Mary In Mike's, Biker Buddy and Giraffes conversing

Biker Buddy, by Mary Taitt
mixed media on Moleskine thin paper

Biker Buddy with the flu
mixed media on thin Moleskine paper

I started the first one in markers, but I didn't have enough colors for shading so I added oil pastels and then I added acrylics.  The second one is what I made from the bleed-through from the first.  I'm not counting it as a page, because the paper is very thin and I wanted to make the bleed-through into something.  I also thought it would be fun to make it into something somewhat different from the original.  In the first painting, I was experimenting with unusual light sources and also concerned with flat (dead) colors--and how to make them live (add light).

dead and living colors

I chose colors that I thought looked particularly "dead" on their own, olive green, Indian red, flat grey and burnt umber.  Some of the ways to add light included dry brush, adding other colors, glazing.  I am not a fan, generally speaking, in my own work, anyway, of large areas of single blank dull colors.

test prints
giraffes conversing
Mary Stebbins Taitt

We recently put my mother-in-law, ML (for Mary Louise), in assisted living.  She used to be a teacher.  One of the books I inherited when she left her home is called printing for fun, and I read through it and discovered from printing techniques I hadn't heard of.  One is printing with paper masters--not like mimeograph, but cutting and pasting masters with shapes and using them to print with.  I decided to try it with textured papers and did my first two test prints in Mike's book.  I then made a card and included the master, because as I discovered, paper masters do not last too long--they begin to wear out and disintegrate.  It is only for fun and very small "runs."

Pocket items: Sample card
paper master

sample prints
giraffes conversing (NOT in pocket)

I included a scan of a few of the sample prints I made and you can see the disintegration of the paper.  (although they are not in order).  It was still a fun and relatively easy project and would probably be good with kids who have a short attention span anyway.  Just cut out and glue the shapes, make a few prints and move on.

Arrove

My Moleskine arrived on the 29th.  YAY!  I was so pleased to have it back.

Biker Buddy and Biker Buddy,

I did my collaboration with Andrea first, which I posted as a Halloween Card, but here is is plain:

Sugar Skull by  Andrea Martinez and Mary Stebbins Taitt

And now I have done my first piece, which is an illo for a book that I working on for my grandson Frankie for Christmas.

Mrs. Goose and her Mate
Acrylics and watercolor
by Mary Stebbins Taitt

Mrs. Goose read the invite to her beloved mate

and said, hurry, my darling, we must not be late.

I was hoping to have it done for his birthday.  Now I hope to have it done by Christmas.  We will be traveling Sunday through the following Monday (~N3-11), and I may not be online much and I apologize for missing stuff, but I have yet to figure out how to work the gmail tabs, so I missed a lot.  I will catch up at some point, but probably NOT while traveling.

To see images much larger, click and scroll.

Giraffe on a Raft: First (2) in Mike's by Mary

Giraffe on a Raft
acrylic
Mary Stebbins Taitt
in Mike's
Click to view Larger

Gerry Giraffe, kneeling fore, not aft

paddled a raft, his favorite craft,

with a hearty laugh at the cooling draft

while his friend Danny Deer, always sincere

and full of good cheer, steered from the rear

sipping root beer.

or

maybe just

Giraffe paddled his raft

kneeling fore, not aft,

whole his friend deer

steered from the rear.

For a kid's book I am working on.

Ballookey's Arrives

Ballookey's Moleskine arrives in Detroit
in time for spring.

2-page spread
Glechoma hederaceae
click images to view larger

Glechoma hederaceae
botanical diagrams

Glechoma hederaceae
botanical painting, acrylics

I am sorry to report that I am not only still sick, but I am also getting worse rather than better.  I have a medical procedure scheduled May 30, which is supposed to help and I hope and pray it does.

I kind of messed this up a little, and I apologize.

Mr. Gnu in his Canoe

Mr. Gnu in his canoe
Raced Yak in his kayak
click image to view larger.

This is my second painting in Andrea's Mole, an illo for San Cassimally's Animal Carnival.  It is done in acrylics.  It took me ten days to paint it and two more to scan and post it.  I regret to say I'm still sick and it's taking a lot out of me.

I posted the steps (4 coats of paint) here, but don't have time to do it again.  At least, not now.

Like Snail, who chose the rail, Crane also took the train. Mary in Andrea's

Crane and Snail ride the train
acrylic on Moleskine watercolor paper

Like Snail, who chose the rail,
Crane also took the train. 

San Cassimally, Animal Carnival

This is my illustration for San Cassimally's Animal Carnival, which I am no longer officially illustrating.  I did it for Illustration Friday last week ("train"), but because of my illness, I was unable to get it done in time.  (Took me a whole week, so I may be running late!  Sorry).

This is actually on my LAST page, I think.  (The other pages are still blank.)  Because of my pain, which is usually worst in the mornings, I can't paint until evening.