Showing posts with label G8 Moly_X. Show all posts
Showing posts with label G8 Moly_X. Show all posts

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Dia de los Muertos..

A celebration of life
and the beautiful memories of those
who are now gone...
but are 
living forever in our hearts...never to be forgotten.
(Please click on image to view details.)
 
"The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity. "
~Seneca

Monday, October 28, 2013

On My Radar...

...On this very day...October 28th...2014...
San Miguel Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico...
El Dia De Los Muertos
Tesoro del Corazon art retreat...
just sayin'!!!!! ;)

"Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat
 than in his own soul.”
~Marcus Aurelius 

Sunday, August 5, 2012

An Elven Princess...



...the full reveal of Matt's moleskine...as promised.:)
The first photo is my completed spread...
the second photo is the transition
page between Audrey's art
and mine.
The third photo is the whole enchilada...
only one more artist to go before she returns home to Matt
in September.
Here is a bit of the back story to my pages:
She is an elven princess
of transformation and growth...
and
she is holding in her hand a crystal orb
reflecting the rebirth of Audrey's "heavenly phoenix"
from a ball of flames.
 She also brings with her
the magical auras of the changing seasons
as well as
the mysteries and starlight wonders of nightfall
to the elven forest lands.
Please click on images to enlarge...
especially the last one.

“The magic is inside you. There ain’t no crystal ball.”

~Dolly Parton

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Yep...Another Work In Progress...:)



These are some working photos
I took while designing
my 4 page spread in Matt's Elven themed moleskine.
This is for a international sketchbook project which
I am involved in over at
Illustrated ATCs.
Feel free to click on images to enlarge them.
Here's a bit of the process:
After deciding on my artistic direction
and
how I will link my art with the artist before me...
(which takes quite a bit of thought and time) 
I jump in and add
my first layer in pencil...
usually on blank printer paper first...
then, after I am satisfied with my decision,
into the actual moleskine itself.
 The next layer involves the inking of my illustration...
scary, but great fun...no place for erasures!
This is shown in the first photo above.
After that, I begin working with my color palette...
blocking in colors here and in the book.
Once that process is complete
I begin to lay in the color in the book...
and for me...that's
 when all the magic begins to happen.
I will post the final reveal of my work here for you
tomorrow...
Come on back
for a peek if you are out and about.
:) 

“If you reveal your secrets to the wind
you should not blame the wind
for revealing them
to the trees.”

~Kahlil Gibran

Sunday, July 8, 2012

"The Visitors..."

Above is the finished spread
of the WIP (Work In Progress) I posted yesterday.
You can click on image to enlarge...:)
And below is the back story
to accompany the art.
I attached a copy of the story to the backside
of my spread.
This book has only two more artists to go
before it returns home to
Elaine
in New Zealand.
And, now...the story:

Behind the “Back Of Beyond”…
floating above and between
all that is known and yet to be known…
is a sacred place
where
“Those Who Came Before All" live.
These beings are like no other.
Invisible and ethereal
they appear merely for an instant
as a
twinkle in the mind’s eye.
On occasion
they might visit human life forms
in the mysterious guise of
“Deja Vous”.
They dance on velvety black skies
creating shimmering auroras
and twinkling stars.
They slide through slivers of time
leaving stardust trails
in their wake.
They bring gifts of
imagination, inspiration, insight,
and
individuality
to those who are ready to receive.
They expertly guide newcomers to the
lands past the
“Back of Beyond”.
Cloaked in rainbow hued mists,
they have been known to reveal themselves
in the presence of
collaborative artistic promise.
And…such a spectacular event
has, indeed, occurred.
Hence…
let it be written
on this warm summer’s eve
that I,
Margaret Storer Roche,
an appointed rememberancer
of the years 200-230 of the Flutterby era,
have artistically documented
the appearance of these magical visitors
for all to remember
now
and for all of the time yet to come.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

...And, Yet, Another WIP...




..."Work In Progress".
This time it is my 4 page spread in Elaine's
Japanese Fold Moleskine.
Elaine's theme is "People of the Village"...
who live in a special and unique place
"past the back of beyond".
In her own words Elaine wanted to create a place that
" is not on any map...
 it has attracted the type of individuals who are very individual
and haven’t found a fit anywhere else."
She was hoping for
"A great mix of fun characters –
from your imagination, fiction, mythology, sci-fi, real life –
hippies, different nationalities, occupations.
Characters can be humanoid or animals.
Anything goes except morbid."
Above is my start...tomorrow I will post the finished page.
Please click on any image to enlarge it.
Pop on back for a peek...
I promise
I will be here.:)

Monday, June 4, 2012

"As Promised..."



..the final reveal of my 4 page watery green-blue spread
in Jen's rainbow themed Moly.
Please click on any image for better viewing...:)
In a spark of simultaneous serendipity
 as I posted this today
 (...just a bit after the noon time hour in
blazing hot Arizona...)
Jan is in flight crossing the Great Barrier Reef off the Australian
coast.
Next stop...for both this book and my girlfriend...
is New Zealand.
Both my art and my dear friend are really seeing
the world in all its glory.
Life is...
as it should be...:)

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Another Work In Progress...:)

Just a couple of peeks of my 4 page spread in Jen's
rainbow themed Moly.
My color was
green!
This book is part of the international G8 Moleskine exchange
I am in over at Illustrated ATCs.
As of this past Saturday this book is
en route from the burning hot Arizona desert to
art studio of Elaine in New Zealand.
My dear friend Jan was also en route to NZ Saturday...
but due to a delayed flight out of Chicago...
her Qantas connection was missed!
She will try again tonight.
An adventure? or and Inconvenience?
Knowing Jan...it will be a memorable adventure!
I wonder who will arrive first???
Please click on images for detail.
I will post the full reveal of the final pages
tomorrow...I Promise!

For Jan:
"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered.
An inconvenience
is only an adventure wrongly considered."
G.K. Chesterton

Friday, May 18, 2012

"My Chemical Romance..."

...some "lyrics based" art I made in
Audrey's "My Chemical Romance" themed moleskine.
This is part of the 2012 G8 Moly exchange
over at
Illustrated ATCs.
Honestly,
I had never heard of the band before...
and
was a bit bummed out about this theme.
Plus...
the lyrics of their songs did not set well in my mind.
So, I asked
a couple of "younger generation" acquaintances
what they would suggest
I do.
With big smiles and "Ooooh COOL!" commentaries
they pointed me in the right direction.
The music is not half bad...really.
It was simply
the battling of the graphic lyrics and subject matter
with my Muse's artistic preferences
 that had me bamboozled.
The song lyrics I ended up choosing are from the band's hit
"Cemetery Drive".
The cemetery gate drawn here was
inspired by
the style of the east gate of the Elmwood Cemetery in
back in my hometown of
Sycamore, Illinois.
I went back to my roots...and drew what I knew.
Audrey's book has already been passed along
to the next artist and is
expected to return home to her in Quebec, Canada
early this fall.
This Moly exchange is packed with artistic challenge and fun....
and has absolutely opened my eyes
to many new things.
 It keeps that flighty Muse of mine in her toes...:)
Click on image to enlarge...:)

"This night walk the dead...in a solitary style
and crash the cemetery gates
in a dress
your husband hates."
~Cemetery Drive
My Chemical Romance

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Someone's in The Kitchen With Dinah...



...and they are NOT "Strummin' on the ol' banjo"!!!
This is my 4 page spread in Juli's Moly
"In the Kitchen"
for the 2012 Illustrated ATC G8 Moleskine exchange.
Sometime in late summer
"she" will make her way home to Juli
 in Canada...:)
"Fee Fi...Fiddlily Aye Oh"...:)
Click on images to enlarge...especially the last one.
Enjoy!

If you can't stand the heat...
get out of the kitchen."
~Harry S. Truman

Monday, February 27, 2012

"The Finished Product..."

...my four and a half page spread in
Cathy's "Undersea Cave" themed Moly...Yippeeee!
Be sure to click on the image to enlarge
for better viewing! :)
This book flew from the desert Friday
and
is currently winging her way through the postal cosmos
to the artistic hands of Audrey
in Quebec, Canada.
Oui!

"The best way to observe a fish is to become a fish.”
~Jacques Cousteau

Sunday, February 26, 2012

"Book Two..."

...my work in progress on Cathy's
"Under Sea Caves" themed Moleskine sketchbook.
I promise to show
the completely finished reveal tomorrow...:)

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Mission Accomplished...!!

My "El Dia De Los Muertos" themed G8 Moleskine
is now complete...Yippeeeee!
Above are the introduction pages...
along with the routing order of my book...see candles.
You can click on images to enlarge...:)

Here are pages 1 and 2.
Here is my full 3 page spread: pages 1,2, and 3.
Being just a "wee bit" overzealous
my art seemed to have "mysteriously" crept
onto half of page 4. Hmmm...:)
So...
Juli, in Canada, will share page four with me
adding her own artwork based on the same theme.
I gave ATC prints as a thank you gift to all participants.
Each person will get 2 prints...
one of each style shown.
Here is the fun back pocket of my Moly...
this is where each artist will sign in.
The guideline booklet is just in case anyone needs
additional
reference sources or ideas for my theme.
It will be tucked snuggly into the back pocket
for safe keeping.
The book and the gift ATCs have their own separate little pouches.

Ta Daaaa!
Everything is all wrapped and ready
for a final blanket of bubble wrap
to protect her on her long postal flight to Canada.
She was mailed out yesterday...
You know, I actually feel like I am 10 pounds lighter!
Ahhh!:)
Now on to Cathy's book...her theme is "Sea Caves"...
My imagination
is already going like gangbusters!:)

"To be yourself in a world
that is constantly trying to make you something else
is the greatest accomplishment."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Saturday, January 21, 2012

"Take a Peek..."

..at my latest W.I.P...Work In Progress.
I have joined in on another Moleskine Exchange
but this time it is at Illustrated ATCs.
It will be an 8 way artist exchange of
the small Japanese fold Moleskine sketchbooks.
Each book will have its own theme chosen by
each individual artist.
The theme I have chosen is
more commonly known in English as
The Day of the Dead...a Mexican folk festival celebrated
the first couple of days of November.
My book will honor the spirit of the lives of those
who have gone before me
and will include many of the traditional Mexican
artifacts and symbols
(such as sugar skulls, calavera catrinas, and offerendas)
associated with this
unique fall celebration.
My due date for mailing is February 1st...
so if I am not around blogland for the next week or so
you know exactly what I am doing.
I am really excited to share the progress of this
art exchange with you throughout the coming year.
I should have my own book back
by mid October...just in time
to celebrate this festive Mexican holiday.