily sketch exercise.  I am devoting this one exclusively to maps. Some of the maps will be of real places and some will be entirely fictional. Most will not really resemble the places that they represent, but some will be extremely accurate.

For example, this is a map of the errands I did the other day and how I felt about them.  It is very accurate. Do you follow me?

I have always loved making maps. I recently made this map in Jim’s sketchbook. It’s what got me thinking about doing a whole book of them.  Look for more anatomy maps in the future.

Some of my maps are simply a record of letting my mind wander. This one started with a splatter map of tea bags as my jumping off point. Then I added the dregs of the previous night’s bottle of wine. I did a bit of research about tea, and had some lettering practice. I plan to explore many different kinds of media. Wish me luck.  I’ll let you know where my travels take me.

ps. The dregs of a nice Malbec are a deep, gorgeous, sparkly purple. Pour some onto a piece of water color paper and let it dry overnight.  (a very good excuse to open a bottle of wine).

a clear blue sky

SFG: love

For a  prompt from Sugar Frosted Goodness, “love”.  Valentine’s Day is coming…

2009!

Happy New Year, my dears!

5 a Day

We all know we should “Strive for Five” servings of fruits and veggies a day to keep our bodies healthy.  Jim tagged me with the task of describing the 5 things I do everyday to keep my spirit happy & healthy. I jotted a bunch down in my sketchbook. Here are the top five….

Allow me to elaborate:

1. I need sunshine. If there are too many winter cloudy days strung together, then a cozy spot near a fireplace will keep me going. Or even candles on the dinner table or sparkly lights strung around.

2. Exercise. Dance, a long fast walk,  yoga, running up and down stairs, cartwheels, anything.

3. Beauty = A walk in the woods, a trip to a museum, a good picture book, almost anything if you look closely enough.

4. There’s just something about that end of day ritual that makes everything right in the world. A little music, a glass of wine, beautiful veggies, the rhythm of preparing the food…chopping, stirring,  the aroma, the taste, and of course good company.

5. The best thrill ever.

So now I am s’posed to tag some folks.  This is a no-obligation invitation to share your spirit lifting techniques…

Andie

Christine

Tim

Aimee

Laurel

Of course, any and all are encouraged to join in!

But here is where this train jumps the track…   I am also going to tag some non-blogging friends.

Biz, Teddy, Heather, Anna, Becca

(I know you may be too shy to comment, but just think about it. And get back to me…somehow.)

ps. For more information about the origins of this meme, visit the ever lovely Dawn.

Or go to Mindapples.org for more fun and information!

IC Show

The Illustrators Club of DC, MD & VA Members Show opened this week at the Art Institute of Washington. I am happy to say that I have two pieces in the show.  Stop by if you are in the DC/ Arlington, VA area!

Happiness

A World of Happiness has arrived in my mailbox!

I am happy and proud  to say that I did some handlettering for this book. Tor Hyams came up with the wonderful idea to do a children’s music CD about the joy of being kind. He enlisted the help of some fantastic musicians and celebrities, Deborah Harry, Perry Farrell, Gary Oldman, Issac Hayes, to name a few…They each donated their portion of the proceeds to the children’s charity of their choice. The music was written for the 3-10 year old crowd, but parents love it too! I can’t say enough great things about the CD and neither can others… So when I had the opportunity to work on a book that included lyrics, sheet music and activities centered on the songs in the CD I was, of course, thrilled. The book was written by Tor Hyams and David Scharff, with activities to accompany the songs created by Dr. Denise Hyams, PhD. It includes a wonderful story about friendship and patience by Krishni Kiffa called “Lady Leo-Lani and Her Magic Garden”. The book was published by Alfred Publishing, illustration by David Smith, line art and hand lettering by yours truly.

I have to say it was great to have an assignment lettering chapter titles like these…

And the line art for the activity pages was fun to do too. I love to draw hands…

Etsy

I have finally started stocking the shelves of my Etsy shop.  Hooray!! I am calling it peggyellen and I’ll be selling handmade books and prints of my illustrations and other sundry seasonal items.

I wanted the logo for my shop to be similar to the logo I use for my illustration. I finally narrowed it down to the banners above. Ellen is my middle name. Peggy Ellen Fussell…that’s enough loops to make anybody loopy. Multiply that by the number of variations I did for my banner and you’ll understand why I am seeing double. (Yes, those of you who were kids of the 70s know that Fannee Doolee LOVES me!) Which do you like best? It is so easy to change the awning in front of an Etsy store : )

I’ve been having a lot of fun making hand bound notebooks. The covers are canvas and the paper inside is recycled blank paper. Sometimes I sew vintage buttons to the covers. Right now I am also making some scarves that are quite fun. Personally, I think skulls are always in season. More photos to follow as soon as my daughter has time to model!

As I said, I am also also selling prints of my illustration. If you have any ideas for which images I should make prints of or books with,  please suggest them! I am hoping that my current stock will fly off the shelves and that I’ll be constantly making new items!! Fingers crossed!

Accidental Cartographer

Yesterday was a lovely weather day so I decided to finish an outdoor painting that I started last weekend.  It’s a fun kid project that my girls have always enjoyed. We started making maps out of various spills and splatters on paper table coverings at restaurants. It was a great way to ease embarrassment when somebody (myself included) made an accidental mess. And it filled that dreadfully long time between when the kids were finished eating and when the adults were finished, not to mention the seemingly eternal wait for the check. Then, when the girls were older, we got the idea to make our maps on purpose, with paint, in the backyard. Making this island map brought back such fond memories,  I thought I’d share the process. Here’s how it goes…

First, mix some paint and water in a bottle…

Then splash/pour the mix onto your paper….

Go ahead and get a little sloppy with it! You can always sop up a little of the excess if you need to.

When you have a good looking map shape let it dry in the sun for a while. Have a picnic lunch and think about who lives on this island. What do they eat there? What do they like to do?  When you’re done eating and your map is nice and dry take a regular ball point pen and trace around all the little inlets and bays.

Paint the water around your island (I suggest blue, but that’s just me)  then add some features, name the bays, add forests, buried treasure, pirate skulls or whatever the shapes in the map and your imagination suggest.

Don’t forget a compass rose!

Voila!

Now that the girls are older our splattering is more intentional…most of the time.  But I’ll always see tropical atolls in coffee cup rings.

“Organized” clutter

This is a drawing of a shelf in my studio. I must confess that the sketch is a bit more honest.

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I made this sketch for a sketchbook exchange, then scanned it and inked it in Illustrator.  As I inked it in,  I tidied things up. Don’t we all see our clutter as being more organized than it actually is?