Winehound

And now for something completely different! In honor of National Drink Wine Day* (or actually in defiance of it, since this was an unauthorized use) I had the notion to do a little sketch using wine as a medium. It was a new experience for me (though I have painted with coffee before). I used some cheap Cabernet Sauvignon on Bristol board, applied with a 10x0 watercolor brush. (The image is roughly 4x5".) The wine right out of the bottle gave a pale grey-violet effect. I wanted to be able to darken some areas, so I tried condensing it for a bit in the microwave. Interestingly, this not only darkened & thickened the "ink" but also caused it to retain its original reddish color, at least long enough for a scan. Further experiments are in order, but first I must answer my country's call & drink some of this stuff. Cheers!

*Thanks to the ever-inspiring Allison Sommers for alerting me to this vitally important national event.

Warmheart

I've been experimenting with sketching quick little characters (who may eventually be animated!!) & this one seemed appropriate for today. I always liked the saying "cold hands, warm heart" (maybe because my hands are often cold), so this week's IF prompt made me think of dressing a little heart guy up in a nice warm sweater.

Brush marker, ball-point pen, & white gouache on cut-out brown paper, about 3x4"

Happy Valentine's Day!

Nightmare

I can hardly believe it, but I'm nearly finished with the book! Not quite though, because I'm a crazed tweaker. It's especially hard to let go of a series, because whenever I look back at a piece with fresh eyes I always see something I want to change! But at some point you just have to surrender.

In this image the old man is dreaming of the black cat, & fearing for his magic flute.

Acrylic on text & maps on canvas, 9x12".
Click for a closer view & to find the hidden cat.

For The Old Man and the Cat, by Anthony Holcroft, to be published in 2011 by Penguin NZ.

Fleam Find

I'm so lucky that I live just down the street from the amazing Raleigh Flea Market. I can't resist the Fleam-- you never know what wonders (&/or weirdness) you'll find there. Today there was an especially nice book stall with many antiquarian delights, most at bargain prices.

This is a detail from the cover of my find of the day-- a 1855 volume, edited by one Dionysius Lardner, D.C.L.-- full of tidbits about everything from "The Brain of the Ourang-Outang" & "The Sagacity of Bears" to "Magnifying Glasses for Miniature Painters." Dozens of engravings to boot.

All for a fiver! Squee!

Food & Warmth

Yet another illustration-in-progress from the book I'm working on. Here the formerly greedy cat learns to savour simpler fare... a timely example for all of us who overindulged in Thanksgiving bounty yesterday!

Acrylic on text & maps on canvas, 9x12".
I haven't put the hidden cat in this one yet, so hold off on the search... but do click for a closer view.

For The Old Man and the Cat, by Anthony Holcroft, to be published in 2011 by Penguin NZ.

p.s. If this image seems curiously familiar, maybe you've seen this one-- the original Cricket illustration that started it all!

Musical Mischief-Maker

Yet another illustration-in-progress from the book I'm working on. In this scene that sneaky cat learns he can summon the birds & beasts with the magic flute. Uh-oh!

Acrylic on text & maps on canvas, 4.5x5.4" detail of the full painting, which is 9x12".
Please click for a closer view-- can you find the (sneakily) hidden cat?

For The Old Man and the Cat, by Anthony Holcroft, to be published in 2011 by Penguin NZ.

Burning, Man?

Another sneak-peek snippet from the same spread as the last fiery post. No hidden kitties in this bit, so don't burn your eyes out searching!

Acrylic on text & maps on canvas, ~4.5x6"" detail of the full painting, which is 14x18".
Please click for a closer view.

For The Old Man and the Cat, by Anthony Holcroft, to be published in 2011 by Penguin NZ.

(Full disclosure: I've never been to Burning Man, which will probably come as no surprise, but I am addicted to hoop dance & I must admit I've watched quite a few videos of the amazing hoopers there!)