Obsession

I totally forgot to share with you guys my latest artistic obsession and how it turned out. I spent a couple of months being obsessed with pandas. They are so exquisite, so beautiful and so foreign to anything I get to see here in New England. I love them. Doesn't help that I live with one....


Okay, maybe she's not a panda but Kita-Bear and Petit Panda are some of her many nicknames! Just to show you the tortured mind behind the artist.... (click on the pictures to see them larger)

First I thought a panda with a parasol would be cute.

But the parasol drove me nuts.

Then I switched to an idea of a human child hanging out with a real-life animal (yes, as an artist I am allowed to live vicariously through my artwork, thank you very much!). So I decided on a little girl and a panda having a tea party. I loved how the panda turned out. And really liked the color scheme I decided on but I could not decide on the background scene. Should it look like a messy playroom? Should there be lots of furniture when most of my drawings are simple? And then I drew the little girl two small. She looks to be about 7 instead of 4 or 5 like I wanted her to be. And compared to the giant panda, the girl and her tea set all seem miniature. Toyed around with just finishing it and them fixing things in Photoshop but that added another layer of questions and decisions. So I put it aside.

Still feeling obsessed and inspired by pandas I came back to the idea again and decided that I would keep trying until I had an illustration I liked. Which meant starting all over. Worked hard on practicing little girl faces and bodies that would look young enough. Changed the perspective of the panda and ditched background furniture for crazy wallpaper. (And somewhere in there the little girl changed ethnicities.....I have no explanation for that one...)

So what do you think?

I was putting a lot of pressure on myself because I'm focusing on building a solid portfolio. So of course I had all these criteria that I wanted to meet which only makes the decision making process worse. I'm pretty happy with the result but I still love the beautiful face of that second panda. And the final product still isn't perfect. Oh, to be a perfectionist and an artist.

I've been obsessing about something else entirely different lately. It has nothing to do with my artistic goals but has become a greater and greater obsession of my heart as of late. I'm hoping to share it with you in the blogging world soon.

You would think it would be genetic....

but I did not inherit my parents' skill with a camera. When I showed my dad (a professional photographer for decades) the B&W pictures I took for my college photography class, he looked at them, thought for a second and said "there is no black and white in this picture!" Yes, thank you Dad. I know. So if you catch me blaming my inadequate pictures (which by the way is kind of important if you are trying to sell your work people have to be able to see it and love it if they're going to buy it!) on the camera, the lighting, etc. I'm lying. I stink at taking pictures.

Of course it doesn't help that my assistant is always getting in the way.....

He munches on my props,

he can't keep his tail to himself,

and he's nosy.

Why don't I just lock him out of my art space when I'm working you ask.....



because I've already locked this one out! If they were both running around together even worse things could happen! Oh well! Just a day in the life of a non-photographic, pet-loving artist.

Random Fall-y Goodness

Some tidbits from fall so far....

going from full time to part time at work means surprises when I come in, like a desk drawer full of nuts for instance....

discussions on being thankful for what we have with the blue-eyed baby...

distracting the panda-dog from her tail boo-boo...she's convinced her tail is not her friend...

dressing up as the older versions of Charlie Brown and Lucy VanPelt for Katie's birthday party...the subsequent bring-your-wig-to-work pictures are too scary for the internet.....let's just say certain ladies wigs are not meant to be worn by men...

vibrant, gorgeous fall leaves fluttering down around New England houses (no, this is not our house!)....

and YUM, last but not least...a newfound enthusiasm for baking....whole wheat pumpkin muffins...mmmm-mmmmmmmmm!

Happy Autumn!

IF: Wrapped

Wrapped is the topic for this week. I immediately thought of this half finished illustration I started a while ago. What a perfect incentive for finishing it. This is my colored pencil version of my little rascal pets. Consider this the "before" picture of what might happen "after" I left a room of beautifully wrapped presents. I think you can guess what these two (with their mischievous little claws) would do next!

This is Prismacolor pencil on Strathmore Bristol Vellum (I think I like the smooth paper much better for pencil work though). I added some cut paper and ribbon for the gifts. I hope this will find it's way into a personal Christmas card or letter from us this year. As always I'd love to know what you think!

Random Picture Day!

I've decided while looking through the digital camera to delight you with random pictures from 2008. (well only really since the summer on so there's even more randomness around somewhere else!) Hope those of you who are not living close to us will appreciate my sharing this embarassing montage of silliness! Enjoy!!!!

Who is that handsome boy cooking dinner? (looks pretty gross but it tasted good!)

My drying dishes hat!

A serious conversation with Miss Kita about the importance of sharing.

Taco the donkey! And at a farm so close by....what a dream come true!

First time in costume....we're Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher.

Visiting family at Thanksgiving....it's only sparkling cider, don't worry!

I tried so hard to become a cookie maker this Christmas....I tried, I really tried.

Yikes, first sweep of the living room with the new pet hair vaccuum!

My first trip to IKEA and this is what I come back with!

The blue-eyed baby likes his present.

Me and my Schweetie-face while visiting my sister in PA.

THIS CONCLUDES THE RANDOMNESS

Little Miss Manners

Look who finished her first basic manners class at doggy-training school...

Look who got a squeaky present from her instructor for doing such a swell job....

Look who knows she's adorable despite all the naughty things she does....

The therapeutic love of animals

If you know me at all, you know that I am ridiculously drawn to animals and kids. I will make a complete fool of myself to make a child smile and I love to be around animals because they always snap me out of seriousness.

Kita is our adopted pet, we inherited a lot of trouble when we got her....let's just say she has some special needs. BUT she is absolutely the most lovable, loyal, amusing dog you'll ever meet...the only dog I've ever had. She makes me laugh and I love her.

Thought you'd like to see some of her crazy antics. This is how hyper she gets when Joel plays with her!