Pachyder-maid

Rare and elusive.

Enjoys the occasional sea peanut

and never forgets.

Advertisement

SkAdDaMo 2018 Day 1

As is usually the case, I am announcing the SkADaMo sketch challenge at the very last minute. Why mess with tradition, right?

So, I started this challenge back in 2011 as more of a personal challenge and gave it the name SkADaMo as a  spoof on all the other funny November challenge acronyms such as NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) and, what used to be a November challenge PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month), now Storystorm, which now takes place in January.

I even jokingly made a badge, thinking I would be the only participant. But lo and behold, several other wonderful artists, doodlers and sketchers threw their hats, or pencils into the mix.

So please feel free to join in again or for the first time this year.

SKADAMO RULES:

“What are the rules?” You may ask.

1. THERE ARE NO RULES. NO SIGN UP. NO REGISTRATION. NO GIVEAWAYS OR GUEST POSTERS.  No regulations, themes, websites or anything else resembling organization.  Just lots of sketching, camaraderie and hopefully a ton of inspiration and craft honing! Oh, I did throw together a list of prompts this year, as you may have noticed above. Please use them if you have a mind to.

SkADaMoers are scoff-laws and Mavricks! (Actually, the truth is I’m just not that organized. Did I mention that?) The only code we live by this month is SKETCH! SKETCH! SKETCH! Sketch everyday from November 1 to November 30, or at least try to.

Even if you’re unable to sketch every single day, by golly you will have tried and you’ll have more sketches in your sketchbook at the end of November than you might have otherwise. So, there’s that!

2. Go ahead and hasthtag #SkADaMo and/or #SkADaMo2018

3. Grab one of these badges, below, if you’d like and use it as you see fit.

4. Most important rule of all… Enjoy! This is fun!

Sketch on my fellow SkADaMoers, (should there be any besides myself this year!)

SkADaMo 2017 post 5

As my cousin Karanne said, “Giving swimming trunks a new image.”

I love it when people are inspired to be punny and engage in word play. I feel the absurd and goofy just might save the world!

Strong

 We don’t always know our own strength.  The Illustration Friday theme of the week is “strong.” So I thought of the obvious choice. A mouse holding up an elephant… duh.

Elegant Elephant, Arrogant?

..A PERFORMANCE YOU’LL NEVER FORGET

… although a  repeat performance may depend quite heavily on the tightrope’s tensile strength.

………………………………………………………………………..

The Illustration Friday theme of the week is “repeat.”

So.

You know.

This.

yesterday’s talent

So, anywho, I was going to post this yesterday for the Illustration Friday theme “Talent” but missed it by THIS much. Soooo, since this week’s theme is “Yesterday”…

wheel

Squeaking an “Illustration Friday” in!

Two posts in one day! What the heck is going on?

it’s hot…

…and sweat is causing me to smudge my sketches, sooooo… once again I am reposting an earlier drawing. This one reminds me that I need to break down and carry an umbrella with me when I walk at lunch, to protect me from the relentless sun. Of course, I should probably invest in one a tad larger.

Try to keep cool everyone!

save

Ahem.

Excuse me. You there. Yes, you sipping that awful, hot, dark liquid, showing off your opposable thumbs. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Elle E. Phant, spokesperson for A.L.L. (Animals Love Life) and I’d like to take just a moment of your time.

On behalf of all my fellow creatures, I’d just like to say WTF! What the heck is going on with you bi-pedals anyway? I mean, can’t we all just get along?

Ahem, I apologize. Had a wee panic attack there for a moment.

Anywho, we’ve all gathered here today to say, let’s all join hands, paws, hooves and flippers. Let’s see if we can come up with some solutions to the myriad issues we have going on today concerning endangered and at risk wildlife. I won’t even go into it. Y’all know what the issues are. If not, use those 10 wiggley things at the end of your arms and Google some info. I’d do it for you, but I have these big, stumpy feets and I keep hitting the wrong keys.

Thank you in advance for helping to save us animals. That’s it. You can get back to that smelly beverage now.

…………………………………………………………………………

The Illustration Friday theme this week is “Save.”

zoo

“BIG ENOUGH TO SHADE AN ELEPHANT”

This week’s Illustration Friday theme is “Zoo”. A great theme and certainly in keeping with the animal idioms I’ve been illustrating for weeks now. It also seemed high time for an elephant drawing. It’s almost always a good time to draw elephants, in my opinion.

Elephants are some of the most intelligent creatures you’ll ever run accross. However, due to their stubborn refusal to use sunscreen and a shortage of extra large golf umbrellas, the elephant’s skin has become prematurely wrinkled and leathery.

Although the expression “Big enough to shade an elephant” proved itself fertile ground for image ideas, sadly, I could dig up no origin. For all I know, it’s not a well worn, seasoned old saying at all, but rather some blogger’s witticism from a few weeks ago, caught in the Google web. No matter, I decided to post the origin of another elephant saying, less visually inspiring but none-the-less interesting in it’s origin:

White Elephant

Meaning: A burdensome possession; creating more trouble than it is worth.Origin: White (albino) elephants were regarded as holy in ancient times in Thailand and other Asian countries. Keeping a white elephant was a very expensive undertaking, since the owner had to provide the elephant with special food and provide access for people who wanted to worship it. If a Thai King became dissatisfied with a subordinate, he would give him a white elephant. The gift would, in most cases, ruin the recipient.

Obviously the white elephants are a bit more vigilant about the use of 30SPF.