Seriously

What quirky impulse grabs your attention away from everything?

Century Schoolbook and a Flashback

I’ve been updating my portfolio to include some of my recent work. I’m pretty happy with the way this type poster turned out. Since the font was designed in the early 1900s with textbooks in mind, I wanted it to have an old-timey book feel to it.

A funny thing happened while I was searching for information on Century Schoolbook. I came across this picture on etsy:

Right away I had that skin-tingly feeling that I’d seen this before. When I peeked at some of the inside pages, I knew I was revisiting my first grade reader. The picture came up in my search because Century Schoolbook was designed for Ginn & Company, the same publisher of these elementary school readers.

I just love it when something unlocks a memory from a dark little recess of your brain. You never know what’ll pop up next. 

Response Fail

It was my intention to respond right away to all your considerate, helpful, supportive, encouraging comments on my last post. Since I was getting ready to leave on a mini vacation last week for Spring Break, I attempted to send personal responses by email. Unfortunately, in my hurry to get everything ready, I sent the replies before realizing some of you have no-reply email addresses.

Rather than try to figure out to whom I actually responded, I’m hoping you’ll forgive this considerably less personal mass thank-you, because you understand I’m still in a post-travel stupor and have about fourteen loads of laundry left to do.

Actually I’ve wondered how to adapt to the whole commenting thing, now that people seem to be spending more time on Facebook and less time blogging. I think responses to comments are nice, but on the other hand I don’t really expect people to have time to check back for one. I think somehow social networking keeps creating new ways to be socially clueless.

Anyway, between all your uplifting comments AND several days away from home with almost no responsibilities, I’m having trouble getting back to reality. I’m feeling like this big kitty we spotted at the Living Desert Zoo in Palm Desert:

I could really go for a nap. Followed by a snack. Followed by another nap.

What's Next?

First of all, I really appreciated the comments cheering me on. Second, I didn’t win. Not only didn’t I win, I also had the pleasure of paying a fortune to replace a busted water heater the same day the results were posted. So much for dreaming of little extras. This came after a week sprinkled with family disappointments, so…no point dwelling on it. You can see all the illustrations I’ve submitted so far to They Draw and Cook here. I also have a map posted on They Draw and Travel. I did really have fun working on them – I’m sure I’ll feel inspired to do more.

Now, on to other things. One thing I planned to focus on this year is trying to drum up some illustration work. At the beginning of the year I bought a copy of the Artist’s and Graphic Designer’s Market, and was all fired up to tear through it, highlighter at the ready. Unfortunately, I got a little discouraged going through the listings. Most wanted such specific things – one wants only wooden boats, another traditionally rendered vegetarian food…you get the picture. My highlighter barely got a workout on the first pass. It’ll take some digging to work up a decent mailing list.

Since one of my interests is illustrating book covers, plan B was to visit the bookstore in search of publishers that might be a match for my style. This plan produced a long list, but once I started researching individual publishers I noticed that as with writing, few houses accept unsolicited artwork. I'm caught in a familiar catch-22: you can’t get anyone to look at your work unless you’re already established, and you can’t get established because no one will look at your work. Or, you can manage to find time to produce work or to promote your work, but not both. Even though this is kind of a new start, I’m not a total newbie to the art and design world. I feel like I’ve at least paid some dues, but I'm back at square one.

If this sounds like whining, it isn’t meant to be. I’d just like to work! While I’m trying to figure out plan C (along with school, a tiny amount of freelance work and the usual abundance of other craziness), here’s a promotional postcard I started working on:

Where and how to send it, that’s another matter. It helps me to remember we’re always in transition – a thought summed up by a phrase I just heard in an Understanding Buddhism class: we are always practicing for what we will become next.

Yes, I Do Want to Win

After planning to focus on something besides illustrated recipes, they announced a big contest on They Draw and Cook. I entered two illustrations and thought I’d do what I always do - keep quiet about it. That way I could: A) not jinx it; and B) pretend it didn’t really matter anyway.

I’m questioning the value of this strategy. I’m pretty sure I’ve never swayed an outcome by keeping my mouth shut, or felt better by lying to myself. I conclude that this strategy stinks. So for the record, let me state that I would really prefer to win.

To say the last few years have been tough is an understatement. I’m ready for good news. I fantasize about what I’d do with the prize money. This mama needs a spa day. Should my treatments involve hot rocks or some form of wax? Could I actually treat my family to dinner someplace that doesn’t have freakish cartoon mascots? And let’s face it - Mama would really like to feel accomplished at something other than knowing forty-something ways to prepare potatoes.

If you’re interested, you can follow the link to browse through the Kraft Foods contest entries. New entries are added daily. No doubt I’ll be checking back regularly to recalculate my odds of winning. Doesn’t everyone do that?

If I don’t get a mention, I’ll probably go into the kind of slump that has me licking peanut butter laced with chocolate chips off a spoon while questioning my direction in life. Then I’ll get over it, and move on to the next thing.

So whatever happens, it’ll be okay.

But it would really be so much better if I win.

Marzipan Recipe

I noticed I get a lot of traffic to my blog, particularly in the springtime, for a recipe I posted years ago for Marzipan Easter Eggs. Since it seems to be a popular one, I decided to illustrate it for They Draw and Cook. It turned out to be as much fun drawing and coloring the eggs as it is to roll and shape them out of edible clay!

Click on the following link to see the entire illustrated marzipan recipe.

My original blog post, with photos of the finished confections, can be seen here.

If you have any special Easter or springtime traditions, I'd love to here about them!

Cafe Tacvba Video

Last weekend my son created this clever animation for the band Cafe Tacvba's song Esa Noche. I'm so impressed! He managed to pull it off in a couple of days with only Paint, MovieMaker, and an infuriatingly slow computer to work with. It shows what a little determination and lots of imagination can do.

Enjoy it!

Julian, CA Map

I can see how this could become habit-forming.

When I got an email from They Draw and Cook informing me about a contest on their sister site, They Draw and Travel, I couldn't resist giving that a try, too.

Last year I had to do an illustrated map for one of my assignments, and I thought I wasn't going to like it. All those details! But in no time I got totally absorbed in creating all the little components and piecing them together. For that project I illustrated the pyramids near Mexico City. I'm tempted to try to recreate it in a new format and submit that one, too.

But for this map I chose Julian, California, a tiny gold mining (turned apple farming) town near San Diego. I've blogged about it before after a day trip during their apple festival. If you don't like crowds, it's best not to visit Julian during peak apple season.

The picture above is a detail from my Julian map - hop over to They Draw and Travel to view the rest of my map here.