Sweet

Short and sweet this week, another last minute quickie for IF. It's what's inside that counts, whether that may be thoughts, feelings or intentions!

Tension

She enjoyed a relatively happy childhood, despite her mother's penchant for tight braids.

Liquid, Illustration Friday

Somewhere deep below the surface in the sea of sadness is a hidden reserve, a small vial containing an infinite amount of one of life's most precious liquids, tears of happiness and joy. Please open up and share freely!

Tribute, Illustration Friday

For Penelope- Thank You!

Farewell, Illustration Friday

Hello to both the beginning of May and "Farewell," this week's topic over at Illustration Friday.
Though it might not be the usual season for graveyards and headstones, it seemed appropriate in a sense, as saying goodbye is almost always an opportunity to welcome something new. Spring in Southern California has done just that, and as we are now saying farewell to its earliest blooms nestled among the vivid green landscape. The subtle shifts in seasonal color quietly announces that summer is eagerly waiting in the wings, and this week's spikes in temperatures suggest that it might not be that far out of sight.
Hope you are enjoying mildly pleasant and peaceful days that spring delivers, wherever you are!

Urban

"The car has become the carapace, the protective and
aggressive shell, of urban and suburban man.” ~ Marshall McLuhan

I could tell you some stories about my travels from here to there, but there's really not enough room and we'd all question whether they were relevant. With this week's IF challenge, we're traveling back a few years to a public art project that was installed around the newly renovated downtown, a series of banners that depicted local artists' views of life in Vista, California. This was my contribution, the view of the busy road from behind chain link, slightly glamorized so as not to fully reveal my tongue in cheek intentions and play on my town's name. As luck would have it, they installed this in front of my favorite ice cream haunt, so I softened my attitude a bit and went out for a "soft serve."
Eventually, another highway project replaced the increasingly battered chain link fence with a concrete barrier topped with something a little more durable, so this piece is now an unofficial artifact, perhaps just a bit like the person who painted it!

Egg, Illustration Friday

It might be a little late for Easter 2013, but this chick's sowing a little "Egg Plant" for next time! How's it growing at your place lately?

Swim, Illustration Friday

It seems like this week flew by, didn't it? Once again, i'm digging deep to find something remotely related to IF's theme, "Swim." Luckily, this mono print surfaced in time, but just barely.
This one was done by creating a simple painting on a sheet of plexiglass with printmaking ink. Working quickly, I then placed a slightly damp sheet of paper on top of the "plate." With pressure applied with a burnishing tool, (in this case I used a rice paddle), the design eventually transferred to the paper, which was then lifted off the plexiglass, yielding a "one of a kind" print.
It's still a little but cool to go for a dip in the ocean early in this spring, so for today, these little fish will have to do the swimming!

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)

Yesterday, Illustration Friday

"Don't let yesterday use up too much of today." - Will Rogers

All right, I have to admit my jar tends to get pretty full- of memories, multi- tasking in the present and assorted good intentions met or saved for use at another time...Please note, this is Thursday PM and the IF challenge was presented last Friday. But was it a good week? That's all that matters- There is another good one ahead, isn't there?

Talent, Illustration Friday

Some people sing while driving, some people sing in the shower. They're all talent show winners, each and every one of them!

Whisper, Illustration Friday

 

Pssst! Were you ever told to use your "inside voices" as kids? Or was this just a trick that adults used in the days when children were to be seen and not heard? It's been sort of quiet around here lately- I've been using my "inside voice," while working on my "inside" projects. But here's a reason to shout- Tomorrow is March 1st and spring is as good as here!

Wheel, Illustration Friday

Today's lesson in not so ancient history-
Once upon a time, there was no such thing as a "scale" tool option or even a personal computer, for that matter.
This was one of the "go to " tools of choice, the little proportional scale. By lining up the coordinates on the inner and outer wheels where the sizes of the original and desired sizes were printed, the required percentage of enlargement or reduction could be then viewed in the cutout window.
Good eyesight and a general working knowledge of decimals and fractions were all it took to get the rest of that project moving along. That and being allowed the use of the front office's copier, once they started making them with standard enlargement and reduction features!

Wings, Illustration Friday

Time flies when you're having fun...On to February! Where did January go?