just fooling around on a rainy Saturday. I tried to work on some painting but my heart just wasn't into it. It is one of those blah days where I want everything done for me, even inhaling. The holidays are over, the packages are opened, the friends and family that came to visit have all gone back to their own tasks and checklists. It is time to slip the harness back on and get back to work.

But it sure was fun to run around freely for a while... hmmmm, when is vacation scheduled? Let's see....

Chicken for Christmas Dinner? Oh, chicken with Christmas Dinner. An escapee from some local coop created quite a coup (get it?) by showing up at the back door of a Mr. Milton Winterbottom of Proveit, Missouri Christmas morning. When asked whether the suprise guest was going to be welcomed to dinner or welcomed as dinner, Mr. Winterbottom could only reply, "Well, I was taught to love all animals... especially those that make a fine gravy."

The Bell Christmas Card 2006 (the first in 9 years) is complete. The story comes from Great Grandma George. The tale was used to keep overly energetic or misbehaving children in line. But when the kids were starting to get out of line, the reminder was brought up that cardinals carried Santa’s Helper Elves on official business. So if a cardinal was near, that Santa’s elves must be close by watching and keeping a list of good deeds and bad deeds to report back to “Mr. C.” I torqued the verbiage to make it a bit more fanciful.

Then Grandma said, “Do you know why the Cardinal chose red for its color?
They are red so as match Santa’s coat. It is a sign of high respect and honor, almost like a Royal Guard. The cardinals carry the helper elves, the ones that keep notes on boys and girls all over everywhere. That is how Santa knows who is good and who has not been good. So whenever you see a cardinal, you know that one of the helper elves must be somewhere near by.”

From this week's Drawergeeks: Raggedy Ann and Andy. Having no history with the original books, I decided to take a route of making a Gothity Ann.

This is a section of the piece that I am really trying to finish for Christmas. So much to do, so much to learn. This is a big dice roll. I haven't worked to this level of detail with this technique on a deadline. Can you say "bit off more that I can chew?" I thought you could. I would... but my mouth is full.

Page from the sketchbook. The first of the Capistrano mission sketches. There are parts that I like, but over all, it looks like a first sketch, tentative and a bit cautious. Eh, they'll get better. Their prelims afterall. Once the Holidays are over I can get back to pushing to get a series of final drawings done and look for a show. Goal for 2007.

This week's noontime sketch group. Got out the scratchboard again. Had some recent failures with it. Not paying attention to what I was seeing and was just making marks. Dumb. Too worried about the clock. So, I took the watch off, and put the pen down until I was ready to describe what I saw. The result... better. I still need to translate what I see and not what I think should be there. In time.

My drawing of "My Father, The Werewolf." A missed and last attempt at Halloween. Honest this should be the last monster related drawing for... a while. I had a ball with this. The image came really easily this time. I heard the girl's voice speaking a number of phrases to her canine Father.

Wednesday Noon sketchgroup. from 10-25. A group that started long before I got here came up with the Noon sketchgroup. Once a week a model comes in and poses for an hour with a 5 min. break. I have sat once... that was enough. For a fidget first class like myself, it was quite an endurance test. Jim here was a natural.

New Drawergeeks.com This assignment was called Monster Engine. Illustrator Dave DeVries has a site called themonsterengine.com where he takes a child's drawing and while maintaining as much of the original as possible, puts his spin on it to create a really nice piece of art. So Paul Conrad's son drew some monsters for us to use as sources. This was really fun. I just kept with the free moving strokes of his son's original drawing and watched it all unfold... or ooze.

Page from the sketchbook: This is from my Saturday mornings at Delaware Interiors. I was allowed a space once a month to go, draw, show work, talk to nice people. It was a good time, and I started to come out of my safety net of silence a bit... I said a bit.

Today's Page from the sketchbook> I am going to attempt to set asside time to draw daily. Yeah I know, but I have found out that with my reduction in TV, I have been doing this since spring. I just need to try to sketch more. Now if I can just get rid of this blasted upper respiratory infection. The coughing is really making me cranky.

page from the sketchbook. A rainy Saturday morning and an ink doodle to help pass time. Why is it that the more attention that one should be paying in a meeting, the better the doodle always ends up turning out? Then you have a real conflict, do you ride the sketch wave knowing that it could leave at any moment? ...Right, always pay attention to the meeting content. Good answer. Me too. Yep, Me too... yep.

Page from the sketchbook. This is a prelim for a possible series based on the Capistrano Mission that we visited in June of this year. The place is beautiful to tour. We will have to see where this all leads drawing wise.

Page from the new sketchbook. Just an evening of play during bad TV.

This was an attempt at an evolutionary scale of Death. Starting with a fish then going on up through mammals and primates until we reached the Grim Reaper. Needless to say, sometimes things within my head sound better in there than out in the real world. But I still thought the Ceilocanth Reaper was fun to draw.

This is my first submission for Drawergeeks.com. The title for the assignment was the Grim Reaper.

This is a concoction where I had been looking at too many cowboy paintings and too many children's book illustrators. The result; a rather odd take on Pecos Bill but rather scaled down.

James

This is a technique that I have been working in for about a year now. I decided that I really wanted to loosen up my drawings at certain times. Also the thought of using line not only as a single describing tool but as a part of a larger description of shape and form brought forth curiosity. I could push or pull the line and not feel so restricted by its perceived finality. This piece has made it to the finals in Artist's Magaine's 23rd annual Art Competition in the figure/portrait category.

Auburn

This piece was one that felt good as soon as the pen hit the board. Time walked away from me, there was only a subject, materials, and music. A good way to spend an afternoon. I am finding it a challenge to not age females with this linear technique. How Jessie Wilcox Smith, Violet Oakley, Charles Dana Gibson, and Franklin Booth made it appear so effortlessly is quite the task to undertake.

Dave

This was done during a weekly sketch group. People fade in and out when schedules allow. It is just a handful of folks. A few core individuals, then attendance ripples from there outward. It is and has been a blessing when I can carve out time to just sit and draw with others. It feels good.

Kevin 2
A portrait of a dear friend. This piece was the first when technique, drafting, and anatomy all fell in place with one drawing. Also the drawing increased in size from 5"x7" to 8"x10". This drawing felt good the moment the pen touched the board.

Karen

The Printer
This piece was the first where I was able to let myself go and start to move the ink around without care of what was down earlier. I started to toy with the the idea that line may not always be absolute. It can be pushed, moved, even fleshed out. I am trying to move the ink line in similar ways that one may move paint or push or pull values with charcoal.

Lecturer
This piece was I believe the 2nd or third that moved in a direction that I had hoped it would. Very early in the technical exploration. The piece itself is quite small, only 5" x 7".

Ah, the monkey page. The pages on toned paper are from this latest sketchbook. My first on the earthbound toned paper. I love it. And since a friend has gotten me hooked on the books, a couple of others have joined in. I just wish that I could find the paper in large sheets.

Just more sketchbook pages.

San Diego flight. Keeps me from taking motion sickness pills. I don't know why it works, because I still can't read in a moving vehicle. I get a lot of sketching done in airports and on planes. The time just seems to pass effortlessly.

more San Diego Airport

Page from this year's sketchbook. My Dad sat still for an hour earlier this year for me. This is the result. My first attempt at a family member. If a portrait doesn't look like the family member, it's tough to avoid them, forever. Dad likes it. whew.

Pages from this year's sketchbook. I found that I love the earthbound sketchbooks. I am a real big fan of their toned paper. Just wish I could get large sheets of it. It is hard to find toned paper without a heavy tooth to it.

Rock Scissors Paper

This is a jog back to my past. I had a show earlier in the year and wanted a piece that I could have a level of comfort with. Similar to seeing an old friend in a room full of strangers. for better or worse, this is the result.

This is my most recent rendering. Titled Look Up, It is just a walk in the neighborhood. Simple technique, sienna, cream, and umber colored pencil on kraft paper. This one makes me happy.

This is a sample of the renderings that I have been doing for quite some time. This one is titled Estes Park. It was inspired by a hiking vacation with old and dear friends several years ago. When I started this piece I challenged myself to conciously pay attention to how light hits and bounces off of the rocks.