Getting Away

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

For half a week I really tossed and turned over the idea of just dropping everything and taking a mini vacation. An invite was extended and the pressure was on to make a decision. Fresh from moving, with boxes lying just about everywhere in the house and commissions being held at bay on the shelves, I just couldn't see the logic in going. There was just too much to do. But then I saw the pictures Francesco was drawing. They weren't his normal happy drawings. They had a touch of melancholy to them and way too much black grey and blue color to them. It was at that moment I decided that everything could take a back seat. It was apparent both Francesco and I needed a break and some time to laugh and just enjoy, so when my adopted brother Tony suggested I come down with his friends to enjoy 2 days at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, I finally accepted.

I don't think I've laughed as much and as hard as I did this past weekend. Honestly, I think I was a teenager the last time I laughed so hard and for so long. Every day brought hi jinx and laughter for both me and Francesco. The sand, sun, waves and smiles on my son were just what I needed to rejuvenate my spirit. Of course, I never go anywhere without my sketchbook and there were so many interesting bodies to draw at the beach. I was in overload. These were some of my favorite from the vacation:

Sketches on the Beach of Rehoboth

LOVED his belly
and loved the fact that he was eating

Fun angle to draw

She was rockin' these
huge sunglasses

Loved the hat/glasses combo

All in all, it was the right decision. We had so much fun and I am personally ready to tackle everything in the studio and the house. I'm even ready to do battle with the push mower again.



That one totally
snuck up on us!

Off Day

It was an "off" day creatively in the studio. I just couldn't focus on applying paint to bristol so I sketched just to keep my hand moving. There was about an hour's worth of good sketching this morning. These are some of my favorites from the session. (It was fun to try and capture annoyance/anger in the faces.)

April Fools Day

Old pedigree ad from the 90s

Happy April Fools!

Half this week was spent preparing for the yearly visit to my accountant. In getting myself and my file cabinet organized I found some old, but good, items tucked away in the bottom of my file cabinet. Old sketches, unfinished stories, used catalogs and reference sheets and some really old pedigree papers were stuffed away in that drawer. LOL! Isn't that ad above a trip? People actually redeemed the coupon below. LOL I love it! Actually, I miss the art of pedigree assignment. I think at this point if I wanted to PA I'd have to go incognito out there.

East of the Sun
West of the Moon sketch

At the Party

A sketch from last night

The egg was very well received last night at the fashion show. It was very bittersweet for me to watch it being handed off to the new owner. I took the time to introduce myself, congratulate her and look at it one last time. Her words, "I wanted to win it because I love pictures of the Madonna and Child" made me feel very happy that I had chosen the subject.

I barely knew anyone at the affair which should have made me feel uncomfortable, but it actually made it more fun and made me look a little bit closer at everyone. I took in their dresses, their faces and their jewelry with my eyes which made me want to draw them. So, I did. No one knew me. I didn't know them which made capturing them easy. I was seeing everyone for the very first time. No preconcieved notions. Everyone was dressed to the hilt workin' their pouts. It was rather fun. I think I captured them looking a bit unhappy more than I captured a pout. But, in any case, here are some of the things I saw:

Sketches from the Party

Very serious.
She wore sunglasses all night.
A big scarf and a chair

A very stylish haircut.
A beautiful boa.

Preparing tickets for the raffle.

Resisting Change

"Boy with the lazy eye"sketchbook drawing

I'm the kind of person who resists change. From moving furniture around in a room, to letting go of old, familiar (but worn) things, to watching my son grow. Change is just uncomfortable with me. Perhaps because it is the only thing in this world that is consistant. You can always rely on change to do it's job.

For the past two years I have been fighting changes within the computer world. Fighting to learn new programs cause well, I'm a mom now. I'm my own boss too and who needs to learn another layout program when your hands are covered in clay? There isn't even a formidable miniature equine magazine to enjoy or design an advertisement for any how and I have known and have used Adobe Quark as a professional for years now. It was perfect for the job.

"Fuzzy running pony"Quick sketch from sketchbook

Unfortunately, things in the professional world change faster than change changes itself and now Quark is no longer the industry standard for layout or design. Even small printing shops have changed gears and are using InDesign. I'll be honest, I gave the program about one second worth of my time. I did this maybe three times, tops. Never got the hang of it. I walked away feeling grumpy and mad at whomever decides what is "in" and so my copy of InDesign sat on my computer unused for two years.

In The DistanceVery quick sketch in book

My husband hates change too. I believe that is one of the many reasons we get along well. When things change in his job situation he gets grumpy (just like me). Yesterday he hesitantly, but sweetly asked me for help. The company he works for let go the designer who helps with flyers. Poof! Gone, and now he was responsible for getting mortgage flyers designed himself.

He asked me to show him how to use Quark. Our old computer, which has been sitting dormant upstairs for about a year, has the program, but the computer is old and he was never a good student of computer stuff, nor was he a designer. He knew this and I could tell by the sound of his voice on the phone that things were sounding bleak.

My heart went out. I just couldn't let him struggle trying to design as he never was nor will he be (I don't think) a designer. He was always an illustrator (and a gosh darned good one!). Also, the old computer is OLD and the screen hurts the eyes. Lastly, there was that issue of Quark being dead and all.

Christmas design for 08

So, I decided to dive into InDesign last night. Not for me, or for any model horse advertising or banners, but for him. I suppose my mind was fairly open last night because as I was reading the small tutorial that comes with the program the little lightbulb started going on inside. Everything started to look familar like a drive down a road you used to travel years ago and didn't realize you were back on again. InDesign was JUST like Illustrator 6! That was the very first Adobe program I ever learned and here it was again, with new clothes on!!!

I can't begin to tell you how very thrilled I am with this new found knowledge. In the end, I finished the flyer, made a template and all will be well for hubby and his dilemma. The very best part is that I'm also now on board with every major publisher once again. What a great night.