Surprise! I’m a published Author – Buy my book! Cheap!

Years ago, I took a year long on-line art class from one of my favorite teachers Carla Sonheim  called The Year of the Fairy Tale.  Every month Carla focused on a different fairy tale and different illustration techniques. 

After reading a few original Little Red Riding Hood stories (which I won’t link to here as I do not condone violence nor death by consumption) I had to exonerate the Wolf who I knew had gotten a bad rap because I know about “wild life” and wolves are no exception:

• Wolves do not eat people whole like a boa constrictor.
• Wolves never eat little girls because they prefer their meat well-done and chewy.  (Grandma’s might qualify)
• If they did eat little girls they would never eat one wearing a red cape because they are environmentalists and prefer green.
• And lastly Wolves NEVER dine alone

I uploaded The Real Tale of Little Red Riding Hood & the Wolf on this blog . . . years later Peggy found it . . .

As a surprise for my last birthday Peggy massaged the blog post I wrote into a book.  Peggy published the book and to my surprise . . .

NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!!

and Kindle

 Buy the book and Surprise me too.

It makes a nice gift cuz it’s CHEAP! 

Click here to see how cheap:  

The Real Tale of Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf

OR surprise Peggy!

Click here for “The Pulling, Climbing, Falling Down Tale of Maui and His Back Legs” on Amazon 

FREE 6- week art online lessons – for kids and the kid in you!

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

Pablo Picasso

The class will run the week of July 27-31, 2015. It’s for kids (especially!), but also teachers, homeschoolers, parents, grandparents, or anyone who has access to a child and/or wants to tap in to the child inside!

If you sign up, no questions asked about your age!

Click here to sign up and for more information

Year of the Fairy Tale – MAGIC!

Ta Da! Here’s the final FairyLand book.  Although I didn’t have the imagination/energy/where-with-all to contribute do take a look – it’s charming, the pictures are wonderful and what people think is “magic”, although inspired,  may be diagnostically significant!!!!

fa i r y l a n d  The Art of the Fairy Tale Zine

Year of the Fairy Tale

Click here for Carla’s 2015 year long class

“Year of the Spark“

It looks like fun.

 

Year of the Fairy TAIL – Horace the Horse

Smile!

Non-dominant hand drawing of a blind drawing!

I was asked if the eye-closed drawings get better the more you draw that way.  NOPE!  Better isn’t the goal. The more you draw with your eyes closed the funnier they get.  My goal is smiling!

Year of the Fairy Tale

Year of the Fairy TAIL – you can lead a horse to water . . .

The Magic Horse is our new fairy tale.  Gotta draw 11,000 horses with my eyes closed, one-liners and scribbly.  Every since our 7 week summer hiatus I’ve not gotten my drawing-umph back.  But here are 6 of the 11,000 horseys drawn with my eyes closed.  We are suppose to pick one that is our favorite to paint.

Favorite Bald Horse #1 – That’s his TAIL.

Favorite Bald horse #2 with an udder

Year of the Fairy Tale

Year of the Fairy Tale – More 12 Dancing Princesses

Wanna see some incredible interpretations of the 12 Dancing Princesses?!  

Ya gotta click here: Carla Sonheim

judy’s journal, collage & “stuff”

Year of the Fairy Tale

Year of the Fairy Tale – Dance the Night Away

The last fairy tale The Twelve Brothers was too morbid for me – too much pathos – but The Twelve Dancing Princesses is my kinda story!

The Twelve Princesses are 12 very sneaky princesses.  Every night they secretly leave their castle to dance to dawn until their shoes are worn out and then they sneak back to bed.  The only evidence every morning is a pile of their worn-through shoes . . . .

Mixed media, pastel chalk and pencil, The 12 Dancing Sneaky Princesses

Pencil sketch of One Dancing Princess – won’t show her face

because she’s sneaky

Want to read the story?  Click HERE

 

Year of the Fairy Tale

 

 

 

Year of the Fairy Tale – It’s GRIMM

Our new fairy tale is The Twelve Brothers by The Brothers Grimm.  The Brothers GRIMM live up to their name.  I DO NOT LIKE this fairy tale – BAAAAD king wanting to kill his own kind,  evil x 12.  We are supposed to read it 3 times.  (Thank goodness 3 and not 12!).

I know, I know . . .  all fairy tales have curses and evil and such but for some reason this one unsettled me even though it has the proverbial happy ending. Maybe there are tooooooo many brothers . . . Maybe it is tooooooo parallel to the murdering of “own kind”  all over the world . . .Maybe I’m getting verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry sensitive in my “old age” . . . just maybe . . .

Even the drawing part is overwhelming to me since there are 12 prince brothers to draw.

(This “posing prince” is Carla Sonheim’s son Wes!)

 6 of 24 two-minutes STANDING sketches

Our first drawing assignment is 24 quick sketches of PRINCELY POSES, courtesy of Wes. 

4 more out of 24 two-minute SITTING sketches

Year of the Fairy Tale

The Frog Princess, A Fairy Poem

It’s a little known fact that not all frogs are princes in disguise . . . there are two genders, you know, one of which is the weaker sex.

The Frog Princess

by judy

There once was a Prince

With a perpetual wince

In his kingdom alone

No wife for his own.

He looked far and wide

For just the right bride

He sailed the seas

And if you please

Roamed over the land

for a princess’ hand

Not one maiden fit

“I’m ready to quit

Many too greedy

Most too needy

A lot too tall

Some too small

None, not one, right at all”

The prince was bereft

The only place left

Was to take to the sky

Learn to fly

He was up for the ride

To find the right bride

“I’ll learn to fly”

he said with a sigh,

“Where I can spy

my princess from on high”

I must find a wife

To be in my life”

“I’m of delicate sorts

Need to change into shorts

So my legs can kick

Don’t want them to stick

And my knees are free

to fly higher, you see”

Just as he should

he ran fast as he could

landing in mud

With a resounding thud.

Jumping from trees

Catching his knees.

Try as he might

he couldn’t take flight.

Then spotting a cow

“She’ll surely know how

Take me up to the moon

It can’t be too soon!

Yes, a cow will do

Four legs to my two!!”

the Prince cried.

And the cow replied,

“I’ll try, if you will

foot all of the bill

Now with all your might

Hold on tight.

My tail! not my udder!”

She yelled with a shudder”

“How now

brown cow

Run faster please

I’m scrapping my knees!”

 

The prince cried

And the cow replied,

“Ok Prince, guess you’ve found

I’m better on ground

Where grass is green

That’s my scene,”

It’s just not my ilk

I’m going back to milk

 

The Prince spied a spider

who was an outsider.

“Spin me some webs

to attach to my legs

They’ll catch the breeze

when I bend my knees!”

 

the Prince cried.

And the spider replied

“I’ll spin if you will

foot all of the bill.

Take my web if you please

(To catch a breeze)

Wind ‘round your knees

attach to your tie

(take to the sky)

flap your legs to fly.”

“Help! I’m dropping like lead

catching flies. . . . Instead!!”

the prince cried

as the spider replied,

“Have you lost your mind

My webs are fine!

Guaranteed not to tear

No matter where”

You’re no flyer I fear

just a prince, my dear

It’s just not your thing

To take to wing

Stop sticking around

stay on the ground”

 

The prince wasn’t mad

Just terribly sad

Sitting down to mope

He felt like a dope.

When lo! High up in the sky

a frog flying, No LIE!

Breaking the mold

With wings of gold

Froggie swoops down

wearing a crown.

A crown of red

perched on her head

The prince rubs his eyes

Looking up to the skies

An impossible sight

In a golden light.

“I can’t believe my eyes.

From out of the skies

I see a frog flying

without even trying!!”

the Prince cried

and the froggie replied,

“I heard you say

that you will pay.

I’ll fly you high if you will

foot all of the bill.

“Hop on my back,

I’ll cut you some slack

But don’t talkback.

I want no flack.”

So off they go

the Prince in tow

hanging on for dear life

looking for a wife.

“What a wondrous sight

From this vantage of flight!

Still, all I can see

None suited for me

Many too greedy

Most too needy

Some too tall,

or much too small

None, not one, right at all”

Not one maiden fit

“I’m ready to quit,”

the Prince sighed,

as froggie replied

“You needn’t fear

Your bride will appear.

Your wish will take wing

IF you say the RIGHT thing.”

 

“Acbracadabra!” cried the Prince

Making the flying frog wince

“Let there be light!”

Shouting with might

“No! No! that’s not right!

 

“Bippity, Boppity, Boo?

1,2,3 Buckle my shoe?”

 

“Open sesame

Bring a bride to me!”

 

“Ok, let me focus . . .

Hocus pocus?”

 

“Free! no charge!

Small, medium or large”.

 

“I give up, let me go

much too taxing, you know”

 

“I’ve spent my life

Looking for a wife

On land, in the sea

Someone perfect for me”

 

“Now in the air.

“It’s just not fair

None fit to a tee

None suited for me

Many too greedy

Most too needy

Some too tall,

or much too small

None, not one, right at all

It’s an eye-opening site

From this vantage of flight

A perfect bride doesn’t exist

Once again, I’ve missed,”

the Prince sighed

and the froggie replied,

“Perfect you’re not

YOU are lacking a lot

Can’t even fly

on your own in the sky.”

 

“You’re not very fair

for a prince with no hair

And It may be moot

But you’re short to boot.”

 

And the Prince sighed

as he replied,

“You’re right I fear

I’ve looked far and near

no matter if tall

or very small

Whether blue, red or green

Tall, wide or lean

Please stop my flight.

Maybe all are just right”

For a prince with no hair

I’ve not been fair.”

And lo the skies shook,

not by the book,

A sight to behold

Breaking the mold

comes a princess so fair

it’s hard not to stare

Shimmering green

A wondrous scene

A crown of red

perched on her head.

Hard to grasp

As the Prince gasped,

“From out of the blue?

Too good to be true!

No matter if tall

No matter at all!

No matter if green

You are my queen!!”

The Prince cried!

And the princess replied,

“Well! It’s taken awhile,”

she said with a smile.

And drops the prince,

with nary a wince,

face first in the mud

with a resounding THUD

The Prince spun his head

as the Princess said,

“Now know! When you take flight

morning, noon or night”,

She said with great mirth,

“I promise to bring you . . . back to earth”

 

At last he knew . . .

his wish came true . . .

P.S.  Stayed tuned for the rest of the illustrations.  They are drawn, not colored, and don’t show up very well.

Year of the Fairy Tale

 

Year of the Fairy Tale – Fleurs of the Forest

Doddling while watching mindless TV.  (When I’m fatigued I find myself sitting and watching mindless T.V.  HGTV is my favorite channel – no violence, swearing, mayhem or pestilence.)  Decided to take advantage of my mindlessness and mindlessly doodles.  Through NO intention I ended up with a forest of fleurs which goes with the French Fairy tale  “Blondine, Bonne-Biche, and Beau-Minon”  (My favorites below are #2 & 3 – I like it simpler)

Fleurs of the Forest #4

 Before #4 I doodled with black marker

Fleurs of the Forest, #3

 Cut out fleurs arranged on blank paper.

Fleurs of the Forest, #2

Doodle #1.  UGLY! – so I cut out the fleurs (hate to waste ANYTHING)

Doodle Fleurs, #1 – SEE! I told you it was mindless.

In case you want to refresh your memory here are links for my other illustrations for “Blondine, Bonne-Biche, and Beau-Minon” 

Ossytrish (Ostrich)

Ducky-Swan takes a stroll

Swan Lake Yupoed

The Enchanted Forest – Yip Yippee Yupo

Year of the Fairy Tale, Carla Sonheim

Year of the Fairy Tale – Free! Princess & the ? Zine!

Our assignment, should we accept it, was to do a sketch of what MIGHT be under the princess’ mattress . . . other than a pea.  

Here’s just a hint about my sketch and what I know is REALLY under the mattress.  To see my sketch and everyone else’s click here:

The Princess & the Pea Zine

Spot illustrations for The Princess-Zine

You will really enjoy what others in the class drew.  Some of the illustrations are spectacular and all of them are wacky (“wacky” is an artistic term, rarely used). You can access The zine and download it here: http://carlasonheim.wordpress.com/2014/05/24/new-princess-zine/

Year of the Fairy Tale

Year of the Fairy Tale – Wolfies

Three different techniques, 3 wolfies for Little Red Riding Hood

Year of the Fairy Tale

Year of the Fairy Tale – Little Red Riding Hood Story-Board

Here’s my story-board for Little Red Riding Hood, The REAL Tail (you’ll have to click the link for the story)

Little Red Riding Hood – The Real Tail story board

Story-boards are suppose to be little sketches that go along with the story.  The sketches are suppose to be on a “board”.  Mine are on a piece of paper.  That means I made a story-paper.

Year of the Fairy Tale

 

Sneak Peek into my mind – Year of the Fairy Tale

I never know where I’ll find inspiration. 

The last Princess & the Pea assignment was to create 20 different compositions and then pick one to paint using a credit card.  I was stuck – none of my compositions appealed to me.  Well . . .  truthfully there were a few that I liked . . . I just didn’t think I could paint them with a credit card . . .

Looking through my stash of  paper I came across this unfinished watercolor from Jan 30, 1989.

The date of the class I took was on the back (I remember I dropped out because watercolor was too difficult)  The paper tape that held the wet paper on the board was still there.

I was trying to paint a lemon.

1989

Inspiration!  A giant pea! (aka lemon).  There was my composition for the Princess and her PEA! (click if you forgot how my credit card painting turned out)

Moral of my tale:  Never throw anything away and

some fruit should be a vegetable.

Year of the Fairy Tale

 

 

Year of the Fairy Tale – Vegetable Love

The Princess loves her pea
For without it
you see
She’d be like you and me.

Pea Love, cheap acrylic paint & cheap paper

Assignment was to do an illustration for The Princess & The Pea using a credit card as our “paint brush”.  The horizontal lines represent the mattresses and the big round green thing is a vegetable.

I started the illustration by smearing paint with a credit card over the entire paper:

Year of the Fairy Tale

 

 

 

Year of the Fairy Tale – How to Solve Problems, 4 steps

The mark of a REAL Princess isn’t about enduring painful experiences but solving them.

1.  Uncover the source

2. Identify the irritant

3. Simmer solutions

4. Digest what you’ve learned

Year of the Fairy Tale

Take-a-look-sketchbook – Year of the Fairy Tale

Here’s a look inside my sketchbook. We’re suppose to sketch, sketch, sketch.

Remember the post about my very first art class My freshman in college art class?   – where the teacher gave me, just me, a special assignment because I didn’t know how to draw?

That was my first lesson in the value of quantity over quality when it comes to learning . . . ANYTHING.

Carla Sonheim wants us to draw, draw, draw.  I’m still working on my 100 flowers . . .

DISCLAIMER:  None of these concepts/images orginated with me.  

I copied them from various books, pictures and sources to practice drawing.

Character studies

There’s a cow in The Frog Princess

Elephant & Ant study (for the ant not the elephant)

Boid study

Character studies, experimenting with watercolor

You can’t see all the erasure marks in my sketches because I cleverly photographed in poor lighting!

Year of the Fairy Tale

Hands down hands are the hardest to draw whether realistically or cartoonisticlly

Year of the Fairy Tale – Princess, the Pea & Tenacity

This month’s fairy tale is the Princess and the Pea.  If you remember, the old queen tests to see if the bedraggled girl the prince is to marry is a REAL Princess.  She puts a pea under 20 mattresses and twenty eider-down beds.  If the girl is a REAL princess she will feel the pea as she sleeps.

I feel discomfort at everything in bed at night: slightly bunched up night-gown, the buttons on the mattress tufting, a hard pillow pressing my ear.  All this time I thought it was fibromyalgia sensitivity to pressure. Turns out I must be a REAL Princess!

(Assignment is to do vignettes of possible “bed scenes”)

The test of a REAL princess is tenacity and

ingenuity, not vegetable intolerance.

Year of the Fairy Tale

Fairy Tale Quick Sketch Stick Figures

15  second haiku

It’s true so they say:

all art, reflection of self.

A bit concerning . . .

15 seconds, yes SECONDS) figure drawing from actual people

X-rated naked stick figures

PG-rated, clothed stick figures

Action stars

(Next Fairy Tale is the Princess and the Pea)

Year of the Fairy Tale

Mr Sandman the Ostrich – WP prompt

judy’s ostrich

I identify with the ostrich. My neck is rather short.  My legs are not refined.  In danger, like my friend the ostrich, I can’t fly.  At my age the best I do is ruffle my feathers and slowly walk away on my short unrefined legs.

My “ostrichness” is above the neck.  I frequently stick my head in the sand. It’s gets more and more gritty the older I get.  

I act like I’m still 30 years old. (I pick 30 because I was a tiny bit smarter than 20 and a lot more energetic than 40).  Now that I’m in my 60’s, after running around like I’m 30, I go to bed for the same number of days, resting my old, short unrefined legs after first washing sand out of my mouth.

Postscript:  I’m going to have to pick another animal to identify with. I just made the mistake of googling; “To dispel the ancient libel, ostriches do not bury their heads when faced with danger–a species that did so would hardly be able to survive for more than 120 million years. They do, however, stretch their long necks flat on the ground when they sleep; from a distance, it can look as though their heads are buried”. (How Stuff Works)

ANCIENT, that’s the last thing I needed to hear.

*        *        *

This post inspired by Rosemary Lee for including an ostrich in her fibromyalgia post at SEEKING EQUILIBRIUM a

The Prompt SANDMAN  at http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/03/23/daily-prompt-mr-sandman/

My ostrich drawing for Year of the Fairly Tale at http://carlasonheim.wordpress.com

Art EXPERIMENT Challenge

Challenge yourself to do an art EXPERIMENT for 10 minutes. This is NOT about making anything beautiful, recognizable, realistic.  It’s about giving your inner critic time off, and letting go of inhibition and expectation.  Just jump in and scribble, dribble or smear.

For all of you who say “I can’t draw” – REMEMBER! This is an EXPERIMENT!

Cheap Supplies

• A box of crayons, or cheap paint or marking pens – anything that you’ve got on hand.
• Cheap paper – and I mean CHEAP.  Cut up paper grocery bags, junk mail paper  (If you use junk mail just color right on top of the printing), copy paper . . .
• A timer – kitchen timer, watch alarm or just a clock.

1. Take a look at the 8 minute demo video that inspired this post OR follow my Negative Space Experiment tutorial below.
2. Set the timer for 10 minutes and draw, scribble, smush, swipe and color.  When 10 minutes is up stop.  

Here’s the link to the 8 minute demo videohttp://carlasonheim.wordpress.com/2014/03/19/new-tutorial-guest-teacher-diane-culhane/   It’s a quick and EASY way to “make” a picture . . . and learn a bit about positive and negative shapes in the process.

(Diane Culhane, the video teacher, is using expensive acrylic paint. Don’t let that stop you.  Cheap craft paint, crayons, oil pastels, chalk, watercolor – anything works.)

Here’s my Experiment with crayon and copy paper in 5 easy steps (5th is optional):

1. Color entire sheet of paper w/ different colors.  Whoops, paper tore middle-top.

2. FAST sketch (no thinking) of flowers in a vase. Color negative space around outline. Torn paper ended up on middle flower

3. Pressing harder with dark colors.  Ignoring torn paper on middle flower.

4. Sorry, just couldn’t resist . . . I SWEAR I sketched “flowers”

Betty Blobfish: “Hopefully next time she’ll resist” 

5. Crumble it up and throw it away!

 . . .  or frame it.

TIPS:

• If you use paint: smear paint with your fingers and/or make-up sponges – not brushes.  It’s much freer and stops you from having EXPECTATIONS!
• Crayons take a bit more elbow grease:  Break them, Peel them and Color with the mostly with the side of the crayon.  Use the lighter colors for the first layer.  For the negative space (second layer) pick dark colors,  press hard to go over the first layer.
• Continue layering with different colors – as many as you want – just see what happens.
• For those of you with multiple chemical sensitivity watercolor is the way to go. With water-color, as with crayon, use light colors for your first layer. Use darker/deeper colors for the negative space and splash away!

Thanks Carla and Diane for taking the time to share!

Now YOU share your Experiments – post your pictures on your blog, send your link in the comments.

No blog? Send it to me and I’ll post it here.

The Year of the Fairy Tale – Ossytrich

In sand

This is what it looks like after you pull your head out of the sand (her head is larger than normal because it absorbs ground moisture):

Remember the 100 flowers, of which I’ve not drawn all 100?  Well, you probably don’t, but I traced one of the “flowers” I drew for her feathers.

Year of the Fairy Tale

The Year of the Fairy Tale – Duckie-Swan takes a stroll

Amusing myself . . . again . . .

Step #5
I drained off the pond water so Duckie-Swan and her 3 ugly ducky-swanlings could dry off and take a stroll.

Year of the Fairy Tale

Year of the Fairy Tale – Swan Lake Yupoed

It’s Yupo Time.

This is a backwards post.

Step #4.  Decided to make a few scratchy pencil marks so that the ugly ducklings knew they belonged to their Ma.  Here’s what I ended up with – Ta DA!

Step #3.  Duckie-Swan and her ugly ducklings.  Fishies swam away.

Step #2.  Decided to add more critters and stuff cuz it was fun playing with the Yupo paper

Step #1  Loaded (that’s an arty expression, not an artist’s condition)  a brush with several different colors and smushed them on the Yupo paper.

Year of the Fairy Tale

The Year of the Fairy Tale – Yip Yippee Yupo

Experimenting with Yupo paper is part of this month’s assignment. Yupo is slick, non absorbent – kinda like photo-paper – and “not cheap”.

The water-color paint does strange and interesting things on the paper and most of it isn’t in your (read MY) control.

I started with the intention of doing flowers (from the 100 flowers we are to draw – I’ve not done 100 but am pooped out on flowers for the moment).

I “flung” water-color at the paper in a devil-may-care manner pretending it didn’t matter if I ruined a sheet of expensive paper . . .

The more I looked the weirder it got.  I saw all kinds of faces & critters in the strange shapes. So I emphasized the faces I saw with pencil and here is Yupo #1, my kind of fairy-garden . . . and I am, I swear, completely sober.

Year of the Fairy Tale

The Year of the Fairy Tale – 68 fleurs, but who’s counting?

In my loooooooosening up efforts I’ve added 18 more fleurs to my botanical collection.  I’m trying to do them more quickly and not focus on doing them “just right” – but I notice I get tighter the more I draw. Herrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre they are!

In case you’ve not noticed, we are encouraged to use flower images that are a bit non – traditional.

Several have asked what The Fairy Tale Assignment is for this month.  It’s French:  “Blondine, Bonne-Biche, and Beau-Minon”   I’d never heard of it so it’s a nice discovery.  It’s full of flora and fauna.  And that’s what we are drawing flora and fauna.

32 fleurs to go . . . but who’s counting . . .

Year of the Fairy Tale

The Year of the Fairy Tale – Holy Cow!

Who said a leopard can’t change its spots!!!!??????

Whoops . . . wrong mammal . . .

Year of the Fairy Tale

Talk about changing spots: I’m trying to loooooooosen my grip on the pencil a bit.  Find I’m concentrating too much and taking too much time trying to “get it right” and that’s NOT FUN, it’s work.  Moo cow was my first sacrifice to looooooosening up.  He doesn’t seem to care if he has spots or not.

The Year of the Fairy Tale X 100

Forty-one (41) “flowers”, only FIFTY-NINE (59) to go . . . 

(can’t find the sheet with my first 13 – I swear! I swear! I SWEAR!  I DID DO 13 MORE “flowers”)

Year of the Fairy Tale

Year of the Fairy Tale – Freaky Froggie

Have looked at thousands (well, maybe not thousands, but a lot) of pictures of frogs.  This one absolutely is without parallel . . .

Toad grows spikey mustache to stab rivals for the ladies . . .

Spikey

I was so excited to learn that the toady’s skin expands and gets wrinkly to absorb more moisture. I feel much better knowing that my wrinkles are keeping me moisturized.

There’s more pictures of him, click HERE

Here’s another froggie – She had her mustache lasered off.  She can afford it because she’s a princess.

Chalk pastels with collage arrow

Year of the Fairy Tale

The Year of the Fairy Tale, character study – mine and theirs

Froggie turns into Princess and The Prince

The Froggie/Princess says to the Prince:

“Perfect you’re not

You’re lacking a lot

Can’t even fly

On your own in the sky.”

“You’re not very fair

For a prince with no hair

And it may be moot

But you’re short to boot”

These will probably be the characters in my fairy-pome because I’m LOOSING PATIENCE . . . not that I had much to loose . . . trying to find JUST The RIGHT characters.

Year of the Fairy Tale

The Year of the Fairy Tale, Moo Cows

An example of how circuitously my mind works. Year of the Fairy Tale’s first assignments focus on a well-known fairy tale – The Frog Princess.  

Reading that fairy tale inspired me to write a Fairy-Poem which inspired me to draw cows  (My Fairy-Poem  has a cow) which inspired me to write a “pome”.

Here’ my non-dominant hand moo-cow drawings which were inspired by my fairy-poem which was inspired by The Frog Princess which was inspired by The Year of the Fairy Tale which inspired the new “pome”. (as you can see – not only is my thinking circuitous it’s also redundant)

Moo Cow Pome

Hey diddle diddle
the cow in the middle
is strange as she can be
She has no udder
tho she’s a mudder
and as oblivious as can be

Year of the Fairy Tale

Year of the Fairy Tale – A peek at my fairy-poem & Prince Tryouts

First Casting CALL to find just the right actor for my fairy-poem Prince!

Here’s a small peek at how of the beginning of the draft of my fairy-poem. It’s my inspiration for what my Prince needs to look like.

There once was a Prince

With a perpetual wince

In his kingdom alone

No wife for his own.

He looked far and wide

For just the right bride

He sailed the seas

And if you please

Roamed over the land

Wanting a maiden

to take his hand

*   *   *

and the casting calls . . . 

Aspiring wanna-be-Princes trying out for the role:

First Call
Too Tall

Character .  . .  Actors

Call Back – Strong square jaw or softer round face?

Soft square jaw?  and Wardrobe

Not sure who gets the job.

Year of the Fairy Tale

Year of the Fairy Tale & 3 Completely USELESS Haiku

Killing two creative outbursts with one post.  

 My froggie-character-study-in-progress (She’s going to be the heroine of my Fairy-Poem) AND  3 USELESS haiku:

Creativity
can’t use it for anything
except nourishment

Non-dominant hand drawings

Non-dominant hand

competing for attention

with dominant brain

Dominant Hand Drawing

It’s useless to think

talent and “art” are the same

just proceed on faith

Non-dominant and dominant hand drawing

In case you missed my other character-studies:

Year of the Fairy Tale – character development (mine)

Year of the Fairy Tale – Let’s Face it

Haiku-Heights
Prompt – USELESS

Year of the Fairy Tale

The Year of The Fairy Tale – character development (mine)

Finding my characters – still drawing from photos of real people.  I use royalty free images so when the people recognize themselves I can’t be sued . . .

After this assignment I’m thinking of developing an on-line dating site where Princes and Princesses can link up to “expand their kingdoms” and conceive royal froggies (next assignment).

Year of the Fairy Tale

Year of the Fairy Tale – Let’s Face It!

Drawing from photos of real people using a pen (ouch, no erasing) and my non-dominant hand.

I will need a pedicure if the next assignment is using my non-dominant foot.

Bet you can tell which I drew first – the women or men!

Year of the Fairy Tale

A Sharp Fairy Tale

Not a fairy tale

My memory speeds downhill

sharp blades on my skis

Haiku-Heights
Prompt – SHARP

Year of Fairy Tale has begun!

Just got our first monthly assignment.  After watching the introductory video I’m not as intimidated cuz there are 3 different groups – beginners, intermediate and advanced students.

I can’t give you access to the course itself but here’s the charming intro so you can see what I’ll be doing. It’s not too late to sign up (unpaid, unsolicited announcement!)

https://vimeo.com/84569348

Silly Me and The Year of the Fairy Tale

I’m well known for starting lots of projects and not finishing lots of projects.   What I  love is the conception, the preparation and a smattering of execution – the process not the product is my hook.

So! with excitement and . . .  trepidation I’m participating in   Carla Sonheim’s Year of the Fairy Tale online class.  Yup. ONE year,   O – N – E year , 1 y – e- a – r.  Gulp.

There will be monthly assignments.  I’m going to pretend each is a different class, a SHORT class. one at a time.

All of Carla’s online classes I’ve taken were innovative, creative and lots of fun.   The classes were short.

My first class was “The Art of Silliness”. Here’s some of Carla’s “Silly” assignments and a sample of my silly pictures.

I’ll post my “creations”.  We’ll see if it was silly of me to commit to an entire year.

You can check out her workshops (she’s got free tutorials) here: Carla Sonheim

P.S. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or an established artist

Yupo can Dupo Too

Few people creatively inspire me to actually DO something – Carla Sonheim is one of them!  

I love her blog, love her creations, love her books, love her workshops.  Guess you could say I’m in love with Carla.  Here’s 2 of her creations which inspired my “poems”.  Click here to check out her fun and fantastic critters.  She always has more hatching.

(The Yupo is in reference to the kind of paper she drew these on.  I haven’t a clue what kind of paper that is but you’ve gotta admit it’s got a great name)

Yupo, yupo, yoop


I’ve just flown the coup


I’ve got to look back


to erase any track


So I don’t end up


as a snack.

Yupo, yupo, yoop


No cap just a toup


I’m now free to swim


in a sea full of whim


while keeping my head


high & dry

P.S.  For those of you who have inquired as to my where-a-bouts:  I’ve been re-grouping personally, professionally and bloggily.  I’ll be around periodically while I get my group grouped.

Thank YOU for sticking with me!

Where Mermaids Fly & Pigs Swim

       It’s Heavenly

In a place nearby

By Carla Sonheim*

mermaids fly through the sky

and pigs swim, 

on a whim.

One day you’ll know

if you follow their flow.

Just keep your eye on the ground

your feet in the air

hold your nose with your toes

There’s time to spare.

Know there is more.

Wonderous sights in store

waaay beyond blue sky.

to meet your third eye

 So feel the waves of the breeze

waft through your knees

and the currents above

float you with love.

*Carla Sonheim’s sweet mermaid inspired me.  Carla always make me smile with her whimsical creatures.  I’ve taken several of her on-line classes and recommend them all.  Her how-to draw books replace the fear of art with whimsy and fun!

The Bahai faith teaches:

“It is good to laugh. Laughter is spiritual relaxation.”

Abdu’l-Baha

Max Ain’t Silly

Newest Assignment from my Silly 3 Class  with Carla Sonheim — Take 20 pictures of one thing around the house and pick the best 5.  (Wadda ya think I would take pictures of, the refrigerator!?)

Beginning to Awaken

What'z the time?

Yawn

 

 

Lick 

Back to sleep

Silly Play with Your Food

Silly 3 with Carla Sonheim: The Assignment for today was to find tiny food and arrange faces with the food.  Then draw some faces.

In the cupboard I found: wasabi mix, dog training biscuits (at Max’s suggestion), sunflower seeds, dried beans, two unknown-origin-pills-that-need-to -be-thrown-away and chocolate chips.

I haven’t gotten around to drawing the faces.

I ate some of the “food”.

Silly with a Smile!

Decided to start the year out smiling.  So I am taking SILLY 3, an on-line class with Carla Sonheim.

Every day for a month Carla sends a stupid, er silly, worksheet out which you color, doctor, rearrange, derange, interpret in a stupid, er silly, way.  I took Carla’s Silly 2 and it was really fun being SILLY.  AND!  It’s cheap, er inexpensive.  If you’re interested here’s the link.

http://carlasonheim.wordpress.com/2010/12/01/silly-iii-registration-is-open/

Above is my first Silly practice worksheet.  I cut hair out from an Oprah magazine and pasted it on the fish, gave them big lips and colored the page with crayon and oil pastel.