Daily Draw: One rather portly vampire

Daily Draw: Flamborough Safari

Friday: 94 kids kindergarteners, 2 school buses and a safari. The wildest animals being inside the school bus... Only 1 band-aid required = successful controlled chaos.

Daily Draw: More marshmallow fluff and tube socks

I live in Southern Ontario. Where there are not subdivisions and "power centers", there are deer. Co-existence, even. Overpopulated with deer I've read. Must be why they keep building yet more Walmarts and Starbucks.

Daily Draw: Black sheep

Sorta revel in inaccurate perspectives...

Daily Draw: Feelin' foxxy

Just keeping the blog active.. This guy lives near the trailhead.

Daily Draw: Peons

Underdeveloped per usual.

The Backpack Foodie

I've noticed over the years my friend Hélène Cormier likes to take pictures of her meals wherever she goes.
I've found this odd...
This practice and enthusiasm for food is shared by her partner Daniel Roy, who, when it comes to food, will try just about anything. And like it.
They are off travelling the world starting September, blogging what they eat along the way here.

They asked me nicely for a logo/header too. Here is the development:






previous option for consideration:

Conceptual sketchs:

Daily Draw: Open post to the house mouse.

Hey Mouse!
You, the one doing all your business under and between my couch cushions! You know who you are... The tide is turning medieval on your ass. Now, maybe I should have left a light on at night so you might have had a better chance at recognizing more appropriate surfaces for defecation, Mouse.. But really, as if your last compaign behind the kitchen appliances wasn't enough. You've crossed the line, Bucko.
Don't believe me, Mouse? Yes, I'm often full of empty threats with the other smaller creatures in this home, but check out the hardware store receipt I dropped on the kitchen floor for you. Hopefully after I finish purging every single crumb from this joint today, you are gonna eat that receipt.

Daily Draw: Alas! Poor Yorick... He had bad teeth

Speaking of Hamlet, I stumbled across this gem on line. Die Brücke-ish coolness.

Daily Draw: The robins benefitted

... From a recent dandelion extermination rampage. Though the yard looks prepped for trench warfare, and the dandelions will be back, a buffet 'o' worms literally turned up for a red tummy hot spot.

Daily Draw: Mosquito season has officially begun

I especially hate getting bitten between my toes. On the ear too.

Daily Draw: Fry whores!

The Canada Goose. Symbol of Canada. Fry whore.
Not unlike your average canuck. Wonder what they think of poutine?
Not so long ago, we fed geese old bread and they migrated south in the Winter. Then certain fast-food establishments set up franchises at the end of the nesting grounds. These overstuffed water turkeys don't migrate anymore. Not in these parts.

Daily Draw: Yet another bird sketch

I have this thing for doodling birds, you may have noticed, I may have mentioned.

Daily Draw: Harpies

I heart the mythological hybrid creatures. Piqued by the physical and even reverse anthropomorphism when the animal parts is, to various degrees, symbolic of the the creature's nature. And it's fun the draw and mess around with on paper too... The doodle to the left, doned first illustrates the mess part...

I also, you may notice, like drawing birds, so bring on the Harpy. Ugly bird women and agents of punishment with a penchant for torture. Residents of the tortured wood in Dante's Inferno.

Daily Draw: Bedtime....YES! (with fist pump)

Today we took Snotty and Naughty to the habour today to terrorize geese and get really excited about looking at water and ducks poop. Who is which? They are both-both, tho, on occassion, not at the same time. Not too soon it was bedtime and I was softened by the serene, dare I say angelic (*snort.), sleeping faces.

Quick gestural of S/N #2, the active sleeper.

Daily Draw: Back with sphinx sketchs

Sheepishly I'm back. Thanks for (still) checking in. Today I present some sphinx sketchs, that I hope to work more on when what that something more flashes through the spaghetti in my head. Also on the theme, I've posted a painting I did in 2003.

Daily Draw: Time for pattern play again

Boring for you. Good-time geekery for me when good, bad and ugly.

Daily Draw: Medusa in progress

My updates have been scanty. Periodically I get stuck. Sometimes a few hours, sometimes for weeks or longer. Usually, atleast for my own work, I just draw whatever comes to me and life frequently gets in the way of that process, (though sometimes I'm an easily distracted lazy ass too). In times of stuckness it helps to a) give in to being stuck and just do all the other stuff if possible. Get it out of the way..b) Plan a full, leisurely day and then have a relaxed sit down at night to draw c) go through photos/postcards and see if any wheels start to turn d) Turn to mythology, classic fables, fairy tales.. Flip through books or scan through memory. Pick a character or scene that pops out in the mind and put your own spin to it.
Today stuckness presents an unfinished Medusa. Will repost when done.

Daily Draw: Pattern play again

Now on Etsy..

The Etsy shop is up! Prints available for sale here. All prints made on archival art paper. Custom orders on different papers and formats available by request. More prints coming soon.

Daily Draw: Quick bird sketch

Haphazardly and quick, no... "Impressionistic". No.

Daily Draw: Then my attention span wore out

Daily Draw: Sharks to share

Boy wandered over, sat down and decided to own me in the conceptual dept with frog-eating giraffe sharks and a whale with a fire fish as a side-kick.

Daily Draw

Daily Draw: Pirate Merwench

Should try this again, with paper that can handle watercolours better.

Daily Draw: Whale to scale

Daily draw: Random doodling, rambling on stupid

Tired. Sketch pad in lap. Otherwise sitting like a lump watching some documentary talking to people who think Obama = Hitler or the Anti-Christ. Didn't see the beginning to know the film name..
"Ah just look at his face un ah see da nummers 666 " Stuff like that. Some glowing examples of tolerance too:
"Oh look, the neighbours put out an Obama sign on the lawn. Shouldn't say this, but they are lesbians! Can I say that?"
or
"He's an Arab is whut he (Obama) is. An Arab!"
Um, no ... but, so?
All these people watch Fox News. Just sayin'...
..

As for the drawing. Just random doodling watching this go down.

the quotations are paraphrased a tad

Daily Draw: Doodles that end at doodles

Was feeling vacant in for the daily draw, so I just started doodling and was hoping that would lead somewhere. It didn't. I don't know what this is other than some woodlandhybridcreaturethingy. I left my sketch pad out (big no-no) and Eva saw the need for some scribbly embellishments.

Daily Draw: Wet/dry moon

I slipped out into the dark tonight. Q-tips were urgently needed, I decided... Or, I urgently needed to get Q-tips or anything, just to get away from whiney, testy children with pussy, gross ears and the runs. One of the two...

Either way, walking, I was struck by the oddly bottom-lit, very bright, slender crescent moon. I googled when I got home. I learned here it used to be referred to as both a "dry" and a "wet" moon, special to this time of year:

Daily Draw: Pause for self-appreciation

Daily Draw: Sluggish

Daily Draw: "A Red Hippo Bit Me"

"It did!?"
"... In the bath. " My son told us.
Better watch out.

Under The High Chair Header

Under the High Chair is the mouthwatering creative outlet of Ms. Aimée Bourque, who is also appearing as a food columnist at Simple Mom(one of the top 10 emerging influential blogs of ’08).

ps. I highly reccommend her lemon ricotta pancakes, pumpkin bread pudding with toffee sauce, and not just because those are the two recipes I've managed to make, but because it is comfort food amplified.. .A forkful makes everything seem right in the world for a few seconds, at least. But, really, all the food looks amazing.

Daily Draw: Happy belated Groundhog day

Did he even see his shadow? I hope not.. I don't like being cold, only skiing - but what was my winter wonderland has been reduced to ice, greasy freeze-thaw snow, gravel and amazing amounts of dog poop.

Worst. Web design. EVAR!

Offend your senses here.
Turn up your computer's volume for the complete experience.
Courtesy of Daniel Roy

Daily Draw: Matchstick Boys

Daily Draw: Standing deer

I don't know why I was so surprised to see deer do this. It makes total sense, just never thought about it.
Saturday post, a bit late and in the stylings of being in the dark with a child taking up the lap.

Daily Draw: Bunny bits make for slow skis

It's been a great winter for skiing in my local conservation area. Great conditions, aside from a bit of poop and gore. Skiers are proving to be the least offending trail users. The tracks are laid by the first post-snowfall skier and the snow is packed down by the day time users: largely dog-walking pedestrians,horses, and what parcels the animals leave behind. The more nocturnal users, coyotes, add long trails of rabbit components (or other fluffy, woodland creature, it's kind of hard to tell). Avoid getting this on your skis.

Daily Draw: Strange bird

Coveted item #1: Peacock dinnerware

from anthropologie...

Daily Draw: Post-holiday physique

Daily Draw: Perhaps I should be cleaning toys better from now on

Or more often...
And LR post #100. Yay.

Boy had his crow puppet out one day during the holidays. I was online, but paying enough attention to notice a light bulb pop over his head and him quickly run out of the room. He ran back in, and made the crow eat, grabbed the crow's upper and lower beak and started mashing them together.

"Mamma! He's SO hungry."
"mmmhmm..."
"Look! He's EATING! "
"Really?What is he eating?"
Out rolls a dead fly that he had earlier spotted and gathered from a window sill. Pulverized. Former fly residue inside the puppet beak.

Makes me wonder what goes on that I don't see.

Taking a break/Ho-ho season

Recharging and a shorter list of things to do needed. Hope no one minds too much if anyone infact notices! Posting will be scanty through the holidays. So HappyHappyMerryMerry and all that sort of stuff. Back with gusto soon.

Daily Draw: Hibernative

Daily Draw: Rudolf

Lots n lotsa xmas cartoons on the tube now.. No Burl Ives stuff yet. I'm partial to the Rudolf movie where Santa is a biggot with a bug up his ass.. Yet very put off at the same time. Hmm.

Weekend Wine: Kenwood Cabernet Sauvignon

California. 2005.
A dry and yummy cab, Very, very nice... I'd like it more (or more often) if it wasn't $22/ bottle, but I was mooching off my dad's birthday dinner offerings anyway...

Daily Draw: Holiday stress, anyone?

Daily Draw: Xmas berry play

Totally unmotivated to do much of anything outside of the essentials. Not much posting activity as you can see. Third frikkin week in a row sick for both me and the kids coughing up hairballs and I'm fighting off lead eyelids at the end of the day to draw.
Thinking holiday season, I drew some holly berries, and didn't get much farther. Perhaps a start of a repeat pattern to develop, more likely just one for the sketch book.

Daily Draw: Poo-Pooperina

Nipissing U. ski suits

Weekend Wine: J.J. McWilliams Shiraz/Cabernet

Australia 2oo7.
Another recommendation by the LCBO Sticker Lady, and I do like me a Shiraz. I may have found my under $10 favourite.

This is a twisttop wine.. And I always equated that with cheap. A proper wine needed a cork in my mind... But apparently its just tired tradition, and that cork idea is just another thing that makes me a snob. I see a bunch of French wines going the juice box route. Twist tops I can do, wine in a box is going to take more convincing. Because I'd want to serve it in sippy cups.

Daily Draw: Snow time

The snow is here. Started as a icky rain that made the ride back from icky holiday shopping, well, icky. A small drop of temperature makes the scene look far less hostile. Snow is like a coating of peace, softening everything. Almost hard to believe the flakes dancing under the streetlight were eye-stabbing darts of cold, miserable rain but 2 hours ago.

Daily Draw: Yawn. Fashion illustration.

Klister Licker

Online shop I helped assemble as a fundraiser for XCOttawa. Check it out! Buy a t-shirt!

Uh oh..

Doesn't give a very good impression when Weekend Wine posts outnumber the Daily Draws, eh?... Not on a bender, its a busy time of year. I should also mention jessicaspring.com is in the works and will go live in the new year. It's one of the things keeping me away.

Daily Draw: Rubber chicken

...So this kinda sucks, but...

Weekend Wine: Yvon Mau Merlot

I keep meaning to try more French wine, but rather end up ignoring it. So I asked the kind lady at the local LCBO who placated my precious hellions with stickers (and reducing the risk of glass shards, mess and making this run to the store exponentially more expensive).. Where was I?
So.. I asked the lady if she new any inexpensive gems listed under France. She said the Yvon Mau Merlot was a fixture in her household. And in my under $10 quest for excellence, it fit right in. But in the end I don't have much to say about it. It was just fine. Oh and it was dry , it was Merlot and it wasn't bad at all.

Daily Draw: Dog play

Some quick ink stuff is always fun especially on low attention span days (which may be everyday).

There is still art in production

Drifting through various design blog links, I hit this page: Sonnenzimmer. They bring the art back to production and I am SO glad they are doing what they do, kickin' it old school.

Daily Draw: Ski devil

Weekend Wine: Ironstone Old Vine Zinfadel

California, 2007. $16.
An intense dark berry flavoured, medium-bodied wine, yet dry. Very enjoyable, suprisingly. I wasn't initially thrilled at the choice since the first old wine zinfadel had me sportin' a stink eye, (the porty-tasting Gnarly Head). The LCBO pairs it with beef fajitas and sesame pork.. So lets round it off and say savoury red meat.

Daily Draw: Crayon How-To

The Halloween candy with completely vile children under its control was replaced by a fresh pack of Crayolas and a stash of brightly coloured construction paper. I bought these triangle shape, large crayons that supposedly encourage proper grip.
Ha.
These 16 crayons have been 100% expended in less than 24 hours. This is easily accomplished:

First, Take the paper off each and every crayon. Crayons must be bare of all commercial markings before use. They are also easier to chew on this way.. Take time to delight in your indigo-coloured tongue. Slobbering all over the mirror is optional.

Second, crayons must be broken in to as many bits as possible. Perhaps for the feel of having more crayons... Perhaps simply because they can be broken.

Third, tear all the construction paper to shreds. Why not...

Fourth, draw on the wall when Management thinks you are occupied enough for them to try to get something outside of your immediate demands accomplished. Press as hard as you can to use up as much crayons as possible and make sure your art leaves a more lasting impression. Reds are the least washable of the "washable" drawing mediums.

Fifth, show beaming pride in each and every wall mural.. Provide rich narrative, so that Management feels like shit for needing to wash it off and worry about squashing your creative spirit.

And while you are on a roll you can go one step further and draw over and promptly shred the Daily Draw before it gets posted.

Daily Draw: The trees are plucked

Weekend Wine: Long Flat Cabernet Shiraz

Australia. 2006.
Strong tannins and a bit sour.. Am I wrong to expect something jammier in this type? Under $10 and not bad at all, but not quite good either.