Owner: French Toast Girl URL:http://www.frenchtoastgirl.com/weblog/blogger.shtml Join Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2007 07:31:05 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Art, inspiration, and why life is like french toast. Featuring original artwork by illustrator Elena Nazzaro. Site statistics:Click here
every day in may: seven 2007-05-08 03:47:00
The fairies have been busy!
As reported yesterday, we left a dandelion chain out for the fairies yesterday. I didn't disappoint! I took a small sheet of paper with flowers pressed into it, folded it in quarters, and wrote a thank you note from the fairies to leave on the rock. Weighted down with a rock, the note sat there while I gathered pale pink and deep magenta azalea branches to put in a jam jar on our dining room table.
I walked Sophie home from school and suggested we go check the rock before we went inside. She was thrilled, and it was really sweet to see, she read it over and over and showed it to Peter and Angela when they woke up from their naps. We tucked the note under a beautiful statue of a sleeping fairy Snowflake gave to us.
I am looking forward to see what other gifts the fairies will leave for the kids in the back yard this summer....
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every day in may: six 2007-05-07 02:55:00
Painted in my backyard, with kids playing around me and helping Paul plant. Each year I think the tulips are even more gorgeous than the year before. Can that be?
I made a dandelion necklace that none of the kids would wear, so we placed the circlet on a rock deep in our backyard for the fairies to have. We'll check tomorrow and see if they liked it and took it to keep. Even if a large fairy (wink, wink) needs to get up early to see that it's gone when they go look for it!
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every day in may: five 2007-05-06 04:21:00
I think I might be done. (A little more detail in the chair, but that's it.) Painting while West Side Story is on in the background keeps your brush moving... while I hate the story, the music is so fantastic I have to watch it every
time. Plus, hello, Rita Moreno! She rocks!
A detail:
every day in may: four 2007-05-05 04:07:00
More progress on Sophie and birdie! In the real painting, the shirt's not quite so Magenta-with-a-capital-M. Just a lovely pink.
♥ I'm going to be a guest blogger for the next two weeks at the design college Sessions.edu... and I'm writing all-new articles. The first one appeared today, and I'm working on one that's about working on your own web gallery to showcase your work. Enjoy!
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every day in may: three 2007-05-04 04:23:00
Sometimes, after a long day, and when the only time you get to paint is after you have put the kids to bed (and put them to bed again, and again, and again), it is very, very, hard to paint.
You do it anyway.
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every day in May: two 2007-05-03 04:45:00
The start of a painting of Sophie and a little bird. I took a ton of photos this weekend to work from, I am just itching to get at them all!
Today we all took a break to go to the townwide Balloon Parade - all the preschools in town get together for a picnic and music at our park, and then each school gave out balloons and they all paraded around the perimeter. It was quite colorful, Sophie got to walk with her friend from class, and if Angela and Peter could have refrained from screaming and bludgeoning each other over the head with their ballooons, it could have been quite idyllic.
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every day in may: one 2007-05-01 22:13:00
Started on location under my favorite tree in our park this morning. Finished up during a all-out painting session with the kiddos this afternoon. ♥
Check out what other people are creating today on the Every Day In May flickr group. There's even a site feed!
site note: comments are now being moderated. No need to post twice. :)
Read more:every
Illustration Friday: Remember 2007-04-30 04:21:00
This afternoon, I was listening to one of my favorite all-time albums, A Gift From A Flower To A Garden (For The Little Ones). It has a definite renaissance-y feel, and whenever I put it on, I swear my blood pressure goes down. It always reminds me of being in college, when my friend Amanda and I would get up at the crack of dawn to go out and sit at the lake and freeze with our watercolors and cranberry-walnut muffins, being painterly. So this evening I took a break from working and dug out my box portfolio from back in the day, when I had done a calendar based on the songs of this album. This piece is (gulp!) 13 years old, and what amazes me is that I could slide this right into my portfolio today. Apparently I had a definite style even then.
The song this illustrates is called "Epistle to Derroll". It's a Carroll-esque song about a man who is searching for his friend, a banjo-player with a tattoo on his hand. He calls all the starfish out of the sea to ask them if they've seen Read more:Illustration
, Friday
, Remember
Your toastess with the mostest explains it all to you 2007-04-27 14:30:00 Three things you may not have known about:
1. You can subscribe to my site feed and get updated whenever I post something new to my blog, just by clicking here:
Subscribe to french toast girl in a reader
2. Want to be notified of all the latest updates to the site or be in the know about upcoming projects and artwork for sale? (Oh yes, there will be much more of that, very soon!) You can sign up for email notices
here.
3. This is the mating ritual on the planet Koozebane. :)
every day in may 2007-04-26 16:24:00 Last year, I got this crazy idea that I would paint every
day in May. And post the paintings here on my blog. And invite others to do the same. ♥
Here's how it works:
Commit to create something every day in the month of May. (Note: last year I did over 31 paintings. I felt really rushed. So this year, I will spend more than one day on a painting if I want to. You can do the same, or do 31 separate paintings, or take 31 photos, make collages, or write a page of your novel every day.)
They can be tiny.
They can be crap. :)
They can be about anything you want.
At the end of the month, a month that has a solid week of recitals and hours of driving time and packing up the kids to bring to my parents so the house can be perfectly quiet, I will have done 31 days of paintings. I may hate them all! I may have one I love, or I may think all of them are my best work yet. But I do know that I function better painting than when I'm NOT painting. And hopefully after all those painting
Happy earth day to you! 2007-04-23 16:15:00 We take Earth Day seriously around our house. Here are some things we do to try to save energy and help the earth:
Skip the drying cycle in the dishwasher and let the dishes air-dry
Use cloth bags at the supermarket. I love these. People stop me all the time and ask where I got them, to the point where the cashier wanted me to go show them to the manager at our ShopRite and tell them to stock them!
Plant something green: Paul planted 12 arbor vitae in our yard Sunday.
Go organic when you can. Read here for list of food that has the highest level of pesticides, so you can make your choices. We always go for organic milk as well, because our kids drink so much of it.
No pullups or disposable diapers. So far, two out of three kiddos are staying dry at night. So far, we haven't gone back to diapers yet! Keep your fingers crossed.
Turn off the lights. I turn off everything, whenever we leave the room. It's a good habit to get into.
Give back. We'll be helping do a park clean-up th Read more:Happy
If you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you. 2007-04-21 02:35:00
This is a painting in progress comissioned by wonderful long-time reader David. If you like unicorns too, check out the gallery and click on the first square under "stories." I love stories of all sorts (especially classics!), and I'm itching to start painting this one!
NOTE: I thought this was quite obvious, but I guess it's not! This scene is from Through the Looking Glass, the sequel to Alice in Wonderland, in the chapter called "The Lion and the Unicorn." It's in the public domain, so you can read the whole chapter (and actually, the whole book if you like) here.
Read more:believe
Practicing, part two 2007-04-17 14:09:00
A few days ago I posted my sketchbook page full of faces - going through a magazine and drawing face after face after face. They're finally painted! While this was a good exercise, it's brought up something that frustrates me every time: I draw. I love the drawing. I paint. I lose all those delicate outlines and scratchings that the pencil gives me under the watercolor. Foo.
So for my next sketchbook practice page, I'm going to draw more faces, then go over the outlines with an ink wash. Not just the rapidograph pen - I don't want a harsh strong line, but rather a variable line. So I think I might get brown ink instead of black, thin it out a little, do all my detail work with a brush and pen, and then do the watercolor. I think that will give me the results I've been looking for. (The little girl's face here is my favorite from last night's page.)
ps ~ I am the 1000th Blog of Note! What an honor! If you are brand new to the site, welcome!
Illustration Friday: Snap 2007-03-31 02:26:00
My favorite album of all time: Rubber Soul. I prefer the American version, which some critics (and I!) think is superior to the British release.
FEEDBACK TIME: While this was incredibly fun to paint, it's hard to get four people to look like they're supposed to, especially when the album photo is distorted. So: I invite you to tell me something in particular I could fix on any particular Beatle. And you also have to tell me one thing you like about the painting or that I did right. Or just tell me how much you like the Beatles.
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, Friday
every day in may: seventeen 2007-05-18 04:09:00
Detail of a new painting in progress. :)
Yesterday was the 17th anniversary of my hero Jim Henson's death.
Life's like a movie.
Write your own ending.
Keep believing.
Keep pretending.
Read more:every
every day in may: twenty-two 2007-05-22 20:52:00
Running on fumes today.... the background was all I could manage. Three recitals down, two more to go.
. . . . . . . . . . .
Do yourself a favor and check out Summer Pierre's fantastic 'zine, "The Artist At Work." Not only does she completely get it, she is sending it out for FREE, just for asking. Go right now and ask her for a copy while she's still offering! I have mine!
There is definitely a feeling out there that the only real artists are the ones who quit their day jobs. I can tell you that you can be just as serious and inspired by having a day job to support that dream. Am I completely dedicated to my art? Yes. Do I enjoy having health insurance for my family? That gives me the peace of mind I need to paint. (And, in my case, my husband is self-employed and I am happy to provide the health insurance.) I have three day jobs: being a Mama, being an Art Director, and being an Illustrator. They are not mutually exclusive, but it is really nice to see another artist like Su Read more:every
, twenty
every day in may: twenty-one 2007-05-21 20:34:00
Just started a new one.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
I was asked recently what kind of supplies I use, and so I found this list I'd done a while ago of some of my favorite things.
Watercolour sketchpad. My sketchpad of choice is the Canson All-Media Book. It's acid-free, 90 lb. cold press paper that seems to take every
thing I throw at it: watercolour, ink, colored pencil, pastel, you name it. Mine's 9" x 12" and has 100 pages. This book is portable and lets me feel a lot freer to be experimental since I don't feel like I'm wasting a big sheet. I actually wish these did come in a bigger size. Which leads me to...
Watercolour pocket box. This is a wonderful travel box of watercolours that you can fit in your pocket. It's the Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Sketcher's Pocket Box. (phew!) It has 12 half pans of paint and comes with a tiny brush. When we went to Italy, I brought these and painted all my pictures with these tiny paints. They Read more:twenty
every day in may: twenty 2007-05-20 21:39:00
Rethought the wings. :) I get a lot of questions to answer about how I work and the materials I use; I'll do my best to write whatever I can... but now, off to bed. Tonight was the first night of five recitals, and after taking the kids out of the house for 6 hours, getting them home and off to bed, painting tonight and then knowing that I will be doing this for 4 more nights in a row after work... what was it I said? Oh yes, bed.
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, twenty
every day in may: twenty-five 2007-05-25 19:25:00
My last part of my portfolio article is up at Design Sessions! You can read the four parts here:
Showcasing your illustrations
Setting up your gallery
Finishing touches
How to get it all done
Read more:every
, twenty
every day in may: twenty-four 2007-05-24 20:47:00
♥ ♥ ♥ RECITALS ARE OVER! ♥ ♥ ♥
On-the-go playlist for a ride to Grandma's with three preschoolers who like to sing (links to YouTube where available):
1-2-3 Sesame Street - Stevie Wonder
Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing - Stevie Wonder (I swear, the other day, Petey put his hand on my knee and said, "Don't you worry about a thing, pretty mama.")
Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day - Stevie Wonder
Falling Over You - Rockapella
We All Stand Together - Paul McCartney
Let 'Em In - Wings (this is the kids' new favorite song)
Mah Na Mah Na - Jim Henson
Here Comes the Moon - George Harrison
Flowers are Red - Harry Chapin
Jennifer Juniper - Donovan
Wynken Blynken and Nod - Donovan
The Owl and The Pussycat - Donovan
There is a Mountain - Donovan
Don't Let's Start - They Might Be Giants
C Moon - Paul McCartney
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, twenty
every day in may: twenty-three 2007-05-23 20:31:00
One more night of recitals... eight more days of straight painting. How are you guys doing?
I just wrote, and erased, a recap of my ride home from Grandma and Grandpa's, complete with needing to physically restrain Angela from kicking and hitting her twin repeatedly in the car, but you know what? It was enough going through it the first time.
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, twenty
every day in may: twenty-eight 2007-05-28 15:38:00
The sleeping fairy in our garden, a present from Snowflake. I think she has more if you'd like a fairy to take a nap in your garden too. :)
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, twenty
every day in may: twenty-six 2007-05-26 19:21:00
My studio is sweltering hot... will work more tomorrow. :) I just may be done with this one, but I always need some breathing space to decide for sure.
Read more:every
, twenty
drumroll, please... 2007-06-01 11:25:00
I get numerous requests for prints of my artwork. I sat down and tried to decide which ones were worth printing, how many should I make, what would appeal to the most people, etc. And then we came up with this:
1. You tell me what painting you want a print of. Anything I have ever posted on this site is up for grabs.
2. I make it and send it to you.
3. Enjoy!
I'm working on coding the forms, setting up the paypal stuff, but I figured that making the announcement would inspire me to hurry it along. If you can't wait till then send me an email and we'll figure something out.
The details thus far:
* 5" x 7" print for $5
* 8" x 10" print for $10
* shipping included in the price
* printed on gorgeous glossy paper
* long-lasting inks in bright colors
It's going to just be that simple, from start to finish, because all I ever wanted to do is make art and share it. So here goes. ♥
every day in may: thirty-one (ta-daaaah!) 2007-05-31 19:30:00
Well, the fishies aren't done, but you haven't seen the last of them! I'll finish the painting up and post on the progress, whenever it's completed. I've enjoyed painting each day, and even though I won't be posting a new pic every
day, I'll still be creating like mad - though in June I'll be looking forward to having time to do other things, like sew, cook, and do some journal writing. Not to mention spending more time with the hubby since he's done teaching... :)
Congratulations to everyone who pledged to create every day, and to those who supported them. I would love to hear from everyone - how'd it go? Was it fun? Was it torture? Would you do it again?
See all my month's posts for May here.
See the whole Flickr group here!
Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the NEWS!
every day in may: thirty 2007-05-30 20:40:00
I thought I was going to be spending the evening with masking fluid and toothpicks, blocking out the white areas so I could do the water, blah blah blah, and all of a sudden, I thought, why? So I decided to just jump in and get splashy and wet with it. Believe me, I had a lot more fun! :)
♥ May may be almost over, but make sure to tune in JUNE 1 for exciting news! ♥
Read more:every
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