IF - Immovable

I know a few people who have mastered this bit of good advice. You can call them stubborn, relentless, tenacious, determined, or unyielding. But one thing is for sure--until they get what they want they are IMMOVABLE!

IF - Atmosphere

I know that for me, the atmosphere of a blog has a lot to do with how often I visit. My favorite places on the web are written with a sense of humor and are lighthearted, fun, inspirational, uplifting or all of the above. I hope you enjoy some of those things when you visit here!

Time for a Change

Today I'm taking my own advice and making a few changes here at Lost and Found. I decided it was time for a new look. Something a little lighter and brighter. I switched to a wider template and changed the background color to white. I'll probably continue to tweak things a bit until it feels right. Your feedback is welcome!

IF - Star gazing

For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.
--Vincent van Gogh

It was by sheer coincidence that I decided to read up on the life of Vincent van Gogh while waiting for the Illustration Friday prompt to be posted online today. I'm not sure what inspired me to re-acquaint myself with his life story, but when I saw that the word this week was "star gazer" I knew that an homage to Vincent was in order. Starry Night is van Gogh's most famous painting and one of the most well-known images in modern culture.

When I was in high school, I read a biography of Vincent van Gogh that included many of the letters that he wrote to his brother Theo. There's no doubt that I was motivated to read the book because of Don McLean's song "Starry, Starry Night." At the time, I was struck by the tragedy of van Gogh's life and felt overwhelming sadness that he never got to experience the artistic success during his lifetime that came after his death.

But today, after reading about his life here, I felt something very different. I felt hope. Here was a man with no artistic training or obvious talent who became one of the greatest artists in history. At the urging of his brother, Theo, van Gogh taught himself to draw and then to paint. And he continued to paint through dark and difficult times when others--himself included--doubted his ability.

If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint," then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.
--Vincent van Gogh

IF - Caged

This little doodle is my submission for the Illustration Friday prompt of CAGED. I illustrated a quote by Jacques Deval that says a lot about two very different kinds of love.

The Many Layers of Happiness

Happiness is having your name drawn as the winner in a blog giveaway!

Extreme happiness is when the giver is the super talented Lori Vliegen from elvie studio! Lori recently celebrated her 500th blog post (yikes!) and she generously offered up an excruciatingly scrumptious, beautifully hand made, doodle journal to one lucky blog reader. As if receiving this magnificent prize wasn't enough, it arrived wrapped in multiple layers of happiness with no detail overlooked. Grab a cookie or glass or wine and come along for the unveiling!


The outermost layer was pretty standard. But there's nothing like the sight of a package waiting patiently on your doorstep after a long day at work to kick start the joy of anticipation. Let the unwrapping begin...


First up is a protective layer of bubble wrap. It's both practical and pretty when a hint of lime green and other goodies is peeking through.


A lovely layer of gorgeous green tissue paper is next with this humorous little tag delicately tied with colorful string. Who is this mysterious inspector #12? If his or her job is to inspect and ensure the quality of craftsmanship on this journal then inspector #12 has the easiest job in the world. The covers are perfectly wrapped. The stitching is superb. With construction this meticulous, inspector #12 might as well eat bon bons all day. Wait! That's it! Knowing Lori's legendary love of chocolate, inspector #12's top priority is probably making sure journals don't leave elvie studio with any chocolate fingerprints!


Another little surprise was waiting beneath the tissue paper. A clear plastic envelope added another layer of protection and was sealed with an adorable elvie studio sticker and another carefully tied string held this sweet paper heart. The heart was attached to a mini glassine envelope that housed a personal note from Lori and an elvie studio business card.


Finally, the star of the show revealed! And isn't she a beauty?


I love the way Lori embellished this doodle print paper with doodles of her own in white.


Look how colorful and beautiful the spine is with all these yummy papers! A black elastic band holds everything together perfectly. I'm going to leave the "Pat" tag on because I think it's gorgeous and because I want everyone to know this journal is MINE.


The pages are a combination of graph paper, ledger paper, notebook paper and envelopes to stash all sorts of secret stuff. Each signature is wrapped in eye-popping paper that adds a nice burst of color throughout.


Last, but not least, the proof that this journal is a true work of art is the signature stamp on the inside back cover. It's obvious that Lori puts a lot of care and thought into her journals and into their presentation and wrapping as well. Can you tell I'm thrilled with my prize? Check out Lori's Etsy shop and treat yourself to one of her journals. You'll be glad you did!

PS The wrapping was even nicer than what you see in these photos. After opening everything up, I re-wrapped it (not quite as nicely) to take pictures. Then I got to enjoy the process of opening it all over again!

IF - Artificial plus Good Advice

Avoid an artificial life. Be original. Dance to your own drum. Pursue your passion. Do what makes you happy. Ignore the disapproving looks and the comments from naysayers. You're the only one who knows what your authentic life should look like. Why be an artificial version of yourself when the real you has so much to offer? Forget about fitting in or following the crowd. Steer clear of fakes, posers, and wannabes. Be yourself. Be original. The real deal is always better than something artificial.

Good Advice - Round 9

I hope you're having a lovely summer--or winter--depending on where you live. My time for making art has been limited lately as I'm trying to focus my time and energy on some long overdue house projects. There's a whole lot of cleaning, purging, and painting going on. But, as usual, I have a little bit of good advice to throw out there until I get back in the studio. Enjoy!

IF - Breakfast and Good Advice

I always enjoy the challenge of combining the Illustration Friday prompt with a post card for the Good Advice series. With a word like breakfast the advice seemed pretty obvious. I'm sure children all over the world have heard these words at one time or another. I guess what constitutes a good breakfast is different for everyone--personally, I think chocolate cake is the best breakfast around!

IF - Diary AKA Every Moley Tells a Story

"Painting is just another way of keeping a diary"

-- Pablo Picasso

I chose to illustrate this quote by Pablo Picasso for this week's Illustration Friday theme of diary. And I did it on the very last blank page of the very first moleskine I ever bought. Aside from two small moleskines that I've completed for specific projects, it's also the first moleskine that I've completely filled. And it only took me three and a half years to do it.


This is the large watercolor moleskine and in many ways it has become my diary. It records places I've been and things I've seen and done. But it also records things that are probably obvious only to me. It records my artistic journey. When I flip through the pages I see the progression in tools and techniques. I see the growth that occurs when you try things you didn't think you could do. I see what happens when you make a focused effort to work on your art even when you're not sure it's working at all.


I started this visual diary on new years day 2007. I didn't even own a waterproof pen and I used an old set of pan watercolors most likely left over from my kids' kindergarten days.


The early pages were inspired by Danny Gregory and his book Everyday Matters. I hadn't even tried to draw for years and was pleasantly surprised that my attempts weren't as hideous as I feared they would be.


I moved on to watercolor pencils and eventually discovered Micron and Pitt pens. I love the memories captured by these simple little drawings.


Next came the challenge of joining a local sketchcrawl group on their monthly outings to local attractions. Sketching in public, standing up, outdoors, or in cramped quarters was all new to me. I didn't always love it or the sketches I created, but I continued on in an effort to grow and improve. I started using artist watercolors in tubes and combining those with watercolor pencils.


Today's post represents my 41st attempt at Illustration Friday. After a good number done on random scraps of paper, it occurred to me to draw them in my moleskine. I have to admit, I do like seeing them all together in one place. This weekly challenge motivates me to complete a project in one sitting and then put it out there before I over think it or change my mind.


My first filled moleskine may be a random collection of images and experiments, but it definitely tells a story. I'm a little sad that it's complete. It feels like getting to the last page of a really good book and not wanting the story to end. Then again, the thought of a fresh moleskine just waiting for ink and color is pretty tempting too!