Studio Friday: Aged/Antique

This is a closeup view of an old wooden type tray I found at a flea market. It hangs over my desk. I like to find little toys or items to place in the different compartments. It's kind of like a living composition, it changes daily.

Summer's First Blooms

My creation
Originally uploaded by mbcdesignstudio.

Inspire Me Thursday

Before you look at my "Inspire Me Thursday", you need to know that it's a typographic representation of the poem, "Images", by Tyrone Green. Tyrone was a fictional character played by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live a LONG time ago. Tyrone was a prison inmate who won a poem contest. This is his poem that won. :-) You have to hear Eddie Murphy read it as Tyrone. VERY funny. If you have never heard this poem, looking at this version of "Images", imagine that this is how the poem sounded to me relayed back in a visual format. It's kind of hard to read, so here are the words:

"Images", by Tyrone Green

Go to his house in the middle of the night.
Kill my landlord. Kill my landlord.
A dog is barking. Do he bite?
Kill my landlord. Kill my landlord.
Sneak in his room. Break his neck.
Then his house I start to wreck.
Got no reason. What the heck?
Kill my landlord. Kill my landlord.
C-I-L-L MY LANDLORD.

Illustration Friday: Cake

Illustration Friday's theme is "Cake". It took a little brainstorming to come up with an idea that was, "A Piece of Cake". :-)

Photo Friday: Home

Lens Day Challenge: Chaos

After
Before
The original photo was taken on a bright, sunny day. This is a photo of the demolition of an old church. I desaturated the photo, played around with the curves and burnt in the clouds to give it an ominous or "chaotic" look. Totally different interpretation than the original.

Thursday Challenge: Ground

I dislike posting photos out of season but this one fit the theme so nicely that I had to dig it up. You see the most interesting things when you remember to look down.

David's Friends At School

I found this neat little schoolbook from 1936 at the flea market the other day. The title is, "David's Friends At School", illustrated by Nellie Farnam & Clarence Biers. I love these illustrations. The color and detail make them come alive. This is Book One, Social Studies, I'd love to find more of this set.

Studio Friday: Contrast

For Studio Friday the theme is "Contrast". On the top are my robot sketches. On the bottom are a child's robot sketches. I definitely think the child conveyed the subject better and with MUCH more feeling. :-)

Thursday Challenge: Passageway

Lens Day Challenge: Signs

Digital Drool Challenge: Morning

This pig is NOT a morning pig.

Inspiration Challenge: Magic of Toys

I do appreciate updated playgrounds. They are "safer" than the old equipment. But there is something to be said for the old, retro playgrounds with the peeling paint and shiny metal. Much more character, many more memories.

Moody Monday: Boring

The theme at "Moody Monday" is "Boring". This is a hollyhock leaf that has been eaten by some mysterious insect. Pretty boring but kind of interesting when held up to the sky where you see the lacy pattern that was left. My hollyhock leaves look this way every year. Any remedies for the keeping them from being chewed upon?

Photo Friday: Masterpiece

This vintage quilt I consider a masterpiece because of all the work it took and because it is an exceptional design with a wonderful color pallette. I've photographed it many times. I love how something so traditional can take on a contemporary feel when photographed up close. This quilt dates from around the 1930s-1940s.

Illustration Friday: Angels & Devils

Here's my version of a scratch drawing done with metallic black crayon, scratched out with an exacto knife on bristol board. My homage to the Childcraft versions below:


This is my inspiration for my technique for Illustration Friday for this week, a how-to article from a 1964 Childcraft book from the "How and Why Library". This article shows children how to make a scratch drawing using a black crayon, cardboard and a paper-clip or nail. Thought I'd see what I could come up with. I'll add my scratch drawing when I complete it.

Thursday Challenge: Family

Lens Day Challenge: Spring

This is an upclose view of my "kerria japonica 'Pleniflora' or common name: double kerria or wild rose". I have a stand of these bushes in my backyard. They are so pretty in spring.

Studio Friday: Sounds

The sounds in my studio vary on any given day but these are usually my constant audio background: The creak of my chair, the humm of the computer, the ringing of the phone, the click of my mouse and the occasional "Caw-caw" from a crow or two. Sometimes if it's too quiet I have to have the tv on in the background and I listen to Oprah or Spongebob Squarepants. :-)

Illustration Friday: Fat

Typography connotation using a "B" from "BeesKnees".

Photo Friday: Adolescence

Thursday Challenge: Work

Lens Day Challenge: Voluptuous

Digital Drool Challenge: Junk

Moody Monday: Small

Illustration Friday: Under The Sea

"Under The Sea" is the topic for Illustration Friday this week. I did something different this week I tried a collage with some photoshop manipulation. My inspiration for this piece is the an excerpt from the book, "The Life of Pi". The main character is alone on a lifeboat aimlessly drifting out at sea and he describes sealife that swim close to the surface and that he never realized how much life one would see in the middle of the ocean. In my collage I used colored tissue paper for the water with old National Geographic magazines for the lifeboat. The fish are shiny bangles used as decoration on garments that I have cut into shapes of fish. I had hoped the shiny quality of the fish would show through the tissue paper. It didn't turn out in a way that I was happy with so I manipulated that part in Photoshop. I kind of like how it turned out.

Photo Friday: Famous

What most people looking for "fame" hope for.

Thursday Challenge: Spring

There's nothing NOT to like about a spring crawfish boil! Beer—good. Corn—good. Potatoes—good. Sausage—Good. Crawfish—good.
You get the idea.

Digital Drool Challenge: Treasure

Found this vintage Kodak Jiffy Six-16 at the thrift store today for $3. It's in very good condition and from the 1930s-40s. Even if I can't ever use it, I love it anyway. If anyone knows of places that sell 616 film, I would love to know.

Lens Day Challenge: Mysterious

It looked like a bug meeting had been in progress...we'll never know...because all that was found was their SHELLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
{creepy twilight zone music in background}

Edit: I'm lucky number 13 over at the Lens Day Challenge. Coincidence? I think not.

Studio Friday: Sparkle, Shine or Shimmer

Had a hard time with this one and it was right under my nose all along. I made this shiny glazed piece at a "paint-your-own-pottery" place with friends. I hold brushes in it. The other container is raku pottery, it's more shiny than it looks in this picture. You also get a glimpse of my shiny baker's rack that I recently got to hold all my "stuff". So there's my "sparkle, shine & shimmer". :-)

Inspire Me Thursday

The challenge for "Inspire Me Thursday" is "Finding The Art in the Everyday". This is my first IMT Challenge that I've participated in, but I've been admiring it from afar for awhile. I found everyday objects in my studio that are not all that interesting sitting alone, but put in a grouping, they are far more engaging. I grouped these items on my scanner in an effort to make it feel like a collection of sorts. I used paper clips, a sticker, a leaf, scraps of paper, beads, seeds, nail file, plastic fork, stamp, rubberband, playdough, toothpick, old school photo, etc. After I scanned it, I played with it in Photoshop. I ended up with using the one with the cutout filter to give it an abstract, graphic poster type feel. I look forward to the next challenge. :-)

Moody Monday: Mushy

Inspiration Challenge: Chairs

Illustration Friday: Robot

If you've never seen MTV's new show "Tiara Girls" and you want to have a little mindless entertainment, then this is it. It's a reality show that follows pageant girls. It's as superficial as their other show, "Sweet Sixteen". Anyway, good subject matter for the topic, "Robot". :-)

Inspiration Challenge: Brilliant Grass

Photo Friday: Golden

Thursday Challenge: Valuable

Lens Day Challenge: Kinetic

Photo Challenge: Glow

Digital Drool Challenge

Vintage Fabric—Chicks & Flowers

If you haven't noticed, I like vintage "stuff". I won't say "junk", I'll just say "stuff". Some people might think otherwise. I used to go to flea markets almost weekly and now I don't have the time. One visit I found two big bags of fabric for a/r $5.00. This was one of the pieces. I love the colors and the design. Very retro.

Moody Monday: Open

More Cool Vintage Patterns...

Here's more of the vintage dress patterns I bought the other day at the thrift store (2 posts down). I finally got my scanner fixed with new software (wouldn't run in OSX with old) so it will be so much more convenient than taking a picture and uploading. And I had to try out my new scanner so "Voila!" more classic fashion! I love the illustrations on these. The first set of patterns remind me of Mary Tyler Moore outfits, the second is more Barbie.

Using Bleach for Paper Design

Saw this on Inspire Me Thursday and wanted to keep a bookmark of it for future use. Looks interesting.
Have a go see. Inspire Me Thursday: Design Your Own Paper

Pxite Challenge: Mountain

Pxite Photo Challenge

Cool Vintage Patterns

The other day when I went to the thrift store looking for silk ties for the egg project (Silk-Tie Dyed Easter Eggs) and I came across these—old Simplicity and Butterick patterns. The funny thing is that I do not sew and would not know how to use these to make some wonderous creations, nor am I into fashion design, but at $.30/piece I had to have them. I thought I could use them for something, I just don't know what. The more I look at them I don't think I could bare to cut them up. It may be the start of a new collection. The "Bow-chicka-bow-now" guys shirts really crack me up. :-) If you have an idea of what I could do with these, please let me know.

Studio Friday: My Working Hands

I'm a photographer for Istockphoto and this is a stock photo of my hand holding the hand of a child. This agency provides royalty-free, economical stock photography and illustrations that are useful for all designers. If you are into scrapbooking, they also have tons of photos you could use for backgrounds or textures, also a lot of frames. If you click on the link you can view my portfolio. :-)

Illustration Friday: Spotted

Quick sketch of me spotting Bigfoot who spotted the Loch Ness Monster. What are the odds of that?