illustration friday (spent)

This week I am a bit preoccupied with the fact that my cardiac pacemaker battery is running out of juice (power), and that I need to have surgery soon to get it replaced. So when the new IF topic was announced, I naturally thought of "spent batteries." That, and the fact that I've been thinking a lot about rabbits as a theme for my next New Year card (2011 will be the year of the rabbit), resulted in this image. The words are a parody of the ubiquitous American dairy industry ad "Got Milk?" Yes, I know, I should have drawn a cuter bunny. This one is heavy-set and overly serious.... I guess it takes after me.

sketchbook project 2011 (part 3)

You may remember that I finished my sketchbook project a week or so ago, but was troubled about how to protect the pasted-on sections from popping off the slick, thin pages of the notebook. I ended up covering each page with the clear, adhesive plastic sheets that librarians protect books with. I was able to order it online, which is often a deciding factor for me, since severe arthritis and other health factors make it difficult for me to leave the house.

It being my first experience working with said adhesive sheet, I ended up wrinkling up quite a few pages of my book. But the majority turned out well, so I've sent off my project, wrinkled pages and all, to the Art House Co-op, way ahead of the Jan 15, 211 deadline. I wanted to send it off before the end of October, because I've had too many devastating experiences of having mail go missing when I send it in the months of November, December and January-- almost certainly because of holiday mail congestion.

All together (including the cover), 40 of my illustrated Japanese proverbs and sayings went into the book. I won't even try to post them all here. It was fun, and I made some lovely new friends through the project. After my sketchbook tours the US (along with all the other entries), it will be included in the permanent collection at the Brooklyn Art Library. Thanks to modern technology, I will be notified each time someone views my book. I think that's kind of cool. : )

illustration friday (racing)

I try to make a new etegami each week for IF, but when I saw what this week's topic was, I thought of this one I drew as a birthday card for a soccer-loving young friend of mine. The quote refers to the worthiest race I know.

illustration friday (spooky)

more word play

This Waratah blossom was the centerpiece of a flower arrangement that caught my eye a couple weeks ago, and I felt compelled to draw it. The accompanying Japanese words translate to “I love your laughing face.” It is a play on words, based on the similarity of the word "waratah" to the Japanese word for “laughed” (waratta).

illustration friday (transportation)

I will never forget the exuberant feeling of flight that I got from my first pair of roller skates. Unlike the skates in this etegami, they were simply wheeled metal frames that screwed tightly to my shoes. Remember those? The words that accompany the image are the first two lines of "Brand New Key," a pop song written by folk singer Melanie (Melanie Safka), which was a hit in the early 1970s.

sketchbook project 2011 (part 2)

Here are some more pages from my Sketchbook Project, which I have titled: A Collection of Japanese Proverbs and Sayings. See part 1 if you don't know what the Sketchbook Project is. I've actually completed all the pages, but some of the glued-on pieces keep popping off after they dry, so I'm exploring ideas for sealing the pages without making the whole book too bulky.

autumn-themed etegami call

You are invited to send me your hand-painted etegami on any subject associated with Autumn. Please abide by the basic definition of etegami, which is a simple image accompanied by suitable words. Postcard-sized submissions only, please. Choice of medium and style is up to you. Your etegami should be postmarked by November 10 in order to reach me in time to be included in the Autumn-themed Etegami Mini-Exhibit, which will be posted on this blog in mid-November. Your submissions will not be returned. My address is at the top of my mailart gallery blog. Have fun!

Attached is an etegami I drew of some kabosu, a tart, juicy citrus fruit that is used in Japan like lemon or vinegar, especially as a seasoning in autumn cuisine.

sketchbook project 2011

Submitting to art challenges helps me maintain a steady pace of producing etegami. I've blogged about some of them in previous posts. Illustration Friday is one such challenge that has kept me on my toes because it renews every week, and the topics often boggle my mind.

You may have noticed the Sketchbook Project banner somewhere along the right edge of this page and wondered about it. If you haven't already done so, click on the banner and check it out. I thought about it for months before I actually joined, and once my notebook came, it took me almost as long to pull my ideas together, because it's the most large-scale art challenge I've ever attempted. I have to somehow fill up a notebook of fifty pages with artwork based on the theme of "if you lived here..." (I chose the theme from a list they gave me.)

I finally decided to combine the Sketchbook Project with a goal I set for myself at the beginning of this year of producing up to 150 etegami illustrating Japanese proverbs. Since the pages of the notebook are thin and slick, it doesn't work to paint directly on them. I have to print out copies of my etegami and glue them into the notebook. The result is sloppier than I would have liked, and the colors not as vibrant, but I'm trying to accept that.

I'm half-way through the notebook, and thought it was time to post some sample pages. I will probably be adding some hand-written trivia and doodles in the blank spaces of some of the pages, but not much.

illustration friday (beneath)

tea field art contest results

Remember the tea field photo and art contest I urged you to submit to a couple months back? Well, the results came out today. The winning entry was one of mine. Yup. Now don't you wish you had submitted something? It was fun.