I am, once more, a weekly winner at Monday Artday. I won for the “one thing, 4 styles” challenge. Abraham Lincoln has been velly velly good to me.
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Monday Artday had a “My Secret” theme challenge so I figured I’d do myself adding “my secret” to a fine meal I’m preparing. My secret also extends to me missing from this blog for a month! Sorry if I’ve worried any of you. Been so busy and had a 2 week vacation in Mexico, I’m afraid I’ve neglected my drawing. I missed everything about drawing and my friends that know me here and on their own blogs… I missed you all so much. It’s good to be back! I have a lot to do to catch up so expect a lot more of me! As they say in blogland, cheers!
I’ve been using a brush pen a lot lately, with just a little color from PhotoShop. These first three were for Monday Artday. The first one Kit Kat Klub, was for the “Glass” challenge – in honor of retro bars, full of kitchy tikis, cheesy lounge music, naive sexism, alliterative misspellings, women in skimpy animal costumes, and… um… girls in cocktail glasses. The next one, Yoda pets the kitty, was my second entry for the “Mystical” challenge. Then I designed these superheroes-as-bugs for the “stickers” challenge. The last one here is a drawing of my daughter that went on her Merry Birthday Tea Party invitations.
I mention this because, well, I’ve always used a micro pen so this thick-thin line thing is new to me… and I like it! I’m not changing my style… just exploring new ones. Yay!
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I sat on the couch after midnight, my wife and little girl asleep in their beds, I in the dark, silence. My thoughts attacked each other, never coming together, never making sense, keeping me from sleeping. Life was slipping by and I wondered how much time I would have to be a good husband, a good father, and true to myself. I wondered if I was worth the life I lived, if I was worth anything. But the wondering was garbled in a mind fevered with demons. I was alone. I was utterly alone. Then I saw light coming from my bedroom where my wife slept. I walked to the door and peered in – no light, just the gentle breathing of my sleeping wife. I left, bewildered, and saw the same light, this time from my daughter’s room. I found her sleeping peacefully as well, no light but the small nightlight that keeps her company. I turned from her room and returned to the living room and suddenly fell to my knees, grasping my chest in pain. Am I having a heart attack? It burned, like fire. I tore my shirt, then I tore my chest, pulling back the flesh — and then the light came out. The same light. It flooded the room making everything in it sharp, bright, crystal clear. It was so bright I should have been blinded, but instead, I saw better than I ever have. I gasped, fell to my hands, the light was gone. I breathed as though I’d run a mile. In the dark, on the floor. My chest was whole, my shirt untorn. When I caught my breath it was quiet again. All I could hear was the gentle breathing of my wife and daughter, asleep in their beds.
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This kid is ready for a fight. And by the looks on the girl and her kitty, that fight is imminent. This is an illo I did for Monday Artday’s “warrior” challenge – scanned from my sketchbook, about 4 hours in PhotoShop. I also tossed in an old watercolor of a female warrior.
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Well, you can bowl me over with a feather! I just won the first monthly trophy at Monday Artday! Egads! This is something to be enormously proud of as there are some absolutely incredible artists there. How did I win? I suppose it was all the bribes hard work. Honestly, I never expected to win – I was just there having fun! Thank you Monday Artday and thank you Bearuh for running it and designing this really cool little trophy! (click it to see it full size – ain’t it cute?)
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“Hurry back! Hurry back! Be sure to bring your death certificate, if you decide to join us. Make final arrangements now! We’ve been dying to have you!” Thus moans Little Leota at the very end of the Disneyland Haunted Mansion ride, after you’ve left the “hitchhiking ghosts” and are on the moving walkway. She’s tiny and for some reason some people feel they must throw pennies at her. Poor little thing. She’s named after Leota Toombs, an imagineer at Disneyland that acted for Madam Leota (the head in the crystal ball) and Little Leota – Madam Leota’s voice is another actress but Little Leota’s voice is Leota Toombs.
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Ha, ha, ha, ho, ho, ho, hee, hee, hee, hoo, hoo, ha! Here’s an illustration I did for monday artday’s “laughter” challenge. Actually, this one is a little different. I thought the girl’s blue shorts in the original version pulled the eye away from the center. Check out the original one and tell me what you think (click either image for larger view).
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Monday Artday illustration for the “build” challenge – building a nest! I sketched this out by hand, scanned it, and painted in PhotoShop – less than 2 hours. I was going for a “little golden books” kind of feel. “Twitter-twee-twee!”
I won the illustration challenge for the “mother” topic at Monday Artday! To be honest, I am completely surprised. The other entries were incredible and I am overwhelmed and more than honored to have been chosen. Thank you to Bearuh, Monday Artday, and all those inspiring artists who participated. You all deserved to win. Congrats, too, to Kim Coles for winning the painted furniture challenge.
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