Go Cubs Go

Had to add the Cubs hat to the lion...waited a looong time to see that!

Route 66 Travel Journal

Starting my Route 66 travel journaling in a Moleskine sketchbook:

Acrylics, washi tape, sharpie water based paint pens, Pitt pens

An every day page. Sometimes they are my favorites.

New Orleans Journal

Here is a map given to me by the St. Philip Hotel. She already had many great places marked on it. It was too early to check in, so I set out to explore the French Quarter. It's a place like no other...I loved it. I stopped in at many little galleries and shops, took lots of photos, and found out where to buy art supplies (Mary's Ace Hardware).

Postcards are free in most of the galleries. I also bought some cards, and enjoyed talking with artists I saw in galleries and over by the cathedral.

At the Antieau Art Gallery I saw the jaw dropping work of Chris Antieau. She makes folksy fiber art that is humorous and wise, and also incredibly detailed embroideries using a vintage sewing machine. They are truly paintings with thread as her medium. She had these encouraging cards out for people to take.

 An amazing embroidered dress at the Antieau Gallery. She does this work with a vintage sewing machine. The picture below is a detail from the dress.

I am looking forward to going back!

New Orleans Art Journal

Since I've been going to New Orleans lately, I decided to dedicate a little Moleskine to it. The cover art is a sticker I picked up in a gallery there. The artist's name is McPherson.

I drew this while relaxing on the balcony outside our room....how fun to be drawing on one of those cool old NOLA balconies!

Scraps from hotel stationery, airline ticket, and drawings done in the airport. 

Jeff took me to a great concert for my birthday. This page was drawn from my photos later.

Route Beer and Left Field Louie

 May 3rd's Every Day in May prompt was "draw a hammer," so I drew a jackhammer. Left Field Louie is a muffler man who used to sit at Silver Cross Field on Route 66 in Joliet. Every time the Jackhammer's hit a home run, he would emit the sounds and smoke of a jackhammer, complete with strobe lights. I think it sounds like a fun addition to the game! The team was sold though, and renamed "The Slammers."  Left Field Louie was not part of the deal, so he is in storage somewhere in Illinois.

This is a delicious root beer I sell in my shop, Home Again on Route 66. It's made with cane sugar and perfect on a hot road trip.  May 25th's prompt was to draw something in a glass container. This empty Route (66) Beer bottle sits on my cash register with a plant cutting in it.

All of these are drawn on old index cards that I got in an auction box in the Route 66 town of Odell. I painted the cards up with gelli prints, and the drawings are made on the paper bags I use at the shop...many of them are drawn at the shop, if I have time.

Left Field Louie, Route 66

A little late night drawing of a muffler man who is now in storage somewhere...but he used to be the star of Joliet baseball. More on that tomorrow.

Get Your Kicks On Route 66

 May 12th's prompt was to draw a leaf. I really didn't want to draw a leaf, because that day a friend posted a pic of a VW bus that gave me an idea. So I drew the VW bus, and made a leaf joke.

Friday the 13th's prompt was to draw a suitcase. I got a little lost drawing it, but pushed though to the end, and now I'm calling it done. I wrote a bit of info about the "Get Your Kicks on Route 66" song by Bobby Troop on the back of the card.

Every Day in May Route 66 Style

 

 The Every Day in May prompt for May 9 was to draw someone you love. I drew my dad. He often helps me at the shop, so he fits in with the Route 66 theme I've set too! This doesn't looks just like him, but it looks a little like him, and that makes me happy, since not long ago, the people I drew hardly even looked human. This was inspired by a road trip we took to Arkansas. Along the way we went on Route 66 for a bit and stopped at the Pink Elephant Antique Mall, where they have lots of roadside kitsch sitting outside the building.

May 11's prompt was to draw a bucket or pail. Many of the people I meet in the shop are doing Route 66 because it's on their bucket list.

Rockabilly on Route 66

I'm playing catch up for a few days, doing two a day to catch the Every Day in May prompts that I missed in by starting late. This was May 2: draw something with folds. There's a great festival in Tucumcari, NM called Rockabilly on the Route. This is my little homage to this festival I hope to attend one day.

May 6th's prompt was to draw a timepiece. My timepiece is the Livingston County Courthouse in Pontiac, IL. This is just a block from where I work, and I really do often look at it for the time. It's been beautifully restored and the public may come in and view it. It's the centerpiece of our town.

Stamp Carving

 Today I got out my stamp carving kit (the lunch box) and carved an itty bitty highway shield. I'm not a good enough carver to carve the little sixes in it. I tried, but it was a mess, so I carved them out. It's nice when you can just carve away mistakes!

This is why I got started doing this today. I have some new Christmas ornaments to sell. One is of my art car, and the other one is a David Alan Badger drawing of the Old City Hall. I wanted to have a little shield on them and there was room on the back, if I made it small. David Alan Badger put these together for me, and I like how he has packaged them in the little bags.

The Blue Whale, Route 66

 The Every Day in May prompt for May 5th is: something you see in a park. This is at the Blue Whale in Catoosa, Oklahoma. It is an old time park that used to have swimming and a petting zoo. Now they are keeping the park up, with the little old cement kiddie tables shaped like whales, and the whale itself. You can still go in the whale and climb up on the diving platforms. It is one of my favorite things on Route 66 (so far!). They also have a gift shop with wonderful scrapbooks of the blue whale and many souvenirs you can buy.

I used colored pencils and white sharpie marker and Faber-Castell Pitt Artist pens. I drew on a paper sack, then glued it to a gelli printed card, and drew a bit more.

Route 66, Neon, and Bibles....

 I've been working on making a neon sign....well, a drawing of one. I'm finding I love working with colored pencils in the Bible. The colors can be so rich and smooth.

 This is John 8:12. "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

I'm also trying to do Everyday in May.  If you haven't heard of that, it's an idea created by French Toast Girl, to draw or do something creative every day in the month of May. I've never managed to do all the days, but I'm jumping in. I'm going to catch up with the last 4 days, if I can. I'm following the prompts from the Everyday in May facebook group, but I'm also putting a Route 66 spin on them. The prompt for May 1 was to draw a toy. I bought several of these little toy Volkswagen Beetles to paint up. I'm giving them a bit of 66 and a bit of hippie vibe.

I've put them on those index cards I gelli printed in the last post. I inked up the edges with black ink, and for now, I'm keeping them on rings.

Gelli printing...

When your work seems like play, it's a very good night. 

 Once again, I wanted time try "Every Day in May," even though I've never yet managed to finish the whole month. This month I'm starting a couple days behind, but that's not so bad. These old index cards  will be my canvases for the month.

I put ledger paper down to catch the mess, and that turned out nice...it will find its way into something one day.

Sheep

I've been drawing for the shop, for a couple of private requests for art, and also for Bible study. I'm not crazy about how this turned out, though I still like the original idea in my head. LOL  But since starting this blog, I've shown the good and bad and blah....because that's life! I do love this verse and the closeness it speaks of.

The wonderful thing is that if you are journaling, keeping a sketchbook,  then it's all great practice. In this case it also helps me remember verses....something I've never done well. I find that writing it and drawing it helps, just like taking notes by hand in class.

White Ink, Black Paper

Another face using the white Sharpie water-based pen. This is, as I've said before, hard for me. But fun.

Watching the news lately increases my anxiety and frustration. I added verses about that....and will of course also exercise my right and responsibility to vote.

Face on Black Paper

 Well tonight I've been sewing, but I felt drawn to draw. So, I turned to the first page in this journal full of black paper and tried to draw a face. Wow....I found this to be hard! Working the opposite of my usual way....drawing in highlights instead of shadows and darks. I ended up having to go back in and put some darks back with a black marker. She's not quite right, but she is good enough that I can leave he be. Now, back to my sewing.

FOCUS...

The last few years I've picked a word to focus on that year. This year I'm focusing on focusing! For a woman who no longer has kids at home, I still feel like I'm juggling a lot of balls in the air. I've been working on growing my business, traveling affordably, fixing up my home and garden, using my resources well, spending time with family and friends, and oh yes....cuddling my new grandbaby.

Lately I've started and stopped on my artwork, throwing out things that were a mess, and painting over canvases that I wasn't pleased with...until I kind of stopped and instead threw myself into the holidays. So...I decided to do Journal 52 as a way to focus and get my arty mojo back. The first week's prompt was to pick a word for the year.

So my word is FOCUS. The verse that goes with it is one of my favorites: 2 Timothy 1:7. "for God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, love, and self control."

What a great Spirit to have!