Coincidence…

Recently a couple of friends called to tell me that there was a book reviewed on NPR I that I need to read. It’s about a boy who draws maps of his world. Of course, I ran out and bought  The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet right away. I love it. There are so many coincidences in the book, things that remind me of my childhood, ideas that I’ve had for map making, etc.  I find T. S. Spivet’s mother, Dr. Clair,  to be a very intriguing character. She is a coleopterist (entomologist who specializes in beetles) and has spent 20 years searching for the allusive tiger monk beetle. The other day I was thinking about her  as I was scanning a few  maps that I had made and wondering if I should even continue with this sketchbook. After all, T.S. Spivet had pretty much scooped me and published many of my ideas already….

Just then a huge, gargantuan, buzzing  beetle came in from my screened porch and was frantically richoceting off the walls, my monitor, my HEAD, the window…. Needless to say I beat a very hasty retreat out of my studio, slammed the door and ran down the stairs. I am no Dr. Clair. I did not re-enter my studio until the next day. I found the beetle, belly up on the floor. I scooped him up with a page from my circus calendar and proceeded to photograph him. The above photo shows the perceived size of said beetle (compare to tightrope walker) as well as the actual size (compare to key). Below is a map of the beetle’s crazy shaky journey around my head and my subsequent escape. Whew.

I am about a third of the way through The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet. I can’t wait to find out what will happen next….. it is fast becoming my Jumanji.

ps. To see the belly of the beetle beast, go to my flickr photos.  And while you are there check out the work of my friend GunnerGirl. She makes the most fabulous beetle drawings ever.

Elevation

It is so much easier to see what is ahead if you climb up and look down at your world. Even so,  I prefer living at sea level.

I subscribe to Poem-A-Day from the Academy of American Poets. I posted this map last night. This morning I was sent If the Delta was the Sea by Dick Lourie. I love it. It is the perfect illustration of how a mind wanders.

Sometimes it just feels like the poetry gods are watching over me.

Fish & Collage

I’ve been having a lot of fun with collage lately. Above are a few I did in Tami’s book for our sketchbook exchange.

About 5 months ago I glued hydrangea petals and leaves into the shape of a fish on a page in  the sketchbook of Aurora, another participant in the exchange. Before I sent it off I scanned the page so that I could post it to flickr and also so that I’d have a record of the way it looked when it left me. I imagine the leaves and/or petals will eventually turn brown. Recently I printed it onto canvas and made a puppet out of it to send off to  friend who is making a wonderous animation. This fish travels to the west coast more than I do lately!

And while we are on the subject of collage, check out the wonderful work of KC Trommer. Oh, and her poetry…sigh.

Egg painting

I love the look of tempera paint and have always wanted to learn to make my own. The real thing is so much more vibrant and seems to have a glow that you can’t get from the stuff you buy in a tube. This weeks prompt at Sugar Frosted Goodness is “Chicken” and that somehow inspired me to paint a chicken using plain egg yokes. Two friends remarked independently that it was a cruel joke. I assure you that I will not show this to any chickens.

After painting in the background and comb with acrylic paint, I used the bright yellow yoke straight out  of the egg for the lighter areas of the chicken. It is pretty sticky, I globbed it on thick for the first layer, then regretted that I didn’t take my time and build up a lot of thin layers to prevent cracking and to give the finished piece more depth.  I definitely intend to try this again.

While my first thick layer was drying, I settled in with a cup of tea and a book. A few minutes later I heard a curious scraping sound…..

Yes, my cat licked off a good part of the tail. Fortunately for him, I was able to repair it pretty easily. When that dried I added another layer using a yoke with a bit of red paint added. I also tried adding a bit of turmeric. It didn’t really dissolve but I like the sprinkles in the tail.

Finally I added some green to the bottom of the background and some white highlights to the feathers. I don’t know how permanent this painting will be. It may all flake off next week, but right now the yoke is solid and glossy like a layer of glass.

This would be a really fun thing to do with kids. There is always the threat of salmonella with raw eggs, but I bet the yolk of  an egg over easy would work perfectly.

SFG: love

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

IF: Resolve

One thing I have resolved is to make & share a daily sketch.  Most I’ll post on my sketchbook page ( –> ) and some  to Creative Every Day. And some will really stink and I won’t post them anywhere. How’s that for a New Year’s resolution?

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!

IF: Pretend

Pretend you are a leaf. Let yourself be swept away by the wind. Then come home for a hot cup of tea.

“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?

IF: Poof! Out of time….

This week’s prompt for Illustration Friday is “Poof”. I don’t have time to finish out an illustration, (where did the time go? Poof! It disappeared!), so I thought I’d post some poofy sketches that I did in Jody’s book.