I have been busy.  The drawings for the second book in the Dickens Junction series are finished. I’m pretty excited about them. I will post full versions here once the Semi-Famous Author, Christopher Lord, posts them on his own site.  It may be a while, but it will happen.

In the meantime, I have revised a sweater (tutorial and photos coming some day…), made more jewelry, designed a new logo for a local liquor store, recovered throw pillows and couch cushions — heck, I’ve recovered most of the bleeding couch in effort to save it from the cats’ shredders — created and modified some recipes (actual food!) and more.  Not much that’s too artsy, but…Things have been made.

Today’s Thing really should count as at least 6 things, but I’ll call it one because it’s also not very artsy (though I did use my very own pattern for the pattypan). I am currently crocheting (well, I’m currently typing, but my current project is…) vegetables for two different fundraisers:

1) the forthcoming IndieGoGo campaign for the Montavilla Food Co-Op (one entire set of veggies will be available to one lucky pledger as a perk)
2) my friend’s son’s school’s auction (one complete set of veggies will be up for auction)

So far, each set of veggies looks like this:

Thing 45

But I am not done.  I’ll be adding to the piles for a couple more weeks.

Happy Thing-making!

Below is a new sneak peak (drawing detail) of a drawing to be featured in The Edwin Drood Murders, due out in the fall of 2013. The book is, of course, the second in the Dickens Junction series, the first being The Christmas Carol Murders, which I know you read and loved.

Happy New Year!

Thing 44

Thing 43 is this year’s holiday card. Most of you (well, probably ALL of you as I think most people who see this blog are friends and family) know that I hand draw my holiday card every year.  So, here is this year’s:

Cheers!

To see these Things in their entirety, you will just have to wait for The Semi-Famous Author, Christopher Lord, to start talking to you about The Edwin Drood Murders, book two in the Dickens Junction Mystery series. In the meantime, enjoy these sneak peaks and read The Christmas Carol Murders.

Thing 41 – A Detail

Thing 42 – Another Detail

I’m working on drawings for the second Dickens Junction Mystery: The Edwin Drood Murders.  I’m having more fun with these as they are a little more my style.  I’m really looking forward to the Our Mutual Friend Murders drawings as the subject matter will lend itself to some surrealism fun.

In the meantime, here are a couple of story board sketches that I’m calling Things 39 and 40.

Thing 39

Thing 40

I’m going to start with the defense.

It was suggested to me by a certain someone that my last post was not so good, that in it I devalue the work of my friend and client, Christopher Lord. This was not my intent.

I think it is very common for artists of all sorts to be their own worst critics. I don’t see how we can be any different. What do we have to aim for if our work is always perfect?  How can we hope to improve if we think our work always great? I hope that the art I create is never great, for I think that must mean I’d be ready to die — or at least lead a very boring and unproductive existence with little to look forward to.

In calling my last two things “Not My Favorite,” I was neither commenting on Christopher’s taste nor his work. Nor was I saying that the Things were abysmal failures and signs that I should donate my crayons and pencils to the local preschool, and stick to coding database-driven websites. I was simply saying that the two drawings are not my favorites.  Surely even the unnamed can agree that not ALL of my drawings can be my favorites.

That being said, here I present for you Things 34 through 38.  These ARE some of my favorite things.

Thing 34 is a map of Dickens Square in Dickens Junction. Like Things 32 and 33, you will find this Thing in The Christmas Carol Murders by Christopher Lord (which I love, by the way).

Thing 34

Things 35, 36, 37 and 38, are part of a map that will eventually be posted here and on DickensJunction.com. The map may or may not be included in The Edwin Drood Murders (book two in the Dickens Junction series).

Thing 35 is a drawing of the front of the Hotel Elliott in Astoria, Oregon.  I had hoped to do more drawings of the hotel, but the staff seemed reluctant to let me look around and take photos. I guess I am a shady-looking character and the hotel has all the press it needs!

Thing 35

Thing 36 is a view of Dickens Square.

Thing 36

Thing 37 is the entrance to Pioneer Cemetery in Astoria, Oregon.

Thing 37

Thing 38 is the Astoria Column in, that’s right, Astoria, Oregon.

Thing 38

Well, those are some Things that I like.  Hopefully, they will not be the last of their kind.  And maybe, just maybe, some day I will look back at these and say, “Those are NOT my favorite Things;” because by then my Things will be ever so much better (I really wanted to write “ever so much more better,” but I thought that might be going too far) as to make these seem quite ghastly.

Thing #32 is another drawing for The Christmas Carol Murders by Christopher Lord.

It is not my favorite thing.

Thing #32

I have learned that when you are doing “work for hire,” you have to let go of some of your own ideas.  And that’s okay.  Christopher loves the drawing (and I adore Christopher) and that is all that matters.

You know, while I’m here, I might as well get the last “not my favorite” drawing out of the way, too.

Thing #33

I don’t think I need to tell you why these aren’t my favorite drawings (or that I am being kind by describing them that way). I prefer instead to just move on.  So, sometime in the next few days, I’ll post the first of several maps — which IS one of my favorites.

I have many things to share.  Some need to be photographed, some were given away before making into the Hall of Things; as for others, well, they give a new meaning to the word stink…

Thing 28 is a sample drawing I provided Christopher Lord when I began working with him on illustrations for his series of cozy mysteries.

Thing #28

Thing 29 is sample drawing #2.

Thing #29

Thing 30 is draft 1.

Thing #30

Thing 31 is the final drawing. A black and white version appears in the book The Christmas Carol Murders.

Thing #31

Stay tuned for more Things…  I’m going to try to be a good girl and post more drawings from the book, as well as, some maps from the Dickens Junction website.

Hello faithful reader, my one, faithful reader — Neil? Are you there?

Lest anyone think I have given up on my 100 things, let me set the record straight right here and now.  I’ve been making some _______ , I have. I’ve made so many necklaces and bracelets that I neeedd to make a hanger for these items; I’ve made more potholders than a Brownie Troop can shake a stick at; I’ve converted Neil’s old t-shirts into fitted shirts, skirts and headbands; I’ve crocheted still more fruits and vegetables; I’ve crocheted a set of nesting bowls; I made Breakfast at Tiffany’s themed masks, drink tags, and a sleep mask for my cousin’s bridal shower; I’ve drawn pictures.  The list goes on and on — and I won’t even tell you about the projects I’ve only started… I’ve even redesigned my Detroit History website (please don’t ask about my business site…sad, very sad).

I will post some of these “things” (SURE I will!).  But for now, I wanted to share with you the first photo of the advanced reader copies of my client Christopher Lord’s book, The Christmas Carol Murders. The book features my very own drawings (including the heart-shaped plum pudding on the cover below).

The Christmas Carol Murders

The book will be available in stores on September 25, 2012 — which happens to be my BFF’s 40th birthday (woot to Libby!).

Happy things!

It’s been a long time.  Are you still here?  I’m so glad that you stuck around.  I’ve been busy — and I know that’s no excuse.  I am sorry to have neglected you.  I promise to be better.

I’ve made Things — I have a back-log (back-blog?) of Things to post.  I have a new prospect that is exciting.  I’m likely to be illustrating a series of murder mystery novels (the first is due out in October and I’ll keep you posted…).

In the meantime, I finished a drawing for my Twitter profile and I’m calling it Thing 27.

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