Somewhere near Fractaltown …
First, there was a big trunk coming up and over. Then, a large-ish branch curving backwards. And a slightly smaller branch curving backwards. And a slightly smaller one. And a slightly smaller one.
It ended up slightly like a fractal, slightly like a nautilus shell. I like it lots.
Here’s the sketch version:
One I’m looking forward to cleaning up in vector-land.
… and click through to the vector version on RedBubble.
It cleaned up pretty nicely, eh?
And we now return to our regularly scheduled program …
Now that I’m finally mostly feeling like a human being again, instead of a plague victim, I’m trying to get back into the swing of posting. It’s been gloomy and overcast for the last couple weeks, so today’s art is from a sunny spring day:
Signs of spring
I took this one out in my back yard and it always reminds me of the joy of springtime, as everything comes out of hibernation and begins anew.
As usual, you can find this one on RedBubble as well: http://www.redbubble.com/people/ninthcircle/works/9526802-spring-tulips
Trees Again
This week, I’m sharing another before-and-after pairing: A Strange Perch
The sketch version
I’m not quite sure why these trees, when they have something in them, have owls, but they do seem kind of appropriate somehow.
Vectorizing an owl was a bit interesting, as it needed to be a bit more accurate than my somewhat blobby sketch version. I also found it a bit unbalanced and tried to fix that in the vectorization. Here’s the final version, which is also available on RedBubble, as usual.
Among other things, the owl moved, trying to keep the tree from falling over. No, owls don’t understand physics.
Retrospective time!
Before we out with the old, let’s take a moment to appreciate it, shall we?
This year, I finally managed to escape my two year stint in the Pit Of Despair. That’s pretty awesome, and I must tell you all that my life is pretty awesome now that I’m not there, but that’s not all.
I had an opportunity to decide, spontaneously, to go to Disneyland for the day. Another spontaneous destination on that trip led me to seeing a Gutenberg Bible and this ridiculously tall tree:
A hundred feet? More? Really Damn Tall, that’s how tall.
On a different trip, I climbed this staircase:
86 feet up, 88 iron steps, doesn’t come close to the walls until quite close to the top.
I’m only a little wibbly about heights, but … this was a bit wibbly-making. The view was wonderful, though.
Looking back at the year in photos, it’s clear to me that I haven’t done much with my camera when I’m not on the road, and maybe, just maybe, it’s time to change that.
What all awesome stuff did you do in 2012? What skills and challenges are you taking on in 2013?
The autumn winds blow chilly and cold
No trees this week either, but it’s been chilly, cold, and windy, which is reminding me of a visit I made to the Oregon Coast in September. The coolest moment was putting my hand in the Pacific Ocean and realizing that I had put my hand in the Atlantic Ocean less than a week before.
Also cool – having this photo turn out like I wanted (and it only took 5 tries!):
The Oregon coast in September is damn chilly.
Unlike previous weeks, this is is the biggest version on this site, but there’s a larger one on cards and prints over on (no surprise!) RedBubble here.
Belated Thanksgiving Thoughts
The last couple months have been marked by low-level sickness and total overwhelm. In the midst of that, however, I have found a few things that I’m thankful this year. I didn’t manage to post this at the societally-appropriate time, but that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped being thankful for them.
This year, I’m thankful to have an amazing partner who supports me in my artistic endeavors. My life has gone in directions I hadn’t really ever believed it could (or, in parts, even imagined), in part because of my partner’s support. Best of all, my partner even doesn’t mind that I sometimes drink coffee!
I’m also thankful for vectors. I’m not quite sure who first thought of representing an image purely in terms of points, lines, and curves, instead of as maps of individual pixels, but I am really glad they did. Relatedly, I’m thankful to the people who have the time and skills to post tutorials on various tools for wrangling vectors.
I’m also thankful for having supportive friends. It’s fantastic to have friends who comment on my posts here, occasionally buy my designs, and even ‘like’ my crossposts to Facebook. I cannot even express how much I appreciate my friends who have stepped up to help me out in the latest changes in my life.
In general, I’m pretty amazed by the awesomeness in my life and pretty damn happy with it. I hope your lives are full of happiness and joy as well.
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