I was keen to have something new for the Friday Illo theme of 'Cat'. I read on the web of 'digital paintings' made from photos. The artists make a digital painting and print it on a canvas. I have no idea how much such pictures fetch, I could not find the info. Sunday, January 22, 2006
"Sketchy Efforts..."
10:46am
Meanwhile, I was curious to see if I could do it. I found me a cat photo. Sure enough, my little 'Picture Publisher' has a brush stroke macro which can be applied to a picture. Zap! Then with the 'oil paint' brush, I refined some details:
However, the photographic origins of this kitty are easy to see when it is reduced in size, to say 25%. He then looks like a photo, again!
This technique might be an interesting possibility were the original photo my own photo. I might try it again on such.
Yes, the link to The Original is found under this link
Then, feeling that I ought to offer something a bit more 'original', I then made a quick sketch of the cat:
But I don't REALLY like it. There's just something 'off' about it. Maybe a few things 'off'. So I put a year old drawing of Dolly, the Mega Cat up for my Illo. I like that far better. It helps, though, that I had good inspiration from such a Regal cat as Dolly!
Meanwhile, of my efforts last night, I like this quick automatic sketch the best:
The cat sketch is surface only. All I was concerned with was showing the surface likeness of the animal, and it shows. However, the lady, there's not much 'surface', but I seem to have captured a little something of her interior, as she grasps the cup of mysteries.
I wake today with a bit of moodiness. I find myself anxious about the preposed jury duty tomorrow. Each year, the summons come up, and while I've managed to be excused in past years, it seems I must get it over with to get out of the queue. Julia is not so bothered. She also doesn't regard the task, were it to come to her, with the dread that I do. Monday, January 23, 2006 A
"Moody Monday..."
6:47am
Meanwhile, we did have a good weekend. I got my taxes done, and will be getting a nice refund back. Earlier, I changed the amount taken out for the state, and now, instead of having to pay, I am due a two dollar refund.
Saturday night, we went to the Mensa games night. Only four of us there this time, I am still marvelled by the great diversity of skill. The new young man displayed tremendous skill at a game called Ricochet Robots. His ability to see quickly how many steps it took to get the designated robot from point A to point B, despite the roadblocks along the way, amazed me. My mind boggled at it, and could only see the simplest routes.
Meanwhile, he felt hesitant to play Boggle, as it involves a search for words in a square of letters. He was amazed at our feverish writing to capture the maximum words within the timed three minutes. He began to catch on quickly, though.
Strangely, after spending time in the seventeenth century, it seemed as though I were walking out into a 'new world', bravery optional.Now it is Monday morning, and time to ready myself for work.
My 'fame' is coming in strange, strange ways. I wanted to see when the Desert Lily Quilters Show was gonna be. I really like going to those, and figured next Saturday would be the likely date. I couldn't find the info in the local newspaper's website, so I googled it. I laughed to see whose website page was given top billing in the search results. Yes, that's right, MY little page! Monday, January 23, 2006 B
"Some Train, Somewhere..."
7:21pm
It was a few sites downward that I found the info. Sadly, we've missed the show this year. Instead of dutifully doing my taxes this Saturday, I could have been enjoying those lovely creations. But I did not know.
Apparently, I am not the only one finding my pages come up first in the search results. Just this evening, a teacher who works with retarded students emailed me for the phone numbers to the train rides and the duck pond! Thinking I'd save some time, I put a link to the garden's website on my page. I added one to the train ride page, as well. I hope they are still doing that, but vaguely remember hearing on the TV that they weren't, until the train gets fixed. Don't quote me, I'm not sure. Some train, somewhere is getting fixed.
Back to my weekend. Not only did I not get out to see the Quilt Show, I didn't even get out for a walk this past weekend. But I do have a photo of a flower taken from the weekend before:
Jury duty is done. I was not one of the twenty six selected, to my relief. Now I know this is an important civic duty, I know that and all. But I was relieved, just the same. The case for which we were being selected would have taken a minimum of four days. I must say I was impressed with the way they questioned the initial twenty six picks. They really did their best to get a fair and impartial jury. For each one they excused on account of various reasons, they'd pick another of us randomly to take his place. When I went for jury duty back when we lived in Tucson, I did not see this part of the process. This is the plant it came from!
At Robert J. Moody demonstration gardenBut I remember the huge room, painted light blue, into which we were all crammed. Yuma county has a better interior decorator. The waiting room, with its beige, muted gold and accents of muted reddish brown, seemed more soothing. The chairs were more comfortable, too.
Most everyone read while they waited to be assembled to go into the courtroom. I was much too hyper to be able to concentrate on reading, so I did what is relaxing to me. I sketched some of the other people in the room:
The lady on the left had a rounded face, with full lips and long brown hair. She was reading "House of Bone". The lady to her left was dark blonde, thin, and deeply engrossed in her "Reader's Digest". She did not notice me sketching her, whereas the other lady did. I began drawing the shoes of the woman on my far right first, and thus she ended up larger than the rest of the ladies. She was a nun, clad in black, and these were her sensible black, non patent leather shoes. I drew her 'married to Christ' ring a bit large. It was just the standard thin gold band.Forward...Not too long after I finished sketching this page, a lady announced that we were about to be led to the courtroom. No reading books or sketching allowed in there, they even told one woman to quit chewing gum! However, I was grateful they did allow bottled water and often took small sips to relieve my dry throat. It took about two and a half hours for the selection process to be finished.
I emerged into the cool fresh air afterwards dazed but grateful I did not have to return at 1:30pm, as did the chosen twenty six.
© Joan Lansberry
