Saying yes...

One Day...

I know it's not Christmas yet and we shouldn't even be discussing Christmas, but the commercials have started in earnest and I remembered something I wanted to do, but never did... something that would have been ideal in a ratty old apartment, where you didn't mind messing up the walls. I wanted to cover an entire wall (or maybe an entire bathroom) in pine branches. Real would be ideal, but fake probably would have worked better... I'd staple 8 inch pieces of pine branch all over the wall, layering it like shingles (now I've got Shingle Bells in my head)... and then run lights back and forth and hang decorations all over it. A whole WALL of Christmas tree!!! Or even better... a whole ROOM of Christmas tree. I'm thinking it would have been amazing and disturbing all at the same time.

It's a wrap...

Update below:

Snag has posted the last letter of the alphabet... What started as some throw-away conversation some 20 months ago, has now finally come to an end.

Thank you, Snag, for letting me put my images to your words. I'm ready to work on the Pissed Unicorn... or a cookbook.

Update: Alternate/B movie ending over here... thanks to fish, as usual, for allowing himself to be the punchline of many jokes.

Drawing Assignment

Update at the bottom:

A few days ago, Zombie Rotten McDonald and I got into a drawing conversation. I believe it started with him saying, "I don't draw enough anymore" or something to that effect. Somehow it ended with both of us saying we'd do some impromptu drawings. For all of the roughs I do, I don't really draw anymore either. Drawing is always a means to an end, not an end in itself.

He suggested I do something out of my comfort zone... i.e., no plants! Harrumph.  He suggested something from real life or possibly something architectural, perhaps The Bean. I was in the city yesterday and thought about The Bean, but I like to scribble and I wasn't sure how *scribbly* and *the bean* would workout. I had a feeling I'd be tempted to smudge and I couldn't forgive myself if I did that. So, no Bean.

I thought about doing something from real life and then I thought I might do a zombie. :) And then... after realizing the tenor of the day, I figured a self-portrait would fill both the real life and zombie bill. I haven't done a self-portrait in eons... I set up a mirror and tried to do the dance between the mirror and paper and how I was kind of envisioning it. Eyes are of course the hardest since I didn't want to be looking right at myself, but off, onto something else, say something I look at ALL THE TIME... the computer screen.

This was done fairly fast. I gave myself a limit of 45 minutes, not wanting to get too obsessed with details, but also, not wanting to correct too many of the accurate details... sags, sour mood, distorted face from leaning on hand, etc.

I messed up the angle of the eye on the right from dicking with it too much so I stopped dicking and will let it be as it is... looking like one of those stress dolls. The ones with the eyes that bulge out when you squeeze their necks.

Zombie- here's my assignment. I'll await your "Flying Monkeys Baking Souffles"... or whatever you decided to do.

The Eldest Lamblet just got back... I asked her if it looked like me. She said I looked like I was pursing my lips like I do when I'm judging something. She also said the eyes looked *off*. Probably because they are! But the last thing?? "Mom, you're not that wrinkley!" :)  Bless her wonderful heart. I'll have to do something nice for her. My mood was probably that wrinkely today.

I decided to crop. This one looks much more accurate.

Update:

 For Karla... a seriously LARGE EYE. :) The subject matter for many of my doodles over the years.

Also- word has it ZRM has posted his drawing assignment. I have seen it. It's wonderful. He actually did two. Both are wonderful, but then he chose a subject matter close to my heart.

Cheater!

This is football I could watch

My niece's significant other is #33.

The Alphabet Drought is Over!!!

Head on over to Snag's to bask in all of V's gory glory...  Once again, prose by Snag, illustrations by me.

Awesome

Reading a newspaper, I saw a picture of birds on the electric wires. I cut out the photo and decided to make a song, using the exact location of the birds as notes (no Photoshop edit). I knew it wasn't the most original idea in the universe. I was just curious to hear what melody the birds were creating.

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

h/t Patti Digh

Blogger Help/Contest/Opinions, Etc, Etc, Etc!!@!

This dear blogger has decided to open a Zazzle store to offer up some of her more quirky art offerings... This blogger has done a lifetime of piece work and labor intensive stuff... some serious, some fun, but is ready to embrace the offerings and convenience of this not so new digital age (I'm still resisting my digitizing tablet, but one step at a time...).  As I said, I plan on offering a number of things that I've done over my blogging career and before, including various ways to sell individual letters (on coffee cups, etc) from the Snag Alphabet so that Snag and I might make enough to go get a drink.

Anyhow, here's the deal. No, I'm not asking you to pony up, what I need is help with the name. I thought I had it. It had been in my mind long before there was a Zazzle... It was Sn'Art. It might make sense to some of you, but what's more important was that it made sense to me. I was 99% sure that this was what it was going to be, but asked a couple of people what they thought and did they like the apostrophe or not...

I had Googled Snart  spelled in a variety of creative ways and saw nothing that seemed prohibitive... until kind Google Guru fish informed me yesterday of THIS! Ok, I can have an immature sense of humor along with the best of them and as I said, this store will be for less *serious* stuff, but I don't think I want it associated with a sneeze/fart...

I had mentioned to fish that I was tired and really didn't want to come up with a new name... I liked it better when they just popped into your head in the middle of the night... perhaps I'd call it Cottage Cheese... no, that wouldn't work. fish was kind enough to offer up a number of suggestions

Ouis in Art? (Made me think of the Piss Christ although I liked it when he said it rhymed with Cuisineart.)

Straight to D'art?

D'art of the Possible? (This has possiblities)

Thelma's Truck Stop? (Wha??? While Thelma could outdrink a trucker, she's no truckstop gal...)

And while I'd take almost anything coming from fish, this didn't necessarily strike me as *it*. fish then suggested crowdsourcing. My first thought? Hell no! I don't want anyone to know about this!!

Ok, ok, I saw the silliness of my ways. He was right (you're not always right, fish, so don't let it go to your head.)

So, if you would, please put your minds to work and see if you could offer up something quirky. It would be nice if art were in the name somewhere, but that's not manditory. It also does not need to have Saying yes... in it. If we come up with a winner, I'll send you some of Pinko's Blueberry Whoppers. :)

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

The blinds will be down for awhile... there are things to do.. and then trips to go on... and rumors of a get-together with a certain zombie.

If you don't hear from me again... assume the zombie ate my brains.

Have you ever licked an Alka-Seltzer??

Or perhaps, eaten a Zotz?? Well, this goofy looking little plant is a lot like those... It's called Spilanthes. I discovered them a number of years ago, liking the silly way they looked, kind of like a mutant green olive.  They make a fun border or an interesting addition in a pot.

It turns out, they're a medicinal herb... known to aid in good dental health. Eating one of these puppies (yes, they're edible... trust me!) will cause your mouth to start tingling and the saliva to start flowing... for quite awhile.

 I've been guilty of inflicting them on numerous people... Grizzled thinks it's cruel. I think it's educational. It's not painful... merely like chewing on a 9-volt. :)

Still Makes Me Smile