Is this what giraffeter?

Am I the only one who has never seen this? It was put-up on YouTube in 2013...however did I miss it?  Amazing and laugh out loud funny.

https://youtu.be/nPrWo5pEvyk

In celebration of warm temperatures...

(if not yet full sun) that we have been longing for up here in the Pacific NW**, I am posting a YouTube video that I know many of you have seen and loved as I have. But just in case there are some who haven't found this yet, I post it here as a reminder that, when you feel down, there is this pick-me-up always available to you. I watch this often and it makes me feel so damn good.


https://youtu.be/fmWa1gKrp6Q

** Climate things are tough all over - tornadoes, floods, earthquakes abound - so it is not a complaint (oh, well, maybe a teeny one) - but just for the record, the Seattle area has just broken the record for wettest winter ever. Just sayin'.

Trapped in a world of famous paintings

I have another post almost ready to go, but while I polish it up, I must share something I just found on Facebook. Ya gotta see it.

https://www.facebook.com/FineArtOne/videos/1009251295811006/    OR
https://www.facebook.com/FineArtOne/?fref=nf

A logo dance and another sneak peek

This is fun and shows the work that goes into creating logos and design.




Have been working many hours on the Megazine and am about 90% done! Here's another sneak peek of a page.

I CAT not resist

It's MOO-vin' along! Here's a preview.

I am making progress on the MegaZine that I told you about here. My ready date is mid-May. I'd love it if you'd look at the preview I put together and welcome any comments.  My plan is to create quarterly issues and sell them on Etsy and on the web site. There will be options for print and digital formats. Lots of details to work out but I am excited about it and over the halfway mark. I'm running this preview now to give a heads-up, then will probably remove it until it gets closer to publish date. Feedback and interest from you is most appreciated; I really mean that. You can comment below or email me separately.

I have added a page on the website to get on the mailing list. The list will be used for letting you know the magazine is ready and a discount code if  you order. If I get a newsletter out before then, I will also send you that if you are on the mailing list.  Otherwise, that mailing list stays safely tucked in the studio, under the cat on the red chair.

Here's the video. Or you can watch it on YouTube here. Thanks for watching!

https://youtu.be/UnQHOObiJsg

More Hombre McSteez ...Just Because.

Just have to add a note to a recent Daily Amazing I posted over on the web site. It was called Aug(de)mented Reality and is now in the Archives there. I recently discovered that this artist Marty Cooper, who goes by the name Hombre McSteez on his YouTube channel - has a cities video which is short but clever, as well as several other animated videos using actual photos in the background. He draws on transparencies and does amazing and funny things with them. The alligator he draws here gets out of hand, biting chunks from their landmarks of New York, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and the like. But aha! he solves the problem with his sketchbook...of course!  This kind of creativity just fascinates and excites me so much. Go look!

By the way, I just learned the difference between an alligator and a crocodile. An alligator you'll see later, but a crocodile you'll see after awhile. Don't tell me there's no value to Facebook besides cat videos.

Choosing "Must"

'It's because I have lots of books."

Apologies to my Facebook friends where I first posted this. I can't help it. It tickles me so.

I defy you to resist this Very Pink Articulate Preschooler Book-Lover.  Uh...yah!

https://youtu.be/A7UAfDIWeh4

She sounds a lot like our book club conversations!  In fact, we have each brought some possible titles for the next year to our gathering. Now we each have a month to do some research.  We'll choose ten titles from among these gems. Anybody out there have some thoughts on books from the list we should not miss? or otherwise? Would love to hear any opinions as part of my "research!"

1. CINDER by Marissa Marr...young adult
2. I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN by Jandy Nelson...young adult
3. LANGUAGE ARTS by Stephanie Kallos
4. MAISIE DOBBS by Jacqueline Winspear
5. DEAR THEO memoir by Vincent Van Gogh
6. MRS. POE by Lynn Cullen (mystery/historical fiction)
7. THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN by Paula Hawkins (mystery)
8. LANDLINE by Rainbow Rowell (science fiction time travel to past)
9. NARROW ROAD TO THE DEEP NORTH by Richard Flannagan (Australian “War and Peace”)
10. FEARLESS by Eric Blehm (military fiction)
11. AMERICANAH by Chimamanda Adichie (Nigerian)
12. THE MARTIAN by Andy Weir (science fiction)
13. THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS by Elizabeth Gilbert
14. THE WRIGHT BROTHERS by David McCullough (sp?)
15. THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY by Gabrielle Zevin
16. SHORT HISTORY OF WOMEN by Kate Walbert
17. WEST WITH THE NIGHT by Beryl Markham (memoir)
18. CIRCLING THE SUN by Paula McLain (ficitonal account of Beryl Markham)
19. THE DAY THE WORLD CAME TO TOWN by Jim deFede
20. EXODUS by Leon Uris
21. DEAD WAKE by Erik Larson (sinking of the Lusitania)
22. H IS FOR HAWK by Helen MacDonald
23. IN DEFENSE OF ELITISM by William A. Henry, III
24. THE CLOUD ATLAS by Liam Callahan (It's not THAT Cloud Atlas from recent movie fame)
25. THE PIANO TUNER by Daniel Mason
26. THE INHERITANCE OF LOSS by Kiran Desai
27. THE DINNER by Herman Koch
28. IN THE GARDEN OF THE BEASTS by Eric Larson
29. THE UNIVERSE VERSUS ALEX WOODS by Gavin Extence
30. SHIRLEY by Susan Scarf Merrell
31. THE SECRET OF MAGIC by Deborah Johnson

Box o' stuff. Part 2. .

This has been sitting in my "to send" box for a few days. Wondering what else I had planned to put there. Oh well. You should enjoy this now and wait no longer.
I saw a peacock ...



https://youtu.be/PAkQsePo2Bo

Brainpickings.org led me to this; see other interesting illustrative takes on familiar stories here 

Three Dog Night (and 500 Faces!)

As I promised, here are my Picasso dogs I made in Kids Art Week on Carla Sonheim's site....what fun: ears become tails,  tongues turn into paws, and still they are so dang cute. Don't you think?

And here is a Buried Treasure that someone posted on Facebook a few days back ...time for a second look.



500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art from Philip Scott Johnson on Vimeo.
by Philip Scott Johnson

Music: Bach's Sarabande from Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007 performed by Yo-Yo Ma

Nominated as Most Creative Video
2007 YouTube Awards

For a complete list of artists and paintings visit http://www.maysstuff.com/womenid.htm

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.)

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

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.

Sunday again...

Sunday's come and go so fast around here. Lots to enjoy in this, the longest daytime of the year. Ah! Sweet Summer. Here are some nuggets from recent papers, Brain Pickings, and my out-and-abouts.

Here's something I think you'll enjoy:

 
Student Design Award Winner - Curiosity: Exploration and Discovery from RSA Student Design Awards on Vimeo.

I saw this on Brain-Pickings, where I also liked an interview with Neil Gaiman (who grew up in libraries) on How Stories Last:

Stories should change you — good stories should change you.

Maurice Sendak, The Big Green Book by Robert Graves

Illustration by Maurice Sendak from 'The Big Green Book' by Robert Graves. 

Lucas Aoki

This is not my artwork. It is the work of Lucas Aoki from Argentina. It is from a funny and creative sketchbook I found here. It is also a reminder that, if you love to peek into sketchbooks (journals, drawers, and your sister's diary), you have hundreds to fascinate you here and possibly in your own city when sketchbooks tour the country. I wrote about it here.

And there is this creative and playful take on book covers  from May 3 NYTimes.
I think this looks like a whole lot of fun. I may have to try it. Stay tuned.

NY Times photo by Ray Defara

With the U.S. open in our backyard, golf is on our minds. I smiled at this quip from The Onion, quoted in today's Seattle times:

Bubba Watson horrified to learn two-thirds of Earth covered in water hazards.

Go Cubs..

Friday Finds

This week's Friday-but really  Saturday I suppose- Five includes a museum exhibit, a clever video, and three artists I learned about while out and about. 

1

"Impertinent Collection...Re-imagining the masterworks of MOMA"... Irreverant - but perfectly suited- take on modern art at MOMA.  Article in March 1 NYTimes. Amuses me.

2

Yayoi Kusama.   Patterns. Color. Love. Read about this artist here and here.

Artist Yayoi Kusama with her latest work. Photo: Gautier Deblonde
from an Architectural Digest article

3  

If you haven't discovered this one yet, you should.  You really should.

4

Melinda Tidwell. Her Pinterest site. You can tell a lot about an artist surveying their Pinterest interests! I suppose that's the point somewhat, yes?  At Art and Soul Retreat, Jane Davies told us about this artist. Jane is very cool. Love her artistic and teaching style. More on that later.

This is a small part of larger piece by Melinda Tidwell 

5

Tom Judd. Everyday.  Amazing sketchbook journal, dozens of quick images sketched for each day of one year.  Check out the sketchbook flip in the video. 

A still, captured from video of Everyday. Tom Judd.. 

The Husky Clipper in person

I always say it helps to be connected. (Yes, I really do say that.) Thanks to Becki and Jason for connecting  us to a personal tour of the shell house where the real Husky Clipper is on display. And we got a tour around the building to where current boats are stored and launched, as well as stories and items in the world of rowing.

It always amazes me all the things I don't know! Like, how did I never hear about the amazing story behind the boys in the boat? What else am I going to discover on the downhill side of life? I can't wait.

I put together a little video from our book club meeting and the visit to the shell house.
Every time I watch this, I think to myself..."My God, I love summer." 

Row Your Boat.

If you haven't done this yet, do yourself an enormous favor. Read The Boys in the Boat.




http://youtu.be/n58w0BctOvs

   

An amazing true story that will make you feel SO good!

You want drama? Check. You want local, national, and world history? Check. You want a good story? Got it. But the best thing about this book is something my friend Ruth said about it: it is a tale about the human spirit. Something to lift you up in these days of grim happenings around the planet.

 Author talks about the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blb3k8VTsTM

Three Goodies

After mulling over it for awhile to consider my level of commitment, I enrolled in Carla Sonheim's year-long fairy tale class. I am fond of fairy tales, much more so now than when I was wee. Every year my teaching partners and I would teach fairy tales to our classes: the structure, folkore, similarities and differences, and artistry - visual and written - of classic and unknown fairy tales. Then students would write their own, illustrate them, print out the tale on pages that were sewn into a book. Then we looked at suns in art and they designed a sun cover which they batiked. It was all long, arduous, and fun as heck and the products were amazing. I'll post a photo or two when I run across them again. Talk about love-hate relationships....like most people, I live in Digital and Film Purgatory; what have we wrought?

So I continue to be drawn to them. I have several beautifully illustrated ones on my picture book shelves. Carla's delicate and whimsical style is perfect for the genre and I will enjoy going through these "assignments" and illustrating fairy tales. I am catching up, as the class started a few weeks ago.

One of our exercises if to copy faces with our nondominant hand to learn how faces"work" - I draw and paint  faces a lot (I love trying to draw faces from the newspaper, cops and robbers, living and dead, heroes and villains.) So I sort of jumped over that part, but did look at some faces while using my left hand and stylized them  as I went along. Then I went back and tweeked with my "good" hand. I did find that using my left hand allowed more freedom of imagination as I drew. More likely to get wonky shapes and lines to build upon. That was fun. These aren't final faces; I will play more until I choose the face I want for my  FROG PRINCESS!

Even if you decide not to take this on, you might enjoy watching that introduction at the top...and you really must see her paper doll tutorial

 2. 

Did you know that Michael's now carries Moleskine journals? 40% coupons make them quite palatable. A bit of art store guilt here, but I'll get over it and don't see my art store spending inhibited much. (Daniel Smith loves me. The Michael's selection is limited, and I actually have a love-hate relationship with Moleskines, but I do like their creamy-thicker- pages-one.  Since I only have (XXXXX) other blank journals on which to do my fairy tale drawings and light watercolor. I bought a red one. It will be perfect.

(Number was redacted to embarrassment of number of other blank sketchbooks, journals, ready signatures, and Anthropologie catalogs to gesso over that I also could have used instead of buying another one. I love using the word "redacted." It's so...current and important-sounding.)

3.

Saw an ad for "Double Scoop" gelatos, which I have put on my wish list. I love those creamy gelatos and will use the larger sizes. I walk around with fingers of various gelato colors quite often from rubbing them into my art work. Delish.

A couple of things....

OK, OK. it's maybe three things.  I always figured "a couple of minutes" means a few, not just two, although hubby Bob takes the more literal approach.

The fleeting quality of this man's work puts me in a strange mood. I am both excited and distressed by its temporariness. What a joy it would be to come across this art one fine day at the beach.

http://www.viralnova.com/beach-art/


I am a fan of Mary Ann Moss - as many are - and check her blog daily, which is about as often as she posts. She has just returned to teaching after a year's sabbatical to refresh and renew. Luckily for these students and for her, she is in a 5th grade - the best age of all in my own teaching experience - and she has not wasted time imparting her gifts. I invite you to see what she's doing with them this week for Chinese New Year.

http://www.dispatchfromla.com/dispatch_from_la/2014/01/gong-xi-fa-cai.html
Note 1/14/2016. this link is no longer active but you can see all archived posts on her new site at
dispatchfromla.com. This post was made in January 2014. 


Oh, and I am in the process of updating my link lists of sketchers and mixed media favorites of mine, because I am discovering a slew of artistry and talent on Pinterest. How great thou art, Pinterest. So many wonderful ideas to inspire me or just to enjoy. Eye candy. Imagination. Innovative. The stuff that moves me on to create or get movin'!  I have added several to my pinboards on the right side or here.http://www.pinterest.com/dianemoline/