happy Holidays Folks

Happy Holidays, and very best wishes for 2010 everyone ! Cheers ! :-)

Here's my entry in Kathleen's 'Improbably Games' sketchbook. I've done something a bit work related, seeing as I make video games for a living.

I've written a bit more on my blog.

Red Butterflies

"Red butterflies are a manifestation of witches..."

I had never heard this superstition before I started to look for a subject for Lynne's moly. But once I read it, I couldn't get the images out of my head. One of Nan's ladybugs tip-toed her way into the picture as well.

Should I send this off to Ste? Or return it to its home with Lynne?

Yoda's Moly - The White Witch

Jadis of Charn, from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I'll send it on to Elvia once it's fully dry.

Lynne's Ladybug

Ladybug, ladybug,
fly away home,
your house is on fire
your children all roam.

Ladybug, ladybug,
fly away home,
and show me from whence
my husband shall come.

This ladybug will be winging its way east to Massachusetts tomorrow. :-)

impatient moly fan

Hello everyone!

I haven't received anything in a long time.

I would like to do an illustration in Yoda's moly if she wants to.

I will be in a new house probably next week, and I would like to know who would I give my address to so I can receive it there.

Thank you,

elvia

From Elvia to Nan

Just a quick note that I have passed the moly that Elvia sent to me on to Nan.
I did not add art to it because I am no longer in the exchange.
So Elvia, in future could you send your books straight onto Nan.

-Amy

Anna denise,

Here is my entry for 'whats in my bag' AnnaDenise I think you may have moved house since we started this book and your address has changed from the one written in the front....could you email me with your new one...cheers

My pocket junk

I've finally buckled down and drawn an entry in Anna's sketchbook. I was putting this one off because it reminded me too much of an art GCSE homework project!

flying fish

flying fish
Originally uploaded by paintistworks

here is chensios moly.....i am not sure why there has been such a heavy fish/ sea theme running through it, but I have gone with it. here are my flying fish. Hope you like it Chensio :-)

Arthur Murray's Overland Ballroom Challenge

This is for Kathleen's Moly - the Book of Improbable Games. I have added Arthur Murray's Overland Ballroom Challenge. Think Survivor with sequins. This was made with watercolor pencils, Micron pens, and some machine stitching bits sewn into the book itself on my lovely 40-year-old Kenmore machine.

Wow, I just noticed I've contributed to every book except Lynne and Ste! That's so exciting to be so close to the end!

Where are they now?

Hi all,

I just thought it might be a good time to get an update on where the molys are. I must admit my motivation is selfish, cuz it's been a while since I've seen a new map :-D

So chime in if you please...thanks!

Currently moliless at the moment, Nan.

Rooster

Sorry I was so late but I had too much work. I will be sending it tomorrow to Amy.

This is my contribution to Jennifer's moleskine. Theme: Your favorite animal.

I hope you like it.

Hello dear frinds

I won't be able to continue on the exchange because I'll be moving soon from my country.

I have on my hands Ste moly. I'll finish it and send it.

I hope you are all ok

Kisses

Yoda

Wishing

My entry for Lynne's moly.

I decided to base it on a simple yet beautiful superstition which is wirshing unpon starts.

My wishes are coming true, so it worked for me ;))

I hope you like it dear Lynne :)

An Improbable Game for Kathleen

Once you start playing, you're in for life....mwwahahahaha.

Hope you like it :-D

For Carlos' Moly

Carlos' moly has no specific theme so I continued with the themes already started earlier in the book - summer days and fish. Watercolor pencils and magic markers combined with stitching. The top of the water was machine stitched through the page, while the other elements are free-standing thread glued onto the paper. Ready to go to Ste.

My Purse - the stuff at the bottom

Instead of doing my wallet and checkbook, the things I can find, I chose to do all the little bits that settle to the bottom and you can only find them when you are looking for something else.

The Charlie Card flips up to reveal my favorite silver hoop earrings.

Summer Memories

Every summer I spent a week at a cottage in Door County, Wisconsin. The cottages belonged to my stepmom's mom, and I believe, her mom's mom too. My dad and stepmom asked me to take a series of photos that her mom had taken and taped together, and scan them and electronically recreate the scene. Ultimately I had several copies printed on a single poster sized sheet so that dad could frame them for Connie's kids. The cottages are being sold, and she wants them to have a little piece of the good old days.

The photos blended pretty well, and the project brought back some fun memories of summers past when I wasn't bogged down with work and responsibilities. The highlight of the vacation was the night we'd build a bonfire on the beach, roast marshmallows, and stare at the sky waiting to see shooting stars (or satellites if that was the best we could do).

And a side effect of the project is that I have a terrific craving for s'mores now, so I think I'll have to pick up the ingredients for the BBQ this weekend.

My apologies, Chensio, that this took so long, but I promise it will be in the mail tomorrow.

Witches !

Hey !! thats my enry for Lady Orlando moleskine ! espero que te guste !!! :D

something new

Hello, 

I was thinking that to get things rolling again and interesting while we are waiting for someone to post their illustration why don't we post the materials we use and/or the studio or table where we work. I am really interested in everyone's post. What do you think? I will start.

I love using colored pencils my favorite media, they are not a certain brand I usually buy 

Faber Castell, crayola and prismacolor.

I find that micron markers are great for moleskines!

I like to combine materials when working in my moleskine, or as you would say 

mixed media and these are three brands that I work with. I find that Galeria 

is very transparent and you can have it as a wash, the liquitex is very creamy and 

covers everything very well and golden I think is the best.

This are my watercolors, pelikan. I like them because they are mate and they are not expensive.

its still quiet

is it time for an update? it seems ages since I have had a book come my way........

Mice, for Jenn

Mice wouldn't be my first choice as pets. I have lived through mouse plagues when cars went off the roads because of sheets of mice. They ate through wood and Tupperware and books and if you went out to the shed, they would be running around the bottoms of drums. The cats pretended they couldn't see them, the local boys earned pocket money building better mouse traps and little old ladies devised novel ways of reusing mousepaper (like fly paper, only for mice).

But even so, I always liked sitting quietly on the stairs of the veranda and watching them dart out, all quick and dark-furred with their tiny delicate ears and fiercely curious faces. There was an old piano on the veranda, and the mice inside used to slide up and down the strings, sounding tiny notes.

The quote at the top is from Rose Fyleman's poem, "I think mice are rather nice".

Fun weekend

Superstition: Black Cat

Colors and Shapes: Vivid Colors

I had a lot of fun with both moleskines during the weekend. I hope that Lynne and Ste likes them. I will be sending these tomorrow to Yoda.

Lynne's Moly - Superstition: Wishes

My contribution to Lynne's moleskine for the 42nd moleskine exchange. This is a combination of "be careful what you wish for" and "don't tell people what you wish for or it won't happen" and the fairytale of the 7 ravens.

I kind of wish the centre face wasn't, well, at the centre but I can't help what I look like :) It's done, at any rate, and my desk is cleared for the next batch.

Brush and sepia ink and a touch of watercolour.

What's in Nan's Bag for Anna Denise's Moly

Finally, some progress from the midwestern U.S.! My deepest apologies for the delay in Moly action. Slump in creativity... work overload... excuses, excuses. But no more!

I'll be mailing it to Jenn tomorrow.

Hope you like it, Anna Denise!

How are things coming?

Since my other groups are all checking in and doing updates, I thought we should all chime in again on who has books and who doesn't. Currently I don't have any books.

Chensio - I think you had my Favorite Animals book last. When did you mail to to tanaudel?


Jenn

Animals!

Late again, but I've finally done my entry in the farmyard animals book.

I was completely stumped with this one, and didn't have an idea in my head for the last month or so. Had the idea in bed this morning, and beavered away all day. Will send it off to Anna on Monday.

MAIL RECEIVED !

Today morning I received three molys from Anna !

These are the Yoda (witches), Amy (red) and Nan (maps) moleskines.

So I have a lot of work now ! ahahaha

cheers !

books

its all gone very quiet.....is it time for a 'where are they now?' check up.......

What's in Amy's Bag

Here is my entry for Anna Denise's.

I do have keys, they're just kept in my jacket pocket ;)
I still have absolutely no idea what to do in Kathleen's. I mean really, I look at it and my mind goes absolutely blank :/

Amy's Bloody Moly!

Finally finished my entry in Amy's 'red' Moleskine! Will send it out some time next week!

Discovery

First of all, profuse apologies to all for my inactivity lately. I've got several molys on my desk right now and I'm doing my best to fill them in between my VERY sloggy comic work right now.
I confess I am having a LOT of trouble thinking of something to put in Kathleen's Improbably Games one. I SUCK at making up games...
I just got Anna Denise's today too, but that's the bag one and should be easy :)

Okay, Chensio's moly! It seems to have a very open theme, so I followed Yoda's idea of carrying on something from the previous entry and it quicky became this little study of a girl's unexpected discovery.

Small update

Just wanted to let you all know that I...

... am almost done with Amy's 'Red' Moleskine, but that I ran out of red (of course) and need to make a trip to the art supply store this week. Hope to mail the book out this weekend.
... sent out Nan's Moly and Yoda's Moly to Carlos last week.

Have a great week everyone!

In My Bag

Here is my entry for Anna Denise's moly.

I have to admit I don't carry too many things with me because I use a very small bad but big enough to carry my moleskine ;))

AnnaDenise's entry in Nan's Moly

Hi all,

Finally finished up my entry in Nan's 'maps' Moly!
I really enjoyed working on this one. Unlike some of the other, gorgeous, maps in the book, mine isn't very realistic. I started out thinking about 'mapping' my way around the Internet. But then I remembered my love for drawing fictional villages and maps when I was younger. I would dream up entire worlds. I hope my enjoyment shows.

Love, AnnaDenise

Jenn's moly !

Again sorry Jenn for that long time waiting...

thats my favorite animal...the Lynx !

Lynne's moly !

Hey ! here I go again !

My apologises for that long long time out...

Thats my superstition...do not ever step on the sewers! ahaha its ridiculous, but its true !

Hope you like it Lynne, and ... sorry again ! Now is going to Kathleen !

Cheers !

Ste's Moly - Impossible Tree

My contribution to Ste's moleskine for the 42nd moleskine exchange, in which I sort-of-failed-to-reread-the-theme immediately prior to leaping into the picture. It was meant to be "something from your imagination that isn't based on anything in the real, physical world", so I've called it "Impossible Tree" - sorry, Ste!

off with their heads

off with their heads
Originally uploaded by paintistworks

"you see, Miss, this here ought to have been a red rose-tree, and we
put a white one in by mistake; and if the Queen was to find it out,
we should all have our heads cut off, you know. So you see, Miss,
we're doing our best, afore she comes, to--' At this moment Five, who
had been anxiously looking across the garden, called out `The Queen!
The Queen!' and the three gardeners instantly threw themselves flat
upon their faces. There was a sound of many footsteps, and Alice
looked round, eager to see the Queen."

Amy's theme is 'Red'

'Farmyard animals' moly 42

'Farmyard animals' moly 42
Originally uploaded by paintistworks

I posted this earlier but the photo vanished, so I am posting it again.... This is For Elvia's Moly "farmyard animals"...

Greetings from Mars

I've finally caught up and drawn my sketch in Amy's "Red" themed sketchbook.

I bought myself a new set of fine line felt tip pens, and used them all here, like a kid at Christmas.

The scanner hasn't done a brilliant job with the purples. The colours are a bit better in real life.

AnnaDenise's witch

Here's my entry in Yoda's Moleskine!

I decided to draw Vrouw Holle (Mother Hulda). Not sure if we can technically call her a witch, but she is a mythical figure with magical powers, so I think that counts. I loved that story when I was little.

My drawing is based on Otto Ubbelohde's drawing.

Baa Baa Black Sheep For Elvia

For Elvia's Farm Animal moly, I pasted in one of my woodcut prints. The black sheep block printed on kitakata paper is accompanied by some watercolor pencil hay rolls to continue Nan's theme.

Ana Denise's moleskine done.

Some of the things inside my bag. I hope you like it, I will be sending it to Yoda Monday. 

Undersea Scene

Here is my entry for Chensio's moly.

I wanted to contunue with Elvia's previous painting - I saw it in a dream -.

Hope you like it.

Elvia's Farm Animal Moly

I'm happy to report, I've completed my entry in Elvia's Moly. It took me a while to commit to my idea for this moly because the very first idea that popped into my head had nothing to do with animals...sort of. Finally I couldn't help but move forward because the original idea would not be dislodged from my brain.



As I was working along, a light bulb went off above my head (it's very startling when that happens). So I took a break and made an ATC for the back pocket. Elvia, your ATC is the one on the right:





I've been on a pencil kick lately. I did use fixative on it so it won't turn into a graphite smudge.

The text reads:

"Where are the farm animals?" you ask. Don't you see them—as plain as the nose on your face?

I'm talking about the mugwhomps, of course. Actually, it's a small squad of military mugwhomps in a split and stagger formation.

My dad told me all about mugwhomps when I was only 6 or 7 years old, and frankly, I'm surprised your dad didn't tell you.

Mugwhomps are the police/military corps of the farm yard/field. They protect and organize the farm animals. You'll frequently
see cows reporting to the mugwhomps when they go out for exercise. And you'll often see animals taking shelter near the mugwhomp formation.

My dad didn't tell me this specifically, but I suspect they do a great deal of training with the Buckingham Palace Guards—they are similarly unflappable in their duty.

I had a very entertaining childhood...slightly confusing...but very entertaining. :-)

Hope you like it!

Nan