Illustration Friday: Foggy

You are just a dreamer,
and I am just a dream.
You could have been
anyone to me.
Before that moment
you touched my lips
That perfect feeling
when time just slips
Away between us
on our foggy trip.

You are like a hurricane
There's calm in your eye.
And I'm gettin' blown away
To somewhere safer
where the feeling stays.
I want to love you but
I'm getting blown away.

From 'Like A Hurricane,' words and music by Neil Young

The illustration is based on a photo by a San Francisco Chronicle photographer, name unknown to me.

Peace to all, and keep your wheels on the road side of the fog line.

Illustration Friday: Sour

It only took a few minutes of socializing for Hank's mood to go south, and he soon retreated to the driveway with his whiskey sour and a cigarette.

Peace to all, and don't drink alone.

Illustration Friday: Wide

Shameless product placement: Mickey's Wide Mouth, aka Mickey's Wide Mouse.

We on California's central coast are going through a heat wave. Cervezas of any brand hit the spot on days like these.

Peace to everyone. Stay hydrated and choose a designated driver.

Illustration Friday: Electricity

It is not widely known that prior to the kite escapade Ben Franklin experimented with cats and static electricity.

Peace to all, and pick up your feet when walking across shag carpets.

Illustration Friday: Excess

Peace, everyone, and watch those waistlines over the holidays.

Illustration Friday: The Zoo

“I think the monkeys at the zoo should have to wear sunglasses so they can't hypnotize you.”

-Jack Handy

Had to resort to searching for a quote on the subject. Found this one that was just weird enough to illustrate.

Peace to all, and take care of your Foster-Grants.

Illustration Friday: Superstition

One Superstitious Fellow

Cuko was a familiar sight on the streets of a certain agricultural town in the heart of a certain Central California valley. He seemed to always be heading to somewhere or from somewhere and always with a bag of groceries, though no one could recall ever seeing him go in or out of either of the two grocery stores in town.

Aside from the ever-present straw cowboy hat on his head, he was never seen without a dime lodged in each ear.

When asked why he carried the dimes about in such a manner, he would respond with a sly grin, "When people say I have no sense in my head... Well, I just point to these." And he would continue on his way.

One night at the beer and wine joint, when free drinks had come from the other end of the long bar in rapid succession, and he was particularly borracho, he confided to Charlie and Louie with the utmost seriousness that the dimes were firmly in place to protect him from the space men who visited from time to time.

The two young men thought they had finally been let in on the answer to one of the town's greatest mysteries, until Shorty told them a week later that Cuko typically varied the villains in his story between the space aliens and CIA agents and foreign spies. Evidently, the dimes were protecting valuable information for which any, or all, of these entities would stop at nothing to retrieve.

Illustration Friday: Scale

The accident at the lab, which scaled Harris to a perfect 1:12 version of his previous self, reduced his food bill considerably.

Peace to everyone.

Illustration Friday: Hat

• Sitting Bull (1831-1890)
• Hat (lifespan unknown)

Based on a photo from the Western History Department, Denver Public Library.

Also included in this post is the 'J, K, & L' portion of the critter alphabet. At this rate, I should have all twenty-six letters done by mid-2009.

Peace to you all, and may you wear your hats in good health.

Illustration Friday: Trick or Treat... and More

So, I'm trying to play catch-up. Yeah, so there's a jester for 'Trick or Treat', those drama masks for 'extremes', the growing power of the White House for 'grow' (a modified version of the post for 'phobia' a few months back), an open heart for 'open', and a photo illustration for 'the blues'.

Oh, and, yeah, I've still got those stinking alphabet critters under development. Where did I leave off? 'J, K, L'? Someday.

Peace and take care, all.

Illustration Friday: Juggle

Yeah, yeah, I know. This is another repeat. Sorry, but it's Thursday night, and I haven't even been around to visit other folks' sites. And, no, there's no update on the critter alphabet. Mebbe I'll do six letters next week. No, better not make empty promises.

That word 'empty'... sorta like our empty nest here. We took our daughter to college last weekend, so now we have two away at school. And we realize how big and empty this place is.

Anyway, enough of me waxing melancholy. This is a pic I did for the 'chair' topic from awhile ago. That's my old deaf dog Blackie, carrying my great-grandfather's chair across the room. Hope he doesn't drop it; it's sorta fragile.

Peace you all, and forgive me if I don't get around to visit this week. It's crazy here and at work.

Illustration Friday: Wedding

Don't know why, but the first thing that came to mind when I saw the topic was 'wedding' was 'The Owl and the Pussycat,' by Edward Lear. This little three-stanza poem has it all... romance, a long sea voyage, music, Bong-trees, a piggy-wig, and a turkey.

Oh, and the newlyweds dance by the light of the moon.

If you want to read the poem in its entirety, click this link.

Below I've included the next three letters of that alphabet of critters. Incorporating their little bodies into the letter shapes is more successful in some than in others, and I'll probably drive myself mad before I'm done.

Honestly, all these cutesy animals (including that owl and that cat) are starting to wear a little thin. Hope to be out of this rut next week... Except for that weird alphabet... now that I've started, I must finish, I fear.

Peace to all of you visitors, and take a spin in the sand in the moonlight.

Illustration Friday: Momentum

"Sliding headfirst is the safest way to get to the next base, I think, and the fastest. You don't lose your momentum, and there's one more important reason I slide headfirst, it gets my picture in the paper."
-Pete Rose

Not really a Pete Rose fan, but I gotta admit he was an intense baseball player.

So, yeah, I've done another three of those alphabet animals... 'D,' 'E,' and 'F' (below this text). Don't know if I'll continue through all 26 critters. It's a real stretch to incorporate some of them into the letter shapes. I think I can get an animal for every letter, but I need some help on the letter 'X.' Only animal I've found so far is the X-ray Fish, whatever that is. Never heard of it. If anyone has ideas, let me know. I'm still a few weeks away from that letter, if I end up getting that far.

Peace to everyone, and don't be afraid to get your uniform dirty.

Illustration Friday: Alphabet & Captain

Yeah, I've been playing hooky from Illustration Friday and the old blog. Haven't got any good excuses, save the tired busyness standard line. But who isn't busy? Lots of you all find the time to post and visit other folks.

I thank the people who haven't given up on me, and even visited the 'missing' illustration that I hadn't posted through the IF site... mainly because I missed the deadline. Which is the story with the 'captain' illo that you see last in this column of pictures.

I'll get around to visiting other IFers. Looking forward to seeing what I've missed the last few
weeks. And, again, thanks to you who have dropped on by in my prolonged absence. Can't say I'll be any better in keeping up, but that's just the way it is here.

So here you have a motley crew of alphabetized critters. Thought mebbe I'd try to tackle all 26 of the letters, but that'll have to wait for a later time. Had fun with these guys, so perhaps...

And last in this column is a digital piece of Lincoln, the first person to come to mind when I read the 'captain' topic. You know... Walt Whitman's 'Captain, O Captain' poem. I'm sure I
wasn't the only one to pick him for the topic, so well-known is the poem. This was inspired by a photo by Alexander Gardner.

I'll try to catch up on the other two I missed... 'emergency' and 'visitors', I believe... in the next few weeks.

Peace to all you folks. Stay cool.

Illustration Friday: Missing

Illustration Friday: Moon

Taking the easy way out this week. I'm re-posting a drawing from a previous Illustration Friday... way back in November of '05. The topic was 'night,' and I did this coyote howling at the night light in the sky, stating that from time to time I felt like doing the same thing... the throwing back my head in a mournful noise bit, that is.

The first time I've resorted to this tactic of re-posting, but there are no hard and fast rules here, I believe.

Oh, and I posted the 'poem' thing late, after the deadline. Click here if you care to see it. Just flaking out left and right it seems.

Peace to everyone, and here's to the occasional melancholy howl and the inner well-being it can bring.

Illustration Friday: Poem

Trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Joyce Kilmer. 1886–1918

So when I told my wife I was doing a tree for the 'poem' post, she said, "Oh, yeah... 'I think that I shall never see...' Hmm. A little trite, wouldn't you say?" I agreed. Then I secretly looked up the actual poem. Had never really been acquainted with the whole thing.

Maybe one level up from trite.

Anyway, I offer this is tribute to the wonderful California coastal oak trees that dot our hillsides.

Peace to all of you, tree-huggers and otherwise.

Tagged Two Ways from Sunday

Well, no, it wasn't actually on a Sunday, but it's been awhile since, within two days, I was both graciously given the Thinking Blogger Award by Kathryn Howard (scribblesk) and kindly 'tagged' by AndyDoodler.

(Note: If you're looking for this week's IF post for 'Discovery,' click here.)


First the deal on the Thinking Blogger thing...

The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,*
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

Yes, simple enough, but not so simple to come up with five names, as there are many, many who participate in Illustration Friday who make me think each week. I've chosen four from Illustration Friday participants and one digital artist who hasn't submitted anything to IF but whose work we've printed on our large format printers.

Again, a list of only five excludes another dozen or so who never fail to inspire, and I apologize in advance if any of these have already been singled out for the Thinking Blogger deal. Some of the folks I considered listing have gotten the award already, but it's downright impossible to follow the TBA trail all the way back to its origin in February.

*I am listing this under the assumption that all folks listed below know that they are under no obligation to continue the listing thing. This isn't some pyramid deal, and there will be no voodoo curse put upon you or your loved ones if you choose to simply read this and leave it at that. Heck, you don't even have to read this. How's that for 'no obligation?'

• Dan Beck, Outhouse Studios... always has something interesting to say whenever he comes into the shop. His digital landscapes of Central California really have the feel of this place.
  
  
• Tiffini Elektra X... grateful to her for her art booklet on successfully selling art on the internet, which she shares so unselfishly. She also has a good attitude about this blogging thing, blogging when she gets the urge, without obligation.
  
  
• Digital Scott... is another Left Coaster, transplanted from another part of the country. I had the pleasure of meeting him for coffee when I was traveling to SoCal a few months back. Personable and friendly, he has superb technical illustration skills in Freehand but doesn't limit himself to that program.
  
  
• Michael Dailey... puts as much thought as anyone posting into each Illustration Friday submission. Really gets you thinking, as well.
  
  
• AndyDoodler... is the guy who 'tagged' me (different from the 'Thinking Blogger' thing... see below). First became acquainted with him through his 'paradise' equation , which is as logically sound as any math theorum I've run across.

Next, the 'tagged' thing...

The Rules for the taggee/tagger are:
1. post these rules
2. each person tagged must post 8 random(... hopefully interesting) facts about themselves
3. tags should write a blogpost of these facts
4. at the end of the post 8 more bloggers are tagged and named (* see the above bold asterisked note)
5. go to their blog and leave a comment telling them they're tagged

AndyDoodler tagged me, and I'll comply with the first three 'rules', but I'm going to let the trail die here. Since I've already listed five in the 'Thinking Blog...', I'm not going to tag anyone else. So if you feel like reading the eight random facts about Twisselman, interesting or otherwise, here they are:

• I'm a fourth-generation Central Coast Californian, my two sets of great-grandparents on my father's side immigrating here from Germany in the mid-1800s.
  
  
• After college I paid $40/month for a room above a family-owned bakery. Woke up to tempting deep-fried dough smells every morning. Think I gained twenty pounds living there.
  
  
• I've voted in every presidential election since, and including, 1972. But I've never voted for a winning ticket. So, no, you really can't blame me. Maybe 2008 will break my losing streak.
  
  
• Charlie and Louie, who regular readers of this blog will recognize, are the alter-egos of real people, two folks very close to me. Some of you have probably already figured that out. Only some of what I write using their names is true; most is fiction.
  
  
• Began making a living at graphic art at the age of 42. My wife is to thank for supporting me during the mid-life career change.
  
  
• I was once a professional scarecrow. Actually, I worked in pest management for a few months during grape harvest season, cruising the vineyards, shooting M80 shells over flocks of starlings that raided the juicy clusters of fruit.
  
  
• I've never done pro bono work that didn't turn out to be a nightmare... and yet I still take it on, as I am a sucker for charitable causes. People getting stuff for free tend to come back for "tiny, little" changes again and again.
  
  
• I've never seen a Western flick I didn't like, with the exception of Silverado. Saturday mornings you'll usually find me in front of AMC, sketching the theme for IF and watching some Western I've seen four or five times.

Okay, that's that, and am I relieved to have it off my plate. It was sort of hanging over me the last week, and I know that wasn't the intention of the folks who bestowed the blessings.

But that brings me to an observation or two about blogging in general and posting for Illustration Friday in particular. Blogging can be a full-time occupation, and of course it is for a growing number of people these days. But for someone working some long hours and trying to keep up with a family and the activities of its members, blogging is sort of hit-and-miss at best. I try to get a post up for the IF theme of the week and visit the blogs of those who have left comments for me. If time permits, I'll go to the IF entry list and do some exploring of people new to me as well as the group who stops by fairly regularly, but time usually just allows for dropping in on the folks who have dropped in on me.

Sometimes I feel guilty about that, but I need to adopt Tiffini's 'Blogging Without Obligation,' the logo for which I display over on the sidebar. There's enough to be concerned with in this life without adding guilt trips.

I applaud the IF-ers who get around to vast numbers of the week's posts, but I will never be able to devote that much time to this blogging thing.

Peace to everyone.

Illustration Friday: Discovery

In honor of that Greek mathematician dude Archimedes (287-212 BC), who discovered (or mebbe just gave a name to) the Law of Hydrostatics; said discovery made as he stepped into his bath and observed the displacement of water.

You'll have to go elsewhere if you want an explanation of the Law. My mother was the mathematician in the family... not I.

Oh, he also surmised that if he had a lever long enough (and someplace to stand) he could move the Earth.

Peace, everyone, and don't wait til Saturday night to soak in the tub.

Illustration Friday: Geek(y)

"Circus is coming to town," Louie said as he dipped a pink shrimp into the cocktail sauce and tossed it into his mouth. "You taking the kids?"

Charlie didn't pause in his clicking of the remote. "Too old for that." Adding with a sidelong glance toward his pal, "The kids, I mean." He slowed his trigger finger down long enough to identify a Western on AMC... The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence... Lee Marvin was tripping Jimmy Stewart... and then back to clicking. "I don't much care for circuses."

Louie mopped up some of the sauce he'd dribbled across the coffee table and grinned his cockeyed grin. "Because of Milo the Greek Geek?"

No response from Charlie, who had settled on a repeat of Law and Order, one he'd seen two or three times.

"Remember Milo the Geek?" Louie was trying to get a rise.

Charlie grunted and took a pull from his beer.

"Man, I never saw you so upset," as Louie tossed his napkin toward the trash basket, missing badly.

Charlie turned and faced his friend fully. "He bit the head off a chicken and spit it back out at the audience."

"It was fake. It was a fake chicken," Louie grinned. "I mean you could only tell."

"You don't do that kind of stuff in front of kids," and Charlie turned back to the DA's closing argument. "Freakin' pencil neck geek."

Louie laughed out loud now and grabbed the last shrimp.

Peace to all, and steer clear of those sideshow acts.