Final bid 560 credits. This card will live in Michigan.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Leap Year! I wanted to make a card today for the occasion. Something leaping, so I took out my cartooning book that I used first on Card # 29 in January (didn't intend for it to be the same number but hey that worked well lol) and also on Card #2 in the ATC Edition. The creatures tend to have more simplified cartoony forms thanks to the inspiration of the book. I generally appropriate a figure whose pose I am drawn to and then try to make that into a monster. There were a number that could have been leaping but I liked this one the most. Mainly I made the pincer hands, added teeth and spots. This is my first attempt and white spots. I have been trying to find more variations to add to the creatures in the patterning department, hoping for more variety and texture.

My mom brought up the idea that at least some of the cards seem to stem from my subconscious. Which makes people wonder what was in my head on a specific day after they see the cards. Due to that I am discovering that just mentioning about the card isn't sufficient enough to obtain that part of the story. I'm not inclined to talk a lot about myself or my day, finding it to not be very interesting, but with this new concept I am going to try to add a bit more information for people to enjoy and extrapolate from.

Today Ash's rash returned full force so I opted her out of school and took her to the doctor. They could only get us in around 3:40pm. The doc prescribed various ointments and some medication to help with the itching. She is actually asleep already due to it. I'm thinking I might not take her to school tomorrow either to monitor her reaction to the medication further. I feel bad for her, and strangely a bit like a bad parent. Not that I can help the situations. She has been sick with a fever and now with the rash much of this month. I'm starting to have to combat laziness coupled with the sickness, not always being able to tell if she is actually sick so she should stay home or not. I do wonder if the spots on my creature have something to do with all the illness of late.

Graphite on 2.5 x 3.5 inch smooth bristol paper. Final bid 1210. This card is going to Wisconsin. 
Name: Alancarole

I must have turned off my alarms this morning in my dreams. We woke up late and had to get Ash to school behind schedule. I only had about an hour or so before nap time to work on my card. I tried a few different things and nothing was working. I'm not sure if I had anything by nap time. I know I erased the concept in it's entirety a few time. I was feeling rather uninspired. If I didn't have to make a card today I probably would have opted out of it, but sometimes pushing through the "writers" block can turn out something good. 

My second try I used an image of a stegosaurus for a basic body format. They have a high arched back and low in the front. I think this drawing would have made a good video to show my thoughts since it changed dramatically multiple times. If you look at the neck area where the first tentacle goes across was the end of the head to start and the creature on the back was just the hugh arch. I am curious to see what the winner will decide about this pair. If the relationship is symbiotic, or if the creature is eating the other. I enjoy hearing the various things people think or see in the images. It's much nicer then saying... no it was supposed to be eating it and you don't see it! I don't know what it's doing and it is freeing not to have to know.

I had a lot of interruptions tying to make the card today, including some deep cleaning (which might be where the aggressive top creature came from lol) I think I might have been in the waiting room when I decided to make the two characters instead of one.

So I forgot about february 29th this year so I actually get to make one more like this. I am thinking I want to make something that looks like it's leaping.

I'm enjoying the card first txt after format. What do you think?

So many little things I could say about today. I think I'll start with the positives. I sold some baby stuff on craigslist this morning which was nice to have gone. I also spoke to a friend who was at the art show and they said they would like to purchase both of my break dancer photographs! It makes the efforts of that evening redeemed. 

On the less fortunate side Ash was not feeling well and did not go to school. Kaleb fell off my love seat hitting his head on my wooden flat files cutting open his forehead... in a new spot basically perpendicular to the one he already has. It wasn't so bad that he needed stitches but it was close. I never thought having a boy would make me an expert at head wounds... not something I really wanted to learn. I purchased some more professional sleeves and cases to mail the cards in the other day hoping that I could save a little on postage in the process. Today they told me it would cost the same despite the change. If I don't want it to bend it has to me non machinable so the price stays the same. At least they look more professional. 

Before I fell asleep last night (technically this morning but I don't consider it the next day until I sleep despite the actual time) I was thinking about a plant in a pot that could walk around. I started with the eyes today not really planning to make the creature in a pot unless it happened to work out. I like it... which probably means it won't do very well lol.

I'm so glad a card I actually liked did well :) In the last few weeks I have seen an ever growing number of artists joining the LIstia ranks! There has begun to develop a reasonable market for ATC's there (credit wise.) Plus with more and more people finding the cards there is finally some friendly competition.

Final Bid 1310 credits. This card is going to Michigan.

Graphite on 3.5 x 2.5 inch smooth bristol paper. I wanted you to see the card before I told you about the inspiration today. That way you can find it after you have seen it for what it became. I forgot to bring my purse to church today so I didn't have the actual card to draw on. I did some doodles around my notes while listening to the sermon. This was actually the third doodle. I was looking at the pastors collar of his shirt. If you put your hand over the girl in the picture and just look at the wings that would be his shirt. She is right about where the buttons would start. The face was pretty hard to do since it's very small. Trying to still be accurate, provide some emotion and fit it in that space was fun. Overall I'm pleased with the end result.

There are only a couple more days in February. I'm trying to decide what to do for March. I am thinking about trying ink. That way during the move I have less to carry around, and they might photograph easier on the phone for the days I don't have everything settled or internet connection available. I have toyed with the idea of doing a few days either ahead of time or just take a few days off, but I think I'd rather try how it is and see how it goes.

I best get back to packing :) I have to start really monitoring how much time I spend online.

Final bid 1591 credits. This is the first card so far to go to Kansas!
Name "Miki"

Graphite on 2.5 x 3.5 inch smooth bristol paper. 

This creature was inspired by an image of a dinosaur in my book. At first I was going to put two heads on it but saw almost a face like figure amidst the body and enjoyed that idea more. I tried to make the eye to seem like it was looking directly at you if you look it in the eye. I was thinking about how subjective certain properties are today. There are generalized properties that seem to meet the standards for cute and they are not hard to establish. Scary and creepy are so subjective there aren't specific items that I can use without fail to create a scary creature... or at least none that I have found yet. For some reason I struggle with making anything scary. 

Today my daughter turned a Disney Woddy toy's head all the way around. I said "AHHH" playfully. Her response (having no idea about the exorcist) was "It's just a toy mom."

So what makes something scary... other than our personal experiences. Is there something we can say will always be viewed as scary?

Final bid 656 credits. This card is staying in Oregon.

I posted a special one time auction on listia.com when I was honored by becoming a listia.com all start and featured in their newsletter. The winner from New York wanted me to do a cat in my personal style. I was very excited with the direction and freedom. Here is what was created. My son loves it. Every time he sees it he wants to touch it. His eyes light up and he says Ki Ki. Ash thought it was creepy at first and then eventually settled on interesting. I think interesting is her new favorite word. The winner said she loved it! Mission accomplished!

Final bid 2351 credits.

For a while I was drawing my cards on a small black moleskin journal, but I misplaced it so I found a small little pocket guide to dinosaurs to draw on. Today I actually looked at the guide for a little inspiration. I noticed that a lot of the "dinosaurs" look a lot stranger than many of my creations look lol. Reality is often stranger then fiction. This creature is designed off a triceratops scull (one of my favorite of the dinosaurs.) Where the nose should be is where I placed the eye on this, then I shortened the ridge on the back and added dragon like qualities to it. I showed it to my daughter when it was done. She said (without me telling her anything about it) that it looks like a dinosaur... but not like a dinosaur, and it has a spanish name. Amingos (or something like that.) She is so very observant :)

Final bid 253 credits. This card will go to Texas.

I"m starting to get a migraine so I will have to update this later. Just trying to get the image up before I hide in the dark.

Final bid 2242 credits. This card will be sent to Georgia.

Fish sticks anyone? I was going to have another dentist office image for you today but my daughter woke up with a fever and I had to cancel my appointment. This drawing started by an observational sketch of my cat's eyes (somewhere in the fin area if you tilt the image on it's side.) This is what developed. I questioned posting this card but decided to make it a test of what happens when I don't think a card will do very well.

Final bid 1010 credits. This card is heading to California.
Name "Processed Food"
It seems that all-too-often now-a-days our food is processed to the point that we can not discern what we are eating unless the packaging tells us. In this case, you are about to eat a delectable fish stick that is lacking omega 3's, vitamins, and pretty much anything else of nutritional value... Enjoy!