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A whole slew of new witches have been added. Today is the last day to turn them in!
Happy Halloween!
I think I can safely put this whole image up here now. This was a fun project I have been working on lately. It's a menu cover illustration for a new catering company that gives all of its proceeds to feed the hungry. (Cool idea, huh!) I had the pleasure of painting this jolly little chef. Working on a female version as well. :)
p.s. More witches will be added very soon. I have about 20 in my inbox that I have not addressed yet due to unbelievable busy times. If you have sent me one, I probably have it and will send you an email back soon. Sorry for the delay. Deadline for your witches is Monday! Get them in!
xo
Balance and the Jar Head Theory
I struggle with balance.
That's as simple a statement as I can make about it. I tend to always have 18 irons in the fire and I really struggle to keep them all going. It's mentally taxing and physically exhausting. I feel like I'm always running and occasionally just collapse for a day before picking myself up and running again. Maybe you know the feeling...
I heard a theory a while ago and have been thinking it over again recently. Seems like it's surfacing again because it really wants me to pay attention this time (grabbing my shirt collar and shaking). I think it is a well-known time management excercise, but maybe you've not heard it (or need a reminder like me..hee). So I will just tell you my little interpretation of it.
I call it the Jar Head Theory.
You start with an empty jar. I picture a glass ball jar like the one below.
Fill it with large rocks until it is full...until you can't fit even one more. It's full right?
Nope. Add pebbles. Shake the jar so they fill in the gaps left by the rocks. Every nook and cranny.
No more room? Try adding sand. Fills the even smaller spaces.
And when there is just not even a little room left, add water. Pour in a whole bunch until it almost trickles over the top.
And there you have it. Your jar is full.
Obviously, the jar is your time and the large rocks represent your main priorities. The things that if everything else was lost you could still be happy and have a full life. The pebbles are the stuff you enjoy doing, the smaller things that still matter. Sand is all the stuff you have to do. And the water represents the clutter...all the little things that waste time or are superfluous to what is really important to you.
They all fit in there somehow, but it's up to you to figure out how they do. If you filled the jar with water and then tried adding a large rock, it would over flow. I think this is where my balance issue lies. I find myself focusing on the sand and water...instead of the rocks and pebbles. Sure, the little things matter, too. But maybe not as much as I think they do. I wonder what would happen if I would just let them go for a week. Would the world fall apart? Probably not.
Maybe it's saying no to things you don't want to do (but feel compelled to do out of nice-ness). Maybe it's not checking email for a few days. Maybe it's letting the dirty dishes sit on the counter for one extra evening while you spend quality time with your spouse. I dunno what it is for you. I just know that I am going to think on this for a while and try to determine what is most important to me and what things I can let go.
Anyway, got me thinking...maybe you too. :)
More witches have been added to the contest! They are all looking so great...our judges are going to have a really tough time deciding.
Here are our judges:
Chris Sickels
Chris Sickels is the creative force behind Red Nose Studios. Check out his work at Red Nose Studios.com.
Emma Overman
Emma Overman is a freelance illustrator, painter, and muralist. See her work at Emma Overman.com
Rob Day
Rob Day is an illustrator with over 15 years experience in editorial, advertising, corporate, publishing and entertainment industry clients. Check out Rob Day.com for his work.
There are only 6 more days left to create your witch. They have to be in by October 31st to be considered!
Sorry for the lack of updates lately. I've been crazy busy. Here's a mini-list of what's been going on:
- Tons of time consuming jobs. (The image above is from a recent job. Just a sneak peek because I don't know if I can talk about it yet. It's pretty fun though...can't wait to show you!)
- American Analog Set concert in Chicago Thursday (driving back home at 3am...yikes!).
- A visit from my family the next day at 7am.
- Painting some more and then destroying them because they sucked.
- A cookout in the cold weather.
- Updating the new illustration friday site: to be launched sometime in November.
- The worst tummy ache ever recorded after eating Japanese food...
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I've added more witches! If you don't see yours up there yet, I'll get to it, I promise! I'm posting them in batches when I get a little spare time. :)
My apron.
I wear an apron when I paint. It's pretty ridiculous looking, but necessary. I tend to get paint everywhere, and I really don't want to think about what I throw on in the morning. So I use the apron.
Over time, I've become somewhat attached to my apron. I have come to look at it as my power suit. It's what I put on when I want to be creative. It seems to put me in the right mindset... "Okay, lope...today we're painting. We're going to get messy and cut loose and let the canvas really have it. And it's going to be wonderful to be productive and creative." And I proceed to spill and stain and drip onto my apron.
But lately I noticed I put it on even when I'm not painting...if I'm just designing something on the computer or thinking about self-promo ideas or brain storming. I grab it and slip it over my head almost without thinking. It just feels better to have it on. It's like a caffeine jolt for my creativity. My apron.
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More witches have been added to the gallery. I'm loving them! You still have time to send yours in!
The very hip Thumbtack Press is selling two new prints of mine. Go check them out!
Also, I plan on adding some cool tshirts to LopiePop very soon. I'm super excited about those!
Illustration Friday: Cold
This is my submission for this week's "cold" topic, as well as another painting for the show in Portland, Oregon coming up soon. Brr....
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p.s. More witches have been added! Go check them out!
I don't know if ya'll have already heard, but my pal Katrina has started this really cool thing. She's collecting stories of hope about Hurricane Katrina. It can be a letter to the survivors or a story about your experience with the storm (if you were in it or just your reaction to it).
She started it because her name is Katrina, and she felt a strong connection to what happened. But instead of dwelling in the negative, she's doing something positive with that.
You don't have to be a fancy writer to send a letter. Just let the words go and send em to her.
Click here to learn more.
This is the mini painting I was referring to when I was asking about my style. The more I look at it (and the more feedback from people), the more I think it just may fit. Just be on the outer skirts is all. Perhaps.
It's a cover for a poetry book written by two authors. The cover wraps around and is upside down or right-side up, depending on how you open it.
And some close ups:
Where do I start today? First of all, let me say "thank you!" for piping up about the style issue. I will post the painting I was referring to a little later and show you specifically what I was talking about.
Second thing:
I was selected as the feature artist on the Barking Phish site. Barking Phish is a "faith based movement with a goal of informing culture through the visual arts". You can read a little about my work and philosophy as well as see some art there. Check it out!
Third thing (and this is really cool!):
Barking Phish also asked me to design a tshirt based on the theme "art with a conscience". I chose to do an image of a girl walking through the woods with a lantern (see above). I liked it because it can be taken as faith based or non-faith based...However you want to perceive it. To me it says "Courage". Bravery needed to walk through scary parts... And boy, I need that reminder all the time. Be Brave! They are on sale there for a whopping $14.75!
Fourth thing:
There are a bunch of new witches up there for you to look at. Go here! . (cackle, cackle!)
Finding a style is really hard. Sometimes I feel like I'm there. Sometimes not even close. Do I have to do every piece in paint and line? Can't I use a pencil and digital color? Is that okay? Is it still "me"? My work... I don't know. I do know that I devote far too much time to thinking about this (I'm sorry to my husband and close friends who here me go on about this constantly). I just want to do a bunch of work and have it all hang together. But I'm not sure it will/does.
Today I finished a painting for a friend's poetry book. I didn't do my "usual". I did a mini painting instead. Lots of detail. Painty little lines. And I like it. But I can't put it in my portfolio...because it doesn't really belong there.
Do you know what I mean? Agh. Frustrated.
I am part of a group show in Portland, coming up November 4th at the new Renowned Gallery. The theme is "Soon and Very Soon". And for some reason, it's been a hard theme for me to come up with a concept for. But I had a breakthrough at the end of last week and did this painting over the course of a few days. It felt really good to be in the flow again...feeling out what the painting needs.
Here are a few details:
Anyone living in the Portland area should check out the show! (And maybe shoot me an email to tell me how it goes.) How you like my work in person...
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Also, thanks for all the wonderful witches that have been coming in! I'm going to post the next batch very soon!
Keep 'em coming!
The first batch of witches from the "Draw a Witch" Contest are up. Go check em out!
Who's next? Send them in!
Illustration Friday: Float
Just a last minute quickie!
I love going on trips and seeing new things. Even mini-trips, like the one my lovely husband and I went on last weekend, just for fun. It's always an adventure. Good memories are always made...here are a few pics.
On the way to Cincinnati from Indianapolis there is a small town called Greensburg. They have trees growing out the tops of their courthouse. No one knows why...but they brag about it a lot. And they deserve to. It's cool.
Also in Greensburg is the Stories Diner. We ate there. Chili and hotdogs. Pie for desert.
We went to the Cincinnati Art Museum, which is very nice. Here's a Calder sculpture. So delicate.
I'm just going to dote on the Art Museum for a sec. It was wonderful. Beautiful architecture. Here I am looking for the contemporary art section.
Found it! And found my first Modigliani in person experience. He's my very favorite artist of all time, you know. And I nearly died looking at his work in person. So. Beautiful.
We also went to the zoo. Saw lots of interesting animals (and some interesting people, too). I thought this snake had a great scaly pattern. Might have to borrow that for a painting sometime. :)
p.s. How are your witches coming along? I've gotten a few so far. I will post them in batches. So send em in!
Time for another Halloween contest!
Only this time it's not a costume contest. Nope. This time it's centered more around illustration... This year's contest is "DRAW A WITCH" contest. So get out your colored pencils or your acrylics (or whatever media you use) and have a hey day. Draw a nice witch...a mean witch...whatever kind of witch you want.
Make sure your illustration fits within a 420x420 pixel area, save it as a jpeg and email it to me (penny@penelopeillustration.com). I'll post all the drawings and have our (very cool) judges pick their favorites at the beginning of November. So get your illo in by October 31st!
Enough talk. For details and guidelines check this out!
Have fun!
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© Penelope Illustration. Stealing
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