Carrying the weight of the day

I didn't sleep well the night before I drew this. My cats kept me awake. I think this drawing is very revealing of the way I was feeling without my 8 hours, or even 7, or 6, for that matter.

Timbuk2 Highlights One of My Tees

I am happy the folks at Timbuk2 included my Peace Love and Bikes tee on their blog. Yahooey!

New challenge

I decided to participate in a biweekly challenge on the Different Strokes blog. This is my submission for this period.

acrylic on canvas paper

The shift happened

I mentioned in the last post a shift was about to happen. It was a real premonition, unbeknownst to me. A shift happened outside of my blog, in my real life. The change is not tangible but I felt it more than I care to go into. The last month has been difficult.... I am hoping the transition is behind me. I am looking forward - toward more creativity and more exercise and more life.
I started a new sketchbook this morning. I finished the last one yesterday and was so excited to buy myself a new book. I think I was even more thrilled to open my new hard-bound book this morning and get started on the new chapter. The blank pages can sometimes be daunting but this time I was ready.
This self-portrait was the result. It was not planned but it is what developed.

Worries

This blog is about to go through a shift. Actually, I guess it is shifting, right now. Everything is shifting. Change is constant. Sometimes it is a relief to know that.
As I go through my days, weeks, years, and decades I carry with me a bucket of worries. I am looking forward to leaving this bucket in a field and walking away from it.
Thank goodness change is constant.

More Characters from an Imaginative world

Not sure where these friendly little critters are coming from, but the cool thing is they are friendly.
Maybe they will appear in some graphic narrative soon. Hhmmm.

New T-shirt Design

I rolled out a new t-shirt design last week. It is getting a thumbs up from the Etsy community. I only know that because it was added to a treasury and it has received a few hearts. (A way for people to mark their favorite items or sellers on Etsy).

Catching up

I have been lagging on the blog posts lately. I am consumed with my Etsy shop and I work best doing one thing at a time. I am still getting up in my loft most mornings and drawing but I am certainly distracted with things I need to get done to continue selling my tees.
Here are a few characters I drew in the last week or so.
Have a great weekend.

Tree Love

I like the idea of conceptual art. It can make one stop and look a little longer in order to make sense of the concept presented. Sometimes there is no sense, sometimes the perceived message is far from the artist's intent, sometimes it is clear, simple and straight to the point. Does the artist always know the concept before or even after the creation happens?

Go Out and Play

I love computers. I confess, I enjoy sitting and getting lost in the inner workings of this little machine. And then there is the internet.... One, me, can get so lost out there. Yesterday, I could not pull myself away from this little keyboard and flashing screen. I mean really. I was trapped, sucked in, stuck. And it didn't feel very good after a while. But I kept hacking away and going nowhere. Isn't this a classic example of addiction?
Today, I will go outside and play.

Have a Seat

Maybe I could try printing some rendition of this on t-shirts. That is what I think about these days. How would that look on a tee? What if I wrote this on a tee?

Eco Finds Blog Feature

My T-shirts are featured on My Eco Finds today. I even got to do a little interview. Very fun. Thanks My Eco Finds.

New T-shirt Design

I am excited about my new t-shirt design. I will be posting more colors on Etsy soon.

Abstraction

When I was young I used to spend hours coloring in a specific style of coloring book. The pages were filled with large angular shapes which were then split off into lots and lots of smaller angular shapes. So ultimately, you were left to create your own image, using color to separate the shapes. I find myself thinking a lot about these coloring books, lately. And wondering if I could design a coloring book for kids in which the lines or picture did not dictate the color. How can I design a coloring book which encourages creativity, thinking outside the box and making it your own.

Pigma pen, Prismacolor markers and digital color.

Balance Again

This is not the first time I have posted about balance. It is a recurring need in my life. I think many of us are challenged with keeping some sort of cohesive balance in our lives. And so, I keep working on it and drawing it. Someday, I'll get there. I am getting closer, I know I am. Are you?

Inauguration Day Doodle

I was sucked in by the tv coverage of Barack Obama's Inauguration coverage yesterday. At least I looked away from the tv for a short bit to doodle this while just listening to the excitment.

Obama Doodlerama

I jotted down a few doodles while waiting for Obama to take the oath. It is a fabulous day for the U.S. and hopefully for the world!

The Devil Makes me Giggle

Danny Gregory, author/compiler of a new book titled An Illustrated Life says in his introduction, "A sketchbook is a great, nonthreatening place to begin to draw." I couldn't agree more. One of the fabulous things about having a sketchbook is the place it provides for you to be you, without any judgment, whatsoever, from anybody else. You can do whatever you want, however you want. This is your own, private space to just be. Try it. Sure we are our own worst critic so part of the trick is getting that nasty voice out of our own heads and returning to our book and pens/pencils/collage materials to try again. It might feel a little uncomfortable at first. I remember saying over and over and over. I suck. My art is stupid. I can't draw. But I kept at it and to my surprise I started to like my little creations. I am not one to come up with a concept then illustrate it. Rather, I just sit with my sketchbook, put pen or pencil to paper and just let things flow as they will. This is called process art by some. You don't have to go to school to learn how to do it. There are no rules - thank goodness. There are no critics waiting to tell you how you could have done it better. This is between you and your new friend, the sketchbook. I encourage everyone to try it. You don't even have to have a big block of time to get into it. You can do a quickie two minute little thing. I think the important part is doing it with some sort of consistency. I will sometimes take weeks off but I always get back to it. I have been doing my sketches for about ten years now. I love looking back in the books and seeing the patterns, the moods, the silly drawings and the straight up emotions that come through the ink and land so appropriately on the page.
Treat yourself to a trip to your local art store, buy a notebook/sketchbook you love and some pens or pencils and give it a try. Find your own time and space to explore your marks and lines and shapes.
This writing was inspired by this drawing. I drew it two days ago. I thought, I cannot post that! It is so ugly. But while drawing it and when I looked at it today, I giggled. I love it. I can just hear the horrified critics - but it doesn't matter. This drawing gives me joy! That is all that matters.
I hope you will give it a try.
(the link above goes to Amazon. As much as I like the prices at Amazon, and the convenience, I encourage you to shop locally and pick this and other books up at your favorite local bookshop)

New Tshirt Design

I designed and printed a new tshirt which you can find on my Etsy.com store. Check it out if you have a minute. More colors will follow. Yahooey!

Killer Mouse

... now go take on the day. Confront it and conquer it with goodness and kindness in heart.

Bird in a Tree

I drew this little design yesterday and was very excited with the evolution of the marks. And now I am excited to make it into a tshirt design. It will change a little to fit a shirt.

Crab

I guess this is a crab, tied up in chains, being pulled from the water. Ouch! Maybe it is just being saved? Maybe it is suffering in confinement? I look forward to the happier drawings which, I hope, will surface soon.

Growing, growing, growing

Sometimes my subconscious seems so much healthier than my conscious mind. I am not sure where the break happens but I am hoping to sever the ties very soon.

New Year

I'm back. It's a new year and with that comes a chance at a new start and new ideas and new goals.
Here's to change and freeing oneself to take hold of the infinite number of possibilities waiting to be explored.