I just started a new job on Monday, so I’ve been away from blogging for a few days (and I’m really tired!). I wanted to post the result of the kitty cartoon I wrote about a few days ago. I did the final and created a card, which is now listed in my Etsy shop. Thanks to those who critiqued the early images! It really helped.
And by the way, the message in the balloon is something my cat actually typed on my actual laptop.
I occasionally like to jazz up my birthday cards with fun drawings. Here’s one I included in a card that I recently sent to a young friend of mine who just turned 9. The heads are from photos of my dogs, Henry and Diesel (who my friend loved). I added the goofy bodies to give her a giggle.
The second image is a drawing that she did and sent back to me inside a thank you card. I think it’s hilarious with those little “French” fries saying “Bon appetite!”
I’m working on a design for a new card, and I’ve drawn the front image of a cat typing on a laptop over and over again to the point of insanity. I’ve narrowed it down to three. Which if any, do you like best: top, middle, or bottom? I won’t give away the text or what kind of card it will be as of yet. I just want to see which one stands out. Thanks!
Last week I did a post called Disco Cat for Illustration Friday. I created a lot of sketchy doodle drawings to figure out how I wanted the dancing characters to look. There were lots and lots of ballerina cats before I landed on Disco Cat. I thought it would be fun to put some of the rejects together on the dance floor like one big party. And here it is.
I had no idea what to blog about today until I read this heartwarming story on the Huffington Post about a newly adopted cat who saved it’s owner’s life. Our hero’s name is Pudding. Here’s an excerpt from the article, along with a Pudding the cat doodle I did during lunch today. Check out the full article.
Amy Jung, who has had diabetes since childhood, started having a diabetic seizure in her sleep.
That’s when Pudding sprang into action. The fast-acting feline sat on Jung’s chest in an attempt to wake her up and when that didn’t work, he nudged and nipped her face until she briefly returned to consciousness.
In that moment, Jung was able to call out to her son Ethan, but he couldn’t hear her calls. Luckily, Pudding darted into Ethan’s room and pounced on the bed until he woke up and was able to call for help.
Cats are so emotionally and psychologically conflicted that when you hug them, they’re torn between whether to purr or bite you. If you hold them long enough, eventually the latter will happen. (BTW, Wookie is my lovin’ noogie nickname for my own mentally unbalanced kitty.)
I’m always touched by the outpouring of affection that articles about
dogs elicit. A good example is this Etsy blog post from yesterday,
where I’m one of many commenters who can barely contain themselves
when talking about their love of dogs. My two Labrador retrievers,
both of whom passed away within the last year (they were 14 and 15),
were (as my brother put it) my artistic “muses” for many years.
That inspiration came from the joy they brought me every day, even
though their crazy eating habits (toilet paper, kleenex, socks,
dish towels, shoes, walls, leashes, my running pants, my Dalai Lama book
of wisdom, earplugs, camera case, etc., etc., the list goes on
forever), turned my house–and sometimes my life–upside down.
But frankly, my life needed to be turned over a bit to soften my heart and
make me appreciate those things that, at first, make you tear your
hair out, but ultimately make living good. I thank Henry and Diesel
for teaching me that.
Oil painting of Diesel, actual size 16"x20"
Oil painting of Henry, actual size 9" x 12"
Henry loved to be sprayed with the hose!
There is a 93% percent chance that my cat is plotting to kill me according to this survey over at Mingle2. And I believe it, because a few weeks ago, my cat got way over stimulated (or at least that was HIS story) and leaped on top of my head. Are you in danger too? Take the survey and find out.
