The Weekly Creature

IF: Highlight (Good Night, 2011)

2012-01-01T21:32:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I greeted 2012 on an airplane somewhere between Chile and Peru, and didn't have a chance to say goodbye to 2011. So here she is, sleeping, resting over some of the highlights of the year.

Be well!

if: Bottled (Bunnies in a bottle)

2011-04-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

Sleeping bunnies in a bottle

like to rest and then to cuddle

after jumping and running free

in a bottle they rest and sleep.

if: Toy :: [Tango & Teddy]

2011-03-26T16:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this is a bit different from what I normally do, but that's ok, right? Tango really loves toys, and has a number of them. Sometimes we line them up for her and tell her to fetch. She always goes and smells each one, and then picks her favorite, the yellow ball.

I started this watercolor with a pencil sketch, inspired by the art of Penelope Neal. (You should definitely check out her blog and website. She does the most beautiful sketches and paintings.) When I was done with the drawing I scanned it and printed it on watercolor paper, and then I smeared the printer ink and added black watercolor.

Below is the original image, before I cropped it. I'm not sure which one I like better. What do you think?

if: Cultivate (Listening)

2011-03-20T22:37:00.000-07:00

I painted this image a few months ago and named it "Listening". When I was working on it I was thinking about cultivating deep listening, both internally and externally. It is painted on wood with acrylics and color pencils.

if: Stir

2011-03-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

So...here it is my latest attempt at watercolors. I find them so difficult to use and yet I love them so much! I'm thinking that I'd like to do this piece over, but the weekend is almost over and I'm away on business all week, so this is it for now. Enjoy!

if: Warning

2011-03-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

Stop right there! - this ballerina girl tells it like it is.

I had a lot of fun painting this. It actually took me three paintings to get to this final one. I started with acrylics for the background and tutu, then I switched to watercolor for the background because I was really enjoying the look of the wood and didn't want to completely cover it up. Luckily my friend Bill who is a furniture maker gave me a ton on plywood in January, so I have lots of wood to play with. Thank you, Bill!

Enjoy!

if: Swarm

2011-02-27T18:21:00.000-08:00

This week at The Weekly Creature we witnessed a rare sighting...a swarm of deer bunnies flew right above us. These mythical creatures are said to feed on random thoughts, delusion, and ill will, leaving in their wake a clear blue sky. I hope they are heading your way!

if: Sweater

2011-02-13T16:26:00.000-08:00

This week at Illustration Friday the topic is "Sweater". So here it is our own Weekly Creature fashion show! It is a strict policy at The Weekly Creature that all sweaters must have ears and must be made of very soft material. Stay warm!

if: Reverse

2011-02-07T21:04:00.000-08:00

Here is my interpretation of Reverse for Illustration Friday. It may not seem obvious, but I was thinking of reversing gender roles, so I drew a girl playing with a toy car and a tool box. I used to see this all the time when I taught preschool. Girls with trucks, boys dressed in princess costumes and I loved it. Everyone was totally authentic and still untouched by the pressure of gender roles. So here is a tribute to all those three year-olds who are still free!

if: Surrender

2011-01-29T21:54:00.000-08:00

This week's topic for Illustration Friday is Surrender, something I actually think about quite often. It is so easy to go about my day wanting something different. It would be so much easier to surrender...

if: Deja-vu

2011-01-09T18:45:00.000-08:00

Illustration Friday really challenged me this week with the topic Deja-vu. I had to think of how to illustrate a feeling that is by nature vague. I think for me deja-vu has to do with behavior patterns, and the feelings of familiarity that they bring. I did some reading about Deja-vu and I learned that people with epilepsy sometimes get a strong sense of Deja-vu right before a seizure.

I wonder if this bunny knows that he is in a maze? So often we wonder around in circles without noticing...

Enjoy!

IF: Resolutions

2011-01-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

I don't make new year resolutions. I have a hard time sticking to my plans within one day, so I try to be present with what is actually happening in the moment.

But I really wanted to play Illustration Friday, so I thought of this baby deciding that 2011 will be the year when he/she finally reaches the door handle and goes out.

Maybe in some profound way this will also be true for me...

Happy New Year!

Good Night, 2010

2010-12-31T21:33:00.000-08:00

Good night, 2010. It's been great getting to know you. Thank you for everything.

No, I won't...

2010-12-28T21:56:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy with this painting. It is really a departure from what I normally do. I drew the girl on my sketch book one morning when, as you can imagine, I was feeling a lot of resistance to what was happening. I found the wood a few days later and decided to paint on it. I applied and removed several layers of paint from the background until it started to look transparent. It was really fun.

Oh...

2010-10-10T21:04:00.000-07:00

This poor little creature looked really hard for the most beautiful flowers to take to his friend. On his way there, he came across this giant flower. I wonder what he'll do...

Red

2010-10-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

Red is quickly becoming one of my favorite colors. This little girl started as a pencil sketch, but I couldn't stay away from the paint. The brown ground is a mix of brown acrylic and red watercolor. It was really smooth to paint with and I like that you can see some red in all that brown. I also used ink to outline the drawing and for the details.

Quail

2010-09-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

I've seen a lot of quails lately. They are so cartoony, with their little feather hats. I really enjoyed painting this illustration. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Proud

2010-08-26T20:29:00.000-07:00

This is the second page in my new journal. I have started painting with acrylics and I'm having a lot of fun.
When I've shown this painting to my friends, the first thing they ask is "What is he carrying?". It can be anything, whatever works for you. All I know is that he is really glad to have it, and he is marching on with it, feeling proud.
Enjoy!

Artificial

2010-08-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

This week's Illustration Friday: This little cat is so surprised that his toy robot actually works! He is also a little scared...

I painted this on a textured board that I bought at my new neighborhood's art store. I really enjoyed painting on a board! It allowed me to scratch, and paint multiple layers of watercolor without ripping the paper. Enjoy!

The Gift

2010-08-02T21:44:00.000-07:00

He finally had the gift, right in front of him, yet he couldn't open it...

Double

2010-07-26T21:56:00.001-07:00

The Weekly Creature plays Illustration Friday again. This week's topic: "double". Enjoy!

Digging

2010-07-24T13:56:00.001-07:00

I had so much fun painting this watercolor! I bought new watercolors, and had fun mixing and trying new shades. It took me a long time to finish it, since I had family visiting and lots of work. Now I'm back in my studio for a couple of weeks, and then we are moving. I hope to finish at least one other piece before the move. Stay tuned.

Satellite

2010-06-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

This watercolor was inspired by Illustration Friday, a blog that posts a weekly illustration challenge. This week's theme is"Satellite", so here it is, my bear in space. I think this is really fun because I would have never painted a satellite otherwise. It was a bit challenging coming up with a design, but I did it, and I like it.

Summer 2

2010-06-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

More summer colors at The Weekly Creature. This one took some time to finish, since I couldn't decide what to do for the ground. After many different options, I decided to paint the straw-like grass that grows at Point Isabel. It's hard to believe that when winter comes back, it will all turn green again.

Summer

2010-06-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

When I set out to paint the sketches that I previously posted, I was inspired by the natural colors of the northern California summer. After a walk by the sea with my family, I came home with all these water and sand colors in my mind. The clouds we saw that day were long and thin, like brush strokes.

Sketches

2010-05-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

These sketches were inspired by my three year-old friend Mika. She is a delightful little person. I think the drawings will soon turn into watercolors. Click the image to see a larger version.

It's a viola, not a fiddle!

2010-04-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Cindi asked me to make her a collage. She is a fantastic violist and lives with an entire flock of birds (really!). I have heard the most interesting facts about birds from her. I set out to make her a parrot collage, which proved to be the hardest collage I've ever made. I prefer to draw creatures that are round and furry, so I did not know how to draw a cute bird. For reference I used an old sketch I made on a visit to the Oakland zoo. Once I settled on this design, I had to make decisions on what paper to use. I decided to use a watercolor and salt paper I had made a few weeks earlier. I added some marker highlights, to give it a slightly rounder look. The viola was really hard to make, too, because of the perspective and size. For the first time, I cut most of the pieces for the collage so that they fit like a puzzle, instead of layering the paper. If you look at the original really close, you can see that not everything fits perfectly. But it works! The background is color pencil on pastel paper.

(Free print for the first person who can guess what score I used for the background. Hint: it's upside down) - leave a comment with your guess, or just a compliment :0)

Come back!

2010-02-23T20:01:00.000-08:00

Get Away

2010-01-16T15:43:00.000-08:00

Hi

2010-01-16T15:41:00.000-08:00

Down hill!

2010-01-16T15:29:00.000-08:00

Cat wondering...

2010-01-16T15:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Day!

2009-03-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

This one is for Alexis. Happy birthday my friend!

Polka dots

2009-03-08T15:49:00.000-07:00

Sky

2009-03-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

Looking at other bloggers' sites, I've realized that I don't necessarily have to post finished pieces. This sketch may become a collage or a digital piece, I'm not sure yet. As of today, I like the "sketchiness" of it.

Pink Balloon

2009-02-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

A tribute to Kevin Henkes' Chrysanthemum

2009-02-02T19:39:00.000-08:00

Hippo sailing

2009-01-25T20:16:00.000-08:00

From A Day in the Life of a Very Small Hippo

"Hippo was born for adventure, so he set out to find one."

2009-01-06T20:36:00.000-08:00

from A Day in the Life of a Very Small Hippo

Welcome to my blog

2009-01-01T22:24:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!
This is my weekly creature blog. I will be posting a new drawing every week…why? I don’t have a real reason other than the fact that I enjoy making them. They remind me of all the playfulness there is to be found in life.
If you are my friend and live far away, consider this blog my way to tell you that you are in my heart. (Click on follow this blog so I can have your pretty picture.)
If you have never met me and just happened to find this blog by mistake, I welcome you, too! I hope you will enjoy the creatures enough to come back every week.
Have a happy week…

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T21:43:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a happy and peaceful new year...xo