Daisy Chain

Did you know that daisies have long been associated with innocence and unaffected simplicity? After doing mounds of research pertaining to floral symbolism for my thesis, I suppose I'll be spending the rest of my life picking at hidden meanings in paintings. Of course, Victorians would have read such paintings as open books (Victorian ladies dedicated much time to florigraphy, the study of floral symbolism). But now we must content ourselves to imagining what it would be like to speak a language of flowers.

Here are some flower quotes that "grew" on me ;)

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers. ~Claude Monet

Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity. ~John Ruskin

A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books. ~Walt Whitman

I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.
~Edna St. Vincent Millay, "Afternoon on a Hill"

Not worlds on worlds, in phalanx deep, Need we to prove a God is here; The daisy, fresh from nature's sleep, Tells of His hand in lines as clear. ~John Mason Good

More Photoshop Fun

Messin' Around

I just spent some time today playing around with Photoshop brushes, and this is what happened. I had alot of fun changing settings and discovered that I can get the same ink painting effects in Photoshop that I get with traditional india ink. Hmmmm. This has been my one frustration. How do I get that wonderful, hand drawn feel, especially when it comes to lettering and inking. Answer found!!!

IF Emergency

Once again, my brain spits out something very strange for the Illustration Friday challenge this week. Well, let's face it people, this would be a dire emergency for most anyone. However, I heard of a guy recently who puts his cell phone in the oven (don't try this at home, kiddies) every time he drops it in the pool, and it still works!!! Amazing!

IF Missing

I've been "missing" my childhood lately. Sigh. The child is diving into a pool filled with yesteryear's faded memories. He he. Some people have asked me how I make illustrations. For this particular one, I painted everything in photoshop and then added a scanned texture over the background to add some depth.

IF Moon

Several weeks ago, my sister and I came home late from a party, and on the telephone wire next to our house was perched a gigantic great horned owl! As soon as I made eye contact with him, he flew away, silent as, well, as silent as owl feathers. For this week's IF, I thought I would illustrate my nocturnal friend silhouetted against the pale glow of moonlight.

Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AMANDA!!! YOU ROCK!!!

Midwestern Love

IF Poem

The word for poem is very similar to posy or poesy and poems have traditionally been thought of as flowers.

He loves me. He loves me not.

I walked along the garden path
and entered through the gate
where daisies waved their dainty heads
and sang of love and hate!

He he, pretty cheesy, huh?

IF Discovery

Whelp...

Here's an update on a work in progress. This illo was started for Illustration Friday, but it is a bit involved, so I may not get it done by Thursday. Whoops! This week's concept is "Discovery". I've been researching about how children interact with nature for my thesis paper, so I decided to do an illustration about kids discovering different aspects of nature.

IF Geek

Don't ask.

Long Day

I wish I had more direction in my life.

Charley Harper

I've been doing oodles of research for my thesis, and all of it is incredibly facinating. In fact, it has been hard to tear myself away from the research stage so I can start writing. I always feel as if anything I have to say has already been said by people who are much more intelligent than I am, and who are able to compose much more elegant thoughts that I can. I stumbled upon an artist/illustrator a few months back named Charley Harper. I cannot sing this gentleman's praises enough. He recently passed away and I feel as if the world had lost a great voice. Does that sound cheesy? Perhaps, but I find myself wishing I could have met Mr. Harper before he passed away. His work inspires me to better my own. So, this post is dedicated to Mr. Charley Harper, a guy from Cincinnati that loved nature and inspired others to recognize the beauty hiding in the backyards and treetops of the Midwest and beyond.

Summertime and the livin' is easy...

I thought I'd post my newest illustration entitled "Sundress". This illustration has been on the backburner for a while, but I loved the idea of illustrating a lady in a lovely and colorful sundress. I didn't want to forget to draw it. So I wrote it down on my little list of "things to draw". "Sundress" is also a good example of an illustration done completely in Photoshop. No scanning required! This makes me happy. I hate scanning, but I still love to paint. I need to get back into watercolor painting.

Camping

This weekend I went camping with my sister and my friends Kim and Chris! We had a wonderful time! We did some hiking and some kayaking. We hung out around the fire. We ate one too many hot dogs. Our cell phones went a'roaming! Raccoons attacked and so forth.

I'm pretty tired, so I think I'll sign off and write more later.

IF Camo Bug

This week's Illustration Friday challenge is "camouflage". Naturally, I thought of all the animals that use camouflage to their advantage. This illustration depicts a fictitious leaf bug hiding out. Can you spot him?

I Love it When Again

I just finished a new version of the "I Love it When" cover. I wanted to add both girls (Kara and Kelsie) to give the cover a bit more punch. The old cover was a placeholder. I simply ran out of time last quarter and had to slap something together. I think this version is a much more pleasing solution.

Funny Pic

Did you ever wonder what kind of clothing your mother wore when she was your age? Check it out. From Left to Right: Aunt Michelle, Grandma, Aunt Val, and Mom! I'm guessing this photo was taken in the late 70's. A great shot of some of my aunts and yes, Grandpa is behind the camera. I absolutely LOVE the grin on my Aunt Val's face. Doesn't she look devious?

IF Rejection

This week’s IF assignment is "rejection". As I thought about how I have felt in the past when I was rejected, for whatever reason, my mind wandered to music, specifically melancholy music I like to listen to when I'm having a bad day, so I chose to illustrate The Beatles' "Blackbird". Specifically, I'm thinking about the verse that states, "take these broken wings and learn to fly".

Website Updates

NEW WEBSITE UPDATES!!!

There's a hidden illustration, too. I'll give you a hint (look for the sunflowers). I have so much to do this next week. I have to finish my thesis, find a job and do a huge pile of laundry left over from my trip to Savannah. An illustrator's job is never done.