a new very favorite place

For lovely picture book collectors like me:

  Illustration by Jihyeon-Lee
http://blog.picturebookmakers.com/post/125243484756/jihyeon-lee

Blog.picturebookmakers.com

A Huge Treasure Box of said illustrators...blogs, interviews, samples of work. I may lose an entire day looking this one over.

Bring Popcorn #72515 in Series

On the subjects of motivation and creativity:

No. 1

A stop-animation with wisdom and advice for the artist who sells work, and 
There's a men's precious body part mentioned in this one, and a cuss or two...Consider yourself notified. 




Lynn Whipple on the Steps to Creativity. In her own inimitable style.

No. 2





No. 3. An idea that grew from something else. As most do.


Yukai Du, a London-based illustrator and animator, read Sherry Turkle’s Alone Together and was inspired to create this fantastic animated fable, “Way Out,” her MA graduation film.   



No. 4. Creative Year after Year after Year.

Herman Miller: The Picnic Posters of Steve Frykholm from Dress Code on Vimeo.
In 1970, a young Steve Frykholm arrived at the legendary Herman Miller Furniture Company.  There he created his own with a series of screen printed posters for the annual company picnic. Considered modern design classics, Steve's Picnic Posters are in the permanent collections of museums all over the world, including the Museum of Modern Art. The video here also includes some of his sketches from over the 40 years of developing a new idea each year.


No. 5
Lynn Whipple again:  100 Bad Paintings.
"This is a great idea for anyone who is interested in creating anything! You are going to make "100 Bad Paintings" so you had better get started! This idea can be applied to whatever you are interested in! Have no fear! It is supposed to look a little iffy when you first start on a new tangent! No judgement, get going!!"

(One of the commenters asked, "Was this shot with a potato?" It's a bit better quality watched directly at YouTube, but not much. Still, worth it, methinks.)

A collection of beautiful lettering

...that I couldn't resist.



http://kck.st/1HtD9n8

Stay tuned for my dogs!

I like everything Carla and Lynn do..and when it's freebie?  Who can resist?  Besides, the class is for "kids of all ages!"  I was just 9 yesterday, so that counts, right?

http://www.carlasonheim.com/free-kids-online-art-class-6-lessons

Walking Jordaan - a little video

..to go with my last post. It must be evident by now how much I enjoyed those first few hours after arrival in Amsterdam. Hubby needed a nap after our long flight and long day, but I tend to be wired and raring to go in the same circumstance. What I noticed was all the art...public art, street art, children's work, sculptural memorials, fascinating architecture, and...my new favorite thing: gevelstenen. I did some research to find out  about the many plaques built into the homes and buildings, some with incredible detail, all indicating they've been around a long time. I took many pictures and started an image collection of them. It seems I only touched the surface, as I found out here.  These plaques were used as house numbers of sorts before a system of numbering started. Or they were advertising boards for the business within. They are so much fun! You'll see several in the video. Thinking I might like to make a little book of drawings and paintings of them. Okay, put it on my list.




https://youtu.be/4NozC835sUI

Walking Jordaan

My first walk in Amsterdam took me through arty Jordaan on a gorgeous day. Loved finding the "Gevelstenen"...artistic plaques on building fronts that served as early "house numbers" or advertised the trade within. 

Oh I have been busy with teeny things that grow into big things. Lots of hours on the phone with Apple support (and can't say enough about the quality of their support, which is awesome...) trying to work magic with Photos and iPhoto (which no longer really exists) and how to keep my photos from being EVERYWHERE in DUPLICATE but not being able to find ONE special one in all that that prints and that "events" no longer exist, unless you want them to, but they are really "albums" quite surpassing the albums formerly known as "albums"....And moving files to the new desktop Mac without migrating them (who wants to move all the junk that accumulates on a computer after awhile, huh?!) ... Well, you get the idea. Also sewing up a little apron for my friend Carol's charity event, and tweaking the page above which took a whole lot more time than I meant it to.

Also, our temperature  yesterday matched a record high 95. Yuk, too hot. But today is cooler and quite nice and the rest of the week should be typical beautiful Pacific NW summertime days.

A special Sunday Papers post...

“My mother’s utter devotion to the art … of book-selling - or more exactly, the selling of book-loving - and her belief that books and reading mattered, mattered more than getting home at suppertime to be there with a casserole between her oven mitts: That devotion was passed to me almost intravenously.” 

NYTimes, photograph by Sally Mann

Okay...so I am milking this for all it is worth. I posted to Facebook, Twitter, and my book club pals, but I'm just loving this article and loving that quote!

It is from the NYTimes Book Review section, an interview with photographer Sally Mann, quoted above.

http://nyti.ms/1JlmMeH

...and I think it was the Fourth of July...

....cuz, you know,  there's flags....

I carved the flag for an exchange several years ago.

  ... fireworks...

bigfoto.com

....the hydrangeas are in full bloom...

  ...racing with the daisies, who are holding their own.

...and I'm almost sure I spotted some corn-on-the-cob, hot dogs, watermelon, and cole slaw. And a pickle. I'm pretty sure.

Hope your fireworks were amazing,  your picnics ant-free, and your team won.


(This year's Boys in the Boat,  all you rowing fans....)


 God Bless America. Happy to be  here.

Visible Peculiarities

One thing led to another on this plaything today. I believe I milked it for all it's worth.

All things arts

I was going to wait to post these gems until I got another page from the travel journal complete and posted but it's taking a long time to get it right. I'm in my extra fussy mood.  Soon.

Meanwhile, I have been collecting these to share with you. All Things Arts.

1

Supakitch and Koralie: a collaboration giant size that will amuse and amaze you. I can't imagine the time and patience and attention to detail this took. Not in a triple lifetime could I pull this off.
I found this on Doodlers Anonymous.


https://youtu.be/S9BxGnYlMI8

2

I love this artist! Some of her comments:

"though it looks collaged it is all oil paint, even the words and letters."

"i never know what i'm going to do. I like not knowing...because I actually like being afraid...because it allows me to follow any path I want...I can paint over things never any possibility of making a mistake..."

"art making is a kind of self-making who we are, where we are, and how we're oriented in the universe. Not knowing, I'll find something out.?

https://youtu.be/MSPWbgdkqj8

3

Go here to see glimpses of how Sophie Mumm uses seeds to make fascinating art. Her workshops are in Australia. Too bad. I would have fun at this one. She has inspired me to try a few ideas. Stay tuned.