Showing posts with label large watercolor moleskine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label large watercolor moleskine. Show all posts

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Money, Money, Money


With the death of Michael Jackson, I tried to avoid news media, especially broadcast and internet. The media make money through advertising dollars with their endless speculation. Previously unknown people are ready to make money by giving know-all interviews. Information that should be personal and private, factual or not, is discussed without regard to the family, though a few members are ready to take advantage of the hype.

One of the saddest interviews was with Joe Jackson who is more than ready to exploit his grandchildren. His history of beating his own children to get good performances from them is sickening. Surely he only sees dollar signs with his grandchildren, and I hope that somehow they are protected from him.

There is a lot of speculation about the final custody of the children, and with the little I know, most of it is only speculation with little basis in facts. The custody arrangements will eventually be settled, and my only hope is that Joe Jackson is not included to the point of not being allowed near the children.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Gossip Monger and Cyber Bully


Perez Hilton has been known to hurl insults at celebrities and their families on his gossip website. Snarky comments about the children of celebrities is a favorite pasttime of his. He delights in drawing male sex organs and more over the photographs of celebrities. He is nothing more than a nasty cyber bully.

He is overly kind to celebrities who stoop to acknowledge his existence and shower him with complements.

He makes a sport of outing gay celebrities rather than respecting their personal choice of making their private information public. Recently he published photographs of gay private moments that included one celebrity. So, now he officially has a porn gossip site and is a porn cyber bully.

I was delighted to read that a few weekends ago he screamed a gay insult at someone and was punched in the face for his effort. He then went into Twitter hysterics when the police did not arrive in seconds and broadcast a plea on Twitter for people to contact the Toronto police on his behalf. Great way to flood the 911 center with nonsense calls about a low-priority situation. Hilton had a minor cut under his eye and gave the incorrect name of his alleged assailant.

To garner more sympathy after his Twitter tirade, Hilton did a 11-12-minute sobbing, drama video about the incident. He couldn't believe that his misbehavior would cause a punch in his face. Duh. Not condoned, but about time. Nothing, of course, was his fault. Someone quipped that the minor cut healed before the end of the drama-filled video.

Now he is suing the correct alleged assailant and has said will give the proceeds of the suit to the Matthew Shepard Foundation. That was news to the Foundation, and they declined his offer, pointing out that . " ... the Matthew Shepard Foundation has worked for more than 10 years to bring to people's attention the consequences of hateful or intolerant language."

The backlash to Hilton's actions took awhile to sink in for him. The only thing really bruised is his ego. He has tried a few half-hearted and obviously damage-control apologies, but few believe him.

Though the backlash was strong, Hilton topped everything by making snarky remarks in a recent post and on a photograph about Michael Jackson being rushed to the hospital. Once word was out that Jackson had died, Hilton edited the copy of his post to something kind, but forgot to delete the photograph on which he had written a heartless remark. Word finally go through to him, and he deleted the photograph. Too late. Screen shots of the original post with the photograph are all over the internet as well as written direct quotes of the full text of his post.

His most recent posts are kinder to celebrities, but it's nothing more than a try at improving his image. Many people have finally had enough of him. He is no longer amusing to some. He's just nasty. Those who have disliked him all along are having a well-deserved laugh.

Perez Hilton's real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. This might be a good time for him to start using it instead of "Perez Hilton".

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

EDM #174 - Draw a Bridge


I've neglected doing the EDM Challenges for six months! So long! Bad me!

Drawing has also been neglected. Rough drawings have been done in oils by using a brush and paint, and those for pastels are minimal sketches done with a pastel pencil. The good news is that I am no longer frustrated by being unable to do good drawings. If something is recognizable, it is close enough.

This is based on a WetCanvas! Image Library photograph by Yorky.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

EDM #173 - Draw Something from Memory

It's odd how one's memory occasionally throws out bits of long-forgotten song or verse.


And hand in hand on the edge of the sand
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

I've always enjoyed that bit of nonsense. For those who can't quite remember, it's the last verse of The Owl and the Pussy-cat ... about the charming couple who went to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat.

Edit: I darkened the sky and fiddled with the image in Photoshop to get the colors closer to the original. Close enough.

Friday, December 26, 2008

EDM #172 - Something That Sparkles


This one didn't work out as planned. It's supposed to be sparkly stars and snow. I won't bother you with everything that went wrong with the painting and the scan. Next time I will at least use real watercolor paper for something like this.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

EDM #171 - Draw Some Ice Cream


Ice cream cones are clever, but I always wound up with a dripping mess. It didn't take much to switch me to a bowl and spoon.

Now that I'm an adult, I use a very large bowl for my ice cream. It saves an extra trip to the kitchen.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

EDM #170 - Draw a Zipper

Here is the perfect zipper for children!


  • Guaranteed to stifle hours-on-end conversations!
  • Muffles the unending giggles!

One size fits all!
Available in assorted colors!
Get your supply today!

Friday, December 19, 2008

EDM #169 - Draw a Slice of Cake


It's my cake and my knife. Any questions?

Thursday, December 18, 2008

EDM #168 - Draw Your Daily Newspaper


My newspaper subscription ended years ago. With my heavy work schedule, there was little time to keep up with a daily newspaper, though I did read the local and national newspapers at work and listen to the radio and television news. Now I keep up with the news through television and the internet.

Television news is hard to take at times. They will do anything to increase viewership. I dislike the footage where they chase down relatives, friends, and neighbors for interviews about tragedies, especially when everyone is upset and not thinking clearly. They forget they don't have to participate in an interview, though some actually want the attention.

Monday, September 29, 2008

EDM #167 - Draw Something That Needs Fixing


These darning eggs are great for fixing holes in socks. Actually, I darned one hole in a sock when I was a kid, and that was only because of curiosity about how darning works.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

EDM #166 - Draw a Fish


Color may be added later, but I like the black-and-white design for now.

Monday, September 22, 2008

EDM #164 - Draw a Camera


This is a neat, medium-format camera. When not wanting to bother with the weight or care of a more expensive camera, this one is perfect.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

EDM #163 - Draw a Deck of Cards


When really bored, you can always hold a deck of cards and play 52 Pickup.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

EDM #162 - Draw Your Breakfast


My favorite breakfast consists of a sausage and biscuit with a Coca-Cola. A bit of butter and preserves are added to the biscuit.

I know, I know ... it's not a healthy breakfast, but it tastes so good! I don't drink coffee or tea, so the cold, tingly Coke is perfect for me. I have no interest in knowing the number of calories hiding in the biscuit, sausage, butter, and preserves; but I am sure it's a scary, non-nutritious number.

Lousy drawing, but another challenge is completed.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

EDM #160 & EDM #185


EDM #160 - Draw a Trophy
EDM #185 - Draw a Cat

#185 is out of sequence, but the cat seems to go well with a trophy.

I know it's okay to go out of sequence for the challenges, but it's easier for me to keep track with the sequence, plus I don't skip the ones I find difficult.

Poor scan, but close enough.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

EDM #159 - Draw a Favorite Cooking Tool


My four sizes of ice cream scoops are used when baking cookies, muffins, and any batter needing equal measures. Since everyone knows I seldom cook, they are amazed when I show up with round cookies of equal size, and they look at me suspiciously. I figured this trick out years ago, and now it has become popular since others have figured it out too.

A different type of ice cream scoop is used for my ice cream.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

EDM #158 - Draw a Kernel of Popped Popcorn


Dogs are excellent for getting rid of any popcorn that falls to the floor. My dog is unhappy that I don't require popcorn fixes as often as I once did.

Friday, July 25, 2008

EDM #157 - Draw a Towel


Finger towels are simply cute!

The grey towards the lower right is light falloff. This is a digital photo quickly taken under a lamp, though the towel and shadow colors are close to true.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

EDM #155 - Draw Some Steps


Ya' want steps? Try these!

Apologies to Escher.