Illustration Friday: Seed

This is melted crayon, like I have done before (search "crayon" on this blog to see other works) on recycled cardboard. When I thought of "seed", I thought of conception. This is my take on the prompt. :-)

Illustration Friday: Wrinkle

The prompt at Illustration Friday is "Wrinkle". This is a continuous line drawing where I tried not to pick up my pen. Different from a blind contour in that I looked at it the entire time. When I heard the theme was "wrinkle" it made me think of the other day when my mother pointed out I was getting a frown line between my eyes, "just like hers". Wasn't that sweet? Now that's all I can look at when I look in the mirror.

Inspire Me Thursday: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

These are collaged pieces of boxes that can't be recycled in our community. I've been wanting to use them in collages and now have an excuse in Inspire Me Thursday's prompt, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle".

Inspire Me Thursday: Envelope

The prompt at Inspire Me Thursday is: Envelope. This also deals with the "Envelope" theme from last week. I've been using scraps of old paper or in this case old receipts and tags to form a base for the sketches I've been doing. Then I add paint to add to the texture but always allowing the base to show through. I really like the effect.

Dude

I'm so out of touch with tv right now I've just come across the "Dude" commercials for Bud Light. Love them! If you haven't seen the Vegas version of "Dude", here it is for your entertainment.

Illustration Friday: Fail

I never actually "failed" math until college (Statistics was a bugger) but Math has never been a good friend. P.S. I eventually passed.

Letterpress Type

Found these two Etsy sellers that have wooden letterpress type. They have great shops for a letterpress junkie. Angie Pea and The Type Junkie.

Project Inspiration

Found these awesome type drawers with found elements placed inside the compartments over at Sweet Nothings via 52 Projects. Love this idea. I've got two of these type drawers I picked up at flea markets because I knew I'd find something to do with them. Problem solved.

Bits of Inspiration...

Artist: Linzie Hunter
Found via Black Eiffel via czina likes.

Look Up At The Sky

Photography by Lisa Rienemann, found via czina likes.

Wonderful Vintage

Love this baby announcement I found at a flea market. You can't tell but it's only 4" x 3". Looks like it's from the 50s. The package of 12 is for sale at my Etsy shop.

Stormy Weather...

Big storms brewing in the middle of the country. Here's the view from our part of the country. We've had tornado watches and flash flood warnings all day long. I really shouldn't be on the computer, I guess. :-)

Illustration Friday: Save

Illustration Friday's challenge is "Save". Collage from "saved" ephemera and a marker sketch of "saving for a rainy day".

Inspire Me Thursday: Two

The theme at Inspire Me Thursday is "Two". I collaged vintage ephemera in male and female images on the front and back of a shipping tag. I thought using the front and back of the tag enforced the opposites of the man and woman, even if the imagery is archaic and outdated rather than contemporary.

Photo Friday: Emotions

Remember when you were little and on impulse you grabbed a red marker and colored over your entire body "just because"? My entry for Photo Friday's "Emotions" is "Creativity".

Awesome Ads...

Wonderful ads for Luxor highlighters. Found via Design Crush.

PhotoSharks: Furniture

On Photosharks, the challenge is "Furniture". Just a walk in spring on a pretty brick pathway with park benches along the way to let you stop and rest.

Photo Friday: Found Objects

On Photo Friday, the challenge is "Found Objects". This relief was found on a tombstone over 100 years old in a little cemetary we found while hiking.

Easy Origami

This is so cool. I found this via sk*rt. How to make an easy origami star. I love them. The makers of the origami star are K. Werner Design.

Illustration Friday: Heavy

Illustration Friday entry for "Heavy". I've been eating lots of turkey and chicken for a good long while. So, a big, fat, beefy hamburger is definitely "heavy" to me.

Inspire Me Thursday: Inkblot

Over at Inspire Me Thursday, the theme is "Inkblot". You were to use an inkblot and add to it to create your entry. My inkblot was all the black on the page except the whiskers and ears. I turned this thing every which way before the "Jacked Up Rabbit" came into view. I started out with my paper collage that I'm liking to use right now and then I blotted out the original inkblot to be more of a faint impression. I turned this thing every which way before the "Jacked Up Rabbit" came into view after the addition of eyes, nose, teeth and ears. Happy early Easter!

Artists for Obama

Found via "Drawn". If you like Obama, this art print by Shepard Fairey is a great one to collect or display. You can buy it here.

Photo Friday: The Good Life

Pretty simple pleasures: A nice day, a cold beverage and some hot crawfish! Sounds like the good life to me.

A Little Luck To You

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The Talking Stain

Enjoy this commercial. It always catches my attention, even when I'm in another room.

Inspire Me Thursday: Kitchen

Remember that 70s commercial for a certain perfume, was it called "Enjolie"? Anyway, I remember singing it around the house when I was little: "I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, and never, ever let you forget you're a man! Cause I'm a woman!" This is my tribute. :-)

More Obama Swag...

Thank you to the Brighter Fusion blog for linking here to share the Obama logos in vector. Also go there to find links to these neat Obama posters, available free for download.

Snowfall in March, finally.

We finally get our snow...in March. I love it. It was the great "crunch" when you walk snow that makes GREAT snowballs. We had a great time. Is anyone else out there weird about messing up the perfect snow? A part of me hates to walk around in it and "mess it up". Hopefully the way it was falling it filled in the mess we made with clean snow.

Cool Caps

1. my bottlecap collection, 2. 001 / Red Rice Beer*, 3. 002 / Blue Moon, 4. 003 / Killian's Red, 5. 004 / Mike's Hard Lemonade, 6. 005 / mystery cap, 7. 006 / Craftbrewed Quality, 8. 007 / the Switch*, 9. 008 / Fitz's, 10. 009 / RED POP*, 11. 010 / Lemon Soda*, 12. 011 / Grilli Lemon Soda*, 13. 012 / Bavaria, 14. 013 / Samuel Adams Brewmasters, 15. 014 / Woodpecker Hard Cider*, 16. 015 / Miller Chill
Wonderfully graphic bottle cap collection found on Flickr.com via Drawn!. These would look great framed together. I love all the different designs.

Reduce, Reuse, RECYCLE

So I have A LOT of cardboard that can't be recycled in our community (cereal boxes, pop-tart boxes, basically any kind of box that isn't corrugated), I can't bear to throw it away so it sits in my supply closet. So recently I was inspired by K. Barteski at I Love Life and her paintings on used materials like coffee holders and I decided I would reuse my cardboard to paint on each day. My first day, what to paint? Why the girls on The View, of course. :-) Which box to use? I think a piece from a donut box fits the theme quite nicely.

Take a Leap...

My collage for "Leap". I used vintage catalogs and illustrations with bits and pieces of old papers. Then I sketched some modern day computer influences on top. It's amazing the "leap" in technology that we have gone through in society in a relatively short amount of time.

PhotoSharks: Games

The Race. Ready, set, GO!

Photo Friday: Fuzzy

Feathers are kind of "fuzzy", right?

Pollock Inspired

Over at Inspire Me Thursday the challenge is "action painting". Kind of like a Jackson Pollock inspired creation. Here's my Pollock inspired study that I did for fun. It's done with melted crayon. Very fun to do. I remembered doing this when I was young in art class and thought it would be perfect for this challenge. All you need is a lighted candle and some crayons. It's takes a little time to determine how long to hold the crayon over the flame for the amount of drips or crayon softness you desire.

Graphic Design Bar Returns!

After a long holiday break, Graphic Design Bar returns! It's a great read for graphic design professionals and anyone interested in design. Graphic Design Bar covers everything from funky fonts to cool Flickr sets to anything in between. If you've never read their blog, go check it out.

Illustration Friday: Theory

Watercolor Sketch
My entry for Illustration Friday, the Theory of Fireworks.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Found this great site via The Biggie Blog. Go make some valentine's hearts and give a homemade valentine this year!

Photo Friday: What Is It?

Hiking through a sea of brown, we came upon this bright, green moss contrasted against the dead leaves. So pretty, yet unexpected.

Yes, We Can!

When you go out to vote on Super Tuesday, just remember...Yes, We Can! "The choice in this election is not between regions or religions or genders. It's not about rich vs. poor, young vs. old. And it is not about black vs. white. This election is about the past vs. the future. It's about whether we settle for the same divisions and distractions and drama that passes for politics today or whether we reach for a politics of common sense and innovation, a politics of shared sacrifice and shared prosperity." Yes, We Can.

Illustration Friday: Blanket

Obama in Vector

I've noticed my site is getting hits from google on people trying to find a "Barack Obama Logo" in vector. I've found out a place where you can download it. There are legal stipulations in how it can be used so download with caution. You can find it here and another style layout here. I'm sure you could also find Hillary's logo in vector as well, but why would you want it? :-)

Photo Friday: The Machine

An early calculator machine.

Where I Wish I Was Right Now...

— MBC, Watercolor and Oil pastel sketch
On a beach watching a sunset in 90 degree weather. It's finally getting really cold and it's chilling me to my bones. Kind of reminds me of a Key West sunset.

Thursday Challenge: Small

Looking down from the ferris wheel during our annual fall trip to the fair. Favorite ride? Mine's the "Scrambler", what's yours?

Photographing Snowflakes

Photo by Kenneth Libbrecht
Found via Something to Say. Kenneth Libbrecht photos of snowflakes are inspirational. Go by and take a look.

Photo Friday: Mountain

What looks like tree roots to a human is a colossal mountain to an ant. It's all in your perspective.

Put Your Heart In It

Through a blogger search I found the Black Eiffel blog. She's having a Valentine contest. Email her your most favorite creative Valentine before February 8 and they will be judged by her readers. Sounds like fun. I always enjoy a good homemade valentine.

My New Flip

I've been hearing great things about the Flip video and I'm seeing firsthand how wonderful it is. It will not replace a regular camcorder for special occasions, but it is so nice to carry around to archive and share short, everyday memories to keep for posterity. So easy to use, just pop out the USB arm and upload to your computer to save or share with friends.

Thursday Challenge: Anything

Every year when we drive down to Florida I say I'm going to take a picture of the "gigantic, metal rooster". I finally did it this past summer. I wish I knew the artist's name. This rooster sits outside his studio. It's bigger than a car. I love it.