Feeling the Pressure

I'm feeling the pressure.
I want to apply to be a part of the Blogs Illustrated webring. That would mean that I need to start blogging my art.

Okay.

I'm blogging.

These are three pencil drawings --the originals are much larger than they appear here and they've lost a lot of the detail --but, you get the drift.

When I was in Junior High School, my art teacher, Mr. Harry Miller, gave us a weekly assignment which was to turn in three pencil drawings --realism. By the time we reached ninth grade, we had to turn in five drawings per week. That assignment instilled a lot of discipline in me - although, truthfully, as an artist, I already was pretty much a perfectionist. I wouldn't say that I'm a perfectionist in other areas of my life, (housekeeping, to name one), but with art - I'm a perfectionist. Which is one reason why I'm probably not submitting things professionally as much as I should --fear of failure that my art won't be good enough or perfect enough or whatever. Anyway...that's another subject...one for my psycho blog (which is yet to be created.)

Pencil will forever be my favorite medium.

Mr. Harry Miller from George Washington Junior High School - if you're out there - thank you.

MY FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME!

Yes...all of you SKEPTICS (and you KNOW who you ARE!)
....just take a look at the featured picks for this week's Self Portrait Tuesday:
Now, you're glad you know me, huh?

self portrait tuesday: Lauri's Next 3 Picks for Week #4

Photo Friday -- Theme: Vanity

vanity, originally uploaded by beyondhope.

Vanity.

Here's Olivia --"posing for Vanity Fair".

I don't recall exactly when this photo was taken. I'm guessing she was approximately 18 months old at the time.

I thought the photo worked as my first entry to Photo Friday.

View From our Bedroom Window

View from our bedroom window, originally uploaded by beyondhope.

In the early morning, we often awake to this site outside our bedroom window.

One of the largest Great Blue Heron rookeries in the state borders our land, making these birds frequent visitors to our pond.

This photo was taken from our bedroom window on a rainy day this past summer. How I long for those rainy summer days to return! I'm ready for winter to be over!

The TEMPLATE

I've been messing around with the blog template --trying to figure out how to make this blog look better. I did away with the standard green tile design that is one of blogger's choices for a header background and finally figured out how to put in a different background.

It's not the background I want...but it's a start.

I need to get rid of the double green line and move the mountain scene over to meet with the right margin as well. And the header text needs to be moved to the left. Eventually, I want to redesign and publish a whole new blog template.

I'm determined to figure out all this HTML stuff on my own and not hire someone to create a blog for me! I think I should buy a book. There's probably an "HTML for DUMMIES" book published. In fact....I think I remember buying a copy a couple of years ago. Who knows where it is?

If you could see my garage (warehouse) then you would understand.

Somewhere in the stacks of boxes and bins are my watercolors and the HTML book.

I'm seriously considering baking some cookies and calling Marilyn!

Illustration Friday -- Glamour

Who
is
more
Glamorous
than
Her
Majesty,
the
Queen?

Artist
Trading
Card
for Illustration Friday

more dollhouse art

Here's another tiny painting I sold on Ebay awhile back.
the size of a wallet-size photo - maybe slightly smaller.
I titled it THE EDGE.

Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?

YEAH! Thanks to Sultry Painter Woman for her help with placing the Illustration Friday Button on my sidebar. For weeks, I've been trying to use the HTML provided at the IF website...it just wouldn't work. I happened across her blog and asked for help. Ask and ye shall receive!

And Then There Was Art

For awhile
I was painting
these tiny paintings
and offering them
for sale.

Someone on Ebay
was buying them
and decorating
Dollhouses with my works.

Somewhere...in somebody's
Dollhouse...I'll be famous
when I die.


This one was approximately
3" in length. A Watercolor.
My watercolors are packed
in the garage - still - after living here in this new house
for almost two years. Half of my studio is still packed
in the garage. I'm thinking of asking Marilyn to come
over and help me unpack.....

smile.

Poetry by Deb

THE END (of LIFE as I KNOW IT)

The laptop fell on the floor
It fell on the power cord plug
The plug jammed inside the computer
Two hours of taking the computer apart
Fixing the plug with superglue (don't ask)
The computer now works.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEP BEEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
"Should you wish to continue working
please connect to a power source."
oh no. The "fixed" connection didn't work
Another 30 minutes of trying to fix it
Broke the whole stupid thing off the motherboard
oops.

$200 to replace the motherboard.
Friend offers to try to solder the piece back in place.
Meanwhile....no laptop.
No files.
No recent backup because this wasn't supposed to happen.
Computer headache.
Argh.

I'm addicted to the laptop

How can I live without my laptop

Someone FIX MY LAPTOP!

The End

Self Portrait Tuesday - 1-24-06

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---

It's after midnight - so technically - it's Tuesday where I live.

Last week, I was behind.

This week, I'm ahead of the game.

Here is my submission for Self Portrait Tuesday - subject: Personal History.
What better way to keep track of your personal history other than keeping those dental records up-to-date?! (Hey, it could be worse...I could post the close-ups I took of my nostril....I'm thinking of turning that one into an Artist Trading Card...)

...just another wacky self portrait by moi!

Enjoy!

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COOKIES!

Olivia and I made cookies this afternoon. I found a recipe for Bisquick Pudding Cookies on somebody's blog last night...I can't remember which blog --I was blog surfing all evening....

ANYWAY....The cookies are really easy and fun for a three-year old! They're also quite tasty! We chose chocolate pudding for our recipe and added one cup of chocolate chips. Incidentally, the recipe specifically says to mix the dough with a wooden spoon. The dough won't stick and it mixes well.

After she added all the ingredients (even cracking the egg with minimal loss and no shell in the batter --YEAH!), she mixed the dough as best as she could and I finished it up. She had fun rolling the cookies into balls --and had even more fun eating her finished product! Although it was REALLY tough keeping her from eating all the raw dough! The cookies were a big hit with Dad too!

BON APPETIT!!

Self Portrait Tuesday --on Sunday - so, I'm a little behind...

So much for following the rules posted on the Self Portrait Tuesday website...we're supposed to post our self portraits on Tuesday --hence the name, duh. I was busy cleaning on Tuesday. Someone was coming on Friday. On Tuesday, I started cleaning. I hate cleaning. Anyway --that has nothing to do with my portrait. My portrait is an altered photo of my left foot. It isn't really this color --although those colors are kinda neat in a neon sort of way. But --the story is this....The topic for the portrait is supposed to be personal history. I remember (like it was yesterday) years ago asking my mother why her feet were so rough. She told me that she was old and once I had walked around on my feet for over 40 years that they'd look like that too. They do. I'm old. (and I think I'm getting a bunyon.) Enjoy the foot ---oh, and if you're Maria --don't look at the photo --because we all know that Maria can't tolerate anything to do with feet! (I sent Maria a free sample of foot fungus gunk in the mail once --complete with a huge photo of some feet with fungus. That grossed her out. It was my job. She freaked. I laughed.

Illustration Friday 1-20-06 Cats

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Whiskers is a watercolor kitten --a greeting card illustration.

Lounging Feline is a pencil drawing of my beloved cat, BJ. This was done over ten years ago and measures approximately 16"x20". BJ is now in Kitty Heaven --I'm sure getting into all kinds of mischief!

The montage is a collection of four cats I did several years ago.

I will post a NEW illustration later on in the week --but in the meantime, I wanted to share a few with you now. Enjoy!

Dolly

Dolly, originally uploaded by beyondhope.

Okay....I'm changing the "eye that is creeping everyone out" to the Dolly.

Here she is...Olivia's Dolly.

You're welcome. :)

Illustration Friday -- E is for....(my second post)

Okay --Even though I said before that I wasn't going to post an elephant...and I did something different....after the eggs digested (refer to previous I.F. post)...I just had to post this pacaderm.

So...here it is: E is for Elephant
(taken from my original pencil drawing which is MUCH larger than this photo. The photo also loses something in the translation as not much of the detail shows. I really, really, really need to get a new scanner. How can you be an artist without a scanner?

Enjoy!

The Eye

Okay...I just got an email from my sister who says that the photo of my eye which appears as my "profile" photo is creeping her out.

I thought it was kind of funny - kind of twilight zone -- kind of artsy --kind of NOW.

Anyone else feeling creepy? I guess I could change it to something else if I have to.....

Illustration Friday -- E is for

Okay --here's my illo for Illustration Friday --E is for... egg. Yeah, I know, not very original. I may try to come up with something more creative and post it at a later time. For now - WYSIWYG. This is done as an Artist Trading Card - 2.5"x3.5" Pencil and marker. No frills. I'm actually not real fond of fried eggs --unless they're made with whole wheat bread --Eggs in the Hole --you know --tear a hole in the bread --butter one side --place it butter side down in the frying pan --crack an egg in the center --fry --add freshly ground black pepper and salt --eat. yum.

more ATCs

Here are some more results of my 'addiction' to creating Artist Trading Cards. Some are sized down to very small images --therefore they've lost some detail --but you'll get the idea.

If the Shoe Fits

Artist Trading Card #170 -- If the Shoe Fits.

My first total collage/decoupage card.

I think it turned out okay. It was fun finding all the components. I started with one sticker of a shoe. That was the inspiration. By the way --you'll never catch me in a pair of those heels. I'm definitely the tennis shoe and hiking boot type!

Self Portrait Tuesday

Another thing to do ---a self-portrait every Tuesday....yet ANOTHER thing to keep me from cleaning my house! I'm lovin' it!

This was killing two birds with one stone because not only is it my first entry in "Self Portrait Tuesday" - but it is also an Artist Trading Card --so it's feeding my addiction!

Actual Size 2.5" x 3.5" --marker drawn on printed cardstock.
mood: I am NOTHING like that person I was at 25 --in more ways than one! It's a good thing!

Keep Creating all!

Artist Trading Card

I sat up until 4am this morning creating ATCs....I really need to stop.

I'm not getting enough sleep these days --my creative juices seem to flow best after midnight when the house is quiet.

Here's one with funky retro wallpaper and an old-fashioned blender.

Lemonade ---sounds good --maybe I'll go make some!

Illustration Friday 1-6-06: SEA

Okay --Here it is --the very first illustration I have done for Illustration Friday. http://www.illustrationfriday.com

I've decided that I need to do MORE ART!!!

So - In addition to the Artist Trading Cards that I've become addicted to --I'm now going to do this Illustration Friday thing....just what I need...more reasons to keep from cleaning my house!!

one month

so what?
it's been a month since I've posted in this blog.
where have YOU been? I haven't seen you around either.
the Christmas tree is still up.
I was asked today if I'm ever going to take it down.
Nope. not until the end of the month. at least.

what have I been doing this past month?
i have a new addiction....it's a good thing
...keeps me from eating so much food late at night.
i'm surrounded by scraps of paper and art supplies.
in the living room.
forget the studio.
this is art - 24/7
i have to have access at all times
because i have to be creating at all times.
it's an addiction.
i can't help it
it's not my fault.
ARTIST TRADING CARDS!!!

If I can remember how to post photos on this blog
(it's been almost a month, remember?)
then I'll post some photos....
my scanner isn't working --too bad - because scanned images would be way better....

anyway...are you an artist?
do you make ATCs?
do you wanna trade?!

later....gotta go create!