Hot from the Toaster

lather, rinse, repeat

2009-12-16T06:26:27Z

see it on the beach, then sketch.

dianetsands @ 2009-12-08T21:42:00

2009-12-09T05:42:17Z

I just love sponges!

birdbrain

2009-11-18T05:47:12Z

I have an assignment where I need to draw "a bird". There are so many different species that I am having trouble choosing.

dianetsands @ 2009-11-17T19:08:00

2009-11-18T03:09:03Z

The tide was out on the Santa Cruz Pier where we saw tons of Sea Stars on the pilings (only the orange one really shows up in this photo).

Then I spent a chunk of this week drawing them. Pisaster ochraceous never had it so good!

your eyes are like limpet pools....

2009-11-04T00:51:30Z

another halloween painting session

2009-11-03T06:51:20Z

last halloween, I painted my neighbor's house. It kept me so occupied during the candy-handout that I decided to do it again. Paint that is. Last year I got frustrated with the lighting, so this year I dragged a standing lamp from my studio and trained it on a convenient thematic still life that was sitting there on the porch. Note for next year: also bring out a light so that I can see what colors I am mixing on the palette. doh!

dianetsands @ 2009-10-20T20:40:00

2009-10-21T04:08:39Z

spent a good portion of today looking at crab bits. all of the interesting skeletal bits are on the bottom (or ventral side), but that is never what editors want to show in field guides. sigh.

the Lollipop Guild

2009-10-13T00:52:43Z

Ever wonder who founded the Lollipop Guild?

stretching before a run

2009-10-13T00:50:23Z

Working on inked versions of the critters in my thesis. This week concentrating on bivalves and Molluscs. Fun!

Before committing ink to paper though, I whipped out the sketchbook to practice before I began.

saturday afternoons

2009-10-11T04:07:54Z

Spent part of my day lazing about, drawing with the kids. Pumpkins, black cats, witches in rockets ships, you name it!

the chair has the floor

2009-10-07T01:20:53Z

doggone it!

2009-09-29T04:59:20Z

The trouble with having pets is that their life spans are so much shorter than human lives. Took Pepper to the vet because she started breathing funny this weekend. Looks like that mastoid tumor is not benign - it's reached the lungs. The vet wanted to fedex the x-rays to the radiologist rather than waiting for his next in-office day, since she's not sure Pepper will live until he returns. Sigh.

barking up the right tree

2009-09-25T19:07:49Z

we've gone from primates to canines in my creature design class. woof!

rocky moments

2009-09-17T07:27:41Z

when life gives you rocks....

no bones about it

2009-09-15T04:12:26Z

Stress is when you wake up screaming and realize you haven't fallen asleep yet.

new issue out today!

2009-09-11T18:10:23Z

Have a subscription? Keep an eye on your mailbox! If not, contact me and I'll hook you up!

monkeying around

2009-09-08T05:11:08Z

Went to the Oakland Zoo this weekend to look specifically at primates. The siamungs were crazy loud, but the white-handed gibbons are still my favorites.

illustrating the surreal

2009-08-31T01:23:54Z

Conned a friend of mine to go with me to a nearby casino so I could take some reference photos for an illustration I am laying out. The whole thing was kind of surreal. From the "we don't call them slot machines, we call them gaming machines" line to the smell of cigarette smoke throughout the building, not to mention the noise and lights. The photos I took all came out really dark (not surprising) so I have had to play about to clarify some of the important elements.

observing nature

2009-08-26T01:42:46Z

gotta record it where you find it....

striking out

2009-08-25T06:07:51Z

there are not very many sketches from our recent trip to San Diego. most of it was pretty awful, and who wants to record that? I did manage to get numerous mini sketches at the Padres vs. Cardinals game that we went to. Kept me from falling asleep during the first three hours we were there.

dog doodle

2009-08-17T04:21:15Z

Spent a lovely weekend at a friend's house in Sea Ranch, but I have almost no sketches or photos to show for it. I might actually be able to classify it as a vacation. Wacky.

two pieces of today

2009-08-13T05:46:23Z

Spent part of the morning around Stow Lake, stalking squirrels with the girls. They are hard to sketch since they move constantly. Later on we found ourselves at the zoo (thanks to free passes from a friend who is a member!). Hanging over the fence, watching the penguins E remarked that she wanted to step on them - not in a mean stomping way, but rather more like this:

How about you?

in the sidelines

2009-08-12T03:52:59Z

Finally got the girls out of the house today. Went over to the local elementary school to play. It was hot enough that I had no desire to carry anything, so I stuffed a small moleskin journal in my back pocket along with a ballpoint pen. Instant sketch kit!

retreat!

2009-08-09T05:11:14Z

I had a great art retreat up in Occidental today. :^)

feeling crabby

2009-08-03T03:24:02Z

Out today doing research on the beach. Funny how after making a species list for a place, you see more things when you go there. Saw 39 different species along the wrack line this time. Well, okay, the sea lion was in the water. Now comes the next fun part - to identify the two different partial clam shells and the 2 red sea weeds that I collected. Woo-hoo!