Figure Eight

I don't like winter. But I do like ice skating. The ponds don't really seem trustworthy 'till January, but I can't help eyeing my skates lately. I also can't stop eyeing the pumpkin pie in the refrigerator...

And I recently started using Twitter. You can find me here if that floats your boat.

Give Thanks

I don't usually get attached to illustrations I make, except for this piece. I think it's the wallpaper. I've never lived anyplace with loud red cabbage rose wallpaper and am adding that to my list of to-do's.



More pins for the holidays. Because I have to do something while watching all those reality shows that have sucked me into their vortex (darn you Top Chef).

And Happy Thanksgiving to those of you stateside! I see much pie eating in the not so distant future...

Centrifugal Force

A trip to the bookstore tonight and a cup of Dunkin' Donuts* was pretty swell. Good things discovered? Finding new issues of Artful Blogging, Paste and Domino magazines, perusing a stack of design books and spending some time with the vast array of crafty tomes. Traffic, not so nice, but if you reckon that it's all people heading off for Thanksgiving get-togethers, it's all good.

*It's a New England thing

Grey Skies

I think I tend to draw characters with hairstyles I would like to wear. However, due to societal constraints and the sheer quantity of required hairspray, those looks will never be fully attempted.



Newly knit socks that are very, very warm. The pattern is Monkey from the Winter 2006 Knitty. I should have blocked them a bit before taking a photo, but the excitement of actually having finished a knitted piece in under a year overshadowed common sense.

Spread Joy

I just finished eating Halloween candy and I'm not sure what to think of the radio playing Christmas music already. Personally, I'd rather that not start until after the pumpkin pie is consumed.

Despite that sense of holiday whiplash, I did start working on some cards.

Red

I go through color crushes from time to time. Orange this spring. Red right now. Green forever (particularly chartreuse).



Additional things that are crush-worthy as of late: linoleum blocks. I have all my fingers still after carving this, which is pleasant. My grandfather was missing part of a finger and growing up we used to ask him what had happened. Of course, being a joker (and part Irish), he had a different story each time we asked. I can't remember all the versions of the story, but I think we covered pretty much every way an individual could loose a digit in an untimely fashion.

Drum Roll Please

This afternoon I cut up 50+ slips of paper, threw 'em in a glass bowl and had a trusty assistant pull a name. The winner?

Sweet Somethings by Lois!

Lois, if you want to shoot me an email at abigail AT theodesign DOT com with your address, I'll get that out in the mail this week. Thanks guys for all the terrific recipes/books/cds/podcasts/movies/links you recomended. I'm going to be busy for awhile perusing all those in more detail.

And you know what? This has been pretty fun; so maybe another giveaway come the blah-inducing weeks of February will be in order!

Illustration Friday - Wise

There's one in every classroom I'm convinced.

Wings and Things

Watercolor, photoshop, a whole lot of They Might Be Giants, with some Green Mountain mocha nut fudge coffee thrown in for good measure.



I wish crochet had an undo button though for mistakes. Am I the only one that goofs up on a project, something tangible, and then inadvertently thinks, "Ack, command + z"?

And mucho thanks for the terrific music/movie/book/recipe suggestions in the Giveaway comments! Keep 'em coming.

Giveaway!

Accidents happen - particularly when running prints for my Etsy shop. The random ink splotch here, alignment a little wonky there; you get the picture. What's a girl to do then with an assorted amount of otherwise nice prints? Host a giveaway!

So here's the deal: the winner gets a package from me containing about a half dozen prints of varying sizes. All of the prints are top notch quality, but have been trimmed down to get rid of any imperfections. Frame 'em, use them as bookmarks, stick one on your fridge, the choice is up to you. I'll also add in a few assorted extras (paper, old postage stamps, etc.) if that's your cup of tea.

The details:

*All you have to do is leave a comment between now and Saturday, November 15. Recommend a good page turner. Post a link to the best recipe for chocolate pudding. Offer a music suggestion. Your call.

*No restrictions on your locale: I'll ship to Beantown or Bolivia, or any place in between. South Pole, I don't think it'll work so well for you though.

*After that, I'll choose one of the comments randomly, contact you via email for your address and away your brand spankin' new prints go.

Easy as pie, huh?

Twang

I was listening to Basia Bulat and thought, "Hey now, autoharps would be pretty nifty to draw." Pen and watercolor, then all mashed up in photoshop.

Rhumba

I just dragged out my violin for the first time in er, eons? This was largerly preciptated by the fact I inadvertendtly kicked said stringed instrument while cleaning the other day, which made me painfully aware of its existence. Anyhow, made a proper racket for about a half hour and now am utterly convinced that my fingertips are going to fall off.

And:

*Voting + Coffee = Genius. Freebie Starbucks for those of you stateside tomorrow.

*Hunting for some artwork to hang over my desk, I found Daily*Special and Emily Dove Gross's gorrrrrgeous posters and illustrations

*These silver cat glasses are the bees knees

Glow from the Windows

Reese's Peanut Butter cups are tasty, although I'll never shake the feeling that I should have canvassed thirty houses, while wearing costume, in slightly-above-freezing weather to validate eating them.

Au Revoir Simone makes me so darn happy with those keyboards of theirs.

Halloween Parades are entertaining, particularly when followed by caffeine consumption. I went as an Open Book, which entailed a dress, a whole lot of paperback pages and quite a lot of glue. I should rustle up some photos. Come to think of it, I wish I had snapshots of Tippi Hedren and The Birds. Or Artie. Or the Man In The Yellow Hat (although I didn't spot Curious George come to think of it).

I don't really like diminishing daylight. But zipping around in the twilight all the houses look that much more inviting with the yellow glow from their windows.