Illustration Friday: The Blues

had an almost instant image in my head for this one. Of course the end result isn't much like that preliminary image, but it is close enough. I didn't want to go down the emotional path of what "The Blues" means. I know that a fiddle is not a traditional Blues instrument--but for some reason that was part of my image, that and Australian Aboriginal inspired design elements. (That and I'm much more in tune with Bluegrass than The Blues...) Probably I was mostly inspired by this other painting I did a while back about musical instruments. It went with this poem:

Babalinka and Bitsy Boo
Go on a trip to visit Baboo.
Baboo plays the didgeridoo.
The dobro, the oboe,

And ukulele too.

Illustration Friday: Juggle

Wow. This one really took the wind out of my sails. I struggled (juggled?) with ideas all weekend. And then had to juggle energy reserves to carry any of them out. My husband is a video game designer and he's been crunching (serious overtime for you video game novices) on a project for months now, which leaves the kids and me on our own pretty much. When I tell people what he does they are always amazed and think, "oooh glamour job." Yeah. Glamour job with really serious slave hours...

Juggling all that in my head--I had to do a more conceptual piece.

Illustration Friday: Wedding

This illustration was an experiment to see if I could get the ink resist effect digitally. Thanks to Scott E Franson for his tutorial: http://scottefranson.blogspot.com/2007/08/scratchboard-linocut-tutorial.html

What kind of illustration for children incorporates a wedding? Oh I know, "Froggie Went a Courting" I was raised on at least two very different versions of this song. One is much more Disneyfied ( http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/f024.html ) The frog and mouse go to France. The other was the Pete Seeger version where the whole wedding is upset by a snake and a cat. Miss mouse got swallowed on the spot. (I can't find a link for those lyrics. But it is on the Birds, Beasts, Bugs and Fishes album http://www.folkways.si.edu/search/AlbumDetails.aspx?ID=2412#) I'm not sure if my frog and mouse will escape to France or get swallowed--what do you think?

Illustration Friday: Momentum

Momentum is a tricky thing. Especially when you don't have any. I couldn't seem to get going on this topic so I just have a quick sketch. It has something to do with mass and velocity and squares (or was that ellipses?) I know! I would've learned that if I'd taken Physics--thanks Dad! (Or so he said. I did take Physics (for artists) in college; and another "low calorie math" Physics on Semester at Sea--but I guess if you don't take it senior year in high school, it just doesn't get started and there is no chance to build up any momentum...)

Illustration Friday: Alphabets

This week's topic seemed like a good one for the Egyptians. (If you missed the Egyptians before see February and March from my Blog Archives.)
I don't think she got them in quite the right order and she's probably missing a few. Older brother is horrified by the number of repetitions and renditions that have already transpired... (with no end in sight.)