Geeky Girl

Peony Kinshi

2011-04-15T15:49:00.002-04:00

I actually remember drawing this last Spring. Grandma was watching my daughter and I remember it feeling so luxurious to have the time to sit and draw. When I draw, and then later look at those drawings, it almost has the same power as scent as a memory trigger for me.

Dent De Lion

2011-03-04T11:17:00.001-05:00

Chloe's Backpack

2011-02-15T12:51:00.002-05:00

Here's a sketch I did of Chloe's little backpack. I find that now that I'm a parent, I'm making little notes and sketches everywhere of the funny things she does and says. Most of the time it's just a quick note written in my cheap planner. Occasionally, it ends up being one of these full blown illustrations.

I find it amazing looking back at this stuff at how much of it I would have already forgotten had I not written it down somewhere.

Normally I Don't Criticize My Sketches But...

2011-02-02T15:36:00.002-05:00

I don't like to criticize my sketches. They are just sketches in a sketchbook. Sometimes I try something and it works - other times it doesn't. Generally there is always something I learn - which is the point of a sketchbook really. I can always find something I like in any drawing I make. On the other hand I can always find something I would do differently. I refuse to go down the road of "this is awful, that is awful, I suck, blah, blah, blah". You don't want to hear that. I don't want to hear that.

With all of that being said, I am also a mother. And as a mother I must let the record show that my daughter is way cuter than this. This is creepy. My daughter is not creepy. Even when she throws a blanket over her head and says, "Boooo. I am a ghost. Run away." she is still cute and not creepy.

So there sketch. I criticize you in defense of my daughter.

Castle Tea Room Before Watercolor

2011-01-24T18:25:00.002-05:00

Here is the Castle Tea Room just in ink. And yes this was done over a year ago. Over the next few weeks I hope to post some older sketches that just never made it to the blog.

Castle Tea Room

2010-01-13T17:08:00.003-05:00

I've been wanting to do a series of sketches of my city's downtown area. A new year and a new larger formatted journal have made me decide no time like the present. This sketch has eaten up bits and pieces of my daughter's nap time for the past week. My favorite part of the drawing-the tree in the upper left corner added as an afterthought. Go figure.

Vanilla Extract Painting

2010-01-09T11:43:00.002-05:00

I couldn't post this earlier because it was actually a Christmas gift for my brother and his wife. Over their last visit he looked through my sketchbook and asked if I could do a larger version of my vanilla sketch. I blew it off as him being nice until he asked about it again a month or so later. And so here is a watercolor painting (my first actually). I get nervous when I'm not doing a pen drawing first - but I think it's good to do work out of your comfort zone every once in a while.

Molly

2009-12-28T16:02:00.002-05:00

This is an important post for a few reasons. It is the last page in my first moleskine notebook. As such it marks the first sketchbook I have completely filled. It took a few years for such a small book but it is done. I fully intend to start on another notebook soon now that the holiday craziness is dying down.

The real reason this drawing is so important to me is because it shows Molly. Molly passed away just shy of Thanksgiving after being with our family for almost 16 years. To put that into perspective Molly was a Christmas present when I was a girl and now I am married and have a child of my own. We grew up together. She was technically a dog, but had more personality than many people, and was a definite member of our family.

I love this drawing so much not because it is a picture of a dog. Not even that it is a picture of a West White Highland Terrier. I love it because it is a picture of Molly, that specific little being who is much loved and much missed.

Acorns

2009-12-15T11:19:00.003-05:00

Here's a quick sketch of some acorns I did recently just to get back in the swing of drawing. Without realizing it I drew this the wrong direction in my moleskine - which is neither here nor there but this is how I see it since this is how I drew it. Turn your screen upside down and you'll see how it looks in my moleskine.

St. John's

2009-11-19T12:06:00.002-05:00

I drew this in late summer when we were at a local park. The tip of this church tower just reached over the tree tops and my husband graciously chased around our daughter while I sat on a park bench and drew. I didn't have a pencil and had the drawing in public jitters so after a few lines I looked and realized it was off. Way off. Instead of scrapping the whole thing I decided to just use what lines I could and just ignore what I couldn't. So here is the slightly wonky drawing with a few extra lines with absolutely no right to be there. But you know what? I kind of like it.

Unfortunately this is the last drawing I've done in a while. In the meantime I've made a quilt, worked on a stocking for my daughter, and now am knitting slippers for her. I guess I've just been following my creativity in other directions lately. Hopefully soon I'll have some more current sketches to share.

Noodler's Ink

2009-11-17T15:12:00.002-05:00

So for my birthday a while back I received a bottle of Noodler's Bulletproof Black Ink and a much discussed Lamy Safari fountain pen. I then did this quick sketch using both. I find I have trouble getting different line thicknesses with the Lamy but it also loosens me a up a bit too. I'll probably try again with it sometime but I can say for sure that I love my Lamy for everyday sorts of writing.

Before the Haircut

2009-11-09T12:11:00.002-05:00

This is only the second drawing I've done in public. I notice that everything is less accurate, more loose. It's not necessarily a bad thing to occasionally get more loose even if the results are less than stellar.

Chloe's Sunglasses

2009-11-04T14:40:00.003-05:00

Coming up are a few sketches I did over the summer that I never got around to uploading. Should be easier now that we have a new printer/scanner that is always attached to our computer.

Flag

2009-07-16T18:52:00.001-04:00

Here's a sketch from around the 4th of July. Just a little plastic flag that was handed to my daughter when we were taking a walk downtown.

Words Chloe Can Say (Sort of...)

2009-07-14T11:07:00.001-04:00

This drawing is a little more doodle-y than what I normally do. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do to get drawing again.

Tree Outside the Dentist

2009-07-11T14:53:00.003-04:00

Here is a sketch from May that I never got around to posting. It was done while waiting in the lobby at the dentist. It was my first sketch I've done in a public place. Finished it up at home. Next time I'll have more recent sketches.

Lortab

2009-05-29T10:17:00.002-04:00

So I haven't been posting (or unfortunately drawing) much recently and the reason for that has been illness. So apparently when you get the chickenpox the virus stays in your system. And then can decide one day, hey, the last time we made geeky girl miserable was what, 20 some years ago. That is not acceptable. We've got to get going now, only this time, we're bringing the PAIN. And this, my friends, is shingles. Boo. I got it about a month ago, and frankly I've been fine for a few weeks but just haven't gotten on top of drawing again yet. But I promise I will start drawing and posting again soon.

Pictures of Bag

2009-05-15T14:50:00.005-04:00

By request here are some pictures of my bag. Anyone who wants to is free to draw this bag for any EDM Challenge, artistic pursuit or just general love of bags.

Chloe Mix Container

2009-05-11T20:09:00.004-04:00

I found this Cheerios container a while back. It's now filled with whatever dry snacks happen to make up the current batch of Chloe mix. The drawing was going fine until my cat decided she needed to climb into my lap and help. Kind of hard to keep the concentration going for all of the little text on the left side. But I kind of enjoy when I'm not in love with a drawing because then I can have fun experimenting with the paint without worrying that I'm going to "ruin" a good drawing.

Comments

2009-05-11T19:59:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post to thank everyone who has been stopping by and commenting. It's really great motivation to keep drawing. So thanks everyone! Also, by request, I'll be posting a photo of my bag as soon as I get a moment to take the pictures...

Chloe Mix

2009-05-08T18:30:00.002-04:00

After the keys I needed to draw something a little less... intense. Thus a drawing of cheerios and goldfish crackers.

Keys

2009-05-04T11:36:00.003-04:00

Here's the tag inside my bag and my keys. This drawing made me realize that I probably don't need two carabiners on my keychain. An updated drawing would show that I've tossed the cheap green one with the compass that doesn't work and the light that's burnt out. Drawing as a means to clean and get rid of clutter. Who knew?

Green Purse

2009-04-27T21:16:00.002-04:00

This is my green purse and it is nearly perfect. It holds my sidekick in one pouch, (you can see the case for it), and my moleskine and pens in the other (which you can't see as I'm using them to draw). It's the perfect depth to hold my wallet, some watercolors, an ipod and even a decent sized hardback (I always carry a book with me, it's a sickness really). There's a flap in the back that holds my datebook. The strap is serious enough that I can attach my keys and sigg bottle full of water to it without a problem. I love this bag.

Green Chair - Part Two

2009-04-23T09:19:00.003-04:00

Here is another view of the green chair. I like how it looks a little abstract up close.

And here are both pages together. It's the first time I've done a spread across both pages.

Green Chair - Part One

2009-04-22T10:37:00.002-04:00

Here is the slouchy green chair in my living room. This is my first spread that sort of goes over two pages. I'll post the second half tomorrow.

India Stamps

2009-04-21T21:15:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I want something in my sketchbook. Sometimes I know what I want in my sketchbook will be somewhat of a pain to draw. At that point, whether I want to or not, I know I will be drawing said object because it's not good to back down from a drawing challenge... and I'm stubborn. And so I present the stamps from India. My mala came in an envelope covered with these stamps.

Mala Beads

2009-04-20T22:35:00.003-04:00

I've been setting small goals for myself. My first goal was to meditate every day for 30 days. When I accomplished that I drew this drawing. Right now my goal is to draw at least 4 days a week. Stay tuned to see if I can keep it up...

Tufted Titmouse

2009-04-17T11:26:00.003-04:00

I find that having an unknown amount of time to work on a drawing (limited by how long naptime lasts) is adding a looseness to my drawings. It's a balance between keeping things simple, quick, and loose but not letting things devolve into frantic scribbles.

Lamp Harp

2009-04-15T09:03:00.003-04:00

To help get me back in the swing of things I'm occasionally referring to the EDM challenge list. I had already drawn a lamp previously in my sketchbook so I decided to draw the same lamp from different angle.

Pear and Baby Spoon

2009-04-14T16:07:00.003-04:00

So this is the first sketch I did in 2009. Getting back into the swing of things now that I can do a quick sketch now that the baby girl is finally taking a nap regularly. I did a very rough blocking of the outline of the spoon and pear in pencil and then dove in with my pen. Felt pretty wonderful to get something on paper again.

Iron Pills

2009-04-13T12:21:00.003-04:00

Pregnancy, severe morning sickness, anemia, uterine inversion, then newborn = 1 sketch in all of 2008. And let me just say I'm proud of even doing that.

Ladybugs, The Sequel

2009-04-10T08:57:00.003-04:00

Another sketch from 2007. And the ladybugs congregated at our house last fall as well.

Ladybug

2009-04-08T14:17:00.002-04:00

This drawing is actually from way back in 2007. I got pregnant, got sick and basically didn't draw much for the rest of the year. I had the baby, had a very serious complication, and again didn't really draw much for another year. Slowly I've made my way back to drawing. Over the next week or so I'll be posting old drawings while I start scanning in my new stuff. I'm trying to keep the habit going so hopefully there will be more to see soon...

The State of the Blog

2008-01-19T12:43:00.001-05:00

Probably time for another update. Pregnancy is not being kind to the geeky girl. Got over the extreme morning sickness to feel ok for a while then started getting tired. Really tired. Kind of dizzy too. That's normal right? Right?
Apparently not. Had bloodwork done that came back that I am quite anemic. I am now taking insane amounts of iron and just generally taking it easy. Nothing too serious, just unpleasant and draining. Hopefully in a few more weeks the iron will finish kicking in and I'll be up and going again.
Over the course of the last few months I've only managed to do a few drawings but I'll slowly get those posted.

The Swing of Things

2008-01-19T12:36:00.000-05:00

This is a little sketch a I did a little while ago just to try to get back in the swing of sketching. Not really of anything in particular. I think I was watching something on the Discovery channel showing henna tattoos and later when I decided to doodle this came out.

A Quick Update

2007-09-22T13:03:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I last posted due to the awful "morning" sickness I've been dealing with for the past few months. It's slowly starting to get better. My husband and I are very excited and happy about this pregnancy and upcoming baby. As I'm starting to feel better I hope to start sketching on a more regular basis again soon. Thanks for people's kind comments and hopefully there will be more pretty (or not) pictures on here soon. Stand by...

Speaks For Itself Really...

2007-07-08T14:28:00.000-04:00

Gaillardia Grandiflora

2007-07-06T11:25:00.000-04:00

I did this drawing a few weeks ago in my front yard in humid, 90 degree weather. It's hard to stay focused in such conditions. I wasn't quite able to capture the vibrancy of the the reddish-brown color but I like the blotchiness. Gives it a little more life.

To New Zealand

2007-07-03T12:26:00.000-04:00

To Germany

2007-06-25T13:57:00.000-04:00

I'm afraid I haven't been very good about drawing recently. My only saving grace is the fact that I doodle on the back of these postcards I send out. Since I know someone is waiting for the postcard I at least get a little drawing done. On another note this person talked about books so I decided to draw my library card. I enjoy it when the person's profile I get has something in it that gives me an idea of something to draw. This person asked for book suggestions.

Where Have All The Bees Gone?

2007-06-21T11:51:00.001-04:00

I did this sketch from a blurry photograph I took a few years ago. It's kind of all over the place. It kind of looks like the bee only has two legs. On the other hand I'm pretty happy with the black mixture I achieved. Really I'm happy that I drew anything at all as I've hit a bit of a dry spell. Sometimes it feels as though there's not enough paper in the world to draw everything I want to draw. Other times it feels like I'm artistically brain dead.

Lavender - To Finland

2007-06-19T12:33:00.000-04:00

Apparently there are quite a few postcrossers in Finland. This will be the third card I've sent there in my short time as a postcrosser. On this one I did just a quick little doodle of a sprig of lavender.

To Japan

2007-06-13T14:57:00.000-04:00

I definitely prefer the look of a big, bold drawing on the postcards I send out. It's kind of funny but so far all of the postcards I've used take watercolor fairly well. I know I don't have to do the sketches on them but it's fun to send your drawings off into the world. And I know I would be delighted to get one with a little drawing on it.

How to Make Green Beans

2007-06-12T17:06:00.000-04:00

I hadn't sketched in a few days. Just couldn't really get going on anything. Made dinner last night which included green beans. Got to thinking about how some people don't know that you've got to doctor up canned veggies. Thus, this sketch, such as it is.

To Australia

2007-06-11T12:50:00.000-04:00

A card to Australia. I've received my first card and it was from Dresden, Germany. It's quite fun. I think I'm going to try to focus on sketching one central item on the back of postcards I send out now. I think I like that effect better.

Soft Leather Shoes

2007-06-07T11:24:00.000-04:00

This is my first EDM challenge. I'm thinking about starting at the beginning and working my way through. Not on any particular schedule. Just as I need a little extra inspiration or feel like it could be fun. I tried to capture the distressed leather texture of these shoes without doing so much pen work that it felt muddy. Also, I have to say, it was really, really, tempting to pick up a pencil to do this. I'm glad I didn't because if I had, I would have gone straight to that anal-retentive, obsessive place where every line, every shadow has to be exactly perfect. It's not a very fun place. In fact, I'm trying to expatriate from that place.

To Finland

2007-06-05T13:56:00.000-04:00

Here's another postcrossing card I sent off. I don't know if I'll keep posting them here or not. They do have little sketches on them and might be fun to look back on all together someday. Any thoughts?

Oriole

2007-06-04T13:48:00.000-04:00

Over at my parent's house my Mom has put up an oriole feeder. Apparently they are attracted to grape jelly. Who knew? In any case with the help of a bird book I made this little sketch in honor of the visitors showing up over there.

Recipe for an International Postcard

2007-06-01T12:47:00.000-04:00

I really enjoyed the act of drawing this one. I got lost in all the little details. It also has a place close to my heart because about a week ago when I went to the post office to pick up these stamps I fainted. At the counter. In front of about 50 people. Someone called an ambulance and the EMTs hooked me up to the heart monitor and blood pressure cuff and it was all very dramatic and I'm sure highly entertaining for the people waiting in line. I went to the E.R. and got checked out and it was just one of those things - nothing serious - I might have a condition where if I stand for too long my blood pressure drops and I pass out. Sounds like the premise of a bad sitcom to me. In any case, now my husband and family relentlessly tease me that I got over excited about the colorful stamps. Now I have the drawing to prove it.

Taylor Guitar

2007-05-31T10:33:00.000-04:00

So here's a little sketch of my guitar. Or at least a part of it. The guitar I mean. To clarify: A whole sketch of a part of my guitar. I did this in pen (no pencil again), and I think it turned out better than the hummingbird feeder. Still scary to see a nice blank page and put a pen to it. As the results are more to my liking it gets a little easier.

Hummingbird Feeder

2007-05-30T10:49:00.000-04:00

This is not my favorite sketch but it is important none the less. It is my first sketch in my moleskine that I started straight in with the pen. In my earlier drawings I did at least a little preliminary pencil sketch before commiting to ink. Not so with this drawing. While it is frightening it forces you to look at things a little differently. Pay attention to how lines intersect and overlap. Take a little time before drawing to figure out where on the page you want things to be. More forays into the crazy world of pencil-less sketching in the days to come.

The Ephemera of a Cold

2007-05-25T12:14:00.000-04:00

Pretty self explanatory. I think my favorite part to draw was the throat lozenge.

To Italy

2007-05-24T12:25:00.001-04:00

This is my second card for postcrossing.

This time just a few little doodles. I actually sent the cards out on the same day.

Postcrossing

2007-05-23T11:50:00.000-04:00

So I discovered a new site a few weeks ago called postcrossing. Basically, you register then receive up to five addresses around the world. You then send those addresses postcards. Once it's verified that you sent them, your address is given to someone who sends you a postcard. Simple enough, so I'm giving it a try. Here is the first card I sent.

She said she liked Egyptian postcards or ones with poppies. So I decided to draw a quick poppy on the back. I'm thinking if I keep this up I might make a little sketch on the back of all the cards I send out. Might request that people sending me cards do the same.

Santoku Knife

2007-05-17T18:23:00.000-04:00

I painted this a few weeks back. My Mom hacked off the tip of her finger chopping an onion and called me up to take her to the emergency room. She was very good humored about the whole thing, all things considered. She's doing fine and in honor of the event I drew a santoku knife. I really like the dark black I was able to mix up for the handle.

Fern Leaf

2007-04-26T12:58:00.000-04:00

A simple botanical sketch. I really like the way botanical sketches look. Unfortunately, nine times out of ten I just don't have the patience for them. I don't know why that is, but man, more power to the people who can happily sit and record every detail of a plant.

Lamp and Tea Bag

2007-04-25T14:27:00.000-04:00

This is actually from a few days ago. My drawings are a little out of order from posting to illustration friday. In any case I like how this has a soft and fuzzy feel to it as that's how my head felt at the time.

Illustration Friday - Polar

2007-04-24T18:36:00.000-04:00

For this one I played with the idea of an old globe. I did a quick and rough wash of a brown ochre color and let it dry. Then I painted over that to create a stained effect. Turned out pretty much how I imagined it would. It's fun playing with layers of color.

Kiko's Lonely Toys

2007-04-23T21:00:00.000-04:00

I generally like the way this turned out. I really got the orange mixture dead on and I like the color and texture of the the scratching post.

Clinton Lake

2007-04-20T13:36:00.000-04:00

The other day I went out sailing with my Dad. I thought it would be a good time to start with a crash course in both painting in front of people and outside. The verdict: neither is particularly easy. Also, probably not a good idea to have your first go at outdoor painting on a windy day on a moving sailboat. In any case here is the result, such as it is.

Iron

2007-04-19T15:44:00.000-04:00

This is my first sketch where I did the ink first, then watercolored over it. I was worried that the ink would run but that fear proved unfounded. I used millenium pens (I got a set a few days ago to get some variety in line size and to test waterproofness). Seems very waterproof. I was going to write in some text but I liked the simple clean look of it. One of those times when I was sorely tempted to keep on adding but I think I'm glad I didn't. I think.

Kiko

2007-04-17T14:55:00.000-04:00

I'm having way too much fun with watercolors. I feel like with every little sketch I do I discover some new way to manipulate them. I let the color puddle and run for Kiko's tail and I love the way it looks. Also did a bit of mixing on the paper. Fun stuff if a bit unpredictable.

Cutting Hair

2007-04-16T17:18:00.000-04:00

My daily drawings are taking on a definite air of journal entries as well. I'm okay with that as it helps with coming up with what to draw. When you're open to drawing just about anything it's close to impossible to come up with an excuse not to. That's also why I'm a big believer in getting a few good supplies and a journal with nice substantial paper. Otherwise it's just too easy to put it off with excuses like "the watercolor will bleed through the paper" or "i'll do it when I get that new pen, otherwise it won't look right".

Nutella

2007-04-13T13:51:00.000-04:00

I'm playing a little with the layout of my pages. Incorporating more text to make it more of an illustrated journal. I'm definitely fast becoming a moleskine addict. Or at least an addict of small journals that have pages that hold up to watercolor.

Illustration Friday - Green

2007-04-12T12:42:00.000-04:00

For this I did a few green washes in watercolor and then used my uniball pen for the drawing. For the most part I like how it turned out. The text at the bottom is kind of "meh" but that's okay. I'll let you in on a secret: On accident I wrote greem and tried to fix it by adding the exclamation mark. Now when I look at it, my mind sees GREEM!. Which personally I think rather improves it. I might start using it as a word. Any thoughts as to what it might mean? Is it good, as in, "Wow that cake is really greem." Or is it bad - "Don't go into that public restroom - it's seriously greem."

Ceiling Fan

2007-04-11T18:05:00.000-04:00

So I'm really getting into doing some sort of sketch a day. In this one I'm playing even more with ink. I penciled in what I wanted to draw, then watercolored, then inked with a black uniball pen. I like the look of the ink but I also think it gives it a more cartoon-y look. That's also probably due to the fact that I'm using a thick uniball. I'm wanting to get a pen with a thinner line that won't run if I watercolor over it. Any suggestions?

99 Cent Flowers

2007-04-10T16:26:00.000-04:00

Apparently on Friday at a local grocery store they set out discount flowers for 99 cents. The colors don't necessarily match but if you separate some out and put them into a pretty glass they actually look quite nice. In this way you can get a few bouquets all for less than a dollar.
Illustration-wise I'm experimenting with using a pen with my watercolors right now. I liked the way the glass looked without the pen so I left it. I do like the pen work just picking out a few flowers up top. More fun with pens in the coming days.

Vanilla

2007-04-09T14:37:00.000-04:00

I quite like this one. Drawn from life but loose. Also getting used to using a pen in addition to watercolor. As a side note to get really good strong vanilla extract you actually should let it sit for 4 to 6 months. But that's neither here nor there in terms of drawing.

The Peacock Post aka The "I Can't Draw from My Imagination" Post

2007-04-06T16:35:00.000-04:00

The title of this post pretty much sums up how I feel about this little sketch. Although I do like the yellow background pattern. Oh, and I'm also figuring out how to mix bigger batches of color. Getting a better feel for all of that. Which makes it worthwhile. But none of this changes the fact that I'm no good at drawing from my imagination. Not to say that my sketchbook will never have to suffer from my attempts again.

Brick Sketch

2007-04-05T15:31:00.000-04:00

I'm not very good at drawing from photographs. This is an attempt at drawing from a photograph. I like the color I made for the bricks. The problem is that I tend not to mix enough of a color when I make mixes. I'm working on improving that. Not a lot of depth of value in this one either. All of it will come with practice. The main thing is to not get discouraged.

Illustration Friday - Snap

2007-04-03T14:40:00.000-04:00

This is my first illustration friday post in a while. It is my first non-digital media entry ever. Right now i'm loving working in little watercolors. I'm not super good at it, but it's so much fun. There is something refreshing about being able to physically flip through pages and hold the work you've done.

Blue Tea Set

2007-04-02T14:06:00.000-04:00

Well here is my second watercolor attempt. I actually quite like it. It's a little looser than what I'm used to doing and I like that. With this one I feel like I'm getting a better feel for how to get different values out of the paint. It's also not too muddied up since I restricted myself to only using two colors: Winsor Blue and Cadmium Red.

First Watercolor in Mini Moleskine Watercolor Notebook

2007-03-29T13:17:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I received my small Moleskine watercolor notebook in the mail. I don't have a lot of experience with watercolors but love the quick washes of color you can add to sketches with them. So here is my first quick attempt with them. I may have overworked it a bit but it's not too bad for my first time. I'm still working on figuring out color mixes (I bought six Winsor & Newton tube paints - they're quite spendy so I just got the basics).

So far I love working with the little Moleskine notebook. It perfectly fits what I was looking for in a sketch notebook - lots of pages, paintable on both sides, ink and watercolor does not bleed through, and very tiny. I found one online for about $13 with shipping included which I thought was reasonable for 30 sheets (60 pages both sides). Until I found it I was seriously considering buying watercolor paper, cutting it, and trying to bind a little notebook myself. Nice to not worry about it now - it just would have been another excuse to put off sketching.

Technical Difficulties

2006-07-17T17:15:00.000-04:00

... Or maybe not so technical but difficulties none the less. Our neighbors are having construction done and in the process our phone line was cut. So since Friday we've had no phone or internet. Just got it all back and am now basking in the electronic glow of our computer. Hooray for being connected again!

Abstract Sunflowers

2006-07-11T12:27:00.000-04:00

So here is what I ended up doing with the red canvas. Instead of doing a literal translation of either eggs or sunflowers I went with sunflowers that look vaguely like eggs. Sort of. Anyway I just started painting and stopped thinking too much about it and ended up with this. It's not quite as bright as it comes across on my screen but it gives you an idea.

This picture is a little blurry but the color comes across a little more true. Also I think you can see the thickness of the paint a little more. I used a pretty thick application.

We Now Have Tomatoes

2006-07-10T16:06:00.000-04:00

Woo Hoo! We finally have tomatoes with more than we know what to do with on the way. In celebration I've taken a semi-fancy pants picture of the first tomato harvest of the year.

On another note I finished the red canvas a few days ago and will try to get some pictures up tomorrow. Stay tuned...

Back Home

2006-07-01T11:37:00.000-04:00

I'm officially back home from visiting my parents while my husband was gone for job training. Now we get to have the fun of wading our way through a massive pile of laundry. While I'm waiting on cycles to finish I'm thinking I could paint a little. Probably not a good idea to swing back and forth between freshly clean clothes and messy paints but hey - a girl has to live on the edge sometimes. I just feel like I need to get going with the painting because it's just too easy to sit and go back and forth between ideas. I just need to mix up some paints and go.

Bounty of the Garden - Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce

2006-06-15T11:15:00.000-04:00

It's kind of a wonderful thing when you plant seeds and then plants actually grow. For some reason I always feel like there is no way that any seed I plant will actually do anything. But here is the proof - mmmm... delicious.

Then, being on the creative kick I appear to be in the midst of, I took a few up close shots of the produce that I kind of like. I'm wondering if I could enlarge this, frame it, and put it in my kitchen. Hmmmm... artsy.

My Next Painting - Or - What Should I Put On This Canvas?

2006-06-14T12:43:00.000-04:00

Here's a canvas that I painted with bright reds and oranges (as in orange - the color. I can just picture myself using a piece of fruit as a paintbrush - hmmm...). But now I want to add something onto this field of color. I'm thinking sunflowers - or maybe fried eggs. I can't make up my mind. I have a few quick wacom sketches but I'm having trouble focusing on just one idea and refining it. Any thoughts? - Post them in the comment section.

My Finished Pears

2006-06-13T15:25:00.000-04:00

So here is the final canvas. I did it with acrylic paint and I can't remember when I finished it. Quite a while ago. But like I said in my last post - I'm cheating a bit. The painting was interesting to do because I'm really not familiar with painting with acrylic. I'm still in the process of learning what works and what doesn't. Are there things that I would like to change about the finished product - yes. Am I going to let that bother me - no. I think drawing and painting - like most creative endeavors - rely more on the fact of you doing them over and over again than worrying about everything you do being perfect. This is something I've had trouble with in the past but I'm working on it. That's part of the reason I like blogging. It's motivation to go work on something if only to have something to post about.

Pears on the Wacom

2006-06-12T18:51:00.000-04:00

So, in an effort to stay on top of posting regularly I'm cheating just a bit. I did this wacom sketch a while ago but never got around to posting it. Tomorrow I'll post the painting I made based off of this sketch.

I'm Back

2006-06-09T10:12:00.000-04:00

After a long absence I'm back trying to post regularly. I've added some goodies to the sidebar and finally just removed the navbar at from the top. For the past year it had taken up about a 2 x 3 inch square on the left hand side of the screen (if anybody knows how to fix this without removing the bar - please let me know). Anyway I guess my blog is now all cleaned up with places to go so hopefully you'll start hearing more from me soon.

Illustration Friday - E is for...

2006-01-15T14:06:00.000-04:00

Elephant. At least that is what first came to mind. Did this sketch really quickly and then thought I should go ahead and just post it. I figure a quick sketch is better than nothing at all (which seems in recent weeks exactly what I have posted). So anyway - a nice quick sketch to get me going again.

A Long Four Weeks

2006-01-07T19:09:00.000-04:00

It's been a long four weeks here in Geeky Girl land. Not too long after my last post my husband was in a car accident (no worries - he's fine). Unfortunately, the car was totalled. Add that to the fact that we hadn't really finished Christmas shopping - well you get the idea. Mass chaos.

Unfortunately last night we got a call that my husband's grandma had passed away. She had been in declining health in recent years so it wasn't a complete shock - a fact often stated but never making it any easier.

So for the next week or so I'll be away but I will be coming back - hopefully with no more bad news for a while. Hope you and yours are well and safe and I'll be back soon.

I'm Back From New York

2005-12-13T17:14:00.000-04:00

I'm back from New York and man oh man, it feels good to be home. I picked up a cold from my nephews that I'm trying to fight off but other than that it was a good trip. Today I had some pictures printed off of my snowman drawing that I'm going to try and put on a card for Christmas. I'm cutting it a little close on this one. I'll post the results when they're done (which should be soon, please let it be soon).

Will Be Back Soon

2005-12-06T19:17:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update. My husband took a little time off work and so I hadn't gotten to the computer. Right now I'm in New York spending some time with my nephews. Except for a nasty cold I picked up from them - I'm having a great time and all is well. Thanks for your concern. I should be back in about a week - with pictures from New York city during the holiday season (it's really beautiful). Hope all is well with you and yours.

Voila - Finished Art

2005-11-17T12:16:00.000-04:00

So, after much delay, here is the finished piece. This photo has the truest color of all of the photos. I think it turned out alright. It definitely made me appreciate my Wacom tablet in that I could quickly play around on it before commiting myself to canvas. All in all the whole experience was really fun and I think I'm back in the groove of making art.

And here is the fruit of my labor in its' natural environment: my kitchen. I figure if I really get going with the whole art thing I can get the bare walls covered without spending a ton of cash. Then, as I get sick of stuff I can just take it down and put up something new without feeling guilty about it.

Illustration Friday - Strong

2005-11-16T11:18:00.000-04:00

The weather is turning colder and the first snow of the season was falling when I made this yesterday. On a technical note this was my first illustration using Adobe Illustrator. To say I have no idea what I'm doing in that program is an understatement but you don't learn if you don't try.

Look Very, Very Closely...

2005-11-09T12:46:00.000-04:00

This doesn't show up well - you probably have to click the picture to get a larger view to even see - but this is a picture of the light pencil drawing on canvas of the Wacom drawing. I kept the Wacom image open on my computer and just kind of used it as a guide. I knew I wanted the flowers and vase to take up much more of the canvas so I made that adjustment at this point.

This shows how I blocked in the background color and the black undercoat on the vase. I wanted the violet color to be kind of streaky and mottled so I kept mixing slightly different shades of purple and adding them. The next picture - though blurry- shows the true color better.

I almost kind of like how it looks with just the black, purple and white. Kind of spooky and melancholy. But I went ahead and painted the rest yesterday and will take a picture and post the results tomorrow.

Oooh... All The Pretty Pictures

2005-11-08T19:10:00.000-04:00

So ever since I got my Wacom I've been sketching like crazy and having a great time. I haven't really done much with making art since high school when I got burned out (our high school had a very competitive arts program). So a few days ago my husband and I went over to my parent's for dinner and they suprised me with a set of acrylics and a few canvases. So I've decided to paint some pictures for our new house and the first one I finished is based off of this Wacom sketch. I'll post some pictures from throughout the painting process once I get them on my computer.

Happy Halloween - Tomorrow

2005-10-30T22:34:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Ipod Price Drop

2005-10-22T11:06:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update on the ipod photo 20 and 60gb models. On Best Buy's website at least the ipod photo 20gb has been dropped to $249.99 and the 60 to $349.99. Now if you're okay with no video I guess it's cool that you're saving 50 bucks - but then I can't help thinking - okay, you're already spending a chunk of change, for only 50 bucks more you get a smaller, lighter version with a bigger screen and video, all with a longer battery life. I guess I knew it wouldn't be a super significant price drop - the cheap side of me was just hoping for a miracle.

My Mouth Is Officially Stupid

2005-10-19T18:27:00.000-04:00

I wouldn't have guessed in a million years that I'd be writing a blog today. This morning at 8:00am I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed. To be honest I was dreading it. Now I'm sitting here feeling silly for worrying about it so much. I honestly feel fine. By the time I got home I felt pretty much perfectly normal and am just taking it easy to be safe. Pain-wise doctors have always told me I have a high pain tolerance but seriously, I must be really lucky because I've had migraines and canker sores that made me hurt much worse than this. So I've just taken an ibuprofen to be safe but I don't think I'll worry about taking the harder prescriptions. I've got them if I need them but cross your fingers, so far so good.

The thing that's really killing me is this whole cold liquid diet thing. Literally two minutes after I got home I started trying to weasel my way into some real food. I keep trying to convince my family that cold fried chicken is cold, so it meets one of the doctor's criteria, right?

But really, I am going to be good and force myself to be careful and relax the next couple of days just to make sure everything heals well. So, if any of you out there haven't had your wisdom teeth out yet and are dreading - really, don't - the worst part about the whole deal was how bad I was feeling before the surgery worrying myself about it.

Illustration Friday - Cold

2005-10-18T09:51:00.000-04:00

So here's a little sketch I did when I first got my Wacom of a simple little cold snowman. I've been thinking about putting it on cards to send out for the holidays. I'm just not sure about how to go about doing that so that it's cost effective.

Salsa or Salsa?

2005-10-17T09:06:00.000-04:00

In an event that was probably nearly as painful to watch as it was to participate in - I tried to learn to salsa dance Saturday night. The company my husband works for held a "Salsa y Salsa" night at a local culinary institute. When my husband mentioned free food I, of course, wiped the drool off of myself and said, "sounds like fun". Now the catch is the second salsa of "Salsa y Salsa" night. That salsa is of the dancing variety. Apparently, the company hired a dance instructor to try to teach us to salsa and merengue.

Now at this point I should mention that I would love to know how to dance. I think dance classes would be fun, but there is a big difference between dance classes and what is basically a corporate mixer where my biggest thought is, "Don't get your husband fired, don't get your husband fired..."

After meeting plenty of appropriately nasty women, (oh, you're a homemaker) the food was finally brought out. It was okay. I mean, let's be honest, a culinary institute is going to make nice fancy food, but good Latin American or Mexican? Please. If it's not some side street, hole in the wall joint it's just not going to be good. The same usually applies to hamburgers and fried chicken, but I digress.

So at this point I'm still thinking it's a moderate success (I've refrained from punching the nasty women's faces and the mediocre quality of the food has kept me from embarassing myself at the buffet). Then we go to dance. It starts out slow enough that I can keep up. So far, so good. The merengue isn't too difficult. But then comes the salsa. Oh God. I sort of understand it if I concentrate and don't go too fast but my husband, I love him to death, but my husband is struggling. By stuggling I mean mashing my toes to bloody hell. Oh, and spinning me into the other people on the floor. You know it's time to get off the dance floor when you're having to ask yourself "Oh, did I just knock that girl unconcious?".

The rest of the night we watched the other people dance. It made me feel not quite so inept. I'm not going to make fun of people because hey, everybody was having a good time and that's what matters. But, just to give you an idea, I will say this, my husband is an accountant. No joke. I actually got to watch a room full of accountants trying to do the salsa. Classic. I couldn't make this up if I tried.

Anyway, to answer the question posed by the post "Salsa or Salsa?", I can say that both the delicious condiment and the sultry dance of love are fun - but I'll stick with the food, it may give you heartburn, but it won't make your toes bleed.

In Case You Haven't Already Heard...

2005-10-14T10:42:00.000-04:00

Apple announced the new 30gb and 60gb ipod. They're slimmer. They have longer battery life. They come in white or black. They have a larger color screen. They have, drumroll please, video. Oooooooo...
So apparently the deal is that people will be able to purchase for $1.99 or so, episodes of shows like Lost or Desperate Housewives and watch them, commercial free on their ipod. Now this is a great idea, but to be honest, I'm probably not going to pay money to watch a show I already pay a cable bill to see.
What intrigues me is the thought that someone, somehow, will figure out a way to pull shows from say, a Tivo connected to a computer, and plug them into the ipod.
In any case, regardless of whether people are interested in video or not, the unit will sell as they cost the same as the previous generation ipod photos.
Which brings up the ultimate question for the monetarily unendowed (read: me) - Is there any place where the ipod photo sans video can be purchased now at a discount? Please?

Illustration Friday - Lost

2005-10-12T15:14:00.000-04:00

I had some trouble with this one. I don't know if it was a case of too many ideas - or too few good ones. Just be thankful that it wasn't an image of a missing poster with a tooth on it. Pretty much all my thoughts right now are revolving around the impending wisdom tooth (actually teeth) removal. Instead you get a sort of "lost in thought" concept.

Like a Logic Puzzle... With Numbers

2005-10-12T09:33:00.000-04:00

Okay. So I just discovered a brand new way to waste time. It is called Sudoku. Basically there are a bunch of boxes with a few numbers in them. You have to fill in the missing numbers. Each larger box must contain the numbers 1-9 with no repeats and each horizontal and vertical row must do the same. Ummm... just click the link before I confuse myself to the point that life's not fun anymore.

Wisdom Teeth - Not Very Wise At All Actually

2005-10-11T14:36:00.000-04:00

So, apparently I'm going to have to have all four of my wisdom teeth removed... next Wednesday. I'm not looking forward to this. I've never been knocked out for anything before so I'm feeling a bit nervous. It doesn't help when the doctor calls it "twilight sleep". Twilight sleep? It just sounds creepy - like a horror or suspense movie. First there was Jack Nicholson in The Shining, and playing next Wednesday newcomer Geeky Girl in Twilight Sleep.

Girls and Videogames

2005-10-06T17:24:00.000-04:00

Okay - here's the deal. I love videogames. I mean really - I could sit and waste obscene amounts of time playing videogames. It sure didn't help growing up with two older brothers - there are pictures of me in diapers playing Atari. As I got older I watched my brothers write game programs on the Commodore 64 (I pretty much had no chance of being a normal girl - I see that now). So I've always played videogames.
But as I got older and we got a Nintendo, then a Sega - something happened which I thought nothing about at the time. My friends and I would go to each others houses and play videogames. As in girl friends. All of them had some sort of gaming system and sleepovers weren't real sleepovers unless we made the trip to the video store and rented a game. This continued without any of us giving it a second thought until about 8th grade. Then all of us stopped. I don't know why. We probably wanted to feel older, we wanted to impress boys, we wanted to be normal and fit in, and above all we did not want to be embarrassed. It sounds silly now - but at that age anything that sets you apart is a strike against you - and being a girl kicking all the guys' asses at Street Fighter is definitely not the norm.
So - fast forward to college when every guy's dorm has a Nintendo 64 with a copy of GoldenEye. Having not picked up a controller in a while the controls on the 64 seem impossibly complex - but after a few rounds I get good, real good. So I go get my own 64 and rediscover how much I enjoy gaming. Later on when my husband (back then just my boyfriend) and I had a little extra money, he was trying to think of something fun to spend it on. I suggested we get a used Playstation (I realize now that moment probably pretty much sealed the deal on him proposing to me years later). From that moment on I have happily and proudly wasted hours playing tons of videogames on a plethora of consoles.
It makes me wonder though - why just me? All those other girls never started playing games again. And I still have yet to run across women my age who play videogames, but pretty much don't know a single guy who doesn't. Is it still the same old fear of being made fun of? Is there still societal pressure dictating what women should and should not be interested in? I don't know.