Smurfs n bones

Behold: Birthday presents.
The antler was discarded by some animal a long time ago, and brother E sent it along as a birthday wish to his nature-nerd sister (actually, I'm not knowledgeable enough to be a "nerd," but maybe just an appreciator). It's very, very cool. Downside: The dog would like to eat it.

The Smurf is a giftie from brother M., who remembers the collection I amassed during the 70s. They had all kinds of cool occupations, including photography and surfing. I don't know what happened to them. All my excellent childhood toys are gone, but now I have excellent adulthood toys.

Thanks, men.

World's most efficient blog post

1. Sketch junior hippo out of scrap paper with pastels while eating dinner.
2. Admire hippo. Smile at colors.
3. Shoot low-rez pic of junior hippo with iPhone and email to self.
4. Edit slightly in iPhoto to make up for low quality of pic.
5. Upload low-rez pic of junior hippo to Blogger and write five points. Add extra exclamation point and get back to work!

O Withering Winter ...

O Withering Winter,
Whither Spring?
I'm tired of you
doing your thing
My hair's all static
My skin's all cracked
Just wondering whether your bags are packed.

I haven't seen
the sun in weeks,
Your wind has burned
my lips and cheeks
You're like a party guest
who's dear
Before the Cheez-its and the beer.

But now you've frankly
worn me out
and though I hate
to whine and pout
I need a balmy breeze or two
and fat chance it'll come from you.

So please be gone,
you and your snow
and send in Springtime as you go.
We'll love again
come late this year
But right now, I just loathe you, dear.

Pant, huff, pant ...

Yikes.
I have done no sketchbook drawing in the last three days, because I've spent EVERY WAKING SECOND completing art for the second of two poetry books for kids by the wonderful Sara Holbrook. I look forward to sharing more news on that in the months to come. Meanwhile, take this page from earlier last week.

And now, with the drawings turned in, I will turn my attention to trying not to fail my art history test on Tuesday. Wish me luck.

Just curious ...

What's the longest you can go without doing the thing you do all the time whether you think you should do it or not?
(How's that for provocative?)
;-)

Oh, and incidentally ... I have returned, at least for now, to the comfort of the exquisite Moleskine watercolor notebook. Ahhh.

Cut It Out!

Do you ever wish your brain would just shut up?

Love, big and small

Don't know what's with all that blue shadowing up in the left corner. If random color is going to strike, why not red, I say, to celebrate the season?
Ah well.

The image here, by the way, is an evocation of Lylah's favorite bear, Flatso, and the feeling I had when she was little and Flatso was a big deal in our house. It was a pure kind of love.

Flatso isn't this big, of course, but his heart is. And Lylah isn't this little anymore, but she'll always be her mama's baby.

Happy Valentine's Day. May love -- in all its forms -- find you.

Gimme Some of Dat Bitter, Bitter Love

First: If you wanna read this little cartoon, please click on the pic to make it a legible size.

Second: I'm tres interested in reading your bitter love story. It can be a One-Sentence Story like THIS or like THIS.

Or it can be a cryptic and bitter love tale from your actual life, told in as many vinegary sentences as is necessary to make us smile in recognition (YES! I DATED THAT JERK TOO!) or -- well, whatever. People who have participated before have won prizes. (Just saying.)

So, please. Get writing. Entertain me. Entertain us all. Even my reader in Kuala Lumpur. (Yes, I really have one.)

Monday grid

Every now and then I like to make little sketches all through the day and arrange them like this. It's a good way to find time to draw in my sketchbook even on days when I think I don't have time, since each individual drawing only takes a few minutes.

When I do this, I make the grid first and fill it in throughout the day. Having those proportions pre-determined actually helps me look for things that work in that space. And because it's laid out ahead of time, I know the page will end up looking OK, which frees me to be less worried about make every drawing wonderful. (Though, yes - that's supposed to be Bill Paxton there in the Big Love spot, and yes, I know it doesn't look very much like him.)

Interestingly enough, the last time I did this, it was also a "Monday Grid," which you can see here.

What does it mean?

I don't know.
I really don't.
I was going to sit down and do a nicely rendered and realistic ball of twine. Then I didn't feel like it. Instead I felt like conjuring a version of my childhood self and my childhood dog.
Maybe it was that fabric at Crate & Barrel from earlier in the day. Made me feel mod. Made me feel nostalgic. Made me modstalgic.

Drive 'N' Draw

It was probably just a coincidence

Euclid Avenue

This will be a watercolor painting when it grows up.

Busy Busy Busy

A little bird, a little Al ...

...or did his friends call him Fred?
Or Alfred?
Or maybe just "Sir"?

Well, anyway, this is a shoutout to Jackie and Mike, who made fun of me on Facebook yesterday for drawing a dead bird. I would do it again, y'know. But I enjoyed a few minutes with Mr. Hitchcock here.