Art Everyday Challenge - Day 4

Art Everyday Challenge - Day 3

Another watercolor....

I have a feeling you'll be seeing a bunch of these,

thanks to Wendy and her challenge.

Art Everyday Challenge - Day 2

I must thank Wendy Malowany, fellow homeschooler and entrepreneur, 

for the Art Idea Challenge idea she posted on our homeschooling forum.

I've been far too neglectful of creating something everyday, 

so thank you, Wendy, for spurring me on.

 Do check out Wendy's website for tips and resources for teaching your kids at home as well as for running a business.

Here's my entry for today - 

a simple watercolor on paper.

I like it either way up :)

Art Everyday Challenge

So I signed up for it, and I dunno if I can (will?) do it,

but like I said, I signed up for it, so here goes

DAY NUMBER ONE!

A ditzy doodle.

Yup - that's what I'm gonna call it.

The NanoBot is supposed to be making something everyday as well,

but the only thing she made today was a mess. 

I mean toys all over the place kinda mess.

Maybe tomorrow she will have something for me to upload...

It's a BOY!

No, not THAT way.

I'm finally (OK, after a VERY long time) 

illustrating a story with a boy in it.  

Just when I was starting to think it's really weird 

how I always seem to end up with girls.  

Funny how things work.  

I should work on putting in some shadows...

Why homeschool? Here's why!

Magic Words

No, not Please and Thank you, although those count as well!

Magic Words is the name of the new book I'm working on...take a look.

It's about a little girl who can't fall asleep

(I always seem to get the little girls. But actually, 

I'm also working on another book that features...a little boy!)

and she goes to her cat and her bird and her fish, 

trying to get them to play with her...

until her Mommy takes her to bed and teaches her some

'magic words' that help her sleep.

I'm using more textures and patterns in this one for a softer look.

Please do tell me what you think - and thank you :)

Earthship, beam me up!

Earthships:

Beautiful, self-sustaining (off the grid), sustainable, earth-friendly, 

beautiful, HANDMADE, unconventional, beautiful...

Did I say beautiful?

Earthship in Taos, New Mexico) 

Made with discarded tires, drink cans, glass bottles, 

and honest-to-goodness earth,

these are dwellings of the future (I hope),

inspired by the past.

This is re-purposing at it's best and

I really, really want to live in one.

Full disclosure:  I would also like to build it.

(DaddyBoy, are you listening?)

Here's a little about earthships.  Even the name is heavenly :)

YouTube has lots more on them...

Paper Sculpture with the NanoBot

It's been rainy, so rainy.  I do love the rain,

even though it sometimes means being stuck indoors, but not much :)

So on one such lovely day,

NanoBot and I sat out in our little covered patio

outside our apartment

and made...

this!

I can see the idea translated into

wall sculptures with an industrial feel -

a set of three square bases

with metal strips instead of paper

and a lovely blue-green patina!

Anyway, here's the PAPER version for now,

with a step-by-step demo

courtesy the NanoBot herself.

Begin with some thick paper for a base.

We used the side of a spaghetti carton.

Glue plain paper on to it and cut to size, like so:

So now you have a cleverly recycled piece of packaging!

Set the base aside and start making line drawings on a sheet of paper.

I used one color, lots of globby shapes, and a whole bunch of

lines in a variety of ways.

This was the only step I showed the NanoBot an example of.

(the teal blue drawing is mine)

It was a good lesson for taking note of how many

ways you can draw a line.

Then she made her own...

She made the globby shapes in a pale orange, but quickly

switched to a dark blue for the inside lines.

She even put in some alphabets!

Next, flip the drawing over, make some guiding lines

(yes, MORE lines)

and cut!

Snip, snip into thin strips.

And you end up with these.

Remember that base we made before?
This is where it makes its grand entrance.

Using a glue stick, start sticking the ends of the strips to the base,
leaving the rest of the strips loose.

You can twist the strips before you glue the second end,

or loop them around other strips.

Keep going until the entire base is covered, and you get THIS.

A lovely, loopy paper sculpture!

And an incredible artist overcome with modesty!

Do give it a try!

My first U.K. book, and some fabric fun

Well, it's not a book YET...but it's been great to work with

a new editor/publisher from a different zone than North America.

Three of the pics...

I did have a lot of fun drawing the cute little redhead character,

and I had fun with the color pallette as well.

The little cat shows up in a lot of the pictures,

but not in all of them, as you can tell from the following two.

The bunny in the flashlight, competing with

the 'deer in the headlights' look :)

Dunno if bunnies chomp down carrots in the dark...

but what good is artistic license if you don't use it?  :)

And a bird's eyeview to dinner.

I still have one more picture to finish and then...

wait for publication!

Somewhere in between, I did some sewing,

but not enough picture-taking.

So here's the only two things my camera snapped up so far:

A coin purse!  My first!  YAY!

Lined inside with a yummy grren and pink printed material,

all from recycled fabric, of course.

Featuring a cute little blue flower and a juicy purple gem,

also and embroidered scrap with a scattering of

purple sequins all around it.

AND...my very first key fob!

Wool roving in delicious green and pink

on a denim base

plus a lot of found objects

equals a very tactile way to hunt for your keys!

I think I'm gonna keep both things for myself -

I need them!

More later!

The Little Things...

For Birgitta, in gratitude.

New publisher, new book

And a new look. 

Normally I work with a combination of hand-drawn and digital,

but this one is all on the computer, from scratch.

A couple of samples:

That yellow speech bubble will hold some text. This book is all about food!

Anyway, all that computer work only makes me want to hunt down

 my pencils and brushes...and paint!

These are for a different book, and I'm enjoying their making just as well.

Softly Spring

Illustration on watercolor paper;

gesso, watercolors, watercolor pencil, ink