Just Because²

Opposites – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 18:37:00 +0000

WOW! I sure am late this week putting up my entry! But, better late than NEVER!

First, here is a story for your reading pleasure:

A cat died and went to Heaven. God met her at the gates and said, “You have been a good cat all these years. Anything you want is yours for the asking.” The cat thought for a minute and then said, “All my life I lived on a farm and slept on hard wooden floors. I would like a real fluffy pillow to sleep on.” God said, “Say no more.” Instantly the cat had a huge fluffy pillow.

A few days later, six mice were killed in an accident and they all went to Heaven together. God met the mice at the gates with the same offer that He made to the cat. The mice said, “Well, we have had to run all of our lives: from cats, dogs, and even people with brooms! If we could just have some little roller skates, we would not have to run again.” God answered, “It is done.” All the mice had beautiful little roller skates.

About a week later, God decided to check on the cat. He found her sound asleep on her fluffy pillow. God gently awakened the cat and asked, “Is everything okay? How have you been doing? Are you happy?”

The cat replied, “Oh, it is WONDERFUL. I have never been so happy in my life. The pillow is so fluffy, and those little Meals on Wheels you have been sending over are delicious!”

After I read this story on a message board I frequent... for the fun of it I doodled a mouse on roller skates.

Well, this morning I realized this mouse would fit perfectly for my entry! Therefore, that cute story was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday topic, "Opposites."

Here is a close-up image of the mouse before I added in the kitty:

Have a GREAT week!!

Sacrifice – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 20:52:00 +0000

As long as I can remember, my nephew wanted to be a Marine. I'm not sure if he dreamed this because his father was a Marine, if he was intrigued with war, or if he truly wanted to protect our country. But, he always knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. Even when he was in school, he joined the "Young Marines"...and, right out of high school he became a Marine.

Last year my nephew went to Iraq and fought among the many men and women to help the citizens of Iraq gain their freedom. He never told me if he believed what he was fighting for...but, as far as I know...he never complained. His unit was hit hard with great devastation losing many troops in roadside bombings and insurgent attacks. Forty-six Marines and two navy Corpsman serving with the Battalion he was a part of gave their lives. My nephew's life was spared and he is now at home safe and sound. Just last month he celebrated his 21st birthday! But, I think about how my young and innocent nephew grew up rather quickly because of this war; he now knows more devastation and has seen more death than I ever can imagine. Then I think about the many men and women that made that ultimate sacrifice to forward the cause of democracy in Iraq...and each day more and more people are making that final sacrifice. This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday topic, Sacrifice.

Skyline – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 01:30:00 +0000

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I see a trend happening...it is Wednesday already (although, this morning I could have sworn it was only Tuesday), and I finally completed my Illustration Friday. No excuses this week, except I just haven't felt like being on the computer. Let's just say I needed a little break!

This week's topic was another topic where I couldn't really get motivated at first. I guess I like topics that you can really expand upon...topics like "inspire" or "feelings." But, today I was sitting thinking about things...and, I was able to come up with something I am kinda pleased with.

When I was a little girl, I always loved snow globes...those little plastic, cheapie snow globes that you would spot in truck stops and souvenir shops. I never owned any that I can remember...but, I did always hope that somehow one would make it home for me to get lost in. Also, lately I have been dreaming of visiting my family (I was born and raised in Cleveland...and, have only been back to visit twice since we moved to Texas in 1996). This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday topic, "Skyline."

Sticky – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 14:05:00 +0000

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Here it is...Wednesday already, and I have finally found time to complete my Illustration Friday. I blame it on my husband being home...I never seem to be in the same work mode when he is around. Mind you...I don't mind one bit! In fact, now that he is back to work today...I already miss him, and wish he were here!

Back on topic.

This week I was once again stumped with trying to come up with something so unique I would blow everybody's socks off...so, I stuck with the ever-so-popular sticky subject...bubblegum! OH...and, I threw in a sticky bandaid too! I love drawing children's illustrations, and do enjoy brighter and happier subjects. So, I thought of a little boy blowing a bubble for the first time! This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday.

Rain – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 21:48:00 +0000

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I had fun drawing my dancing frog for last week's Illustation Friday theme...so, I thought I would bring her back again this week. This time she is singing in the rain (or right after as the case may be). I thought this little froggy looked lonely, so I drew her a pet gecko. Here in Texas, we get geckos in our home all of the time. I learned that having a gecko in your home is good luck...so, this little froggy must have GREAT luck since she has a gecko for a pet! This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday.

Dance – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 19:52:00 +0000

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Here it is, late Thursday afternoon, and I am FINALLY completing this week's Illustration Friday. I decided to take a short break from drawing (and the computer) this week, but had to follow through with my promise to myself to complete each and every challenge! So...better late than never! I didn't draw a sketch this week, rather just "doodled" in Illustrator and came up with my dancing frog. Nothing spectacular...and, rather a quickie. I guess you could say doodling with no direction was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday.

Jungle – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 00:20:00 +0000

Click for a bigger and better picture!

Here it is, Wednesday, and I'm finally completing my Illustration Friday. I can't say it was due to lack of time, but rather motivation on my part. Well, sticking with my promise to myself to complete each and every Illustration Friday, I finally decided to get out my sketchbook and draw.

I wanted to draw something different. For sure there were going to be tons of exotic jungle scenes, monkeys, jungle animals, tarzans, etc. But, being the kind of gal I TRY to be, I wanted to be different. Therefore, I decided to draw a simple scene of a hobo camped out in his Hobo Jungle. Originally I had graffiti on the wall...but, opted to draw a few symbols from the Hobo Alphabet instead...this way I could make the illustration a bit dated. This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday topic, "Jungle."

I also decided to play a bit, so I recorded a snippit of me drawing in Adobe Illustrator. You can find it on YouTube by clicking here.

Portrait – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 18:19:00 +0000

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When I was younger, I always wanted to be a schoolteacher. Better yet, an elementary school art teacher. Well, I sort of followed my dream, and about four years ago I began teaching Graphic Communication at a local college. This ended up being my dream job! Who would think I would go from wanting to teach first graders to teaching college students. This initial dream was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday topic, "Portrait."

I was playing around this afternoon; and came up with a sepia version. For some reason, I always love the way illustrations look when they are duotone, or have an old feel to them.

Click for a bigger and better photo!

Bonus Portrait:

For our final project in my college Drawing I class, we had to create a series of artwork. Since I loved doing portraits, I chose to do classic film stars. This is just one of the portraits I created. Can you tell who it is (yes, the name of the file name WILL give it away)? It was drawn with charcoal on plain old 19" x 25" drawing paper. Gee...I really need to get my conventional art goodies out!

Cake – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Mon, 29 May 2006 02:46:00 +0000

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I admit it...I have been a bit frustrated with the Illustration Friday topics lately. Not so much that they are poor topics...just that my brain doesn't seem to want to come up with anything different or unique. What can I say?...I like to be different and unique! With this said, I succumbed to fitting in with the Joneses and simply drew a cake.

Going back to my dreams of illustrating children's books...I decided to make this entry a mock cover for a children's book (a girl can dream, can't she?). Well, when my daughter was young, she had a life-sized Raggedy Ann doll...and, she used to play games with her, including the classic nursey rhyme "Pat-A-Cake." This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday topic, "Cake."

Pat-A-Cake, Pat-A-Cake

Baker's Man!

Bake me a cake as fast as you can...

Roll it, and pat it

and mark it with a B

and put it in the oven

for baby and me!

Sorry – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Mon, 22 May 2006 16:02:00 +0000

I just couldn't get inspired with this week's topic, "sorry." I kept coming up with the same kind of image...somebody looking sad with a look of forgiveness on their face. I sketched several rough drafts...a child sitting in the corner looking over his shoulder, a woman in tears holding a handkerchief, and a child looking up at his parent with both a look of horror and a look of sorrow on his face. But, I wasn't happy with any of these sketches because I wanted something different.

After taking the weekend off from thinking...I finally decided to do something VERY simple to fulfill my personal commitment of submitting a new illustration each week. So, I finally decided to think of other ways to show how you are sorry. This led to a dozen roses with a card simply stating, "I'm sorry"...which evolved into the illustration above... a "Dear John" letter...but, in my case, a "Dear Louise" letter. This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday.

Angels & Devils – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Thu, 18 May 2006 02:20:00 +0000

When I saw this week's topic, "Angels and Devils," I knew I wanted to do something simple and fun. I also had decided to start to design pieces to sell on the Internet. So, what a great topic for me to start my business! This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday.

If interested, check out my designs on some products at my new storefront! Thank you!

Also, don't forget to check out my Weekly Photoshop Challenge, this week's challenge is a doozy...yet quite fun!

Fat – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Mon, 08 May 2006 00:18:00 +0000

When coming up with my illustration this week, the first thing that came to mind was a fat cat. Of course, I tried to think out of the box...so, I drew my "fat cat" as being a rich man; a millionaire...a tycoon (you get the idea!). Somehow while sketching my "fat cat"...I thought of that little gentleman from Monopoly. Of course, my fat cat doesn't look anything like Joe Millionaire (aka that Monopoly Guy), and I didn't want it to...but, I was drawn to the color of the Chance cards (those are orange...aren't they?). This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday.

Update: After seeing that many visitors saw "The Monopoly Guy" in my illustration...I decided to share a link to a photo of the real guy! I notice, thank goodness, my "fat cat" looks much more suave and rich...and much more snooty! LOL! Here is a photo of "The Monopoly Guy":

Don't forget to check out my "Weekly Photoshop Challenge." This week's theme is "colorization." We had some great entries last week, and I hope we get even more this week! Enjoy!

Under the Sea – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 17:27:00 +0000

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When I saw what this week's topic was, I had a deja vu moment! "Hmmm," I thought..."didn't we already do 'Under the Sea' before?" So, I looked back at my previous entries, and realized that we did have the topic, "Sea," not too long ago.

After realizing I wasn't losing my mind, I tried to come up with a unique illustration. After a couple of days of contemplating and sketching, I realized my creativity gene must be on vacation this week. Perhaps it is because I'm developing my students' finals; perhaps it is because I'm bogged down with LOTS of grading; perhaps it is because I was finishing up my online professional development class...who knows, but I just couldn't get creative with this topic.

After feeling like a creativity failure this week, I finally decided to just draw something that I have always been intrigued with, seahorses. This was my inspiration for this week's llustration Friday topic, "Under the Sea."

Don't forget to check out my new Weekly Photoshop Challenge. This week's topic is "Silhouette." So far several participants have created some wonderful creations! Visit, and see what you can come up with as well!

Robot – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 16:35:00 +0000

Click on Image to View it in Color

I really wanted to try and come up with something different for this week's topic, and after sketching little robots in the likeness of those from the movie, Robots...R2D2 from Star Wars... and the robot from Lost in Space...I switched gears. How about a robot that looked more human? So, I thought about the movie, Stepford Wives...and, how the wives were all changed into human robots. This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday.

Please check out my new weekly Photoshop Challenge. You can read more about it at my blog, Weekly Photoshop Challenge. I feel it would be great to have a nice, clean weekly challenge for anybody interested. I hope many of those of you that use Photoshop will play along!

Spotted – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 02:35:00 +0000

There seems to be a trend with Illustration Friday topics the last few weeks...a little alliteration, if you will. First we had SPRING, followed by SPEED, and this week we have SPOTTED. I wonder if next week we will have SPOILED or SPECTACLE? Hmmm...how about a SPOILED child making a SPECTACLE of himself?

Back to this week's topic. My favorite flowers are wild sunflowers. The area in which I live in is bombarded once a year with these SPECTACULAR SPECIMENS. The vivid yellows and oranges radiate in the open fields. This, along with the lovely lady bug with its fantastic spots, was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday topic, SPOTTED.

Please check out my new weekly Photoshop Challenge. You can read more about it at my blog, Weekly Photoshop Challenge. I feel it would be great to have a nice, clean weekly challenge for anybody interested. I hope many of those of you that use Photoshop will play along!

Speed – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 22:32:00 +0000

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Coming up with an image this week was a bit tough for me. Not so much that I couldn't figure out what to draw...but, rather which idea I came up with would be the best for this week's theme, and the most unique. Finally, I remembered an incident between the little boy I babysat years ago and a small bumble bee. The bee wasn't really near this young tike and wasn't even bothering us...but, this little boy dropped what he was playing with and ran like the wind all the way down to the end of the street. This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday.

I did have a dilemma, however. I couldn't figure out which of my illustrations to post. Above I have it in color, but below is a duotone I did with the same image. I really like them both...but they both lend a different feel. For the fun of it...I am sharing both.

Click for a bigger and better image!

Please note! I am starting a new venture in cyberland! I have decided to try a weekly Photoshop Challenge. You can read more about it at my new blog, Weekly Photoshop Challenge. This summer I am teaching Digital Imaging at the college I teach...and, was planning on doing this challenge just with my students. However, I feel it would be great to have a nice, clean weekly challenge for anybody interested. I hope many of those of you that use Photoshop will play along!

Spring – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 14:58:00 +0000

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I had a hard time trying to decide what to draw this week. I drew several sketches...a little girl wearing a rain bonnet catching raindrops on her tongue, a cute little seed packet surrounded by butterflies and other cute insects, and a set of gardening tools and planters all ready for planting. But, I decided I really wanted to use pastel colors...even though I'm not a pastel kind of girl. So, the first thing that came to mind was Easter and bunnies...but, frankly...I wasn't in the bunny mood. So, I chose to do a simple little garden. I am quite fond of gardens, even though I have a black thumb...so, creating this garden was quite enjoyable because I know I won't have the opportunity to kill it. This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday.

Monster – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 22:32:00 +0000

Click Image for Bigger and Better Image.

I drew a few monsters before coming up with my final piece. I drew a few scary monsters, a couple of "Monsters Inc."-type monsters, and a cute little girl wearing a monster costume. I finally decided that I wanted to show the softer side of a legendary monster, "The Son of Frankenstein." This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday.

I also am sharing my process for my final piece. As you can see below, I originally had the colors brighter. I opted to tone the colors down a bit, and give the illustration an "older" feel. I am happy with the outcome of both, but do prefer the muted a bit more. Which do you like better?

The Process

Original Sketch

Drawing begins in Adobe Illustrator using the Bezier (Pen) tool

Drawing complete in Adobe Illustrator

Close Up of Outlined Image in Illustrator

Color Completed in Adobe Illustrator

Colored Image Placed in Adobe Photoshop to Tone Down Color and Add Texture

Voila! The finished piece was completed!

Feet – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 18:46:00 +0000

Click Image to make it bigger and better!

Each birthday, children around the world get out their measuring tapes, rulers or yard sticks to measure how much they have grown since their last birthday. Sometimes measured in inches, feet, age, or just by date...the notches on the wall are a great memory for both the children and the parents. This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday, Feet.

The other day, one of my friends had asked me how I get my drawings onto the computer. It varies....but, I always start with a small sketch. Sometimes I just look at my sketch and draw directly in Illustrator using the Bezier, or I will start directly in Photoshop. The image above was sketched, scanned, placed into Illustrator and then drawn over with the Bezier tool. I then imported the Illustrator file into Photoshop for tweaking and special coloring...and, Voila!

This week, I wanted my image to look like it belongs in a very simple children's book. Therefore, I opted to leave everything white, except for the main image.

Here is the sketch I originally started with:

Tattoo – Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 18:52:00 +0000

What a novel idea...actually getting my Illustration Friday done on Friday! Don't count on this happening much! Spring Break started today; so, I decided to take the day off from the "real world" and play! Next week I'm going to be busy working on my Summer lesson plans...so, I may not have time for "me."

With this said, back to my illustration. My daughter used to LOVE getting temporary tattoos out of those gumball machines at the grocery store. They usually were YingYang signs, Chinese Script sayings, and astrological signs. Once in awhile she would get one that I didn't quite understand how it made it into a machine geared toward children (hence the "bad girl" tattoo). This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday.

Don't forget to check out my other creativity blog, just because³. Here you will find my creations for Inspire Me Thursday...once I get them done, of course.

Insect - Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 18:52:00 +0000

As long as I can remember, I have been drawing lady bugs and bumble bees as shown above. I also enjoy designing children's coloring book pages filled with simple lines and LOTS of areas to color. This way, children will be able to put in their own textures and add a bit of creativity and originality to their creations. This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday, "Insect."

Don't forget to check out my other creativity blog, just because³. Here you will find my creations for Inspire Me Thursday.

Tea - Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 07:08:00 +0000

I have always loved children's songs, especially ones in which we can dance around with while singing and being silly. When I learned that this week's theme for Illustration Friday was "tea," I immediately thought of the tune, "I'm a Little Teapot." Click on the image to see it larger!

Also, don't forget to check out my Inspire Me Thursday blog!

Song - Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 22:14:00 +0000

When my daughter was younger, we used to sing all sorts of children's songs...one of which was "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday topic, "Song."

If you can't remember the words...here you go!:

"The Itsy Bitsy Spider climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain, and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.
So the Itsy Bitsy Spider climbed up the spout again."

Simple - Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 16:44:00 +0000

One of my favorite artistic styles is Americana Folk Art. The simplicity and unpretentious designs often add a sense of calm and nostalgia. Many times the clean lines and plain color have a naturalness that speaks volumes to your heart; and tell a different story each time you view the piece. This love of Americana Folk Art was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday topic, "Simple."

Chair - Illustration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (TXArtcGal) — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:11:00 +0000

Better late than never (it has been a rough week around here!)!

When my daughter was young, we used to go to garage sales and resale shops for furniture, toys and clothing. I remember this small, child's chair made with different bright-colored fabrics and patterns. We didn't purchase the chair that day...but, it left a memorable impression with me. This was my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday, "Chair."