Illustration Friday - Entangled

Come Back to Bed

2.5 x 3.5 inches ATC

mixed media

I really like this weeks theme word, it is full of all kinds of possibilities.  The resulting illos I see going up on IF are wonderful overall.   The theme brings to mind the entanglement of our personal relationships for me.  Perhaps the holidays are also responsible for putting me in this mindset.  I made this ATC for a personal trade with a lady who likes to collect cards themed with a mermaid and an octopus as a couple.  Entanglement is a given for these two. 

Illustration Friday - Music

 

Behind Closed Doors

hand colored etching

Music is part of what makes us human and we learn to love it at an early age.  I performed many of these solo, audienceless concerts when I was growing up, and I admit to still being a compulsive car radio singer.  People who see me driving down the road probably think I am insane, but I NEED to sing and sing out loud!

I admit to a slight cheat this week.  I took an early stage of an old etching and added watercolor to emphasize the figure a little better.  So it only reached this finish state today, but its not technically a brand new piece.  In my defense, I have 23 people showing up at my house tomorrow morning and Thanksgiving is only a vacation for those who don't have to cook :).  Regardless, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  It is all about family and gratefulness for blessings.  It also crosses religious and cultural boundaries that otherwise tend to divide us as a nation.   I truly love Thanksgiving and I hope you all have a wonderful, love (and food) filled holiday.

Illustration Friday - Unbalanced

12 x 15 3/4 inches

Pen and ink

Self Portrait

This is a sample of a project that I do with my Art 1 students.  It starts as a grid drawing that is then developed by creating values using patterns and textures.  Students have to control the value within a given pattern as well since the pattern/texture changes with each grid square.  I am always trying to get the students to take more compositionally interesting photos to work from so that we get more dynamic final images.  This means that I start by taking a lot of very unflattering pictures of myself to get them to loosen up about how they look.  The girls always want to be "pretty" and the boys just want to give me mug shots.  Teenagers are soooooo self-conscious!  I just tell them to loosen up and let their freak flag fly!  Of course they are certain that I am completely mentally unbalanced as the above image would seem to prove.  I also let a student choose which image I will work from which is guaranteed to be the one that is the most unforgiving. :)  Good fun!

Illustration Friday -Blur

Mixed Media 3.5 x 2.5 ATC

I love the soft blur caused by falling snow.  This little ATC was inspired by a poem by Robert Frost.

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Illustration Friday - Skinny or A Peace Crane Project Update

mixed media ATCs

Dancing Japanese Cranes

I came close to not getting this week done in time again.  The word "skinny" can be a touchy word especially for women.  So about 4:00 AM this morning I finally settled on doing a series of ATCs with some skinny birds that would also allow me to give an update on my origami peace crane project that I am spearheading at school.  We currently have about 588 cranes produced by students, teachers and a few community members at large.  We are a little over half way done with folding and I would like to have the installation hung by early December.  It seems a fitting theme for the upcoming holiday season.  If you would like to know more about this project you can see the entry on my blog at http://msartlady.blogspot.com/2009/10/illustration-friday-pattern-or-put-up.html .   Oh and by the way, these cards are available for trade for comparable hand drawn or painted cards. Show me what cha got. :)