Bookmark Contest

So, I made a little doodle on a scrap of treated watercolor paper and it turned into a bookmark! I think it's kind of cool and if you do too, here's a way to win your own. Comment on this post and become a blog follower using Google Friend Connect (just click the Follow button in the menu on the right) and I'll enter you into a contest. Current followers are welcome to join in too, just post a comment below.

At the end of the month, I'll pick 2 winners who will each receive their very own doodlebird bookmark. But not this one...winners will get a brand-new custom made bookmark with the bird of their choice on top! I'll probably throw a few other goodies in the winner's package too. Sound cool? Great, now just post a comment below and don't forget to include which bird you would like!

Winners will be drawn on Tuesday, August 31st. All comments posted before 12PM on that day will be considered entries. One entry per person. No purchase necessary. ;-)

One Million Giraffes!

I painted this portrait of a giraffe for my niece's birthday card and also because I saw this cool project yesterday. He's up over 337,ooo giraffes so far as of this posting! Why not add one yourself?

Artists Trading Cards (ATCs)

So, for a change of pace I've decided to try making a few Artist Trading Cards.

I made two series, the Standard American Encyclopedia (circa 1937) series, (“Goat”, at left is a part of this series) and Strange and Stranger. See them all at my flickr page.

UPDATE: I'm working on assembling these into a collage for the “Small” show at the High Falls Gallery in Rochester. Anybody local to Rochester should check out the gallery and the show, it's an open call with only a $15 entry fee.

Butterfly Conservatory

Last Weekend Nicole and I went to Niagara Falls. The weather was gorgeous and we had a wonderful time. The fall foliage was at its peak and the views of the falls were truly spectacular. We even had dinner atop the Minolta tower. We were the last table to leave and had the whole restaurant to ourselves for a private viewing of one of the last fireworks displays of the season. Saturday we had lunch at the Secret Garden restaurant and spent the afternoon at the Butterfly Conservatory just north of downtown. What an amazing place! Thousands of stunningly beautiful butterflies dance around you in a lush tropical paradise. It was absolutely beautiful. Here's a drawing I did from one of the many photographs I took there.

Africa: An Artist's Journey

Laura from the Everyday Matters group recently posted a list of Artist's Journals that have been published as books. (Thanks Laura!) I'd like to add Kim Donaldson's incredible Africa: An Artist’s Journey to that list.

From Amazon.com:

Africa: An Artist's Journal is a fascinating invitation to share in the art and experience of walking where the animals walk. Kim Donaldson, an internationally renowned wildlife artist, grew up in Zimbabwe on a 150,000-acre ranch of unspoiled African bush country traversed by rivers, hills, and valleys and teeming with game. It is this stunning landscape that first inspired him to swap his hunting rifle for a camera and a sketchpad . . . and begin a lifelong passion for capturing on paper the wildlife of his native continent. Donaldson's stunning paintings and sketches have an intangible quality that can only be achieved by someone who has spent many years in the bush. Filled with spellbinding information about wildlife, culture, and history, this captivating journal is packed with scores of paintings, sketches, maps, and excerpts from Donaldson's diaries and notebooks to create a vivid and multilayered impression of this mysterious continent. Magnificent photographs and dramatic illustrations detail the spectacular plains Donaldson has visited, including Masai Mara, South Africa's Cape and Natal regions, the Serengeti, and Zembezi Valley, and more. The result is an enthralling journey through the magnificent expanse of Africa's most wonderful and surprising natural wonders.

Caribou - Alaska sketch reworked

I decided to add a caribou to the left side of this page. I think it rounds out the composition; but now I wish I'd done a better job with the otters.

Alaska

My sister recently returned from a trip to Alaska. Her photos (and those of her friend, Grant) inspired these pages.

First Post - Lion Sketch

Ok, this is a test post. Here's a sketch of a lion that i did a while back: