More Mary in Mike's: Angry Man, Weird Keith, collab

"Angry Man"
Acrylic and oil pastels on Moleskine Paper
Mary Stebbins Taitt
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"Biker Buddy #20140218"

Acrylic and oil pastels on Moleskine Paper

Mary Stebbins Taitt

Click any image to view larger

This scan looks a little lighter on my screen than the actual painting.

Collab, first half, for Mike
Faber Castell artist pens (including dry one for dry brush)

Andrea and Mary in Aya's: Breathing underwater

Breathing Under Water
collab Andrea and Mary
click to view larger

I have not mailed Ballookey's mole to Mike yet, because I have spent several days trying to get decent and usable scans or photographs, which I need for the book I am working on.  But last night, I did my first piece in Aya's mole, a collab with Andrea.

Slow progress, Balookey's Mole

I am sorry to report that my scanner is still not working, so I have tried to photograph the pieces I am working on.  The first one is a collaboration with Andrea.

Collaboration with Andrea,
PITT Faber Castel pigment pens and colored pencil

Day 1

The second piece is the one I am currently working on, showing two stages of work. It is for my book, Frankie and Noah have a party.

day 2
I don't think the colors show up quite right.

After a week of work I still haven't got the first layer of paint down!
This is with a different camera!
Getting the colors right without a good scanner is a pain!

Day 8 on this piece
Still not finished!

Collaboration, 1st half, for Mike

The last piece is a collaboration for Mike to finish.  My intention was to do a simple graphic black and white but I got carried away and colored it.  "The owl and the Pussycat went to sea/ in a beautiful pea green boat." Mike, feel free to change the these, paint or color over or change any part of what I did, etc. You can erase the lines of the boat and the ear of the owl if you want to do something entirely different--it could be a scene in the daytime.It could be a graphic abstract.

Click images to view larger.

Half-widow Black Widow collab, 1st half, for Mike in Andrea's

Half-widow
Black Widow collab, 1st half,
for Mike in Andrea's
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This is my collaboration for Mike, half a black widow spider.

Passages: Collaboration with Andrea

Passages
Collaboration with Andrea
faber-Castelle India Ink pen, water color

A bit closer
click on these to view larger

Wolf envelope revisited
(Played with it a little)

My collaboration and first page in Andrea's, 4th round, 2nd pass.  Plus the back of the envelope to mail to Mike, when I finish my set.  (I think the spots on the first two are sensor spots from my husband's camera, as my scanner isn't working.)

"Tut tut, Woman Scolding" Collab for Mike

"Tut, tut, Woman Scolding"
First half of a collaboration for Mike to finish
pen and ink with watercolor "wash"
click image to view larger.

Okay, here's my collaboration of the second pass of round four in my own Moleskine, for Mike to finish.

I still have one full page to do of my own work, plus I was going to do the back cover.  I may skip that until later, same with decorating the envelope,  If I'm running late.

Cardinals Collab with Hennie Mavis in Mary's Mole

Hennie's lovely start
(First half)
(click this and all images to see larger)

Hennie's gorgeous painting is wonderfully balanced and has really nice composition and color.

my half of the collaboration
cardinals fly, by Mary Taitt

Unfortunately, when I started this painting, we company for dinner and I only had one of my small watercolor kits, it was the wrong one, and the colors didn't match.  Wrong reds and blues.  Of course, that wasn't the only flaw, I'm sorry to say.

full double-page spread
Cardinal Dream
collab Hennie Mavis and Mary Stebbins Taitt

I have one solo piece and one first half collab for Mike left to do before I mail.

Collaboration, Part I, Cardinal Dream and Two pocket items

Cardinal Dream, by Hennie Mavis, scan
Click this and all images to view larger

Here is a scan of Hennie Mavis's Cardinal Dream. I totally love both the dreama nd the art!  Do click on it to see it larger.  We spent a wonderful couple days together in Syracuse, NY, where neither of us live any more, hiking and doing art.  As soon as I can, i will complete the collaboration and post it; I've been absurdly busy.  Confession:  On top of all the other problems and commitments, I am also trying to do NaNoWriMo this month.

Braid by Hennie Mavis on Banana paper

I have a sketchbook  made of all nature fibers.  The paper is made largely of banana skins.  It is very lightweight, but responds differently than other paper.  hennie did this picture of my braid as a collaboration for me to complete.

Biker Buddy, for Andrea's pocket

Here is a portrait of Biker buddy in water color for Andrea's pocket. I did it last night. We had ML over for dinner, keith's Mom, And I worked hard making a fairly elborate dinner, so then I rested doing art. YAY art.

In the Garden, for Andrea's pocket

When I was with Hennie doing art at the motel, I finished one picture and started this, which I finished when I got home. I did without the benefit of anything to look at, and I also didn't sketch it ahead, just painted directly on the paper out of my head.

Three Poppies, banana paper

This is the painting that I did on the banana paper while Hennie was doing the cardinals and before she did the braid.

a bit of silliness

at the motel

doing art at the motel

Hiking with Scott (by BB)

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date

My collaboration with Aya, in Andrea's book. Inspired by real life where I posted a photo of my latest purple and pink hair to Facebook with the caption "Don't hate me because I'm colorful".

Sorry that I'm terribly late on this - I'm overwhelmed with work and I knew I would be. I almost didn't do this round of the exchange because I knew I would get this busy - it happens every year. But I did a lot of work in Andrea's book while at work, in the form of little doodles and vignettes. I'll post them throughout the weekend as I finish touching them up or pasting them in.

Sugar Skull

Sugar Skull
collaboration with Andrea
and Mary Stebbins Taitt

I got my book back in the mail yesterday and it looks great.  I took some pictures, but haven't had time to download them.  Will do so ASAP.  Whenever that is.  We're going away for a week to ten days,s o it may not be until we get back.  Also, I'm behind seeing and commenting on posts because of gmails new tabs--I never see the emails.  :-(  I'll catch up as soon as I can.  I;m going to try to fix it so the emails about the exchange come into the primary box so I don;t have to searcg for them in three tabs.

Riding the Storm; Andrea and Mary in Mike's

Riding the Storm
painted collage
Collab Andrea and Mary
click image to view larger.

When we were in Colorado, driving south on the east side of the mountains, a storm sat over the mountains and funnel clouds, sometimes a number of them, kept snaking down out of the clouds.  It was creepy, scary and fascinating.

Andrea added the house.

I made a college and then painted over parts of it.  The witch is my friend Gail Slaughter and Dorothy, the scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion are all friends of hers.

Collab with Andrea "If you Play your Cards Right"

Collaboration with Andrea

Detail

I think I have completed my collaboration with Andrea (although I may see something later I need to do.)

Worst Nightmares, Collaboration Andrea and Mary

"When Confronted with our Worst Nightmares
I like to fight back with Flowers"
Collaboration Andrea and Mary
mixed media
water color, acrylic, pigment pens, colored pencil
click image to view larger

I wanted to do the girl (standing in for my child-self) in water color, but ended up coloring the background with black Faber-Castell pigment marker (A gift from Hennie Mavis) and then painting over that with glazes of blue acrylic.  I drew the flowers on the girl's pajamas with colored pencil and then painted them in with watercolor.

I have a lot of dreams of being chased down dark alleys by men who intend me harm.  They are nightmares, because I wake up terrified.  Not sure if that's what Andrea meant.

Click on the image to see it much larger.

I am still sick and my work is going slowly.

Mary's Last piece(s) in the first half round of Round 4: Dino-Drag

Dino-Drag
2 half collabs
Mary Stebbins Taitt first halves

Dino-Drag
half collab for Ballookey
Mary Stebbins Taitt first half

Dino-Drag
half collab for Aya
Mary Stebbins Taitt first half

I did Two more half-collabs this morning, and I did them together so that Aya, Ballokey and I can to a three-way collaboration.

Feel free to draw, mark or paint OVER any portion of what I did to make the wings bigger, add a damsel in distress, add flying teradactyls, or hunters with nets or approaching vampires or whatever.  Add clouds, change the color of the sky, alter the articulation of the wing bones, whatever you want--fix any mistakes.

And the same goes for the collabs I left for Mike and Andrea--too bad I didn't put those together, too.  For another three way.

Make yourself at home.  Have fun!

This is my last piece and I am hoping to mail today, but I think the post office closes at 2 and if I don't make it,t hen it won't go out until Monday.  Seems unlikely I can make it by 2:00--DANG!

Well, anyway, hopefully it will be on it's way Monday to Mike, then.  WAHN--I'd hope to mail it today.

Collaboration: The Pigephant (Evolution of the grub)

Someone left me a perfectly nice outline of an elephant, I assume as a collaboration, and I messed it up BIG TIME.  I'd never used oil pastels to speak of, so this was my first attempt, and I didn't really know what I was doing.

First try:

Pigephant (the grub)

My husband said it looked like a grub.  I was calling it a pigephant.  I decided the back legs were too far back.  (That was something I did!)  I kept fiddling with it and finally had this:

King Tut-tut

I decided his trunk was too short.  (?)  I made it longer.  I moved the tusks (but couldn't quite hide where the old one was.  I also moved the eye.

King Pink

So here is the maybe final version, in my round 3 book, a collaboration.  It may still need more work.  Can anyone tell me how to preserve it when I finish?  Can I spray it with fixative?  Will fixative stick?  Do oil pastels ruin the paper?

I am sorry to say I haven't had a chance, with the wedding et al, to post about my returned round 3 Moley. Sometime relatively soon, I hope.

Gretchen and Mary in Ellen's: Wind

"Wind"
Collab with Gretchen and Mary
in Ellen's Mole

The half collab left for me by Gretchen reminded me of blowing hair.  When we visited Slovenia, many women (and men) had hennaed hair.

Mary in Aya's: half collab for Gretchen and pocket item

Sakura pens

Benny and the Xenotarsosaurus, Benny and the hyenas,
Benny and the Skunk, Benny and the Crocodile.
3 in acrylic andone Artrage digital painting.
For Aya's packet,
because all my main 4 pix for her are from (for) this book.

Okay, this completes my visit with the lovely Aya and her lovely Moleskine and I will be mailing it to Gretchen as soon as I can.

In Ammons, one new piece and Three collaborations

Nightmare #120224
Acrylic and micron pens
my picture is on the left and
the collaboration is on the right.

I made three collaborations because there were lots of pages and I wasn't sure when I was doing them who would be getting the book next, since I have it out of order.

Splotch Monster Collab with Steve Loya, round 2

Splotch Monster Collaboration with Steve Loya
in my returned Moleskine from Round 2

I forgot about finishing up my Round 2 Moleskine.  So here's the first of those.

Icky Fingers Collaboration for Ammon in Stephanie's

This is my last piece in Stephanie's book, so I will be sending it to Ammon as soon as I can get it together, hopefully tomorrow or Monday,  It is done in 005 Micron pen black.  The green bit on the mouth is from a dirty scanner, sorry.  Also a little splash of black gouache.

Icky Fingers
Micron Pen
1st half of a collaboration with Ammon

It's my husband, Biker Buddy (Keith), in case you don't recognize him, working on my son Graham's car.  However, Ammon could make it into something else and that would be OK.  I'll be interested to see what he does with it.