EDM Challenge #140: Draw an Envelope

Here's my drawing of an envelope. I'm not crazy about it, but I finished it and decided to post it anyway. It's made of kraft paper.

I drew it while watching a PBS show on Charles Schultz, the artist who drew "Peanuts". Do you ever draw something and remember what TV program you were watching, or what music you were listening to, or what what was going on in your mind at the time, or how you were feeling? I find the associations amazing!

I'm still working too many hours and going in on the weekends. But, I'm trying to reclaim my inner space and outer life. I'll remember that and Charlie Brown when I look back on this drawing. At least the string is not tied shut and the flap is half open! I take that as a good sign that escape is imminent.

I guess art really is therapy!

Emma Pod

EDM Challenge #141 - Draw Something With Bristles

This weekend I tried drawing several things with bristles. I started with my purple, battery powered toothbrush and drew it three times. It still looked lame. Then I tried drawing my old utility scrub brush that has lots of bent and curvy bristles. Bad. Then I settled on some of my hair painting bristles and these looked OK to post.

I have highlighted and dyed my hair since I was in high school. I also used to give myself perms. I can't begin to count the times that I've screwed it up - too light, too dark, too frizzy, too burnt, too orange, even too purple once! In college I highlighted my hair too light and then gave myself a too frizzy perm. I finally bought a hat to cover it up and a boy asked me out because of my cute hat!

I've learned the difference between ash tones and warm tones. I've learned to use drabber (that involved the purple hair in an attempt to correct the too orange). Over the years I've collected a number of hair implements. Here are three, with bristles. I have another one that I may add later...

I used to pay someone to do my hair, but they make mistakes about as often as I do. So, I just do it myself. I've learned through trial and error (and 10:00 PM trips to the drug store). By now I have a whole beauty supply shop in my bathroom and can fix just about anything!

Emma Pod

EDM Challenge #139: Draw Something with a Handle

I've truly been a Pod Person for the last few months. Since May I've been working in interim management jobs that require way too much of my time. Over the summer I filled in for a woman who had a baby. I dealt with moving a department, packing up and storing stuff, planning an office remodel, and hiring some replacement folks. That job was campus based and it was great experience, but very busy.

Now I have a one year interim position and am again working with remodels, merged departments, hiring new staff, and overseeing various multi-campus office locations. It's a challenge and I'm learning alot of good stuff. But it has been overwhelming!

So, tonight I decided to start my drawing again. I even bought some new paints recently. These 10 hour days and Saturday office visits have got to stop!

I was thinking about how to get a handle on my life, my time, my work, my body, my mind....and tried to think of an image that would help. I started drawing a handle holding all of those elements in one piece. I was reminded of this old garden tool and went looking for it. It's at least 20 years old. I probably bought it in Iowa City, Iowa. It used to be shiny blue, but now it's worn, bent and rusty. But it still works!

So, I'm going to use this old thing as a metaphor to remind me to keep a handle on work, self, body. I think I'll take it to my office. I'm going to work less and stress less about it. I'm going to recapture my sense of self and creativity and home-life. I'm going to exercise more, eat better, and hopefully my face will quit breaking out.

Most of all, I will quit trying to be perfect!!

Emma Pod (and trying to stop)

EDM #131: Draw a Spray Bottle

I am behind in my Everyday Matters drawing projects. Last night I drew #131, a spray bottle. I use it when I'm out in the sun and get too hot. I also sometimes use it when I'm ironing and need to dampen fabric in order to get wrinkles out.

Last weekend, we were talking with friends, remembering how our South Dakota Grandmothers ironed clothes. They used a glass pop bottle with a sprinkler cap attached. I remember my Grandmother used to dampen linens with her bottle and roll them up to get them evenly damp before she'd iron. Aren't we lucky to have steam irons?

Emma Pod

Rockin' Girl Blogger

My blog friend Brenda at Amber Ridge Desert listed me as one of her "Rockin Girl Blogger" awardees! Isn't that nice of her?

I did a little Google search and discovered that Roberta Ferguson started the
"Rockin' Girl Blogger"
award on June 18th, 2007 to celebrate female bloggers. Here's the link to her post: http://www.robertaferguson.com/2007/06/18/why-not-start-something/

"I’m starting something today, right here, right now. You get to be in on it. It’ll be fun and it will build us a community of one sort: girl bloggers. Or, better yet, “Rockin’ Girl Bloggers”. How do you like that?
This one-time deal comes with a nifty badge as well... Let’s make a ginormous list of rockin’ girl bloggers. I am going to tag some of the rockin’ girl bloggers that I read regularly. From there, they can tag some more rockin’ girl bloggers, and so forth."

Brenda says we're to select four blogs and pass along the award. Here are mine:

Since my sister, The Old Bag, got me started with blogging last summer, I'm listing her as a Rockin' Girl Blogger. She started blogging a long time ago and has persevered through work, graduate school, moving, travels and cycling.

Laserone is a Rockin' Girl Blogger for sure. I first found her through her Everybody Loves Riley site, which is devoted to her adorable pug Riley. My friend Kathleen has a son named Riley and he always thinks it's funny that his name is so popular for pets.

Arty Velarde is another Rockin' Girl Blogger. She creates wonderful drawings of chickens and lawn bowlers. And we share a fascination with Roadside Attractions.

Marta is also a Rockin' Girl Blogger. She does some beautiful artwork and has a great blog. I've just gotten acquainted with her work recently.

There are so many more wonderful women bloggers! It's been great fun getting to know you.

Emma Pod

Sketchbook Drawings

I thought I'd post a couple of my sketchbook drawings from our Sunriver trip earlier in July.

The first is a tree right by the patio of the condo
we rented. I used Micron pen and colored pencils.

The second, below, is a sketch of Jack sleeping, in pen and watercolor.

EDM# 129: People Doing Something (for Snakebite)

This is sort of a stretch - a fellow blogger named Snakebite asked me to draw a chainring. What's a chainring you ask?? It's a bicycle part.

Snakebite is a South Dakotan, like me. He is a bicycle fanatic who stumbled upon my blog through my sister The Old Bag. She is also a cyclist.

So, for this EDM Challenge, I drew a hand holding a chainring (I believe it's the big ring that holds the pedal). The chainrings are really quite pretty! I guess they are also called chainwheels or cottered cranks.

I was looking through the EDM list and realized this is also Challenge #35 - Draw a Bicycle or a part of one!

The original photo that I used is from this website:
http://www.bikecult.com/works/chainwheel.html

So, Snakebite, this one's for you!

Emma Pod