Odell, IL along Route 66

I used one of the boards I prepped in this post to try out the packing tape transfers using my drawing of the filling station in Odell, IL on Route 66. I like how it turned out a crisp, crisp image, but I'm going to have to get used to the idea that the edges of the tape do show when the light hits it just right. Right now I'm trying out a different transfer method that would not have the tape layer. I am very pleased with the background here...it's several layers of acrylic paint and spray ink.



I stamped and collaged a bit around the edges using vintage items from the nearby area, and also dictionary pages with travel themed words.

 Kind of fun to work on something that can hang on the wall instead of live inside a book!

Derek Gores

This is Derek Gores, and I love his work. Check out his site.

Derek Gores from Jason D. Boone on Vimeo.

April Showers Bring Mermaids

I think April is about done....just a few more days to comment on and then it's history. I just thought I'd show you all the finished calendar.

I kind of like this purple/yellow/white fish saying hello down in the corner.

Easter Eggs!

Alisa Burke has a couple of nice tutorials for Easter eggs: doodle or watercolor. I'm at the shop today so I did some doodle eggs on some plastic display eggs. If I was at home I might have used real eggs and dyed them pretty colors before using the Sharpie, but since I'm in my office, I used highlighters. Many people tell me they cannot draw because they cannot draw a straight line, but as you can see, neither can I! I say draw anyway...straight lines are highly overrated, and if you really need one that's what rulers are for. Have a happy Easter!

Fish, Jellyfish, and

other sea creatures....

We what the land folks loves to cook
Under the sea we off the hook
We've got no troubles, life is the bubbles
Under the sea...
~from the movie "The Little Mermaid"

April Calendar...

For Christmas, Joe gave me this giant sized Moleskine sketchbook. I'd never seen one so big, and knew right away what I wanted to do with it. I decided to start doing calendars again with the new year. Well, this it the first one, but better late than never! I don't do these as "to do" calendars to remind me of dates. Instead I doodle on them as the month goes by and try to remember to write something that happened each day...more like a little diary, I suppose. If I skip days, it gives me more squares to doodle on.

This month I hit it with a little watercolor first...

Then I laid out the squares using little post-it notes, and hit it with some spray ink. Then I took the notes off and hit it with a little more spray ink...just 'cause it's fun.

Next I started doodling the circles on the lines, because doodling is a great way to start. I did circles while watching TV.....have to keep my hands busy while Dancing With the Stars! Eventually, as the month went along and it rained and rained, I started drawing fish and realized we are under water this month. I still have some days left, and some more creatures to add, so I'll post another photo later.

I had a fresh, juicy stamp pad and some of the ink bled through so I think I may do a spread of snapshots between calendars. It'll be a calendar/scrapbook! I started making calendars occasionally when I saw Tracy's on Flickr....they are wonderful. There are lots more arty calendars in this Flickr group. Check them out.

Rainbow Falls, Hilo, Hawaii

I haven't drawn in several weeks as I've been spending some time with my sister and her family. I'm feeling very, very rusty. I dug out the Hawaii photos to try and get back into the swing of it. And it was hard! (whine, whine) But at least I have broken the ice and gotten started again.

Our family is reeling from the loss of my brother-in-law, Doug. He was a wonderful person and left us much too soon. I have talked to so many people lately whose only sign of a heart attack was shortness of breath (this was Doug's symptom too).  Please familiarize yourself with the signs of heart disease.