Ink

Ink, for Illustration Friday

Some things are indelible and can't be erased or covered up, no matter how badly we'd like them to disappear.

Mermaid

Mermaid and Friend

I can't believe it's not summer any more. September is tricky that way. But as long as it's going to be warm outside, then we're still thinking about the beach and cooling off in the ocean. 

Illustration Friday, how did you know that it's still mermaid season here?

No, we're not going to cast any nets or harm any sea creatures this week, real or imagined. I just thought I'd try to capture one in colored pencil this week, maybe just to take a quick dip into the coloring craze that seems to have snared the creative world. 

So don't put those pencils and crayons away- It looks like autumn also promises to be a colorful season!

Happy fall, y'all!

Pointy

Pointy

Certain descriptive terms seemed odd to me when I was a kid, like "prickly heat," for one. I envisioned sharp pointy things protruding from a person's skin, much like the spines on a cactus or  the scaly hide like one might find on the back of an alligator.  I don't recall ever knowing anybody who actually suffered from this condition, at least not as I imagined it to be.

Pokey things just seem to be a part of the scenery in a desert landscape such as southern California. Things are still pretty dry, and somewhere, someone is probably experiencing the symptoms of varying degrees of heat rash here and there. But mostly "there," as in that place where my mind seems to be wandering off to today. It could be that the heat is getting to me, but let's not focus on thorny barbs and brambles, OK? It's making my skin crawl and this is beach season, after all...

When Illustration Friday provided the prompt "Pointy" this week, instead of sharp objects, it made me think of enjoying this summery sunshine while it lasts and maybe an ice cream cone to cool off.

It's still August, isn't it? Let's enjoy it while it lasts!

Eye Glasses, Illustration Friday

Another trip in the "Way Back Machine," we find a series of ancient illustrations that were dug up out of the archives for this week's word challenge, "Eye Glasses." Perhaps this might have gone in last week's post for "Yesterday?"
Anyway, these were done 20 (count 'em, 20!) years ago for a local educational publisher. In my youthful exuberance, I was whipping these out for very little cash and only after publishing, did I notice I forgot to cross the "S" on the bank robber's note (in the first frame below), to make that a "$." The poor child who was interpreting this to his or her teacher could have been extremely confused, as might be the teller in the illustration! And I never mentioned this to the art director, for the record...
However insignificant, that tiny detail might have slipped through the cracks back then, but in my increasingly blurry eyesight, it's still as noticeable to me today as it was (after the fact) all those years ago.
Meanwhile, I'm still making do with my 99¢ readers, trying to keep an eye on those details, crossing my "t's" and dotting those"i's." Heaven forbid, I ever forget to complete my dollar sign again. We'll see how long my original pair of peepers will hold out and maybe soon, I'll be "seeing" you at the optometrist's! ;o)

Grounded, Illustration Friday

There was a time in my life when the thought of being grounded, as in being held against one's childish will, would have been sheer torture. Of course, the point of being restricted for some misdeed was actually an effort by our parents to keep us grounded, or balanced by the strong foundation provided by this tough love. At some point during my adult years, I eventually discovered that staying home really wasn't such a bad thing. (Could that ever be more true than the week after the holiday season has ended?)
Though any good Libra will tell you that there's always an occasion to celebrate, it was a little bit of a relief to finally return to my own home turf, a much needed rest with no social engagements except with the ones I'd been neglecting around the house. First visits would be with my barely living plants which had been struggling to survive on little water or care these past beautifully warm and dry weeks.
After spending a good part of two marathon days of this self imposed "torture" of hanging out in the backyard in shorts, my feet barely nestled in flip flops, the low winter sun bore down, almost challenging me to a sunburn. As the plants and dry soil in the pots gasped, I comfortably sipped on a cool glass of water. My hands in the dirt and my semi-sadistic gardening skills being exercised, I was feeling the smug satisfaction of having almost pushed these plants to the brink of the green waste facility, but not completely. Like all good parents whose child rearing skills were seemingly modeled by prison guards from the "Cool Hand Luke" school of discipline, there was a spark of conscience and eventually a limit to the amount of abuse I could inflict. Swooping back to rescue them with fresh potting soil, a sprinkling of bone meal and water, the growth cycle would be put back in balance. Besides, when spring finally comes around, they'll be stronger for the experience!

Mesmerizing, Illustration Friday

Here's the image I'm submitting for this week's word challenge over at Illustration Friday.

Doodling is a mesmerizing activity which has kept generations of students awake, albeit in an altered state of consciousness, as their instructors feed them the daily lessons. While many of my generation's class instructors seldom valued our efforts scribbled in the margins of our papers, classes now exist to release the doodler within. Just curious, would students in doodling class receive demerits for non participation?

Disguise, Illustration Friday

No, this isn't one of those "Monster a Day" posts, but is inspired by a little sea creature who comes naturally equipped with its own disguise. Seadragons are relatives of the pipefishes. They can be found fluttering about, propelled by their leafy appendages, perfectly camouflaged in the kelp beds off western and southern Australia.
Don't tell this guy, but I doubt he'll need to shop for a Halloween costume anytime soon!

Bottled, Illustration Friday

Some things idle in storage for years, but I know I'll use them for something, some day. The oval shapes in the background were made by inking the bottoms of small lotion bottles, which were then printed on a piece of paper. My simple watercolor of the two bottles was then scanned and placed in a second layer.
If I'd thrown those little bottles away, they probably would have eventually been recycled into something else, but today I had fun printing them and using them for to create my submission for Illustration Friday!
Okay, I hear you snoring back there...What else might be bottled or contained , waiting to be released or recharged? There's no time like the spring to open up, let the light in and find out!

Surrender, Illustration Friday

I surrender! Here's a quickie for this week's prompt, inspired by Valentine's Day and with a nod to all the tattoos and other forms of body art out there.
I must confess, I've never surrendered a square inch of my own flesh to ink or piercings, having already sacrificed tiny pieces of myself to the roads, sidewalks and other undisclosed locations where my much younger self used to skate around on (or off, as it were) urethane wheels.
Whether it's a sweet valentine, a kid rolling down the road on wheels, or a bold statement in body ink, each offers a form of expression as individual as its origin. Surrender yourself to an expressive week!

Giant, Illustration Friday

Here's another flashback for the word "Giant," as suggested by Illustration Friday this week.
As kids, we spent many hours playing in and around a giant tire that my dad brought home. Situated beneath the olive tree on the side of our house, it was a magnet for the children in the neighborhood, providing a cool place to hang out and discuss all the private matters that kids needed to settle on a warm summer's day.

Unbalanced, Illustration Friday

“The truth is balance. However the opposite of truth, which is unbalance, may not be a lie.” ~ Susan Sontag

Ask a Libra to interpret this, and you might find yourself waiting for a lo-o-o-ong time to get a response. So when Illustration Friday prompted with the word "Unbalanced," the concept was clear in my mind. However, the following Thursday evening was as early as my visual interpretation was going to be.

Keeping everything under control is a daily struggle, knowing that eventually, the bones will want to come out to play!