Illustration Friday: Instinct

Did you know that clownfish have a built-in INSTINCT to not only horde food (since they can't travel far wihout being eaten by predators)... but they also have the INSTINCT to work with the Sea Anemone to survive? Anemones are actually invertebrates that catch food with it's stinging tentacles. A clownfish, which has a natural mucus covering that protects it from being stung, hides in the anemone for protection against its predators, who try to follow it and wind up getting stung and eaten by the anemone. What a great partnership designed by God our Creator!

Here's an interesting article I read about this.

I've been so busy lately and haven't drawn anything in so long. I've come to realize that I really enjoy working with color pencils, and had a lot of fun drawing this. And my "Clownfish in Anemone" actually fit this week's Illustration Friday theme!

That's Sir Nils Olav to you!

This story made me smile. A king penguin received Norwegian Knighthood recently, having already received medals for good service and other honorary ranks ever since he was made an honorary member of the King's Guard in 1972 after being picked out as the guard's mascot.

Check out the full story here

And the video (in case you don't believe me):


Here's also a few penguin ATC's I recently made (I thought it would go nicely with this post)...

Felt Craftyness

Feeling crafty lately with a couple of felt projects...

Snow Leopard

Well, here is the last of the endangered animal series I did for a "Nature"-themed ATC swap. I think Snow Leopards are fascinating -- Not only are they incredibly beautiful, they are reclusive creatures so attacks on humans are extremely rare. And they physically cannot roar. Although they are supposed to be protected as an endangered species, there are no measures to adequately protect them. They are hunted for their beautiful fur, and their bones and body parts are used in Asian medicine. Their loss of habitat and food sources are caused by deforestation and dam projects. More info and links to conservation projects can be found here

Let there be light!

Some traditional color pencil sketches on black cardstock ATC's. It's fun to just draw sometimes! =)


Candlelight


Red Lantern


Fireflies Jar

Having some fun drawing again...

So I'm getting back into drawing and making some new ATC's. I spent the day getting caught up in some group swaps and I felt really good after completing them. Here's one I did just for fun. I actually used an old manila envelope from work that I had stuck in recycling. I thought, hmmm... I like the color and I could make it look a little old fashioned. Plus using recycled materials is always a good thing. I need to do that more.

ATC Giveaway Winners!!!

Congratulations ZARI and BRIAN... Boba Fett is all yours! Zari will receive the one of him in Jabba's lair (left) and I'll send Brian the one where he's on the sail barge (right). Thanks all for participating! I'll have another contest soon, so be on the look out for it!!!

In the meantime, check out this video I found on YouTube (I thought it was funny)...

Fun with ATC's

It's been so much fun trading Artist Trading Cards (ATC's) and my family and friends have been really impressed with my growing collection. Last Thanksgiving when we were all gathered together, my nieces and nephews wanted to make some of their own. So after eating, we cleared the dinner table and had a lot of fun painting and creating more ATC's to trade with one another.

Here are some of the results (they came up with some great stuff!)


I think encouraging others to pursue creativity is so important. We're planning another one of these sessions for Christmas!

Island Fairies - ATC's

Island Fairy - Plumeria


Island Fairy - Hibiscus


Island Fairy - Sanddollar


Island Fairy - Shells

Special ATC's for Coffee-Theme Exchange

I made these Artist Trading Cards (ATC's) for a group "coffee-themed" trade we are doing on the Monday Artday ATC site. These were a labor of love for me because I so admire the wonderful work of Sandro Botticelli, Marc Chagall, and Vincent van Gogh. These are part of what I'm calling my "favorite artists coffee mug" series.

If you haven't gotten into ATC's, you should check out the site and come join the fun. It's an incredible opportunity to get to know artists and their fabulous work through trading these little gems.

"I Love Chocolate" ATC's

Giant Toblerone Bar (watercolor) **For Pati**


Sees Candies (watercolor) **For Zari**


Chocolate Covered Oreo - Chilled (watercolor) **For Brian**


Joseph Schmidt Chocolates (watercolor) **For Woody**


Brownies... Yum! (watercolor) **For Zari**


Frrrozen Hot Chocolate (pen and watercolor) **For Irisz**


Chocolate Lip Balm (watercolor)


Amalfi Lemon-White Chocolate (watercolor) **For Mike**


Fields' Burger and Chocolate Shake (watercolor) **For Mim Stella**


Chocolate-Covered Strawberry (watercolor) **For Maryam**


Cheese and Chocolate Train (watercolor) **For Ms. Froggie**


Chantico Shock (colored pencil)

Just heard about these Artist Trading Cards and thought they would be fun to do. These are from what I'm calling my "I Love Chocolate" series, based on something I posted a couple of weeks ago: Click here. If you'd like to trade I have most of these available. Email me at JCEPH4@aol.com

Thanks!