Moleskine Exchange: Ballookey in Mike's Book

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Ballookey in Mike's Book

Gosh! Sooo sorry for the delay in posting these. I sent Mike's book out a few weeks ago, but after about 5 days, it came back to me without the envelope, in a plastic bag from the Post Office. There was just a fragment of the original envelope left, with enough of my address intact that they returned it to me. So I guess Mike's book had a little detour through harrowing times, but it's safe & sound.

I've had these photos on my phone for ages, but my job gets super busy around certain sporting events, and when those sporting events involve our home team, the Los Angeles Kings - as you can imagine, it gets busier still. Anyway...finally finding myself on the receiving end of some free time to get caught up.

Some Koi I've been fiddling with. Drawn them a few times, this is my favorite so far:

This isn't so much of a grand idea, but when I got Mike's book, I determined to draw whatever was going on right then. We give a little food to this friendly feral cat I nicknamed Oscar. Oscar went through a rough patch several weeks ago when some female bluejays started taking his nibbles. They would screech at him, and if he didn't move off, they'd dive bomb him until he left his dish and they'd eat his food! I put his dish under one of the patio chairs, and that helped. For about one day. Then I saw one of the jays side-bombing him and I finally had to stand guard so the poor guy could eat. After that I started tossing bluejay feed on the roof of our garage so they'd leave him alone. Now I hear them fighting with the squirrels, but that's the squirrels' damn problem.

We went to the Los Angeles Arboretum several weeks ago during a large garden sale. Of course I was totally obsessed with photographing the peacocks as if I haven't seen them before. ;) While I was crouched down, waiting for one to come out from behind a small tree, it seemed to freak out. I couldn't see the whole thing, but it was beating it's wings and I wondered if it had gotten stuck on something. Then, it calmed down, but kept poking it's head around the tree like it was playing peek-a-boo with me. I couldn't figure it out. I finally decided the peacock probably wasn't going to come my way because it didn't like the way I was low to the ground, so I got up and attempted to nonchalantly edge to the other side to get a better shot. It was then that I saw there was a large garden mirror propped up on the other side of the tree and the peacock was having a very strenuous argument with it's reflection. He kept poking his head around the tree because he was trying to find the peacock in the mirror.

Beginning of collaboration with Andrea. I know she usually uses markers or pens, and I like using heavier lines myself, but as I started drawing this, I left it in pencil form to see what she would add to it. :)