Tuesday

When is it Too Much Information

    I've been reading about this "blogging" thing and it seems that there should be a balance of information that you give people that keeps you human, but not TOO human.  I imagine that balance goes like this: 


     Actually, I suspect that everything I share falls into the Too Much Information category.  Somehow that doesn't bother me.

Monday

Posting Oh No

  Hello everyone.  I am currently house sitting in
"The Land of Little and Non-Existent Internet."  It has made my blog posting spotty these last few days.

     It is important for me that I be consistent with this.  I live a life of totally unstructured time, which can be fantastic, but overall is not a good thing.   Posting every day gives me a vague awareness of the current month and year and forces me to engage in slightly un-hermit like behavior by sharing my work. 

Of course, this is a blog on the internet - so it is only slightly un-hermit like.

Tomorrow I will catch up - but for the moment, a page of doodles:












   


Friday

Good and Bad

     So, normally this would be a Comics Friday Post but I've been unable to think up anything.
In any case, this is neat like comics are neat.

Spirits of Good and Bad Things That Are Coming Your Way



Thursday

Things I Love - This Plant

     I have what is sometimes called a "black thumb."  
As much as I want an apartment that makes you question the line between indoors and outdoors, 
it seems futile to spend money on what will shortly be a piece of plastic filled with dirt and dead leaves.  

I am optimistic that one day (by magic) things will be different and everything I touch will flourish - but until that day I have to resign myself to plants that are un-killable.  
     This particular plant even survived the upstairs at my parents house - which believe me is quite a feat. 




Tuesday

Things I Love

     After the Travel Journal posts, it felt like a good idea to pay attention to the things around me now that bring me joy.  So, here is the first sketch.

Things I Love:


Monday

More Monsters


     Hanging on the wall of my studio are some round frames that I picked up at a yard sale a while back.  While they do look great as they are, they might also be nice with some silhouette style portraits in them.  There are two large frames and one small, so I was thinking family.  
Coming soon - baby silhouette sketches.

Sunday

28th Year Color Sunday

     Even though this was not painted in the travel journal, and in fact was more than a year before I approached the subject - it really seemed the only fitting Color Sunday to end the Travel Journal Colorado series with.

The Rafting Accident

Saturday

28th Year Travel Journal - 4

    Animas Peak Drawing.


     Near our campsite in Durango, we drove up on a whim and I am so glad we did.  This place was inspiring beautiful.      
     On this peak I jotted down the idea for a graphic novel of which I have some developmental sketches going.  
It might be a long time in the making, but the idea has stuck hard with me.  

Friday

28th Year Travel Journal - 3

     As promised, here is the "comic" I drew on the road.  It was just one of those little moments that happen sometimes in a relationship.  Since I was documenting the trip, I made a comic out of it.  

Hopefully Erik won't be too mad.



Thursday

28th Year Travel Journal - 2


Poem

PagosaSprings

ShirtFind

This is why I love Erik.  The bit in the right hand corner might be a little hard to read so I will sum up.  We tuned into a classical station on the radio and after a minute or so realized that the piece was skipping and playing the same section over and over again.  I said that I thought it was skipping and Erik (in a maniacal voice said) "It IS skipping!  I'm going to listen until they fix it! haha"  Then we lost the signal.

The hostel that we stayed at in Salida.
If you are interested in staying there, this is their site: http://www.simplelodge.com/
SimpleLodge

This is a ranch gate I designed as a joke for my Aunt's place based on some of the ostentatious ones we saw.
RanchGate
  
The Million Dollar Highway.
MillionDollarHighway
Not good for motion sickness.



Tomorrow a "comic" I made at the start of the trip.



Wednesday

28th Year Travel Journal - 1

     Allow a bit of explanation here.  I promise there will be many images to follow.

   Initially I had written about how everyone told me that the year of my 28th birthday was my Saturn Return Year.  And it was indeed a complicated and difficult year.  Today, I received a comment that Saturn Return is usually in the 29th year and not the 28th.

     Since I do like to be accurate, I checked on this calculator, and it turns out that my Saturn Return Year is this year.  My 29th year.

     That being said, my 28th year was extremely difficult.  There was the tragic loss of a friend, a rafting accident and near drowning experience, an extremely difficult period in therapy, continual hospital visits, an insane roommate situation, massive weight gain and teaching for the first time.

     Today I came across my travel journal from last summer and I was reminded that it was also a year of joy.  A fantastic trip to Colorado, the first half of the rafting trip, my first art show, Erik and my 1 year anniversary, moving into our own apartment (which I love), our Tucson trip, and teaching for the first time (which included a memorable experience at the Challenger Center and some truly amazing students).

    Since I am in a particularly rough period right now, it was sublime to be reminded of joy.  This week I will be sharing select drawings from that travel journal.

So without further Ado:



InsideCover

The journal starts with housesitting:

AuntiesHouse

The watercolor pencils I had were a little difficult to use, so at this point I pretty much gave up on them.


HummingBirds

Feathers

We did some camping near where we were housesitting just prior to the trip.

Camping



Coming up tomorrow:

ToColorado




Tuesday

Digital Sketches

A couple sketches from the digital realm.

First, the farmer.  



     I recently returned from trip to Missouri and the family farm there.  There is something to the isolation - the complete containment of the world to the immediate area - that I find engaging.  


And next, my beloved Chicken Balloon:


     My head is definitely an escapists paradise.
That's all I really have to say.

Monday

Creative Exercise - Continuous Line Drawing


    The Continuous Line drawing is similar to the Contour Line Drawing.  When doing a continuous line drawing, keep your pen on the paper and work like you would on an etch-a-sketch - only with slightly more control.  The resulting image will be fluid and engaging.  Revel in the imperfection and restated lines.

What can you make with a single line?