Getting started in Aya's Moleskine

Ballookey's Moles, pocket and pieces by Mary

"Bid Noah Goodnight"

"And they came in in twos . .  ."

Casual Poppy Card
print card from acrylic painting
for pocket

Not sure if these are done yet.

Bag of Lies

Scans of Hennie's Conversations I and II.

Biker Buddy in Balookey's Pocket

Keith with Potato Chips
I made this on my new Surface Pro in Artrage

Keith with Potato Chips
Then I printed it, and painted over almost the entire thing with acrylics
click images to view larger.

Keith with potatoes chips, "final?"

I guess it's had to see the changes in the final version, it should have bothered posting them all. (I may not actually be done yet.  I changed the smile, the eyes, the arm, the hands.  But it's fairly subtle.  Hmm, I liked parts of the earlier versions better--I may not be done yet.

Collaboration with Aya in Mike's book

Before: (I loved this set up from Aya, by the way!)

After:

Blast from Past: Henniemavis Hijacks Ballookey's Mole

I hope this is permissible, but Mary is visiting me in NH & happened to be traveling with Ballookey's book... so... I couldn't resist! These 2 pages are entitled "Conversations Between Friends I" and "Conversations Between Friends II". All imagery is directly related to snippets of tales told between Mary & I. We spent a lot of time outdoors & did a lot of drawing, painting & blabbing. No further explanation will be given. Not that you would want any further explanation, I'm sure :-)

Aya's book - at last

The good news is Aya's book is on it's way to Andrea.

The bad news is how shamefully long it took me to do. I just really hit a creative roadblock with it, due to the fact that I'd self-imposed this theme of dreams and didn't want to break the theme, but then again didn't feel up to the task of illustrating my dreams.

Several weeks ago I decided that since I couldn't proceed with the drawings and all I really felt like doing was make chainmaille anyway, I'd make a chainmaille pouch for the book. Aya always sends such wonderful gifts with the books, that I wanted to make something cool to send back.

Fail!

First of all, I had no money whatsoever, so I couldn't buy rings in colors that I thought would suit Aya. I had to work with what I had which is why this is a patchwork of colors.

Then I had this idea of how to close it, but it didn't quite work out. I held onto the book for a couple of weeks trying to figure something out. Finally I decided to get some jewelry hooks and they could hook it closed. Of course, a few days ago I discovered magnetic clasps that would have been perfect, but would take a few weeks to get (even when I have money!) so I decided to send it anyway, imperfections and all.

I guess this is my first test and Aya is the (un)lucky recipient.

It IS fun to play with the pouch, though. It's very sexy to roll it around in your hands and stuff. A shoulder strap could be added, or you could just stick your hand in it while you read the Internet and enjoy the feel of it. Which is mostly what I did.

I was perfectly happy with the first page I added to the book (on the right below), which maybe is why it was so hard for me to continue.

Ugh. I hate this drawing. It's from a dream I had where someone gave me a new outfit of clothes and when I put it on, I thought I looked so amazing, and I went outside to show people, and it was raining jewels which I collected in a bucket. I mean, pretty much exactly as drawn except I don't like my drawing.

Unable to proceed with drawing, I just did a page of words: 

Now feeling that I'd had this book far, FAR beyond all reasonable and unreasonable amounts of time, I was stumped for a collaboration page. And I didn't really do four pages as I should have anyway. So I did a sort of half-and-half thing. I started drawing as if I was going to fill the page, and then I stopped. Andrea can continue it or just do her own thing on the opposite page.

Sorry for the terrible delay. I'm going to try to approach the next book with a clear head and find something extra nice to send to Aya. 

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.

In Mary's pocket

A paper houses collection.

pages 5-6 in Mary's book (and half a page for Ballookey)

Still keeping with the collection theme, I painted the one collection that's really too creepy to ever contemplate (dolls, bla!) and the collection that I'd probably start if I had room and the inclination to collect anything, Vintage cameras.

My sister just got me a pink FujiFilm instax camera and the picture in the middle is one of the first 3 pictures I shot with it. It's a little creek right of the Delaware water gap we took a break at on the way back from PA.

A half page for Ballookey:

pages 3 and 4 in Mary's

One of those ideas that looked really simple and easy when I was in that strange state between asleep and awake in the morning, after an odd dream about being on a train and sleeping on a model of the state made of food. Then I spend the rest of the day trying to figure it all out and it turns out to be a lot more work then expected with the added bonus of the final project seeming very simple and easy.