Illustration Friday: Boundaries

Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes • Prismacolor Pencils on Strathmore Bristol Vellum

"Now, my dears," said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, "you may go into the fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden: your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor."

The animals around my garden have not been heeding their mothers' admonitions about respecting boundaries.  What started as a tentative nibble on a spaghetti squash, has escalated to bold beheading of sunflowers, and brazen feasting on tomatoes.  Are my nighttime visitors squirrels, raccoons...or maybe even rats?  I'm not sure, but when I see their handiwork in the morning, I can't help but picture them more as Beatrix Potter characters than as garden pests.  Fortunately, there are plenty of vegetables for all of us.

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While on the topic of boundaries, I was thinking about how Illustration Friday really transcends all geographic boundaries.  I want to mention two artists and fellow bloggers, well-known to many of you, from distant points on the globe (well, distant from where I live). They're both very generous with their comments, very prolific (I'm convinced that neither one sleeps) and if you haven't visited their blogs, now's the time:

From Hokkaido, Japan: Check out DosankoDebbie's Etegami Notebook. Her artwork is so beautiful and unique. She has multiple blogs (!) and amazing talents, and I learn something from each and every post.

From Newscastle, NSW, Australia, Andrew Finnie. He creates fascinating, beautiful (and sometimes surreal) digital illustrations, and his accompanying text is just as entertaining. And recently, he has blogged about an exhibition of his paintings, which are completely different than his digital work, and are simply sublime. Oh, and he's a surfer and an optometrist in his other life.

Enjoy!

Thank you, Kate Pitner!

Well, I'm experiencing an embarrassment of riches in the blogging world this week. The wonderful Kate Pitner has kindly asked me to participate in her "Favorite Things" feature. (You can see it here.) I love this concept: Kate profiles artists and, more to the point, the things that they have in their workspaces that inspire them, or just make them happy. It's a fun idea for a post, because we've all got those special things, and I adore seeing what other artists' workspaces look like.

Interestingly, that's how Kate and I "met" a while back. I'd been thinking about getting a little drafting board/parallel bar to plop onto my desk when needed. I happened to see just the thing in a photo of Kate's desk and sent her a quick email. She sent back the nicest email and we've been blog buddies since.

As blogs go, I have a pretty small following—but in the spirit of all the blog goodness that's come my way, I'm going to make it a point to mention my fellow artists a bit more. As Amy Ng (Pikaland) expressed in a post just last Friday:

"So if you like someone’s work, perhaps give them a shout out on your blog? Never for a moment think that what you do won’t count, because nothing can be further from the truth. All it takes is just one little step."

I hope you enjoy "My Favorite Things" over on Kate's blog. While you're there, check out some of her "Favorite Things" archive, and enjoy her wonderful artwork along the way! Thank you, Kate!

(Please note: If you read Kate's post and my interview on Pikaland  last week, you'll notice some similarities. That fault lies entirely with me: It's hard enough for me to write about myself, let alone come up with original material twice in one week, so I admit to a little self-plagiarism.)

Pikaland Interview!

I've followed the fabulous Pikaland art and illustration blog for some time. I always find something or someone that's inspiring, visually fresh, thought-provoking, or just plain smile-inducing. And while I don't promise to be any of those things, I was honored to have a little chat with the amazing Proprietress of Pikaland, Amy Ng. (See where leaving a comment on a blog can lead?) You can read it here, and if you're new to her site, stroll around and explore it a bit; there's so much to see and do there!

If you're visiting me for the first time from Pikaland, welcome! Feel free to click on one of my gallery page links over on the right, under the "ART" blocks.  Make yourself at home—browse around, leave a comment, and check out some very talented people on my blog list. Thanks for stopping by!

Pencil Revolution!

"Alphabet" by Dalton Ghetti

You can't stop looking at it, can you? A couple of weeks ago, while googling the artist that created this marvel (more about him in a minute), I happened upon a website that is tailor-made for pencil geeks like me: Pencil Revolution.  I left a comment, and soon received an email from its editor.  He mentioned that they used to regularly feature pencil artists, but hadn't done so in a while, and asked if I would allow them to post some of my drawings! Well, I was very humbled by the request because there are so many wonderful pencil artists out there (more about them in a minute). But then, it occurred to me that this is one of the wonderfully serendipitous things about blogging: you bump into some really intriguing people as you mosey around the blogosphere.  Take Illustration Friday, for example -  I know that exchanging comments does not make me bosom buddies with another artist, but there's a kinship that starts to grow when you appreciate one another's creative efforts.

It seems that I discover another wonderful colored pencil artist every day, but there are a few whose new posts I eagerly anticipate.  One is Paula Pertile.  Her posts feel a bit like you're chatting with a friend over coffee, and she draws like a dream - I could stare at her drawings of candy (the ribbon candy, the caramels, the chocolates...) for hours.  Another is Leslie Hawes. She "travels" around the world via Google Street View and creates the loveliest drawings of  these locations.  Is that a wonderful use of technology or what?

Now, back to the fabulous Dalton Ghetti.  I've been enthralled by his work ever since I read about him in TIME for Kids one day last spring when I was substitute teaching.  He carves miniature wonders in the graphite at the tip of a pencil. Unbelievable. This is a link to his work and bio that was provided in the Pencil Revolution post. In such a hi-tech world, Dalton Ghetti's unabashedly lo-tech art just makes me happy.

So, thank you, Pencil Revolution, for "inviting me in" when I stopped by. Anyone who says that the internet is impersonal certainly hasn't been strolling through the same neighborhoods that I have visited since I started blogging a short while ago.

Learning to see...again

I've always loved to draw. I drew as a child, took lots of art classes in high school and majored in design in college. During my career as an interior designer and then as a graphic designer, I usually just drew as needed for my job, but rarely made time to draw for the sheer joy of it. When I started to get seriously back into drawing about six months ago, I felt out of practice. Like playing a musical instrument or enjoying a sport, without frequent use, one's skills get rusty.

 Luckily for me, I happened upon the blog of an artist named Paul Foxton, who lives and works in Surrey, England. In his blog, "Learning to See - A Journey Back to Painting", he talked about getting back into art after a lapse. His drawings, especially his still life work and his cafe sketches, really inspired me to get off the computer and dig out my sketch pad. (I later discovered that he has another portfolio website that's full of his beautiful work.) Recently, after drawing some gorgeous local walnuts, I realized how reminiscent they are of Mr Foxton's work. Once again, it's time to get off the computer, but it occurs to me that I owe someone a thank-you email first....