Year 3 of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 45

Week 45: Zebra.

"Deconstructed zebras." Freecut zebra silhouettes in cartridge paper, collaged onto card and striped fabric.

Update:

Week 45: Zebra II.

"What's black and white and red all over? A sunburned zebra and a newspaper." Freehand sketch of a zebra in black Sharpie with a watercolour wash and collaged newsprint. I found an ironic headline to suit this big news week.

Year 3 of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 6

Week 6: Printing

Collage of newsprint cuttings and assorted cards, plus actual fingerprints. Image adjusted with the "Noir" filter in Photo.

Update:

Week 6: Printing II

Quick thumbprint cartoons with stamp pad ink onto Ingres paper. The bee was pressed over strands of rubbery string. Details in various markers.

52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 39

3D papier mache squirrel, decoupaged with orange paper printed with the words "squirrel", "paw", "ear", "tail" and "acorn", plus eyes made with "i"s - and an "n" for a nose.

Week 39: Words

Update:

Black Stained by Sharpie ink (a brushlike tip, supposedly for drawing on fabric, but nice to use on paper, too) on La Carta Weave textured paper.

Week 39: Words II

Week 39: Words III

Words and Pictures: Watercolour over cardboard templates, painted onto the page of movie reviews from Mx newspaper. (Ha! I was cleaning up the work area the next morning. The "audience" template, which I cut like a set of paper dollies from some card and used to mask off sections, looks too pretty to throw away. Into the Odds 'n' Ends box it goes. We may see it again some day.)

52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 24

Week 24: Octopus

Here's my watercolour, watercolour pencil, blue highlighter and permanent black Sharpie blue-ringed octopus on gesso-primed white canvas, accompanied by a newspaper article about my very exciting capture of one at Pearl Beach in 1973. "The Daily Telegraph" did an extensive phone interview by reverse-charges - via the only public phone box in Pearl Beach - but the eventual story was watered down after several more octopuses were caught on the NSW Central Coast on the same day. Must have been breeding season?

Update:
Mixed media collage - on an ink blot. The piece of inverted writing paper has a faint image of planet Earth printed on it. The seaweed was created from a puddle of green watercolour paint blown upwards with a straw.

Week 24: Octopus II

I had been wondering if I could create a symmetrical inkblot octopus. It failed dismally, but I stewed on it for a day or so and then I realised I could salvage it with some collage over the top. That pack of silver/mauve "satin" metallic card was just $2 in a bargain store. Bargain indeed! The eyes are cut from a brown foam animal sticker and self-adhesive "jewels".

And, now, Dad Joke Warning (below): "I'd give seven tentacles to be amoctodexterous":

Week 24: Octopus III

Week 24: Octopus IV

Things you do when you should be packing boxes of books and action figures for the interior painters' imminent arrival: A piece of iPhone photography. I uncovered a cache of stuff last night, including these glass octopuses (above). They are suspended from transparent glass bubbles with fishing line. Originally bought at Fremantle Markets, Western Australia in the early 90s. Took me waaaaaay longer to set up this shot that you'd expect. They kept swimming away!

Nostalgia news!

1969 Halloween toy advertisement in Tri City Herald, Oct 20, p85.

This daily newspaper, based in Kennewick, Washington, USA, carried a very cool Halloween promotion way back in 1969. Notice the discounted listings for several glow-in-the-dark phenomena: a Green Ghost Game for $US 6.66, Daddy Booregard representing the Kooky Spookys finger puppets at 87 cents, and Glo-Juice varnish for 77 cents a bottle! "Things for Halloween to make the night 'spooktacular'!"

I seem to recall that, in Australia, Green Ghost retailed at $12.99 at Christmas; I can almost picture the price sign at Coles in Rockdale. (I received it that year as a birthday present.) I think the Kooky Spookys retailed here for $1.69 each. I just checked and the US exchange rate was 0.90008 in 1969. That would be about right, with freight charges added.

My PhotoPeach slideshow about Kooky Spookys is HERE!

Mimi vs Abi

I found my "Mirror Minors" membership button only the other day. For some reason Mimi of the Sunday Mirror was far more appealing than Charlie Chuckles of the opposition. (I think you had to send several stamps to join Charlie's group.) Mimi published numerous cartoons from me in the late 60s/early 70s, plus letters, jokes, riddles and even a little self portrait.

The Sunday Mirror was the "naughty one". It was the one with bare breasted would-be celebrities (and Abigail of "Number 96"!) in the TV pages by the critic, "Veritas". Our priest used to warn how wicked it was at mass, and how disappointed he was when members of his congregation bought it over the other two choices on a Sunday morning. But they had the best cartoon section.

I've been meaning to pull out the old scrapbook with all my old contributions in it, and perhaps reprint a few here. Meanwhile, I did find an old headline page from 1973 to use as background for my "Mimi" membership button as today's pic of the day.