IF- Routine

If- Routine : Rough manly beaver work cuttin' down trees, buildin' dams - secure in his masculinity - Bertram enjoys a sushi break.

I knew I wasn't going to make the deadline for another Illustration Friday- So I managed a sketch. I like the sketch so much, I didn't want to rush the color. Should I do black and white since it's an homage to this:




Or should it be color- or sepia tones?

My website will soon be redone - Hallejuha! -So I'll use this as the under construction/Out to Lunch image.

The Quest for Character .... continues ...

- How do you feel when you draw? Not how do you feel when you sit down to -tired -stressed- fine -etc...

But while you're drawing -how do you FEEL?

I feel true. I feel home. I feel ME. - I trust my head , my heart- my hand... and what comes out is not always perfect, but it's real.

I thought maybe it's an altered state - like a different level of being, but no - I'm altered when I'm not drawing. I long to draw when I'm making dinner, watering flowers - grocery shopping. I want to draw the things I see - the sounds I hear - the kooky people that exist all around me and the craziness that exists in my imagination.

Being told your art is "too" anything.. feels wrong. I can't be "too" me. Pursuing children's books has handed moments of self doubt - and those moments are vanquished -when I draw.

So - persevere. Keep drawing . Use your pencil like a machete and hack thru the publishing jungle - to reach that oasis -of exactly where you're supposed to be.

This is concept art for my book.

Cum By-yah! ;)

In the future

I shall refer to the work I do for D***** - as "the Mouse who must not be named"

It's late..

It's a lovely summer night , 11:30- windows open - everyone asleep but me up in the studio. A car turns onto my street - stereo blasting.... Andreas Bocelli. The guy behind the wheel is singing his heart out. Suddenly, I'm in a Barilla commercial.

Now it's 12:30. made some book progress. Finished Guster babies. Off to bed!

"Don't stop believin".....

This week, a 41 year old won an Olympic swimming medal. Dana Torres was asked what she would tell her now 2 year old about her Olympic experience - her answer: "Don't put an age limit on your dreams."

This week, this almost 38 year old became an artist for the Walt Disney Company. I will tell my daughter the same thing. And tell all of you too - don't give yourself an expiration date - just keep swimming.....

Here's a sketch I'm working on for the Guster babies- K

"A celebrated people lose dignity upon a closer view"

The title is a quote from shorty himself.

A rainy day at the zoo this week - so I finished reading a book about Napoleonic times. Nappy and Jo - 2 crazy kids - fabled romance - out to conquer the world.

"What shall we take in tonight my love? Italy? Austria? Belgium?""Name it and it's yours- the world is at our feet, Jo"

But as with most "politicians" and "celebrities" - they didn't really have their s**t together. They had affairs- divorced - died miserable. The mighty tend to fall, don't they?

These two would have been in every tabloid. I don't get into idolatry. I'm not much for "the cult of personality" - if time truly tells... things don't change.

So I doodled up the imperial couple in happier times. Au revoir pour l'instant, mes amis!

Someone told me "It's all happening at the ZOO"!

I am at the Bronx Zoo all week. My daughter is doing the one week day camp. I chose to stay all day 5 days as an animal drawing intensive. - Could someone shoot me now?

It's not the furry, feathered, beaked, slithering etc... animals that are getting to me. It's the human species that I'd like to see on the endangered list. I've encountered many strange varieties and it's only my 3rd day- 2 to go! Today was free admission day- so I'm a little over exposed to people.

Also - who should I speak to about getting the animals to stand still? - I've been doing a lot of gestures. Of course if they were all napping - I'd be bored. I saw some wild gorilla action today. The silver back was beating the crap out of the smaller gorillas - for lettuce. Hate to see what he would do for a burger.

Monday I had a great time in the Rain Forest building. I had a staring contest with a black leopard... I actually got to draw him. I loved the tree kangaroo- I don't have any drawings yet- maybe tomorrow he'll cooperate and stand still.

I love when I draw in public - the crowd watches - people ooh and ahh-"Look,look at her- she's drawing - " and inevitably, a small child's voice can be heard "I can do better than that" - usually I trip them-:)

I find the people this week are noticing me drawing them and are not at all happy about it. I usually get away with it. So here are my sketches so far this week. There's a true doodle of a mother walking the path next to the vultures- who shrieked as a squirrel climbed a branch over her head "What the hell is that!?" - her kids had a good time with that.

Cool animation

Studio Door Peeps

To see this bigger- click the pic.

Nancy - you got 4 right! Chuck, Walt, Winsor, J.K.,... Daniel Radcliffe is cute- but- not above studio door material-It's John Lennon. And (not) Hanna- is Charles Schulz.

I have a few spots open, I was going to hang Martha Stewart up - I do admire her tenacity and taste... but I have since rejected Martha and the need for domestic perfection to pursue artisitic fulfilment. I may hang my college Prof Roger DeMuth up. He's a great guy , great artist, great teacher.. inspirational dude.

So these are the people I admire - I realize they are not all perfect - but they all (follow)ed the beat of their own drum. They were (are) the best they could be- or strive to be it. That's what I'm shooting for in life. Sometimes I go all Laverne and Shirley and hit the plaques before I leave the studio.

IF "Poof"

Illustration Friday topic "poof". My daughter gave me the idea of "Poof" the Magic Dragon- "Puff's" sister.

"Poof the Magic Dragon lives by the Sea;
She invited her magical friends over to sit and sip some tea." by Maggie Light

Name these folks

- Here's the close up. There's one person I don't expect anyone to know- local NY-er. But I think you'll get most. Tom got the easy one!

Doodling is productive!

I started doodling yesterday- trying to rev up the engine with daily drawing. This is what came out. It's not too shabby. I'm working on place- will work on the window/oriental carpet/sconce. Want to work on lighting too - this is at night - with only the moonlight and a candle and a gaslight. I'm excited to color it up.

I was thinking about our upcoming camp out with the Mother/daughter group. We're 6 moms and six girls who've known eachother since the girl's were babies and we all attended a new Mother's group. Now the girls are 8/9. Last year they stayed up late, telling spooky stories in their tent, and we stayed up late listening from our tent.

So- I was thinking about that and how important books are to these girls- they have regular book swaps. Then I thought about how books were IT. No t.v., no computer, no i pods, no Wii . Imagine the impact they had. I wish I could go back in time.