Form and Function

 

The outdoors has a wonderful Miss Havisham-like quality to it this time of year. Overgrown, fading mementos of summer fill the garden. But I find myself noticing (and appreciating) the form of every flower so much better now, stripped of color. I picked a few seed pods and ghostly blooms last week and they wound their way into my sketchbook today.

And a bit of good news: The Year of the Book made the 2014-2015 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List. Thanks, Lone Star State!

The Natural World

Painting birds and bracken and whatever other natural life strikes my fancy at the moment.

All Hallow's Eve

Because there isn't enough Halloween in my sketchbook at the moment. But to be totally honest, I don't think I ever ran around All Hallow's Eve with just a cardigan. Show of hands, who else designed their costumes to fit over a winter coat? I distinctly remember Halloween '88 being the only pirate in history to wear a turquoise parka.

And jumping forward a few months, I have a quick survey. I've had a few people ask if I've ever thought of offering a calendar and I've been mulling the idea over. Is that the sort of thing other people would be interested in?

Halloween Cat Card Tutorial

I made Halloween cards for my nieces and nephew last weekend and midway through starting thinking this would make for a nifty tutorial. Ergo, here's a how-to for making your own seasonally apropos felines.

Tutorial after the jump.

Grab the above items, plus some black construction paper. For pencils, I used Prismacolor pencils because they're bright enough to pop against the black paper, but feel free to use whatever works best for you.

Instructions:

1. Download a template (with folding directions) here.
2. Trace template to black construction paper and cut out.
3. You can start drawing at this point, or fold the card first. I folded first, just because it makes it easier to see what elements fall above or below the ridges.
4. Thread needle and bring twine from back of card to the front. Tape twine to backside of cat. Repeat on both sides of the cat's face, near the mask.
5. To finish, fold up the cat and tie twine behind the head.
6. Voila! You're ready to spread some Halloween cheer.

One Lump or Two?

Hidden in the Leaves

Likable Things - October

And now a new semi-regular featurette: likable things, illustrated.

*The Autumn foliage: I am taking a million snaps and stuffing branches in vases. I'm mentally attempting to bottle up every one of those myriad hues.

* Meet the Beatles: Because Fall makes me nostalgic and John Lennon's rhythm guitar on those early records will forever be where it's at.

* Homemade donuts: I like this recipe.

* Hand-knit socks

*"Eureka: Nerdy, delightful, escapist fantasy at its finest. See also: places I'd like to move to, asap.

*And this Kickstarter. Jane Austen? Card game? Win/win, I say.

And you?