Photo Roundup For the Second Week Of May Monday, May 14, 2012
All these pictures were taken on my iphone and processed with instagram. You can follow me if you want too! My user name is redherringjeff.
This is the most hilarious side effect of owning a Mr Potato Head. I think at one point or other, all kids try on the glasses, don't they? Olive will put them on and then come and tell me either "glasses" or "eyes" depending on her mood.
A couple of weeks ago, I went and did a presentation about being a freelance Graphic Designer and Illustrator to a high school graphic design class. Remembering my speech classes in college, I was worried that I'd talk for about 5 minutes and then run out of things to say. What I forgot is that I really like to talk about what I do. I think blogging for the last 10 years or so has really made that easier, because I know what it is that I WANT to say now, ha-ha-ha! The other day I got this thank you note from the class. I think my favorite is "Thanks Jeff, you're pretty legit. props" Ha-ha-ha! how awesome is that?
The other day, Abby came out of her room wearing one of the super hero masks that Mrs Handmade made for her...and a GIANT sombrero. "Who is this masked amiga?" said Amy as she took a picture.
A second later, Olive comes out wearing princess shoes and this smaller, straw sombrero. Ha-ha-ha! The perfect sidekick for her Quixotic sister!
The view from my chair at this weekend's farmers market down at Tower Groves in Saint Louis. We couldn't have asked for a better day, 74 degrees and sunny. There was a good crowd, and we had great neighbors.
Speaking of our great neighbors, here's Beqi and Lauren B. Both do awesome work, and are fun, funny and just generally pretty great. All day, Lauren was just GUSHING about corgis. I think Beqi was getting a little tired of it by the end of the show, but of course it didn't stop. Ha-ha-ha!
Until next time, take care and be good!
Your friend,
Jeffrey
Daily Life 100 Themes: Breathe Again Friday, May 11, 2012
When I worked in an office, Spring just meant the beginning of the hot, wet, Missouri summer. That was really the only difference from any other day, any other season. Now that I'm home full time, Spring has become something to look forward to. The bright, sunny days where the kids and I can go out on walks or play in the yard. Hanging laundry on the line. Working in the garden. Allergies.
My allergies are terrible, actually. Ha-ha-ha! I spend about a month feeling like my nose is twice as big as it is. With itchy eyes, and a stuffy head. I even sometimes shuffle around like a zombie. Ugh, allergies. When pollen season is pretty much over, I'm so glad that I can breath again.
Until next time, take care and be good!
Your friend,
Jeffrey
Photo Roundup For The First Week Of May Monday, May 7, 2012
All these pictures were taken on my iphone and processed with instagram. You can follow me if you want too! My user name is redherringjeff.
It's been a busy week! We started things off with Olives second birthday, spending the morning at Monkey Joes playing on inflatable bounce-climbers and then went to Dunkin Donuts for lunch. I just can't resist their coffee, and honestly is there any difference between having donuts for breakfast and having them for lunch?
I wonder sometimes whether the projects I work on outside will convince my neighbors that I'm a terrorist...This is three sets of tent weights to hold our tent down when we do outdoor shows and festivals. Actually, only one of these sets is ours, the other two I made for some crafty friends.
I learned a lesson on this project...if you listen to the subversive, anti-authority, indie-crafter in your head and ignore the picture of a guy wearing gloves that's on the concrete bag (who by the way, your 4-year-old was smart enough to point out), your hand will end up looking like you tried to destroy a horcrux.
Our tent set up at the first Tower Groves Farmers Market here in St Louis. We were expecting rain all day, but all we had was heat. I wasn't about to complain about that :) It was a really great start to the show year, and I'm looking forward to going back this week! If you're in the area, come on down and say hi!
These two love each other and really do enjoy spending time together. I guess sometime I should get a picture of when one hits the other so you all don't get the idea that everything's perfect all the time...but usually they're pretty good to each other.
Until next time, take care and be good!
Your friend,
Jeffrey
Illustration Friday: Hitched Saturday, May 5, 2012
Still running behind, but wanted to make sure that I DO actually make good on my promise to have some artwork up here this week! This weeks Illustration Friday topic was Hitched. I did this illustration a little while back for a couple that is sending out their Save The Date announcements, but didn't want to use a typical photo for them. She had the idea to do a cartoon version of themselves as the couple from American Gothic. This is a pen and ink illustration, colored digitally in photoshop.
I hope you all had a great week! It's been busy here, but we're keeping up...mostly :)
Until next time, Take care and be good!
Your friend,
Jeffrey
She Never Lets Me Get My Heart-Rate Up Enough To Call It Excersise Thursday, May 3, 2012
Abby tells me she's a really good trash hunter...and she's right, she is! Most days when it's not raining, we go for walk on the just over a mile circuit of our neighborhood. We have a sit and stand stroller, which means that Olive gets a seat with a view in the front, and Abby can either sit or stand in the back. It also means that she can get in and out pretty easily.
I don't know how many of you ever go on walks with a 4-year-old, but it can fall apart pretty quickly if they actually have to...you know, walk. Ha-ha-ha! So this set up works really nicely for me as it gives them some fresh air and sunshine and I get to do more moving around than laundry and vacuuming allow. I've learned though, that I need to take a bag with me. My neighbor made a joke that it was for picking up poo if the girls had an accident, which got us talking for a minute about Abby's obsession with picking up trash. She says our neighbors are being naughty throwing all this trash on the ground, and I thank her for being a good citizen.
The pace of our walks is terrible. We (Olive and I) do a lot of standing and waiting, starting and stopping. Sometimes we find some kind of gross stuff. Often we have to walk past the soggy, shredded advertisement "newspapers" that are all over the fronts of driveways and yards. Sometimes we have to carry back pocket fulls of junk because we forgot a bag...But it's so nice to spend the time in the sun, teaching good citizenship to my industrious little girls. Being a stay-at-home dad with them is pretty awesome.
Until next time, take care and be good!
Your friend,
Jeffrey
Photo Roundup From The Last Week Of April Tuesday, May 1, 2012
All these pictures were taken on my iphone and processed with instagram. You can follow me if you want too! My user name is redherringjeff.
Much as I hate to admit it sometimes, we do watch television. I think that even though it's not like I just plop them down in front of the set and then go and do...whatever it is grown-ups do, it still feels like it sometimes. Ha-ha-ha! It's always interesting to see how they react to the content of different shows or episodes. This was an episode of Yo-Gabba-Gabba about nap time, and Olive got out a little pillow and layed down to watch. Something I noticed about this picture as I uploaded it is the little blue sock in the corner...Socks are for some reason everywhere in this house.
I walked into the living room the other day and Ken was lying on the floor...naked...with no head. I asked Abby where his head was and she told me she was playing with it. I asked if I could put it back on his body. No. She was playing with it. She had a school bus going to school with Bert in an easy chair, a can of soda, an apple, and kens head. Being driven by a suit of armour. Okay...
While we were at I Am What I Am on Main Street in Saint Charles, dropping off some merchandise for the 1 year anniversary party. Abby wanted to make sure that her Barbie who she's named Aveena got to see what was going on. While we were there, she decided that Aveena was getting cold with no clothes on, so she dressed her in a paper towel. And tape. Lots of tape.
We had a pirate party for Olive's second birthday. This is Zoey peeking over the couch, looking for buried treasure. After it was all over, and everyone had gone home, Amy asked Abby if it was a good party. Abby said it was "the BEST party ever!" Yikes, best party at four? I guess she's in for a lot of dissapointments from here on out then, ha-ha-ha!
Abby winding down playing a little Leap Pad after a busy day. Sometimes, the light hits them just right...
Until next time, take care and be good!
Your friend,
Jeffrey
Some Doctor Who To Finish Off A Week Of Being Sick Friday, April 27, 2012
Hi all! Mr Handmade here! I've been sick pretty much all week, and just miserable Wednesday and Thursday...Ugh. So between that and trying to keep up with freelance work I haven't done much drawing of my own. Mrs Handmade and I have been watching Doctor Who on Netflix lately, and it is just incredible. I look forward to that 45 minutes all day. :) Since I've been sick, and am pretty well obsessed with the Doctor right now, I thought I'd share some Doctor Who artwork this week.
First is a little sketch I did from memory of the Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant. I didn't really get a very good likeness, but mostly it was about working out some of the shapes that I was thinking about for his face. Hopefully the next one will work out better. :)
This one is a faux papercraft illustration for my friend Emily at The Crafty Geek. She asked me for some help redoing her logo, and since she makes a lot of Doctor Who stuff we thought it would be cool to go with that theme.
Until next time, take care and be good!
Your friend,
Jeffrey
Photo Roundup From The Third Week Of April Monday, April 23, 2012
All these pictures were taken on my iphone and processed with instagram. You can follow me if you want too! My user name is redherringjeff.
Mrs Handmade is on Instagram now too! If you'd like to follow her, her user name is mrshandmade.
Abby turned four last week. Where did the time go? Here we are giving a cheesey four-year-old grin, wearing the birthday crown Amy made for her and the awesome Doctor Who shirt by our friend Andrea over at Zenbot Baby.
Amy gave Olive a super hero cape the other day...She hasn't taken it off since. She'll be two next week, and it's awesome seeing her "get" that some things are special, and develop a sense of herself. We'd forgotten ho funny two-year-olds are!
There comes a point when the kids get tired of me taking pictures of them...Abby had reached her breaking point yesterday at dinner. Here she's telling me "No! No more pictures!" Then the waitress came with her birthday ice cream and a song, and she was so surprised and smiley. Ha-ha-ha!
I made a lot of progress on some new buildings yesterday. This one I call my Cthulhu house. I have this idea for using FIMO clay to add hair to my peg people. First up is some Doctor Who characters!
Until Next time, take care and be good!
Your friend,
Jeffrey
Daily Life 100 Themes: 9 Drive Friday, April 20, 2012
It's amazing to me how often this car-jacking scenario plays out in the backyard. One kid walks away from the car, and another gets in. Then the screaming begins...Ha-ha-ha! I'm a firm believer in the idea that if you walk away from it, you are done playing and it's somebody else's turn. I won't defend toys that have been walked away from except in special situations. The really funny thing about this though, is that I have two cars, and I still get to hear this.
As usual, the rest of the Daily Life illustrations have been archived on the Red Herring Illustration facebook page. Thanks for stopping in! Until next time, take care and be good!
Your friend,
Jeffrey
Photo Round-Up From The Second Week Of April Sunday, April 15, 2012
All these pictures were taken on my iphone and processed with instagram. You can follow me if you want too! My user name is redherringjeff.
We went to the zoo this week with the Hunters, and spent a couple of hours playing in the children's zoo area. The girls had a lot of fun in the "farm yard" digging, moving the fruits and vegetables, playing in the little houses and feeding the wooden sheep. It was a beautiful cool spring day too, which was just icing on the cake!
A bit later, we all stopped for a snack. A curious chicken came over to check us out...after we were all settled, a second chicken came charging out of the bushes! We had to pay close attention, because these friendly birds would snatch crackers right out of the fingers of the unwary.
Abby showing me what the chickens were so excited about. A couple of cheeze-its and the birds are all over you. Ha-ha-ha!
Olive is at that age where stairs are just about the coolest thing ever. I think it's a "mastery over your environment" thing. When we go downtown to check out the shops, or in this case to go to a friends art opening, there are stairs aplenty.
It's hard to explain how much I love the orange warmth of our living room...when it's clean. I moved the little kids activity table over by the kitchen this week to make room for the train table that I rotated in from the basement. This was taken in the evening in that quiet time after the kids were in bed, and before I went to work in the studio.
And finally, our friends at the Foundrie are reopening this week. If you're in the Chesterfield area, you should totally go check them out! This photo is one I took in preparation for a blog interview I did for the Fusion blog.
Until next time, take care and be good.
Your friend,
Jeffrey
