G.eek!

Technology:

2012-01-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

It makes imaginary things seem real and real things seem imaginary.
I'm really not sure I like this at all. It makes me feel a little off-balance.
It is what it is, but is it a good thing?

Slippery Time: Redux

2011-09-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

Wow. My pear clock is disabled. and they've changed stuff around at Blogger. Are my settings the same? Guess I'll find out.

Someday, I do expect Radish to return. You know how life just changes, and you get busy doing different things than you used to do? Well, that's kind of what happened. I'm still here. Spot's still here. Myrna is not. :(

Stuff continues on. Yes, it does.

Be back later, whenever that is.

Slippery time

2010-09-07T20:56:00.001-07:00

So Radish has (temporarily) disappeared again. Why?

Well. First I was on vacation and just plain neglected him. Which is kind of inexcusable, because I enjoy Radish and should set aside time to spend with him while I am not busy.

And then I had to go back to work. I had to move schools and so spent more than a week moving and unpacking my stuff and puzzling over how to approach my year. Then school actually started and now I'm on a bit of a learning curve as I re-acclimate myself to being an elementary-school teacher again.

And also my little cat got really, really sick. As sick as she was last year, but in a different way and much more devastatingly drawn out. We haven't figured out if she can pull out of this yet or not. Yesterday I would have said definitely not. Today I think it's possible she could be mostly fine. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Time is a slippery thing. And Radish suffers because of it...as well as my knitting projects, my quilting project, my sewing projects, my garden.........

Radish will be back. Eventually.

Breaking News

2010-07-22T08:25:00.001-07:00

The citizens of Insalataville experience another odd incident. Hmm. What do you suppose will come of this?

Wahoo!

2010-07-16T23:29:00.000-07:00

Motion. It looks different in my head than graphic-ized. What do you think?

The Expected

2010-07-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

Given how my spring went, you should have seen this particular act coming. Did you predict it?

I read on the interwebs that 112 is the emergency number in Australia. I don't know if that's true, but at least it gives the location some...flavor.

The Dr. Salustiana Solution

2010-07-04T17:43:00.000-07:00

According to Wikipedia, salustianas are a variety of orange grown in Australia. I don't think they are unique to Australia, but I needed another orange name, preferably one that could be found where Radish is. And what a great coincidence that evil Dr. Valencia has an evil orange cousin right where Radish could find him!

This is my first Beware theRed Radish colored with my upgraded paint shop program, so I haven't quite got the settings fully adjusted. Unfortunately, the Viner font that I usually use to title the comic is not available. I tried to find one that looked similarly menacing, but could not. This font, however, is appropriately called "Orange."

Sumsumsummertime

2010-07-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

I am getting ready to take a roadtrip. Finally the sun will start shining here in my corner of the Northwest, and I am leaving for the toasty, humid midwest. Sigh.

In preparation for being away from the comforts of home, I got a new laptop and am currently attempting to sync my files with my old desktop. This has been a headache. Newer operating systems snub their noses at older ones. I really want to get my pictures and itunes transferred. I upgraded my paintshop program and I'm curious to see how coloring Radish works using it. And with the way things have been going lately, I'm anticipating a steeper learning curve than I would prefer.

FYI, I have a couple of Radishes that are currently uncolored. So stayed tuned. There is an incident coming up that I think is not entirely unexpected.

I also upgraded my car stereo (it was a tape deck/radio, and I own no tapes) for the trip. I have a book on cd to listen to (Craig Ferguson's American on Purpose), Italian to practice, and my iPod library to sing with. The stereo required three trips to the stereo store. They used a wrong antenna part which completely disabled any AM reception. I will be on the road for the World Cup finals, and it would be gutting if I couldn't listen. Still. Two trips too many.

I'm excited for the roadtrip, but the lead-up has been rife with little hurdles. The car stereo. Italy losing in the group stage of the World Cup. I accidentally erased my iPod. I broke one of my walking shoes, and for some reason Nordstrom couldn't get ahold of me to give it back. I had a negative experience with an Amazon seller (!) trying to get a copy of Craig Ferguson's book (sorry Amazon, Borders came through for me on this one). And the biggest one has been the whole computer transfer thing. But once I am on the open road, all those little irritations should melt away.

I hope.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world...

2010-06-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

Will Kiwi survive his meeting with Radish unscathed? Or will Radish whack him with the spade?Hmmm. If you were Radish, what would you do?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, my school year has ended. It was a...hard one. My district is in the throes of "disruptive change." They keep telling us "disruptive change" is good. Three middle schools' worth of teachers have been displaced. I'm one of them. So the bright spot is that I still have a job, the cloudy part is that I don't know where yet. I will certainly miss the people I have worked with for the past 7 years. Our staff was a genuinely nice one, overall, with some truly amazing people. It's a shame to have this family dissolved. I hope I land someplace with people like the ones I worked with and with the camaraderie....and I hope that's not too much to hope for.

"Menace me!"

2010-06-12T01:57:00.000-07:00

Poor Broccoli, always being menaced. I wonder what Radish is up to in Australia?

Summerfest in Insalataville!

2010-06-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

It's a time to welcome the coming season with joy and relaxation. And yet, what we have here is an all-too-familiar scene from Insalataville. Garlic wouldn't be brazen enough to whack anyone with her cleaver at Summerfest, would she? Well duh, yes she would. But will she?

Apparently it's summer somewhere

2010-05-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

...because it isn't even really spring where I live, which is odd. And much to the dismay of my neighbors, I'm sure, I have neglected my lawn. Well, besides the weather being unusually wet and chilly, it has been a pretty stressful last few months, so...there.

Anyhoo, it's good to see Broccoli out and about, but is he ever really safe? Maybe he should be wearing his fork-proof vest. But wait, isn't Radish in Australia? Maybe he can relax for a bit after all.

Good Guess!

2010-05-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

I think Garlic realizes there was more going on here besides Radish just losing track of time while working on the escape tunnel. I wonder if the SWAT grapes are even still posted outside the lair?

Time Flies

2010-05-20T23:57:00.000-07:00

OMG. All that stuff I had taught myself in the art of coloring Red Radish has jettisoned from my knowledge bank. I have a lot of relearning to do.

Thanks, Future Comic Book Writer.

2010-05-14T23:51:00.000-07:00

Today, Friday of a really long week, a student brought me a comic book he had made. Pretty cool. Here's a sample:

I'm sure I'll see The Adventures of Alien Man on the shelves at Atomic Comics a few years from now.

When?

2010-02-09T23:35:00.000-08:00

When, oh when, did "they" stop making notebook paper a uniform size? And why? Bad enough that pencils have "lead" that breaks every 3 mm or are wrapped in pencil-sharpener-killing plastic. Sigh.

And Now...An Education Rant!

2010-02-06T15:29:00.000-08:00

Poor neglected blog. Radish misses you, and I miss Radish. He must be most of the way to Australia by now. But that is not why I stopped by.

It is election time and my school district is asking voters to pass a levy and a bond. This of course always produces letters to the editor of our local paper who feel that schools don't need money and teachers are overpaid. And I am always annoyed by idiots who think that teachers can show up to a barren classroom and pull a perfect education out of their ass.

So I wrote a rebuttal to this week's letter from somone who complained that we're always asking for money and have too many vacations and that police officers are also underpaid and never ask for anything more (then why are they calling me all the time asking for donations?) and that we don't need more money especially for technological gadgets, we need only be more passionate about what we do.

I was limited to 250 words. I had way more to say than this. And I left out the part where the school where I work had to rent port-a-potties when our plumbing backed up.

Wouldn’t it be great if passionate teachers were all it took to create and maintain effective schools? There is much more to a school than passionate teachers. There is art, music, foreign language and, yes, technology, which are all offered as electives: the first programs to be cut when the belt gets tightened. There are textbooks which need to be updated or at least replaced when they are falling apart. There is class size which when larger allows for less individualized attention to our students. There is maintenance to our schools, which provides for a safe and healthy environment for our children—ceiling tiles that stay on the ceiling, plumbing that doesn’t shut down half the restrooms. And, yes, there are technological gadgets, such as updated working computers, which in this era are more and more necessary. I know that where I teach, I will not have an electronic whiteboard anytime soon, but the maintenance we do get will be important for our students’ wellbeing. Being able to send my students to an elective that will develop their talents and interests in a more well-rounded manner will be important. Being able to provide our students with textbooks that aren’t tattered, and time that isn’t splintered among 35 other children will be important. There is so much more to a school than teachers. Passion for our students’ education cannot provide everything that is important to your child.

Sigh. I need a vacation. ;)

Would Tim really do that?

2009-12-22T15:31:00.000-08:00

Events.

DC is currently in the middle of the Blackest Night event arc. And recently in this arc was a three-issue "Batman" sideline (I put Batman in quotes because, as you may know, Bruce is "dead" and Dick is currently in the Batsuit). In this sideline, Dick and Tim take time out to fight off their zombified, long-dead, black-lantern infected parents. And then we presume they go back to their regularly scheduled storylines...as noted by Tim in Red Robin #6, where during a fight with a fake-clawed Wolverine wannabe in Budapest he acknowledges "...after what I just went through in Gotham, [how this is going] is relative."

And therein is my quibble:

In Tim's current storyline as Red Robin, he is all over the place* searching for clues that tell him Bruce is alive. And in the course of this search, he's managed to get into a few scrapes--League of Assassins here, Council of Spiders there. And in the course of his travels, Lucius ("What was he thinking?") Fox sends his daughter to look for Tim, recent adoptee of Bruce's, who he thinks just ran away given the other tumultuous events going on in the wake of Bruce's demise.

Lucius' daughter, Tam, finds Tim and immediately gets caught in the middle of his scrapes. He takes her to "The Cradle," de facto headquarters of the League of Assassins, where he thinks she'll be safe until he gets out of his current situation....

And then he takes a break and goes back to Gotham to handle the re-animated dead parent thing. Leaving Tam in the middle of...Iraq? Budapest? in a cave, with known killers (and previously unknown even scarier killers). He left her behind. While he went back to Gotham. He even says that: "I left her there when I went back to Gotham to deal with the Black Lantern insanity."

Would Tim Drake really do that?

Events. Oh how they convolute the DC Universe.

*All. Over. The. Place. As in: I, the reader, have no idea where the story is taking place at any given time even though there are little bylines telling me. Tim's story jumps around so much it is beginning to make my head spin. It added interest at first, but now I am weary.

Love this. Love. Love.

2009-10-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

Oh Fer Cryin' Out Loud

2009-09-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

So now I can occasionally upload pictures, but not scan. I am almost more lost without scanning than without the uploading. I can end-around the glitch, but I don't get the quality I want if I do. GIANT EXASPERATED SIGH.

So. To leave on a lightly sunnier note, my tiny kitty, Myrna is feeling a little better and has backed off from scratching at death's door. Yay! Plus she's perkier.

And also? 6th graders suck. (Obviously with the exception of my niece).

Computer Whoas

2009-09-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

My computer currently refuses to upload pictures of any kind. And since Radish is uploaded from my Paint Shop album, he is currently unable to make an appearance. He apologizes for these computer woes that are not even his fault.

I have other things I would like to post about, but I am a bit overwhelmed with my new school year. My 5 6th-grade Language Arts (English) classes are packed to maximum, which is quite different than my smaller Reading classes were. It's going to be December before I can remember half of my new students' names. Fortunately I have many multiples, namewise, which ups my chances of getting it right. Who knew 'Jeremiah' was going to be so popular in 1997?

Apologies. I miss Radish, too. And Illustration Friday! And having free time that isn't sucked up by the urge to nap!

Fav Things: The Cats

2009-08-17T00:26:00.001-07:00

While I was travelling this summer, the kitties went to stay with Mom and Dad. This has actually turned out very well, as they are much better behaved there than they are at home (unless there is something my parents aren't telling me). And even though I have ended up coming and going just as often while my brother's family is here, having the cats out there has been better for them, continuity-wise. Except....

Myrna has been under the weather for some time, and last week, she took an odd turn and just about did her own liver in, so she's been travelling back and forth with me getting round-the-clock attention. Poor Spot isn't very happy with this (he tries to be mad, but the need to snuggle always wins out). I just wanted to say that the cats are among my favorite things, no matter what (and many of you know exactly how much that what entails).

Spot loves to have his picture taken, and will usually produce some adorable pose or smiley face. Myrna, being black and squirmy, is almost impossible to photograph, but once in a while she'll acquiesce. Here is a favorite picture of both Spot and Myrna.

Favorite Things, part 2

2009-08-12T00:57:00.000-07:00

Castles

Chateau d'Amboise, France

We don't have stuff like this in the US, so getting to spend several days hanging out next to a chateau is pretty darn cool. I wonder what Chateau d'Amboise looked like before much of it was dismantled while Napoleon had it.

Favorite Things, part 1

2009-08-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

Firenze, Italia

view from Piazzale Michelangelo

This is my favorite place. Yeah, there's my yard (which, sadly, has suffered drought and scorch in the last month) and the Farm on Vashon, but this is Florence.

I wish I could explain my feelings for this place, but they are more complicated than I realized.

I've been to Firenze three times:

1. On the bike trip when I was 17--I remember the Mercato San Lorenzo and that's about it. We'd been biking through Germany and France and by Italy things were a blur...until we reached that ferry in Brindisi...but that's another story.
2. I actually majored in Italian. Really useful, I know. I spent most of my junior year of college in Florence. I was homesick. My favorite memories are of wandering everywhere around the center and on the other side of the Arno, people watching and just being an observer, eating almond cookies and the best food on earth.

3. And now 23 years later with a different perspective and my niece in tow--it felt familiar and welcoming, and I could actually speak functional Italian. And I wish I could have stayed.

Vacation

2009-07-06T01:46:00.000-07:00

Radish and Garlic are still trapped inside the lair. I guess it's taking Radish longer to dig that tunnel than he thought it would. Broccoli is probably still trapped in the cafe. There may have been a malfunction in the Broccoli fork-proof zone. As you can see, Garlic is again practicing her aim, and if you recognize this, you might guess she's feeling a little stir-crazy and has decided Radish will do for moving target practice.

I'm leaving for Europe later this morning. So Radish is on hiatus. I did mean to get a few drawn and ready to go for scheduled posting, but alas. I'll be back in a few weeks; he'll be back in August. In the meantime, check the slideshow in the sidebar to see if my niece and I have seen anything interesting.

Darkness All Around...except in my yard

2009-06-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

I think Radish has been lost in his tunnel for a while...perhaps that's where he has been? It is my goal to get a set of Radishes done and scheduled to post while I am away. But we all know how I am with goals. And here's a bit of why I have been drawing less:

This is only a sample of my cherry trees' bounty this year. Snack time! My yard has been taking up my free time. Getting all the little loose ends tied before my trip has been taking the rest of my time. So excited! Sono molto contenta!

Also--there's a link in the sidebar for my Twitter page. I'll be twittering from Europe.

Drifting

2009-06-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

What is the intent of this spacecraft that is drifting so serenely above Planet X? Approach peacefully? Domination? Scan with curiosity? Siteseeing? Or drifting in need of fuel? Still have spaceships on the brain. Is there an antidote?

I toyed with the idea of attempting this with watercolors. Chickened out.

Yard Update

2009-06-22T23:14:00.000-07:00

My honeysuckle is spectacular this year, and I'm surprised it isn't swarming with hummingbirds. One will do just fine, though.

Mock Orange!! ------------->

Spot can't help but fall asleep watching me putter in the yard.

Two weeks until I leave for Europe with my niece!

Unfold

2009-06-14T23:38:00.000-07:00

Still in my science fiction head space. And liking colored pencils even though they don't scan well. I forgot how much I used to like to use colored pencils. So here's my Illustration Friday for this week, an unfolding flower...? One of my many favorite Genesis songs is Ripples from Trick of the Tail, where the lyrics say "Bluegirls come in every size." I think of that song every spring when my bluebells bloom. This kind of combines the song and the flower. Hmm. Rambling much?

Three and a half days of school: Eternity.

My Pretty Peony

2009-06-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

This is my first peony bloom ever. It's also the only bud on the peony this year. I am very excited. Also, my mock orange is finally going to bloom this year, too. Been waiting!

And this is my new favorite afternoon hangout. I moved some of my outdoor furniture around and this is a perfect spot for my table and chairs. Wish I'd thought of this a couple of years ago!
Ideally I'd rather have hardscape under the arrangement, but that is a project for later. (That's the mock orange farthest to the left by the fence.)

An Easier Way...?

2009-06-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

Is Fred really dead? Will Radish's interception of the radio call work? Good thing he was taking a break from digging the escape tunnel!

Craving

2009-06-08T16:30:00.001-07:00

This robot craves the weightlessness and color of a butterfly. He spends hours craving the ability to flit and float happily along rather than having to clunk and thump monochromatically through life. How will he ever satisfy his craving?

Sticking with the SciFi genre again this week for my Illustration Friday entry. And I managed to finish it before Thursday this time!

Stir Crazy

2009-06-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

Hmm. Perhaps there's a less strenuous--and messy--way out?

Adapt...and Failure to Adapt

2009-06-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

So, it's the end of the school year, and we are reading Science Fiction in my classes (so I can conveniently end the year showing vintage B SciFi flicks for the last week). Naturally, I have aliens on the mind. This alien ship is attempting to adapt to its surroundings, mutating into the semblance of the first life form it meets.

This was drawn over two days and painstakingly colored with what few unbroken colored pencils are left in my classroom. I wish my scanner did the colors justice without having to up the dpi to un-uploadable mass, because this came out totally awesome. I have several layers of rich color in the sky and ground as well as shading for the alien ship. Sigh.

I have been trying to get this on paper all week, and meant to bring it home and finish/post it last night. But the heat has eaten my working brain cells. My classroom faces south. Our building has great 8-foot tall single pane windows. And the heat on warmer sunny days is.... We have had a bit of a heatwave here, and I just spent 7 hours in an 85-degree room and 2 more hours at an 82-degree (worthless) workshop. I'm wiped out. Plus I slept fitfully, waking up everytime Mr. Feline Furry Furnace snuggled up to me. Don't cats feel heat? Doesn't all that fur make them feel hot? No?

(Previously...) Cracked

2009-05-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm. Why do you suppose this is cracked? Ponder all you want. I'm not telling.

Below is my Illustration Friday for last week (and the previous week). I just couldn't come up with anything for Parade, so that week slipped away. Then I decided that I would retroactively do Parade along with Contagious by drawing a parade of contagiously yawning cats. Alas, the week got away from me. Here is my sketch anyway. I liked this version.

I didn't even get a chance to see anyone's contagious illustrations (except Splinky the Space Cat). I think yawning might have been a popular theme. I see the illustration of the week features that highly contagious subject.

Still 2 and a half weeks of school. Sigh. Speaks for itself.

Hello.

2009-05-18T19:08:00.000-07:00

I deescovered your deelightful yard some time ago and have been eenjoying the seed that those messy sparrows fleeng to the ground. Not long ago you actually spoke to mee and seemed to toss some seed out just for mee and mee alone.

And now I have feegured out where you originate from, and I shall, from now on, be knockeeng at your weendow to ask for the seed that you so geneerously toss.

And here I am. Knockeeng. Breeng seed. Now. Leettle do you know, you are but one step in our deetermeenation to take over theeeee world.

Peegeons. Will. Rule.

(evil laughter echos through the yard)

Sunny Disposition

2009-05-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

My early tulips were sickly this year, so I was pleased to see the second wave lighting up the herb garden. They look even better lighting up my kitchen:

Spring Continues to Sprung

2009-05-07T22:31:00.001-07:00

I'm still watching the Norfolk, WV eaglets. It seems like only yesterday they were tiny little fluffballs tucked in a nest bowl. And now they are almost as big as their dad (at least I think that's dad, because dad has skinnier legs). They bounce up and down and stretch their wings. Poor things, it has been raining a lot and quite heavily in WV lately, so more often than not when I check on them, they have been soggy lumps. Eaglets here in the NW are still fairly newly hatched, so the comparison is pretty interesting.

Meanwhile, in my yard, a Black-Headed Grosbeak stopped in for a snack on his way to...? Maybe he'll stick around? And bring friends?

Oh, For the Love of Broccoli!

2009-05-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

Beloved citizen Broccoli: Still fork-free!

Conferences 'til 7 last night. Ran errands all afternoon. Fighting the urge to nap.

Fork-Free Afternoon

2009-05-05T20:10:00.001-07:00

Is anybody else wondering why there would be a shoe store in Insalataville?

...Although those bunny slippers would be pretty cute on just about any Insalataville citizen!

Hierarchy

2009-05-03T01:11:00.000-07:00

Yard hierarchy. I'm much happier with my Illustration Friday drawing this week than I was with last week's. This one went straight from my head onto the paper after some doodling. Best that way.

Super lazy Saturday. Didn't even make it to Free Comic Book Day. Watched Spider-Man 2 and did a crossword puzzle, then settled in for an evening of Barbarians on the History International channel and doodled until hierarchy found its way onto the page. Lots of heavy rain today: excuse for laziness.

Carrot's Impromptu Editorial

2009-04-30T06:19:00.000-07:00

When did Radish and Garlic have time to upgrade their tv?
Citizen's? or Citizens'? I think I should have proofread that one better.

Liar, Liar P...Rind on Fire!

2009-04-28T18:04:00.001-07:00

I enjoy figuring out what their little concoctions on the counter behind them will do next. Also I note that in Insalataville they do not make bandaids to match the many skin colors. Same old caucasian bandaid for everyone. Maybe Dr. Orange can revolutionize bandaid ethnicity once he figures out that his brother is lying to him!

Theater...?

2009-04-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

OK, so this one is an odd one. First of all, marionettes give me the creeps, so I don't know why I thought of marionettes right off the bat. Second, I really wanted this to be collage--fabric and paper and string with little metal bits--but I wouldn't finish a piece like that for a year. So here's the digital concept for my slant on theater, this week's Illustration Friday theme. Hmmmmmm.

Also, as mentioned before, migraines suck.

SWAT Trees

2009-04-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

The Insalataville map looks suspiciously like a bowl of salad.

Villain Recap

2009-04-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

Equal time for exposition. Click to enlarge.

Recap

2009-04-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

Sheriff Apple steps in to provide a little exposition. Click to enlarge.

Testing continues this week at school. We have all hit the wall, and I really wish I were allowed to use tranquilizer darts. Alas....

Impossibility

2009-04-20T23:19:00.001-07:00

I'm sure this isn't the most original interpretation of this week's Illustration Friday theme, impossibility, but what the heck.

I included my rough draft, drawn as I draw many things--in miniature, in a margin. I often like my itsy-bitsy drawings better than my bigger ones, though nothing I draw is very big....

Free Comic Book Day!

2009-04-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a nice little video of Hugh Jackman promoting Free Comic Book Day, Saturday May 2nd! (And also promoting his new Wolverine movie). Visit the Free Comic Book Day site for more information and to locate your nearest comic book store.

I might actually have to drag myself out of bed this year in an attempt to obtain Blackest Night #0. We'll see. Dragging myself out of bed on a Saturday morning is not an easy feat.

Argh! part deux

2009-04-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

This is the second week in a row I won't have an Illustration Friday illustration. Bummer. Well, to be honest, last week's word just wasn't my cup of tea, but fleeting should have been a fun one. I've just been too....
This week was week one of our two-week State Testing Extravaganza. I'm wiped out. Last year I was able to storyplan Radish in between monitoring test-taking habits of my advisory group. This week I finished my 3rd quarter grades and prepared for afternoon-after-testing classes. Maybe next week I can Radish.
Sigh. Must also mow lawn (neighbors beginning to glower). Must also put away the 4 loads of laundry I did last night (putting it back on the pile neatly folded: not acceptable). Must attempt to tear myself away from the many (!) eaglecams that I can't stop watching (and the Portland Red-Tailed hawk, two of whose eggs hatched in just the last two days!). Must resign myself to the fact that (evil) FOX will probably cancel the very well-written Sarah Connor Chronicles and mourn accordingly. Must get a good night's sleep.

PS Still working away reading Bleak House before I nod off for the night. Slow progress.........

Argh!

2009-04-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

Why are vacations so short? I feel like it's only been a 3-day weekend. I need more time! Today was the first (sort of) sunny day. I haven't done any gardening! I haven't done any knitting! I've only read 100 pages of Bleak House! I haven't even checked in on the eaglets today!

Yesterday Papa Eagle brought this live eel to the nest and it slithered away. He had to go after it. There's video of it on the blog, but here's a still of Papa returning with it to the nest. Fun for eaglets.

There is a sharp-shinned hawk in my neighborhood. I saw it wheeling overhead while I was waiting for the bus. I wonder where its nest is and if it's the same one that I've seen on many other occasions.

Why are vacations so short?

Poise

2009-04-02T00:35:00.001-07:00

This is a kitty whose bowl is empty. This kitty is displaying a dignified, self-confident manner of waiting for the person to come and fill the bowl. This kitty is completely composed, completely self-possessed, completely confident that food will appear. Poised, as it were.

But in five minutes, if the bowl is still empty, it will be a completely different story.

Head on over to Illustration Friday and find other interpretations of poise.

We Should All Have Those

2009-04-01T23:57:00.000-07:00

So...when we left off, like, a thousand years ago, Truffle was using her famous tracking nose to sniff out the trail of the fugitive Radish and Garlic. I'm assuming that Dr. Orange is still in the lair as well, but it's possible he has escaped. Perhaps covering his trail in that handy stream out back.

I want optical illusion shades. I don't know what I would use them for, or what the illusion would be, but the thought of them is cool.

Not my best coloring attempt. I'm practicing some stuff on paint shop that I usually ignore.

Subtract...and you have an addition. Or 3.

2009-03-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

Rough pencil sketch this week. Been busy. Also been watching the eaglets hatch on Eaglecam (way over in WV). The third one finally hatched this morning. It's 2 days behind its siblings, so I hope it will be ok. And also I saw Mom eagle step on one of them. Kind of scary. Dad eagle must be thrilled, because he's brought enough fish to feed an army of hatchlings. Eaglecam is my zen break from pre-spring break students. And if we have time they get to look, too (otherwise they're too distracted to actually work).

Legendary

2009-03-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

Legendary poetry

Legendary bird

For this week's Illustration Friday theme, I was going to draw legendary comic heroes Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, but I'm better at drawing animals and decided to go with the raven. I was just rereading a biography of my favorite illustrator, Arthur Rackham, which I'm sure influenced my choice.

Still fighting this cold. Doesn't help to have students coming to school sick...and that it is still snowing in the middle of March in the mild Pacific Northwest. When I see the doctor tomorrow, I'm sure she'll say I'll just have to let it run its course. Of course.

Intricate

2009-03-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

Who says extra-terrestrial spacecrafts have to be boring and practical? Perhaps this alien race is gifted in intricate spacecraft adornment. I really like how this one turned out. :)
Don't forget to check out everyone else's interpretation of this week's theme: intricate. I note that I am not the only Gillian there. I was 21 before I ever met another Gillian, so it always catches me off guard to see my name not associated with me. Fun, though.

For some reason, this post isn't loading right on the link from IF--at least not on my browser. Technology. Whatevs.

Also, please catch up with Splinky the Space Cat. Michael Smetham is quite gifted in building his ongoing storyline around the Illustration Friday word each week. I am in awe.

Shhh.

2009-03-05T22:42:00.000-08:00

Closer...closer still....

Perimeter Alert!

2009-03-04T23:52:00.000-08:00

Hmm. Truffle has led Pearil to the lair...what will they find? If you click to enarge, you may see where the security system is.
I meant to finish this this afternoon and get it posted earlier, but the eye doctor dilated my eyes. Best laid plans....

Breezy

2009-03-03T19:03:00.001-08:00

Breezy just sounds like it should be fun. What could be more fun than surfing the breeze?

Mary Had a Little Lamb!!

2009-03-02T17:36:00.001-08:00

Here's the dress. 99.75% done-enough-for-school. I forget how slow I am at hand-sewing. Must include a slam on Jo-Ann Fabrics: For as big a store as they are, their fabric selection is very poor. In order to get something a little truer to the period, I would have had to make more of an effort and drive to another city. Nevertheless, it was a fun project for a one-day event.

The post title refers to one of the guesses for my character. I only have a handful of students who know who Jane Austen is. Now when they have to read Pride and Prejudice in a few years, they'll remember that crazy get-up Miss F. wore. Here are some other guesses: Princess. Mary Poppins. Batman's girlfriend. Charlotte Doyle (yay! Someone remembered a book we read last year!).

Our Assistant Principal came as one of the Three Musketeers. I don't know which, I can only remember d'Artagnan, who isn't one of the three. Fabulous. And one of the Science teachers came as Ms. Frizzle. Very few of my students came as book characters. My favorite was Nancy Drew, complete with magnifying glass.

Red Radish by Wednesday. I promise! Can Truffle really sniff out the villains?

Odds and Ends

2009-03-01T16:35:00.000-08:00

Red Radish will be back...soon. I've been trying to actually keep up with grading stuff.

Also tomorrow is Read Across America Day. At my school we are having an event: dress up as a book character or wear your pajamas. The temptation to wear my pjs is strong...mmmm comfy.... We are a uniform school, so I expect most of the student body will show up in pajamas or just civvies and declare to be a book character that's present-day. I will be wearing a Jane Austen-era dress. I still have to hem it and finish sewing on the edging at the neck and the waist embellishments. My principal assumes I will be showing up dressed as a superhero of some sort. She doesn't pause to think that superhero women all wear skin-tight and/or skimpy outfits. I, personally, do not want to show up in a skin-tight outfit and then have to teach middle school boys all day. No. Thanks.

Speaking of Batman, next week starts the big no-Batman Batman event. Gotham Gazette, followed by the Battle for the Cowl arc and one-shots and finally bringing us back to the return of Batman and Detective, though probably still without Batman. I think I'm going to be stuck with Kate Kane's Batwoman for a while. Not entirely thrilled about that. I already pine for Bruce. Bruce, who is...

Panel of cave-Bruce from Final Crisis#7. Thanks DC. Thanks a lot.

...at present crouched in a cave drawing the bat insignia on the wall next to (presumably) someone else's drawings of antelopes...

...altering history as we know it. Just kidding. I'm sure none of the lives he will have to live banished by the Omega Sanction will actually have an impact on the modern DC Nation, but it would certainly make an amusing story if it did.

Back to hemming.

Burning Instinct

2009-02-20T19:43:00.001-08:00

I went with the first thing that came to mind when I read the Illustration Friday theme this week.

You see, Wednesday night I had a little kitchen incident. I grabbed a dish I had just pulled out of the oven, and I burned all five of my fingers--3 kind of badly. It was pretty stupid, and it caused me a very sleepless night and a day of pain, which thankfully has subsided now.

But this isn't an illustration of that event. This is my worst burn: The time I tripped over the cord to our electric griddle/frypan while my brother and I were making pancakes. The pan fell, and by instinct, I reached out to catch it. I burned my entire right palm and a fair amount of finger, if I remember correctly (it was...a long time ago).
Given my recent event, this is what popped into my mind for instinct.

It might not have been so traumatic at the time if the pain and pancakes actually talked.

Also, I haven't had much time to cruise the many illustrations over the last few weeks' themes, so I was very surprised and honored to discover this. Cool.

They're Baaaack!

2009-02-18T16:44:00.000-08:00

Both the Portland Raptorcam and the West Virginia Eaglecam are up and running!! The red-tailed hawks don't seem to have eggs yet, but the eagle pair has two that were laid over Presidents' Day weekend. I wanted to watch the Eagles build their nest, but I'm not sure there are pictures of that since, according to their biologist observer, they built their nest in its old location (not the one they used last year), and the camera had to be moved. Anyway, exciting! There is also news of the eaglet from last year who is apparently still recovering successfully from the effects of avian pox. Yay!

Be warned--the Raptorcam still has the intro-ad that startles me everytime with its sound.

BTW: Eagle pictures snicked from the posted 2-17 slideshow on the WVEC website. Thanks Eaglecam guys!

Celebrate

2009-02-17T19:47:00.001-08:00

This week's Illustration Friday theme is celebrate. This is how I imagine kitties celebrate.

This is probably how my kitties will celebrate the silencing of the horrible and roaring vacuum monster, which terrorized them while I actually vacuumed my "catch-all" room (formerly known as the computer/sewing/guest room) in preparation of some -gasp!- sewing.

Just a line drawing again this week, this time in pencil with a little digital

color for Spot's favorite toy.
Now to head on over and see how others have imagined celebrate. I haven't even peeked yet!

Truffle

2009-02-11T20:46:00.000-08:00

I thought a truffle, being such a delicacy, would be a delicate but talented citizen of Insalataville. Can Truffle lead Pearil to the lair? Or will the odd and overpowering mixture of odors do her? ...him? in?

Truffle is my first character with actual texture. Of course you have to click to enlarge to see it. Learn more about paint shop every day.

Bloodhound

2009-02-10T22:49:00.001-08:00

I would have posted this earlier, but I was working on what Truffle would look like. Black or White? And what does a truffle look like? Guess we'll see.... Stay tuned.

Time

2009-02-08T23:18:00.000-08:00

Time. When I thought about this theme, I immediately thought about how sometimes time moves quickly and sometimes it seems to slow down to just a crawl, and how those dragging moments of time seem so much larger than the bits that fly by. I thought about what makes time slow down. I tried to remember all the things I've done that sped by. There are a lot of books in there.... Then I realized that what was in my head was beyond the capabilities of my 'hobby' status of artist. So here it is. I did this in black and blue ball point and struggled while my scanner didn't pick up the lighter shading. So much to learn.

Time can be such a gift. And what spirals out of that gift are all the little moments that make life full but fleeting, punctuated by those yawning slow parts, including anticipation, which often leads to a gift.

Flawed

2009-02-04T23:36:00.001-08:00

OK, what I really wanted to draw was an empty glass--flawed because it contained no beer. I also thought of trying to capture what my head feels like with a migraine. Flawed turned out to be a harder theme than I thought it would be. So here I have a little sketch of my kitty, Myrna. Myrna has asthma. She took some medicine for a while that made most of her teeth fall out. So she has one fang. Does this make her flawed, though?

Black cats are hard to draw. They are almost impossible to photograph. Perhaps the flaw is in even trying to capture her beautiful fur. Hmm.

Red Herring

2009-02-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

And who will turn out to be the bloodhound of the fruit/vegetable world of Insalataville? Food for thought. Heh.

Soapy Traaaaails to You...

2009-01-31T21:36:00.000-08:00

Radish looks so cute in gloves. And now having said that, I suppose I will have to continue to sleep with one eye open. Will the soapy trail lead to the lair? Will Garlic be spotted forever?

By the way, including "The Birth of..." which is now labelled correctly, this is finally Beware the Red Radish #100. {Confetti and party horns} Kind of exciting in a quiet geeky way.

Where has my little Radish gone?

2009-01-29T22:01:00.001-08:00

I found this note taped to my computer today:

Dear Gillian,
You have neglected us. I am running out of patience with you. Garlic is running out of air wrapped in that towel. When you least expect it, the Fork o' Doom will be aimed at you. Sleep with one eye open.

Beware!
the Red Radish

P.S. I admit to not being sad that Dr. Orange is still unconscious.

Climbing

2009-01-28T19:36:00.001-08:00

It's been a long week. It's only Wednesday!

This week's Illustration Friday theme is climbing.
Here is a sketch of me climbing to the top of my procrastinated assignments-to-grade. Today. First semester grades being due tomorrow.

I haven't had the best semester of my career. Nothing ever seemed to come together. My students didn't seem to retain anything. I experienced way more resistance to learning than ever before. And I just got tired and didn't feel like grading anything. So a few things were put off. And put off....

I was home sick two days last week. You'd think I'd just knock out that stack in between bouts of coughing up a lung, but bleah. Who wants to grade when snuggled in bed with the "quit coughing on my fur" buddies?

So today, our one-day break between semesters, this was me:
Climbing the stack of ungraded papers. And conquer I did.

Revisited: Batman RI....whuuu?

2009-01-23T14:39:00.000-08:00

If you prefer not to be spoiled about the actual dribbling end of the RIP storyline, go away.

When we last left off, Batman had disappeared into the river amidst Dr. Hurt's helicopter explosion. Apparently that wasn't the actual end of the RIP storyline (My initial review below). In Batman 682, Last Rites (still by Grant Morrison), we begin to travel through time revisiting the events of Bruce's life from Alfred's point of view, only things are slightly off-kilter. At the end of the issue we find Batman strapped into an Apokoliptian mind-wiping machine powered by the "Lump," who resembles (but isn't) Clayface, tended by Apokoliptian scientists. One might assume that Batman escaped the helicopter crash only to be kidnapped by Darkseid's minions and carted off to experience yet another mind control experiment. One would assume slightly wrong.

Next, in 683, we continue the journey through Bruce's Batman career, still from Alfred's point of view, only now Bruce is slowly regaining control of his mind--something we know he has the strength to do since he managed just recently in the RIP arc to do the very same thing! Huh.

Three pages from the end, there are three panels that seem completely shoehorned in. They depict Bruce returning to the cave after the helicopter crash and telling Alfred he has to run off to join the Justice League. At which point he must have been abducted by the Apokoliptian scientists and taken control of by the Lump, blah blah blah now he's escaped.

At which point we rejoin Batman in Final Crisis 6. OK. Up 'til now I had chosen not to read the Final Crisis series, also by Grant Morrison. But apparently the whole RIP arc happens before the events of Final Crisis, even though the two comic storylines are running concurrently. So of course, I had to find out the real ending of RIP...two Batman issues and a whole other title removed from the actual RIP storyline. Coming in for the penultimate issue of the Final Crisis event, which meant I had only a little idea of what was going on.

So we rejoin Batman near the end of Final Crisis 6. He's face to face with Darkseid, who (on the previous page) we are informed is "sitting at the center of his own personal singularity," according to Wally West...or Barry Allen--there were three Flashes conversing and I could really only tell which one was Jay Garrick. And yes, Barry Allen has been resurrected.

So anyway, Batman is face to face with Darkseid and he draws a gun. A gun! Batman doesn't use guns! Of course he explains that he is making an exception, then pulls the trigger to launch this radion filled bullet into Darkseid, who says, "Can you outrace the Omega Sanction? The Death that is Life!" before he keels over. And we see Batman hit in the head and heart by two beams in a kind-of-ugly two-page spread. Then we don't see him again until Superman is holding his lifeless, crispy, desiccated body.

Batman, it would seem, is deader than a doornail. Omega beams being terrifically deadly.

Oh. Wait. Did he say "Omega Sanction?" At which point I refer you to this article at Newsarama, or this commentary over at Batman-on-Film. In short, the Omega Sanction sends the victim off into a series of alternate realities.... And for the third time in quick succession, Batman is lost basically in his own mind. I don't know how he'll rectify the whole crispified body thing when he gets back...eventually. I guess we'll see when that happens. Because, and I've said this before, if DC really killed off Bruce Wayne, there would be an ugly fan revolt. And actually, I think they're in trouble as it is.

RIP in itself was a pretty good story. At least I thought it was a pretty good story. But having the end not be the end and then putting the end in a different title and storyline altogether is really...cumbersome. To say the least. And it kind of made the whole RIP arc less good. So I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed in the storytelling and in DC. It's almost as if the Morrison storytelling machine got too unwieldy and all they could do was let it go and see what happened.

Meanwhile, Denny O'Neil wrote a two-part story that began in Detective 851 and finished in Batman 684 that followed Dick/Nightwing as he comes to grips with Gotham being Batman-less and what his role could possibly be. Yay Denny O'Neil! It was a quiet story, well told, and exactly what was needed after a spin on the Morrison-ride-of-mindbending-convolution.

I am still looking forward to Tony Daniel's Battle for the Cowl series. And also the Oracle story. But I think I'll just play it month by month with my comic-buying. And hope DC rights the ship before it goes down.

Pale

2009-01-17T20:34:00.001-08:00

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.

--William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet

Obviously the pale moon is somewhere off stage right.

Hanging out with a sore throat today. My immune system seems to have taken a powder this year. But I guess it gives me a chance to play with paint shop features I usually ignore. Head on over to Illustration Friday to see how others interpreted pale.

Contained

2009-01-11T23:15:00.001-08:00

Things Contained in a Crow

This week's Illustration Friday theme is contained. I didn't quite draw the regular pantalooned crow from my neighborhood, but this one is similar...and no doubt contains similar things.

Red Radish will return anon....

Also, if you're wondering what to read...check out this new blog.

Resolve

2009-01-04T22:24:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how many definitions there are for resolve! Wow. Above is one of many projects that are in my head but haven't yet been realized. This is my recycled-door garden shed. I have its footprint measured, staked and cleared. I have the doors. I have shingles. I have the entire construction of this, step by step, in my head. But every year laziness and other summer doings weaken my resolve to actually build it. Heh.

The other day I was thumbing through a seed/plant catalog, and I began to picture new or better or changed things in my yard...vegetables (which I've never grown)...new flowers for the hummingbird garden.... And the shed! I resolve to build it this year. This is the year! The yellow halo represents the heavenly chorus that will sing when I finish it.

Head on over to Illustration Friday and see how others interpreted resolve.

Orange Recovery

2008-12-30T00:02:00.000-08:00

Uh oh. Then again, who else would it be besides Garlic and Radish?

Narrow Escape

2008-12-29T22:48:00.000-08:00

But does that trail continue to lead somewhere? Would our villains be so careless? Well...maybe.

Clandestine

2008-12-29T16:47:00.000-08:00

This little kitty's clandestine plan to snatch the catnip under cover of darkness seems to be a success.

I guess I never really knew how to pronounce clandestine until now. Doesn't rhyme with Clementine. I had a hard time with this Illustration Friday theme, but I think I finally figured out something that works okay.

Batman RIP

2008-12-23T14:45:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in superhero geek mode in quite a while, so here's my (somewhat spoilery) take on the controversial Batman RIP run in Batman # 676-681 and DC's big plans.

Obviously not "Rest in Peace," because if DC killed off Bruce Wayne, they'd have a massive fan revolt. I'm guessing it's more like "Respite in Peace." Of course, Batman spent most of the RIP storyline in a alternate state of consciousness, so maybe he's Really into Pretending. Then again, there was Bat-Mite in this storyline, so perhaps he's Running in a Parallel universe. Frankly, whatever DC's plans for Batman are in the coming months, the fans will need a Recipe including Patience.

A lot of comic book readers didn't like the Batman RIP run. Grant Morrison told the story in puzzle pieces that didn't completely fit until the end. He included pieces from older stories-- meaning the entire history--which I liked but others didn't. Pieces of this story were planted from the beginning of Morrison's run, which made it a little cumbersome to put together (I didn't buy all the crossover comics for the Ra's Al Ghul story, so there's probably a piece of the puzzle I missed). There was the introduction of Damien, Talia Al Ghul's genetically engineered "son-of-Batman." We revisit the Club of Superheroes--Batmen of all nations (from the 50s Detective #215). Fake Batmen (Batmans?) appear in Gotham. Batman actually really dies for 4 minutes and we get retellings of #47 and #156. All before the RIP run even starts. And then there's Jezebel Jet. Bruce falls enough in love her to reveal his alter-ego, but Morrison never made her likable enough to be worth Bruce thoroughly opening up. I suppose we were supposed to distrust her, but it would have been a better piece of the puzzle if she were a legitimate contender for Bruce's ironclad heart. My biggest beef would have to be that the pieces of this story were too spread out. But that's also somewhat the brilliance of Grant Morrison as a storywriter. The point of the story was to explore whether Batman is breakable. Is he? Is he truly insane? As insane as, say, the Joker? Did Dr. Hurt really start this process way back in the 60s #156? Batman seems to pull it together in the end. Allies rally to help. Damien shows back up. But it's pretty open-ended and didn't quite answer everything. Is the Black Glove (club of villains...bored rich people into murderous games) truly disbanded? Who is Dr. Hurt? And of course Batman is gone now.

No Batman in Batman or Detective comic books and by March those titles will be "on hiatus." (Likewise Superman's storyline ends up with no Superman in Superman or Action comics.) Nightwing, Robin and Birds of Prey will all be gone. Instead we'll have a Battle for the Cowl comic, and Barbara Gordon gets an Oracle title. I know DC has to shake things up every now and then, but messing with your major titles in such a drastic way might test readers' patience even more than crossovers do. I have to say, I will buy the Battle for the Cowl. Tony Daniel is writing and drawing it. Tony penciled the RIP run and I really like his art. I hope his writing talent matches his art talent. That's Tony's Batman above.

RIP was supposed to cross over to Detective, Robin, Nightwing, and Batman and the Outsiders. It didn't, which is a pretty dirty trick to play on your readers. But Detective and Batman are now intertwining as the title nears hiatus. Yay, Denny O'Neil!

Enough With The Snow!

2008-12-22T15:35:00.001-08:00

I really should get back to Beware the Red Radish, but I have been super lazy. Finally today the temperature rose slightly above 32! Here is my yard this morning, before it started to melt. The lavender shot is about the same as the one two posts below if you care to compare.

"Snowpocalypse"

2008-12-21T12:18:00.000-08:00

Our "big" storm wasn't as bad as they thought, but some places had the predicted high winds and some places got the new foot of snow. We got 4 new inches topped with a crust of freezing rain. And I see it is snowing again now...rather heavily. Too cold for big fluffy flakes, instead we have icy powder that permeates the air. NOAA called it "ice fog" yesterday on their weather page for my area. I prefer a fellow Northwest blogger's term: Snowpocalypse.
By the way, that's my spectacular Nootka Rose behind the pine tree needles. Those rosehips are huge! I wish its neighbor Nootka Rose would follow suit!

This picture of an arborvitae is a little blurry, but shows the snow well.

I still have half a pot of chili and plenty of dvds to see me through until the roads are clear and/or all the idiot drivers have wrecked their cars.

Waiting for More Snow

2008-12-20T13:49:00.000-08:00

This junco seems to be eating lavender seeds. I liked the textures in this photo.
This junco is waiting for his turn at the feeder where he won't be chased off as quickly by his brethren. It just started to snow again--the beginning of what's been forecast as a big storm. We'll see.

Voices

2008-12-19T22:43:00.000-08:00

This week's Illustration Friday theme is voices. So here it is: the voices coffee cups hear. Makes me feel cozy, especially with our persistent chilly weather and the snow outside.

Brrrr

2008-12-19T15:44:00.000-08:00

It's supposed to be clear and cold today, but it's overcast and snowing. Most schools in the western part of Washington started their winter breaks early. Some earlier than my district, which gave us clear-but-cold Wednesday off for fear of snow later in the day, and then made us go to school yesterday while it snowed and then froze, making getting home a little hairy. (FYI native Washington drivers: trying to pass someone on the right up a steep and very slippery hill is nothing less than moronic.)
Now, I realize my friends and family in Colorado and Minnesota are rolling their eyes, but snow and ice in Washington is always a big disabling deal. Temperatures under freezing, especially for longer than a week, are unusual, and ice and snow is always dangerous to drivers who never learn....
So I'm glad to be home watching the birds and the snow...or my new big tv.

Rambunctious

2008-12-13T16:22:00.000-08:00

Raccoons were the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the theme for Illustration Friday this week: rambunctious. Above are raccoons rambunctiously dancing on my roof, as they often seem to do late at night. Below is a panel I snicked from a July story in my comic strip of typical raccoon rambunctiousness as well. I could have drawn birdbath-tipping, tag-playing, tree-climbing, cherry-throwing.... Raccoons=rambunctious!

Rush, rush

2008-12-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

Oh, there you are, Pear. Don't worry. Dr. Orange is only sedated.
By the way, the bubble bath has "sparkle!" but I think you have to click on the picture to see it.

Best Laid Plains

2008-12-11T16:41:00.000-08:00

Wow. I thought the Orange brothers were immune to the crossfire between Radish/Garlic and Pear. Hey. Where is Pear? (Or even Pearil?)

Found Out?

2008-12-06T17:19:00.000-08:00

Hmmm, how to avoid potential discovery of the villains by the good guys? What scheme could Garlic be concocting now? Frankly, I have no idea what's going to happen next.

Similar, too

2008-12-06T01:33:00.000-08:00

I've been sick for the last couple of days. Just a naggy virus of some kind. So I've slept a lot and thus am up late, still awake. So here is another interpretation for this week's Illustration Friday theme of similar:

Kittens.

I have to say, some of the art over there just blows me away. But then, many of the regulars are actual artists by trade and others who have devoted more time to drawing than I. Fun to see the talent that is out there. Go internet!

Similar?

2008-12-05T20:43:00.000-08:00

Which one of these is not similar to one of the others?* Illustration Friday's theme this week, as you can guess, is similar. I'm sure IF visitors are tiring of the Orange brothers, but since they're twins, I couldn't not include them in a smorgasbord of similar things...even if they are the only imaginary ones. BTW, Myrna and Spot turned out just about perfectly.

*This reminds me of Sesame Street's "One of These Things Is Not Like the Other" song.

The Horror!

2008-12-02T22:33:00.000-08:00

Dr. Orange is supposed to be holding a petri dish, but I see it looks more like a powder puff. Maybe Dr. Orange is very sensitive about his complexion.

I discovered a paint shop lesson I haven't learned yet: how to skew text to show perspective. Will have to do that some other time.

The Incredible Floating Onion!

2008-11-30T10:00:00.000-08:00

It took me a while to decide what to use for a kid in Insalataville. I've never considered younger fruits or vegetables.

I like how the layout of this strip turned out, but I'm not happy with the word balloons. It just can't always turn out exactly right, can it?

Balloon

2008-11-29T20:43:00.001-08:00

I guess that shallot disguise will have to be revised. She looks more like an onion now.

The IllustrationFriday theme this week is balloon, and I couldn't resist working it into Beware the Red Radish for a third week. It just seemed to fit into the storyline. Also, I didn't want to draw something with a real balloon or a word balloon. I liked the idea of the verb, and poor Garlic made the perfect victim...I mean subject.

No!...Aaah ha ha ha....

2008-11-25T21:49:00.000-08:00

I guess they're all thrown off by the blue eye shadow. It couldn't possibly be Garlic without the purple eye shadow.

Giggly Shallot

2008-11-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

Garlic is on the loose with the giggles...and apparently it's a good thing she seems to not be in possession of her cleaver collection. Lemonade, anyone?

Opinions Abound

2008-11-23T00:38:00.000-08:00

Garlic is certainly being stubborn.

Side effects from the goo vapor? Or side effects from Dr. Valencia's "cure?"

Coincidentally, this week's Illustration Friday theme is opinion. I'm not sure this is exactly what I want to submit, but I think I'll go with it for now. I could draw a random student expressing his/her opinion of just how much he/she hates reading, because I sure heard that enough this week to have a pretty clear picture in mind, but Illustration Friday is supposed to be a relaxing departure from my non-hobby world. So there, random student, I can get away from you, and if you didn't hate reading so much, you could get away from me, too, because a good book is a great escape. Too bad you don't know that.

Oops, sorry. Random education rant. I guess we're all expressing stubborn opinions this week.

Pretend

2008-11-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

This week's Illustration Friday theme is pretend. Such a broad theme was causing me slight consternation, but then I realized that I could easily work the theme into the current Radish storyline....even if Garlic is deluding herself in thinking she could resemble a shallot.

Rude Awakening

2008-11-14T15:30:00.000-08:00

Is Garlic working out her frustrations vicariously through Radish? Or is Radish out throwing forks because that's just what he does? Will Broccoli ever have a moment's peace?

Don't judge my palm trees, by the way, they're only dream palm trees anyway. Speaking of dreaming, my goal is to have posted 100 Beware the Red Radishes before my blogiversary. Only one month left. Counting the original Radish drawing, this is #87. Can I do it? Or am I dreaming?

Throwing Cleavers at Principles

2008-11-12T19:46:00.000-08:00

Yeah, right.