Donna's Drawings and Other Things

Illustration Friday: Forward

2012-01-27T07:56:00.000-08:00

Here's a spot illustration for the I.F. theme of "forward."

"The sisters realized that life as they knew it was about to change.

A pocket-sized genie? Who was really magical, and could grant their every wish??

The fairy-like girl smiled at the two as she catapulted out of the little lamp she called home.

From this day forward, things were bound to be a lot more exciting around the Davenport household."

To submit to I.F., please go to:

http://illustrationfriday.com

To see other spot illustrations I have done, please go to:

http://drawdvl.com/spot-illustrations.html

Happy Friday!

Inspiration Avenue: Alphabet

2012-01-25T19:33:00.000-08:00

This week's I.A. theme is Alphabet-- my interpretation spells out words, instead of having a single letter or varied letter as my submission.

This is a poster I was commissioned to do for an L.A. County's high school's recital that was Jazz themed. It was fun to create the silhouetted atmosphere, the moon in the background, and to add the piano keys to the top letters.

There were also black tee shirts with this image printed on it (in white) for the recital, and I have one of these shirts-- sadly, I do not know where my shirt is, or I'd have posted a picture of it. too. But I like the white and black in this version, and makes me think of pianos, so ... methinks it works.

In any event, to submit to I.A., please put your link at the link below:
http://inspiration-avenue-team.blogspot.com/2012/01/art-challenge-january-23.html

Thanks much, everyone, and hope all is well! <3

FLAWLESS!

2012-01-20T23:50:00.000-08:00

Must practice giving said "Emily Thorne" stare of unbridled fury. Perhaps, though, with an added smile to confuse everyone.

Above is a silly Facebook conversation my friend and I had, because of being silly and huge fans of the show. It made for an entertaining evening (-:

Patterns for Mister Toasts "Creative Tuesdays"

2012-01-19T07:26:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, Creative Tuesday Creators!

Been wanting to work on Patterns for a while-- and now, that it's a prompt for "Creative Tuesdays," I've finally forced myself to do it!

I actually use a lot of patterns (swirls, repeating dots, etcetera) in my drawings, paintings, and greeting cards-- but I really like more repetitive, illustration-y, almost graphic patterns, as well.

So, that's what I've done above-- my first time doing this kind of a pattern. I've taken an original drawing, clipped a character from it, and repeated it over and over as a pattern. This pattern has a bit more diversity to it than the others I'm posting-. The animals in the pattern are not all facing the exact same direction. And thus, although I am including other versions of patterns, this one is my actual submission for "Creative Tuesdays!"

I thought, what better way to create a repetitive pattern than by using a multiplying marsupial?

Not sure I've ever mentioned it on "Creative Tuesdays," but I have a little stuffed Koala whom I have had for a long time, and who ends up in my drawings a lot. I think he's very cool (and I love toys), and he's kind of taken on a life of his own. As I said, I draw him a lot, and (at a friend's urging during one late night sleepover full of laughing and madness), I made him a Facebook page two years ago. He updates, leaves comments on people's walls, etcetera. Very silly, but all in good harmless fun.

A post I wrote the other day, actually, shows what Fuzzles looks like for real, if anyone is curious:
http://craftydvl.blogspot.com/2012/01/youve-got-friend-in-me.html

In any case, he is who inspired the above pattern that I've submitted. This was very fun to create for "Creative Tuesdays," and it has inspired me to keep doing more patterns in this realm. And even to do ones like the Russian Artist who Mister Toast linked to on the original challenge post, whose swirls and black and white ink work were incredible.

To submit to "Creative Tuesdays," submit by February Seventh for the "Patterns" challenge, and please go to the most recent link on the site when you do:

http://creativetuesdays.blogspot.com/

Below, I hope you all enjoy the other versions of the Fuzzles pattern, in different colors-- they do not feature him in as many positions as my actual submission (just him sitting facing one way), but I still think they fit the bill of being simple, repetitive, and fairly clean for a pattern (-:

Actually, I'd be curious for feedback, in case people have a preferred color of all the ones posted (if it's a different color than the blue actual submission), and/or if they prefer the submission pattern which has a variation, or the below patterns which do not.

Thanks for reading, and well wishes to all <3

Gray Fuzzles

Black (Swan... just kidding) Fuzzles

Red Fuzzles

Blue Fuzzles (same Blue as the submission, without the turn variation)

Pink Fuzzles

Purple Fuzzles

"You've got a friend in me..."

2012-01-18T07:18:00.000-08:00

“Too many people grow up. That’s the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They forget. They don’t remember what it’s like to be 12 years old. They patronize, they treat children as inferiors. Well I won’t do that.”

- Walt Disney

Inspiration Avenue and Butterflies

2012-01-17T07:52:00.000-08:00

First I.A. post of the year (-: The last themes were wonderful and looking at everyone's work was a lot of fun. Finally, I seem to be getting my act together in terms of submitting something! The paper doll challenge was especially beautiful, and while I missed the deadline on that, I have been inspired to perhaps create some!

The theme this time around is "butterflies," and below is a new greeting card of mine for the theme.

As the fairy sitting in the background flower has little red butterfly wings peeking out, that's one reference to the theme. However, it's mostly that the foreground girl has a little butterfly nestling in her hair and adorning it. Wonder how long she's making him pose there for?

To submit to Inspiration Avenue, please go to:
http://inspiration-avenue-team.blogspot.com/2012/01/butterflies.html

To see my website overall, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com

I must flutter (heh heh, oh, puns) off, but wishing everyone a good day (-:

3D Movies, Disney and Repression, Oh My

2012-01-15T23:59:00.000-08:00

Lots of rambling to come, probably less coherence, but here we go. Saw "Beauty and the Beast," re-released in 3D. It was beautiful, and actually, I think the animation worked better than the 3D version of "Lion King" that I saw in September (although both were stunning). I love "Beauty and the Beast," Belle is awesome, and there's a lot of the film that's hilarious, inspiring, romantic, and full of many light, uplifting things.

Of course, it's also super dark, and I'd forgotten some of the choicer portions of the film. Actually, I didn't comprehend some of it at all as a child.

Case in point: the scene where Gaston pays off the head of the local mental hospital, to commit Maurice (Belle's Dad) unless she consents to marry him...

What?!

I'd remembered him being jealous .

I'd remembered the lynch mob he threw together, and the storming of the Castle.

And, I'd remembered him going after the Beast, solely because he couldn't comprehend not being chosen by Belle.

All of which show spectacular douchebaggery in their own rights, but the thing with Maurice was seriously in a class by itself. Nothing says romance like extortion and forcibly committing your (theoretical) paramour's parent without cause. And then, he throws said paramour in the hospital carriage (I guess France's Equivalent at the time of a corrupt 5150 ordered ambulance?), when it's revealed she feels for someone else-- classy! I know some people think he's a sexy cartoon character, but I don't get it. If he existed IRL and had gone out for that VH1 show from a few years back, "Tool Academy," I think he might even have been too low to pass that bar. I am being snarky, but, damn.

Gaston was hilarious in his audacity, for most of the film, but that whole plot to force Belle to be with him (while hurting Maurice the process) was too much. He and Frollo from Disney's "Hunchback from Notre Dame" should get together for coffee while sharing romantic tips. Gaston, Gaston, Gaston. As a kid, and now, he induced eyerolls and cringing along with smirks and laughter at his expense. But I am rambling, and, Gaston and his ilk hold no interest for me,. So, onward. I found a clip on Youtube of one of the saddest scenes in the movie, between the Beast and Belle.

I think the concept of letting a person go because it's better for that person (but it may destroy you) is noble but infinitely depressing. I think it's even more depressing if that letting go is done in a family situation, and not a romantic one. I don't have much more to say on the matter, at least, that I wish to say at this present time, and in this cryptic jumble of words.

Being shaken by emotional scenes shown in movies (or in theatre) does not always help a person keep their composure. And since those are all public activities, not everyone wants to put such private thoughts and feelings on display for everyone.

For those who tend to repress things, there is always the "Black Swan," slash, theatre person way of keeping on. "The show must go on," and all that. Pull together your facade, and don't let anyone else see everything shaking and cracking and avalanching that's behind it. If you're crying or devastated, once you're done shivering and remembering and feeling what it is like to be broken, you take a couple of deep breaths. Lift up your chin. And even out your base so it's perfect for your next scene.

The clip I posted below is a HUGE "Black Swan" spoiler (as well as very sad), but I did not post it because of the darkest portion of it. More how she is resilient in spite of it, and Gaga style, decides to "Marry the Night" and ignore how she physically and emotionally feels. Perhaps not the best decision, but it shows determination. In any case, a similar determination can come through when forcing one's self to calm down, get over it, and not break down in front of anyone.

Or, in other words... I think I'll quote a passage written by Jacob Clifton (of TelevisionWithoutPity), from a Season 2 "Gossip Girl Recap." Only to demonstrate what I speak of with all these cryptic comments about something bothering or hurting you, only to force yourself to not be so hurt or so bothered. Video not embeddable by request, but it's 1:30-2:22 I refer to, and that his words refer to as well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0-YBbIvXoM&feature=player_embedded

"Now, everybody thinks I enjoy these moments of total horror ... the truth is: I have not gotten this far in life by paying a single gram of attention to my own personal dark shit.

I firmly believe in pushing those feelings down, down, down, to a place they can never get between me and success.

In this way, feelings are just like carbohydrates, and I like them that way, and I will write about them until I am blue in the face, but never mistake that for enjoyment.

Feelings never got you anywhere except the Land of More Fucking Feelings, and much like ... any other cult, that's a journey of a thousand miles that starts with a single step. No thank you, sir or madam, I prefer life here on this side of the line...

So when I say that Miss Blair is headed upstairs to pull a serious Allie Sheedy on herself, I don't expect you to understand... This is how you grow up and become an adult, no matter how young you are or how much love you deserve, no matter how much the rest of the world is throwing themselves on the road to prove that you are enough, you will always be enough, exactly who you are is enough:

First you look yourself in the eye, and you just command yourself not to feel... Give yourself into tears, but never let them fall. Watch yourself in the mirror, having the memory of feeling, the dry and tearless echo of a fear and a pain and a heartbreak.

Good: you're shaking, your body says it's sobbing. But your eyes are dry.

Give into it -- not too much, not too little, not enough -- and when you're done rehearsing what you would feel if you could feel, you stare that wooden thing in the mirror down, and choose a face, and live there.

I command myself to be stronger than I thought I could be.

"Were you going to tell me you love me again?" he said; "Were you going to tell me you love me again?" he said.

I command myself to be stronger than my weakness.

Watch your skin go cold...

If you can never be enough, then you don't have to try at all.

Be nothing at all; beyond the burlesque is the place of the naked, and beyond that place is everything there ever was.

Become a blank slate... Shudder and gasp for air and become something new.

Shut it down.

Button up."

C. 2009, Jacob Clifton, original source here: http://bit.ly/wgaq80

This veered largely off course. Started with my love for a childhood film being re-exposed to me, then went around into repression and pushing down feelings because of said film evoking sadness, and then ended with me quoting a writer whose work I love, and whose work I only know because of poignant and hilarious television recaps.

To end this on a light note, I'll include a funny video I saw a few months ago: what happens when Belle is even fiercer than usual, and having to suffer through her provincial existence. "Hey girl --!!" "I told you it was a wiiiiiiiig!" "Nice try, ho!" And, so forth.

Illustration Friday; "Prepare"

2012-01-13T07:56:00.000-08:00

For Illustration Friday today, I've submitted a spot illustration where two kids are continuing to "prepare" a meal by baking bread and cooking soup.

A rather swirly and smoky meal, but seemingly a tasty one nonetheless.

It's called "Love At First Noms," and more such illos of mine that are like this one can be seen here:
http://drawdvl.com/spot-illustrations.html

To submit to I.F., go to the below link:
http://illustrationfriday.com/

Happy Friday, Friday, everyone...

Illustration Friday: Grounded!

2012-01-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

I've been a bit behind in posting to the blogs and challenges I like (more or less have been timely with "Creative Tuesdays," but fallen off a bit for "Inspiration Avenue" and "Illustration Friday"), but it's a new year and I hope to get back on the ball with proper participation, soon (-:

So I'm starting off with a late submission (on time, but barely) for this week's I.F. and the theme of "Grounded."

In this spot illustration, two siblings decided to raid their Mom's special cupboard, where she keeps candy, and where they are only supposed to go with her permission. They decided to take out every single lollipop they found.

Since they each have dreams of being able to do clown and circus-type performances, they decided to practice juggling with a few of the lollies.

And since the girl has dreams of becoming a fashion designer, she decided to grab some Krazy Glue from her room, and attach the majority of those lollipops to the new, pricey, and Designer dress she just got for Christmas.

...Needless to say, while their creativity might be at least semi-lauded, there's a pretty strong possibility they're going to get "grounded" for this. Especially big-sis, what with the altering of her fancy new skirt, rendering the skirt unwash or dryclean-able, and rendering that many lollipops inedible.

To view other spot illustrations on my site, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/spot-illustrations.html

To submit to Illustration Friday, please go to:
http://illustrationfriday.com/

Ta ta for now :-D

Inspiration Avenue: Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue-- and Happy New Year's Eve!

2011-12-31T12:11:00.001-08:00

I have been very remiss in submitting to I.A. lately. Better time-management, planning, and making sure to get done everything I need to, and participate in everything I need to, are definite things on my mind because of the time of year, and the very day, that it is. So, I hope to be more regular and back on track in the future.

But-- to close off 2011 on an arty note, and to make it in before the deadline expires, here is my entry! You can see one clip of my submission above, and another one below, that's a bit more of a close-up. As yet, it is untitled. I found this challenge to be a great one, especially since it was cool to see an old adage adapted to artist-world, and not used as it was traditionally. The borrowed/blue/old/new sayings really do apply to art-making --!!

To make things a bit easier, I'll sort of bullet point what in this piece fits the various requirements of the challenge.

OLD: The paper this was drawn on (Arches Watercolor paper that I bought a year ago), as well as the fact it was done largely in pencil. Pencil was a technique I used a long time ago, and with getting back into it, I'm considering it as a return to an "old" medium.

NEW: The piece itself. I think I am going to extend it into a full illustration and possibly pin-up drawing, so because it is still in process and flux, it is new. Also, I just got a great deal on a set of pencils of various hardnesses, so I used all my new H's and B's for the drawing.

BORROWED: The idea of a girl, or mer-girl, being friends with a marine creature (a Narwhal here, and a Seagull in the original)-- and brushing her hair with a fork. I kind of want to title the finished piece "The Dinglehopper," for the many Disney and Ariel fans who will understand the joke, although I am afraid that might not be allowed? In any case, my borrowing was more conceptual, but borrowing nonetheless.

BLUE: Blue will probably be more used throughout the finished piece. However, for now, her eyes are a (very dark gray) blue. And also, her Narwhal friend has bright blue eyes, perhaps as blue as the ocean they play in.

I have loved participating on this blog very much. Looking at inspirational ideas, works from others, and getting kind comments on my blog gave me many smiles throughout these past three hundred and sixty-five days.

Here's to hoping that everyone is having a great close to this year, to prepare for an even grander opening for next.

Creative Tuesdays: Twelve Days of Christmas (Four Colly Birds)

2011-12-30T22:32:00.000-08:00

First of all, lots of Holiday and Good Future Tidings to everyone!

I was late this week on Creative Tuesdays, but it turns it has been postponed another week! I am very grateful and excited to get to partake in it one final time for two-thousand-eleven (I felt like typing that out; and no, I am not sure why).

So, I am lucky, and still get to submit. Below is my piece:

The theme was to illustrate one of the days featured in the "Twelve Days of Christmas" song, and so I chose Day Four.

Day Four is often misheard as "Four Calling Birds," but in actuality, it is "Four Colly Birds." Which means Blackbirds. And so, I have two Christmas Angel Characters, playing with Heavenly Colly Birds. Since they're a happy couple, I thought it would also fit with the part of the song that says, "My true love gave to me," etc.

I thought it would be fun to give them clouds and fluffy happy things to fly about in, particularly since (as I understand it, given the old nursery rhyme with the "four and twenty black birds" lyric) back when the song was first written, Colly Birds were often given as a food item for pie. I wanted to create a Christmas illustration where the Colly Birds had a chance to celebrate the holiday, especially since they have a whole verse of a song dedicated to them.

To submit (rush rush, you have until January third with the pushed back deadline!) for the Creative Tuesdays "Twelve Days of Christmas Challenge", please go to the most recent link at:
http://creativetuesdays.blogspot.com

Full directions as to how to pick a song verse and properly illustrate it are here at:
http://creativetuesdays.blogspot.com/2011/12/mistletoe-montages-and-new-theme.html

In closing, I am really grateful to have stumbled upon Creative Tuesdays, because Mister Toast runs a great ship, which is co-captained by the many great artists who submit to the blog. There are always fascinating themes, multiple interpretations, inspiring art, and positive energy from everything I read and experience through this forum. Tuesdays are a day to look forward to (-:

So, thank you Mister Toast, thank you artists, and thank you everyone, and I hope you all enjoy the rest of the year <3

Illustration Friday: Sink. Also, an argument for dating girls who read (or better yet, write!)

2011-12-16T08:58:00.000-08:00

The lovestruck boy below is rather afraid that he will "sink" under the weight of the books he is carrying.

Even though she dons a princess crown, in these many books she is reading, she is far more interested with being the knight in her own story than being locked away in a tower (either metaphorically or literally), hoping some boy will come by and save her. Doesn't stop the lovestruck guy from trying, though. He is a bit afraid of what her magical to-do list says at the moment. Luckily for him, she plans on switching (he can look at the list and help her check off activities), and carrying the books herself, now.

And while we're on the subject of girls and reading, I have copied and pasted a great blog, and what I find to be a great argument. Originally at:
http://nonamerah.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/869/

A Girl You Should Date

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag. She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.
Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.
Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes. (Highlighting my own, because 'tis so true ^_^ )

– Rosemarie Urquico –

Score! That post totally made my day.

To close this entry, here are some links:

Illustation Friday, for viewing or submitting:
http://illustrationfriday.com

My own website spot illo section, from whence this came:
http://drawdvl.com/spot-illustrations.html

Thank you for reading my blog. Now, go read some novels, graphic novels, and poetry! That blog made me smile, and for once, allowed me to read something that made me think, "Sisters, this IS the way!"

Snuggles and Fuzzles

2011-12-14T00:27:00.000-08:00

Snuggles the Bear was awesome, but so is snuggling the marsupial.

Alternative universe version of us <3

Rain rain pug away, cats, pomeranians, and snowmen today

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

A few pictures for purposes of warming the heart. They've helped me, at any rate, as my nose and toes are froze.

The little guy above is demonstrating how I am going to feel (and the face I will probably be making) when I venture through the hills, rain, and towards Barnsdall today. Is a watercolor lesson redundant in the #LArain? Perhaps, but as I have occasionally worked with the Department of Redundancy Department ( ;-) ), it is what I am going to go over in Cartooning Class later today.

It's a cold and Windy day out right now-- I'm used to way worse from New York, but I am always cold no matter where in the world I am, so I do not blame being out West for having weakened me. Truth be told, I kind of like wintery and cold weather out here, because eighty degree Decembers still confuse me. Anyhoo, onward.

If I were a pug, I would rock this raincoat. Actually, I love the pattern. I'd wear it if it were made for people. Are they doing a human edition? Probably not, but I can dream.

This doggie is adorable, and I am sure she works the heck out of anything they give her, be it booties, scarves, or rain slickers.

I heard about these, and then Google Image Search became my friend: Kitty Measuring Cups!

http://mochimochiland.com is where I got the picture (she also posted about these very cute things), and her art is beautiful! I love unexpected finds, whether in person or via cyberspace.

For the first time yesterday, I discovered Little Tokyo's Four Leaf Tea Room creperie-- very cute, very good crepes (you can request coffee batter!), and a great place to get work done in.

While there, I finished an illo I've been working on for a project that centers around illustrating every paragraph of "Alice in Wonderland," while making sure to use absolutely no words.

It's called the "What is the use of Words without Pictures?" project, and the paragraph I was given centered on Alice, the Gryphon, and the Mock Turtle (who, bless his heart-- I had forgotten just what a manchild he was). I might post the picture later directly, but for now, here's a link to the image via the project's Facebook album:

http://tinyurl.com/DonnaLettereseBooksPicsAlice

This last picture of a friend's Pomeranian thanks you for your time.

(Fluffy, huggable, and very yippy, I <3 little dogs, no matter how much they yap)

Illustration Friday: Separated

2011-12-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

I posted this page in the past for an Inspiration Avenue challenge, but I think it also applies to the Illustration Friday challenge this week, of "separate." It's a page from the story I did for the "Samurai: The Graphic Novel" anthology, which in part depicts two people who were once on the same path, but end up on journeys that are very separated.

This page is where they first physically separate, as the girl is going on a quest to the underworld, and the boy is staying behind on earth.

I won't say too much more about it so as not to give it away, but I'll direct any interested parties to a link about the book/other anthology creators, and to an interview I did about it last year.

Interview:
http://samuraigraphicnovel.blogspot.com/2010/11/ten-questions-with-samurai-artist-donna.html

Page from publisher, Karl Alstaetter of Hyperwerks, about the book with creator page samples:

http://komickarl.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/samurai-the-graphic-novel

For now, I am off to a holiday fair. Hope to see some friendly faces at the Majestical Roof, right off of Fair Oaks in that little courtyard near Union street, that will be full of artsy goodness :-D

Illustration Friday: Brigade

2011-12-07T00:03:00.001-08:00

According to Miriam Webster's second definition online, "Brigade" means:

: a group of people organized for special activity

So, the above illo I think qualifies. Not subject matter chosen by me; I did a couple of test drawings last year for consideration for an L.A. Sheriff's project. I did not end up doing it, but it was an interesting exercise. Obviously, those in law enforcement constitute a group organized for a special activity. Two, is small, but is still a group, of sorts. In this case capturing outlaws (or in this scene, just one outlaw) is the special activity at hand.

Anyway, I figured I'd submit this illo and put it to use, since it's sort of sat around and not had a use since I did it around ten months ago. And I fell off the I.F. bandwagon for a few busy weeks, but am happy to be back and participating.

Creative Tuesdays: Mistletoe

2011-12-06T08:44:00.000-08:00

EDITED POST! Below is an image that properly shows Mistletoe-- before today, I actually thought Holly and Mistletoe were one and the same, except one version was red with fewer leaves, and one was white with more leaves. In any case, my corrected submission for Creative Tuesdays is below, and below that is my original submission (that shows Holly-- phew, confusing!).

Above, the card (a little bit "Nightmare Before Christmas" esque, as it's two girls, with witch-ish hats, for the holiday season), is captioned:

"Here's a little note to say, you look just bewitching today!"

Also, on the C.T. front: I was bummed about missing last time's Creative Tuesdays! Especially because I did not even miss-- I made my entry, but posted it to the site via my Android... and despite it saying on my phone it had posted, the sad truth was that it had not. Mercury in Retrograde is following me around, chuckling gleefully and caushing havoc. I didn't realize my image did not post, until the challenge was closed. But luckily, Mister Toast was kind enough to post a link right to my image on that week's blog, so, yay!

Again, my contribution to "Three" was here:
http://craftydvl.blogspot.com/2011/11/creative-tuesdays-three.html

And below was my original contribution to this week's challenge, "Mistletoe!" Except, that one is more like "Holly," since, those are floating holly leaves (and apparently, not mistletoes).

I just made this card for the Holidays, and I captioned it, "Hope You Have A Magical Season! As they are playing with magic, hearts, and magical mistletoe.

To submit to this Creative Tuesday's Challenge, please go to the most recent entry on December 6th, 2011:
http://creativetuesdays.blogspot.com/

To see other Christmas Cards I have done, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/winter-holiday-cards.html

Happy Holidays!

Inspiration Avenue: What is In Your Christmas Ball?

2011-12-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

I've had a couple of weeks of complete madness, and so, am sad to have missed the past two challenges. Everyone's works were wonderful, and I think that "Aged Beauty" and "English Literature" were two very inspirational prompts. This week the theme is holiday related, and the question is: "What is in Your Christmas Ball?" And for this card below, her Christmas Ornament Balls are filled with snowflake, pattern, or heart designs.

Perhaps the more important question, though, is what is in her cylindrical present box? It appears to be a little seal, helping her juggle and balance those ornaments as only a seal can. Seals are wonderful animals, and once they're done playing together, I hope she gets him put back properly into his habitat-- whether he's at the zoo, or in the wild, he's going to need a bit more room than just that box to splash around in!

To submit to I.A. for this week, please go here:
http://inspiration-avenue-team.blogspot.com/2011/12/what-is-in-your-christmas-ball-this.html

Thank you for reading <3

30 Characters: Day 30

2011-11-30T19:21:00.000-08:00

Below is my final contribution to the #30Characters Challenge.

A quick and fun sketch, inspired by my trusted teddy. Ehrm, marsupial. Need to stop doing that ;-) While not a new character exactly, this is a side of Fuzzles Koala that hasn't been seen before.

That's right: like Odile, but Fuzzles style. An evil twin. The "Black Swan." One who can dance, with a ferocity. And, as his bubble is saying, one who knows that it is his turn.

Bonus to this, is that he's drawn on one of my friend Dave Castro's sketch cards-- note the logo. Check out more of his work at www.tacocomics.wordpress.com.

Overall, this unofficial challenge participation has been great fun!

Thank you, #30Characters, and good night.

30 Characters: Day 29

2011-11-29T07:07:00.000-08:00

Here is Koalenvie.

An anthropomorphic marsupial, she has green fur, green human like hair, and a green heart. She can be loving, but spends so much of her time being upset over real/perceived wrongdoings and slights, she is a jealous girl (Bear? Koala? Ooop, that's right-- marsupial).

Today is the Festival of Fuzzle, hence her celebratory balloon. However, she is upset-- her balloon is itty-bitty, in comparison to the one her friend has, and so she feels slighted. Poor Koalenvie.Below are some photos of her sulky self.

Her thought bubble is dark, cloudy, angsty. Oh, Koalenvie,

Drawing propped up on top of a doilie, which looks cool as it reflects from her costume.

Grouchy Girl.

Another headshot of Miss Envie.

30 Characters: Day 28, and Written by Jamie Gambell!

2011-11-28T11:30:00.000-08:00

Below is a design by the very talented writer, Jamie Gambell. Her name is Madam Gaia. So, drawn by me, conceptualized by him --!!

I have the pleasure of knowing Jamie, as he is the assistant editor on the Samurai anthology.

Below is his description for Madame Gaia:

Madae Gaia is a Madam Hydra style leader of the bad guys (based on the Greek mythological primoridal earth mother), and she is in charge of the Army of the Fallen Titans. They can be seen here:
http://www.30characters.com/2011/11/09/9-soldiers-of-the-army-of-the-fallen-titans/

Here is Jamie's website overall:
www.jamiegambell.com

If he gets the chance to post this on the actual website, I will include a 30 Characters link as well. Otherwise, ta ta for now and enjoy ^__^

30 Characters: Day 27

2011-11-27T17:07:00.000-08:00

This 30 Characters girl is in process slash progress, but even though she is not done, I wanted to show her for the challenge. Both her story and her drawing are a little sketchy, so forgive how quickly the story especially, is described.

While not a mean Queen Bee a la "Mean Girls," she kind of is the Queen of the Bees. Roxanne Hunnies. Cyrano De Bee-Gerac has a crush on her. She is in her twenties, kind, and she hates cell phones. They give her migraines, and can kill her closest friends (since sadly, cell phones are attributed to the harm and death of many bees, from the radiation they emit).

Essentially, theirs is the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, except Cyrano de Bee-Gerac can't hide from Roxanne-- he simply avoids Roxanne because he likes her and is shy. However, she likes him-- and in the finished version of this, it will show her looking at him smiling, while he looks on all concerned. Anyway, Roxanne is also the Human Queen of those little bees I posted about some time ago-- and I am happy to be ("bee?") finding more uses for them.

They were mentioned back here during the challenge:
http://craftydvl.blogspot.com/2011/11/30-characters-day-8.html

Also something else is different about this drawing than some other things, but secretive me, I will not say. Moo-ha-ha!

Just got to keep slowly plugging along until it moves past this pencil stage and into the world of color.

But for now, Miss Roxanne Hunnies will remain sketchy.

30 Characters: Day 22

2011-11-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

Haunted, haunting, or both? Pastel melancholy tends to do both. Oh dear, for both Gia, and the previously posted character, Melanie.

I will freely admit that Days 22-26 of my unofficially doing this challenge were drafted, not finished, and not posted on time. I am going to backdate them each to be the proper date so as to avoid confusion for the challenge-- but with being home in New York for Turkey Day, life overall, and it being sometimes difficult to get internet access, I fell off the mark a bit. But I'm back to punctuality, and Days 27-30 should complete according to plan.

Anyway, onward: Gia , the Ghostly Theatre Girl.

NAME: Gia Simon
OCCUPATION: Phantom-- not an actual ghost, but someone who people notice so little, she feels like Miss Cellophane.
STORY: A college student who does not get along with her roommates, she has taken to crashing in her schools theatre department. It is unorganized to the nth degree, so nobody really notices this quiet girl kind of being a creeper in the wings. There's a green room nobody notices, so when she isn't watching rehearsals, she's doing her work/reading plays/hiding from life in the world in there. Maybe she's less Opera Ghost, and more "Milton" from "Office Space."
LOCATION: The suburbs of a big city.
SECRET DREAMS: To be onstage, and write a play. She has yet to see "Phantom of the Opera--" and perhaps she shouldn't, as it might give her some unhealthy ideas.
SECRET SHE DOES NOT KNOW ABOUT: The student who does tech has noticed her, and he wants to reach out to her/get to know her (he is intrigued by her, as well as the possible element of crazy/danger), but he feels a bit torn. Also, he is very superstitious, and suspects she could be a ghost and that he is losing his mind.

30 Characters: Day 21

2011-11-21T07:05:00.000-08:00

This character is named Melanie Cholia.

Her unfortunately spelled, and sounding, name is appropriate. An angst-y little thing, she was named for the sorrow present in the town she was born in. Her parents are kind, but unable to be happy-- after all, it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the citizens.

Ever since Melanie was old enough to walk, she has always tried to run away to the town of Smiles (which is the next city over), but nobody between the two places is ever allowed to cross over. It would disrupt the balance of the universe. Butterfly effect, you know. Anyway, this quick character headshot shows her mid-sigh. I suppose as she's only twenty-two, there's plenty of room for sighing and angst still. Especially since she lives in a town that is a bit like Halloweentown (a la "Nightmare Before Christmas"), she cannot really go against the grain. And thus, we have her sad face.

Close up of her eyes.

Close up of her face again. She was drawn on conte paper, using pastels, paint, and ink, then glued on another piece of darker conte paper. I like how the rainbow shadows flicker across her face, even though they accentuate her less than stellar mood.

Perhaps one day, she will figure out a way to break convention, and sneak over that fence into a happier place. Hrmm, hrmm...

30 Characters: Day 20

2011-11-20T22:10:00.000-08:00

Today's character only lived a short while, much like his real life counterparts. Like the Wicked Witch of the West, Water would be what made him meet his demise. But as a face Butterfly, he knows that come crayons, water, and face paint, he will rise again on a new person's visage.

(There he is! Sitting on top of the lovely woman's face upon which he appeared today)

This creature was born of face paint, and fluttered onto a person's face today-- I'll explain.

I had a gig painting faces at two different Blockbuster stores today, as each was having a community holiday event with jumping castles, crafts for kids, and a face painter-- which was me. It was a lot of fun! Many people wanted designs or pre-existing characters (such as the Joker, Venom, and Batman), or flowers and butterflies-- one such butterfly came to life in my mind to an extent that I felt him worthy of the challenge.

NAME: Flutterby, although sometimes called Flutterface
CREATURE: Wide eyed butterfly, whose existence is transient, fleeting, yet full of vitality when he is actually in existence
PURPOSE: To bring splashes of color, and happiness, across a child's or a grown-up's face, for at least a few hours a day. He himself enjoys the compliments made on the face painting-- which is a compliment of his lovely insect looks!
LIKES: Parties, happy children, people who do not scratch/rub their faces carelessly
DISLIKES: People who wipe their brows (and thus destroy his life even more untimely than it will be already), people who forget they're wearing face paint (see previous complaint), water, and tears (if they fall from someone not liking that he has appeared and been created onto a person's cheek, forehead, etcetera)

Flutterby can hear and see everything that goes on when he is painted onto a person's face. When he gets erased, he floats into space and into a kind of limbo. Yet, when he senses a party or gathering with face painting, he channels through lightwaves, into a crayon, and infuses himself with the material, eventually splashing through onto a new person's face, to live for a few more hours and make them happy with how fun and interesting their design looks-- never knowing that mister Flutterby has a mind all his own.

An odd #30Characters, but I hope an entertaining one. More to come, mehopes (-: And as I'm tired, I am off. Perhaps I'll post other painted faces pictures if I get the time.

30 Characters: Day 19

2011-11-19T07:27:00.000-08:00

Priscilla is my nineteenth character for thirty characters, and part of the bigger piece I've been showing portions of for the past few days.

Priscilla was living in a shelter, and is young-- she's only just turned eighteen. Her parents passed away in an accident when she was sixteen, and after being bounced around, she knew she'd be better off being by herself. She'd been at the shelter for about a year and things had been going all right. She had a good friend, someone who was like a sister to her-- as an only child, that was something Priscilla craved.

Yet, the best friend she made at the shelter passed away. And then, Priscilla decided to leave. She's been by herself and on the streets for two months. In her shopping cart, she carries her own belongings, as well as useful things she picks up. She'll trade and barter them with other people. The only thing she won't trade is her Dodgers tee-shirt (the one she's wearing), because it was a gift from her Dad. She doesn't care how tattered it gets, it's the one thing she has that holds her to her old life.

Priscilla also collects stuffed animals that she finds abandoned on the streets, and cleans them up whenever she is able to go and wash up. She gives a lot of them away to kids on the street who she thinks could use them-- yet, she keeps a lot of them for herself, because she's always loved them and finds them to be good company. After all, a toy can only smile at you, and never judge you-- if you have enough childhood in your heart you can believe they're secretly real. On an even more practical level, a toy cannot get sick, choose to hurt you, or ruin their own lives, thus breaking your heart in the process. She particularly loves stuffed toys because her Mom did.

Here is another shot, showing Priscilla's cart of items, her teddy, and even a Viola. She traded and acquired it recently, and means to try and play it soon-- she played it seriously until she was sixteen, and keeps hoping things will calm down enough for her to pick it up again, and perhaps make some money with it.

Lastly, this is a close-up of Priscilla's face, as she is happening upon the scene of Bettina being arrested. She is saddened but not surprised, and is planning on circling the block, hiding around the corner, and watching to see where Bettina walks, in hopes of helping her. The two know each other in passing,

30 Characters: Day 18

2011-11-18T00:07:00.000-08:00

In a continuation from my last #30Characters post, we now see the creature being evicted from the street. She is a bat-- an anthropomorphic animal, representing what humans go through. Bats do have their troubles, but usually police brutality is not one of them.

When I post the other characters from this whole thing, I'll note that the only human-esque characters are the faceless officers, while all those suffering on the street are animals with human characteristics. I am not picking particular animals for particular reasons-- I am simply drawing whichever ones come to mind. No matter what species they are, they each have far more personality (and I believe, far more sympathetic situations) than the officers in their space.

Above you see the Bat getting the eviction notice, showing that she cannot stay in her little sleeping bag-- at least not where she's sitting. Notice her right wing is a little ripped. Her name is Bettina, and she is partially on the street because she has no where else to go, and partially because she is protesting what is going on around her. She lost her job. She is injured (see her wing). She is stuck trying to care for herself as best she can, under these kinds of circumstances. Even in all of this sadness, she wants to connect to others desperately-- the other disenfranchised animals she's met while bouncing from sidewalk to sidewalk have been some of the kindest she's ever encountered. Her life is still difficult and dangerous, but at least there is some support around her.

Unfortunately, many of Bettina's friends have either left voluntarily on account of the changing climate, or they have been arrested. I say this every time I create a sad story or picture, but creating the characters from this particular story makes me want to create new stories with them, showing them in better circumstances, times, and with more happiness. Unfortunately, though, today is a sad day for Miss Bettina. She not expect to be so unceremoniously made to leave, and she now has to make the terrifying decision of whether to stay and fight, or acquiesce for now for her own safety.

Close up of Miss Bettina, who needs a hug, and who needs compassion-- not rough handling and cold form letters.

Final shot is a phone photo, pulled out to show the framed scene of Bettina, the police officer evicting her, and his friend watching. I'd say stone faced, but as they have no faces at all, that might even be too descriptive.

30 Characters: Day 17, and some social/OWS/commentary-esque stuff

2011-11-17T00:21:00.000-08:00

I started this piece a while ago and as I am finishing it now, I am posting pieces of it as I go for the #30Characters (unofficial) challenge. As I finish sections of it over the next few days, I'll show my progress and showcase different characters from different parts of the scene for #30Characters.

It's ink and paint/marker on wood, so hard to scan (although I have yet to attempt scanning wood--can it be done?) and still a little hard to take with a phone photograph, but I am trying my best.

When I started the piece, it began as a commentary on police brutality in regards to homelessness (and how, especially in neighborhoods that are getting more and more upscale, great care is taken to keep up the appearances of new lofts and apartments--causing people who sleep on the street to get arrested, and told to go elsewhere-- all the while not being given a solution to their problems, lack of shelter, or at least options,).

However, with what with everything going on with #OWS and people from all walks of life protesting/sitting/sleeping-- and still being forcibly abused and evicted from where they are-- I feel like this piece is taking on a different turn.

Whether it is because he or she is protesting, or because a person nowhere else to go, I do not believe it's right to arrest someone for sitting or sleeping someplace. If the person is not causing harm, bothering, or hurting themselves or others, how is that a crime?

In any case, my character for this challenge does not have a name. People call him "Goon," but they call him other, worse insults, almost as much of the time.

He doesn't have a face, and he really only has force. He's one of a few clones, almost, as he and his unit all have the same task. Drones, clones, whatever the term, he carries out orders, and he can never feel or show emotion when he does the things he does-- hence him having no facial expression, emotion, or anything discernible about his character. He will show his face at home sometimes, and perhaps release his anger, frustration, or sadness at what he has to do-- but when he is at his job, nobody can ever see his feelings or his weaknesses.

While the main character is the one standing on the right giving an eviction summons, you can see his friend watching him-- also, a similar-type goon character. I felt that this part of the piece got very #OWS-y, although again, the original commentary had been going to focus on skid row.

I'll also say that I'm not one of those people who automatically hates on people in law enforcement. Perhaps this sounds like a disclaimer, but I still feel like I ought to say it-- my Great-Grandfather was a police officer, and I think a chief (if I remember corectly), and he was one of the best people I have ever heard about. He was kind, protective, did whatever he could to help and serve his community, and was a great father to my Grandmother, and grandfather to my Mom. He actually upheld the whole "protect and serve thing."

Unfortunately, both in this #30Characters drawing, and IRL (especially in New York City right now), a lot of police offers are not doing that.

It's sad when people live up to bad hype, but if you're breaking the shoulders of peacefully protesting students and telling them they "have no rights" (misquoting the event, but I read about such an incident that happened near UC Berkeley, I believe), and assaulting eighty-four year old female protesters (that was out in Seattle, again if I remember correctly), and you are a police officer-- you are embodying cruelty, and giving people who inherently distrust those in positions of force and power even more reason to do so.

Whether it's a payout, an abuse of power, the riot mentality, or something else I can't even fathom-- I find there to be no acceptable excuse for people whose job it is to protect others, to be gassing them, beating them, and destroying their personal properly, when they are doing nothing but sitting, being civil, and expressing the rights that, in theory, we at least have for right now in this country.

Le sigh. The next few posts will cover characters from this piece, so hopefully those won't also get too ranty/politically heavy.

"Harlequin" for Inspiration Avenue, with "panache"-- for Web of Whimsy!

2011-11-16T07:32:00.000-08:00

Double post for November "Web of Whimsy" (hello again, as I've been away!), and this week's "Inspiration Avenue," of Harlequin.

I absolutely love clowns (I think they're cuties and am not afraid of them, as I've mentioned in entries past), and Harlequin clowns are perhaps the most beautiful of all. So, I present a Harlequin clown, with the requisite makeup, outfit, and a little pup who also has on a fun little clown-ish outfit.

As the optional "Web of Whimsy" theme is panache, I'd also like to mention that I think this little clown girl pulls off the definition, at least according to the Miriam Webster online definition.

Panache:

1: an ornamental tuft (as of feathers) especially on a helmet

2: dash or flamboyance in style and action : verve

I dare say, she does have an ornamental tuft (or fluffy ball, kind of like the way winter hats have one) on her clown's hat. And, I think she has a dash of flamboyance in her clothing's style ;-)

To submit to I.A., please go to the link below for this week's challenge:
http://inspiration-avenue-team.blogspot.com/2011/11/weekly-challenge-harlequin.html

To submit to Web of Whimsy, please go to the link below for this month:
http://dthaase-lines.blogspot.com/p/whimsical-wednesday.html

And please go here to see other spot illos I've drawn:
http://drawdvl.com/spot-illustrations.html

Thanks for reading! <3

P.S.-- Because I love dogs, and because these particular ones are magnificent creatures, I am including a photo of a Harlequin Great Dane (with a little Chihuahua friend) at the end of this post.

These perfect puppies thanks you for your time.

Day 16, 30 Characters

2011-11-16T07:17:00.000-08:00

Meet Clara, Wendy's sometime paramour, and continuous object of confusion.

She is a principal dancer in the Star-Crossed Galaxies modern and ballet dance company, and cares about little else other than dance. However, she does like to play games, and as a tease, she sends mixed signals. Unfortunately, her downfall is that she loves power.

In fact, the more love she holds, while making sure to never reveal her own heart or emotions, the more strength pours into her body. Strength, light, and the energy of all the stars and moons surrounding her. And thus, the better able she is to dance. She is not malicious, and would never intentionally want to hurt anyone-- she believes what she has with Wendy is a mere fling, and won't admit to herself how much Wendy really likes her. But that said, when her "Black Swan" takes over and she loses herself, well... goodness help those around her, particularly those smitten and confused.

She must have a solo coming up, because she is truly feasting on Wendy's heart today. She can take it back and forth, and it will more or less heal... but what will happen the day that Wendy can finally reach Clara's heart? As she is so used to having total control, that fluttery feeling you get in your stomach might just throw her off her game-- and out of her powerful ballet spins.

Above is the full illustration. Thanks for reading, and ta-ta for now <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Creative Tuesdays: Three--!!

2011-11-15T07:27:00.000-08:00

Here is a card of three girls, all good friends, quasi-based upon me and my two best friends from college!

In keeping with the C.T. "Three" theme, this is a trio of girls/friends. And also, the inside of the card reads as follows:

"Whenever you wish to feel warm and snug,
Open this card, for three free hugs --!!"

And for good measure, there are a few hearts and bluebirds of happiness fluttering around.

To see this and other such cards, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/miscellaneous-cards.html

To enter, please go to the most recent post at:
http://creativetuesdays.blogspot.com/

Happy Tuesdays and Happy Creating <3

30 Characters: Day 15

2011-11-15T00:12:00.000-08:00

Day fifteen, unofficial thirty characters.

Meet Wendy-- her heart keeps being broken, but for some reason, she can't turn away from the person doing it. Such is the life of a girl from the Star-Crossed Galaxies, with hair that curls up like the edges of crescent moons.

A twenty-something hopeless romantic, she is in a cyclical situation right now, where she keeps giving up her heart, only for it to be played with. She can live even if it exists outside of her body (the benefits of existing in the Star Crossed Galaxies), but it causes her undue pain and duress.

Were she real, I would give her my "Sister, this is not the way!" schpiel (a la this entry: http://bit.ly/tv940U ). But as she exists only on paper and via the pixels on this computer screen, I will only hope for the chance to draw her again in less angsty circumstances.

If you're noticing another's shoes poking out towards the right corner of the picture, you'd be noticing correctly. Just as with my first post, this character is from an illustration where there is also a second character. Cropped for now, but you shall soon see the identity of Wendy's affection/stress. Just wait for Day 16! And as always, thank you for reading.

30 Characters: Day 14

2011-11-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

Not sure what all the buzz is about (yuk yuk), but the clock has struck midnight-- and thus, it's time for the fourteenth day of (this unofficial attempt to conquer the) #30Characters Challenge.

Unlike my last little bees, this one is a little bit more in my regular style. She's still just quickly sketched out, and not as detailed as some of my other inky things-- but, still, she's pen and inked. And, not as geometrically shapely as the other Bee/Ladybug I wrote about a few entries past.

This girl here is named Petunia. You can't tell, but she's wearing sweater tights over her little legs, and her tights. It's to keep her from getting too cold. Of course, in Magical Bee World she won't get hypothermia anyway (I'm pretty sure the real little guys would not be able to hover near ice, much less skate on it)-- but still.

She's a Teen Bee (on her way to one day be the Queen Bee-- meaning, she's the most popular bee in her clique at the hive, and it will also her future job when she takes over for her Mom). She's popular because she's genuinely nice, although at a loss for what to do when everyone gets stingy and catty towards one another. This had been a pretty rough day for her. So, she decided she wanted to have a day by herself, away from the pressures of school and teen girl (bee?) b.s. Or, I should say "bee s."

Petunia then snuck away to enjoy the impending winter season at the local ice-puddle, only a few gardens away from the hive. She was all excited. Having bought a hand spun scarf from a caterpillar on the way there, and having rented her skates from the ladybug who runs the puddle-rink, she was ready to start doing spins, axels, and skating up a storm.

Unfortunately, she's never skated before. It's harder than it looks. And poor Petunia is having trouble keeping her balance-- both on the rink, and in her head, since she's stressed about so much.

But luckily, she's a teen. With her nicer hivemates and classmates, and her true friends, things will get better. I have hope that for Petunia, as for many teen girls, things are rough/dramatic/angsty/etcetera, a lot of the time. But, there's also a lot of the time where things are fun, silly, and can "bee" (I have no shame, I know), fun.

30 Characters: Day 13

2011-11-13T20:37:00.001-08:00

So Treble over here is Tatiana's best friend (see here: http://bit.ly/tR8kec), although they work for rival agencies.

Given his wings and horns, and her wings while floating on a cloud, you can probably guess. His eyes are closed, and he is laughing with glee-- perhaps he just saw some singing on Youtube, and realizes he has been doing well at what he does!

Also given that her mission is to prevent bad music from reaching the ears of human beings, you would also be guessing correctly, if you were to presume that his job description is just the opposite.

Given the wealth of things that get professionally produced, as well as the slew of videos on the Internet that never go viral and are still a little bit chalk-on-chalkboard-esque for one's ears, perhaps little Treble actually does somehow exist!

Treble and Tatiana became best friends when she was playing in the clouds one day, stealing flat and sharp notes (which should not have been flat or sharp) out of the air so they wouldn't ever be heard by anyone. But just then, she tripped, tumbled down a few clouds, and bumped onto the cloud Treble was sitting on.

He caught her notes for her, so they didn't fall into the soundwaves. He liked her so much he gave the notes back, never telling his boss the truth as he would have been in trouble. Ever since, they've been the best of friend-- each agency kind of rolls their eyes, but puts up with it. The two kids have worked out an arrangement where she sometimes "drops" notes, and he "steals" her notes. In other words, they help each other out to where she prevents enough badly played music from being heard, and he makes sure just enough bad stuff gets through.

Again, I haven't decided if this lil' devil came into the world as is, or was a kid first-- but either way, he's just playful and a prankster. He isn't "bad," as the Westernized good vs. evil doctrines would say, and no matter whether a kid in this world is connected to his agency or to Tatiana's, they still get to play, have fun, and be involved in music-making somehow-- whether it's improving it, like Tatiana does, or making sure drek gets through, like Treble does.

I'd try to think of a different "note" to end on, but I'm falling "flat." Wow, no "score" for me on that one. I should give it a "rest," in a "major" way. The "key" is knowing when to stop...

And there I am, stopping!

30 Characters: Day 12

2011-11-12T07:52:00.000-08:00

Made a quick sketch of an Anime Angel for today's unofficial submission. She is an Angel of Music (not a POTO pun, although perhaps it should be), in that she catches bad notes before they can fall through soundwaves, and into the ears of unsuspecting humans.

This angel's name is Tatiana. She is a child (perhaps seven or eight, although eternal as she's not a mortal human-- the same way vampires are over a hundred, but feel and appear to be seventeen), and has always loved music. I haven't decided if she became an angel, or in some way she was born into this world as is, without ever having dealt with the normal parts of humanity and a mortal life.

She has a best friend (who shall come along later in the following post) who works for the other side. He (and his bosses) loves when bad music is filtered through to the masses. They are still close, even though she works for those who seek to do good, and he works for those who delight in mischievous things.

Wink --!!

And here, we can see her notes that were captured. Perhaps she's like an angelic, cartoon version of Autotune. I'm not sure Autotune always even helps or improves things, but, I digress.

Inspiration Avenue: Needlecraft

2011-11-11T18:07:00.000-08:00

"The story of the Craftswoman and the Seamstress" is the I.A. theme this week.

This theme is dear to my heart, because my Mom made beautiful needlepoint works for a long time-- and because I love puns (and when kittens play with yarn), I submitted a card that says,

"You Are 'Sew' Sweet!"

To participate in the challenge, or see people's wonderful works, please go to:

http://inspiration-avenue-team.blogspot.com/2011/11/story-of-craftswoman-and-seamstress.html

Thank you for reading ^___^

Inspired by a Madonna quote, some TV ramblings, and paraphrasing Kanye: "Only you, should have that much power..."

2011-11-11T08:50:00.000-08:00

If "no one man should have that much power," then I agree that only you should have such a large influence over yourself.

By "man" I mean human beings, not just dudes. No one, of any gender, should get to push another person around. Even if it's just a person taking up too much mental space in another's mind, because of overbearing behavior, drama, etc.

Sentiment (and subsequent rant) came out of finding the awesome image in the middle of this blog, first seen at Troian Bellisario's Tumblr:
http://katuriankaturiankaturian.tumblr.com/

(All you theatre peeps, yes, that blog name directly references McDonagh's "The Pillowman.")

She portrays Spencer Hastings on "Pretty Little Liars.

I love Spencer, and need to infuse more of her fierceness into my own persona. It's there, but White Swan style, often hiding under the surface. In any case, Spencer is now on my list of favorite strong teen girl characters, joining the ranks of my previous (still current?) favorites, Veronica Mars (portrayed by Kristen Bell), and Blair Waldorf (at least the Season One version of her, portrayed by Leighton Meester).

PLL has also surpassed GG in terms of shows I like, with the Hitchcock-esque filmography, horror movie aspect of it, and strong storylines alongside the great performances. Meester is still great on GG, but the writing on the show is all over the place. But I digress.

Here is a blog dedicated to Spencer Hasting's many unimpressed side-eyes and expressions:
http://spencerhastingsbitchface.tumblr.com/

Also, clearly as a person in real life, Miss Bellisario has great taste in photography (not only the picture below, but the blog as a whole), as well as killer quotes.

Anybody who knows me knows that:
"Sisters, this is not the way --!"

Is a catchphrase that I often say. Usually not to someone directly, but when lamenting about various situations to third parties.

I say it when I see people making what (at least that I perceive) are bad decisions, putting up with b.s. or degrading behavior from others. It also extends to people acting out vehemently against someone who has hurt them-- only to embarrass themselves, derail the dignity train from the station, and not even get vengeance on the wrong-doers in the process.

Here I go, segueing into talking about yet another character on TV that I'm a fan of :-p

Emily Thorne, on ABC's "Revenge," is Count of Monte Cristo style organized and pissed off. She has evil plans. That's actually fine with me (even though homegirl's a bit of a sociopath). For one, she's just a fictional character. But in the world of the story, she had her life ruined from age nine on, her Dad's life was unfairly destroyed, she has plenty of motive, and she knows what she's doing, pretty much down to every last detail.

However, if she were randomly flipping out against those who ruined her life, and just throwing craziness and tantrums at the wall to see what sticks/might hurt someone, she wouldn't really be accomplishing anything.

In so many words, I often wish that people would choose better courses of actions for themselves, in many walks of life-- whether it's company they keep, or their own reactions to things that happen.

I'm not immune to any of this stuff, and I know it's part of the human condition to feel things out, learn from bad experiences, sometimes stay in friendships or relationships after they should not longer be stayed in, to feel humiliated, to rationalize things that are toxic when one should simply run, and all the rest of it.

But, whether it's about myself, or about a loved one, or even a fictional character, many situations make that "Sisters, this is not the way!" phrase run through my head.

Point being, the above image and quote is the very picture of:

"Sisters-- this IS the way --!!"

I like Madonna, but I'm not a die-hard fan, so I had no idea she had ever said this. It's quite accurate, and unlike ideas being put forth by certain tween series that shall not be named, I think it's a far better message for people as a whole (and also, impressionable teens), that the ultimate power is to keep going.

It sucks to be rejected, unloved, or not accepted-- yes. But doesn't it suck more to let another person's opinion and douchery bring you down?? A bit of a riff off that "Haters gonna hate" meme, but I am serious.

"Power is being told you are not loved, and not being destroyed by it."

Thank you, Madonna, for my new quote of the week (and for having said something I like enough to now go on my list of favorite quotes).

Also, for those of you who like PLL? Vote for them here! The show's up for a People's Choice Award.
http://www.peopleschoice.com/pca/vote/

My White-Swan-ishly nervous spot illo of a ballerina thanks you for your time ^__^

Combination Post. "Silent," Illustration Friday. And (Unofficial) 30 Characters, Day Eleven: Bunnimorph

2011-11-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

Quickly sketched character, born of a brush pen. Anybody remember "Animorphs?" It was a cool series when I was in elementary school, of people who had the ability to transform into certain types of animals-- I don't remember it exactly, but one of my childhood best friends won the contest they had for a child to write a story based on the characters, and it was published in one of the books. Pretty amazing for her (-: Anyway, creating this character made me reflect back.

This "Bunnimorph" character above is a Queen, yet she is "Silent--" For she cannot communicate with words to her actual bunny subjects, so she must rule with smiles, hand gestures, and the offering of carrots. She thinks she intuitively knows how to speak both English and Spanish, but she knows no humans to practice with, so she chooses not to speak at all.

A close up of her face, we learn her name is Connie. "Coneja" is her real name, but she for some odd reason has Anglicized her name. Perhaps it's because the few sounds the rabbits make (little squeaks, at times) sound closer to that, than to her real name. She does not know her family, but grew up in a warren. When she was old enough to understand, she realized that little rabbits were raising her. There was a human village nearby, but she knew she was not quite one of them, either. After all, "normal" humans don't have one of their limbs as an overgrown rabbit paw, and they don't have bunny ears that protrude from their heads.

Connie even continued to be met with kindness by the rabbits even once she became human sized-- for she was always gentle with them, and her large size has caused her to be able to protect them. So, she is their Queen, and wants to stay with them forever. She longs for human contact at times, and has even found a few newspapers that blew by in the wind, to read up on what goes on. But with what she's read in the paper, she has learned about enough cruelties that humans do to each other, it scares her off from ever wanting to know more. Plus, she is afraid they would hurt her colony of loyal friends and bunnies.

Close up of the bunny. Hungry one, isn't he? His name is Jason although he can't tell Connie that-- their relationship is loving, but again, silent-- for not only do they not speak the same language, a la "Happy Feet," it just sounds like noises when each one hears the other's voices. But luckily, intuition goes a long way. Sometimes, best friends "get" one another, without ever a word spoken. Luckily that is the case here.

Final facial close-up. It appears that Connie might slightly be wincing. Was not unintentional, but perhaps I can't contain my frequent unimpressed-ness... even in the faces of my characters.

To submit to "Silent" for Illustration Friday, please go to:
http://illustrationfriday.com

To see the official works being submitted for 30 Characters, please go to:
http:///www.30characters.com

Thank you for reading, and hope everyone has a "Hoppy" Weekend! "Hoppy" and Happy Eleven Eleven Eleven, day.

I'll close with the two eleven word stories I submitted to Twitter's #11Words Story Challenge:

"Blood rushed to her cheeks, flushing with the fire of shame."

"Doug sunk into his stuffed toys... his only friends."

Thanks for reading.

30 Characters: Day 10

2011-11-10T09:17:00.000-08:00

For today's "Thirty Characters," Day the tenth of unofficial participation, we have... a character. In her late twenties (whose background did not get entirely drawn), who is a bit down on her luck.

She has had to do things which she didn't wish she did, to get by recently-- and I don't want to speculate on what she's watching, but I would imagine it's either a scene of violence and/or betrayal, given the expression she has on, and the fact she's hiding in the shadows, while watching other goings-on in the shadows. She is not particularly religious, but her best friend gave her the necklace she's wearing, and Cross or not, she never takes it off.

'
Her name is Green. Well, her real name is (or was), Emily. But everybody calls her green, because her eyes are bright green. They flash green, almost-- especially when she's mad. And she gets jealous a lot, so it's an apt color with which to describe her. Hopefully she won't run into whoever she is watching, because she sure does not look happy. Green would be in full force.

Close up of Miss Green's face, and with the shadows she's standing in (plus the fact it's drawn in black and white), you wouldn't be able to tell here what color her eyes are.

Slightly pulled out close up, showcasing her face, hair, and enormous necklace.

And, full body shot of Miss Green, and her outfit.

Now to plot tomorrow's character.

30 Characters: Day 9

2011-11-09T00:15:00.000-08:00

And now, I continue the saga of Mister Bee! But instead, featuring Miss Aloof Leafy Ladybug, as the character being shown for my unofficial ninth submission to the "Thirty Characters" challenge.

She is friends with Mister Buzzy Bee, but always flying away, and giving him mixed signals. She too, is a creation made with Prismacolor markers. Also quite geometric, she is mostly made of lines and circles-- and even has seven, luckily, spots on her back wings.

On the subject of light and dark, I'd say her personality is far more gray-- but to the shy Mister Buzzy Bee, she seems more confident/"Black Swan"-ish, making her behavior harder to read, somewhat more frustrating, and also complicating his crush on her. Hopefully, she can teach him to unleash parts of him that he ought to, without him having go fully irreversible "Black Swan," using his stinger, etcetera.

And, I will close these late night, quasi-coherent rants with a picture of the two of them. Again, to protect his privacy, I've whited out Mister Buzzy Bee's thoughts.

30 Characters: Day 8

2011-11-08T23:50:00.000-08:00

Can't sleep, clowns will eat me. Well, here is a bee. And where he is, it is snowy.

Only the second two of those sentences are true-- just being up and being silly, I wanted to make something rhyme :-p

Like my first thirty characters post, Day 8 and Day 9 are going to feature two characters, so a two-for-one submission, if you will. Posting this one late into the evening, and then the second one early into the morning.

As for this character? Oh, Mister Bee. Buzzy is his first name-- because this late at night, I can't come up with anything better. There's more to his story, though.

I used to draw a lot of sad buzzing bee characters five years ago, just like this guy, when I was experimenting with Prismacolor markers for the first time. I would make a lot of geometric, just like this guy here, focusing mostly on shapes and colors. I now prefer Copic, but Prismacolor are still quite nice.

Those bees were, and this bee is, a bit "White Swan-" ish. Watching life from the sidelines, but too shy/sad/scared to take risks and fully let go. Note his expression in the cropped picture below. Forgive that I whited out his thoughts-- he requested that I not tell the world his most private musings.

For those of you familiar with "Black Swan" (a movie which is beginning to override my other long-time obsessions, and which I talk about way too much), it focuses on the themes in "Swan Lake" that delve into the very Westernized concepts of "Good vs. Evil," and "Light vs. Dark." Not necessarily an accurate or healthy way to think of the human condition, but an interesting and sort of eternal one, nonetheless. You can't escape it as a theme in classic literature (or even in religious texts).

(Coincidentally, or not so much? I am listening to Lady GaGa's "Judas" as I type this. Anyway.)

In any case, the "White Swan" can mean beautiful, but fragile, repressed, and eventually too shut down and held in for said Swan's own good. The "Black Swan" can mean powerful, dangerous, sensual, exciting-- but ultimately, destructive, if the person trying to reach those emotions or states of being has to break through many issues and repression to get there, and may drag themselves into/through hell in the transformational process. Basically, once a "White Swan" snaps and turns into the evil twin, it can be freeing, exhilarating, yet, ultimately destroy who he or she is. At least, that's the message the film itself hints at.

Well. This species of cartoon bee spends much of his time buzzing around, all sad, trying to please everybody, without anybody really paying attention to him or his feelings... but we all know what happens when bees get mad/scared/defensive.

They have a stinger. It has venom in it. For that period when they fly around, and get the adrenaline rush to sting something/someone, they have all the force of a "Black Swan." In flight. Powerful. Able to hurt, perhaps even destroy. Perhaps the most powerful moments of a bee's life. But, the sad price to pay is that a bee cannot live once it has stung something. So, finally letting go leads to the bee's ultimate destruction, if the bee is pushed that far.

The bee I drew here is still shy, scared, and not at all about to turn from an Odette to an Odile. That's why he walks sadly through the snow, and is watching another character (to be featured in the next post!) sadly from afar, without questioning the situation. However, if Mister Buzzy Bee continues on this path, it may not bode well for him.

Perhaps I will do another #30Characters (unofficial) submission, either showing him able to continue living on the "light" side of things, and stick up for himself without losing his mind. Or perhaps I will turn him full on "Black Swan" Bee, and have him finally express those held in emotions. But truth be told, I think he is a cute little guy, and I would feel bad drawing him once he had reached that point of destruction.

Instead, before my next characters post, I will include an MS Paint Masterpiece of Mister Buzzy Bee as "The Black Swan."

I, Mister Buzzy Bee, his above Evil Twin, and elegant dancing Waterfowl everywhere (both evil and good) thank you for your time.

Creative Tuesday: Thanks and Thanksgiving

2011-11-08T08:46:00.000-08:00

So, my submission is more along the lines of thanking a friend for being a great friend, although the Fall colors are a little Thanksgiving-esque, for fall? As apple-picking is an Autumn activity? Wish I could be off doing that right now!

This thank you card says, as you can see:

"I picked this little gift off a tree, to THANK YOU for being there for me!"

The girls are having fun playing with the llama and the bluebird (hopefully of happiness?), too, who are also in the background.

I think it's important to give to those we care about, and even a small gift, a card, or something silly given to a friend who has done a lot for you can show how much you appreciate them, and are thankful for their presence in your life. The apple here may seem small, but it's meant to signify much larger emotions-- plus, I think that when you are a little kid, something that will seem trivial to an outside adult can actually have all the meaning in the world, because of the wonder you feel as a kid (towards almost everything), as well as inside jokes and all that good stuff. Very fun theme this week, and happy to have participated!

Other artists, please submit your work for C.T.'s Thanksgiving at:

http://creativetuesdays.blogspot.com/2011/11/thank-you-thanksgiving-46.html

To see other cards alongside this one at my site, please go to:

http://drawdvl.com/family-and-friends-cards.html

P.S. This is unrelated, but I am going to include a link to my Halloween blog .

During the last C.T., I mentioned the costume I was wearing, and some people expressed interest in seeing it.

I got confused, so included those pictures in an "Inspiration Avenue" update instead of "Creative Tuesdays," where more people had expressed interest in seeing the costume-- but either way, the link is below for anyone's amusement!

http://craftydvl.blogspot.com/2011/11/art-nouveau-for-inspiration-avenue-and.html

Hope everyone had great Halloweens (-:

30 Characters: Day 7

2011-11-07T07:07:00.000-08:00

I don't usually create work in the Manga/Manhwa style, but here's a quick character who fits those bills.

Her name is Demi. She's a fashion model, in her twenties, and usually she enjoys modeling. However, this is her first gig with a... questionable prop, and as she doesn't usually pose in this modeling subset, she's a little confused/unimpressed. Demi liked the cape. The roses in her hair were a nice touch. She was all excited for the cool corset wear. And the hilltop/mountain-esque location for the shoot was exquisite.

Then, she got fitted for the ball and chain... and it was all downhill from there. Her "smizing" has fallen into (much like the mer-girl before her) "WTF??"-ing.

Full shot of Demi and her modeling shot for this shoot.

A bit more of a close-up, to showcase her hair and the upper part of her outfit.

A shot to showcase the decor and patterning on the bottom half of her outfit.

One final take-- poor Demi just cannot get rid of that unimpressed expression.

30 Characters: Day 6

2011-11-06T07:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a another quickly sketched character, who I am including actually in part she did not turn out as planned. Well. I didn't really plan, and then weird things happened. Although, I think when creating characters the unexpected can be very cool, and hence, here is a drawing that ended up being full of things I didn't expect.

Also. I didn't get around to naming her, and now, she just as confused as I am. She expected to be "part of that world," and... well, things just got fishier. Sorry, couldn't resist.

I think her thought bubble and expression speak for themselves.

Below, all shall see why that "WTF??" Was uttered.

With a patterned tail-fin that looks more like a uniform skirt, and that is quite short, arm fins that are larger than her legs, and a left fin that's bigger than the right and possibly as long as her tail-fin, I still think she's pretty cool. Although she is still giving me side-eye, for not properly thinking out her proportions and her various logistics, before I sketched her out with a quickness.

Any thoughts on what I should name her?

30 Characters Day 5, and Illustration Friday: Stripes

2011-11-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

In which we meet Samantha, a kind and sweet little girl around the age of three or four, who is sitting at the airport waiting for her recently arrived Mother to get her checked bags. Having never been to LAX before, she is excited to see all the hustle and bustle. Also, in accordance with I.F., she is wearing stripes! Stripes on her sweater. Whee? Whee.

Below is a slightly closer-up shot of her smile, and the glint of intrigue in her eyes. Or maybe that's just the highlight of the nearby light. One never knows.

And this shot also is a bit blurrier (darn Droid Camera), but shows the full seat she's sitting in.

To see the work of the people who are (actually and officially) participating in the "Thirty Characters" Challenge, please go to:
www.30characters.com

To submit to I.F. for "Stripes," this week, please go to:
http://illustrationfriday.com

30 Characters: Day 4

2011-11-04T23:55:00.000-07:00

Meet Sarah!

Some of my characters are going to be a little bit more sketchy. Hopefully not in the dodgy way, in the quickly drawn/less complete way. This girl here began as a pastel sketch, and morphed into an ink-ily outlined person. Unfortunately for her, I did not get around to finishing drawing her-- but I am to complete the scene, and her lying down, in the future.

For now? I'll give a brief character description.

Sarah is procrastinating from her homework. Sarah is in college, and would rather be watching Lady GaGa videos on Youtube than be doing her Biochemistry assignment. She also would rather be studying set design, but her Dad is a scientist, and would be horribly unhappy if she didn't follow in his shoes. In any event, she does all the afterschool theatre shows she can, but is also lacksadaiscial when it comes to doing her science assignments that she's not very excited over. She immerses herself with anything theatre like whenever she can. And, that includes GaGa's very fun/theatrical/over the top (all in my opinion, anyway, on her fun-ness) video glory.

Note how Sarah has her finger pointing out?

She is emulating the part of the "Bad Romance" video where GaGa cocks her hand like a gun, right after she finishes the whole "I don't wanna be frieeeeeeeeends... want your bad romance, (caught in a bad romance), want your bad romance!" (BOOM, goes her hand), section.

Here's a quick detail of the crinkles on Sarah's shirt, as well as her skirt's and belt's patterning.

Hi, Sarah! Close up of her face, crooked bun, messy hair, and headband. And now I say "Bye," to Sarah, for I am tired and must sleep. It was nice getting to know and sketch you.

30 Characters: Day 3

2011-11-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

Whipped out a new girl today. So far, keeping up with the challenge. She's a clown! Whee. I know some people have phobias of them, which I respect and understand-- I've just always loved clowns, and when I was little wanted to play with the happy ones, and wanted to hug the sad ones.

This one is the daughter of the ringmaster. They have a family circus (their own, not a reference to the comic strip), and it's small, reasonably popular for its size, and it is big on animal safety. It doesn't have as exotic animals as Ringling Brothers, but all the animals they do have are loved and well taken care of. The clown girl's favorite animal is the Dalmatian who balances balls on his nose. He belongs to the whole family, but she considers him hers. Perhaps I should draw him, as well as the aforementioned soccer ball dog from my previous Thirty Characters post.

While she performs as a clown in the family travelling circus, she'd much rather be doing fashion design. To get her creative energies out, she redesigns her costumes from time to time. She hates wearing her clown hat, which gets on everyone else in the troupe's nerves (she'd prefer to show off her pink hair, which is actually dyed that color, than wear the hat like everybody else has to). However, makes up for it with the interesting ways she tweaks her outfits (some people even come to their shows to observe the fashions she creates), and the fact she kills it when she juggles. Her name is... Leah. Pronounced, "Lay-ah," like the Princess.

Leah was drawn in my lovely new journal I mentioned once before, courtesy of a Giveaway challenge from the great weekly challenge site:

www.inspiration-avenue-team.blogspot.com.

The journal was created by lovely Miss Stephanie of Dragonfly Design Studios, whose blog can be found here:

http://dragonflydegignstudios.blogspot.com

Here are some more shots of my third character for my (unofficial, slash self-disciplining for writing/drawing/creating) participation in the challenge:

Phone photo, but close up of her face.

Close up of her costume's bodice, complete with clown-face buttons. She added all the lacing, sewed the belt herself, and sculpted the big clown buttons. They're really pins made of Sculpey, but she pins them over the actual tiny buttons to give the illusion.

Spotty tights, and clown faces even on her shoes. She glued the noses on (they're converted Styrofoam balls, and painted the faces.

Here she is, juggling. It looks like she's mid-air here because I hadn't drawn the ground like in the first picture I showed-- but still, there she is, doing her circus-y talent that she does best.

It was fun to draw Leah, as I did her in a little bit of a different style than usual. Very similar, but slightly more animation-y in proportion, face and eye shape, and the like.

I'm a bit knackered (the King's English, or at least non-American English, to say tired), so that's all for now. But woo for this cool challenge, and again-- here's where to follow those who are actually participating in it:

http://www.30characters.com/

30 Characters: Day 2

2011-11-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

So, here we go for the next day's submission (on my unofficial participation in this challenge). Yesterday (as in, one hour ago), the focus was on Leroy. Now, it is on his friend, Damien.

Name: Damien Thompson

Age: Nine

Gender: Male

Hobbies: Soccer, soccer, and soccer. There are actually a lot of hobbies he likes, but he spends a lot of his time playing on his school's soccer team, and reading books and magazines about the sport. He also really likes to draw, and is frequently sketching comic stories about a little dog, who is a soccer ball. He's a dog, but with the body of a soccer ball instead of a normal torso. He's kind of a funny superhero, since he has powers even though people think he's just a silly creature. He can fly like superman, but unfortunately, he always needs sports-sy boosts to do so. Headbutting him will send him right into the air, and into Superman mode. Since he's a dog (even though he's a soccer ball), nobody will kick him. This sometimes annoys the dog, since he prefers rolling to flying. His enemy is a cat with the Torso of a football, who is always trying to best him. Damien's parents think the stories are cute and funny, and his twin older sisters (both fifteen) love their little brother, but don't really understand the logistics of these characters he draws. The two of them are both really interested in science (one physics, and the other chemistry), and sometimes pick apart things that don't make sense.

Backstory: Damien has lived in L.A. his whole life, but would love to travel when he grows up-- whether it's from being a pro soccer player, or getting to be one of those cool guys who has a table at conventions and gets to draw stuff for people all day. His parents have taken him to San Diego Comic Con every year since he was six, and he's really into it now.

Friends: He's friends with a few boys on his team, but still sometimes feels outnumbered at home (what with having his two big sisters and his Mom, and the only two guys in the house are he and his Dad). When Leroy moved next door, he was very excited. Leroy's pretty mature, and Damien has always secretly wanted a younger brother-- so they get along well as friends, and Damien likes helping him out and teaching him things whenever he can-- especially if it's soccer related.

Leroy and Damien (he now has a name!), again, high-fiving after a play.

Full shot of the illo, and their soccer-playing.

So, that's all for now, folks! Hoping to get up the next unofficial drawing for the #30Characters Challenge this Friday.

30 Characters: Day 1

2011-11-01T23:11:00.000-07:00

So, I'm not officially in the thirty characters challenge-- I heard about it past the deadline, so it's closed for participating. Boo on me for dropping that ball, I would have liked to participate (officially). That said, I am going to try and do it just for myself, and as good practice for hopefully doing it officially the next time the challenge comes around.

The information on this very cool challenge (and the artists and/or writers who are doing it for real, including "Omnitarium" writer Jamie Gambell, at http://www.jamiegambell.com/) can be found here:

http://www.30characters.com/

So, my Day 1 and Day 2 submissions go together, because I did one piece that featured two different characters. Worked on it at night, into early next morning, so that means it technically went from November first into November second. These two characters are not from a larger story, but just for a moment/scene I created in a spot illustration. If I'm able to keep up with the challenge, I should work on putting in characters from larger works/ideas for bigger things/etcetera.

But for now, we'll start the first character for Day one. Excuse the photos of the work, they were as clear as I could get via an Android picture.

Name: Leroy Jun

Age: Seven

Gender: Male

Hobbies: Soccer, Football (but he's not quite big or old enough to play that yet), Baseball, and anything sports-wise

Backstory: He just moved to the U.S. (to a suburban-y part of L.A.) and is living with his Aunt for a few months until his parents are able to move over, too. He was actually born in States (his parents were on vacation when his Mom went into labor), so he is a citizen. Leroy also always grew up learning English (the American Dialect), so you would not know it was a second language. He tells any kids who ask that he is from New York City-- where he was actually born-- because his favorite sports teams are there, and he secretly thinks it's easier to say that then explain his overall family situation. All is going well so far for his Mom and Dad, but he is afraid to jinx the Visa process they are working through. So, he simply doesn't talk about it.

Friends: Leroy's a little shy, so he doesn't know too many children at school yet. Although, he has befriended his next door neighbor-- the boy who lives next door to him-- and they play soccer whenever they're both home at the same time. His friend is two years older than him, but doesn't mind, and is grateful to have a nearby guy friend.

Leroy and his friend (to be revealed as Character 2 in the next post), giving one another a high five after playing soccer.

Close-up of their footwork while playing soccer. Leroy had a soccer ball, but he's kicked it around so much it's gotten a bit deflated. He keeps meaning to get it filled back up with air, but in the meantime, they're content to use a kickball.

So, that's all for this post! Next post coming soon (very soon, although technically, it shall be tomorrow-- moo ha ha).

Art Nouveau for Inspiration Avenue (And "The Swan Queen" Halloween Update!)

2011-11-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

Hello, all! This post is a post for the weekly submission for I.A., as well as a weekend recap. Some readers were curious about my "Black Swan" costume, so I figured I'd put these two updates together.

Anyway, this week has a very challenging challenge for Inspiration Avenue! The theme is Art Nouveau (super classic style; love it). While I want to also do a future piece which is in the true style of Nouveau, I feel that this one combines elements of Nouveau while still having more elements of the style I work in normally. Been thinking about branching out into other styles/mediums/returning to some old after seeing a lot of wonderful artist's work at the Long Beach Comic Con this past weekend, but that is a slightly different story.

The colors are brighter than normal Nouveau (which is generally tan and natural), but the curvelinear parts of this card, the flowery elements of the border, and accentuating the curves on the girls' costumes with silver (not quite whiplash, but still highlighted) were all homages to Nouveau.

These girls on this greeting card are little ballerinas, and ballerinas seem to be the order of the day/entire past weekend, as it was Halloween and I finally got the chance to dance around and flap my wings and have winged eye-makeup madness/craziness/complete fun.

Here, they are happy ballerinas (Odettes pre-transformation?), dancing in ways that show lines and curves, and even their little ballerina bunny plush animal seems to be lifting up her paw/curving out her hand as if she's doing the arm motion you do alongside a plie.

On another I.A. related note, I was the lucky winner of Stephanie/Dragonfly Design Studios' Artist's Journal, for the giveaway! I am a journal fiend, and I can't wait to start writing and drawing in this. Isn't it beautiful?

Her blog link is below:
http://dragonflydegignstudios.blogspot.com/

Just to let everyone know, for this week, if you'd like to submit to I.A., please go to:
http://inspiration-avenue-team.blogspot.com/2011/10/inspiration-avenue-weekly-challenge.html

Other cards of mine like this are at the link below:
http://drawdvl.com/family-and-friends-cards.html

And also below, are tutus/ballet shoes/and feathery silliness. Feathers, too, would be considered organic, right? Synthetic though the ones I sewed on were, in a sense that element of the Halloween costume I put together fit the Nouveau theme.

I've included a few pictures of my "Black Swan"/"The Swan Queen" ("It's my turn!!" Kidding, but a reference for those who've seen the film) costume that I took on Saturday, and on Halloween itself.

(Swan at the Con)

I dressed up all day Saturday, as I was at the Long Beach Comic Con down in Long Beach, CA. I took a break on Sunday, but then was in costume again up all day (including taking the subway and buses in my costume, and teaching my cartooning students) on Halloween Monday. Over the weekend, I had a table alongside other creators in the "Samurai: The Graphic Novel" anthology. It overall was a lot of fun. I am grateful in the company of those who are good artists, good company, and good people.

The full list of those in the book, as well as those who were at the Con (Gerimi Burleigh, Karl Alstaetter, Jamie Gambell, Jesse Mesa Toves, Drew Johnston, and Dan Smith A.K.A. "SMIF"-- all of whose work is great and should be checked out) is at this link:
http://bit.ly/kSeShw

And now, I'll close with this bit of picspam. Hope everyone enjoys!

Long shot, taken by Dan Smith, of the row of us all on Saturday.

Professional cosplayer Xena Norma, and the Swan Queen. Photo is Trademarked to her, and her Flickr is here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/79635689@N00/

The Swan Queen and the Koala Cygnet (a.k.a. Fuzzles, a.k.a. Hobbes if I were a female, older version of Calvin, and Hobbes was an herbivorous marsupial instead of a ferocious yet cuddly tiger).

The Black Swan went on a Halloween Cruise with Jekyll/Hyde. It went around Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, and was quite a lot of fun. Costumes, plus music, plus dancing, plus getting to stand up top of a vessel and see even the edges of the Pacific and barges and such is really cool.

On Halloween morning, the Swan Queen fluttered over to Hollywood and Highland. It's very touristy and Times Square-y, and people dress in costume year round as street performers. Zorro was kind enough to pose/help the ballerina not fall while attempting a leg lift that she was improperly stretched for. Hope the almost fall isn't too noticeable!

And finally, the Black Swan is a Tim Burton fan-- or, she aspires to be a Nightmare Before Christmas? The movie did come out last December. Hrmmm... *scratches head*

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween and is off to a Happy November --!!

"Masquerade!" Inspiration Avenue

2011-10-26T09:07:00.000-07:00

For this week's I.A., the theme is "Masquerade Ball." The peeps (both slang for people, and a little joke to refer to the baby chicks ) in my greeting card are en route to their Masquerade ball.

It's progressive, so the dance is admitting in both people and animals ;-)

Instead of a chariot to get to the ball, they've a wagon, and instead of a horse, they've enlisted an accomadating (and rather strong) chicken to pull them along.

This is a very fun challenge, as I love Halloween, and I love getting dressed up-- and, I love masquerade balls, because they can be held at any time of year. It's one of the fun things about Comic Cons-- there are often balls, but people also come to them in very cool costumes.

Plus, I love "The Phantom Of the Opera" (in all its incarnations, but it was the ALW Musical I saw first, onstage when I was eleven-- and I guess that's still my favorite versions since I've seen it at least eleven times), and the song "Masquerade" is one of my favorite ones. The actual number is beautiful. Yet, it's also somber when you think of the main lyrics in the chorus, in accordance to the story, or even by themselves:

Masquerade!
Paper faces on parade,
Masquerade,
Hide your face,
So the world, will never, find you...

I've actually been both Christine and Erik (the Phantom's real name) at various years, but this year is all about intense ballerina-dom. In fact, I now have to go try on the leotard I have sewn together, complete with wings ;-)

In any event, here is the link to submit to "Masquerade" for "Inspiration Avenue:"
http://inspiration-avenue-team.blogspot.com/2011/10/this-weeks-challenge-is-masquerade-ball.html

And here are some more of my Halloween cards, as well as Birthday and Other Cards:
http://drawdvl.com/birthday-and-other-cards.html

Hope everyone is well! (-:

Autumn and Fall for Creative Tuesdays

2011-10-25T07:30:00.000-07:00

This week's C.T. is about Fall and Autumn. What's more fun about Autumn then orange, old, pumpkin patches. and Halloween??

The card I'm submitting is focused on my favorite Holiday ;-) The caption reads, "Have a 'Beary' Happy Halloween!" Because I truly am that silly.

I'm rushing off this morning, so I won't say as much as usual-- but I love this challenge! Thank you, Mister Toast (-:

Autumn is one of the most beautiful seasons there is! I miss the lack of leaves changing color on the West Coast (Although I recently visited home in New York, and got to see the full splendor of the leaf changes back there which was cool), although Autumn is beautiful no matter where you are.

And with that note, on with some links:

To submit to Creative Tuesdays for "Autumn," please click the most the below link at:
http://creativetuesdays.blogspot.com/2011/10/autumn-45.html

To see more Halloween, Birthday, and other cards of mine, please click here:
http://drawdvl.com/birthday-and-other-cards.html

Hope you are all having a "boo-tiful" (woo, more Halloween puns!) day (-:

P.S. Anyone else dressing up this year? I dress up every year, and this time I am planning on being "The Black Swan." I'm rather dorkily excited.

Fuel; Illustration Friday

2011-10-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

For this week's theme of "Fuel," I am submitting a greeting card.

Fire is often used for fuel, and with new environmentally friendly technologies, water can be used as well. This card shows the friendship between a girl, a little mouse, an elephant, and a dragon. Perhaps the girl and the mouse can't actually create energies, sustainable or not-- but between the dragon, who can breathe fire when need be, and the elephant, who can squirt water, perhaps there's hope for them creating fuel and putting it to good use?

Speaking of fuel, I am up early and home waiting to deal with the Gas Company. Delightful, to be sure, but also a little amusing given the Illustation Theme of the day.

I'll finish this up since I have work to do, and coffee to ingest.

To submit to I.F., please go to:
http://illustrationfriday.com

To see other similar Greeting Cards, please go to my site at:
http://drawdvl.com/miscellaneous-cards.html

And lastly, for any SoCal peeps, please come to the Majestical Roof Halloween Market in Pasadena tomorrow! Details ahoy:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=158015924289735

Happy Weekend, Everyone (-:

"On The Wings Of Inspiration" Party Week Challenge-- What Inspires You?

2011-10-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

"What Fuels Your Inspiration's Wings So That They Can Lift Your Ideas Into Creative Being?"

The above is the question for this weeks Party Post! I.A. Challenge, and while there are too many things that inspire me to count-- I figured I'd talk about all those things, and then talk about the drawing I submitted that shows one thing specifically.

So, I'm inspired by lots of things. Silly little things, like cute animals (be they drawn on a page, running across a computer or TV Screen as a cartoon, real life creatures, or plushie stuffed toys), are one. Nice people and kindness are another. Anything that's a good story inspires me, whether it is uplifting or really intense and heavy.

I even find stories like "The Count of Monte Cristo" inspirational (or that new show, "Revenge," which is kind of like a modern day version of it with a female protagonist), because comeuppance is not exactly an easy real-life thing for people to obtain sans consequences. But when on screen, onstage, or on the page, there is the possibility for bad characters to suffer consequences, while good characters may prevail and finally get a happy ending, even if there are flaws present-- I enjoy that.

I'm always inspired by stories, be they in a comic, in a painting, in a play, or in a film. Lots of art speaks to me, whether it's black and white and very ink heavy like an alternative graphic novel, or very bright and poppy like some paintings or animation, and things across the spectrum from very tragic to very silly and fun. As I said, as long as a story is a strong one, I am impressed by it. I'm inspired by things that make you think, by humor, by intelligence, and good conversation-- the list goes on.

And I guess finally, everyday things in life are inspiring-- friends, family, people in my real life and in fiction who continue to push forward even if they are continuously in Sisyphus type situations, stories of people being kind no matter what is thrown at them, and whenever adversity is triumphed over. This is a little embarrassing to admit to anyone who isn't at all into pop music, but I actually like the Katy Perry song "Firework" (although I prefer the Lea Michele cover of it from "Glee," voice-wise), because it has so many lyrics that basically tell a person to keep going, and that tell a person he or she is great, no matter how awful they feel at the moment. "After a hurricane, comes a rainbow...," and all that jazz.

But anyway, the image I chose to submit has to do with being inspired by love, and your family. I made a bunch of spot illustrations for my website to show some samples of black and white, editorial-y type works a while ago. I made some new ones I didn't get to post on my site yet, but one is a drawing of a girl and her two parents at her birthday party. My apologies, because I need to scan it in properly-- as posted, it's the best quality mobile phone picture I could get.

In truth, the drawing is based on a photo of my Mom, my Dad, and me, circa ten years ago (eeeeeeeeeep!), that was taken at a friend's wedding. But I changed for illustration purposes, to show a happy family scene for a birthday celebration for their daughter. I am lucky to have the family I have, and I thought this drawing of us would be good to post for this challenge, to show inspiration and gratitude. In some ways , looking back on a moment from things when they were easier can be painful, but I suppose also inspirational if you choose to look at it properly. One of my good friends is always talking about having the right perspective to view things in, and it can be hard, but the positive/being inspired by things perspective I think is always the best.

So, I'm ending this mini-novel. Whee? Whee. Hope anyone who read it enjoyed it, and this party post thing is pretty cool! Hope everyone's having lots of fun with it (-:

And now for some links:
http://inspiration-avenue-team.blogspot.com/2011/10/on-wings-of-inspiration-party-week.html

For more of the spot illustrations I mentioned, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/spot-illustrations.html

Thanks for reading --!!

Illustration Friday: Scattered

2011-10-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

The theme for "I.F." this week is "Scattered." And so, I present to everyone a card I made where two birthday girls are juggling, and therefore scattering their juggling balls hither thither and yon.

I am a sleepy cat, so I won't say too much more. But here are some links as per usual:

To submit to Illustration Friday, please go to:
http://illustrationfriday.com

To see more cards like this one at my site, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/miscellaneous-cards.html

And (because today is "Caturday") for a funny cat who is cute, but whose meow makes you go "Aww! It's okay, don't freak out little guy," please go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKI-tD0L18A

Hope everyone's having wonderful weekends.

Cupcakes! Creative Tuesday's Latest Theme Of Win

2011-10-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

So, here is a card I sold a while ago, submitted for this Creative Tuesday's Scrumptious Theme!

As it is about two friends who are wheeling around a wheelbarrow full of cookies, cupcakes, and donuts, while frosting enormous cupcakes that they are stepping on, I figured it would fit the theme ;-)

As a Cupcake Afficionado, I must say this theme is quite awesome. Thank you as always, Mister Toast! It's really nice to participate in online blogs where people have such fun ideas, cool contributions on similar themes (that somehow end up being creative and all different in a great way), and wonderful positivity.

Now for some links.

To submit to Creative Tuesdays, please go to the most recent link at:
http://creativetuesdays.blogspot.com/

(Past artists may notice the link has changed-- it has, because Mister Toast expanded the challenge to its own blog! His writings and updates on how his online blogs are going can be found at: http://goodteatoo.blogspot.com/)

To see other cards like this one at my site, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/birthday-and-other-cards.html

Hope everyone is having a fun and Tasty Tuesday. I wonder if there are any food blogs that hold a weekly or bi-weekly competition called "Tasty Tuesdays?" Hrm, hrm-- also looking forward to those who submitted photos of actual things they baked. Super cool :-D

Fear for Inspiration Avenue

2011-10-10T14:30:00.000-07:00

So, "fear" is a very appropriate for Halloween topic. For this I.A. I am submitting a clip from a page in the comic story I contribued to the anthology, "Samurai: The Graphic Novel."

Instead of being about "Fear" in the sense of "OMG! SCARY! THINGS POPPING OUT FROM BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, SCREAM!," this is more about a person realizing their worst fears.

I won't spoil too much of my story, but a central theme of it is of fear being realized. The fear that no matter how much a person tries and goes above and beyond for the love of another, it may not make a difference and perhaps never have meant anything in the first place.

Fears and phobias are quite difficult to deal with, but in some ways self-deception, putting up with things that one knows deep down are not right, and the realization of things that a person hopes against hope to never come true are in many ways more frightening. Hence this submission, and the perhaps slightly offbeat interpretation of the theme.

I will say that for anyone who likes to be scared in the more traditional sense of the word, there are definitely other stories in "Samurai: The Graphic Novel" that are suspenseful, more traditional in content to Samurais, and have definite scary moments!

Here's some more preview pages from the whole book and via the publisher's own Shopify page if anyone's curious:
http://tinyurl.com/samuraiOGN

And for fellow artists who like to read I.A. or want to submit, here's that link this week:
http://inspiration-avenue-team.blogspot.com/2011/10/weekly-challengefear.html

Thanks for reading, and hope this October week is a "Boo-Tiful" one for you all! Yes, as a punster and lover of Halloween, I had to go there.

October Rainbursts

2011-10-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

Silly Haiku for Tuesday's rain:

Sky waterfall, yay!

Surely, it won't last long, but...

'Tis inspiration

(handmade greeting card; cloudy colors)

(lovely google image result for "los angeles rain;" have done that same walk over that particular bridge)

(window distortion of rain, vol. 1)

(window distortion of rain, vol.2)

(handmade greeting card again, this one featuring teddies, friendship, and a crane in the rain)

Inspiration Avenue: Owls

2011-10-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

Good morning, everyone! Yay for finally sleeping and then waking up to fun art prompts.

I love owls and find them quite fun, so I've submitted the below greeting card for this week's "Inspiration Avenue."

The caption says, " 'Owl' Say, You're The Best Friend Ever! "

With it being Autumn and October (the month of Halloween), these little guys are very appropriate creatures to dedicate a theme to (-:

To see other similar cards to this one, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/family-and-friends-cards.html

To submit to Inspiration Avenue, please go to:
http://goo.gl/fb/No3fn

And to find out about "Owly," one of the best cartoon owls/stars of an all-ages comic book series to have ever been created, please go to:
http://www.andyrunton.com/owly/

Hope everyone is well, and that anyone who participates finds this challenge a "hoot!" (Inserts drum-line sound effect here).

Post Number Three, in the Series of Sleeplessness

2011-10-03T02:08:00.001-07:00

Same night. Am aware just posted moments ago. And yet. We have moved onto even NEW acts of the Ballad of the Pesky Headache.

And I have only myself to blame... for I decided to check Facebook one last time, before trying to sleep. Wherein, I came upon this, via a post from a fellow comics person:

That's right. That is, in fact, Phantom Menace Shojo. I am amused, but also a little terrified. And I used to edit Manhwa, so I am not easily terrified given some of the cray cray I read and saw in the past. Anyway. I think it's quite well done, even if it's of one of the infamous prequels, but...

Internet, why are you... I mean, really, is there anything that can't be found in your depths, if people are resilient enough?

I'm not quite sure how the original person who posted this even discovered it to begin with. What Google terms were used to get to this place?

As my friend who posted this said, "What's sad is that this is the best thing I've ever seen related to Phantom Menace. It's only missing Jar Jar Binks in a tuxedo."

(Of course, I'd also like to see this re-drawn with "Black Swan" outfits, but now I'm just getting repetitive-- although Natalie Portman did star both in the above referenced film, as well as my main obsession, so perhaps not? Hrmm hrmm...)

Post Number Two, in the Series of Sleeplessness

2011-10-03T01:55:00.000-07:00

My last post along these lines dealt with being up/unable to crash, while having a headache.

Apparently, tonight is Act II of the Same Play.

Perhaps it's a combination of being drained (in a good way, since today was fun and full of lovely artists, writers, and fair-goers-- and some people I was so dorkily excited to meet!) from the West Hollywood Book Fair, and being drained of... water? Well, not drained so much as I'm just at fault for not having drank enough while out in the sun. And by not enough, I kind of mean not at all. Whoops.

The book fair was lovely, and it deserves a recap if and when the busy-ness of life wants to slow down for a bit--but being up and too energetic for sleep and having too full a day tomorrow is not quite as nice.

THAT SAID.

Before I crack and reach for the Excedrin or ice... I will make use of this time spent without rest, and just bring this entry to its incoherent best.

To quote a famous Dylan Thomas poem... (the true meaning of which is actually very sad, and somber), and to be somewhat silly, while poking fun at various life stresses bringing out the repressed rage in a person (and reference that film with which I'm most obsessed, also considering that Halloween is coming up), here is my interpretation with random images.

"do not go gentle into that good night"

(observe sweet kitteh, attempting to maintain the light of his/her personality, gently falling asleep into the good night)

"rage, rage..."

(observe the kitteh who obviously embodies, "rage, rage...," and perhaps not so joyfully going into that aforementioned good night)

"...against the dying of the light."

Annnnnnd... "Black Swan" kitteh may be experiencing an inner "dying of the light," perhaps which was extinguished by the very fire of her rage.

I just really an excuse to post my MS Paint Ode to "Black Swan: It's Fluffy's Turn."

And now, I'm exiting Stage Left to go pull a Nina vs. Lilly on my headache. At least, the initial perception of how that scene victoriously turns out.

Illustration Friday: Hibernate

2011-09-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

For the I.F. theme of "Hibernate," here is a spot illustration of a girl and her trusty stuffed bear.

Although, since he is technically a stuffed Koala (how surprising of me to have drawn, I know)-- she is excited that he does not have to hibernate for the winter after all! Being Aussie creatures, their climates are temperate enough that hibernation isn't necessary. Leaving aside the fact that live koalas tend to sleep for around twenty hours a day, such restrictions don't apply to plushies.

So, once this girl and her toy throw on scarves and bundle up, they can go traipsing into the snow-- without once ever having to worry about finding a warm cave to hide in for the winter.

To see more spot illustrations of mine, please go to:

http://drawdvl.com/spot-illustrations.html

To submit or see more "Hibernate" submissions at I.F., please go to:

http://illustrationfriday.com

Thanks for reading, and have a great Friday!

Can't sleep; headache will eat me

2011-09-30T01:02:00.000-07:00

Presented without comment, sans this sentence and the title-- ouchie, ow, ow.

¡Viva España! Para la Avenida de Inspiración

2011-09-27T23:59:00.000-07:00

I love that this week's challenge comes from an I.A. member who got to travel to Spain (-: Super cool, and hope the travels were magnificent and fun! Traveling is always an inspirational thing, and it of course ties in perfectly to the theme of this community blog :-D

Dance was the theme I decided to go with for this theme. Below is my submitted romantic greeting card, in which one character travelled to Spain to visit the other.

The boy's outfit was meant to be in the style of Flamenco costuming (a famous style of dance from Spain), and the girl's outfit was meant to be more in the style of Baile folklórico (a famous style of dance done mainly in Mexico and Central America).

So, since their outfits reference dances from different countries, I'd like to think she threw on her dancing best, hopped a plane for quite a few hours, and visited her gentleman caller/pen-pal (email pal?) in Spain. And that once together, they'd be able to properly teach one another all those various dance moves that it would be difficult to communicate either virtually or vocally.

How they managed to climb, not freeze, and dance upon one of Spain's many mountain ranges... well, I'd say it is a mystery or impossible, but the great things about cartoons and illustrations is that the impossible can become possible, and whimsical, all with a few strokes of a pen/pencil/any medium a person chooses.

I took liberty with the outfits color-wise, so the background and the snowy mountain-tops they're standing on would pop more. Yellow wouldn't come out in a traditional Flamenco costume (I don't think?), but I thought it complemented the reds, blacks, and grays-- so, I hope it is okay I chose color vibrancy over color accuracy.

Spain and Mexico are two places on the top of my travel list. I really want to go to Mexico City, in particular, and I want to see as many cities as possible in Continental Europe (Paris, France is the only part of the Continent I've been to; when I was twenty and in school in England six years ago I got to France, Ireland, and Scotland each once).

I went back to London in 2009 after saving up like crazy, and I had wanted to go to Italy in 2011 and visit my good friend, and the cities my family is originally from-- but it hasn't yet happened. It would be amazing to see everything, everywhere, really.

So, anyway. This challenge was a very fun one in which to partake. A good reminder to get back to travelling, and sort things and schedules out enough to make it possible.

It's funny, the latest I.A. challenges have almost been like New Years Resolutions-y, in that they keep reminding me of things I love and need to return to doing. Which is pretty cool, since the whole theme of the blog is to be inspired! I'm always inspired by the different ways people interpret the challenges and everyone's starkly different art styles. And the themes are always great fun-- I just really appreciate that these past two have struck a particularly deep chord in the realm of inspiration.

I'll end my late night rambles by including some links:

To see other romantic cartoon greeting cards at my site, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/romantic-cards.html

To submit to Inspiration Avenue, please go to:
http://goo.gl/fb/IaUU6

Happy Inspiring, and hope everyone is well -- whether snug at home, or out adventuring in some new place.

"Keys" for Inspiration Avenue

2011-09-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

As someone who loves music and used to play quite a bit of it (alto sax for five years, viola for seven, and piano for six-- I miss playing, and my younger days of band and orchestra rather dearly, to be honest), I love to draw lots of music-y things in pieces and cards.

So, for the I.A. prompt of keys, I had to submit this card in which this boy and girl are seated upon a drum that's placed upon Piano Keys!

I also figured that the treble clef shows the key of the songs they're playing, which adds to the theme. In any case, it's a fun challenge, and it will be very exciting to see what other people come up with! Keys are such an inspirational thing to think about, not only for music-- but in terms of opening doors, having a key to a new life, a new world, and many possibilities (-:

This was also a cool prompt because it reminded me of how much I miss playing music. I rented my alto saxophone for so many years I ended up owning it, and I still have it-- a prompt like this is a good reminder to go back to pick it up and get back in the swing of practicing.

I love music, and was doing it pretty seriously from elementary through the beginning of high school. I obviously changed gears somewhat, and am focused now more on art and writing (and sometimes theatre)-- although I do sometimes wonder what would have been if I had stayed with the world of music, more than the world of art/cartooning/illustration.

It's not always necessary to choose, though-- and as I said, owning an instrument is a great incentive to get back to playing it (-:

Now for some links:

To see other cards alongside this one at my site, please go to:

http://drawdvl.com/romantic-cards.html

To see other I.A. submissions for this challenge, please go to:

http://goo.gl/fb/zr9dp19

Other I.A.-ers and readers, how many of you chose piano keys for this challenge, and have played music yourself? I am interested if anybody has stories in this realm!

Hope everyone has been having an inspirational week! Inspiration unlocks the "key" to art creating-- had to get a pun in there, although I'm not quite sure it counts as a pun because it is only a tiny bit of a word play, and more of a very true statement :-p

Creative Tuesdays: Morning!

2011-09-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

Posting on a Friday for next Tuesday-- but dates can always be flexible, no? If you're tired enough, dates will start to blend together. Maybe that confusion will unblend with coffee... you know, I was trying to make a coffee and blended drink pun, but I am too sleepy. I'll stop my silly rambles and continue onto the previously scheduled point.

I thought it would be appropriate, given how my other post today (for I.F.) is grayer/much darker in color and thematic tone, to brighten things up for the weekend with this post for the upcoming Creative Tuesdays Challenge!

As the theme is "morning," I thought a card depicting a proposal (or at least a sweet moment) at sunrise would fit the bill. I'd say it leans more towards the proposal-y side of things, though, as the caption to this card is:

"I Think It Would Really Be Quite Hand, If I Could Only Have Your Hand!"

And, onwards: links are below!

To see more romantic cards I've made, please go to:

http://drawdvl.com/romantic-cards.html

To submit to Mister Toast's Creative Tuesdays for the theme of "Morning" for this challenge, please go to the most recent link on Tuesday, September Twenty-Seventh, at:

http://goodteatoo.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading, and Good Morning, Everyone!

Illustration Friday: Ferocious

2011-09-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

I did this piece some time ago, but I felt it would work for the theme of "ferocious."

It was for a noir-themed gallery show, so... yeah, it's pretty dark and I think fits the noir bill. I think it fits the theme of "ferocious," because you have to have some dark/ferocious/pretty awful stuff going on in your heart if you can be mean and threaten scared little creatures.

The entire title of the piece is "It Was Then He Showed Me How To Kill Kittens" (abbreviated usually as "It Was Then He Showed Me...," with the obvious darkness being these two kids with weapons on the street cornering alley cats. Although, there was supposed to be an added layer of darkness because the kids are so young, and "killing kittens" used to be an unfortunate meme/euphemism. Nobody got the dark joke though, so it usually has been interpreted fairly literally. In my mind, perhaps this was some sort of dark initiation thing the kids were asked to do, but they both chickened out before anything else.

It's weird; I make up stories for a lot of the things I create, but when the things are sadder or more macabre I sometimes like to imagine future instances where the characters are in a better place. Motivation to draw follow-up illos, I suppose :-p

In any event, to see this and other color works at my site, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/color-works.html

To submit to I.F., please go to:
http://illustrationfriday.com

And for a greatly inspirational story about a little puppy named Harper who has a new lease (leash?) on life, please read this!
http://bit.ly/rv35Ix

Given how sad the drawing I did is, and given that I am an animal person, I thought this real life story would be a good pick me up from a downbeat post. Also, as the theme is "ferocious," Harper's sweet face and story shows that not all big dogs (esp. pits, which she is) that get sterotyped to be ferocious actually are (-:

Inspiration Avenue, and Illustration Friday: Autumn Splendor, Mesmerize, and Secrets!

2011-09-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

These two little girls in this double post (showing a greeting card) appear mesmerized-- when I made this card, I thought that they were busy with two things: A) Getting ready for Falltime and school (hence the amount of orange coloring in the illo, and the characters carrying too much in the way of backpacks), and B), Sharing a secret. Secrets can be exciting, and I felt that especially the girl on the right seemed mesmerized.

The caption is, "I Could Never Carry On Without You!" And yes, it's a backpack/carrying pun.

In any event, I feel that the card for Inspiration Avenue's theme of "Autumn Splendor," with them returning to their Fall and Autumn studies (and the girl on the right is dressed for it too!), and with the windy swirls in the background.

I think it also works for Illustration Friday, as the windy swirls in the background can perhaps have mesmerized them-- or, as I said earlier, the secrets they're keeping may just be enough.

I'm a fan of "Pretty Little Liars," a well shot and acted (And even at times written) teen drama that has a lot to do with secret keeping. "The Pierces," a duo sister singing team that are wonderful (both recorded and live; got to see them last winter!), sing the theme song for the show.

It's called "Secret," and one of the lyrics is, "Look into my eyes-- now you're getting sleepy; Are you hypnotized, by secrets that you're keeping?" And, anyway, I thought of that song in connection to the rambles in my head-- which, are now rambles on paper. Or technically, on screen.

Anyway, without further ado, here are some links!

To submit to this week's I.A., please go to:
http://goo.gl/fb/3O7b8

To submit to this week's I.F., please go to:
http://illustrationfriday.com/

To see other family and friends cards I've done, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/family-and-friends-cards.html

Keeping on theme, I do hope everyone's Autumn is off to a splendid start, and that anyone reading has something mesmerizing/exciting happen to them this weekend!

(-: As for me this weekend, I'll be busy manning my booth at ArtCycle L.A. all day Saturday. Whee!

For anyone in the area, it's 2:00 PM until 10:00 PM, on Santa Monica Boulevard between Virgil and Vermont.

Hope to see some local peeps and have some fun!

For the Forty-Second Edition of Creative Tuesdays-- Kitchen --!!

2011-09-13T09:02:00.001-07:00

For this week's Creative Tuesdays, the theme is "Kitchen." I've been drawing like a madwoman and making new cards for a Festival this upcoming Saturday in which I am selling cards.

So, I made sure to also create a card that would for sure fit the theme for "Creative Tuesdays" this week. I had lots of fun drawing and coloring this one, and it was a neat challenge trying to come up with a quirky way to interpret the theme.

I haven't yet decided what the caption for this card will be, or whether I should caption it at all. "Punny" sayings are what I generally go for when I write the greetings inside. That said, sometimes people prefer blank cards for personalization purposes, so I make those too. But C.T.-ers, if you have any suggestions for something to be written inside here, please, let me know!

In any event, this is a Kitchen and Breakfast scene. Mom has curled her hair, sat down to relax, wait for her hair to set, and to caffeinate/read the paper in the interim. Daughter decided to make breakfast, and for unknown reasons, balance the plate of food on her head. Maybe she has dreams of modeling, and didn't have a book around to practice with?

In any case,the two are happy and amused by one another. But both appear to be unaware of the sudsy water overflowing from the dishes in the sink getting washed-- even the little girl missed this, despite the fact that some of the bubbles ended up in her hair.

So now, without further ado, here are some links!

To submit to Creative Tuesdays for this week, please go to:
http://goodteatoo.blogspot.com/2011/09/creative-tuesday-42-kitchen.html

To see Mister Toast's Blog overall, please go to:
http://goodteatoo.blogspot.com/

To see other cards of mine about family and friendship that I've made, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/family-and-friends-cards.html

And last, but not least-- for anyone who may live in or be near the L.A. area, here are the links for the aforementioned festival for this Saturday that I'm making cards to sell. It will have lots of fun things, like art, food music, and an emphasis on biking/public transit/not using cars as much so we can save the environment:

http://www.artcyclela.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ArtCycleLA

http://twitter.com/ArtCycle

And that, as they say, is that. Happy Tuesday, and Happy Creating, Everybody!

Illustration Friday: Boundaries (Or in this case, lack thereof)

2011-09-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

For this week's I.F., the theme is "boundaries." So I've submitted a piece I did a while ago, entitled "It's Not Easy Being Queen," where boundaries have been crossed; one woman is in complete control of another.

Even though it looks like the two are in a relationship, to be honest, the chains, and the seated girl being slightly terrified, were all meant to be metaphors.

As it's art, anyone looking at it is free to interpret it as they wish-- although I did want to get my disclaimer to the world out there, and explain that this piece, overall, was meant to show an abuse of power. Keeping on I.F. theme, such abuses often involve crossing boundaries.

The title of this piece is a reference to the idea of "Queen Bees." Not just the kind that rule the hive, but the human female kind. There are Queens that rule, yet they manage to rule with kindness... and then, there are the Regina George/Miranda Priestley/Anna Wintours of the world. Befriend or work under such a person, and your automatic reply will eventually be "How high?" after she asks you to jump, and Lord help you if you question such demands-- no matter how inappropriate or insane they may be.

I came up with the idea pretty much through having seen "The Devil Wears Prada" one too many times; from everything I remember when was in college and did a research project on relational aggression among girls; and from... a composite of things. I've already typed a lot, so perhaps I'll just step back from here, so one's own conclusions can be drawn.

In any case, to submit to Illustration Friday or see other entries, please go to:
http:/illustrationfriday.com

To see more color works of mine, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/color-works.html

Hope everyone is well this weekend <3

Inspiration Avenue and Web of Whimsy: Patterns, and Villains going Ker-Plunk!

2011-09-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

I am a huge lover of patterns, so this is a fun challenge for "Inspiration Avenue!" Also, as one of the characters in my piece is having a hissy fit and jumping up and down, he is going "ker-plunk" which each stomp of his feet. So, it works for "Web of Whimsy," as well.

I've submitted a piece I did for a "Harry Potter" themed contest, but I put my own spin on it. Combining old fairy tales with "Harry Potter" (pretty much a new fairytale in and of itself, with all the lessons it teaches and magic inherent in it), I decided to go with "Rumpelstiltskin." The name of this piece is, "Is Your Name Volde-Stiltskin?"

When I created it, to give it an old timey feel, I spent quite a bit of time mapping out the patterns of the various bricks present in the walls. I also made a point of patterning the floor with Owl-esque tiles (in commemoration of Harry's beloved Hedwig), and while not exactly a pattern, I had to repetitiously draw the spools of spun gold.

In the original "Rumpelstiltskin" story, Rumpelstiltskin loses his bet and is enraged when the girl in the story is able to figure out his name. It's an old fairy-tale, but here's the link if anyone doesn't know it: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Rum.shtml

So, as you might have just read, Rumpelstiltskin would have been given the girl's first born child in payment for him keeping her secret-- that she was unable to spinstraw into gold, and that he was doing it for her. But she guesses his name, and he is a sore loser. Hence, him having a manchild fit and stomping in anger through the floor.

In "Harry Potter," you can't say Voldemort's name without fear of summoning him. So, in a weird way, I kind of thought the two villains were connected. Obviously Voldemort is far more powerful and terrifying, but they're each scary in their own way-- and, I had fun combining them.

In this piece, Harry is the Prince the girl has married, Ginny is the girl trying to keep their first born, and the baby they're holding up I suppose would be James, their firstborn. Voldemort is Rumpeltstiltskin. Or, "Volde-Stiltskin." So he's a much smaller, less scary, and angrier version of himself. Normal Voldemort I don't think would ever be caught dead (well, caught dead ever if possible, because eternal life was his endgame-- but I digress) having a tantrum and stomping so vigorously that he'd fall through any kind of floor.

So, anyway, there are my submissions! Now for some links.

To Submit to I.A., please go to:
http://t.co/U0MmWCc

To submit to Web of Whimsy, please go to:
http://dthaase-lines.blogspot.com/p/whimsical-wednesday.html

To see more Color Pieces on my Website, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/color-works.html

And lastly, for any fans of Voldy/serious snark, he has a Twitter. Yes oh yes, Lord Voldemort tweets. He can be a bit mean, but sometimes his tweets are just brutally honest and funny. I thought I'd include this bit of internet silliness for any Tweeps or serious "Harry Potter" fans:
http://twitter.com/#!/lord_voldemort7

Thanks for reading, everyone --!!

Illustration Friday: Mysterious

2011-09-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

This Friday theme is a widely interpretable one. So, for "mysterious," I've submitted a card with a few elements of mystery.

Are these girls actually onstage? Why the green music-noted curtains surrounding them, if they're not onstage? But if they are onstage, why is the stage floor made of hearts? How would one ever hope to balance while doing ballet, or even walking around to perform a theatre show, with such an uneven, heart-shaped floor? Mysterious. Perhaps the stage designer didn't think everything through.

The girl on the right has a sly look and smile on her face. Why so mysterious? (Am I quoting the Joker from the second most recent "Batman" movie? No wait, that's "Why so serious?" Never mind. Have had a tiring week, so forgive any incoherence in my blogging.) She looks like she is up to something, or perhaps just very happy. But, it's hard to read her expression. Mysterious? Mysterious.

And, lastly-- how does the girl on the right have hair made of music notes and staffs? Even curiouser, how do she and her friend pull those notes out from her hair to then hold them and play with them? Hrmm, hrmmm...

I poured as much playful mystery as I could into this card, and I hope people are amused by the bright colors and randomly "mysterious" elements that abound here.

And, onward.

To submit to I.F., please go to:
http://illustrationfriday.com/

I must post this card and other new works on my website, so I'll link to my cards section of my website another time. But for anyone curious to poke around overall, it's at:
http://drawdvl.com

Thanks for reading, and hope everyone has a great weekend (-:

So far, on theme, Los Angeles's weekend looks to be foggy and mysterious. I'm rather liking this San Francisco-y weather, though, so I'm excited. Knocking on wood it keeps feeling like Autumn.

Creative Tuesdays: The Ideal Coffee Break

2011-08-29T23:17:00.000-07:00

Hello, C.T.-ers! This post is a little more tongue-in-cheek/offbeat humor than I think I've posted, ever, for Creative Tuesdays. I think it also may be the first ever etching I have posted. But, as I felt this etching was very much on theme, I hope everyone will bear with me! It is meant to be funny and lighthearted, and to pay homage to an animal I discovered a bit of time ago. This animal is cute, yet used for something interesting and a little strange. So goes my disclaimer, I suppose.

This etching is called, "Queen of the Kopi Luwak Cats."

I made it after I discovered what the Kopi Luwak Coffee was, and what Asian Civet Cats were, and how these animals are used to make Gourmet Coffee. Don't worry, the animals themselves (cat/lemur like creatures, like those from Madagascar, although these "Cats" live in South and Southeast Asia) are not hurt in the process. But how people use the Asian Civet Cats and their natural goings-on to make coffee is bizarre (although still apparently hygienic), and the resulting coffee is considered so gourmet it is literally thirty dollars a cup.

I won't go into details, but anyone who is interested can Wikipedia search it. For now, I wanted to post my etching showing these cats, and their Goddess of Coffee. She dresses in it, lives near trees that pour it, hangs out with "Kopi Luwak Cats," and her hair perhaps is made of leaves of that very same plant! Must be very energetic where they all live, with all that coffee making and sipping. Although she is playing and being silly, so she is getting to enjoy her Ideal Coffee Break as their Queen. The Kopi Luwak making Cats are still hard at work.

To submit to Creative Tuesdays, please go to the most recent entry on Mister Toast's Blog at:
http://goodteatoo.blogspot.com

To see other etchings I have done, and to see this one at the source, please go to my website at:

http://drawdvl.com/etchings-and-linocuts.html

And on this fabulous topic of coffee, yes please! I am a very big caffeine, tea and coffee-- but very often coffee-- person.

Sunday Posting Of Illustration Friday

2011-08-28T14:53:00.001-07:00

For this week's I.F., the theme is "Disguise," and the protagonist of this spot illo seems to think she has successfully disguised herself, half as a rabbit and half as a sea-turtle.

You can't blame her, since she's riding a sea-turtle friend and hugging a bunny friend. But I think that even though she's playing amongst the animals, she hasn't successfully disguised herself as one.

In any event, to view other spot illustrations I have done, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/spot-illustrations.html

To submit to Illustration Friday and/or to see entries, please go to:
http://illustrationfriday.com

Illustration Friday: Influence

2011-08-19T17:30:00.000-07:00

This week's I.F. theme is "Influence," and as I am greatly under the influence of Fuzzles the Koala, I have posted the below card which I just finished:

The koalas in this picture are "influenced" by romance in the air. After all, there are hearts and happy surroundings in this scene (the two at the right hand corner are especially having a lovey-dovey time of things), so it would be hard to not be swept up by those feelings, right?

I myself was influenced by Fuzzles the Koala, and I wanted make a card featuring miniature koalas (like him) playing around. I also hid a koala in the tree that the girl is picking fruit from.

In any case, for more miscellaneous cards from my site, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/miscellaneous-cards.html

To submit to Illustration Friday, please go to:
http://illustrationfriday.com

Hope this theme influences everyone to have a great weekend! <3

P.S. On a very silly note, I feel the need to explain.

For anyone curious who might have happened across this blog via I.F.--and who has no idea of what the Fuzzles the Koala references are-- here is a blog where I explained, and also talked about my love for stuffed toys (largely stemming from "The Velveteen Rabbit," and then solidified by the "Toy Story" films-- in particular, the third one). http://craftydvl.blogspot.com/2010/06/really-real-kids-rock.html .

Apparently the blog and the content about toys and the notion that they can sometimes be "Real" hit a chord, since I got a positive comment from a friend, and a less positive comment from a person who I believe made an account just to post. Either way, I love both Real and Stuffed animals, and I don't think there's anything wrong with liking something unabashedly-- even if it is something as silly as a plush marsupial (-:

Inspiration Avenue and Web of Whimsy: "Icy!"

2011-08-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

I haven't done Web of Whimsy in some time, and as it is a bit of a whimsical thing to be thinking about snow and ice in this crazy summer heat, I figured that a combo post was in order!

Above is my submission for W.W., as well as "Inspiration Avenue," for this week's theme of "icy."

The sun is beautiful, but the accompanying heat and humidity are not as fun, and things I am familiar with from everywhere I have lived (New York with the most humidity, London when I was in school there happened to have a hot and humid summer, and while L.A. was once only dry heat, with climate change it's gotten muggier as of late). So, thinking of the fact that crisp, cool (I can dream) Fall is approaching, and then thinking of Wintry snowy days, makes this a fun challenge and a great excuse to daydream!

My submission is a card, and while I've thought it would be better as a card during the Winter holidays/seasons, perhaps people might appreciate snowy and icy looking art at this time of year, at least as a way to dream of things other than how sweltering it is.

The girl character in the card, and her cat, seemed not to be too worried by the fact they're sitting on igloos and an ice-kingdom, as they aren't at all bundled up. Maybe they just flew between hemispheres, and the abrupt change from Summer to Winter was so exciting they wanted to feel it all ;-)

Anyway, onto some links.

To see more such cards like this that I've made, please go to:

http://drawdvl.com/winter-holiday-cards.html

To submit to I.A. yourself and see other submissions for this theme, please go to:

http://t.co/x6m1J1j

To participate in Web of Whimsy, please go to the section marked August for:

http://dthaase-lines.blogspot.com/p/whimsical-wednesday.html

Stay cool, guys!

Creative Tuesdays: Moon!

2011-08-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

For this week's theme of "Moon" for "Creative Tuesdays, I have submitted the below card depicting what it would be like to hold onto the moon while preparing to leap over it, while you also played among smiling stars.

I'm usually pretty alternative/old-fashioned in how I draw many cards, but sometimes my Manga and Manhwa influences sneak in, which I think happened in this card. Definitely, at least, as far as the stars and their facial expressions are concerned ^__^

The original handmade card (if any readers are in or ever visiting the Southern California area) is for sale at Leanna Lin's Wonderland, a store in the L.A. neighborhood of Eagle Rock! The link for this store, and Beading Workshop/Jewelry Center for children, is here:

http://leannalinswonderland.com/

To see other cards I've made like this one, please go to:

http://drawdvl.com/miscellaneous-cards.html

To see this week's entries or to submit your own work to C.T., please go to the most recent post at Mister Toast's Blog:

http://goodteatoo.blogspot.com/

Hope everyone is having a lovely Tuesday! I'd say I hope that everyone feels "Over the Moon," but that phrase is used quite a lot so I will refrain :-D

"Swell," Illustration Friday

2011-08-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

Since the "Illustration Friday" theme this week is "Swell," I thought to include a piece that shows the waves and "swells" of the Ocean. Actually, a crop of this piece is currently the heading of my entire blog (-: --!

This drawing is called "Yang," as a reference to happiness and the lighter half of the Yin/Yang equation. The dragon's actual name is also Yang.

I had fun creating this piece. A lot of times dragons are vilified, so it was nice to make a piece focusing on a girl's friendship with one. Note to self: still have to see "How To Train Your Dragon."

This piece was a lot of fun to draw. I especially enjoyed drawing the little highlights in Yang's eyes. If you look, you see that Yang isn't exactly hungry-- just rather fond of the one fish being chased (while the other fish looks on with a "..." expression).

The pursued fish is not thrilled to be found so "swell" by Yang. But the waves and "swells" the ocean are always good to propel someone forward, if you want to swim away to an escape!

In any case, "Yang" was selected to be in the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery Juried Exhibition in 2008. It was an honor and great fun to be in the show, and I am happy to overall be involved with LAMAGA/Barnsdall Art Park on a regular basis (-:

Here are some links for interested parties:

Illustration Friday: http://illustrationfriday.com/

Black and White Works on my Website: http://drawdvl.com/black-and-white-works.html

Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery: http://www.lamag.org/

Barnsdall Art Park: http://www.laparks.org/dos/historic/barsndall.htm

Hope everyone's Friday is going Swell! (woo-hoo, look at me keeping on theme)

"Sun-Kissed," Inspiration Avenue

2011-08-08T10:31:00.001-07:00

What a fun theme for I.A. this week, "Sun-Kissed!"

It's hard to feel that way when the heat gets too much, but sunlight and Vitamin-D are still beautiful and necessary things, so it's a nice challenge to try and show appreciation for that (-:

I've submitted a card of a Mom and Daughter who are rather Sun-like, and so close to the sun they could kiss it themselves.

To see more of these kinds of cards, please go to this portion of my website:
http://drawdvl.com/miscellaneous-cards.html

To submit to I.A. and "Sun-Kissed" this week, and also to see other challenges, please go to:

http://goo.gl/fb/RzJeC

Hope you all have sun-kissed and not sweltering Mondays, slash Weeks! (-:

"Imperfect" for Illustration Friday

2011-08-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

This week's I.F. theme is "Imperfect," and given the imperfect (to put it extremely politely and as the understatement of forever) state of the economy throughout the world and in the United States, I decided to submit this spot illustration.

Not as cheery as my colorful card illustrations, but I thought it would be appropriate for the times and the topic. I sincerely hope things get better in the world in all ways, and many virtual hugs to anyone reading this who could use them.

Back on the illo front, to see more spot illos I have done, please go here:
http://drawdvl.com/spot-illustrations.html

To submit to Illustration Friday for "Imperfect," please go here:
http://illustrationfriday.com

On a merrier note, good weekend wishes to all <3

Inspiration Avenue-- Forest for the Trees

2011-08-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

This week's Inspiration Avenue prompt is "The Forest For The Trees," which is a profound saying, and a pretty fun challenge! Below is the forest-y card of my submission.

These two little girls are focused on the small details, as they are playing with little ladybugs. Consequently, they're not looking deeper behind them into the rest of the forest.

Since the old adage basically means that people are focusing on the small details rather than the overarching ones (the "trees" representing the smaller details, and the "forest" being the bigger picture), it could seem that the girls in the picture are not paying enough attention to their environment at large.

However, you could also argue that they are focused entirely on their friendship and on playing-- as well as being kind to creatures smaller than they-- all of which are very important, and perhaps some of the most important, things to be focusing on when you are a little kid.

To see more of these types of cards on my blog, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/birthday-and-other-cards.html

To see submissions or submit yourself to I.A. this week, please go to:
http://goo.gl/fb/EMEDa

Very cool idea for a post, and also a metaphorically interesting one. I wish it were easier than it is, sometimes, to "see the forest for the trees." As they say, le sigh :-p

Birthday Today (Yikes!)

2011-08-01T07:50:00.001-07:00

So, I'm using that as an excuse to post this card! Partially to be silly, and partially to remind myself to get get drawing on some more.

What can I say? Fuzzles made me do it.

And now, I am off for what I hope are fun and arty adventures ;-)

Won't say more until after the day's end, and hope everyone else is having a nice July to August Transition.

"Obsession" For Illustration Friday"

2011-07-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

For this week's "Illustration Friday," the theme is "Obsession."

So, I've submitted a piece from a few years back I did, called "Let Go." It was actually inspired by a photoshoot for the film "Black Snake Moan," although the characters in my drawing ended up looking significantly different.

In any event, it may be called "Let Go," but the woman can't really do so. Literally, as she's gripped onto the man's hand, and removed that part of herself so as to always be grabbing onto him. Fairly obsessive, and thus, I felt this fit the theme of "Obsession."

To view more of my color works, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/color-works.html

To view more I.F. submissions or to submit your own work, please go to:
http://illustrationfriday.com

Thanks for checking out the blog, and Happy Friday, Readers!

Creative Tuesdays: Ice Cream

2011-07-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

"I scream, you scream, we all scream, for ICE CREAM --!!"

I just had to be silly, for the "Creative Tuesday" prompt that's upcoming is "Ice Cream." Goodness knows that those of us in a hot weathered area could use it. Mmmm...

Gelato is a favorite of mine, even though somewhat different than ice-cream. I have a soft-spot for it because I'm part Italian... but really, the creamy stuff is pretty difficult not to like! Mmm... so many kinds of ice-cream are good. Popsicles are also yummy. The kids in the card I posted for this week's submission are each eating ice-cream popsicles on a summer day. In fact, the girl got so into hers that she got it all over her face!

This card was captioned, "I Think You're Super Sweet!" Since the popsicles are sweet, presumably both parties are sweet to each other, and the "super" part comes from his being dressed up as some sort of a heroic comic-booky type character.

In any event, without further ado, everyone should check out Mister Toast's blog! Come the second of Agosto, the most recent entry will have everybody's submissions (and if you submitted a work yourself, it's where you'll post the link):

http://goodteatoo.blogspot.com

Here's a link to more fun and romantic cards of mine:

http://drawdvl.com/romantic-cards.html

I'm off now to go dream of ice-cream. Noms upon noms.

SDCC 2011 Recap (Of Cosplay, San Diego Parks, and Silliness)

2011-07-26T07:11:00.000-07:00

(Note: Cartoon version above. IRL, Cosplay version semi-below)

So, Comic-Con has come and gone. Always a very fun trip and event, although as a native New Yorker the crowds in the hall (getting bigger every year) tend to stress me a bit. The floor was like a Pop Culture Times Square, which was awesome in terms of visual/mental/aural stimuli... but a little less awesome in terms of being able to walk anywhere. Still, love the Con and wouldn't trade it for anything.

In any event, there were many great panels, after-events, and exhibitors/publishers/artists this year. The "Lucid Dreams" exhibit curated by Mark Murphy designs out in Little Italy on Friday night was one of my favorite events. And in a great neighborhood, too! Lots to see, do, and eat-- the nom-tastic pizza I had made me a happy girl. I am always a bit sad that L.A.'s "Little Italy" was no more by the time I moved to the city, but I digress. Between Little Italy and getting to the S.D. Zoo, these are just more reasons to make myself take a trip to San Diego when it isn't Comic-Con time.

I took too many pictures to put all of them in a blog, but I figured I'd share a couple of snapshots. To be loyal to my blog's description of "Drawings and Other Things," here is... well, a post about other things. Somewhat drawing related (it was a convention that was once solely focused on Comics, after all), but mostly, here are pictures of Fuzzles, Cosplay, Archie Comics, My Little Pony, and Balboa Park (I spent all day Sunday outside exploring, instead of in the Convention Center! Whee!).

Above is Fuzzles, looking out the Amtrak window and admiring the view. Taking the train to San Diego is a beautiful way to travel. When you board the six in the morning train out of Union Station, it's mostly cloudy the whole ride down, and the train goes along the beach for much of the ride. I am a fangirl for the Pacific Surfliner experience!

Fuzzles again, watching my badge. Because Lord knows, left to my own devices I tend to lose things. I'm glad he's willing to help a girl out.

Friday Cosplay! My friend, Veronica, myself, Betty. Yes, that's a wig. I pride myself on my Brunette-ness, although I always related to Betty more and liked her better when I read "Archie" comics as a kid. Some people thought my hair was real, which... not sure how when you see that wig up close and in person (it's been through a lot), and I don't really think I look like a natural blonde, but still, it was somewhat amusing. Fun, unrelated fact: Archie Comics' Headquarters are in my hometown! Well, the town next to my hometown in which I went to h.s. In any event, a pretty cool thing to have such an iconic publisher in your 'hood when growing up :-D

Betty and My Little Pony-- was way obsessed with these as a wee one, so I had to make Fuzzles pose for a picture with me.

Shed the wig on Saturday, so Betty's retired for a while. However, I managed to hug these awesome dudes. I think they were people in balloon-y costumes, which was pretty cool. They might have been blow-up statues, but they seemed to be moving? Perhaps it'll remain a mystery. I really like when over-sized costumed characters wander through Comic-Con and give people hugs. Although, once I almost got crushed by two larger than life Ugly-Doll characters body-slamming me at New York Comic Con. I am a fan of hugging, not crushing (-:

Sunday: Balboa Park's Rose Garden! The people who randomly wandered into the frame happen to match the colors of the flowers, which is kind of cool.

Favorite type of rose. Love it when the tip of the petals are different colors, and the colors fade from red, to yellow, to white. Took a ton of pictures, but figured this was one of the best shots.

Walkway to the many Balboa Park Museums. Very cool Spanish style architecture.

And... will close on a note of riding the Balboa Park Carousel! It was a tough choice between riding the Carousel's frog, dog, or many horses, but I (and Fuzzles) finally went with the cat.

And now, I start plotting a way to have enough time and money to Amtrak it to San Diego for a regular weekend, to see other San Diegan things, and to go to the world-famous zoo.

Before that, though, off to organize the Comic-Con acquisitions! There's a reason they give out those complimentary bags that are about as tall as I am...

"Tea Time" for Inspiration Avenue

2011-07-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

For this week's I.A., here is an ink and watercolor painting "Cindy's Merry Unbirthday," shown below.

Dr. Seuss' characters are playing the Lewis Caroll characters for "Alice in Wonderland's" mad tea party. Cindy is Alice, the Grinch is the Caterpillar, the Cat in the Hat is the Mad Hatter, and so forth.

I enjoy combining funny situations and characters in some of my works, and had fun meshing two different (yet in many ways alike) sets of characters for this. A bit like my other post for the "Purple and Green" challenge, where Audrey II from "Little Shop of Horrors" was trying to hang out and be glam like Audrey Hepburn. Perhaps doing this comes from my love of puns.

For those who want to see I.A. submissions or submit themselves, please go to:
http://goo.gl/fb/5yyYl

To see more of my color works, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/color-works.html

I am excited, because I am a dork and very entertained by her music and performance art thing, if anyone takes the sample on the I.A. Lady Gaga getting tea, and runs with it for their submission (-:

Illustration Friday: Perennial.

2011-07-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

For I.F.'s Perennial, here is a card of girls planting flowers. Flowers are the first thing that came to mind for the theme.

As I'm dealing with the fun but complete madness of San Diego Comic Con right now, I haven't time to say anything else. So, please check out Illustration Friday at:
http://illustrationfriday.

And, please check out my Family and Friends themed cards at:
http://drawdvl.com/family-and-friends-cards.html

Have a great weekend (-:

Inspiration Avenue: "Wings," Forrest Friends, Disapproving Rabbits, and Leonardo DaVinci. His flying stuff, not his painting stuff (-:

2011-07-18T08:12:00.000-07:00

I am very excited! For this week's Inspiration Avenue, the theme is "Wings." In June, I finished a piece for the L.A. Gallery/Shoppe/Children's Jewelry Making Place, "Leanna Lin's Wonderland." It's a wonderful space, and more can be found out about them here:
http://leannalinswonderland.com/

Said drawing/painting was made for the upcoming show, "Forest Friends," and it also happens to fit the "Wings" theme.

This ink, gouache, and copic marker drawing is also my submission for the "Wings" challenge here on I.A. It features a Fairy who has wings, playing airplane with a Bunny who is just testing out his new (but styled in an old-fashioned, steam-punky way) flying machine, who is being helped to fly with his pilot Birdie friends.

The Bunny is... well, he doesn't have a name, but I think of him as Leonardo DaVinci Bunny.

There are also two other bunnies, one who is gossiping on the phone to the fairy instead of helping her navigate the bunny plane ("Gossip Girl" Bunny? Blair Waldorf Bunny?), and one who is unimpressed at the chattering, and is going to hang up the Fairy's phone.

I would call that bunny Unimpressed Bunny, or a Disapproving Rabbit. I sadly cannot take credit for the Disapproving Rabbit phenomenon, but I will direct my readers towards this hilarious website (on which they also based a book, which I own, and is quite cute and accurate-- bunnies make the darndest faces when they are unamsed!):

http://www.disapprovingrabbits.com/

In any case, since I happened to scan in this image pre-painting it, I'm also going to share what the drawing looked like, sans color (well, only a few bunny noses, feet, and fairy shoelaces were colored here):

Here's a blog I wrote, showing the details and progress of it before the coloring:
http://craftydvl.blogspot.com/2011/07/cloudy-with-chance-of-talkative-or.html

And, that's all for now, folks! While it isn't up on my site yet, here is the link to more similar color works of mine at my website:
http://www.drawdvl.com/color-works.html

And here is the link to Inspiration Avenue to submit this week, where everyone can then put their link in the Comment Section:
http://goo.gl/fb/xSdUA

Hope everyone's weeks are flying high, thus far! Okay, so that was bad. But, pun included for silliness, I do truly mean that statement :-D

"Gesture" for Illustration Friday

2011-07-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

For I.F., although I have blogged about this piece before, I am submitting it for this week's theme.It is titled "Solidarity," and thought it was perfect for this challenge because the girls still walking up the stairs and fighting against the girls being cruel to them are showing a gesture of solidarity to one another.

It's also a commentary on (and a reminder of) the unfortunate inequalities put back into place in California. I'm glad New York is moving forward, and hope other places start to as well. But, I digress, and should stay on drawing-y topics.

To view other Illustration Friday Submissions or to Submit, please go to:
http://www.illustrationfriday.com/

To view other Black and White Pieces on my site, please go to:
http://www.drawdvl.com/black-and-white-works.html

Thanks for reading, and Happy Fri-day, Fri-day! (Forgive me, the song is much hated, I know... but I couldn't resist and felt like being silly)

"Summer Break," Creative Tuesdays

2011-07-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

This week's theme for Creative Tuesdays is "Summer Break," and what better way to spend a Summer Break than by being on vacation?

Above is a romantic card I made of a couple who are enjoying a Summer Getaway in a tropical setting, above hilly houses, palm trees, mountains, and a river below. I hope to save up enough to go on such a vacation myself at some point, but for now, I can draw pictures imagining such exotic locales and vacation-y spots.

To see this card at its original link, and others like it, please go to my site at:
http://drawdvl.com/family-and-friends-cards.html

To submit to Creative Tuesdays, please go to the most recent link at:
http://goodteatoo.blogspot.com/

Wishing much Summer Sun and Fun to my fellow C.T.-ers! (-:

Inspration Avenue and Picasso

2011-07-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

For this wee's I.A., I am taking an older piece of mine and re-tooling it. The original is pink and black and white. Seeing as I don't usually do digital art/manipulations, I wanted to experiment with basic color changes and the more computer-y stuff for this challenge.

I submitted this drawing/collage/now digital picture for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the blue-ish cast was to reference the famous "blue" period. Secondly, her face is a bit uneven-- and while it's nowhere near the precise and uneven cubism/surrealist style Picasso used, it was the closest piece I had to it. And thirdly, "Guernica" is surreal and meant to depict a dark aftermath of a massacre, this piece was surreal/meant to depict some scrambled and dark thoughts after they'd been floating around too long in the girl's head.

Last week people had beautiful entries for poetry, and it will be very cool to see how Picasso is interpreted! (-:

To submit to this challenge or see other submissions for Picasso/I.A., please go to:

http://goo.gl/fb/y0zrx

Stay for Illustration Friday

2011-07-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

The theme this week for I.F. is "Stay," so I am "staying" (sort of a pun, not my best, but I need coffee still so bear with me) on topic by submitting a card with a puppy on it!

The bulldog puppy is "staying," so his human will give him a bone as a treat. Plus, the little girl and the puppy are going to "stay" best friends forever. At least in my mind, which is the only place past which this narrative from this greeting card continues ;-) Perhaps I should make follow-up cards, showing them playing, as well as showing the dog do other poses and tricks. Hrm hrm...

In any case, to submit to I.F. please go to:
http://illustrationfriday.com

To see more greeting cards like this one at my site, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/birthday-and-other-cards.html

Happy Weekend, All!

Illustration Friday: Remedy

2011-07-01T07:16:00.000-07:00

This week's I.F. theme is "Remedy," and my spot illustration submission shows a couple of characters who need one.

The little girl needs a remedy for feeling sad, and her teddy-bear needs a remedy for having been ripped. But luckily, even though they are sad, the Mom in the picture will make it all better. Once she sews him back together, the teddy's issues will have been remedied. And once he's all better, the girl's sadness will be fixed-- and everyone can return to playing! I trust that Mister Bear is not too hurt, as he's still smiling, and he knows his human loves him enough to promptly get him repaired.

In any event, to see more spot illustrations of mine, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/spot-illustrations.html

To submit to I.F. for this week, or to see other submissions, please go to:
http://illustrationfriday.com/

Hope everyone in the U.S. and Canada is off to a great Holiday Weekend! And for everyone elsehwere, hope you are off to a great Regular Weekend ;-)

On a somewhat related note, I in shock that it is already July. Eep! Oh well-- the summer brings lots of arts and outdoorsy activities (as well as comic conventions), and for that I am grateful.

Nursery Rhymes for I.A. Bo Peep and Her Sheep !!

2011-06-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

The "Inspiration Avenue" Challenge for this week is "Nursery Rhymes!"

So, I am submitting a card I did that is based on "Little Bo Peep." My Peep, and her Sheep, are slightly goth-ier (steampunk-ier?) than the original version.

The original nursery rhyme goes:

"Little Bo-Peep has lost her Sheep,

And can't tell where to find them.

Leave them alone,

And They'll come home,

Wagging their tails behind them."

Other versions of the rhyme go on a bit longer, and Bo Peep is climbing hills and valleys to find her poor lambs, and is not at all happy. In my version, they've come home (perhaps they weren't lost for too long? nobody seems too stressed out), and everyone is hugging and smiling. My lambies also seem to think they are shepherdesses themselves, given their little outfits ;-)

Sadly, the Bo Peep above and I sort of look alike right now. Not because I've suddenly gone blonde, but because I drew her with little red cheeks, and my cheeks look like that because I got caught in the sun today, sans sunscreen. Aloe Vera is my good friend right now. Oh well. At least cartoon characters in a picture can be under bright suns (like last week's challenge), and not have to worry about such things :-p

Onward! To submit to Inspiration Avenue for this week's challenge, please go to:

http://bit.ly/kpASHm

To see more of my miscellaneous and fantasy cards, please go to:

http://drawdvl.com/miscellaneous-cards.html

Hope everyone's week is off to a good start!

Posted a day late, for yesterday's victory :-D

2011-06-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

The above picture is a collage of romantic cards I have done-- I made it last night, to virtually celebrate with everybody who was in NYC. So, this post is more to express some thoughts, and gratitude, over recent events.

I'm originally from New York, and I can't describe how happy and proud I am of my home state for doing the right thing (-:

(The ESB, lit up on the night of 6/24/2011, in celebration of the passed legislation)

I support Equality For All, and I am happy that in New York-- even when most of those who voted on the bill were Conservative (and were expected, because of staying true to party politics, to be opposed to the issue)-- marriage for the LGBT community was recognized as the Civil Rights issue that it is. And, therefore, was passed! I hope this is a sign of good things to come, more acceptance, and more love-- both in the States and abroad.

(I wanted to post something happy and cute to celebrate, Googled "Rainbow Hug," and found Pooh and Co! Even Eeyore looks happy here)

I want to say more, but for as verbose a person as I am... I don't really have words. Just feeling smiley, relieved, and very happy for the people in my life who I love dearly-- and people who I have never met--who are finally able to enjoy this freedom and joy that is their right.

Midsummer Night for Illustration Friday

2011-06-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

This piece, entitled "Woe Is Bottom," is one I have posted before-- but I wanted to reuse it for Illustration Friday this week, as the theme is "Midsummer Night." And Bottom, shown here on the right, is a fun character in Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream."

As I have explained before with this piece, I mixed characters from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with the fairy tale, "The Old Woman In The Wood"." The Tree-Man from that story is actually a human being. However, he has been trapped inside the tree by cruel magic. All of these things have combined to make him both tree and human-like in appearance.

The link below tells the story in more detail, for any interested parties.

http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/grimm/bl-grimm-oldwomanwood.htm).

Anyway, in this piece, Bottom has arrived too late-- so, as Titania first saw the Tree-Man, she fell for the wrong person. Hence, "Woe" is Bottom.

So, to conclude: click below to submit to I.F.!
http://illustrationfriday.com

And click below to see more color works of mine, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/color-works.html

Hope Beginning Summer (compared to Midsummer, since we're not there yet) is treating everyone well.

Summer Sun for I.A.

2011-06-21T00:56:00.001-07:00

Inspiration Avenue this week is themed "Summer Sun," so I am submitting a card I was just commissioned to do this past weekend for "Father's Day."

It depicts a little girl and her dad on a high-sea adventure on a Summer's Day, with the red sun setting behind them. Also, there are teddy bears included as part of this nautical outing.

For their safety, and from that old saying about "Red sky at night, Sailor's Delight (Red Sky at Morning, Sailor's Take Warning), I decided it was a setting sun.

So, hope everyone's weekend this past weekend was well! Belated wishes for that. For anyone who wants to submit to Inspiration Avenue, the link to this week's challenge is here:

http://tinyurl.com/SummerSunForIA

(-:

Illustration Friday and Web of Whimsy: "Launch"

2011-06-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

My interpretation of the theme this week is using the phrase "launch into," which means "to start something with energy or enthusiasm."

So, these little girls are "launching into" a game of leapfrog! As well as having a whimsical day by the water, while playing with an actual frog.

To see more Miscellaneous Greeting Cards I have done, please go to:
http://drawdvl.com/miscellaneous-cards.html

To submit to Illustration Friday or see other submissions, please go to:
http://illustrationfriday.com

To submit to Web of Whimsy or see other submissions, please go to:
http://dthaase-lines.blogspot.com/p/whimsical-wednesday.html

Sending good weekend wishes to everyone!

"So Romantic" for Inspiration Avenue

2011-06-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

I figured I would submit something Victorian-y for I.A. this week, as the theme is "So Romantic."

The above greeting card is captioned, "I'm Your Biggest Fan!"

I make romantic greeting cards rather often, but with the style of outfits these characters are wearing, the prominence of red, and the body language/scene between these characters, I felt that this card would be an appropriate one for the challenge.

To see more romantic cards of mine, please go to:

http://drawdvl.com/romantic-cards.html

To submit to Inspiration Avenue this week, please go to:

http://inspiration-avenue-team.blogspot.com/2011/06/weekly-challenge-so-romantic.html

NOZOMI Recap

2011-06-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

On Saturday June 11th, I and several other artists participated in a show to benefit Japan called NOZOMI: Hope for Japan. The show was a success, with people coming out to look at and buy the art, or watch the many performances, and a successful bake-sale, with the proceeds of every sale made going to Japan for earthquake and tsunami relief. So, thank you, to people who came out to help! :-D

It was held at the Pacific Winds Sculpture Garden in Long Beach, which is a hidden gem. The garden is tucked away in a residential area. But once you find it and come inside, you find that it's got a nice variety of plants, really fun sculptures, and a very peaceful atmosphere. The garden definitely reminded me that I need to get on visiting other gardens around the area (like the Huntington Gardens) as well as gave me impetus to make sure to check out botanical centers and gardens when in other cities (still kicking myself for having not gotten to the Japanese Tea Gardens every time I've been in S.F.!).

Here are a couple of photos of the garden and the NOZOMI show itself.

This sculpture is super cool. I like that this guy is standing on his head! Props to this sculpture's composition, since I don't think I had ever before seen a sculpture when someone was not posing in at least a quasi-traditional way.

The NOZOMI bake sale table, above... NOM NOM NOM. The cupcakes and cookies were delicious! And for a good cause, so, double win.

This is a quick picture I took with my phone of the piece I donated to the show. Hard to read the artist's description, but...

I'll include it here, under a closer shot of the drawing:

"Waiting" is a spot illustration that depicts a girl and her mother (and their cat) sitting inside from the rain. Both the girl and her mother are pensive, although the girl seems more worried while the mother is happier (the cat is just inquisitive, as kitties tend to be). The mother is pregnant-- perhaps why she is happier. The girl, on the other hand, may be afraid of how things will change once she has a new sibling-- perhaps she won't have as much attention focused on her. She may worry that things will be harder for their family with the change, or she may be worried for her mother's health. Perhaps she is just feeling gloomy because it is so cold and wet outside. But overall, the drawing is meant to convey a sense of positive things to come. Life is full of uncertainty, but beautiful things can still come out of dark and scary places. While the girl thinks of all the things that could go wrong, perhaps she should look at things in a different way-- hopeful that a new person in their lives could make things better and brighter, even with all the difficulties that will come with it. I submitted this piece to NOZOMI as the overall theme of the show is about hope, and because I wanted to submit an illustration that would give others hope in looking towards the future, even when the present is very foggy.

These next sculptures were cartoony favorites of mine. Smiling ants! Brightly c0lored, smiling ants! It was like playing with gigantic Pixar characters, come to life! Except, you know. They could only stand there and smile, and not actually talk or move.

I tried to imitate the shocked expression of one of the ant sculptures, but the sun was in my face and it didn't quite work. Fuzzles Koala had to put up with my silliness ;-)

Shocked! Shocked I tell you!

I hugged one of the smiling ants, posing for a photo with Fuzzles Koala. I really was quite obsessed with these sculptures.

A group photo of the ants.

And, that sums up my photographic chronicling of NOZOMI.

Again, many thanks to anyone who made it out and was able to help with any kind of donation!