Posts filed under ‘art’
Ars moriendi
There are several benefits of having a scientist dad (or mom, of course). Even better than the enhanced pet possibilities and the never-ending answers to those never-ending kid questions about the natural world are the occasional visits to the lab. If you managed to get tired of looking at the vast array of live animals, stuffed animals, skeletons, unidentifiable things in jars, and weird paraphernalia, you could always read the hundreds of Far Side comics taped to the walls.
On a very vaguely related note: I just know that some of you will be interested to learn that Wyatt from Weird Science is now a medievalist! Nice!
an unforeseen benefit of having an attic bedroom
Snow day! It hasn’t snowed here yet, but there are rumours floating around about snow nearby. We got a couple of pretty good snows last year, but it’s been years since I’ve lived somewhere with really satisfying winters. My husband’s newfangled snowshoes haven’t even been out to play since Kalamazoo (um… three cities and four years ago). I can’t look at old school snowshoes like these ones without thinking about my old friend Tammy, who, while snowshoeing with our grade 4/5 class at a nearby nature centre, managed to break her thumb. How the? Snowshoeing accident… really? Her cast was pretty sweet, though, and I was a little bit jealous of it. I wonder if Tammy ever thinks about that fateful day in Eden Mills. Facebook, here I come…
3…2…1…
The best thing about having a toddler around Hallowe’en is that you get to eat all of his or her candy. The worst thing is that, to get all that candy, you have to convince the toddler to wear weird stuff, sometimes on his or her head. This bear is wearing the alien hat that my mom and I made Doodle for last Hallowe’en. The thing has never been on Doodle’s head. He absolutely refuses. So, now my bear Bob (inherited by Doodle) wears it most of the time.
The rest of the story here is that Doodle regularly asks to hear stories about going up into space in a rocket with various toys of his. He sleeps with a goat named MaaMaa who gets to go in the rocket most nights. I always get all excited, thinking he wants me (um, Mama) to go with him. Then he corrects me like I’m some kind of fool. Humph.
open for business
“Ho, ho, the mistletoe…” Oh no. As soon as I started drawing that mistletoe (okay, more like as soon as I googled it to see what the stuff actually looks like), I started singing Christmas songs. Not good. Yes, I am drawing some Christmas stuff already, but that’s solely for the benefit of those freaks who have actually started to buy Christmas cards from my shop (no offense intended to any freaks who are already Christmas shopping), not for my own pleasure. I mean, it’s not like I’m already planning my Rockefeller/FAO Schwarz trip, or pouring over Etsy for the perfect gifts (it’s strictly research). And it’s not like I already have a Christmas wreath on my door or something (for your information, it’s a seasonal wreath). Seriously… freaks! ”I don’t know if there’ll be snow…”
fattening up
Happy Thanksgiving, Canadians! Happy Columbus Day (still trying to figure out what exactly this is), Americans! Go eat an apple pie! I know that a lot of people get all worked up about turkey, but – hello? – pie? And what about the stuffed potatoes? The butter tarts? Did I mention pie? You’ve gotta love a holiday completely centred around eating. Oh, yeah, and the whole family, togetherness, thankfulness thing, too.
winner of the costume contest
I have the bad habit of assuming that everything from my childhood is kind of universal to all childhoods. Since moving to the States, I’ve found myself blabbing away to completely blank stares more than I wish to admit. Apparently, sticking maple keys on the bridge of one’s nose is not, in fact, universal (believe it or not). And, I was surprised to find that the term “maple key” is not necessarily known (they’re also called “helicopters,” “whirligigs,” “polynoses (??),” and, more technically, “samaras,” btw). Huh. While I’m at it, might I complain about Americans not really having a suitable word for “touque/toque/tuque“? What’s that all about?
PS – I have no idea what kind of creature this is.
canadian veins
I always get a little homesick around this time every year, because fall is my favourite season, and nowhere does fall like Canada. The leaves are just starting to turn here in CT, but it’s been a little too warm and wet to really enjoy the season. Also, around here, apple pies don’t seem to just appear, which has been known to happen at my mom’s house. We do have a pretty intense schedule of apple festivals and corn mazes coming up, though, so not all is lost.
My drawing this week is a little different from normal, because I’m revisiting (um, okay, finally visiting) my print Gocco and have been thinking about designs to print. I’ve been a real Gocco wimp so far, and I think that almost a year of drawing in Photoshop, where nothing is permanent, is to blame. The thought of using up my screens and flashbulbs is scary! Hopefully I’ll have a nice printed leaf journal in my shop soon.
global warming
Last week, I had a customer send me a nice message explaining that the print she was buying would be a Christmas gift for some friends. So, that got me thinking about holiday cards for my shop. Just because I’m not on top of… anything, I guess other people are. Anyway, here is my first (insert winter holiday) card design. I would like to think that the rabbit is giving the fox a nice, thoughtful gift (hand knitted rabbit-fur scarf, perhaps?), and not simply an offering of “please don’t eat me” food. There aren’t many places to hide in that snow globe.
Speaking of Christmas on Etsy, I’d like to recommend my friend Kris’ brand new shop for all of your throw pillow needs. I got to see her inventory in person this week and was so impressed with the quality and cuteness of her creations.
