The word "jalopy"

The word-play is the best part. The drawing... well, the drawing only really becomes fun for me when it's clear that I'm going to like how it turns out. So much for "life's a journey, not a destination." Sorry, Steven Tyler.

Mis amigos, los pajaritos

Left to my own devices, I sometimes gravitate towards drawing. Sometimes. And so it happened, that one day this summer in el Parque Tayrona in Santa Marta, Colombia (undoubtedly the most beautiful place I have been in my entire life), that I encountered some pajaritos (little birds) worth sketching. They were a little ugly and scrawny and crow-like, but that's what made them so appealing.


The only problem was that they kept moving. They turned their heads from side to side like paranoid pedestrians crossing a busy street. And then they all flew away and didn't come back. So I eventually settled on drawing the wooden parrot hanging from the ceiling of the breakfast hut.


Here is the breakfast hut.


And here is my breakfast. Ten-thousand Colombian pesos... which is like five dollars. But it was really damn good fruit. Banana, watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe, and papaya. Excellent drawing fuel, for sure.

New sketchbook, new stuff

In case you thought I had completely left this blog for dead, I hadn't. Or maybe you thought I died. I'll tell you, if these past few months haven't killed me, nothing will. No, I've been very much alive, in fact, but I simply had to pretend that I didn't exist for awhile, while I was finishing up this last semester of grad school. After I emailed that last research paper, I could feel the weight lift off my shoulders. It was absolutely amazing. I've been floating around, humming Christmas songs, smiling at strangers, making small talk with inanimate objects... The new-found freedom that no homework brings has made me so happy I could burst. And my lovely roomie bought me a new sketchbook.

On the first page, I found myself drawing a hug. I say "found myself" + artistic action + -ing because I never really plan what I'm going to do before I put my pencil, pen, writing implement, or what-have-you to the paper. All I can say about the choice of subject matter is that I really like hugs. Everything about them. Really. (Unless the other person smells.) They pop up in my drawing sometimes. Okay, often. Pretty often. Maybe I'll start up a series. At any rate, I don't know these people. They just happened to wander out of my pencil tip.


On page four of the new sketchbook, I wound up drawing a girl whose face just wouldn't come out the way I wanted. In fact, it was mucking up the whole rest of the otherwise nice image. So I took the sucker out. I didn't worry about it being pretty at first, I just wanted to stop looking at it and get it off the page. I now happen to like the drawing a whole lot. I think it's got much more character without a head.


... which then got my roommate posing the idea that I start drawing pictures of people with funny objects instead of heads. Has this been done? I'm sure it has. Maybe not for the same reasons... But it makes sense, you know? I feel so much more confident drawing when I don't have to worry about a head. It's like women's fashion. We're always covering what we don't want you to see.

Oodles of Doodles

The most creative I have been visually as of late, has been by way of my occasional(1) travels through La-la Land and Doodlesville. Okay, well, I listen while I draw, you know. I honestly do. But far be it from me to suppress a drawing implement in my own hand. Let it go, I say. Let it go... And lest you think that this is evidence of me being bored in class, allow me to assure you that I am the biggest linguistics nerd ever, so I actually love learning this stuff.



Someday, I'm sure there will be a way of combining my two loves: Words and creativity. For now, I must make do with sentence trees and funny words and earrings that keep trying to fall out of friends' ears.

My student actually did send me a few more postcards that are not posted here.

(1) Travel through La-la Land is less "occasional" than it is "habitual."

Another postcard

I didn't receive a postcard last week from my student, so that was a little disappointing, but I think I'll make it. I still made mine, though, and I had a lot of fun drawing this one. I had to make up all the lighting out of my head because I was sitting in a cafe and sipping iced tea, and not staring at an open window with cuddling mice. And, well, I moved to a secondary location after cafe number one closed for the night. Cafe two is open for an additional couple of hours, so I had a decaf coffee with soy (not iced this time), finished up the drawing, and dove back into my new sudoku addiction. I have a very addictive personality. Someday, I hope to be addicted to drawing. Or painting. Or [insert other creative outlet here].

For real. I hope so.

I can has cheezburger?

Oh, and... if you've never been to the site I Can Has Cheezburger?...


... it's time to check it out. When I go to this site, it causes me to lose sleep because I can't stop looking at the entries and laughing. Like, I'm talking hours of my life here. I decided to try one of my own when I came across a demonic picture of my deceased kitty (who was actually not at all demonic, except for once in a great while, when he would mess with my sister and attack her ankles when she tried to walk... only her, though).

Dang, I miss that little guy. He was a hoot. Rest in peace, my little, fluffy, devil-cat friend.

This summer's "The Postcard Project"

I came up with this idea to keep in touch with a student of mine through blank postcards. Both sides are blank. I figured it would inspire both of us to be verbally and visually creative this summer. Here is what has transpired so far...

Postcards that I sent to her:

This first one was inspired by my parents
giving me fresh strawberries from their garden.
Number two was not all that exciting.
In the midst of my grad school frenzy, I missed a week and apologized.
Postcards three and four were sent together. They look weird separately...
... but when you put them side to side (either side)
they complete each other.
(Yeah, I was pretty impressed with myself, too.)
Number five is my favorite by far.
And also happens to be the one that I drew today.
It just looks so... rainy afternoonish.

Postcards that she sent to me:

This girl is twelve and she can really draw a mean picture.
Her expertise lies in design and pattern, I think.
She always creates very decorative additions to drawings.
She actually made the other sides of the postcards
(with the writing and the address) really beautiful as well.
It's really too bad that I am not posting that side for you guys to see.

These next two postcards make use of 3D stickers.
Nice touch!

May I also mention that she is really good at drawing palm trees.
... and musical instruments, too! I really loved getting this one.

Postcard that I sent to a different student:

(Also created today)
I was feeling a little whimsical and rhyme-y.

Hopefully, this student writes me back too.

I gave her a few blank postcards as well, in case the mood struck her.

So that is that for now. I will try to keep this updated with the newest postcards as they are sent out/come in. I have not fallen completely off the face of the planet art-wise. I just have been doing other things with my creativity.