monkeys and shakespeare…?

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The SugarFrostedGoodness.com challenge this week is Ape, so I felt this illustration might be appropriate.

I did this a few years ago, as cover art of the Chico News & Review, an alternative weekly in Northern California. CNR was featuring an annual writing contest and wanted their cover image to play off the “Infinite Monkey Theorem.” This theorem states that a monkey (or in this case, apes) hitting keys at random on a typewriter for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type the complete works of William Shakespeare.

Sound far-fetched? It may be. However, there are folks that claim they’ve worked it out mathematically. Who am I to argue, I was never good at math.

I wondered why the folks at CNR wanted so many chimps in their illustration. Perhaps it was because of an offshoot of the theorem “An infinite amount of monkeys typing on an infinite amount of typewriters…” or perhaps they mixed the theorem with the “100 Monkey Story.” Another interesting idea.Well, at any rate, it made for a fun project and gave me something to post for the challenge.

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six word memoir

I was invited by my friend Laurel of Studio Lolo fame, to write a six word memoir. A bit of a challenge, but for Laurel, I’ll give it a try.

Here are the rules:

1. Write a six word memoir and post it on your blog. Feel free to add an image.

2. Link your post to the person who tagged you.

3. Tag 5 more people and link to them.

4. Comment on the tagged blogs and invite them to participate…no pressure (0;

I’m inviting friends and family, because they are writers and they will still like me, even if I tag them… I hope.

Visual Kaos

Artsea Fartsea

Snowee

Alexis

Words Incognito

Here is my six word memoir:

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Head in clouds… feet on ground.

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mission: top secret

I’m not sure what the statute of limitation is on memes but the lovely, talented and whimsical Faruffa tagged me eons ago. She’s a sweetie for thinking of me and, it’s high time I took the challenge.

So here’s the deal. I am to reveal 6 top secrets about myself and pass the mission on to six others. So here goes:

1. I secretly wish I was a cowgirl. Together with my cat Joey and a saddlebag full of Luna Bars and kibble, we would ride the range together. We would shout at all the little dawgies to git along! The cattle we’d drive would be dairy cows. Yes, dairy cows, riding the range, giving milk, living free, (it could happen.)

2. I not so secretly tend to avoid bread, because it makes me puff up like a blow fish. This generally lasts for mmmmmm… a week or two, at which point I binge on all the bread I can get my grubby mitts on and… puff up like a blowfish.

3. I have a secret, irrational fear of emptying the trash on my computer. I am certain that an urgently, important, life altering file has been flung in there by some ill-fated, slip of the wrist and I won’t notice it until I hit “empty trash.” Am I so wrong?

4. For those who know me, it’s no secret that it took an inordinate amount of time and copious amounts of frog kissing to finally find a partner that I not only love, but also like… a lot. That would be Tom, my husband. The best part is, he actually has the patience to put up with my exhausting, shenanigans and still… he thinks I’m cute. I’m lucky.

5. I use ellipses and parenthesis way too much… (it’s a curse.)

6. My usual sun-shiney personality can, at times, be marred with the occasional crankiness. Especially if I’m being judged for using ellipses and parenthesis too much. For instance, that person on number 5… judging me. Hey, number 5, you talkin’ to me?

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Alright, I’ve decided this mission is far too dangerous to pass along, so I am going it alone on this one. Your secrets are safe for now. Unless, of course, any of you brave souls want to go for it!

Ciao!

what a doll

When your morning starts at the crack of dawn, you’re cranky from sacrificing two hours a day to freeway commuting, twitching from impending deadlines, blurry-eyed from lack of sleep, in short, when you’re as busy as a moth in a mitten, what do you do?

Why, you add yet another project to your docket.

I’ve decided to design and stitch together a stuffed animal, fashioned after the little character, hovering above. Boris, Murgatroyd, Bob, whatever his name is.

I thought I’d share my progress so far: Pattern designed… check. Everything marked, cut and pinned… check, check, check. Even got some legs and ears stitched together and finished (see below.)

Look, you can see my Wacom tablet is finally getting some use… as a surface to set things on. (I really need draw with that thing one of these days.) I also have my trusty, monster cup of tea at the ready. Heck, I even got myself a tomato pin cushion. I’m official now.

My reason for putting this project out there is in hopes that it will keep me somewhat accountable to finish it. So, I’ll keep you posted on any further progress. However, at this moment, I seem to be at a bit of an impasse. I’m trying to figure out what to use for his big, baby green eyes.

Any suggestions?

(click to enlarge, if you wish)

pet peeve

ODE TO PET PEEVES

My day starts out blissfully, bright and content,
an excellent start, I believe.
I drive down the road with a song in my heart.
Oh how could I be so naive?

The woman in front of me picks up her cell,
causing her Hummer to weave.
The guy to my rear feels the need to tail gate.
ME OFF, they are starting to peeve!

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The Illustration Friday theme this week is “Pet Peeves.”

This week I played around with some Photoshop free brushes offered by Alex Dukal. He is a wonderful artist. Drop by and take a peek at his work. I can’t wait to really dig in and utilize his brushes in the future, they are brilliant.

Oh and by the way, I was directed to these brushes by my blogging buddy Angela, over at Angelato. While your at it, stop by her blog as well. You won’t be disappointed.

happy spring and…

snail’s pace

I sometimes feel as though, despite my frantic speeding about, a snail’s pace is all I am actually achieving. Do you ever feel that way?

hitting the bull’s eye

or

“You’re not going to be happy until you put someone’s eye out
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A bull’s-eye is the center of a target in both archery and darts. The shot taken to achieve this feat is called hitting the bull’s-eye.

Although originally a sports term, bull’s-eye can be used for pretty much any design or pattern utilizing concentric circles. Bull’s-eye can also be used to describe a lens of short focal length, a circular window, a piece of glass inserted into a ship’s deck, or those round, striped mints you stuff into your pockets when the waitress isn’t looking, as you leave the restaurant. That’s right, I know you do.

Being quite the versatile idiom, hitting the bull’s-eye along with hit the mark and hit the nail on the head is used when someone or something is absolutely correct. For example:

“Honey, your remark about my butt looking fat in these jeans really hit the bull’s-eye. Now here’s your pillow. Enjoy sleeping on the couch tonight.”

Anywho… bull’s-eye… versatile… oh yes, the origin. Yeah, no luck there. It may have been used since the 17th century, but the etymology seems to be a mystery. At least none of my sophisticated sources (Google) has revealed anything.

I do have one question however. Why a bull’s eye? Why not a fish or a bird or a bunny’s eye? How about dinosaur’s eye? Something to think about when you don’t have anything more important to ponder.

team kayak

This here is what you call laziness, as in posting an illustration done years ago, instead of drawing something original tonight.

Hey, no one’s perfecte, eh?

This spot illo was created for a client newsletter illustrating, executive team building through water sports or some such corporate shenanigans. Honestly I can’t remember now. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

I can tell you one thing, this little bit of my past is serving a higher purpose tonight. It’s allowing me to get to bed at a decent hour… yaaaaawn…

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

heavy too

HEAVY METAL BUNNY

Murgatroyd was just your average, run-of-the-mill bunny, until that fateful day he hopped into Bob’s Music Center, picked up a guitar and felt the pure, raw power of the Flying V.

Illustration Friday’s theme this week is “Heavy.”

LVB

LEPRECHAUN VS. EASTER BUNNY

Two holidays in one week. Well, there’s one way to ease back into reality after a week’s vacation.

A pint of beer and a handful of chocolate eggs await!

heavy

FLABBY TABBY

Our neighbor’s orange tabby,
was quite big and flabby,
because he did nothing but eat.

He’d gobble and nibble
on tuna and kibble,
‘till soon he could not see his feet.

The Illustration Friday theme this week is “Heavy.”

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I can’t seem to figure out which medium I am the most comfortable with, so I agonize over a couple different ones. The top one was done in Adobe Illustrator and brought into Photoshop. The bottom image (unfinished,) was done with Carb Othello pastel pencils on Canson charcoal paper. I’ve also tried watercolor with pastel and am currently struggling with gouache.

Maybe one of these days I’ll hone in on one and be done with it.

(click to enlarge)

sequoia ll

We arrived home tonight (sigh.)

It’s always good to get home and there’s nothing like being greeted by meowing, purring furballs winding happily and frantically about your travel-weary legs… but… but… I miss the trees (sniff.)

Well, back to reality and my regularly scheduled sketching tomorrow.

Meanwhile, allow me to share another photo or two.

Wiley

sequoia

I’m sitting in the lodge, the only place with wifi. Tom is tuckered out from our three snow hikes today, and some staff member is vacuuming under my feet. They close up shop pretty early around here. So no sketches to post but a few photos. Then I have to hike it back to our wonderful room and pass out from sheer joy and exhaustion.

Sequoia National Park rules, and here are a few reasons why.

Abstract

…and bears, oh my!

EARLY RISERS

Conversation, last night, after arriving at Sequoia National Park’s Wuksachi Lodge.

Linda: “Did we get all the food out of the trunk? I don’t want to wake up to bears raiding our car.”

Tom: “Yes, we got it all.”

Linda: “Are you sure? Because bears can smell any little thing. Even gum.”

Tom: “I think we’ll be fine honey.”

Linda: “Wait, there are some vitamin waters left in the cooler.”

Tom (slightly less patient): “It’ll be fine.”

Linda (becoming slightly shrill): “Bears can smell through plastic. Rangers told me that once.”

Tom: Wait a minute, it’s winter. Aren’t bears supposed to hybernate in winter?”

Linda: OH YEAH! Hee hee. That’s right… whew.

Linda: “You know there may be some early risers.”

Tom: “Bring the vitamin waters in.”