Letting go is hard to do...

And so my donation to Ted E. Bear Hollow is getting ready to ship out. It's always hard to let an original piece go.

I am hoping it it is successful in bringing smiles to a few young faces.

Thanks Trisha!

There are Monsters Under the Bed!

How do you fight the monsters under your bed?

A Good Book—In color

Sometimes all it takes is a good book!

Little Pieces — "Cracked" for Illustration Friday

It says it all...

"Cracked", but on purpose, for Illustration Friday.

He loves me...

Ah...the uncertainty of love.


A triptych panel.


He loves me..
The tentative start of new love.


He loves me not...
The insecurities surrounding new love.


He Loves Me!
The joy when love is declared.

Swinging Free—Color

Happiness.

Freedom.

Love.

Blue sky.

Hop scotch under the Cherry Tree

1...2...3...4...sky?


A suggestion from Linda. I nixed it immediately but it stuck in my brain all night until the next day when I came up with a solution to make it work.

"Sky", may become "home"...but Linda swore the end word when she was growing up was sky....

I could have sworn it was "home", but I was the shy kid at recess under the tree with my nose in a book.

He's just not that into you...

Maybe if you introduced yourself.

Maybe when the timing is right.

Maybe when you get that new shiny bike for your birthday.

He'll notice you then, right?

Looking at her in color it seems to me that she is plotting how to get his attention then feeling rejected because he doesn't know she exists.

I still need a new scanner...

A good book.

A good book.

A vivid imagination.

A grassy knoll and a tree for comfort.

Travel without the suitcase.

Not sure if in the color version I will keep the castle.

Swinging Free

Happiness is best found in the simple things.

The rush of air on your face, companionship of a good friend, a beautiful day.

Matters of the heart

I am thinking that the bear needs a vacation from tormenting situations.

However, a few love-lorn, love-torn, love-insecure sketches won't hurt...

Unfortunate Events

Poor, poor bear.

"I'll save you!" in Color.

Watercolor and ink.

I like to see the sketch and final side by side.

And the Bear and Girl Saga Continues...

"He's just not that into you."

In my month long attempt to figure out what to do for the Valentine's card, I ended up continuing the bear and girl saga.

Here she is seen with the bear and a Valentine behind her back as the boy she is sweet on races past her on his bike.

The cat is either snubbing the boy with his back to him, or is interested in the bird in the tree.

It wasn't supposed to go there, but it developed as I was drawing it. Maybe the upcoming Movie Release of the same name above was stuck in my mind.

And then...



"But it's ok, cause I am."

The bear she rescued tried to console her, the cat is lounging in the tree. Perhaps he got his bird and is ready for a nap?

I couldn't leave it with an entirely unhappy ending.

I'll save you!

I'll save you, Teddy!

Little girl sees a stranded teddy in the stream and valiantly goes to his rescue.

Reminds me of how when I was little I applied emotions to stuffed animals. I had separation anxiety leaving some stuffed cuties in the stores, I thought I could save all of them and make sure they had a good home.

It's dark out sometimes...

Why don't you just say it?

can't





Inspired by Neil, thanks for making great art.

Also Coraline, by Neil Gaiman.

A peek at this years Christmas Card

During my week off, I successfully completed the drawing and nearly the entire coloring of this years Christmas Cards. Hooray! I am early this year. Though how I am going to put it together remains to be seen.

After sending the drawing to my best friend, an art teacher, to get reassurance that her head isn't to big for her body, I began work on the painting. I choose to go with the Polar Bear in honor of the up coming movie The Golden Compass.

The books themselves are fabulous. But I refuse to listen to them again for fear of having the same reaction when I saw Stardust. Sorry Niel Gaimen, love you and your work but I ruined a perfectly great movie by compairing it to the book.

I am thrilled about the movie, but unthrilled that some of the more controversial elements, the meat and bones, might be taken out. Please don't let me get started on them. If you think people had a field day trying to ban Harry Potter, the voracity of sentiment in trying to get the His Dark Materials series banned will be like a wild and crazy Holiday Party where someone spiked the punch and everyone was thirsty.

On the movie site my Daemon is the Snow leopard, the same as Lyra's father. Try it out!

And if you wish to be on my mailing list this year, just email me!

Lily Bear — Bear in a Box #3

A little history.

These bears-in-a-box come from multiple sources of inspiration. The primary inspiration is the Anano Bear which is made by a woman from Japan. You have to see them to believe in their cuteness.

Another place was the Blog of MollyChicken a marvelous crafter out of England, I believe, who I first saw because she had put one of her gorgeous Bears on eBay for charity. Without her patterns for a dress and a coat, I wouldn't of made these bears for my nieces. I mostly made my own bears because I couldn't possibly afford one of hers, they are made of mohair, I use fleece. And well, I like to make things, my way.

I took the pattern for the bear, pets and bags out of a great Japanese craft book I picked up from a place n Arlington Heights called Mitsuwa which has a full service book store now. The pattern for the bear wasn't exactly what I wanted, so I enlarged the head quite a bit. The pattern for the Beret I made up.

These bears remind me of the dolls I used to have as a child, the ones in a traveling box that came with clothes and hangers. I loved those dolls and I wanted my three youngest nieces to have the same experience. After the success Lacey Bear (#1) had pleasing a niece, I decided to make more. I created a Bear Questionnaire for my other nieces so I would know some of their favorite things, as they change constantly. Strangely enough, both Girls choose "L" names for their Bears, Lisa and Lucy. Thus the "L" series of bears were born.

Lily Bear was made for a woman I work for and it will be a gift for her Granddaughter on Christmas.

Without futher ado, Lily Bear's fashion show:



The whole inside.



Taveling outfit for fashionable bears.



The vet is in!



Super-Star Lily! With Oscar!



Walking the cat outfit.



Summer Dress!