First Library Card Art Comes Home to Mama!

WHOOPEE! Susan Sanford, at Art Spark Theatre, has sent a picture of the library card she decorated. She got a pretty grim little bit of the story and illustrated it beautifully.
Almost my whole entire day was spent sitting in front of the computer working on editing and writing (talk about grim) and then I got her wonderful e-mail and my whole day was worthwhile!
Check it out more closely by clicking on the image.
Oh, Susan, you are a pro!
OK, that's enough exclamation marks. 3rd-Eye Muse sent a comment that she's been thinking about doing something with her library card and I moved mine from the microwave to the kitchen table. So I'm well on my way to illustrating/decorating/doodling on my library card. (haha)
For the other eight people out there who also have library cards: Let's all try and finish by the end of March. Remember you can do whatever you want with it. If you want to connect it to the story like Susan did, feel free. Do your best. Go for it.
AND ... on another note ... did you watch "Lost" tonight? I did and I liked Mr. Tough Guy, Mr. Thinker, Mr. Take Charge. I had stopped caring about the show because it was not interesting, but taking them back into the Dharma Initiative when Ben was a kid? How smart was that?
Well, everyone's got an opinion ... and I think the writers have pulled their bacon out of the fire, but enough for tonight. Gotta' sleep - femminismo

Not Quite What I'd Planned ... but OK.

WELL, I WANTED to do some carving and I did. Started it before "Lost" and finished it after. (Who is shooting at - or around - Ben's daughter?! Questions, questions! And did she ever think she'd seek protection by using her father's name?)
As usual I jumped right into the project. I did a few trial sketches and didn't come up with much that pleased me. I did decide to do leaves, so I drew a few on the "Mastercarve" medium. It cuts like butter. I was a little frustrated at the beginning and just made cuts along the top and sides randomly.
I had forgotten how to achieve the effect I wanted (so much for taking such long breaks from making art), so I went from a negative image to a positive one as my stamp carving went along. But somehow it always seems to look fairly pleasing. Above is the block and the first impression. It helps me to ink it up as I go along so I can see what I'm doing wrong. (It's also encouraging to see something actually happening too.)
The second photo down shows the block further along. You can see my sketch of the vines coming down from the leaves. Now I change over to just going around the leaves and taking a little carve for the vein. The carving tool (skinniest blade) does the best job. Just barely put the blade in the block. You can always make it deeper, but you can't put it back.
Well, I'm done with this and now that I remember how much fun it is, I want to turn this one over and do the other side.
I can also do the edges ... something the Mister suggested.
Nine more days and we are on our way to Cabo San Lucas and then to Todos Santos. The mangoes will not be ripe until June, but I hope the gray whales are still off the coast. Adios until manana. - femminismo (no tildes on these fonts)