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.

Can you see it?

And if for some reason you can't see the (anti)Valentine below, I'm going to investigate when I get home why it shows up as a little box with a question mark from this different computer that I am using right now. Hmmm...

Valentine's Day Blows Every Year.

Fortunately, it never fails to disappoint. It never fails to deliver. Yes, I'd like one NON all-inclusive holiday, please... um, let's see... with a side of, uh, loneliness, and... just a dash of self-doubt. On whole wheat. Hold the cheese, thanks. I'm vegan.

I have to drudge up some of the Valentine's Day Blows creations from years past and post them here too. Please keep in mind that these are not my images. I'm just photoshopping stock photography. If I were to market and sell these, I'd have to take my own pictures. As for this year, I don't have a party favor, a cupcake with a candle, or a depressed businessman in a suit and tie hanging around my apartment. I simply make do with what I have.

I'm not actually bitter. This theme just cracks me up. I may start a simultaneous "Valentine's Day Sucks" card one of these years...

Inspired by other blogs

I'll get there. To that place where inspiration and action wed happily and have 2.5 beautiful little children in their white-picket- fenced yard with garden gnomes and wooden cut-outs of old ladies in polka-dot bloomers bending over to weed. They may even have an L-shaped sofa or a magazine rack next to the toilet in their bathroom. It's a long stretch--and I'm sure you've even forgotten what I'm talking about because so have I--but I'll get there.

As far as simplicity goes, this character was not too forced. Nice and easy. Something that would only get better with repetition to iron out kinks and confusion, I'd imagine.