Let us try this again

Bet you lot thought I fell off a pointy thing, into a boiling ocean, eh? Right.

. . . No prattle this time. Just an artdump.

Hitting the Paws Button

Been more than a wee while since I've posted. Sorry about that . . .

As of, er, June-ish, SemperFun (the company behind Otto And Anna) went under and I was left without my job. Since then, I've become a jaunty Cat Slave at my local S.P.C.A.

It's long, hard and frequently disgusting work, but I have to say, I actually really love it. I've grown so close to the kitties I take care of and have come to love them dearly. Which is frankly blummen' BIZARRE because I used to hate cats, ha ha.

At any rate, it bears mentioning that I have been doing a LOT of art during this time, but they're all really cumbersome projects that I don't feel ready to post in part just yet. Soon, though! One of the three projects is nearing completion and I hope to have it presentable by the end of the year at the very latest.

In the mean time, here are a few very quick doodles . . .

Given what you (might have) read above, it should come as no surprise that I have gotten in the habit of bringing work home with me, hee hee . . .

My very first foster, named Thumbelina:

We are very short on cage space at the shelter, and kittens can not legally be adopted till they are eight weeks of age anyway, so we frequently foster out the wee, wee bitty ones till they are of age. This ickle ginger was only three and a half weeks old when I brought her home . . . Of course, her size belied her energy. She later came to be nicknamed 'Nom-belina' on account of her habit of nipping at feet.

My current foster, Zippy:

Zippy had one foot (two paws?) in the euth room door, but I managed to find him a home with Sara, who has been kind enough to give him a second chance. I'm just holding onto him until she can come to get him. He's an ENORMOUS longhaired manx and the most docile, gentle cat I've yet encountered. He also had horrific mats in his fur, so we had to shave him down. He's literally half the cat he used to be.

Aaaand my boys, Zekiel and Ru:

These two started as fosters, but they'll be mine for good in a few days. Ru is a black tuxedo bobtail and Zekiel is a lynx-point siamese bobtail. They came in together and had to go home together. Their personalities compliment eachother so well, it's really no surprise. Ru is a bouncy goofball with giant, owly yellow eyes that just staaaare up at me. When I come home from work he greets me by running at me full-tilt, galloping clear up my body and throwing his arms round my neck so he can lick my face. Zeke, on the other hand, is a far more lax and dignified gentleman, though he is an undeniable cuddlebug and will often sleep curled up against my chest when I go to bed, purring away. I really could not have imagined finding a more perfect pair of pets for myself. I absolutely adore them. I'm also beginning to think I am doomed to accumulate cats with varying degrees of taillessness, ha ha.

So yes, that's it for now. More art is on the way soon, I promise. Dry Spell? Pah! NO MORE, say I.

Just jump

Sorry I've been on a bit of a hiatus as of late. I'm in a period of transition right now, and my soul has rather been swallowed by a personal project . . .

So yes, have a painting for now. Things will be back to good soon, I am hoping.

Who are you gonna call . . .?

The first two pages of YET ANOTHER project I have started upon



(it's a two-page spread, hence the line down the middle)

Look! Something shiny!

I finished my children's book last week, and the bound/printed volume is due to arrive at any day now! Exciting stuff.

Here are a few more illa's from it;









And one of an okapi, because they're my fave (and because this post needs some colour, ha ha)

We're painting the town

Backlog of illustrations for Fiery-Coloured!

A speed-doodle of a snow leopard for the 'Snow' challenge;



And for the 'City Features' challenge:



Otto and Anna feed a meter in historic Downtown Annapolis. You'll notice that there is no car in the parking space . . . Well, there is an explanation for that. Annapolis has come to be called 'ticket town' in some circles. Meter men/maids have been know to literally wait by cars wherein the meter has only a short time left, and slap a ticket on the windshield with half of a second of the meter's expiry.

Often when I drive downtown, I find myself upon the serendipity of a good parking space with a substantial amount of time left on the meter from the previous occupant. Thus, if I have a bit of change in my pocket and I notice another promising space awaiting a guest, I like to pay it forward (and yes, I do know this will be utilised because this is a major tourist point and people are constantly coming and going.)

And if you want to watch me paint it . . .

On and on it goes, with no hint of plot!

On the off-chance that anyone is going to be in the vaguely Marylandish area, I'll be present at the following events;

24th April, 2010 (this Saturday)
The Friends of Quiet Waters Park Earth Day Celebration
(link)

and

1st May, 2010 (next Saturday)


I'll be selling Otto and Annastuffs. Both events benefit charities ^_^

I thought that was a species of fish

Today, my boss and I met with two ladies who work for a local news publication, Chesapeake Family. Many years ago, Chesapeake Family did a feature about an art show my parents and I were putting up in a local cafe. My picture was on the front cover of the November 1997 issue. I was eleven years old at the time . . .



. . . The overalls were permissable enough for a child of that age, but I think the mullet has to be seen to be believed.

Spring has sprung

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL OF YOU LOVELY PETALS.

(copied and pasted from Fiery Coloured, for I, good sir, am a lazy bum)

I made this wee statuette in reference to the story of the Goddess, Eostre. It is often said that today's Easter holiday owes a great deal to this Pagan Goddess of Spring, who saved an injured bird by changing it into a rabbit. Every year round spring, however, the rabbit would then remember that it was a bird, and it would lay eggs. Hence, we get the Easter Bunny and Easter eggs.

Now, this story is a topic of debate, just about everyone I've heard it from/asked about it has told me something different. Either way, it's a fun idea and so we get . . .



BUNNYGRIFFS! . . . Come to think on it, I want to declare my responsibility for coining that term right now. I can not be certain the concept is my own to claim, but I'm going slap my hands down on this tabletop and say 'Bunnygriffs in name, copyright Fala Lee Hayes, 2010". Hurrah! . . . Or would it be more cute spelt 'Bunnigriffs'? Arararararrr.

Further backlogged drawings for Fiery Coloured:

For the Coffee and Tea challenge;



And for the zodiac challenge;

There's no need to embellish

This is the painting I did, as filmed in the post below this one. La la la . . .



(the 'link below' business was added because I uploaded this to DeviantArt as well)