I forgot to upload this, I drew it in my Lama Li sketchbook the other day.  I’m not sure why, but the Lama Li always scans in w/ those shadows on the paper.  After I bought the sketchbook, I realized that the first few pages were a bit warped, it looked like it was from humidity.  So I flipped a few pages in and began sketching.  The pages look flat, but when I scan anything in, you can see it’s uneven (the shadows).  I do press on it when it’s scanning.  Oh well.  Anyway, here’s The Pokey Little Puppy, I had this Golden Book when I was a child.

kw: artwork drawing sketch sketchbook lama li puppy dog pencil

My back is bothering me today.  It started a couple weeks ago, so I lightened my load (my purse) and it got better.  But then it flared up again today.  I am currently reading other people’s art blogs and posts on the EDM board, but I just don’t feel up to commenting.  It’s all I can do to click my mouse and move my eyeballs.  But I just wanted to tell all my online art pals out there that I’m reading your posts, checking your blogs and am VERY grateful to ALL of you who leave me comments.   You all inspire me and keep me going, I thank you!

I like to keep a good list of links to other art/craft blogs on my sidebar.  But because I link to a lot of blogs, I like to use some sort of link management system to help me easily maintain that list.  At first I used blogrolling.com but that stopped working reliably. It was supposed to put an asterisk next the links of recently-updated blogs.  Once that stopped working reliably, I switched to bloglinx, but that’s not working right either. I think it’s doing the asterisk thing ok, but I can never add any new links to my blogroll.

So now I’m using del.icio.us.  I’ve used delicious before, and I have several delicious accounts.  But I just found out that you can use it to publish your favorite links on your blog sidebar.  So I’ve just imported all my links into a new delicious account (iluvart) and will be (hopefully) using that to publish my list of links.   Delicious doesn’t do the astersisk-by-newly-updated-links thing (I don’t think), but at least I can easily add/edit/delete links instead of doing it by hand or using a service that doesn’t work right.

I am dead tired, so may actually publish my new links sidebar tomorrow.  G’nite.

I am real happy w/ this drawing. I made the point of going to my favorite book store & cafe where I could sit and draw for a while, not distracted by the tv, internet, fridge, dog. This is just a cameraphone pic, I’ll scan it in later, I’m not at home right now. I took this w/ my camera phone and then tweaked it (fixed color, contrast, and enlarged it) using an online photo editor called SnipShot.  This is a mystery item that was sent into Reminisce Magazine and later identified by another reader.  It’s an 1870’s Meat Tenderizer.  I love to draw pix of unusual items.

kw: sketch, sketchbook, lama li, kitchen gadget, meat tenderizer, antique, pencil.

The other night (5-27-07) I just had to go to bed, I was SO tired. But I wanted to sketch just a little bit more, not willing to let the day die without at least a few doodles. I brought my Moleskine to bed and only had a gel pen. I am not as good w/ a pen and not as good drawing from 3-D objects, rather than photos. But here’s what I did as I started to fall over to sleep for the night-

kw: moleskine artwork drawing sketch sketchbook gel pen dog pug

I drew this hanging light while waiting for a seat at “Cheeseburger In Paradise” on 5-24-07, then drew the saltshaker while there waiting for our bill.

Not sure if this qualifies for an EDM lightbulb or lamp, and I suppose it’s half of a set of EDM salt and pepper shakers.

kw: moleskine artwork drawing sketch sketchbook light salt shaker pencil.

Another journal page from Jury Duty Day. The lawyer’s midriff was showing. Times are-a-changin’ I guess. She reminded me a lot of “Paris Geller” from the tv show “Gilmore Girls”. The horse is from the book “How To Make a Journal of Your Life“.

kw: moleskine artwork drawing sketch sketchbook horse pencil

Awful lose sketch (awful and lose, and awfully lose, LOL) of downtown from above.  It was hard to draw while standing, holding my moleskine in my hand.  But I was so taken w/ the unique view of the buildings from above I just wanted to sketch it out quickly before we got called back into the courtroom.  This is one of many drawings done in my Moleskine on Jury Duty day.

kw: moleskine artwork drawing sketch sketchbook buildings pencil

Waiting in the Jury Room on jury duty day.  What a long, freaking boring day.  I finished my blue Moleskine that day.

The “Wet Floor” sign was actually smaller than the plant, but oh well.  LOL!

kw: moleskine artwork drawing sketch sketchbook pencil plant flag jury room

Here’s my journal page for 5-22 and 5-23-

kw: moleskine artwork drawing sketch sketchbook

Here is my journal page for 5-21-07. I had a very long week. Took mom for eye surgery and then a follow up, I had physical therapy and jury duty, dealt with lack of sleep and then slept 13 hours last night. I’m freaking exhausted.  I have more drawings to post, but I must hit the sack before I fall over!

kw: moleskine artwork drawing sketch sketchbook pencil

UPDATE: I’ve added mouse-over notes to the image if you go to the flickr page (click on the image).

I share it all- the good, the bad, the UGLY!

More badly-drawn people:

(that’s just selective darkening in photoshop, those dark ovals.)

kw: moleskine artwork drawing sketch sketchbook pencil

UPDATE: I’ve added mouse-over notes to the image if you go to the flickr page (click on the image).

I believe that I can’t draw people. But I keep at it, hoping to improve. I sat down and tried to draw this man I saw sitting at the bar when I recently went for lunch. Then I tried to draw people from a website. When I draw noses and smile-creases and shadows, it always comes out looking like dirt or cartoons. I just suck at drawing people. Here’s a page from 5-20-07:

kw: moleskine artwork drawing sketch sketchbook pencil

I just got the book “How To Make A Journal Of Your Life” by Dan Price and I got an idea from him: have everyone you sit down at a table with draw a salt shaker in your journal.  I started w/ Mike.  He’s hillarious!

Here is MIKE’S drawing of a salt shaker:

The actual salt shaker had no arms or legs.  LOL!!!!!!!!!

One of the things that is cool about watching other people draw, is seeing how their brain works.  While I would start w/ the outline of the salt shaker or the top, Mike started with the inner areas and worked his way out.  Interesting.

kw: moleskine artwork drawing sketch sketchbook pencil salt saltshaker

I’ve done a lot of drawing lately, but have not been online much. It’s been a crazy week with not sleeping well, Mom’s eye surgery & follow-up, jury duty, physical therapy, etc. I have been drawing and did quite a bit of drawing on jury-duty-day. Now I have to scan it all in and catch up on posting it all. I’ll start w/ the oldest stuff:

From 5-18-07:

On this day I was feeling sad and went for sushi, which is always good.  Drawn in my moleskine.

kw: moleskine artwork drawing sketch sketchbook pencil sushi

I finally did my Everyday Matters Keys Challenge, EDM #37. 

kw: moleskine, keys, edm, everyday matters, sketch, sketchbook, drawing, artwork.

I am behind in adding sketches to the blog. I’ve been kind-of obsessing over getting the blog moved, fussing w/ html, css, php and nagging M. to help me. Here is EDM #116, “something green”. I really should finish this sketch out more, and maybe color it. I mean, it IS something GREEN. But I just wanted to get it posted before I got too far past it in my sketchbook.

kw: artwork drawing sketch sketchbook scan frog kermit edm everyday matters moleskine..

I have moved my art blog to a new site and it’s own domain: iluvart.net  Please update your links if you link to me.  Thanks!  I’ll probably leave the old site up for a while (pookieart.blogsome.com).  The only thing that did not get transferred over in the move was comments.  Otherwise, the site should be almost identical.  Thanks to M. for painstakingly working away to get the entries exported out of blogsome.com and into the new blog. Thanks!

I feel like I’m straddling the divide between two websites.  I got sick of blogsome.com (because it’s kind-of limited) and wished I had not used "pookieart" as a name, so I got a domain (iluvart.net) and web space, which I am old-hat at, and set up the same blogging software there and spent two days fricking around w/ layout (html, css, and even PHP!), to get it JUST where I want it (so that it looks just like THIS blog).  (take a peek)

One of the things that pisses me off about blogsome.com is that there is no way to export posts.  So I can’t export all these posts (at pookieart.blogsome.com) and then import them into the new blog [or for backup purposes].  That means that the archives of the NEW site will have to point here, which is fine, if you think about it in terms of archives-by-month.  Want to see January?  Sure, I’ll just make the Januray link point to pookieart/blogsome and keep that as archives.  BUT, say, if someone clicks on the CATEGORY "moleskine".  Then what?  If they do that on the new site they will se NO POSTS older than the day I changed blogs.  This is crazy.  I’m really peeved. 

Yes, I posted on the blogsome forums for help and got a link to a post that says to use certain software to backup the posts, but the software has changed so much since the post about backing up was written that the instructions are useless and the software doesn’t even seem to work.

What I shoulda just done (and could still do, but then I’d basically be throwing away days and days of WORK!) would be to just cancel the web hosting for the new domain and POINT the new domain to pookieart/blogsome w/ domain masking.  Then, if you typed in iluvart.net, it’d take you to pookieart/blogsome but you’d only see "iluvart.net" in the browser.  I can still do that, but I hate to throw aways days of work and also blogsome IS LIMITED, which is one reason WHY I got a domain and hosting and i’m talking in circles and i want fritos and i want to go to bed!!!!!!!!!!   =:o>—<

Mom had cataract surgery on Monday.  I saw this interesting-looking guy in the corner alseep, waiting his turn.

I figured he was "sketch worthy" (interesting-looking) and so I snuck a picture of him w/ my camera phone so I could draw from it later.  It’s taken me a few days, but I finished it today while at Subway (the restaurant), after finishing my sub.  This was done in my Lami Li sketchbook.

Cameraphone pic of sketch:

Scan:

kw: sketch, sketchbook, lama li, lamali, old man, old, pencil, not moleskine. 

  <— I drew that in Art Rage, LOL.

I got a new, short domain name (iluvart.net) and plan on moving this art blog over there.  But it may take longer than I’d hoped.  My blog here is on blogsome.com which is a free service powered by wordpress software.  My new website will be my own web space with my own install of wordpress software.  So in theory, it should function the same (and look the same) to me and also to you.  But of course, nothing is ever simple!  (I yell the phrase outloud a lot.)  With the new version of wordpress, it seems you need an expert understand of PHP (a programming language) and I don’t.  I’m a web designer who knows HTML well and gets around fine in CSS.  But PHP?  That’s why my hubby gets paid the big bucks for knowing, not me.  So… will I get my new blog where I want it?  Who knows.  Probably.  When will you be able to go to iluvart.net instead of here?  Who knows. Maybe tomorrow, maybe in two weeks.  But I’m working on it.  Just call me "Code Monkey".

I’m so happy, this arrived today!

http://www.moonlight-chronicles.com/ 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580080936 

Also, I did get a new website and domain name for moving this blog to.  I just have to get the template set up so that it looks the same.  But when it’s ready, iluvart.net will be the new url for my art blog!  

I am probably going to be moving this blog. Once I get the new one set up, I’ll post a link here.  I just want more technical options and also sorta wish I never used "pookieart" as the name, LOL.  Stay tuned for the new URL!  Also, working on a new drawing, too. I hope to add that new drawing tonight!

I was wrong in the post "Glasses Lady & Cafe" about which sketch was done in which sketchbook.  The Glasses Lady was done in the Lama Li and the Cafe one was actually done in the watercolor Moleskine, not the Lama Li.

Thanks to whoever left the comment re. BlogLinx.  Last night I set that up to manage my sidebar links, so we’ll see how that goes. If it works like it should, then the blogs that are the most recently updated will be at the top of the list (in the section that says " LINKS, Art/Craft Blogs").

Here are two drawings that I did in my new Lama Li sketchbook that I got on Sunday.  The cafe one was done in the Books A Million Cafe right after I bought the sketchbook.  I drew the line from left to right first, the line of the top of the case, over the guy’s head, etc.  Then filled everything else in.  I usually draw in my moleskine but I really love my new Lama Li sketchbook a lot!

The lady w/ the glasses, I had seen her last weekend in a restaurant and thought she looked… "sketch-worthy", so I took her pic w/ my camera phone and then today drew the sketch (or "sketched the drawing") (or whatever). 

kw: artwork, drawing, sketch, sketchbook, lama li, moleskine, glasses, lady, cafe, pencil   

‘You ever forget you drew something?  I was going through sketches that I have to upload and I saw one that I drew on Sunday while waiting for the waiter to bring our bill at the restaurant- I’d completely forgotten about it.  Huh.  Well, here it is- I drew this in my Moleskine.

kw: moleskine, artwork, drawing, sketch, sketchbook, salt shaker 

Oh AWESOME! Flickr has launched a new & improved SLIDESHOW feature!  Check it out!   I like it!

blog.flickr.com/flickrblog/2007/05/announcing_slid.html 

I give up on using blogrolling.com to manage my sidebar links.  The whole point of using them was so that when you looked at my sidebar links, the most recently updated blog would be at the top of the list w/ an asterisk * next to it.  But that service is not working properly, they don’t reply to support inqiries, so I’m not going to use it right now.  I got about halfway through importing links into blogrolling.com last night before I felt sick.  Now I’m half done and don’t want to use them at all.  Not sure where to go next.  Managing my links took a lot of work, but I like linking to art blogs that update regularly.  Hmm.  I’ll have to figure out what to do.  (thinking…)

I saw this neato magazine in the waiting room at the physical therapy place last week.  It’s called Reminisce Magazine and it’s all about the good ol’ days, articles about being a kid in the 1940’s, photos of strange, no-longer-used items, lots of photos of people.  I was happy to find the magazine yesteray at Books A Million and picked up a copy.  There are so many neat things in there to draw.  This spoon I drew was a photo sent in by a reader for this section of the magaizine where you send in a photo and description of an item if you don’t know what it is or what it was used for, in hopes that someone will write in and fill you in.  This twisted spoon caught my eye.  Until someone writes in w/ an answer (IF anyone does) I can’t tell you what it was used for!   I like this drawing a lot and may do it again, but spend more time on it.  This was a quick sketch, I did two sketches in the Books A Million cafe yesterday.  Looking at the EDM list, I see it qualifies for "spoon" (#94), "something antique (#21) and "something metallic" (#32).  Oh, and this was done in my new Lama Li sketchbook that I had bought at the same time.

kw: twisted spoon, artwork, drawing, sketch, sketchbook, pencil, lama li, not moleskine