baseball, brewskis and broskis

Since I don't seem to be making any progress on my other projects today I'll go ahead and post this, the last image from our tour of Greensboro (at least for this week). I sketched this last night while enjoying Thirsty Thursday at the Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball game. This is one of my favorite summer activities...despite the massive amounts of Broskis.



Need clarification on what constitutes a Broski? Search "My New Haircut" on YouTube. But here's advanced warning: it's completely raunchy and appalling...a car accident you can't turn away from.

the writing on the wall

And here you have it, the front facade of the massage compound:


Surely this building (and it's past) is an embarrassment to our city. However, I can't help but think there could be a bright future for this space, with it's modern lines, if given another purpose...and a good 'clean' bath.

that's amore!

You didn't know you were going on a tour of Greensboro this week, did ya?
Here we are at Elizabeth's Pizza where Louie and I shared a terrific lunch yesterday.


A few notes about this drawing:

1) I was in a race [with myself] to complete the sketch from the time we sat down until our cheese pizza arrived. I lost and had to finish up after my 2 slices.

2) My favorite part is the little girl in the lower right hand corner, coloring with her tongue stuck out. This was her favorite part as well as she "inadvertently" snuck over behind me, took a peek and got a big laugh.

3) I would like to add more color to this drawing, but my office at school and studio at home share joint custody of my markers...leaving neither happy.

I've been out and about drawing this week as a way to get back into the swing of perspective drawing as I gear up for a new semester at school. It is helpful to remind myself what works and what doesn't as I'll soon be facing these challenges with students. I learn something new with every sketchbook page.

Next stop on our tour : Dolls of the Orient Massage Parlor...I kid you not.

in the garden of eden

Apples, no matter how you slice them, are always tempting.

nap time

Hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend! See you in a few days!

note the side note

a stiff [and dirty?] upper lip

I've been having a good hair week.

Unfortunately, this has been negated by the misplaced freckles that have unexpectedly appeared above my upper lip that look like dirt...or worse yet...a partial early-pubescent mustache.

It's a shame really. Though I should be used to this kinda thing by now...

creatures of routine

This is how Reilly spends most evenings:

in bed

out of bed

in bed

out of bed

a brief series of heart-stopping-barks

in bed

out of bed

[repeat 27 times]

Pokey, on the other hand, stays in one place -- which is great, except for the fact that the place is next to his bowl whining for more food. Ahhhh...

i didn't expect this in my inbox

Is this a little peculiar to anyone else?

sprinkles on top

The sad thing is that I'd forgotten this fact until reminded by an 11-year-old a couple of days ago.  Here's wishing you a week filled with sprinkles of childhood happiness. 

hold on to your antlers

(aka : I have multiple-personalities and divulge too much info on the internet)

illustration by Maira Kalman

You've GOT to check this out!

I wonder if I'm so attracted to Maira's work because it is incredibly inspiring [and there is no doubt about that : it is! it is!] or because it makes me feel a little more normal. I struggle with the feeling 'normal' part sometimes. Take a conversation I all too often have with others:

Q (others) : What did you do today?
A (me) : I drew my cereal.

Yeaaaaah. So it makes me feel good when the same things that stand out to me stand out to others. She's cool...so perhaps I'm not as big of a dork as I think I am. I guess it's human nature.

I have a feeling I may delete this post later. Too self-effacing. I feel like I'm in junior high again...and I swore I'd never go back.

a really good day

We just had triplets. [insert squeal of delight] I think I'm still in shock. Though I wonder about our chances of getting our own reality show now...it's possible right?


From left to right : Bunny Blue, Rita Red and Lotta Lime

In case you're wondering I don't plan on keeping the chairs on top of the table. But new babies deserve a clean floor which I'm just about to tackle... I did the same thing for their big sister. And yes, my cheese has slid off my cracker...for the 999th time.

Learn more about the amazing couple behind these chairs in this recent article in the New York Times. So, so cool.

the sunniest day ever

With this sketch I am proud to officially mark the end of Drawing Drought 2009!

Thank you all for your support!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

headbanging

I'll be honest. I've lacked a little motivation to work in my sketchbook lately. This whole blog debacle (which seems to be working itself out...yes? no? maybe?) has been the icing on the cake. However, it's officially time to stop banging my head against the table and get out and draw.



That's today's plan at least. Let's see how I do.

houston, we have no blog

I think Blogger must have it out for me.

You see, a few weeks ago I changed my blog address from http://www.suzannebuchanan.blogspot.com to http://www.anopensketchbook.com All was well. You typed in my old address, it sent you to the new one.

Fine and dandy.

But starting late last week, this message box comes up:



with this fine print:


Gee thanks Blogger...we've been good friends for so long and just like that you turn on me. You're like an ex-boyfriend spreading rumors. I promise I don't offer spam, viruses or any other forms of malware. I'm just here to share a little joy...nothing more, nothing less.

In order to avoid this pesky little gateway box, please do me a very kind favor and direct your browsers to my new address. If you link here...thank you! thank you!...if you don't, please do! And, if you want to go one step further, and mention this little snafu on your blog, on twitter, on facebook...I would REALLLLLLY appreciate it. It seems that in some cases the aforementioned annoying little box doesn't come up at all which may mean I'll lose my dear readers entirely unless I get the word out.

sammy all-star

One of my friends has asked me to do a series of drawings documenting her son's shoes as he grows. So much fun...especially with kicks like these!

See a earlier pair here.

a little sanity

So I've shown you a bad corner, how 'bout a good one?

Edgar just finished making this little table. It's constructed from layers and layers of plywood scraps, hours of sanding and lots of love. My dad made me the chest below some years back, complete with compartments for my art supplies. Not too shabby to be surrounded by men who are crafty.

See more of Edgar's handiwork here. I consider myself very lucky.

can you find the banana in this goat's stomach?

This is the current state of my studio.

Minus the Deadwoodesque texture that makes it look somewhat glamorous. Yeeeeeaaah. This is what happens when weekend organizing takes a turn for the worst and let me tell you, it's a great way to start a Monday (note sarcasm).

I think it's safe to say I won't be doing much drawing today. In the meantime, however, I plan to venture over to Artsyville and read this post one more time (I've already read it three). I think you should too. Cheers!

harvest gold granny decor

So as it turns out, not only has this blog gone to the birds, but so has my house. I hadn't really thought about it, but as I looked around for things to draw this morning I found a strange feather connection.

1) A little owl Addie bought me at the Liberty Antiques Festival. Innocent enough, right? At first I planned to paint him, inspired by this post at Making it Lovely, but after some thought, I'm going to leave him in all his avocado and harvest gold glory.

2) I purchased this swan planter at a neighbor's yard sale this past weekend for 50 cents. I'm concerned she's a little granny-ish, especially because the ivy I planted in her 'back' looks fake. Maybe another kind of plant would help her be more youthful...

a bare-backed-bear

I don't want to scare you, but I think I may be part bear.

I love to sleep.
I'm a little moody...just a little bit.
I have big feet.
And I could eat salmon and berries all day long.

A little side note : following the completion of this drawing, I turned up the glass I was using for my watercolors and took a big gulp. Not because I'm part bear...but because I'm part idiot. Yuck. Sadly, this is not the first time I've done this, nor do I think it will be the last.

yard sale marriage counseling

Speaking of cooking, I picked up this cross-stiched advice at a yard sale this weekend.

Pretty profound for a 25 cent purchase, don't you think?

dinner's on the table

I enjoy this type of cooking...otherwise known as cleaning out the fridge and cabinets so we'll be forced to go out to eat the next night :) I was a little disappointed however that the only vegetable I had to go in the pasta was an onion. I decided last minute to nix it completely and go veg-free.

up for orientation interpretation

I'd originally intended for this drawing to be viewed like this...



but I kinda like it better like this...



or maybe even like this.



Either way, I'll soon be selling it in a brand-spankin'-new-etsy shop. If you should purchase it, you can hang it however you wish!

sweet silence

It's rainy. The house is quiet. Things are perfectly still.

This is my favorite type of day...no distractions. Just being. And time to enjoy the small things that make home a happy place to be.

: a dream-inspiring map of europe, warm socks and a cute friend :


: a shag bath mat and sandals i can wear with nearly every outfit :



: a cactus collection i'm working hard to keep alive :



: a super cute booty with a rat tail only a mother could love :

: a little egg edgar found and over-sized hoop earrings :

: hello! letters that keep moving around the house :

: a dog that will do almost anything for a treat :

Here's wishing you a weekend filled with quiet bliss.

inspector gadget

Thanks for your sweet messages yesterday. I didn't realize how attached I'd gotten to those little aliens growing in my planter until... RIP little ones.

So on to happier things...perhaps.

Lately I've had a dead bug collection forming on my desk. Have I asked for this you might ask? No. Do I have a new bug popping up every day? Yes.


You see it all started when Edgar got this little magnifying glass and began putting various and sundry items under it for closer inspection. As a gesture of artistic support, lately the little things have turned into dead bugs for me to draw.

Romantic or disturbing?...I'll leave that for you to decide.

life is so fragile

[a place for an egg : courtesy of liz brown : fall 2007]

And just like that the babies are gone.

I went back to the nest to check on the birds this morning. At first I thought they were sleeping...but they weren't. I read yesterday that birds this age need to eat every 15 to 20 minutes from sunrise to sunset. With the mother nowhere in sight, it seems this didn't happen...

This was not how I expected this story to end.

prepare yourself

...for what I found on the porch this afternoon.



I'm still trying to recover. Learn more here and here.

edgar and the beanstalk

Edgar wouldn't kill a fly...or a wasp...or a weed. As a result, we have a wasps' nest rapidly forming on our front porch and this mammoth growing in our backyard.
I'm sure our neighbors love it!

happy birthday edgar

I think this photo deserves a clever caption...only I'm not very clever today. How about some help? Consider it a birthday present to Edgar :) And while you're at it, here's another captionless photo of Pokey getting the party started...

a chorus line

Oh, by the way (and I know I said I wasn't going to draw) I have some good news to share. The infamous-contemporary-home-seeking-birds hatched. I cautiously walked by the planter earlier this week only to hear some serious chirping. I got my flashlight, peered inside and this is what I saw:

The feathered version of Queen.

weekend warrior, not worrier

Projects I want to complete this weekend that don't involve drawing:

-- paint bedroom
-- finish shadow boxes that I started 3 weeks ago
-- plant flowers
-- touch up trim paint all over house (sometime having pets is not so fun)
-- organize studio closets
-- exfoliate via Salvation Army
-- paint front door?
-- brainstorm ideas for art in kitchen
-- enjoy being

Let's see how far I get on this list...

I'll be happy if I only cover the last item, which I'm starting on right now. What are your weekend plans?

restful

Taking a little time to charge the creative batteries. I hope to be back very soon.

a crumpled napkin

We're officially at the bottom of the barrel here folks. Sad, isn't it?
Think it's time to focus on filling back up the reservoir...

the friendship fish

Some friends share necklaces. My friends share fish.

Meet the friendship fish. He hangs out in my kitchen and every time I wash dishes (he holds a sponge in his mouth) I think about my friends...who also have one next to their sinks. You can get your very own friendship fish here:)

men are from mars, women like rugs

A couple of weeks ago Edgar drew our living room from memory:



I loved his axonometric view and decided to do my own:



I find interesting the things Edgar remembered to include that I didn't --- namely surround-sound speakers, Reilly's bed and air vents...

Also note what I added that he didn't --- window treatments, rugs, pillows, Reilly and Pokey (flat as a pancake)...

Different priorities perhaps?!?