tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86231396993946247502024-03-13T23:12:55.289-04:00Plastic AcidSarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.comBlogger226125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-57266639531767907112013-12-26T05:55:00.001-05:002013-12-26T05:55:52.941-05:00The more things change, the more they stay the same...Yes, I know:<i> long time no blog</i>. It happens sometimes. Okay, maybe it happens frequently or annually. Well, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Since I last posted:<br />
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<li>Went to the Art Fair when it was 90˚F. </li>
<li>I had a medical issue.</li>
<li>Finished a <a href="http://sunshinesight.tumblr.com/tagged/bfproject">project</a>.</li>
<li>Handed out candy on Halloween.</li>
<li><a href="http://sunshinesight.tumblr.com/post/68401583418/thanksgiving-dinner-has-been-accomplished">Made Thanksgiving dinner</a>. </li>
<li>Took down the summer decorations & put up the winter decorations.</li>
<li>Spent 3 months working on illustrations for the holiday calendar. </li>
<li>Made Christmas dinner. </li>
<li>Finished the holiday calendar.</li>
<li>Had one of my printers die while printing the pages for the calendar.</li>
<li>And completed the wrapping of gifts at 4am on 12-25. </li>
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It's been an eventful half-year. <br />
<br />This was how my living room looked right before the hustle and bustle of calendar production & assembly and gift wrapping. It may not presently be that tidy...<br />
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This was the last scene of the last bit of illustrating that took place at my desk. It was a long haul of drawing. You can take a look at my last 3 months of illustration work <a href="http://sunshinesight.tumblr.com/tagged/2014graphics" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">here</span></b></a>.<br />
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Yes, I do manage to post a lot of things on Tumblr. It might seem much easier to use and more accessible to more random people... therefore it might get more attention. Or I might make more of an effort to make regular posts here. They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions.<br />
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One of the things that I enjoy the most is when Christmas is over with. It's the time when I usually finally have a moment to myself. I can just sit at home and relax. I'm not trying to finish something or work on something for someone or prepare some sort of massive feast or schedule my off-time around get-togethers or whatnot. There's a moment when the 25th becomes the 26th when everything is just calm and nice and solitary. I like those moments.<br />
<br />Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-15478227949538700652013-06-22T07:09:00.000-04:002013-06-22T07:09:44.641-04:00birthdays and butterfliesMy birthday is June 21. So, today would be the day after my birthday...<br />
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Every year there's cake - <a href="http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/supermoist-cakes/products/supermoist%20cake%20mix/cherry-chip">Betty Crocker Cherry Chip</a> cake with the corresponding <a href="http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/frosting/products/rich-creamy/cherry">Cherry frosting</a>.<br />
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I became aware of this cake somewhere between the ages of 6 and 8. It was served one year on Grandpa Duda's birthday. Prior to this particular family shindig — all cake had been white or yellow or chocolate, and was either frosted with vanilla or chocolate. Grandma Knight did occasionally break out the German chocolate cake. While I am always a fan of the coconut pecan frosting - I never quite got the appeal of the cake portion of the cake...</div>
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Anyway, cherry chip cake became my favorite cake immediately. The fact that the cherry frosting is pink was probably also part of the appeal. I was a child, it was an unusual flavor, what can I say? I mean, other than it appears <i>at least</i> once a year in my house. It's awesome cake.</div>
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My sister's birthday is in another couple of days. Every year we basically trade $20 back and forth in the span of a week. So, every year I have to conjure up a gift and usually end up making a trip to the post office on my birthday so that it will arrive around or on her birthday...<br />
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I conveniently worked up a couple new "species" of butterflies in the last month or so. You can see some of them <a href="http://here./">here.</a><span id="goog_1880008662"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1880008663"></span><br />
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Hopefully you're enjoying your summer!Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-71328626616938588412013-05-17T13:54:00.000-04:002013-05-17T14:04:47.418-04:00sidewalk tourism: more magnolias more magnolias...<br />
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<br />Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-38917408252512463672013-05-10T14:38:00.000-04:002013-05-10T14:38:36.864-04:00sidewalk tourism: magnolias...The magnolias had a decent run this year. Usually they bloom and then it immediately snows...<br />
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Enjoy your spring!Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-35291602697112962882013-05-02T12:26:00.000-04:002013-05-02T12:26:16.701-04:00sidewalk tourism: spring magnoliaThe temperatures finally warmed up! So I'm declaring it officially spring... that means it's sidewalk tourism time. No more winter blues. No more cabin fever. No more funk.<br />
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Hopefully your flowers are blooming : )Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-32739921618617044272013-04-27T14:50:00.000-04:002013-04-27T14:50:00.346-04:00sometimes I wonder...Sometimes I wonder what the point is... of blogging.<br />
<br />I wonder why I feel compelled to do it, and yet when I sit in front of the computer or think about what I would blog — my mind draws a blank.<br />
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Who's reading this thing anyway? My parents? Some random person who remembers people they went to high school with? People I work with?<br />
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I wonder this publicly, perhaps to no one, because after a long absence I wrote a couple blog entries and had changed the posting of comments to moderated... and then looked at the comments that were awaiting moderation and they are 100% spam.<br />
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I was on vacation this week... and it was, perhaps, despite many things, very enjoyable.<br />
I had no plans. It rained. I went nowhere. For a day or 2 I had no car because I took it in for a repair.<br />
I didn't blog. I didn't spend hours compulsively clicking on things on the internet. I did nothing on etsy. I didn't set the alarm clock. And in spite of that — I did <i>stuff</i>.<br />
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I didn't even finish anything, but I just spent hours doing stuff unencumbered by the notion of having to interact with other people or wonder about opinions and feelings and it was like the greatest vacation ever.<br />
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So I do, I wonder why I feel compelled <i>to blog.</i> What is it that I really have to share? In 7 paragraphs I don't have the answer to that, just that I do still wonder.<br />
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Maybe when spring finally hits and I feel compelled to go outdoors and <i>do something</i>, then I will know.Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-569765822136980742013-04-18T10:30:00.000-04:002013-04-18T10:30:01.324-04:00little things and lizards<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest difference.</div>
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As you may know, I'm enjoy kitsch, particularly when it comes to my decor. I have a bit of a thing for lizards and frogs and turtles and birds. And I have seasonal decorations. In the winter time I hang glitter snowflake ornaments from the ceiling of my living room, and in the spring and the summer I have a set of monarch butterflies and some hummingbird ornaments that I use. The hummingbirds were Christmas ornaments that I found in Target like 5-6 years ago. I thought they were so cool that I bought all the ones they had that weren't broken. I have 14 of them or so. They're resin ornaments, so I brought them home and painted them so that they looked like real ruby-throated hummingbirds, right down to using various shades of iridescent nail polish over their plumage to make them shine... </div>
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Anyway, back around that actual beginning of spring, I took down all the snowflakes and put up my butterflies and my hummingbirds. And then it snowed the next day. It's been a long winter, and that's meant a lot of time in doors. So much so that I started changing out and moving around pictures and artwork just to entertain myself and stave off boredom and malaise.</div>
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I thought I was done until I found myself standing in Hobby Lobby buying 2 more resin lizards <a href="http://www.plasticacid.blogspot.com/2013/01/meandering-thru-january.html">(like these)</a>. So, of course, I gave them a new coat of paint. And after they sat around my work space for a week or two - on a whim I finally got around to hanging them up on Tuesday morning. This of course also meant that I needed a new picture for over the computer...</div>
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I am definitely not a minimalist. But I think we all already knew that...<br />
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Hopefully the weather starts acting like spring soon. As much as I may enjoy decor and pictures and knick-knacks and stuff, I'm ready to put on my good shoes and grab the camera and throw some extra batteries in my pockets and go out wandering around enjoying some budding trees and daffodils.Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-83702399022198684412013-04-11T11:44:00.001-04:002013-04-11T11:44:50.201-04:00so I was away for a while...February and March plodded along until they just flew by... Yes, long time no blog. It was winter. It was Michigan. What can I say? I spent a lot of time in doors working on the in doors. My office / studio / living room underwent a slight cosmetic makeover. It is the room that I spend the bulk of my time in, so it was time for it to feel like a room that I wanted to spend most of my time in. <br />
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<b>Before</b></div>
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<b>After</b></div>
It's the little things that make the biggest difference. I bought bookcases and assembled them so that I could move a lot of magazines and piles of paper and boxes of craft supplies out of the room. That alone made it feel like less of a glorified storage closet...<br />
Then I started working on my desk. I have 2 of them. One of them had just become a place to set a printer and pile things... that was kind of silly. So, I moved a lot of stuff off my desk and better organized the things that needed to stay. And now I can actually sit there and draw - which was the desired result.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TCfpaNsKFmY/UWbYn31zzrI/AAAAAAAACOw/DpuM2WLABho/s1600/LRa_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TCfpaNsKFmY/UWbYn31zzrI/AAAAAAAACOw/DpuM2WLABho/s400/LRa_02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Plus, I framed and then hung many of my original drawings...<br />
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And then I got <b>the chair...</b></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nuqzHJQ8gtM/UWbZHmf1qhI/AAAAAAAACO4/E9OKPe-teSY/s1600/chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nuqzHJQ8gtM/UWbZHmf1qhI/AAAAAAAACO4/E9OKPe-teSY/s400/chair.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
It's one of those padded accent chairs. It's perfect. It's nice and low - the way I like my desk-to-chair ratio so that what I'm working on is close to eye level.<br />
<br />So, it's nice to have somewhere to sit and work without trying to balance a drawing board on my lap as my foot falls asleep.<b></b><br />
Hopefully winter treated you well, and spring will eventually begin and stick around for a little while before we veer directly into 90˚F days of summer...<b><br /></b>Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-25218573302100156682013-01-26T09:58:00.000-05:002013-01-26T09:58:06.419-05:00meandering thru JanuaryIt's been bitterly cold here lately. It's to be expected, it is January after all and this is Michigan. That means a lot of indoors time. Which either means aimlessly watching tv or procrastinating on projects...<br />
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So, I went grocery shopping a couple weeks ago and found myself standing in Hobby Lobby. Don't worry, I don't cook with craft paint. Anyway, I'm a sucker for garden statuary, and low and behold they were setting up that section of the store... so, some critters followed me home. And since this stuff is just mass produced resin - I decided to repaint them to better match my decor and taste... <br />
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And then I decided to paint some watercolors. Evidently it's been a while since I had to vacuum salt up off the carpeting. For the uninitiated - you can <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahknight?section_id=7092886"><b>see my watercolors here</b></a>. I work with color and salt, and I mix in some gouache for kicks.<br />
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I have subsequently named all 22 new paintings, and will eventually get around to scanning them and adding them to the shop... <i>eventually</i>.<br />
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At the present moment my stuck-indoors-spree-of-projects has meandered on to working on a series of illustrations. So, I've scanned a bunch of sketches and printed them out as blue pages that I am in the midst of inking...<br />
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If you're also stuck indoors, hopefully your time is productive : )<br />
<br />Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-83877863802486523832013-01-16T16:50:00.000-05:002013-01-16T16:50:01.889-05:00new year, new me<div style="text-align: justify;">
New year, new me. Well, kind of.</div>
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I'm 33. When I turned 18 way back in 1997 I left home and went off to college where I met something that would become part of my life forever: <i>the internet</i>. My generation made the message boards, the forums, the chat rooms... and really, to do those things, you need an avatar.</div>
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So, one night while I was on break at work I sketched out a caricature of me and colored it in with prismacolors. And that's been my avatar for 2 or 3 years now. People who know me in person who find me online always seem to be amused that my little rendering of myself looks like me; well, <i>me-ish</i>. I decided it could look a little more like me. So, I sat down at my desk yesterday and went about updating my avatar...</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lRV5Rb7Z5Fk/UPcca9PNFFI/AAAAAAAACNI/dnaFi5HzwTQ/s1600/Sarah1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lRV5Rb7Z5Fk/UPcca9PNFFI/AAAAAAAACNI/dnaFi5HzwTQ/s400/Sarah1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The progression - from current to new...</div>
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I took the old avatar, enlarged it, got rid of the color, and added a new face. I printed that out as a blue page, inked it, scanned that back in - colorized it and then printed that out to color over: </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O3CarUOSYms/UPcca2zTX0I/AAAAAAAACNE/KYMtSJwZF-w/s1600/Sarah2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O3CarUOSYms/UPcca2zTX0I/AAAAAAAACNE/KYMtSJwZF-w/s400/Sarah2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h12xdhAKZAE/UPcca9hmzDI/AAAAAAAACNM/pF-F_-pvl0c/s1600/Sarah3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h12xdhAKZAE/UPcca9hmzDI/AAAAAAAACNM/pF-F_-pvl0c/s400/Sarah3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s8XKQeRz_jk/UPccbWvqPxI/AAAAAAAACNY/4Udnwtr3yt0/s1600/Sarah4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s8XKQeRz_jk/UPccbWvqPxI/AAAAAAAACNY/4Udnwtr3yt0/s400/Sarah4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, now I suppose I should get to work on the rest of the projects I have lined up. Hopefully your new year has gotten off to a productive start!<br />
Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-61810430916629694872013-01-07T12:31:00.000-05:002013-01-07T12:31:52.801-05:00Picture Story: bear rideI needed an illustration for January for my calendar. We have the four seasons here in Michigan, so, January is usually a picture of something cold and snowy, because that's what it is. Somehow I decided on a girl and a bear trekking through the snow for the picture...<br />
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And so it was sketched:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-INeQJUefDGM/UOsCVwpn2-I/AAAAAAAACLY/RThQwQrXiBU/s1600/bearRide_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-INeQJUefDGM/UOsCVwpn2-I/AAAAAAAACLY/RThQwQrXiBU/s400/bearRide_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Then sketch was scanned in photoshop, converted to a blue page. That was printed, </div>
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inked, scanned into photoshop and cleaned up and converted into a file...</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JVW_nK3oerg/UOsCV2xlScI/AAAAAAAACLg/ctC1urgxPGU/s1600/bearRide_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JVW_nK3oerg/UOsCV2xlScI/AAAAAAAACLg/ctC1urgxPGU/s400/bearRide_02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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That file was filled with color and then printed off to be colored by hand.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-05lTPwlBU5I/UOsCV1gAFJI/AAAAAAAACLc/Eq9UrfdLl58/s1600/bearRide_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-05lTPwlBU5I/UOsCV1gAFJI/AAAAAAAACLc/Eq9UrfdLl58/s400/bearRide_03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Once the entire page was colored it was scanned into photoshop.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6ezv4DzzZ2o/UOsCWnapENI/AAAAAAAACLk/rQ_Sum2U25k/s1600/bearRide_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6ezv4DzzZ2o/UOsCWnapENI/AAAAAAAACLk/rQ_Sum2U25k/s400/bearRide_04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Where I began to add other elements, like the snowy ground and the sky...</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ky-AoV93cmM/UOsCW8Iup5I/AAAAAAAACLo/Oifseu1bO-I/s1600/bearRide_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ky-AoV93cmM/UOsCW8Iup5I/AAAAAAAACLo/Oifseu1bO-I/s400/bearRide_05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The sky needed a little more visual oomph, so, I added a layer of a </div>
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scan of one of my paintings: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/66694058/sunkissed-alchemy-phantasmagoria-an">sunkissed alchemy phantasmagoria</a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-40F9pFoMQzo/UOsCmCttYDI/AAAAAAAACMA/0u5ct3A5YYo/s1600/sunKalchemy2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-40F9pFoMQzo/UOsCmCttYDI/AAAAAAAACMA/0u5ct3A5YYo/s400/sunKalchemy2-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There was snow on the ground, so there should be snowflakes in the air. </div>
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The issue was to leave them behind or on top of the girl & bear... </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-khBy2P2TNIU/UOsCrHrAWBI/AAAAAAAACMM/tuHMbtfaFZ8/s1600/bearRide_07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-khBy2P2TNIU/UOsCrHrAWBI/AAAAAAAACMM/tuHMbtfaFZ8/s400/bearRide_07.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I decided to leave the snowflakes on top, so, I selectively deleted some of them...</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f6nlkr3G-G4/UOsCrOiz7GI/AAAAAAAACMI/XxQFooWljjY/s1600/bearRide_08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f6nlkr3G-G4/UOsCrOiz7GI/AAAAAAAACMI/XxQFooWljjY/s400/bearRide_08.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And there it is: bear ride</div>
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You can find "bear ride" at <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/114924538/bear-ride-signed-digital-illustration">sarahkdesigns</a> or <a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/SunshineSight/5304226/">sunshinesight</a><br />
<br />Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-53587477823588582652012-12-28T23:52:00.000-05:002012-12-29T04:30:19.055-05:00Craft project: painting the birds<div style="text-align: justify;">
We all have our own quirks and proclivities and personal touches. I like weird stuff. Now, everyone has different sensibilities when it comes to weird stuff, myself included. I like to decorate with what I assume people would think of as weird stuff. I like frogs and lizards and turtles and apparently my new thing is birds. I have them all over the studio / office / living room. Most of them are probably supposed to be in a garden or a child's toy box, but, well, I'm not much of a gardener. So, yeah, I have garden statuary and toys standing in as knick knacks in my living room.</div>
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Basically, I like kitsch, and I decorate with kitsch. </div>
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And since I was done coming home from work and finishing up the holiday calendar — well, I suddenly had <i>free time</i> again! I know, it always seems novel to come home from work and not have to <i>work on something</i>. Leisure, who knew?</div>
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Anyway, after catching up on the last 5 episodes of the now cancelled Leverage and probably 7-10 miscellaneous hours of tv watching, well, I had to pry myself away from the facebook and do something (besides sleeping).</div>
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As it turns out, I had a little home dec project to finish. My vcr/dvd player died in the beginning of December, so, there was some consternation over hooking up the replacement and having the correct number of cables and looking at diagrams and attaching the right cable to the right slot between the new dvd player, the cable box, and the television. Apparently, in order to watch a dvd you need to have a degree in engineering...</div>
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Anyway, one of the cords was too short, and I had to rearrange things, and it was weird looking. So, eventually I was standing there in Target while Christmas shopping and bought myself a little stand for the tv to sit on so that the tv could be in the middle of the spot for the tv again...<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-brD3aMQWCiY/UN63XkrMAHI/AAAAAAAACKs/BqNg-uADbHI/s1600/decorate7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-brD3aMQWCiY/UN63XkrMAHI/AAAAAAAACKs/BqNg-uADbHI/s400/decorate7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Before: the original configuration</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6wTF2g_llqw/UN5yWh06CpI/AAAAAAAACI0/iGzT1R9b86w/s1600/decorate1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6wTF2g_llqw/UN5yWh06CpI/AAAAAAAACI0/iGzT1R9b86w/s400/decorate1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Middle (the new dvd player) (above)</div>
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After (below)</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-siN8X8VrEIY/UN5yWzomwNI/AAAAAAAACI4/roxASh7bcJI/s1600/decorate2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-siN8X8VrEIY/UN5yWzomwNI/AAAAAAAACI4/roxASh7bcJI/s400/decorate2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, of course, now there's more space for knick knacks, boo-yah! And by knick knacks I mean the birds, the turtle, the frogs, and the lizards.</div>
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I like to buy bird, frog, and reptile decorations that look realistic. Occasionally, I buy things that I think just need a new coat of paint, because I'm crafty like that. So, my post holiday I-did-it-for-the-fun-of-it project was to paint a couple resin birds I had bought that I thought needed a do-over with paint.</div>
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So, with some craft paint, a knowledge of bird plumage, and some satin and matte varnish:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uJiZNPltsKA/UN50Ss2f47I/AAAAAAAACJo/pCGwyJGFIX8/s1600/decorate3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uJiZNPltsKA/UN50Ss2f47I/AAAAAAAACJo/pCGwyJGFIX8/s400/decorate3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, now I have 3 yellow warblers (2 females, 1 male) and a chickadee on a pine cone in my menagerie of creatures.<br />
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Oh, and the chickadee has a home too : )</div>
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Someone needs to make sure the plastic iguanas behave themselves.</div>
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I hope everyone had a lovely holiday (and perhaps some post holiday relaxation or maybe a craft project) and <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"><b>have a happy new year!</b></span></span></div>
Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-63305606020902674552012-12-25T08:04:00.002-05:002012-12-25T08:04:43.400-05:00Merry Christmas!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OZJ1gd_kKJo/UNmkDuHx0dI/AAAAAAAACHw/5voNm32YnA0/s1600/wrap1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OZJ1gd_kKJo/UNmkDuHx0dI/AAAAAAAACHw/5voNm32YnA0/s400/wrap1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Have a Very Merry Christmas!</b></span></span></div>
Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-47427199728012716192012-12-21T19:24:00.000-05:002012-12-22T07:19:36.485-05:00Christmas Cookies 2012This year's Christmas cookie making expedition was divided into 2 parts. At 2am this morning I made the dough, cut the cookies and baked them... And then when I got up from a brief 5 hour nap — I frosted the cookies (a 3 hour process, complete with a trip to the grocery store for the can of frosting I was pretty sure I had bought but could not find).<br />
<br />
116 cookies in 22 colors...<br />
Enjoy!<br />
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Have a wonderful holiday!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2fEkqzcIvOw/UNWlPfDrHUI/AAAAAAAACHE/V6cE2SlK_iU/s1600/frostings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2fEkqzcIvOw/UNWlPfDrHUI/AAAAAAAACHE/V6cE2SlK_iU/s400/frostings.jpg" width="175" /></a></div>
Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-88086053289765561062012-12-08T05:34:00.001-05:002012-12-08T05:34:09.419-05:00Christmas cards on Artfire<div style="text-align: center;">
Snowflake Christmas cards are available for a limited time at:</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/SunshineSight/0/0/0/christmas%20cards">SunshineSight.artfire.com</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1PjhO4up3qo/UMMS210zMEI/AAAAAAAACCQ/0aBfOZ5llm4/s1600/3tradDeerFIXED.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1PjhO4up3qo/UMMS210zMEI/AAAAAAAACCQ/0aBfOZ5llm4/s400/3tradDeerFIXED.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/4064302">12-pack, deer on blues</a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Fs5bG8C7RE/UMMTBzwGuGI/AAAAAAAACCY/UkyBPCt7FDg/s1600/muted1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Fs5bG8C7RE/UMMTBzwGuGI/AAAAAAAACCY/UkyBPCt7FDg/s400/muted1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/4063259"> 10-pack Christmas themes on earth tones</a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tj2fW9FugV0/UMMTLmgjEXI/AAAAAAAACCg/FN3YK-HQF0o/s1600/midnightdeer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tj2fW9FugV0/UMMTLmgjEXI/AAAAAAAACCg/FN3YK-HQF0o/s400/midnightdeer1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/4063252"> 10-pack midnight deer variety pack</a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xD6GkHRb2Vs/UMMTNcfwobI/AAAAAAAACCo/mfC6yxyXUcU/s1600/pinkgreen1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xD6GkHRb2Vs/UMMTNcfwobI/AAAAAAAACCo/mfC6yxyXUcU/s400/pinkgreen1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/4063263">10-pack Christmas themes on pink and green</a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nQfGN2ohoIU/UMMTqMz-yGI/AAAAAAAACCw/06tkqXZGukA/s1600/3batikdeernu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nQfGN2ohoIU/UMMTqMz-yGI/AAAAAAAACCw/06tkqXZGukA/s400/3batikdeernu.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/4064309"> 12-pack deer on blue watercolors</a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ORXpdCLaHG8/UMMTubon86I/AAAAAAAACC4/OufqHUjv_DE/s1600/4snowstorm2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ORXpdCLaHG8/UMMTubon86I/AAAAAAAACC4/OufqHUjv_DE/s400/4snowstorm2011.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/4064347">12-pack Christmas themes on blues & greens</a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XJfnjG8PsRE/UMMV0pO5rhI/AAAAAAAACDA/alR00c3x_u8/s1600/3Valentines1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XJfnjG8PsRE/UMMV0pO5rhI/AAAAAAAACDA/alR00c3x_u8/s400/3Valentines1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/4064409"> 12-pack snowstorm valentine collection</a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M0CowMNRs4Y/UMMV3526wvI/AAAAAAAACDI/c9tx1bR7hgs/s1600/3spices1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M0CowMNRs4Y/UMMV3526wvI/AAAAAAAACDI/c9tx1bR7hgs/s400/3spices1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/4064390">12-pack snowstorm spice berry variety</a></div>
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Have a Very Merry Christmas!</div>
Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-57988000150875116942012-12-04T16:51:00.002-05:002012-12-05T16:14:21.211-05:00Tales from the lost weeks of December...Yes, I know, I missed a few weeks... I've been working on the illustrations for the calendar.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4QVcy8-UEdQ/UL5tmC-4Q1I/AAAAAAAACBc/nLUTpGIwU18/s1600/Progress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4QVcy8-UEdQ/UL5tmC-4Q1I/AAAAAAAACBc/nLUTpGIwU18/s400/Progress.jpg" width="322" /></a></div>
I essentially have 2 weeks to finish 4 illustrations. Yes, ha! I know.<br />
So, anyway, I will be here:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E7GsuoglgyM/UL5uF2xr6pI/AAAAAAAACBk/lgfKyv4Q-0A/s1600/studio1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E7GsuoglgyM/UL5uF2xr6pI/AAAAAAAACBk/lgfKyv4Q-0A/s400/studio1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
a lot...<br />
Because that's my office / studio / living room where I spend more of my non-sleeping, non-working, waking hours. And in the next 2 weeks I will be there a lot <i>illustrating</i>.<br />
Yes, I know, it's a <i>busy</i> place. I wouldn't have it any other way.<br />
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So, get your Christmas shopping done, get your holiday baking done. Maybe clean a little, make sure you have the decorations up, and be ready to relax come December 26... I know I will.<br />
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In the mean time you can check out the pictures I've finished:<br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/114924538/bear-ride-signed-digital-illustration" target="_blank">bear ride</a><br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/114515435/follow-your-heart-signed-fine-art-print" target="_blank">follow your heart</a><br />
<a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/SunshineSight/5589487/raccoons_and_the_refraction_tree___8x10_inch_signed_fine_art_print/fine_art/print/digital" target="_blank">raccoons & the refraction tree</a><br />
<a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/5595151" target="_blank">cloudia</a><br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/19442581/summer-flight-signed-digital" target="_blank">summer flight</a><br />
<a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/SunshineSight/5284911/owls_and_ghosts_-_8x10_inch_art_print_by_sarah_knight/fine_art/print/digital" target="_blank">owls & ghosts</a><br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/114519275/the-rainy-fox-signed-digital" target="_blank">the rainy fox</a><br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/114923865/chillin-signed-digital-illustration-art" target="_blank">chillin'</a><br />
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<br />Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-77913818702814303892012-11-21T11:26:00.000-05:002012-11-21T11:26:12.508-05:00November? You were barely here...<div style="text-align: justify;">
November is one of those months that just zips in and out, or so it seems... So, did you vote? Of course you did. I did too. I always do. </div>
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The polling place is about a mile from my house, and I have a history of showing up at the wrong times (when I don't have to stand in line for 20 minutes is when I consider it to be the right time)... so, instead of showing up:</div>
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when it opens - people on their way to work are there then...</div>
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9am-11am - people who run errands and shop are there then...</div>
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noon - lunchtime - everyone is there then... </div>
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after 3pm - school is out, workplaces begin to close...</div>
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So, sometime shortly after 1pm seemed like a safe option. Ha! I stood in line with 100+ other people for 45 minutes.</div>
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For the record: I'm a democrat, I've always been a democrat. So, you know, in the 3 whole minutes that it took me to actually vote — I filled in the circle next to Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Would have taken less time if the lead in the #2 pencil hadn't been broken. Yes, we have scantron style ballots. No levers, no punches. Just a bunch of adults filling in circles on a piece of paper.</div>
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Anyway, that's done.</div>
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Are you still reading this? Good. Because that last paragraph wasn't the end of the world, and I'm pretty sure I've mentioned my political leanings before... </div>
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Anyway, November, I hardly know ye as a month, because you fly by every year while I'm trying to wrap up a bunch of illustrations. Yes, I have 6 illustrations to finish for the calendar — and I only managed to totally change my mind on a couple of them at the last minute and totally start over from scratch, ha!</div>
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So, in all honesty, there's nothing that looks super exciting about the sketch phase. Plus, my current sketchbook sat in the trunk of my car and I pulled it out because I ran out of sketchbooks, and well, the paper is kinda lumpy. It's usable, but warped... the usable part is the important part. So, yes, sketching and scanning and inking scan print-outs is what I have been doing fiendishly for the last 2-3 weeks, when not sleeping or cleaning.</div>
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I finished these back in June - for father's day. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QX94BEENpuE/UKz5DxZ-wJI/AAAAAAAACAs/jHc-4bQmWkE/s1600/12_malebb1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QX94BEENpuE/UKz5DxZ-wJI/AAAAAAAACAs/jHc-4bQmWkE/s400/12_malebb1.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/115559155/male-eastern-bluebird-portrait-signed" target="_blank">male eastern bluebird</a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6DdlOq0RiOw/UKz5FxH15EI/AAAAAAAACA0/cH7llkeHIfU/s1600/12_bbfemale1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6DdlOq0RiOw/UKz5FxH15EI/AAAAAAAACA0/cH7llkeHIfU/s400/12_bbfemale1.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/115558538/female-eastern-bluebird-portrait-signed" target="_blank">female eastern bluebird</a></div>
It was interesting to take <a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/SunshineSight/4462131/bluebirds_in_the_rose_garden_-_signed_fine_art_print_8X10_inches/Print/Digital" target="_blank">renderings that I had done at a certain scale</a> and blow them up to fill in the details. Technically, it's something I do all the time, up until I started these - I hadn't drawn any birds that were quite that big.<br />
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I have some other bird portraits on the docket, but that's all on hold until I finish the calendar. So, I guess I should get to work finishing those pictures, and then maybe Christmas will be here and done and over with, and I can finally just relax, right? Until it snows and I have to drive to work in it...<br />
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Anyway, Thanksgiving is tomorrow — so <span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!</b></span>Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-40014629163513847272012-11-10T02:57:00.002-05:002012-11-10T02:57:34.122-05:00Picture Story: the rainy fox<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hey, have I mentioned the <a href="http://www.plasticacid.blogspot.com/2012/09/busy-busy-busy.html" target="_blank">calendar</a>? Yeah, I know. It's kind of my fixation for the until 25 December. So, <a href="http://www.plasticacid.blogspot.com/2012/09/picture-story-summer-flight.html" target="_blank">one illustration was completed last week</a> and now I've finished another.</div>
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The rainy fox started out as a sketch that I drew while waiting to get an oil change for my car... I scanned the sketch, printed it as a blue page, inked the blue page, and scanned that back in and made it into a file.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dR0uVJ3A8Fg/UHAXA-eJUYI/AAAAAAAAB6A/HIoL5BF1zH0/s1600/rainyfox01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dR0uVJ3A8Fg/UHAXA-eJUYI/AAAAAAAAB6A/HIoL5BF1zH0/s400/rainyfox01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There's a decision that I made about this illustration: no outlines. In my pre-digital illustrating days — objects in pictures never had outlines and everything was rendered by hand with colored pencil... somehow when pen & ink enters into the picture - there end up being outlines, and I decided that this picture would be outline free — so I "blocked" my picture so that it had no outlines. Blocking is a fairly arbitrary process - you just fill the parts of the picture with color. And I guess color schemes are just kind of inherent, at least they are to me. Even if I'm not precisely sure what I think a picture should look like when done - I have a vague idea of the colors, tone, mood, and presentation... </div>
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<i>You know, the sky isn't <span style="color: cyan;">aqua blue</span> with <span style="color: white;">white</span> clouds, and the ground isn't <span style="color: #134f5c;">peacock green</span>.</i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IgO0_vJDhmE/UHAW8KJttNI/AAAAAAAAB44/O_bgv7i509s/s1600/rainyFox02a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IgO0_vJDhmE/UHAW8KJttNI/AAAAAAAAB44/O_bgv7i509s/s400/rainyFox02a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Since it's the picture for November — the original sketch has some raindrops penciled in, and "the rainy fox" is scrawled across the bottom of the page. So, when it came time to fill in my blocked file — I picked photos of leaves on the ground and a scan of a watercolor that fit that mood and then superimposed them over my layer of color blocking.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1DvX8Z828NI/UHAW8tBwFQI/AAAAAAAAB5A/gbp10HT3E4s/s1600/rainyFox04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1DvX8Z828NI/UHAW8tBwFQI/AAAAAAAAB5A/gbp10HT3E4s/s400/rainyFox04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The tree is always the truly labor intensive part of the picture. I select some of my digital photos of tree bark and manipulate them in photoshop to turn a couple photos into a full tree.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2r_X-gwKW5Q/UHAW9M-Y-1I/AAAAAAAAB5I/-qkIobH9gVw/s1600/rainyFox05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2r_X-gwKW5Q/UHAW9M-Y-1I/AAAAAAAAB5I/-qkIobH9gVw/s400/rainyFox05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
So, once I have the colors the way I want them, and the layer overlays of photos or paintings for texture or effect — then it's time to print that image in order to draw over it with prismacolors.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jSp7EIsOW5o/UHAW9h1UQII/AAAAAAAAB5Q/isKXDNhQC-s/s1600/rainyFox06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jSp7EIsOW5o/UHAW9h1UQII/AAAAAAAAB5Q/isKXDNhQC-s/s400/rainyFox06.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I started by coloring in the details on the fox.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p5Gk8DepXfo/UHAW-BN3moI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/Ska0Oz1kZbk/s1600/rainyFox07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p5Gk8DepXfo/UHAW-BN3moI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/Ska0Oz1kZbk/s400/rainyFox07.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And then I gave the tree the illusion of dimensionality...</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9W8jzInNUUE/UHAW-tska8I/AAAAAAAAB5g/1dzoRKC5Izo/s1600/rainyFox08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9W8jzInNUUE/UHAW-tska8I/AAAAAAAAB5g/1dzoRKC5Izo/s400/rainyFox08.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
And then it was time to color in the clouds and add the rain...<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wmHrefQfb_c/UHAW_RE08JI/AAAAAAAAB5o/iHhegu_tUcM/s1600/rainyFox09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wmHrefQfb_c/UHAW_RE08JI/AAAAAAAAB5o/iHhegu_tUcM/s400/rainyFox09.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
So, in the end, what started as a sketch becomes a full color illustration:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8u9VmfwZdZU/UHAW_x62mTI/AAAAAAAAB5w/Q1fQhOxiNz4/s1600/rainyFox10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8u9VmfwZdZU/UHAW_x62mTI/AAAAAAAAB5w/Q1fQhOxiNz4/s400/rainyFox10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VCOxa0e97gs/UHAXAA0M6OI/AAAAAAAAB54/jQCc8QC9Nyo/s1600/rainyFox11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VCOxa0e97gs/UHAXAA0M6OI/AAAAAAAAB54/jQCc8QC9Nyo/s400/rainyFox11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/114519275/the-rainy-fox-signed-fine-art-print-8x10" target="_blank"><b>the rainy fox — Sarah Knight</b></a></div>
<br />Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-6211481912383993292012-11-04T16:05:00.001-05:002012-11-04T16:05:36.701-05:00Outside: pumpkins, Halloween never ends<div style="text-align: justify;">
Halloween is always kind of a big deal. It just is. I'm not sure why, because I'm not really some sort of Halloween traditionalist, and really, I'm not fully into the Halloween mood until the day of. Strangely, if they showed Halloween movies for 30 days following Halloween, then I'd probably actually have the chance to watch them...</div>
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So, here are some of the pumpkins I photographed in October and that first day of November...</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--FIRMCN8nzc/UJbWP_eUwLI/AAAAAAAAB-Y/5e2p_Fvz_MY/s1600/postH_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--FIRMCN8nzc/UJbWP_eUwLI/AAAAAAAAB-Y/5e2p_Fvz_MY/s400/postH_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G7UshgAtVL8/UJbWQYj0SPI/AAAAAAAAB-g/PqmWcdxtA5U/s1600/postH_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G7UshgAtVL8/UJbWQYj0SPI/AAAAAAAAB-g/PqmWcdxtA5U/s400/postH_02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V-VDtYmTVY4/UJbWQ8XRcoI/AAAAAAAAB-o/GrEDMdvLq7o/s1600/postH_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V-VDtYmTVY4/UJbWQ8XRcoI/AAAAAAAAB-o/GrEDMdvLq7o/s400/postH_03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ecEno1tikBU/UJbWRZQ0m0I/AAAAAAAAB-w/q4yyEFeUjHY/s1600/postH_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ecEno1tikBU/UJbWRZQ0m0I/AAAAAAAAB-w/q4yyEFeUjHY/s400/postH_04.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SYH4TRPWKtA/UJbWYPX4bKI/AAAAAAAAB-4/9G6iVfvB-1Q/s1600/postH_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SYH4TRPWKtA/UJbWYPX4bKI/AAAAAAAAB-4/9G6iVfvB-1Q/s400/postH_05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hnTFvVUcCug/UJbWY-AlTOI/AAAAAAAAB_A/FTSTGeO1mXA/s1600/postH_06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hnTFvVUcCug/UJbWY-AlTOI/AAAAAAAAB_A/FTSTGeO1mXA/s400/postH_06.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xoDKmzfJs7g/UJbWZ0XxFCI/AAAAAAAAB_Q/Fz_ntkfrUWM/s1600/postH_08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xoDKmzfJs7g/UJbWZ0XxFCI/AAAAAAAAB_Q/Fz_ntkfrUWM/s400/postH_08.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hoYXQutLab8/UJbWaSQ4k0I/AAAAAAAAB_Y/CIL5S8_ttAw/s1600/postH_09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hoYXQutLab8/UJbWaSQ4k0I/AAAAAAAAB_Y/CIL5S8_ttAw/s400/postH_09.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I think it's interesting that in the last 5 years heirloom pumpkins have become fashionable, and that people carve them for Halloween.<br />
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Anyway, I hope you had a fun one, and now I have to get back to finishing those illustrations for the calendar. I've just about hit the halfway point!Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-12195587405432913192012-10-20T19:47:00.000-04:002012-10-20T19:47:46.837-04:00Outside: autumn leavesWell, autumn is upon us, so that means it's time to wander around outside with the camera...<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XZ132uZU1Ak/UIM3AJ_xUCI/AAAAAAAAB9U/x8VrIyK09Ao/s1600/reflections1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XZ132uZU1Ak/UIM3AJ_xUCI/AAAAAAAAB9U/x8VrIyK09Ao/s320/reflections1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/111981328/reflections-8x10-inch-photograph-by" target="_blank">reflections</a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bfFRmlDBLCU/UIM3FWRORwI/AAAAAAAAB9c/OeDxqtLHqvE/s1600/oaklitter1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bfFRmlDBLCU/UIM3FWRORwI/AAAAAAAAB9c/OeDxqtLHqvE/s320/oaklitter1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/111981946/oak-leaves-in-autumn-8x10-inch" target="_blank">oak leaves in autumn</a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kh_yaXw_5yA/UIM3JPGU4eI/AAAAAAAAB9k/tZk6n4zyLUo/s1600/oakmix1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kh_yaXw_5yA/UIM3JPGU4eI/AAAAAAAAB9k/tZk6n4zyLUo/s320/oakmix1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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oak mix</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uRvCocaMSHQ/UIM3R48NRrI/AAAAAAAAB9s/lOnOTlQBrNI/s1600/marooned.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uRvCocaMSHQ/UIM3R48NRrI/AAAAAAAAB9s/lOnOTlQBrNI/s320/marooned.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/111981033/propeller-8x8-inch-square-photo-by-sarah" target="_blank">propeller</a></div>
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<br />Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-74019157984136575132012-10-13T02:41:00.000-04:002012-10-13T02:41:04.286-04:00Picture Story update: lightshineProcrastination — who doesn't? Maybe people with personal planners who worry about schedules or something? Well, I'm not one of those people I guess. So, in theory, I took the week off from working on the calendar. I mean, last week I finished the second illustration (only 10 more to go). But there was something about the next picture on the docket that I'm just not ready to commit to or in the mood to work on, so I'm going to shove that to some far off back corner of my mind until I generate a solution — not unlike one of those 'moments' on House - where Wilson would be blathering on about something and House would have that epiphany about exactly what malady or combination of maladies the patient had.<br />
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So, on a whim, I decided that instead of plowing through another illustration I was going to rework something that had always bothered me about one of my older illustrations...<br />
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"lightshine" </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5znfkFgR7js/UHkC7IIji0I/AAAAAAAAB7U/J2Slu-M4wTg/s1600/lightshine1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5znfkFgR7js/UHkC7IIji0I/AAAAAAAAB7U/J2Slu-M4wTg/s400/lightshine1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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the original version...</div>
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<a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/sunshinesight/2855804/lightshine__by_sarah_knight_8x10_inch_open_edition_print/fine_art/print/digital" target="_blank">and the new and improved version: </a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lZTtvpQcuv8/UHkC-quxtWI/AAAAAAAAB7c/zBDSiS5Qt7Q/s1600/lightshine12_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lZTtvpQcuv8/UHkC-quxtWI/AAAAAAAAB7c/zBDSiS5Qt7Q/s400/lightshine12_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It wasn't really until 2002 that I started illustrating in a fashion that involved a lot of photoshop. Before then everything was colored pencils and bristol. Sketches were transferred from my sketchbook to the bristol via tracing paper, and well, that was it... and then time marched on and now I end up interfacing a lot of things on the computer. Technically, I guess it saves me the trouble of drawing the picture 4 times before I color it (sketch it, trace it, color the back of the trace, draw the trace onto paper)...</div>
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So, it was in June of 2009 that I made "lightshine." And it was my first endeavor with computer generated sunshine. The original looks okay and all, and I vaguely remember how I formatted the whole thing, but I was never exactly thrilled with how it looked. It was very flat and thin and like two-dimensional. Plus I played with feathering, blur, and layer styles — probably for the first time.</div>
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It was later in November of 2009 when I was working on penguin pals that I took a more calculated effort in making rays of sunshine:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jICMEGu9BrE/UHkJLe_5oMI/AAAAAAAAB8I/mfxpEy90neA/s1600/sunshineT1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jICMEGu9BrE/UHkJLe_5oMI/AAAAAAAAB8I/mfxpEy90neA/s400/sunshineT1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
This is how it began (above) — and after some toggling with tools and copying, pasting, and rotating — this is how it looked: <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gMeZJk6piEA/UHkJL13HLfI/AAAAAAAAB8Q/FVYS02VunAg/s1600/sunshineT2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gMeZJk6piEA/UHkJL13HLfI/AAAAAAAAB8Q/FVYS02VunAg/s400/sunshineT2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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These were my initial efforts, and they ended up here:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yj_-7awB_BQ/UHkJcvmGSkI/AAAAAAAAB8g/K88AOMi-9VE/s1600/penguin1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yj_-7awB_BQ/UHkJcvmGSkI/AAAAAAAAB8g/K88AOMi-9VE/s400/penguin1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/sunshinesight/2718569/penguin_pals__by_sarah_knight_8x10_inch_open_edition_print/fine_art/print/digital" target="_blank"> penguin pals</a></div>
You see those 4 lines there — that emanate from the sun? They annoy me. Something wasn't quite aligned right or sized right...<br />
I would subsequently remake the file for the sunshine into this:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZYXnBNdF4k/UHkJMcWHEWI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/CvHcsfasbHw/s1600/sunshineT5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZYXnBNdF4k/UHkJMcWHEWI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/CvHcsfasbHw/s400/sunshineT5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Very <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Wizard-Op-Ed-Emberley/dp/0316236101" target="_blank">"Wizard of Op"</a> — I know ; ) That is, btw, like the <a href="http://stoppingoffplace.blogspot.com/2010/08/wizard-of-op.html" target="_blank">coolest book I read as a child</a>.<br />
<br />Anyway, that was the fix that I used when I was working on what I think of as the <i>sunshine illustrations</i>, which include this:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ni5vOfBeKno/UHkKzZscwkI/AAAAAAAAB8o/4pR0sTwGZZE/s1600/ywSS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ni5vOfBeKno/UHkKzZscwkI/AAAAAAAAB8o/4pR0sTwGZZE/s320/ywSS1.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/38697786/yellow-warblers-sunshine-song-signed" target="_blank">yellow warblers sunshine song</a></div>
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Subsequently, when I decided to fix the sunshine on <a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/sunshinesight/2855804/lightshine__by_sarah_knight_8x10_inch_open_edition_print/fine_art/print/digital" target="_blank">lightshine</a> some 3 years later — that's the file I referenced. So, now I'm happy with the way the picture looks. You can check out the new and improved <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/38508025/lightshine-signed-fine-art-print-8x10" target="_blank">"lightshine"</a> <b><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/38508025/lightshine-signed-fine-art-print-8x10" target="_blank">here</a></b>.<br />
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Yeah, so now I guess it's time to get back to illustration 3 for the calendar...<br />
Have a lovely weekend!<br />
Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-40255757106242361882012-10-06T06:06:00.001-04:002012-10-06T06:07:39.368-04:00Outside: Autumn beginsThe first day of fall was officially 22 September. So, the leaves have
started to turn in the last week or so. And that means it's time to
charge up the camera batteries and put on my shoes and go wander around
and enjoy the season. So, here we go:<br />
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So, the leaves have started to turn and fall, and the light is more atmospheric, and the insects are getting in their last little bits of activity before it's time to hibernate.<br />
<br />
I also found myself standing in a Target in the last week or so, and picked up cds by <a href="http://www.theavettbrothers.com/music-featured/" target="_blank">The Avett Brothers</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Some-Nights-Fun/dp/B006M4RN3U" target="_blank">fun</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Megalithic-Symphony-awolnation/dp/B004L35GAQ" target="_blank">Awolnation</a>, and <a href="http://www.greenday.com/album/uno" target="_blank">Green Day</a>. It's nice to put on some new music every now and then.<br />
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Apparently I've moved into the 21st century, or I've been dragged there kicking and screaming — so you can check me out on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004473154223" target="_blank"><b>facebook</b></a>.<br />
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Anyway, go outside and enjoy the view : )Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-23329615549907496262012-09-29T11:32:00.000-04:002012-09-29T11:32:20.978-04:00Picture Story: summer flight<div style="text-align: justify;">
Have I mentioned the calendar? Yeah,<i> <a href="http://www.plasticacid.blogspot.com/2012/09/busy-busy-busy.html" target="_blank">that thing</a></i>. Well, because I'd rather be frantically cleaning the house the week before Christmas (not), I'm trying to stave off the possibility that I will also be trying to frantically finish the calendar graphics (which inevitably end up in <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahkdesigns" target="_blank">sarahkdesigns</a> or <a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/SunshineSight" target="_blank">sunshinesight</a>).</div>
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Anyway: <span style="color: #351c75;"><b>1 illustration complete as of this weekend!</b></span> (just imagine that confetti and balloons fell from the ceiling)</div>
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I get out of the habit of drawing, I mean sort of. The sketchbook is ever present in my bag, as are the pencils and the pencil sharpener. But sometimes the sketches are for one of those projects that I'll get around to finishing someday... and then, of course, there are all the ideas for future projects and thumbnail sketches and half conceived ideas. </div>
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So, since I'm one of those people who gifts art and makes my own greeting cards, certain holidays compel me to make things. I did <a href="http://sunshinesight.tumblr.com/post/25098036384/eastern-bluebird-sialia-sialis-portraits-in" target="_blank"><b>these</b></a> for Father's day (<a href="http://sunshinesight.tumblr.com/post/25098036384/eastern-bluebird-sialia-sialis-portraits-in" target="_blank"><b>click here</b></a>). Now, those 2 bluebirds were something I had actually drawn for some illustration that never quite materialized, but they ended up <a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/SunshineSight/4462131/bluebirds_in_the_rose_garden_-_signed_fine_art_print_8X10_inches/Print/Digital" target="_blank"><b>here in this picture</b></a>. Anyway, I decided I could enlarge them and color in some details to make them 5X7 pictures — that I could give to my father for father's day... and when I was working on them — it occurred to me that it would be cool to use my bird drawings — enlarge them and reprint and recolor or over-render them and convert them into 5X7 bird prints... and then I got busy with cleaning and ninety degree weather (and probably watching tv and sleeping and going to work) — and well, someday I'll get around to that project, right?</div>
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But, working on <a href="http://sunshinesight.tumblr.com/post/25098036384/eastern-bluebird-sialia-sialis-portraits-in" target="_blank"><b>these</b></a> did rekindle my ongoing love of working with colored pencils. Don't get me wrong, I still love my digital photos and the magic of photoshop, but <i>I can draw, </i>very well, thank you.</div>
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So, one day while I was on break at work I sketched out a group of poppies and decided they needed snails — because I like snails... and then when I decided to use that sketch for the calendar — I decided it also needed some birds: bluebirds. Now, I had drawn these bluebirds way back in 2008:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PZSBTkHoYvg/UGaCxorG7zI/AAAAAAAAB0I/q-m5DCLnNBs/s1600/pop_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PZSBTkHoYvg/UGaCxorG7zI/AAAAAAAAB0I/q-m5DCLnNBs/s400/pop_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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...and I was never thrilled with how I illustrated them at the very last minute. So, "bluebirds & tulips" became one of those forgotten / not-so-good illustrations that exists on a file as a PSD, but otherwise is lost somewhere in the catalog of my work. It's a perfunctory illustration, but it isn't stellar... but I thought of it when I wanted to add birds to my poppies & snails picture.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LfNWna3dO6c/UGaCyIXRUQI/AAAAAAAAB0Q/MIYLFk5phKQ/s1600/pop_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LfNWna3dO6c/UGaCyIXRUQI/AAAAAAAAB0Q/MIYLFk5phKQ/s400/pop_02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As usual, I scanned my sketch of the poppies, printed it as a blue page, inked the blue page, and scanned that into photoshop where after some editing it became this:</div>
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I printed the image (sans blue background) to color over with prismacolors.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MO8gRNIv3IA/UGaC5a_5wwI/AAAAAAAAB0g/JQJSKVn0m2k/s1600/pop_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MO8gRNIv3IA/UGaC5a_5wwI/AAAAAAAAB0g/JQJSKVn0m2k/s400/pop_04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now, while I was working on coloring that print-out, I was also working on fixing those bluebirds in flight that I illustrated back in 2008. In the mean time, it occurred to me that my Father's birthday was coming up — and I needed a gift. So, re-doing the bluebirds served 2 purposes: my new illustration & a gift. Because for the purposes of my calendar graphics — all I need is a scan of the picture I have made, someone else can have the original framed and hanging on a wall.</div>
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So, I copied the layer with the bluebirds from the original file, enlarged them, blurred over and edited out some details, and printed out an image that I could color over:</div>
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And in the mean time I colored the poppies as well. I scanned both of those pictures into the computer, and after some editing — put them together in a file with some layers derived from my photos of the sky and portions of scans of my <b><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahknight?section_id=7111299" target="_blank">abstract acrylic paintings</a></b>. So, it's finished:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ISZcfX6zq9A/UGaC6k7imYI/AAAAAAAAB0w/EPCuoeR1CjU/s1600/pop_06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ISZcfX6zq9A/UGaC6k7imYI/AAAAAAAAB0w/EPCuoeR1CjU/s400/pop_06.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/19442581/summer-flight-signed-fine-art-print-8x10" target="_blank"><b>"summer flight" by Sarah Knight</b></a></div>
And now it's time to get to work on the next picture ; )Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-17353166076424493002012-09-22T18:16:00.000-04:002012-09-22T18:16:48.486-04:00busy busy busy...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, it's September now. And it's a mere 3 months before Christmas. So, that means that it's time to start working on the calendar. Yes, I am that relative that makes a calendar as a catchall gift for all my relatives every year... I've been doing it since at least 2005.</div>
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Every calendar is as different as it is the same. After making them for 3 or 4 years I finally figured out how to transfer some of the parts from one year to the next — like the grids and changing the dates — since I do the whole thing in photoshop instead of just coming up with the graphics and sending them off to a printer and paying an arm and a leg to have them made — something which kind of entirely defeats the point of giving out a homemade gift. At the core, I am a thrifty gifter. Enjoy your socks, eventually you'll need them...</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aT-AQxZmIQ8/UF40sbHFpsI/AAAAAAAAByE/1HeO51BwSp4/s1600/cal_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aT-AQxZmIQ8/UF40sbHFpsI/AAAAAAAAByE/1HeO51BwSp4/s400/cal_02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Anyway, at some point in time I need to know that my 12 illustrations are chugging along the trail of progress. Since I use the same technique for all 12 — I've found it useful to make myself a schedule — to know that I have 12 illustrations sketched out, that the sketches are scanned and printed as blue pages which will then be inked, the inked drawings will be scanned back in and a PSD file will be created where I fill in the file; I may need to print that out and color over the fills and scan it back in, and eventually, the thing becomes a completed illustration...</div>
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But really, everything starts out as a sketch, or as multiple sketches that will be combined via the magic of photoshop:</div>
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I drew this one while getting an oil change...<br />
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Sometimes sketches that were done for other purposes get sucked into the calendar graphics project, and they get converted into <br />
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Sometimes I forget that I used a sketch last year and just use it again...</div>
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And sometimes something that was drawn for last year's calendar didn't get completed in time, so there it sits waiting for the next year...<br />
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And then blue pages get inked:<br />
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So, if I'm not sleeping or at work, then I'm probably sitting somewhere coloring a drawing or at the computer moving pixels around on the screen. But this year, I will not be finishing everything at the last minute. It doesn't mean I'll be enjoying my December, just that I won't be hastily completing pictures.<br />
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Have you started your holiday preparations yet?Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623139699394624750.post-75048477689936165142012-09-14T04:19:00.000-04:002012-09-14T04:19:22.263-04:00Where have I been?<div style="text-align: justify;">
D'oh.</div>
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It is apparently exceptionally easy to get out of the habit of blogging. Probably because blogging is kind of hard. I mean, if I went out and took fabulous beautiful photos every week and spent a lot of time on "social media" making nice with everyone else - then people would visit here and leave nice comments. Or if I was famous - well, I imagine that simply helps — assuming it's like good famous and not D-level reality tv also ran famous or something. If I was into fashion — you know, I guess that's what the young ladies do... except that just not my thing.</div>
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So, I'm guilty of not blogging here and I do openly admit that not writing anything and just posting a something on tumblr seems to be a lot easier. That and <a href="http://sunshinesight.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">tumblr</a> is searchable so random people have a greater chance of finding your content. </div>
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But anyway, it's September because I dropped off somewhere in August. It would be nice if I had some story or pictures about some fabulous vacation. But I don't. I didn't go anywhere. I was somehow busy between work and life and home. There was a lot of overtime (aka 6 day work weeks), and some home drama. The latter I should have probably not mentioned, because apparently it's an unmentionable thing. It's not a divorce or domestic incident or fire or natural disaster, and no one is injured or ill or fired or boozing it up or anything particularly interesting... it's one of those dumb things that apparently you're never supposed to speak of. And I know this because I have mentioned it casually to a number of people that I know and they look at me as if I just told them that so-in-so is (insert scandalous thing). </div>
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Let's just say that in the month of August, as I have been doing in very small increments for the past year, there was a sudden burst of cleaning... because someone seems to have a little problem parting ways with things that ought to be thrown away. Before there were tv shows we just called it <i>the Mess</i>. There's less of it now. There may have been some words exchanged and some strained faces every time Wednesday rolled around. And I may have gone on clandestine missions and snuck garbage bags out of the house, but there ought to be a clear path to the fuse box. And we are no longer not throwing out junk mail, because that was some moronic bullshit. If I am writing out a check every couple of months for the garbage man to come take away 3 bags of trash every week, then, 3 bags of trash are going to leave every week until I run out of stuff that needs to go.</div>
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Otherwise, in another 10 years we would have qualified for an episode of one of those shows, although we don't have any cats or rats or insect problems... although someone may be crushed to death someday by totes of craft supplies.</div>
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It's difficult to explain to non-relatives how there have been arguments and hurt feelings and dirty looks over throwing away empty shampoo bottles and milk jugs and plastic bags.</div>
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So, that was August: work, cleaning, and exhaustion. Also, it was still too frigging hot.</div>
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And now it's September.</div>
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Anyway, I have been drawing and writing on and off when I'm not trying to catch up on sleep or think of how to better organize the thousands of things we have in this house... and one of the things that I endeavored upon was a new etsy account. Yeah, I know, like I really need another one.</div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/esotericSarah" target="_blank">esotericSarah</a> — my photography will be slowly matriculating there because I actually opened the account with a completely different intention, and maybe, just like I thought last year - I'll get back on track with that project in January when my schedule clears out...</div>
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I laugh as I type that. But all the cleaning that I did in the month of August and throughout the past year was a bit of a journey in an attempt to live a happier, neater, better life; with some level or organization and planning. So, while I may look back on my summer and recall it being too hot to do anything and spending a lot of time with a the vacuum cleaner and a spray bottle of cleaning fluid - it was a path towards a more functional home and a more functional home life, where things get put away and there's a place to put things that we actually use.</div>
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Plus, I have 12 pictures to draw in less than 3 months. Eek! Good thing I have most of them sketched...</div>
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Hope everyone had a good summer! </div>
Sarah Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054477978470497670noreply@blogger.com1