Sketch for this year's Valentine Exchange

Another Valentine's Day is coming up, and that means my long anticipated illustration for my card is in progress. Normally I keep it a huge secret, but I think few people from work visit my blog enough to cause the surprise to cancel itself. Yes, it's a Valentine's exchange at work.

Ages ago, I did the sketch on notebook paper of the girl as she is, without any background. I had meant it as part of my "Dating Series" and I think it still fits. It was originally going to be called "Dressing for Drinks" based on something an old college friend used to say about going out. I think I will come up for another name...but for now it's just called "The Date".

The sea dragon and the mermaid princess

A few Fridays ago I had the joy of hanging out with my best friend and her 6 year-old son. We gathered at her kitchen table and made art. Her son is a budding artist, a child that already can sit for hours and create images on paper that surpass his age in ability. He is able to connect to that strange meditative state that most artists can obtain, the kind of state where time passes without note and it happens to be three hours later.

I drew this on that evening. I think I had his approval when he said the monster behind the mermaid was scary, and he wished to keep it for his gallery wall. I convinced him to let me take it home first so I could scan it, but I would return it to him later. I might buy a frame for it this afternoon if I am up to braving the severe cold.

Farseer and Tawny Man series by Robin Hobb.

Seriously good stuff.

I am on the final book in the Tawny Man series and it's killing me.

I just got it in my head that "Falling Slowly" on the soundrack for ONCE would make a great music video for The Farseer/Tawny Man Series by Robin Hobb.

The lyrics are almost perfect to the series. It even has the word "fool" in it and has a bit about making choices.

Glen Hansard - Falling Slowly Lyrics

I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing along

New Photos for Etsy.

During the few minutes of sunshine we had this weekend, I was able to take some new photos for my etsy store. Above are a few shots of what resulted from the photo shoot. I received mixed comments from other etsians, but overall I am happy with the results.

Now I just need someone with a great neck to pose with them on.

Merry Christmas!

The final illustration to this year's Christmas cards. I hope you enjoy it!



Unfortunately I didn't make it out of the house this year for Christmas, I was stuck in bed with a 101.1 fever that only just broke. So for Christmas supper I will be enjoying a mini frozen pizza and one of the chocolate creme brulee I made for today.

Here's to hoping yours was more exciting and festive!

Happy Holidays!

To all the geeks out there.



Tomorrow I will post the finished illustration for this years Holiday card!

Book Review. The Temeraire Series by Naomi Novik.

I want to begin by expressing how much I HATE alternate history books. I despise them with a deep passion unknown to most lovers.

Knowing that, you now know how much I went out on a limb to read these books and how decidedly turned around this aversion became.

I was blown out of the air, so to speak. This series truly is a combination of Jane Austin's formal,clever prose and O'Brian's adventure. Yet wholly unique and fresh.

What hooked me was the hatching of Temeraire. On my first Borders visit to find new reading material, I had left off before this momentous event and thought, how dull. The second time I picked it up and read where I left off, I ventured into the dialogue after the lead dragon's hatching and was instantly hooked.

Within three weeks I read all 4 books, and now I am waiting with extreme impatience for the promised excerpt of book 5 that was supposed to have been sent to me upon signing up on www.temeraire.com.

Ms. Novik is very clever indeed. The plots are well thought out, the dialogue sparkles. The dragons are dear. A stinky mushroom for lunch that was insignificant in book 2 becomes dire by book 4. This shows a very deeply thought out continuity of plot.

The battles are frequent and exciting.

I loved them and I recommend them highly. And I am dieing for at least an excerpt from book 5.

Luckily, Ms. Novik is a fast writer. It seems like she produces one a year, possibly because they have all been under 400 pages, unlike the current trend of 1,000 pages or so. The next is due out July 2008, thank goodness. I much rather like the nice, neatly packaged book under 400 pages if there is a promise of one a year.

If my oppinion mattered I would give this series a 5/5 star rating.

Until then I am at a loss of what next to read that could possibly compare.