No patterned backgrounds

This is the look that was approved by the publisher and the author:



They want me to stick with plain backgrounds, which is fine. I was just quite keen on experimenting with patterns. Either way, I'm just happy to be doing this!

Please do not reproduce this image in any way without my permission!

New work

I have work illustrating children's books! YAY!!! I did some quite a few years ago, and they were so much fun, but I never did any after that. Until now. And this time I'm using Adobe Illustrator to color them. I started only a few days ago, but my learning curve skyrocketed just by trying to figure out how it works.

SO MUCH FUN!

It would help if BabySnuggleBug actually snuggled up and took a nap, but oh well.

Here's a prototype for a character in the first book:


Thought, comments, suggestions?

Strawberries in Poona

In February.


And they were unbelievably good.

Oh, this and that...

So I'm back from India, the land of extreme impossible-ness. I swear I don't know how that country ticks, but wow, does it ever!

BubbleToes had a blast, that's for sure, what with all the aunties and uncles and cousins and nieces and nephews fawning over her. I was so glad to see my parents again, and all my incredibly talented relatives, especially all my young cousins who continue to amaze me with their accomplishments. More power to them!

So we came back, and DaddyBoy had a tape of Slumdog Millionaire ready for us to watch. I'm not sure why, but there it was. I ended up watching it alone, and in the end I had only one thought - "Ugh!". This movie won at the Oscars??? If you don't count the one scene that still gives me nightmares, it's still a mishmash of Bollywood cliches not worth the truckload of accolades it got, with noise for music, and strange camera work, but that's just my opinion. I mean if you watched it and liked it, great.

And then we watched Twilight, and I didn't like that either. Too choppy, not surreal enough. Lacked atmosphere. Weird acting.

Is it coz I'm watching these on the small screen? Or maybe it's just me?

So you wanna be a parent?

My friend sent me this for wannabe Mommies and Daddies:

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Long term, team players needed, for challenging,

permanent work in an
often chaotic environment.
Candidates must possess excellent communication
and organizational skills and be willing to work
variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends
and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.
Some overnight travel required, including trips to
primitive camping sites on rainy weekends

and endless sports tournaments in far away cities!
Travel expenses not reimbursed.
Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The rest of your life.
Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily,
until someone needs $5.
Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
Also, must possess the physical stamina of a
pack mule
and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat
in case, this time, the screams from
the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges,
such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets
and stuck zippers.
Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and
coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings
for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
Must be a willing to be indispensable one minute,
an embarrassment the next.
Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a
half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Must assume final, complete accountability for
the quality of the end product.
Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and
janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:

None..
Your job is to remain in the same position for years,

without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills,
so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:

None required unfortunately.
On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION:

Get this! You pay them!
Offering frequent raises and bonuses.
A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because
of the assumption that college will help them
become financially independent.
When you die, you give them whatever is left.
The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that
you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS:

While no health or dental insurance, no pension,
no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and
no stock options are offered;
this job supplies limitless opportunities

for personal growth, unconditional love,
and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

A poem remembered, somewhat

I fell asleep next to the little BabyHedgehog, and when I woke up these lines came back to me from many, many years ago:

alone in the empty valley
with a bundle of fresh hay
lies the white horse

he is like a piece of jade

oh do no be like gold or jade
do not go far from my heart

I cannot remember where I read these lines, or who wrote them.

I don't know why they suddenly came back to me, or even if they came back correctly, but I feel enriched.



image from flickr

Treasures from the Ten

We have our internet and our Etsy, but what about those who don't even have computers?

Here are some blue treasures from Ten Thousand Villages. It's such a great source of handmade items from around the globe, and best of all product sales help pay for food, education, healthcare and housing for artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed.

All this while using environment friendly resources and processes. Isn't that wonderful?

The whole thing started in 1946 from the trunk of founder Edna Ruth Byler's car, and now has 156 retail outlets in the US. Ten Thousand Villages is one of the world's largest fair trade organizations representing the diverse cultures of artisans in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Craftspeople from 38 countries benefit from this wonderful project. You can only imagine how many different kinds of crafts that would be.

Here'a a small selection, but do check out their website.

The pictures are all lined up instead of the little montages I wanted to make, but I hope you'll enjoy them!

Mexico:




Southeast Asia; Phillipines, Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam:








Egypt:


Bangladesh:




And India:





Enjoy!

Update from India

I've been in India a few weeks now, and was able to manage only one blog post so far, and that not for this blog, but for the two lovely ones I frequently contribute to. This was a story about a house so full of color that I had to feature it. Interested? Read more here or here!

Meanwhile, the BabyButton is being very enchanting to all my relatives, and is sleeping better than she ever has, but is also learning the Magical Art of Throwing. Throwing what, you may ask. Why, tantrums, of course! Thank goodness for Attachment Parenting techniques for a crying baby!

Other than that, it's been wonderful so far. Lots of family and fun, and yes, food! I have pictures, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to upload them. They are on my dad's computer right now, but I hope to sort them out soon. He's been clicking away by the hundreds!

I am so busy trying to wrap everything up before the SnuggleBug and I leave for India. There are little lists everywhere, but the big question is:

While I'm gone. will DaddyBoy eat his vegetables???

From a long time ago...

Two watercolor paintings I came across while cleaning up...these are very bad pictures, but until I scan them properly, here they are:




I think I'd been reading Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals (for probably the nth time) when I made these. The trees, the whitewashed houses, and the turquoise sea all remind me of his childhood in Corfu.

On printed paper

...I painted an orchid:

Random shot

The winter sun streaming through our kitchen window...



life presents amazing moments

savor them
cherish them
remember them

there's no ordinary day!

Lil Birdie flies....again!

The past few weeks have been filled with planning.
The BabyButterfly and I will be taking a trip to India!

We'll see me parents
and my uncles
and my aunties
and my cousins

with neices and nephews thrown in for good measure

and deal with

the noise
and the traffic
and the colors

and most of all

try and navigate our way through all the dinner parties without offending the host.

(not taking five helpings of food counts as offending the host)

Flying to Houston seems like nothing compared to this VERY long journey.

Hoping everything goes well!

Photo courtsey marcelgermain.