Clutter

Clutter- Illustration Friday prompt for Sept 5.In a "clutter-free world" we can appreciate nature and nature appreciates us!
Need to finish painting "memories" for last week and post. Getting ready to leave for Disney next week so this week's is an obg (oldie but a goodie)!

Routine

Routine- Illustration Friday prompt for August 22, 2008. "Her routine was the same every year...collect nuts and fill the nest for winter; however, this year someone stole her entire stash. Now the snow is falling...'How will I feed my children?', Mrs. Squirrel thought."

Detach

Illustration Friday prompt for August 15 was "Detach." The very first thing that came to mind was that bully in TOY STORY- Sid. You know, the kid next door that destroyed toys and made them into weird combinations then blew them up! Here is a possible one of Sid's concoctions...(Sorry that they are pencil sketches...haven't had time to finish yet.)
...But, I wasn't quite "feeling the word" was being represented in the way I wanted it to until I came accross this knitted tiger...can you believe someone actually KNITS gorey animals?!...
Yet, this somehow had the word expressed at the very core of it's essence..."That's it!" I thought!! So here you have my sketch...(BTW, I showed it to my 5 year old grandson and he thinks I'm really cool now because I drew a dinosaur actually ripping the leg off another dinosaur!

Sail- Illustration Friday

Sail- Illustration Friday prompt for August 8.
I had several ideas that came to mind for this topic, especially living by the ocean. In the end this funny piece won out.
"Spike decided he had had enough of Sabastian's antics!"

"P.O.O.F."

Illustration Friday's Prompt for August 1, 2008..."poof."
Now how could I possibly do the obvious choices when there are so many OBSCURE possibilities; like the underground society of the "Proboscis Of the Olfactoriously Famous! Or P.O.O.F.!" Here are some of their charter members...
(Admittadly this is a quick sketch. I could have spent more time on it but wanted to save time to look at other artist's work for a change!) Thanks so much for your wonderful comments!
The nose knows...true trivia!
Sneezes travel out of your mouth at over 100mph!
Most humans can tell the difference between 10000 different odours!
Sheepdogs can smell 44 times better than humans.
An Elephant's trunk can smell water 3 miles away.
Also....
Check this site out (I couldn't resist!)..."What is a Booger made of?"

Canned Tuna

Illustration Friday theme for July 25,2008? "Canned."
The first idea that came to mind...canned tuna, good ol' "Chicken of the Sea!" (as seen in this photo).

Which is now also in pouches (as seen in this photo). I knew I definately had to draw a mermaid.
But the clincher was when I received an e-mail about dolphins getting caught in tuna nets. Then I read on the "Chicken of the Sea" website that they are "dolphin safe since 1990." So, from "canned tuna" to a dolphin safe "chicken of the sea" mermaid comes the illo below.



Check out the site...http://www.chickenofthesea.com/...and join the mermaid club! I liked this site also... http://www.mermaidsonparade.com/...which I found in my mermaid research.

Enough!!

Remember this guy? This is what prompted my cartoon below!

Enough-Illustration Friday's prompt for July 18.
A little late...but just under the gun! Sorry such a quick little sketch...lots of trips to the hospital and not much sleep.
Have a great week end everyone!
PS My mother-in-law is doing better today, YEAH!

Check out my Slide Show!

I-Fri Catch-up

Illustration Friday- July 11. Prompt- "Foggy."
Believe it or not they actually close the schools here because of fog! When I moved down here 10 years or so ago that was one of the things that tickled my funny bone. Of course, being from WAY upstate NY, it had to be VERY blizzardy with accumulations in excess of 12 inches to get a day off! If they hear they will get even 1 inch of snow here they wipe out the bread and milk in the stores!

Illustration Friday Catch-up! This was for "Punchline" which was the prompt two weeks ago. Sorry these are soooo late. A friend took his life last week and my Mother-in-Law is very ill and in the hospital. She has been in there for two weeks and still isn't getting better. So my plate is VERY full!!! Yet, I still find time to come up with a drawing for Illustration Friday. This little weekly challenge really has enriched my life so much. It is a welcome few hours of solace some days.

Illustration Friday- Sour. I didthis pic when I heard Bozo the Clown died, in tribute. I call it..."Bozo and the amazing flying pickles!"

When Food Goes Bad!

This was a cartoon I did for a prompt a few weeks back.

Little Dedo - Definately not "FIERCE"

The "Legend" of Dedo

Illustration Friday Prompt for June 27- "Fierce"
This is the story of a Gargoyle that was created NOT to look "fierce" like the other gargoyles...

"It all began in Paris when the Notre Dame Cathedral was being built, rising majestically stone by stone towards the heavens. It was custom to top each structure with a menacing gargoyle, who protected the cathedral by warding off evil spirits.

Marie Therese, a nun from a tiny convent in Provence, disliked the evil-looking gargoyles on the new cathedral, sitting so close to the heavens.

Disguised as a man, she trekked on foot to Paris, entered the work site, and quickly carved a small block into a lovable, protective creature. She placed her creature, with its pointy ears and human-like feet, on the highest roof, visible only to God Himself.

It was undiscovered for centuries until a small boy, lost in the labyrinthine structure, stumbled off a ledge and rolled down a roof into the arms of the littlest gargoyle, perched quietly on a ledge. Since that time, Marie Therese's creature was affectionately known as Little Dedo, the gargoyle with the crossed toes."

Baby/Worry

I kinda' like doing "catch up" sometimes on Illustration Friday. I worked for a long time on "worry" and didn't want to miss posting it. I am also posting and old pic for "baby" because I did work on "worry" so long AND my parents are coming to visit! YEAH!! I haven't seen them in a while so I am excited that they are coming!!

Mouth Wide Open!

Wide- Illustration Friday prompt for Friday May 16.
"Sally was glad she remembered her jet pack AND that the tiger had a hairball!"

This was a piece I did a LONG TIME AGO. I cleaned it up and look at it now! (below)

Electric Eel Jammies

Electricity- Illustration Friday prompt for May 9.
"Mortimer Lizard had impeccible taste. He liked modern style decoration, a three martini lunch and he adored his electric eel jammies!"
I will add colour to this later. Migraines from sinus infection are limiting my art time lately.

Seeds

"From seeds...a multitude of Life."-Ellen Dygert 2008
It happened again...all my work washed out completely by the scanner. Sad, really because I really worked hard on this one. I use to teach a class on environmental education with special attention to the rain forests. This piece encompasses many of the facts I emphasized in that class.
On another note...finally had the kayak in the water a couple of times now! I LOVE kayaking!!!

Hillary vs Obama Cartoon

I couldn't help doing this "scribble" at lunch today.

Wrinkle

Wrinkle- Illustration Friday...April 25, 2008.
"Though her flaws were many she hadn't a wrinkle to speak of!" This is an old one. I hope you don't mind. I have had a bit of a tough week with my Fibromyalgia, Carpel Tunnel and allergies. Hopefully this week end I will feel better so I can get my kayak in the water!

Primitive Art- Aboriginal Crab

Illustration Friday prompt for 4/18- Primative. Primative Aboriginal crab.
Trust me when I tell you this is so much more vibrant in person. I worked so hard on it and the scanner doesn't even come close to doing this piece justice. What I wanted to do is create a traditional Aboriginal art piece as they did years ago. I love this style and have been looking for the perfect word to practice on.

Fail

Fail- Illustration Friday prompt for April 11.
"Rocky and Henrietta were so busy arguing about where to take the kids on spring break they failed to notice that they ended up with Momma Duck's children instead of their own!"

"HI Everybody! Thanks for stopping by the ol' sketchbook! I really appreciate all those fantastic comments you leave on my work! I will leave you this week with a resounding 'HAPPY SPRING!' and this piece of advice: If you take risks, you may fail. But if you don't take risks, you will surely fail. The greatest risk of all is to do nothing. — Robert Goizueta"

Also, check out this site about scientist turned artist Dr. Ann Adams. http://www.boingboing.net/2008/04/08/rare-brain-disease-g.html

Dr Adams was a Canadian scientist who died of a rare brain disease -- frontotemporal dementia -- which caused her to give up her lab and engage in an ecstasy of creative effort (and an agony of frustration as her mathematical ability slipped away), mostly centered on Ravel's Bolero, a composition he wrote in the throes of the same disease.

At the end don't forget to click on the link to see more of her amazing work!!!!

Safe

Safe- Illustration Friday. This is and old one, but I thought it fit perfectly!

The baby sea turtle is not safe until it reaches the water. After hatching from their eggs they must make their way to the shore as fast as they can so they don't get eaten by predators! As young sea turtles (regardless of the species) they go off to the sea and no one knows where they spend the first year of their lives, or "the lost year." Many biologists speculate that they float in and among rafts of sargassum weed, feeding on the rich variety of small creatures that seek refuge in it. Only a small percentage of baby turtles will survive to become adult animals and make their homeward journey to perpetuate their kind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9qip2uJDn0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7KINM5LL1g&feature=related