IF: Modify

If I could modify a cat, I would give her wings.

Looking for a Family

If anyone knows who they are, let me know;)
I painted these guys some days ago, and they are no one I know. All the attempts to guess by me and the kids have failed. So ..if you know them, that might make a nice gift for them. Listed in my Etsy shop now.


Also a summer rabbit concert. What, you have not heard of these? You must know that rabbits make great singers, and even the Bears, who are known to have no musical inclinations tend to listen to those songs.

I have a New Tool

A Nikon D90 with a 24-85mm lens. A month ago I had no idea what those numbers stood for(and to tell you the truth, was scared to find out), but now I a proud owner of this fabulous shooting machine. What a difference!
I had a rather good Panasonic Lumix FZ18, and it helped me a great deal to understand what I want in my photos to take place. I pushed the limits with it as much as I could. But...I feel that for selling my work online and blogging at the level I am aiming at it is crucial for me to improve the quality of the images. I needed more:) Of course it easy to justify such a purchase with the traditional "business expense" mentality. It took some heart to hear conversations with myself before I took the plunge. And you know what? I feel like upgrading from Crayons to Caran d'Aches. Those of you who draw, will understand. Here are a few samples that I took this morning. One of them is a Kokeshi doll I am listing on Etsy today (click the image to see details)

Movie Monday 40

A 1986 paint-on-glass-animated film by Aleksey Karayev. Art director: Aleksandr Petrov. Witty and smart, child friendly and very well made. Based on the motives of Dr. Seuss story. I had no idea Russians made cartoons based on Dr. Seuss:)

IF: Idle

What can be better than an idle nap in the summer shade?

Recent Custom Pieces

I recently finished a couple of custom pieces, and as I usually do I will share them with you here.
The first one was a book commissioned by a Grandmother for her granddaughter. A very sweet lullaby that I had to illustrate. Here are a couple of images from that book.
And the next one was a piece I did for a day care. The lady who ordered it has been a wonderful client of mine for some time now, and now I dare say she is more of a friend, even though I have never met her in real life, but I hope to do so eventually when I make my way to Boston.
These are three princess friends at their day care:)

GIVE AWAY!

Hi everyone!I am so glad you stopped by today! Just in time for a little something special.
I have not had a give away for quiet some time now, so it is about time I have one.

One of you wonderful folks, will receive an original ACEO (art card 2.5"x3.5") of your choice from my shop . All you have to do is stop by the shop, pick one and tell me why you like it. Then I'll have a random drawing from everyone who entered. I hope you have fun picking your favorite.
I will keep the pool open until Saturday evening. Good luck!

FOLLOW UP:

This is the picture the winner--Tanya has send me. She says her Cat likes the portrait that he received;)

Movie Monday 39

A story about the circus, tyranny, love and orange jam.

IF:Tango

Tango on the Accordion? A very Russian way to do it.

Summer bubbles

What is summer for you?

For me this summer is about:
the Ocean, camping,sand and dirty feet,cherries,ice cream in the park,bubbles, hot streets, bicycles, more of the Ocean, Brighton Beach food, chess, fun colorful animals in my Art.

This is a wonderful "make your own bubbles" receipt that I wanted to share with you. It makes HUMONGOUS BUBBLES. And I mean it. But beware of the wind, try to experiment on a quiet day. The receipt is from a Klutz book How to Make Monstrous, Huge, Unbelievably Big Bubbles


You will need:
12 cups of water
1 cup of dish soap (Joy is the best they say)
1 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons of baking powder
Have fun!!!

Pink Cats in Central Park

I think there must be some, even if I did not see them yet...I feel them in the air;)

On 13 of July three years ago

I had my baby girl.
She makes me smile, whenever I look at her. "A princess?" "No, Mommy, I am a cat"
I love having girly talks with her, drinking tea together and reading the same book over and over again. We can spend hours together drawing, and I so love sitting next to her and sharing brushes with her. She has a wonderful eye for detail and color, and I am endlessly impressed when she makes miracles happen on paper. She is only 3, but I believe she has lots of talent in her and I wish I can bring her up so that that talent grows and blossoms. Happy Birthday my dear girl!
this is her masterpiece

Movie Monday 38

And my favorite Yuriy Norshteyn again with the tale of The Hare and the Fox. It is an old Russian folk tale about how a hare built himself a house of wood, and the fox built her house of ice. The fox's ice house melted in the spring and she took over the hare's. Then one by one the wolf, the bear and the oxen try to kick her out, but with no luck. And eventually the rooster manages to scare her away. The animation is BEAUTIFUL, beyond any words! I have to confess that I saw the animation for the first time several days ago, and I am extremely impressed. It does not look bright or exciting at the first glance, but I assure you that it is an absolute gem! 10 minutes of pure inspiration
Part 1

Part 2

IF: Hollow

The river flooded the hollow, and the house became completely covered with water. The only hope was that the talking fish noticed them and would tell the people on the ship.

Storybird

Some weeks ago I was contacted by Mark from Storybird, who asked me if they could use my Art work for one of their presentations. First of course, I had to figure out what Storybird was. And it turns out that it is a social media service that uses collaborative storytelling to connect kids and families. Two people author a Storybird—one with words, one with pictures—and then share it with their network. The final product can be printed, watched on screen, played with like a toy, or shared through a worldwide library. Great idea! For someone that wants to do a family project with the kids who are already computer literate, or just for themselves...
I found that the implementation was also very well done, and the interface seemed straightforward and easy to follow.

I am looking forward to the release of Storybird, and meanwhile I am proudly showing off the sneak peak, with my work in it.

Out of the City

For the long weekend we went out of the city . Finally! Our first camping trip for this season. I can not describe how different the air is in the mountains. It has dozens of smells in it, and it is not the smell of dust or cat urine(pardon the details). Several friends of ours with families came with us and it was just wonderful! We built a fire every night, sang with the guitar , baked potatos in the ashes and watched the stars. Going back was harder, the messy apartment was not something I was looking forward to. The next outing will be towards the end of summer. And I already can hardly wait for it.

Movie Monday 37

Realities of a Soviet Era day care with a twist of childhood love.

IF: Shaky Sea Goddess

The boats felt tiny, shaky and absolutely helpless in the against the might of the Ocean.
I recently saw Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea by Miyazaki. It was lovely, as all of Miazaki's work of course.The plot is centered on a fish girl, or mermaid, who runs away from her home in the sea. She ends up stranded on the shore and is rescued by Sōsuke, a five year old boy who lives on a cliff. After taking a great liking to her, Sōsuke names her Ponyo and vows to protect her forever. Meanwhile, her father, Fujimoto is looking for his daughter, upset that she ran away. He calls his wave spirits to return Ponyo to him. Sōsuke is heartbroken by this, and goes home with his mother, Lisa (or "Risa" in some translations), who tries to cheer him up. But that is just a start:) A story of love, faithfulness and strength. Will definitely show it to my 5 year old, to give him a perspective of how in a different place culture and time a 5 year old can behave. The difference of amount of the responsibility taken is tremendous. Plus it is a very beautiful movie. The watercolor above is inspired by it.

What Inspired Me Today on Etsy

This one I will not be able to afford for a looooong time, but I absolutely admire the work by yalonetski.Oksaniko has lovely whimsical dolls that I recently discovered. I have always admired the abiltiy that people have to make this kind of creatures!Jenny M at behappynow always has some new and delicious work! I love her colors and the imagination that has no boundaries.