I figured that Jim and Ted needed a longer break from the insanity that has been their life. So here they are enjoying a nice happy, picnic.

The post Jim and Ted 15: The picnic appeared first on rob-peters.com.

It's December 29th and most of you are on holiday or traveling around or sitting at your desk counting the minutes until you can leave. I'm in the middle group—traveling— and for those of you in the latter group, today were just posting some fine reading. The provenance of some of these is, um, hazy, but no judgements. Just entertainment!

The Blue Sky Folder

Deep in the archives of my computer there is a small beacon of light that shines brightly through the darkness. It’s called the Blue Sky Folder. Inside is a collection of sketches, experiments, new styles, new techniques, story concepts and a bunch of projects in various stages of completion. This folder is basically a resting place for all the ideas that rattle around inside my head long enough for me to get them down on paper or into various stages of digital completion. Like many other artists I’m always restless to try new things and this is my outlet. 

This is a Blue Sky piece I began almost 3 years ago. I wasn’t quite sure where I was headed with it at the time so I put it in hold to work on other things. I had totally forgotten about it until I was leafing through the the folder recently and it caught my eye. One of the main reasons I had put this one on hold was that the techniques I’d used to create it were very time consuming and a bit unrefined. Looking at the piece again I realized that the solution was sitting right in front of me. I didn’t have my Cintiq tablet when I started so any digital freehand drawing was pretty much out of the question? As I popped the file up on my screen I realized that was no longer an obstacle. It only took me a few hours to finish the piece and I’m psyched because now I finally have a great way to save time and paint right on the computer.

The post The Blue Sky Folder appeared first on Illustration.

here is the finished illustration for the story 'a pickle for patty'. to be featured in the october/november issue of 'stories for children' magazine.
is it wrong to say how fond i am of my own little painting here?;) it's that little pippa (the one with the pigtails) that i absolutely just LOVE! so damn adorable!:)
i will post the link to the finished magazine as soon as it is made available to me so you can read the story that goes along with the illustration.
thanks again to rosemarie over at SFC for the fantastic opportunity to illustrate for her magazine once again.

BTW, a print of this is for sale in my etsy shop under the title 'a picnicing we will go...'
http://www.etsy.com/listing/78554000/a-picnicing-we-will-go

what i'm working on this week...
http://theenchantedeasel.blogspot.com/2011/07/pickle-for-pattysketch.html

a pickle for patty illustration for stories for children magazine/e-zine. set to be in the back to school issue. however my deadline is this coming tuesday (the 26th). hoping to be done by friday...
can't wait to start painting those cute little characters!:)

next up...another illustration for stories for children magazine www.storiesforchildrenmagazine.com this one to be featured in their october 2011 issue.
it's about a prissy and pouty little girl named patty porter, her perky friend pippa and pippa's pesky puppy named piper. oh...and a very much coveted pickle;)
lots of alliteration going on in this sweet little story...from the pink pansies on the park path to the purple picnic blanket and the sweet little girls and the puppy.
can't wait to start working on this...:)

I really do love summer.  What I love the most is being outside and doing those things that cannot be done in the cold of winter.  I may be take a long hike, ride my bicycle, sleep with the windows wide open, garden, having picnics, eat my morning breakfasts in the backyard, read a book in the shade of the tree, drive with the windows down…. the list goes on.  We simply must pack it all in before the snow flies!  Today I am sketching. No t.v. … no radio… just listening to the birds and the bees fly by.  I think I better get another glass of ice cold water and lemons!  I love you summer!!

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i'm happy to say this piece is all done and ready to be shipped! it was a joy working on this and i truly think it is one of the cutest concepts i've had yet;) it is FOR SALE as a REPRODUCTION/PRINT in my etsy shop and can be found here http://www.etsy.com/listing/70175432/it-s-a-tea-with-milk-and-cookies-kind-of
i "heart" this piece!:)

i LOVE this piece and am enjoying EVERY second of painting it!:) ok...so as well all know, i am the world's worst photographer;) took this pic with my phone really quick so the colors are a bit "off". but, i'm getting there...:) can't wait to finish it!!!

ok...this could be one of my new favorites:) this is a sketch for a comissioned piece for the cousin of the little girl's room i just finished up last week-isabelle.
http://theenchantedeasel.blogspot.com/2011/02/isabelles-roomall-done.html
thank so much to liz for asking me to now adorn her niece's room with my work. i am beyond excited to do another piece for this wonderful family!:)
*a few background notes about this piece-mailee loves loves loves cows! her room is pink and brown AND they used to live in washington d.c.*
so i couldn't resist the cherry blossom trees (which are my favorite) and a sweet little pink and brown stuffed cow. besides, what little girl doesn't absolutely love to have tea parties with her stuffed animals/dolls?! i am super excited to start painting this in the next couple of days...:)

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A blast from the past in a way. I actually finished this painting in March of this year but haven't shown it yet.
This was done from a sketchbook page dating back to July of 2006. Holly and I were at a park in Bellevue on the 4th taking it easy and enjoying the day with a picnic. I brought my sketchbook and she brought a book to read. When I was almost finished with the sketch I asked her what she thought and she said, "Can you put a little white scoty dog in one of the squares?" I did just that and promised her that if I ever made a painting of this that I would include the little white dog. And there it is the lower right corner.

I've mentioned it before, but how great is the Sunday Market at the St. Lawrence? I go there fairly often but sometimes I really just don't find anything I need to bring home. Last week I went and kept finding things. The first item was the tin tartan picnic basket pictured above.

I saw one just like it in the window of Liv (by Au Lit Linens, on Eglinton) and was thinking "note to self - come back when the store's open and try to buy it". I see lots of these on ebay too. The faux bois ones are nice, and another fave motif is the faux basket weave ones. Price for this one: $30.
The second item was this pretty green planter. I have a thing for vintage planters, I put all kinds of things in them. Such as buttons and trim or office supplies. Price for this one: $10.

My favourite area in the market is the shop in the corner called Antiques at the St. Lawrence. I found a charming vintage Peek Frean tin there. Why don't cookies come in these anymore?? I use these tins for sewing supplies and it really does keep things organized. That's right, I'm pretending it's practical. Cost for the tin: $8.

Then last but not least, I've been keeping an eye out for one of the above for months. It's dark green, made of cast iron I suppose, very heavy, and it has a nice decorative detail to it. I'm wondering now if you know what it is? I'll tell you later but you can guess if you like! Price for the fabulous mystery green item: $20.

I try to set up some kind of budget before going to Sunday Market, such as "if you find something really great you can buy it but don't spend more than $50". This time I was in a splurgy mood. But I was still trying to make sure it wasn't a question of being tempted by things I don't really need that would just lead to clutter and regret..

Whether or not I needed the items pictured, I leave up to you to judge (in your head.. I don't really want you to tell me if you think I'm nuts). But suffice it to say they certainly made me very happy. That was a good day.

July 10 marks two occasions: first, it is my "little" bro's birthday. (I'll not tell his age, but he's two years younger than me...and I'm thirty-eight.) Second, July 10th is Teddy Bear's Picnic Day. And that means it's time to brush up on a little bit of furry history (about the bears, not the brother...)

See, the whole teddy bear craze began with a hunting trip, a tied up bear, and a man with principles...

US President Theodore Roosevelt was a hunter who particularly enjoyed hunting big game. In 1902, while on a Presidential hunting trip in Mississippi, he was unsuccessful in bagging a big game animal. So, his hosts captured a small bear, tied it to a tree, and presented it to the President to shoot.

"Spare the bear!" Roosevelt cried. "I will not shoot a tethered animal."

The Washington Post picked up the story, and ran a cartoon (drawn by Clifford Berryman) depicting the event on November 16, 1902. The cartoon became an instant sensation, and was widely reprinted.

When toy store owners Morris and Rose Michtom, of Brooklyn, New York, heard about the story, they were inspired to create stuffed bears in honor of the President's actions. They even contacted him to request permission to name their new toy "Teddy's Bear." Their creation was sweet and innocent looking, and sat upright instead of standing on all fours. Teddy's Bears became wildly popular, and the Michtom's bear-making operation morphed into the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company - one of the largest toy companies in the world, and the first teddy bear manufacturer in the United States.

At about the same time in Germany, the Steiff company came out with a stuffed, jointed bear which they debuted at the March 1903 Leipzig Toy Fair. European buyers showed little interest. But one American buyer, aware of the Teddy's Bear craze back in the States, ordered 3,000 of Steiff's Baer 55PB.

By 1906, the teddy bear frenzy was in full swing: society ladies carried their teddies everywhere, kids had their pictures taken with their bears, and Roosevelt himself used the bear in his re-election bid! "Teddy bear" had become the accepted term for the toy, and is still in use today. This was also the year that composer J.K. Bratton wrote "The Teddy Bear Two-Step." With words added, the song became "The Teddy Bear's Picnic." Besides Ideal and Steiff, many other new teddy bear companies sprang up during this time, but not many remained in business. One notable exception: Gund, which is still successfully making bears to this day.

Since those humble yet wildly popular beginnings, teddy bears have become synonymous with childhood. Many adults still wax nostalgic on their beloved teddy bears - writing books about them, reminiscing about them, and collecting them. (My own mother is an enthusiastic teddy bear collector...but I won't give up her age!)

2008 marks the 106th anniversary of the birth of the teddy bear, and July 10th is Teddy Bear's Picnic Day, so celebrate these momentous milestones by having a teddy bear picnic tomorrow whether you're six, or one-hundred-six! (Or even if you're just thirty-six - though I don't have any idea who will be turning that particular age tomorrow...)   

To help you out, here are some sites to get your picnic planning started:

DLTK's Growing Together - Teddy Bears Section

Teddy Bear's Picnic Day

It's Teddy Bear Picnic Time

Teddy Bear Picnic - song and lyrics

For further inspiration as you plan a fantastic Teddy Bear Picnic of your very own for July 10th, keep this last verse of Teddy Bear Picnic running in your head: 

Every teddy bear that's been good

Is sure of a treat today.

There's lots of wonderful things to eat

And wonderful games to play.

Beneath the trees, where nobody sees

They'll hide and seek as long as they please.

Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

Sources:

Teddy Bear Picnic

The History of the Teddy Bear

The Teddy Bear Museum History Page

We had a busy weekend, hosting my family on Saturday for dinner, and hosting Bradley's family for Sunday dinner. And both evenings I was up until 1am working on artwork for the last of a series of five children's books I've been working on the past few weeks. It's not as bad as all that though because I've always been a night owl. I perk up around 6pm and get very energetic around 10pm and have to force myself to go to bed at a reasonable hour. Which I rarely do.

But I still managed to sneak out for a little thrift shopping Sunday afternoon although I felt oddly guilty. Lots of shops were closed and it was like "why aren't you at home have quality time with your mom? I hope you're not here picking up last minute flowers because you forgot it was mother's day" But it was worth it because I really liked what I found. This picnic basket (for $4.99) actually has a little table that fits inside it. Also good for separating things in the basket so less things get squished. I assume. The table cloth is a previously thrifted item but seems to belong with the basket.
When we go picnicking I like to take a pillow, and I've decided the charming pillowcase (below) will be perfect for that since it has a kind of woodland feel. I bought this from the friendly & talented Marnie at the Trunk sale (I also loved her "play capes" for children). The sale was lots of fun and as usual a source of lots of buying and swapping as well as selling.

note the bird ribbon. how can I resist anything with bird ribbon?