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.

ARROVE--Mikes! :-D YAY!

Today, Mikes Mole arrived!  :-D--Great stuff, great fun!!!  (The last picture is a 6 x8 oil I painted this morning--may not be done yet.

SWA BARF BAG ART

SWA BARF BAG ART, a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

"You Have Been Punked!"

Don't eat it! Arghhh Too Late!

SWA BARF BAG ART

SWA BARF BAG ART, a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

"Fill Er' Up"
Oh the things people do on planes! Oh the things people do period...

Collaboration piece for someone to complete...

Collaboration piece for someone to complete..., a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

Another collaboration! I know what I would do!

Bird with dinner for two!

Bird with dinner for two!, a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

Drawing at 30,000 feet on Southwest Air...

Collaboration piece for someone to complete...

Collaboration piece for someone to complete..., a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

I decided I didn't want to mess this one up! Lovely Japanese girl or something. I believe this one will be a good one for collaboration.

Nightmare? Nightmare theme?

Nightmare?, a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

Diver in the glass mind with big fish with crazy eye? Classic nightmare stuff!

Close up of Kamakazi Sushi Divers!

Close up of Kamakazi Sushi Divers!, a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

Kamakazi Sushi Divers

Kamakazi Sushi Divers, a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

This collaboration cracked me up! Hours of laughing claims my soul... Underwater Nippon stickers to identify SUSHI finds. I love the fish licking bubbles! Cracks me up!

Andrea's Moleskine

Andrea's Moleskine, a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

A few stickers! An Incredible - stretched to perfection, and a butterfly collage...

Round 2: Castle LeFini

Sissy and Garryd at Castle LeFini

I sent off Aya's sketchbook to Mike, because I was having surgery and not sure how I would be afterwards.  I had the surgery and am recovering, and wanted to paint, so I painted in one of the old returned Moles from 2011-2012 (Was that Round 2?).  This is an illo for another kids' book I am working on, faber Castelle Pitt Pigment pen and watercolor.  If interested,you can read the chapter here, it is fairly short (3 pages typed).  I gave it the tag children's picture book, but it probably will be a novel if finish it.

Front of Envelope: Dreaming Fish

Dreaming Fish Envelope
acrylics
Mary Stebbins Taitt

OK, here's the finished front of the envelope.  I've continued the dream theme, with a dream, not a nightmare.  In this dream, I was talking to the fish who was dreaming the world.  (Maybe that is a nightmare?  It didn't seem like it, though.)  Fish dream with their eyes open!

I have an operation Thursday, and I may be in the hospital several days and then bedridden for a while--doc says I'll be incapacitated anywhere from 2-3 weeks to 2-3 months.  (?)  That's a pretty wide span.  Meanwhile, I am sick.

I will get this to the PO sometime before Thursday, I hope.  And when I do, I will let you know.  I have no idea how these will survive the journey.

Back of Envelope, A Dream of Floating

A Dream of Floating
acrylic, envelope

I decided to continue the dream theme on the envelope.  I don't know how well it will hold up to the journey.

Little Dream Sketches for Aya's Pocket

Aya's pocket says, "add dreams here" (Or something like that).  So even though I had previously done two pocket items, I did two quick little sketches of dreams for the dream pocket.

In my flying dreams, I am not always sure
if I am flying or falling.

Sometimes, I can walk through walls
in my dreams!
Click images to view larger.

These are just little, done with gouche on red-colored card stock.

Ballookey in Mike's

Lotsa photos on this post!

First up, here's the collaboration Aya set up for me before I did anything:



I stenciled in a moon and starry sky. I had already done the other pages first, and I wanted the color of this one to be as heavy as the rest.



There is something I want to add to this image, but I think I'll wait until the book comes back around to do it. How's that for a cliff-hanger for you? ;)



While Mike's book was here, I really felt like using spray paint and stencils, so I cut this koi fish stencil based on a sketch I did a while back:



I had more than one idea how I wanted to use it, so I went ahead and did it a few ways. One, in a yin yang arrangement with itself. I used matte black for the background, glossy black for one fish, and Poison Green from Montana for the other fish. Jebus, I love Montana spray paint! So silky and vibrant! Expect to see me doing more of this in your books!





On the facing page, I used an old technique for painting water waves that I learned from a book on airbrushing. I never was any good at airbrush, but I always wanted to use the technique because it's so stupidly simple. So I gave it a try, then stenciled a lotus floating on the pond.


Most of these pages have some details that I added in marker. In some cases, the spray paint made the details of the stencil blurry so I sharpened them up by hand. In other cases, I just wanted to add a bit more.



Both pages together:



Next, I wanted to see the koi in copper paint. Same stencil, but completely different feel:



I reused the lotus stencils to make these shapes in the corner:



On the facing page, I felt I'd done the fish enough, but I wanted to have the same colors and look, so I made a stencil of a bird, tree branch, and clouds in the background.


This bird came out very fuzzy, so I went over a lot of details with marker.


Both pages:



Then, I stenciled the bird again in Dolphin blue on a blank page for Andrea to work with. I also stenciled it on our garage door. (eep!)


This book is on it's way to Andrea today.

in Aya's Moleskine: Mary's Nightmares

Nightmare:  The Lion
Click images to view larger

Mandala in Earth Tones

Half a husband
1st half of a collab for Mike of Biker Buddy

We have out-of-town company and I am sick.  When they are sitting around talking and drinking, I keep them company in my nightgown doing art.  I have completed my work in Aya's Moleskine, and will send it on to Mike.  Soon, will let you know when I do.  Obviously NOT today, since it is Sunday.  Also, I'm so sick it's hard to get to the PO.  I already made 2 too-big pocket items, so I may something smaller.

MIKE, feel free to darken and thicken the lines and make it more graphic.

In the nightmare, which woke me up in literal terror, I was at the coliseum watching the lions about to eat the Christians when one of the lions spotted me in the stands, bounded over the wall and up over the seats toward me.  He was coming for ME.

The mandala was done primarily with pens given to me by Hennie Mavis (Heidi).

In Aya's: Nightmare: When you get him home, he's not what he seemed

Nightmare:  When you get him home,
he's not what he seemed
(Glass eye, wig, wooden leg and silver nose.
Click image to view larger
Faber-PITT pigment pens
+watercolor

I started working in pigment markers, because we have company and I didn't want to get out the watercolors, water, brushes, palette, etc.  They went out, and I switched water color--I have to say, I like water color so much better.

Collaboration with Andrea: The Moray Eel App Nightmare

The Moray Eel Nightmare
Andrea Martinez & Mary Stebbins Taitt
in Aya's Mole
Faber Castelle Pigments pens
Click on the image to see it MUCH larger

We have out of town company and after dinner, they decided to play poker.  While they were drinking and playing poker, I did art, if you can call it that!

I've been painting so many Moray Eels that I am starting to have nightmares about them.  Even innocuous dreams morph into something terrifying!

Arrove: Aya's Mole in Mary's entryway and Garden

The arrival of Aya's Mole
cell phone shot

Sorry about the crappy cell-phone shot.  Looking at the pix in the mole as always is such a joy and they are so much better in person than on the blog, although they are nice to see there, too!

A small bit of bad news of sorts, the two pocket items I made for Aya's pocket were made for the larger size mole and as they are 7 x 10 inches, a good size the bigger moles, they will never fit in her pocket, so I either have to mail them to her directly or enclose in the next mole, to be removed by her when that mole gets around her.  WHICH should I do?

I have to let you know I am still sick AND we are having out of town company for the weekend, arriving today and staying through Monday.  Dunno whether I'll be able to do any art or not.