Friday’s Thought – The Illusion of Reality

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.  

(Albert Einstein)

My Favorite Things – Very Little People with Very Big Personalities

Sometimes it’s the littlest things that brighten my day.  For example,

I spied this spot of red with mittens a swingin’ in Central Park…

And, around the corner on Columbus Avenue, her soul mate in blue!  Maybe their paths will cross?

This one seemed oblivious to the attention she was attracting…

While these tikes were more concerned with just getting there!

If you can stand 11 more seconds of cuteness, make sure you take a look at this video…

The Anatomy of a Josephine Illustration: Part 2

On Saturday, I posted a rough sketch of my latest illustration-in-progress.  Although I wanted to finish the painting yesterday, life intervened and it wasn’t until today that I had sufficient free time again.

I started by transferring the outlines from the original sketch to Borden & Riley Bleedproof paper.   To do this, I first blackened in the back of the paper of the original sketch with a 5B pencil before tracing it over the art paper:

Once I had the faint outlines transferred to the art paper, I darkened them with a paintbrush dipped in black waterproof Sumi ink:

Since I sometimes struggle with what color combinations I think will look best in the final illustration, I decided to scan the new version and play around with paint colors in my photo-editing program:

From here it was on to real painting using gouache paints.  The final result:

The Anatomy of a Josephine Illustration: Part 1

Since I mostly post illustrations when I’ve finished painting them, I thought it might be fun to show the “anatomy” of my process.  I always start with a pencil sketch which is often inspired in part from a photo I’ve found searching online.  Sometimes I change the pose; most often I leave out extra background details.  In this illustration-to-be, I decided to give Josephine more of a context.  Here she puts on the final touches to her toilette – her perfume – before she heads out for the evening:

With any luck (and, hopefully, a little free time!), I’ll be posting the next steps in this illustration tomorrow.

Friday’s Thought – Impermanence, or the Reason for Kindness

We do not know what awaits each of us after death, but we know that we will die. Clearly, it must be possible to live ethically–with a genuine concern for the happiness of other sentient beings–without presuming to know things about which we are patently ignorant. Consider it: every person you have ever met, every person you will pass in the street today, is going to die. Living long enough, each will suffer the loss of his friends and family. All are going to lose everything they love in this world. Why would one want to be anything but kind to them in the meantime?

(Sam Harris)

Happy, Happy, Happy! – Whimsical Watercolor Illustration by Joana Miranda

(Print coming soon to Joana Miranda Studio at Etsy.)

My Favorite Things – Dog Walker Spotting

Being mainly a cat person who transplanted to NY most recently from the Midwest, I’m still getting used to the spectacle of dog walkers.  Earning upwards of $15 per dog (per 1/2 hour), these dog walkers know a thing or two about keeping leashes untangled, dogs in a pack, and pooper-scoopering!

Recently on the Upper East Side, I spotted:

An energetic young man rounding the corner with 6 dogs…

Followed by this pack of toy dog breeds.

This serene dog walker was clearly the leader of his pack…

Which became evident when a tourist, thinking it looked fun, asked if she could step in and take the “reins.”  

I guess it’s not as easy as it looks!

Love Showers – Whimsical Valentine’s Illustration by Joana Miranda

(Now available at Joana Miranda Studio at Etsy)

A Retro Way to Say I’m Thinking of You…

(Whimsical “I like when we connect!” greeting card now available at Joana Miranda Studio at Etsy)

Friday’s Thought – Touched

Touch seems to be as essential as sunlight.
(Diane Ackerman)