OniOniOniArt

  The drawing of this lizard was interrupted by errands today but luckily I remembered to come back to it. The hubs walked in while I was working on it and said " ugh " (and actually flicked out his tongue much like a lizard)...which I suppose means that it looks real enough ;) ~January 6, 2022~ The Gallery for this Draw Something ( anything! ) Daily Challenge can be seen   HERE

It's been a while! I needn't tell anyone this has been a crazy year (I think everyone is going to remember 2020), but besides the craziness of the world beyond, it has personally been a crazy year for other reasons. Namely, the Maine farm mentioned HERE and HERE  is now finally ours. It's been nearly a year long process and gut-wrenching to say the least. We visited the property last week, and it is in need of much work - it is currently nearly gutted. So we'll be in Florida a while longer while we work on that. It's going to be a slow transition, but we consider ourselves very lucky! Actually, we're very lucky for many reasons looking back over the general tumult of the year.... The lizards above - green anole pencil drawings and their inked counterparts on watercolor paper - are all part of a little project I'm working on. I will update this post as I complete more of it.

Making earrings is usually a two-day process due to the drying time for the varnish, so I'm combining my bug days here and making two pairs! The first is a tropical stinkbug from the Amazon (above), and the second is a lovely blue weevil from Papua New Guinea (below). This post is a photo summary of how I make them... I start with a drawing... Frequently I will make mirror versions using the computer, so they appear to face the same direction when being worn, but these are fairly symmetrical and shouldn't make a difference*. I will also re-size them if necessary. Then I choose the colored pencils I will use... Using a sharpie marker, I outline the drawing onto the shrink plastic sheet: Then I color them with colored pencils: I punch holes for the jump rings and then cut them out with scissors. Besides making the design, the cutting can be the most time-consuming part of the whole process: Here they are cut out and ...

"Make something inspired by another Creative Sprinter" This pencil sketch was inspired by the lovely sea thorn earrings made by fellow sprinter, AS.  The thorniness reminded me of this personable and bizarre lizard, the thorny devil ( Moloch horridus ). (October 27, 2016)

"Create something you can wear on your body.  Bonus: get a picture of yourself wearing it in public" I feel the same way as this frilled lizard about the public . Perhaps the pin will encourage folks to bugger off? Pin made from shrink plastic, sharpie marker, colored pencils,  glue, pinback, and a wee bit of hostility (yay!) (October 26, 2016)

"Make something that incorporates or is inspired by a smell" ...and flicks its tongue to collect molecules of death and stench  which tickle its vomeronasal cavity to strict attention. --In an effort not to fall behind, here is a quick sketch-- (October 24, 2016)

"Interpret your favorite song lyrics" It's not my favorite (who can pick one song?), but the crested gecko was  inspired by a couple lines from the 311 song "Amber": "Amber is the color of your energy, shades of gold displayed naturally" "Rainstorm, take me away from the norm" I wanted the gecko to glow against the storm, but for the sake of getting this done,  I used colored pencils. Maybe watercolors next time. (October 23, 2016)

"Do something backwards, upside down, or inside out" The lizards are upside down. Totally counts. origami and bristol paper, glue, string, sticks (October 22, 2016)

"Take something boring and make it really fancy" When I hear "fancy" I think of evening wear and cocktail parties... ...and so this perfectly good photo of a brown basilisk running for its life on the water's surface   became this lovely enchantress in her evening gown,  running because she is late to the cocktail party. (printout of photo, origami paper, gold ink, micron pen, glue) (October 21, 2016)

"Create using only materials you can find in a kitchen" Leopard gecko made of rice and a variety (now forgotten) of hand-rolled Chinese green tea. (October 20, 2016)

"Take a walk outdoors and create something using exclusively  the materials you find along the way." Lizard made exclusively of pine cone scales. I've seen another artist's work of a snake rendered in similar material, so when I saw the abundant pine cones, I picked them up. I did, however, have to use glue, not found outside, to get the scales to stay put. (October 18, 2016)

"Invent a new word and illustrate or demonstrate its meaning" " PETASUSAURUS " Noun . A lizard, preferably a chameleon, that is placed on the head to control bothersome mosquitoes. From the Latin,  petasus , meaning "hat" and the Greek,  sauros . meaning "lizard;"  or literally, a "lizard hat." Modern usage : " Hey man, nice petasusaurus! " (I haven't drawn in anime style for ages!) (October 17, 2016) Update: I've been corrected, "Hey (wo)man, nice petasusaurus!" Thanks, AS

"Recreate a famous work of art in your own way" "Lizard Happy Dance" Based on Matisse's "La Danse II" I'm actually not a big fan of Matisse, but for some reason it popped into my head when I read "famous work of art" And who doesn't delight at the thought of dancing lizards? This is acrylic paint on Bristol. 2.5" x 3.5" I got behind on projects again...I'll be working on that today. (October 15, 2016)

"Make something intentionally messy" We'll just call this Chaos, Day 11 , shall we? It turns out making a hot mess with watercolors is a good way to de-stress. (October 11, 2016)

"Camouflage something" My chameleon easily disappears into any background. Acetate film, acrylic paint, & sharpie marker. (October 5, 2016)