Playing with my new toy

Recently, I got an iPhone. It’s basically a tiny, handheld computer. It does just about everything, except rub my back for me and make my meals. Along with all this fantasticness comes Instagram! I’ve been hearing about this app and seeing fun stuff that others are posting, and now I can join in the fun! Here are some of the first Instagram shots from my iPhone camera (which is actually better than the $300 point and shoot camera that I bought 4 years ago!)

Levi at sunrise

Is it really that hard to put it on the roll? You already got it this far…

Morning tulips

One of the neighbours has planted chicks and hens in old shoes and placed them on the fence around their yard. All at once, this visual is cute and creepy…

Steeping

Long shadows and early nights

Fall is here. I’ve been out to take a few photos here and there, and these are the best of my collection so far. I kind of feel like hibernating. Not just sleeping a lot more… really hibernating. Maybe I’ll have a day or two where I eat food for hours at a time. I’ll bulk up with fat, and then curl up in a few warm comforters and fall asleep for 5 months. I can wake up sometime in April when the thaw is finished, and spring is here again! But then I’d miss a whole bunch of blog posts. Dilemma! While I decided, here are the latest and greatest photos:

I really liked the texture of the paint on this power box. The rusty colour showing through was reflecting the colour of the leaves all around.

A photo of my crazy dog zoning in on some squirrels. He is the same colour as a lot of the leaves. This is the season he camouflages well!

I liked the silhouettes created on this beautiful sunset and snapped a pic

I had to be up ridiculously early for work and managed to catch this fiery sunrise. This photo is untouched! Crazy colours!

This is a picture of my dog waiting for me to say "OK" so that he can jump and get the stick. I like how he is just out of focus 🙂

Dogs, bones and the Forkasaurus

This Friday I have three photos and one *drawing* … It’s all I have managed to accumulate this week! I have some musings for next week, but let’s save that fantastic fun stuff for Monday morning, when we’re all bleary-eyed and disgruntled that another week is beginning and we’ve just begun climbing the ladder.

So I’ve been playing with my new camera (Samsung NX-11). I’ve been testing out different modes and shutter speeds and aperture sizes. Most of what I capture looks like blackness, whiteness, or total crap. Every once in a while I capture something interesting… I definitely need more practice. Not much to share this week, but here are a few that I thought worthy of the blog!

Just a quick snapshot of my dog Levi. I managed to catch one of my favourite faces “What’s that over there?”

A shot of the giant knuckle bone I got for Levi. It’s so big he’s afraid of it… It’s covered with gross stuff. I think it might be heavier than him too…

Playing with depth of field in this shot. Managed to get a blur on foreground AND background… also captured a creepy half-open sleep eye!

I was playing with shutter speed and trying different things. The actual photo this came from looked pretty terrible, but I liked the way that this crop separates the picture into three bands of colour. Also, it has a neat texture to it 🙂

And your Friday bonus:
Forkasaurus!

Getting back on the art cart

I’ve taken a significant vacation from my sketchbook. I haven’t been doodling, drawing, or even painting. Before Christmas, I did some artworks for friends as presents (being talented comes in handy when budgeting for presents!).

Before I get to the drawings, I’ll get to the reason I decided to post today. I need to get myself back on the art cart! I’ve fallen off the wagon. I need inspiration. I need to start doodling again. I always carry my sketchbook with me, I just have to remember to make time to open it and draw! A couple of fun projects are coming up soon that will, hopefully, get the creative juices flowing. I’m doing three paintings for some friends of mine to go in their little baby’s room. Also, I will be doing a mural on a 10′ x 10′ wall in someone’s bathroom – a sunset!

And now, onto the most recent stuff…

I posted one in my last 2010 drawings post – a drawing of my friend’s dog, Brutus:

Drawing of Brutus

I did three other drawings for Christmas presents. The next two are of my friend’s Cats – Kauzmo and Differential. They are super cute boys. I put these two photos in one frame, each separately matted.

This is my drawing of Kauzmo the cat!

Here is my drawing of Diffy!

Last, but not least, I did a 14″ x 17″ drawing of my friend’s two-year-old. It took quite a while to finish this one, but I was really happy with the result! When finished, I matted and framed this one and wrapped it up for the proud parents!

My drawing of the kid

I see the art cart coming… I have my ticket! Time to get on and enjoy the ride!!!

Weekly Drawings: OK, so I’ve missed a few…

Hello all! I usually post photos on Friday, but I have had some drawings waiting to be posted. The hustle and bustle of this busy season is getting to me, and I have not made enough time for photos! Here are the drawings for the week!
CLICK THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE IF YOU’D LIKE TO SEE DETAIL!

I wanted to do a drawing of a sort of picasso-like dog with many extra legs and eyes. This is the result 😛

My friend’s husband LOVES Mumford and Sons, and he coined the phrase “Any song with a banjo is a good song” I just did a sketch one day including it 🙂

I have been learning the guitar, so have images of notes and staffs floating around in my head. I made them into the MUZIK MONSTER!

A drawing of my good friend Sandra’s dog, Brutus. He has the most awesome cute face!

Photo day: week 13 (or 14… )

This week was quite eventful! I went to Downey’s Farm with some friends and had a good old harvest time. I love the fall! I also included some interesting shots from a small-venue concert that I went to featuring  Hot Hot Heat. And of course, I included an interesting snapshot of my dog… Don’t forget to click on the images to enlarge them if you want to see more detail 🙂 Enjoy!

 

There were HUNDREDS of pumpkins at Downey's farm! It was amazing to see the field of orange orbs!

 

 

There were two goat pens on either side of a pathway - and a special goat catwalk above, leading from one pen to another. This daredevil was walking high above us. I call it "Goat Eclipse"

 

 

I took this shot down the little bar we were sitting at before watching the concert. I got a neat sort of pinhole effect because it was so dark in there - and so light at the end of the table.

 

 

Captured an interesting shot of Steve Bays from Hot Hot Heat. I just love the lighting and the colours on this one.

 

 

My little doggie was playing in the yard. He came in to greet me and I saw that he had grass ON his eyeball. I thought that it had to hurt, but didn't want to touch it and make things worse... He didn't seem to mind 😛

 

Caution: nudity

OK, so today is going to be a little random – what else is new…

Something we rarely see, and probably even more rarely think about – naked animals. No – I’m not talking about seeing a side of beef or a turkey at the butcher shop – I’m talking about live animals that have no fur/feathers/covering – you know, the ones we are used to seeing with something covering them! It’s kind of creepy to look at! There is definitely something weird/wrong about this whole concept. All of these images make me think this is how all creatures would look after a nuclear holocaust… I mean, we have seen people naked before, and things like Sphynx cats and Skinny pigs… but consider these naked animals:

Naked Chicken! Creepy...

Oh my goodness... this is what bears look like with no fur!?!?!

Naked Mole - wouldn't want to come across this thing!

OK, so this bunny is only partly naked, but still!! CREEPY!

A creepy little nearly-naked primate! The Aye Aye

A joey - a baby kangaroo... Apparently they are SUPPOSED to be furless until they are gestated properly and can leave mum's pouch. But still CREEPY!

A furless rat - OK I have to admit this little guy is kinda cute..

This is a hairless Oriental Yeti. They are like a bear with a kangaroo tail but sounds like a cat when they "mew" WEIRD

Horses can be hairless too! He seems to have a small mane

Here is a hairless chimp!

Last but not least is the Peruvian hairless dog... He's handsome despite his creepy hairlessness! Put on the sunblock doggie!

Do you know of any other creepy hairless animals?

Weekly drawings: it’s not tribal, it’s Su-Chi!

Ahh.. ok, so it’s been a busy week, weekend etc. It was a LONG weekend, so theoretically, I should have had tons of time to get drawings done. Alas, I have only finished three. No excuse, I know. But I have included a BONUS! I have taken one of my drawings a step further and created a super fun computer generated character: Su Chi.

Here goes…..

A quick sketch of two-headed Levi from the creepy dream I had last week

I started out thinking I was going to draw a tribal tattoo inspired .. something. And - well - it's not tribal, but here it is!

I was typing to a friend across the internet and accidentally spelled Sushi "Suchi." The regular mockery ensued, leaving me inspired to draw Su-Chi (all you can eat) 😉

Here she is in all her glory! Like I have on many occasions she has overdone "All you can eat." She comes adorned in special patterned pants and shirt! "All you can eat" Su-Chi! © 2010 Sami