Relentless Toil

2008-12-22T11:56:00.002-05:00

I've moved again!
relentlesstoil.typepad.com
Hope to see you over there.

P.S. there's (still) not a thing wrong with Blogger; this is just how it goes.

I'm moving!

2007-06-13T21:06:00.001-04:00

We have liftoff!
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil

Exciting news! After much planning and many failed attempts to learn how to set up Typepad*, my beautiful little sister-in-law to be and I have finally launched our new blog, The Keet and Nini Show.

* There isn't a bit wrong with Blogger (blogspot.com), this is just how stuff shook out.

Thank you so very much, everyone who visited here, and everyone who commented. I hope to see you on the new blog!

I'm headed to another NICU benefit!

2007-06-04T23:55:00.001-04:00

Bird and Birdhouse Mini Quilt
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil

Two mini quilts (including this one), a puppy, a robot, a bunny, an owl, and a pussycat are going with me -- and my husband, who is the go-to photographer for mini quilts.

Off to another show!

2007-05-25T00:20:00.001-04:00

Daisy the Armadillo Mini-Quilt
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil

My second show (all new prints, mini quilts, and nice big quilts) opens tomorrow, Friday 25 May, at the Curiosity Shoppe at 4th & South in Philadelphia. I have been toiling quite a lot, even for me. I look forward to maybe reading a magazine or just plain sitting down -- soon!

Mother's Day

2007-05-13T22:39:00.001-04:00

Mother's Day
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

I got the words wrong a little bit, but thanks to fabulous mother-daughter duo Keri and Sheila Bas for introducing Julia Ward Howe's Mother's Day Proclamation to me.
My daughter Maya, age 2, graciously colored this drawing for me.
While my husband did his level best to see that I had a wonderful day (I did), I'd much rather see an end to war than a thousand Hallmark card holidays. And I'm very sure my own mom would sign up for that, too.

Mother's Day Proclamation 1870 - Julia Ward Howe
Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

peep

2007-04-05T23:28:00.001-04:00

peep
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Last year I did a big series of nursery prints about animals and the sounds they make. They were very much geared toward the tiniest of audience members: high contrast, very simple, and unique enough but not very stylized. Today I am thinking of how blissful it would be to design a whole nursery around this new animal-sound-related image, but I think it's maybe too visually sophisticated -- my little girl (age 2) didn't recognize this as a bird when I first showed it to her, and I like her art to be accessible to her.
Still, it's so cuuuuute and springtimey! What do your little ones think?

Bunny

2007-04-04T22:48:00.001-04:00

Bunny
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

We've got bunnies on the brain. My daughter was pretty wound up when we put her to bed, and among the songs she sang to herself was this:
Bunnies, bunnies, bunnies, bunnies everywhere
Bunnies in the kitchen, bunnies on the stairs
She conked out pretty soon after that.
I'm gonna take the day off Friday and we're gonna make paper bunnies that look a lot like this. Well, that is my plan, anyway. She may have a different plan. :)

Show in Progress

2007-04-01T23:28:00.001-04:00

Show in Progress
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Here's my part of The Curiosity Shoppe show. Some of the quilts were done using the "dryer sheet applique" method (which I feel must be spread like Gospel to every quilter on earth -- I really enjoy it and it's the least cumbersome and least kloodgey applique method I've tried and, really, I've tried them all), and others were done by printing onto fabric and then quilting the contours.

My First Show!

2007-04-01T23:24:00.001-04:00

The final candidates
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

I've been so excited (and so not blogging much) lately because, in addition to my usual load of toil I recently added all the preparation for my first SHOW. It's at the Curiosity Shoppe, 4th and South in Philadelphia, until the end of May; we opened Friday night (a very joyous occasion for me). I also made sure to sleep pretty well this past weekend to make up for all the midnight oil!

We drew them together

2007-03-04T23:29:00.001-05:00

We drew them together
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Each "tile" is a 9x12 sheet of newsprint with crayon applied by Maya and yours truly, early this morning. Maya is learning her letters and numbers -- as she colors them she tells me which ones they are. I notice, too, she's interested in coloring in faces but not often much else, which reminds me of me much younger.

A whole lot of stuffin' goin' on

2007-03-04T23:22:00.001-05:00

A whole lot of stuffin' goin' on
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Some old ones, some new ones.
I've really been learning a lot. There's sewing, and then there's sewing from your own pattern on the fly, and trying out the seemingly millions of applique techniques available. I feel like I get better with each one. It's great!
Ali -- the lambie on the left, that's your girl's :) She's waiting for me to stick a little pink flower on her ear.
Little Red Riding Hood (front and center) and the babooshka (to the left of the wizard) are coming to a shop near you this spring. (I'll blog about it when it's ready!) The monster, based on my "Nervous" illustration, was going to head to the shop too, except my daughter loves it way too much! I don't have the heart to take it away.

Bibiane (and her dog Pickle, who has one blue eye)

2007-02-28T21:02:00.001-05:00

Bibiane (and her dog Pickle, who has one blue eye)
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Thanks in large part to inkyblack I have a new gig drawing other people's adorable children. And their adorable dogs :)
I hope you can tell, by this picture especially, that I'm as giddy as a piglet in poop! This particular child is cuter than cute and her parents so sweet and gracious.
If you would like a similar drawing of your adorable child, email me (keet [dot] leibowitz [at] gmail [dot] com).
I do suffer a bit of guilt though in that I have yet to draw my own little barefoot shoemaker's daughter. So this is why, whenever I need a break from drawing, I whip her up a little something, like Miss Fluffleberry, or Mr. Floppy. She's been very happy with this setup so far.

Its fleece was white as snow

2007-02-26T23:13:00.001-05:00

The whole time I was making it I realized...
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

The fleece I used for this chubby lamb softie is the most wonderful fabric I think I've ever worked with. I've made a few softies out of fabric with pile to it and I'd always found I had to pin and baste the bejeezers out of them to keep from slipping. I approached this one loaded for bear but there was really no need. It was so easy and so forgiving.

I got the idea to make a lamb softie from a drawing I did a few weeks ago (Ali Had a Little Lamb). As with anything lamb-related I thought of my teensy-but-bold friend Maddie and her family. They're really into lambs. :) And now that I've made all my little mistakes with this one (for example, using fusible webbing to keep the face in place -- no need for that), I can make her one that is just perfect.

At last!

2007-02-21T20:50:00.001-05:00

At last!
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

So, my friends may remember that around the beginning of January I was very excited and busy working on something big which I could not yet reveal.
This is it!
Baby announcements, printed on scrumptious linen, for a scrumptious baby of Chinese-American heritage. It was the family's idea for me to draw a puppy to record her Chinese zodiac sign, and I tossed in the lily for Lillian.
I still spend many happy moments staring at her perfect pink fingers and thinking that, now that I have done the baby thing once, I could do it a second time so much more confidently (although adoption would be our best and preferred method of expanding our family). Then again, I also spend many happy moments being glad that my days of coping with an infant's schedule (or lack thereof) are behind me!

P.S. -- How do I articulate what a profound honor it is to take on the job of announcing someone's birth? All I can say is that being chosen for this project made me feel incredibly special.

Mr. Floppy

2007-02-18T23:48:00.001-05:00

Mr. Floppy
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Thanks to server outages at work, I made a big bunny softie for Maya. She loves it!

"Doghead, you good dog, you."

2007-02-18T23:30:00.001-05:00

"Doghead, you good dog, you."
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Quote from a wee relative of my friend Lisa. He had a dog called Doghead whom he loved a lot.
This is my way of saying goodbye to the year of the dog! I'm sure to draw a pig for the new year soon.

One-Eye and His Treasury of Best Loved Poems

2007-02-12T23:44:00.001-05:00

One-Eye and His Treasury of Best Loved Poems
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

1. This is for a wonderful little boy whose parents, perhaps without knowing it or meaning to, have helped so many preemie and micropreemie parents through what is an awfully scary time.
2. I had my idea of what this was going to look like and then my husband had his. He sent me to futhark.com to study some runes. It was a good idea.
3. I think I'm pretty obsessed with these misty blue-grey backgrounds. I would like to say it is the influence of winter here in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, but actually our winter is this seemingly endless expanse of grody, frozen brown. So, these misty blue-grey backgrounds are what I wish winter would look like. And then I wish winter would dump some good sledding snow on me and go away really quickly.
4. Yes, this does make me feel like unpacking flat boxes of unassembled furniture and cursing over Allen keys. We got the Sverker series of shelves when we were first married and Sverker became an expletive in our home. It's still handy.
5. I went scrounging after some Swedish music too and the best I had was a-ha (Norwegian). I loooooooooved a-ha when I was a youngun. Forget "Take On Me," the other stuff is lovely and dramatic and totally 80's and I think my friend Keri should put it on loudly and write novels to it.
6. Speaking of writing and books and best loved poems, I miss my friend Julie so much, and Julie never says no to a good book.

shoo shoo boogie boo

2007-02-08T23:25:00.001-05:00

shoo shoo boogie boo
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

1. Nathan has taught me the love of penguins.
2. One of my goals in life is to leave many zany stories behind. Here is a zany story about my late grandmother: when it was REALLY cold she would bundle up her sons and use the term "shoo shoo boogie boo" to emphasize just how cold it was. I am not really sure where the term comes from. My uncle has a theory that it has to do with the perils of having to tinkle in an outhouse in frosty wintertime (we're Polish American and shoo shoo is a Polish kid's term for tinkle... although my generation of the family never actually used that term and I suspect my father's generation didn't, either). Who knows.
Anyway, it is for damn sure shoo shoo boogie boo cold here. I feel like it's been below freezing since 1819. We've had very little precipitation, though, so instead of a winter-white wonderland and !!!getting to sled down my awesome sledding hill!!! it's just this frozen-stiff, grey-brown BLAH out there.
If it must be this cold, I would really rather be sledding down my awesome sledding hill with all the kids. We could all use a snow day.

Ali had a little lamb

2007-01-25T22:36:00.001-05:00

Ali had a little lamb
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Happy birthday wishes to the beautiful and courageous Ali. May all your dreams come true.

(Ali is dave_graham's prettier half and their daughter's nursery is allll lambs and so cute. And she calls her girl Lamb, too, as an endearment.)

I get a little closer every day

2007-01-24T23:59:00.001-05:00

I get a little closer every day
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

When I grow up I want to be a fairy godmother. I am working on it. The only part of the picture that is real (so far) is the handbag -- which is my actual factual handbag, and which goes with approximately none of my present outfits but really, what the hell, I carry it everywhere anyway. I will have to get my lovely resident photographer to photograph it.
Incidentally, my daughter and I like to sing "Bibbity Bobbity Boo" (the fairy godmother's big number in Disney's Cinderella) and what is really charming about that is that neither of us knows the words.

I will keep the sun warm for you

2007-01-24T00:08:00.001-05:00

I will keep the sun warm for you
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

My friend Amy is immortalized as a... whatever I am calling these things

I will smite you with my deadly carrot

2007-01-22T23:48:00.001-05:00

I will smite you with my deadly carrot
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

...or my impressive facial hair, whichever.

When I was a little kid (different I here. Please be assured I do not have impressive facial hair) we used to play Dictionary. We didn't have Google back then but, what with my parents being English teachers, we had some hefty dictionaries. Anyway, drias was a memorable Dictionary word (meaning "deadly carrot"), and it cracked me right up. All the time. Allll the time.

Bus Stop

2007-01-18T23:53:00.001-05:00

Bus Stop
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

I love little babcias.
This picture has several meanings for me:
1. My mom is friends with a Polish Ladies Action Prayer Task Force and whenever there is big trouble, the Polish Ladies Action Prayer Task Force kicks into high gear. Such was the case when my tiny daughter was born. Those babcias do good work :) They also send me very tasty desserts around the holidays.
2. My own Polish grandmother loved pink (my other grandmother loved blue, and that was how I told them apart when I was very small).
3. I have two other de facto grandmothers. A grandmother and a great aunt. We adopted each other. For my birthday they are always sending me "to my granddaughter" and "to my niece" cards and I am always so thrilled with it. They used to keep a tiny chihuahua named Pitzeleh. He was like a little punting dog, but they loved him so much. They have another little tiny dog now whom they dress in little sweaters.

A bumblebee for inkyblack

2007-01-18T00:14:00.001-05:00

A bumblebee for inkyblack
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Inkyblack, who shoots the most luminescent portraits of children, and who is also an astonishingly sweet person, requested a bumblebee from me. It was a joy to comply. I am all giddy.

x and o

2007-01-11T23:26:00.001-05:00

x and o
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

I was able to leave my office on time today. Twilight. But then there was a traffic jam on the way home. The good thing about a traffic jam at twilight in the wintertime here is that there is plenty of time to study the trees and the sky behind them. I had plenty of music to listen to (Jennifer Kimball, Peter Mulvey) and I wasn't hungry and I didn't have to pee. It was nice to sit and watch.
My favorite kind of tree to see is a tree that has new baby leaves on it, in daylight right after the rain. There is a sharp contrast between the wet bark and the new day-glo leaves. But the silhouettes of skeletal trees at twilight are a close second.

Foooooooour Colors!

2007-01-09T23:52:00.001-05:00

Foooooooour Colors!
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

We are not halfway through January and I've made one of my big goals for the year (draw in 4 colors or fewer and like it)! Now I need to learn how to silkscreen this onto a bazillion t-shirts. My daughter would probably love wearing this buggie. I would, too.

I actually have been doing many creative things wherever and however I can but I haven't been too too much at liberty to show them off yet. One reason is because some of the new creative things are waiting for the birth of a friend's baby, and how honored I am to do a special project for this family! Another reason is some of the creative things are not digital in nature and we have not struck upon a happy coincidence where "free time" meets "adequate light for photography". Another reason is I'm in major crunch mode at my day job, working lots of late hours, and so most of my drawings are on scrap paper in the margins of meeting notes as I try to keep myself awake and alert.

the boy who brought back the sun

2006-12-21T22:08:00.000-05:00

the boy who brought back the sun
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

We've had a sweet Solstice day (which was also a sweet Hannukah day and a sweet day of Cheesemas and Christmas preparations -- we do it all). I made a wish upon the first star I saw, lit my Solstice candle and sang "happy birthday" to Sunshine with my little daughter. I tried to explain that there would be more sun in each day from now until midsummer -- but I think that was lost in the blur of her desire for more Hannukah gelt (chocolate coins).

Cardinal

2006-12-18T22:52:00.000-05:00

Cardinal
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

I have a goal for 2007 already which is to learn to be content drawing in four colors or fewer (there's a special project I have in mind which restricts the palette quite a lot). It's harder than I thought, drawing in just four colors. Really hard. In this picture I had to give up , but I like it anyway.

Cardinals winter here, where I live. It's not winter yet (instead we have a freak warm snap which I really appreciate), but my desk faces a window and last week, looking out the window, I saw a cardinal among the skeletons of my rose bushes.

ho ho ho

2006-12-12T00:02:00.000-05:00

ho ho ho
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

I'm not setting foot in the mall until at least January somethingteen.

Little Person Man

2006-12-07T22:52:00.000-05:00

Little Person Man
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

And now, something different.

Angels We Have Heard Go Toot

2006-11-30T23:09:00.000-05:00

Angels We Have Heard Go Toot
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Cardboard (paper towel tube) and paper angels I made with Maya Chocolatey Claire on her 2nd birthday.
We are getting into the Cheesemas spirit here. During the photo shoot I nibbled on part of the "set" -- can you see the hunks of Colby Jack and Port Salut in the background? They were delicious.

Neonatal Flying Pig

2006-11-21T23:20:00.000-05:00

Neonatal Flying Pig
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

I've been asked to draw a flying pig for a very special preemie (one of the happy outcomes of the Shopping From The Heart event last Friday at Bryn Mawr Hospital). This is one of the variations. It's black/white/red to attract and hold the neonatal gaze.

November is Prematurity Awareness Month!

2006-11-07T23:57:00.000-05:00

November is Prematurity Awareness Month!
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Here's a picture of Maya and me on our very first Christmas together. It was a difficult time of course (here Maya is recovering from sepsis -- very scary) but I do have beautiful memories of that day. I was telling her about Santa Claus and the NICU staff and volunteers presented each and every patient with a personalized stocking. Special gestures like these make a holiday in the hospital much brighter for everyone, and I'm having a blast "giving back".

Spacedog -- Again!

2006-11-07T23:52:00.000-05:00

another version of Spacedog
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

I am ever closer to meeting my goals for the November 17 Shopping from the Heart benefit at Bryn Mawr Hospital. I liked the Spacedog shadowbox so much that I decided Spacedog needed to be a print and a wall lamp too.

Come up and see us sometime

2006-10-31T23:12:00.000-05:00

Come up and see us sometime
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

More doodly fun. We had a really good Halloween, too. How about you?

OMG, it's not a shadowbox

2006-10-30T23:28:00.000-05:00

OMG, it's not a shadowbox
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Sir Knight, Defender of the Fluffy Green Hills

2006-10-26T21:38:00.000-04:00

Sir Knight, Defender of the Fluffy Green Hills Shadowbox
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Still cranking out the shadowboxes for "Shopping from the Heart" at Bryn Mawr Hospital on Fri. 11/17/2006!

Shadowboxes!

2006-10-22T22:11:00.000-04:00

Spacedog Shadowbox
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

When my workday is done -- I come home and do more work, lately on shadowboxes for the big NICU benefit:
Have A Heart Shopping Event
benefits the Main Line Health Neonatal Intensive Care Units
Bryn Mawr Hospital, Bryn Mawr, PA
November 17, 2006
You can preview the entire set here but as they are !!!3D!!! and !!!handpainted!!!! there's nothing like seeing them in person!

No time for love, Dr. Jones!

2006-10-10T09:50:00.000-04:00

butterfly in the high chair
Originally uploaded by sammy baby.

Make that, "no time for drawing" -- but we have sure had a lot of fun lately! We just returned from a big trip to New England to visit a bunch of preemie friends. I expected to have a good time -- I had a GREAT time.

Halloween Kitty

2006-10-03T22:34:00.000-04:00

Halloween Kitty
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Getting into the spirit...
(I know it's insipid that Christmas lasts 8 weeks or more, according to shopping malls and the like. But I think Halloween ought to get at least a month. It is the BEST holiday.)

Hope - For Ali, Dave, Maddie, and the Grahamlet

2006-09-22T07:13:00.000-04:00

Hope - For Ali, Dave, Maddie, and the Grahamlet
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Oh my goodness.
I put green leaves there on purpose: the trees up in New England had better be good and full before the baby is born!

Grow

2006-09-06T22:57:00.000-04:00

Grow
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) art in progress!
My daughter was a NICU patient for many many days, and has survived and thrived. Today she graduated Early Intervention. I like to give back.

I Am Loved

2006-08-08T23:15:00.000-04:00

I Am Loved
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

This is for a little girl who loves to do "tree pose". She is the friend of a friend whom I'll get to meet in person later this month and already I can tell she must be so delightful.

Portrait of a Bunny - 9x12"

2006-08-06T22:44:00.000-04:00

Portrait of a Bunny - 9x12"
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

I've had a very nice weekend, even despite some car trouble (we went out to run errands with the baby, and poof, our car would not start for the return trip home -- but we were never in any danger and were in fact right near a Toys R Us so how bad could it be?). Now my cupboards and fridge are full, I have a few new books, the kid is happy, I painted (the bunny you see here), and the house smells like the incense my friend Sarah burned and the incredible soaps Julie got me.

I am learning watercolors...

2006-07-31T23:45:00.000-04:00

For Sarah
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

...and thinking of my good friend Sarah. This practice painting is for her.

Flight Lesson

2006-07-29T22:31:00.000-04:00

Flight Lesson - 16x20"
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

This week I took a little art vacation and painted with real paint for the first time in many years. I was so happy doing it, I think I'll paint again very soon.

Fontina the Mouse

2006-07-12T16:12:00.000-04:00

Fontina the Mouse, Summertime
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Last year's Cheesemas* mouse (featured on our holiday greeting) has a new summer look.

*Cheesemas is our annual all-you-can-eat cheese festival held each year around the end of December. It is the easiest party to prep for: you just serve up a ton of cheese. We like to hunt for really fancy, exotic cheeses. It's made me a little bitty bit of a connoisseuse au fromage, ha ha ha, but truthfully Cheesemas is the one time a year I eat really special cheese. The rest of the year I'm pretty much a cheddar, brie, feta, and Boursin girl.

I am delicious

2006-06-25T23:55:00.000-04:00

All the deer ticks agree
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

...and I have been very, very sick! I missed the silent auction of my prints and everything (although I understand that everything sold, which is wonderful).
I am feeling great now, I expect a full recovery thanks to early diagnosis, and I am slowly getting back into my drawing.

There go my babies!

2006-06-04T22:12:00.000-04:00

preparing prints for the silent auction
Originally uploaded by sammy baby.

On Saturday my husband and daughter and I carried a big box of my prints (each one nicely mounted and framed and sporting a personal letter from the artist -- that's me) to the NICU that saved my daughter. They're having a silent auction later this month to raise funds and I'm thrilled to be able to help out.

il signore Pancake

2006-06-02T00:27:00.000-04:00

il signore Pancake
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

It's that time again... Illustration Friday this week is "cake". I had to be a little different.

Illustration Friday: Sorry

2006-05-26T00:13:00.000-04:00

Illustration Friday: Sorry
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

It's that time again. I did a little bit of research to draw this picture and it turns out that my square and uncool friends and I were far off the mark in our guesses as to what emo really is. Like, we thought John Mayer and whatsisface, that guy in the Prada outfits, oh yeah Duncan Sheik, were emo. So I am sorry for that, too. I'm gonna use age as my excuse. :)

Redemption Games

2006-05-17T23:51:00.000-04:00

Redemption Games
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

This is for Illustration Friday, topic "angels and devils". It's the Jersey Devil!

Happy Mother's Day 2006

2006-05-14T00:23:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day 2006
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Another Illustration Friday Drawing

2006-05-13T07:21:00.000-04:00

Work No Longer in Progress
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

The topic: "fat". Half of my purpose in doing this was to see if I would enjoy having orange walls in my bedroom. I have very similar bedding -- it's all IKEA.

Illustration Friday: Under the Sea

2006-05-04T23:46:00.000-04:00

Jerome the Fish
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

This drawing features my good old betta-fish Jerome, who will not die. Click the picture to learn more (on flickr).

I am alive and well, and stuff

2006-05-03T23:04:00.000-04:00

...but my husband had a touch of the plague, so to protect our daughter's preemie-lungs I was doing a little bit of the single parent thing for a few days, and having some just-mom-and-Maya time. It was tiring and logistically dicey but sweet; the baby did not get sick; and it all sorta fulfilled my Gilmore Girls guilty pleasure dream where we have the house to ourselves and spend hours trading wacky girly dialogue. We missed our Sam though, and vice versa.
He is all better again, and I am off to catch up on sleep, and think of what to draw next.

No Kicking

2006-04-26T23:34:00.000-04:00

No Kicking
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

There are times we all need a kick in the pants. For my friend Amy, now is really not one of them. So this is for her, but you should also feel free to grab the PDF (460K), color it in if you want, and use it where and when it's needed most.

Illustration Friday: Robot

2006-04-25T23:56:00.000-04:00

Illustration Friday: Robot
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

This week's Illustration Friday topic is "robot".
I wanted to see if I can actually draw Japanese-manga-anime style (DUDE! I can!) and at the same time I wanted to express how completely perplexed I am by what little anime I catch very late at night on Cartoon Network when I'm too punchy to sleep. I find it completely bizarre.
I used to love Robotech back in the day, though. :)

Squiddy McScribbles

2006-04-24T23:48:00.000-04:00

Squiddy McScribbles
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

The first print of Squiddy McScribbles just rolled out of the printer and turned a cranky hour of the evening (you know -- that late hour after you pay your bills and fret over why your baby is having so much trouble sleeping) into something much more delightful. This is like the haaaaaapppppiest thing I have ever drawn. Notice I have carefully steered away from applying a gender. I have no idea.

Hugging

2006-04-23T21:51:00.000-04:00

Hugging
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Today I was sick with the respiratory version of the creeping funk. My daughter is an ex-micropreemie with chronic lung disease, and although she's doing fabulously, I didn't want her to get sick, too, so I stayed away from her all day. Didn't hug her. Drew. Drawing is like breathing for me but MAN. I missed my kid something fierce.
I was also thinking about the big, bone-crunching hugs my mom doles out.
This is available from the print shop.

A new blog (again)!

2006-04-22T22:53:00.000-04:00

I'm re-purposing my web site and simplifying my blogging tools. My (equally fabulous and beleagured) husband Sam slaved away at configuring a Ruby on Rails blogging application for me but ultimately it didn't integrate with Flickr well so -- I made him yank it out. He is the true geek of the family; I am kinda more and more on the poseur side of Information Technology.
In all of this transition I did not archive (for public display, that is) any of the blog articles that chronicled my family's experience with microprematurity (due to severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome my one and only daughter was born 12 weeks early weighing 1lb 12oz, or 798g). I am however very, very happy to help out any families that are going through similar experiences by sharing stories, advice, etc. Just ask. This is also a great opportunity for me to plug my charity prints for the March of Dimes. The March of Dimes supports research into the causes and conditions of prematurity.
This blog, though, is mostly going to be about purty pictures. :)

testpost

2006-04-09T21:37:00.000-04:00

testpost. la la la.