She missed the Sketchbook

Do you think she's sad about that? SAM thought she looked sad.
Personally, I'm not sure if she's a ghost or what she is.
I think I'll include her at the back of my own book, though.

Adios Sketchbook

So, it's all packaged up and ready to go in the mail tomorrow. (It has to be post marked by Saturday. Nothin' like waiting til the last minute, eh?)



...sigh...



I'm kinda sad to see it go. But I've decided I'm going to make another one, 'cause I'd like to have my own copy for keeps.



Sometime in the next couple weeks I'm going to offer the pictures in a limited run of prints.





I'm not sure what Etsy shop. I'm going to be re-doing everything here pretty soon. All of the shops, Etsy, and Artfire and everything. On top of work! Phew!



So I'm gonna be busy. Oh - and check out the Project tour dates, maybe they'll be coming to a city near you!



But I'll be around.

Take a Look

For the Sketchbook, but also for fun.

In-dirigible

If you have not been to my friend Brian Miller's blog, Waystation One, you are missing out. I know some of you read his lovely word-pictures, because that's how I found him (through comments on your blogs).

Anyway, I recently commented on one of his poems, that it made me want to draw a picture (I'm slowly working on it, around all my Christmas and Sketchbook stuff). He responded that he would like that, and if I wanted him to, he would write about one of my drawings. I told him to feel free. He chose this one (remember this one?):




His lovely poem:

in-dirigible

perhaps this is it,

someone's last hope

dumped overboard

washed upon shore

waiting to be found,

still learning to fly,

only so high inside,

dreaming beyond

these invisible walls, i.

quick, find a rock, break

the glass, release me

once more to dance

among the clouds until

a gentle breeze carries

me across horizon's line

- Brian Miller

A Pirate Dreams of Flying

For the Sketchbook Project.

Back to the Sketchbook

This is a companion piece for the Blimperfly. Or Butterballoon. Or...what would you call it?
Anyway, for the "Dreams More Beautiful" piece. It's one of my favorite songs from when I was a kid, from one of my favorite "fairy tale" movies - Dr. Doolittle. (Not the crappy Eddie Murphy version.)

Blimp in a Bottle

Drumroll please...

No? Ok. That's fine. I'll just toot my own horn instead.

Ha!

Seriously though, I have finished (more or less) the two winning ideas from my giveaway last week.
First up, Otin's idea: I could picture a sad little girl holding a dirigible tied to a string. she is sad because she wanted a shiny red balloon and not a drab, gray dirigible.



I love her sad little face...although, truth be told, she has that look like she might pitch a royal temper tantrum any second now!




I also had picked an idea presented by Ellie: Either an super eel monorail, or an octopus hot air balloon.
I may, at some time, visit the super eel monorail idea, but I loved the octopus hot air balloon idea.
And here he is:


You may ask, "why Japanese lanterns?" To which I will reply, "why not?" I dunno, I just thought they'd look pretty. I have a weird imagination, I will admit.

So anyway, Otin and Ellie, I will have prints off to you as soon as I am able to get down in the dungeon basement and print them out for you! Yea!

And the Winners are...

That's right: "Winners". Plural.

First, though, I want to thank everyone who participated. Some of the ideas you put forth were really fun. You all are a pretty creative bunch!
Based on the over all theme of my Sketchbook, the constraints of the page sizes, and what I know of my own drawing skills, I have chosen:

Ellie Belen said...

Either an super eel monorail, or an octopus hot air balloon ('cause how on earth can I resist that?)

and

otin said...

I could picture a sad little girl holding a dirigible tied to a string. she is sad because she wanted a shiny red balloon and not a drab, gray dirigible. (Because I think that is just funny, in a weird sort of way, and it reminds me of "The Red Balloon" - which I loved, yet found creepy, as a kid.)

So, you two, send me your mailing addresses, and once I get the images done, I will send you both signed, numbered copies! Yea!

Mouse Takes a Vacation

But he'll send you a letter real soon!



I thought I was doing pretty good with my illustrations, until I counted them up today and realized I only have 12! There are 40 pages in this book!!!

Birds On a Wire

Wind Dancers

The first from the "Dirigible" part of the Sketchbook.