Not even a Monday

I know it's not Monday, and I know I have skipped a few week here...(I can not think of anything, and am barely moving around the house at this point, counting days till the baby is here. Those who were pregnant know the feeling) BUT
I think this one is too fun not to share. Hope you all are getting into the holiday spirit!

IF: Brigade

A family is a brigade that needs to be able to work their way out of the most difficult situations. These two were custom family portraits using Chinese zodiac signs,

Movie Monday Simon's Cat

Start your Monday with a smile! I am trying to:)

Another week has started

Weeks fly by. They truly do. I still have 5 more weeks before the baby is due, and am trying to make the most out of it. My newly discovered passion--painting with glass paint is developing into an obsession. Last night I was baking an oven full of cups:) Good thing they have places to go, otherwise my house would be filled with painted cups rather soon.

Anna and Andrei are keeping themselves busy and happy (and I am very thankful for that). Even the cats are at peace with life and each other. Here are a few glimpses into our Monday morning .

Trying out something completely new

I have been wanting to try this for a very long time now. Finally I got my glass paint and 3 white cups from the kitchen cabinet and started experimenting. To tell the truth, the first cup was a disaster. For some reason I thought one can use brushes with these things...But once I got past the first one, I started enjoying what was taking place. And here are a few images to show off my creative efforts. (I wonder if this is how my nesting instinct is coming out?) . I got a wonderful response on Facebook and a few orders right away, so now the big plan is to get more good cups and start a new line of products.( I just like how it sounds;))\

Movie Monday : Cloud Creations

It's getting harder for me to find animations I really like, so this was a nice surprise

IF: Stripes

Yellow , orange and red stripes fly so nicely!

Movie Monday Death Buy Lemonade

Simple and to the point

Good News

I got very good news several days ago. I will be working on a book project with one of the UK publishers! This is going to be my first BIG project in 5 years or so. I am super excited! It will be a book about Holidays around the world. So now I am living in the world of Chinese dragons, Leprichons and Mardi Gra parades. And it is fun, I have to admit. The only this is that the baby is due in less than 2 months, and I am getting a bit anxious since there are still plenty of things to be done. But ....still....I think it is absolutely wonderful to be doing such an interesting book. The project seems perfect for me.

Here are a few glimpes into our Autumn life. And the trial watercolor that (I think) got me the job:) In the first photo Andrei is "helping" me to cook dinner. I think this photo is so him!

Movie Monday and Give Away

A clip from the animation festival from Kiev Krok. Simple yet very tasteful.


Also today is the last day of my give away on my facebook page. Please stop by!!!!

Movie Monday Log Jam

I found a new one

Movie Monday

Pure magic! I am in awe.

Slowly moving towards winter

The weeks are flying by very quickly at my house. The days on the other hand get longer and longer. Is that possible? I notice that each day I think several times of how many weeks I still have left till the baby comes...And then before I know it-the whole week is over.

I am not posting any photos of myself at this stage, since I can barely stand the way I look and feel this time around. Getting bigger and slower day by day. The homeschooling is moving along better than I expected. Andrei being in 3d grade now, has much more work than last year. Anna is in Kindergarden and is the easier student to work with.

I am trying to paint and sketch daily, despite the fact that I am hardly inspired at all. At this point I think it is persistance that matters. That and just keeping myself in the habit of working daily. I have listed a few new small originals and ACEOs in my etsy shop. Struggling not to turn into a couch potato is the hardest part now. Will be meeting with my agent to discuss the possible book project that we have been working on next week. I wonder if it will turn into a book, and if it does, WHEN am I going to do it?

IF: Boundaries

Imagination has no boundaries.

Custom Lullaby Book finished!

My biggest project of the past year I must say. Very happy that I got it done despite the fatigue and total lack of creative juices. It is good to have a back up "creativity battery" somewhere deeper than I even know existed.
As for the rest of the life, I am going on 24 weeks , expecting a very active baby(judging by his behavior in the womb) before the year is over. Feeling big and clumsy and unenergetic, but still very happy that this little one did not leave me. A few glimpses from the lullabies that I have been working on.

Movie Monday Martynko

An oldie, but with a great sense of humor

Movie Monday Oh, Talking Fish!

Borrowing the wonderful translation by Jura11

I'll try to translate.

So old man catches talking fish and sets it free, and now he has no food. He sits on a rock and sighs "e-eh". And Acid Monster named "E-eh" appears. It gives him a magic table - when you knock three times on it - food appears. But there is a catch - monster will come at midnight to ask questions till sunrise, and it will kill them if they cannot answer.

Before midnight young man knocks on the door asking for a shelter, old couple tells about monster but he still ends up staying there. At midnight acid monster knocks on the door. Couple asked "who's there"

Monster answered:

- Its me, generous E-eh, I'm here

Young fellow comes out and says:

- And I'm here too.

- Who are you? Where you came from?

- From the other shore of a sea

- How did you get here?

- I Saddled up crippled flea and came.

- So the sea must be some kind of a puddle?

- Maybe a puddle, but eagle couldn't fly over that puddle

- So the eagle must be a nestling?

- Maybe a nestling, but shadow from his wings covers the city and the night comes.

- So the city is tiny?

- Hare couldn't cross that city.

- So hare must be so tiny?

- Hare like hare, coat came out from his skin.

- Where came...?

- Came out from that city,, where hare run, on which shadow from an eagle fell,, and went before its nose.

- Whose nose?

- Coat's nose, which came out from a hare's skin in the city where night comes when nestling flies over the city on a crippled flea.

- WHAT?

- what, what... On the crippled flea from that shore of a sea, which HARE couldn't fly over and an EAGLE couldn't cross, though sea is not a sea but a puddle in the middle of a town, where shadow from a flea fell on a hare and killed him to death, and coat came out from hare's skin and went before its nose. and then hare JUMPS

ETC.:)

Movie Monday Defective Detective

Don't watch before bedtime!;)

Movie Monday There is something in the Water

Have a lovely Monday!

Listening to Butterflies

Just a hint of what's going on with me lately....Afraid to scare these little butterflies away. Praying that this time around there will be a happy end

5 years ago...

5 years ago after a long and stressful labor I had a baby girl. To tell you the truth at first she did not look that pretty. My husband used to joke that she looks like a baby goblin. I did not think that, but still. She did get a lot cuter :)

My baby is 5 today. She is cheerful, and friendly and very girly, and very artistic. She makes me smile every day. I know it all sounds very cheesy...Yet I will indulge myself today. Many years to you my dearest!

Movie Monday Zina's Walk

Lovely characters, the little girl reminds me somewhat of my Anna and of a character I am working on for a a book project.

The song tells the story shown on the screen. The girl is eager to play freely and to explore but the nanny doesn't let her to go far. Also the girl is envidious of the boy because he is allowed to go out to play without adult supervisors.

IF: Stay

Staying all by himself on a lonely planet with a letter growing tree the rabbit felt very very alone.

Movie Monday Learning Music

Made me smile. Great graphics

A few little odds and splashes

Hello there! Whoever is still with me after such a long break;)
There has been a lot going on with me recently, and hopefully soon I will be ready to share my story with you, but I am not quiet there yet. So bare with me if you will.
I have only a few new paintings to share, but I try to keep them coming at least a bit at a time. Stopping completely is a disaster, so I try to paint at least a tiny bit each day.
Summer is here, we are finishing yet another year of homeschooling. Andrei will be in 3d grade next year and Anna will be in Kindergarden or in 1st grade (I have not decided yet).
Here a the few I have created recently.

Movie Monday February

A totally unexpected ending (at least for me). Loved it.

IF: Sleep

Little princess is asleep

more sketches for lullubies

Movie Monday Call me Back Later

I am back:) And with a beautiful animation to show ! Enjoy :)

Please, Call Back Later from Yulia Ruditskaya on Vimeo.

Movie Monday The House on the Edge of the Earth

Have a laugh!

Lullabies

There is a very interesting project on the horizon and truly hope it works out. I might be illustrating a book of lullabies for a Russian poet/singer. I am really enjoying the illustrations and the music that I work with. This is my first take/sketch on a song, will be listing the original on Etsy.

Movie Monday A bit of Jazz

Thanks Blair, this is lovely!

IF: Bicycle

I went through a period of painting bicycles and almost feeling like a true cyclist (before my bicycle got stolen:)) Here is a painting from back them

Another year, a bigger number

This year I am no longer fretting about the 3 in the beginning of the number. 31--sounds good.

I got lots of presents, a wonderful handmade card from Andrei, a sculpted dog from Anna and some lovely books from Arkadi (Fra Angelico's art book was my favorite, as well as a leather bound sketchbook). My Mom was visiting as well and it was very nice to see her on my Birthday, does not happen very often now. We are also getting ready for Easter and I am having a great time making pysanki , highly recommend to anyone who has not tried! (here is a link to a simple kit)

Movie Monday Gagarin

One of the best! Was nominated for an Oscar, and received the Golden Palm award in Cannes.

Family

We just watched the March of the Pinguins and the Winged Migration, I guess this piece was inspired by them.

Movie Monday Sheep

HEYAH "Owca" from Crunch Dog on Vimeo.

Just a very cool , funny ad.

IF: Bottled

A little bottled world of mine

My favorite flowers

I got myself some flowers yesterday, I thought I knew what they were called, but apparently I don't since google search shows something very different when I type in the name. These are my favorite flowers. I really like how they bend down,sort of like swan necks:) The cats liked them too. It seems like they do not only look good, but also taste good. Alas, the cats will have to be content with their cat food.

Movie Monday Simon's Cat

I am becoming a cat person (despite all the proclamations that I like dogs more)

IF: Duet

True love should be like singing a duet for the rest of your life

This will be the season of cats

I have gone through a period of foxes, rabbits, hedgehogs and now it's cats. Not sure what makes me think of these particular animals , especially not sure what makes the difference in the order in which they appear.
But..Cats are bringing spring to our home. Cats are feeling jumpy and more active, and we humans follow.A few new cats...
(PS. I will be watermarking all my images from now on, and will be also redoing the website to include the images with a watermark. I have had a few unpleasant insidents of stealing lately and that makes me finally overcome the lazyness and add watermarks to all the photos I will be posting)

Movie Monday Tim Lewis

Tim Lewis film from Flowers Gallery on Vimeo.

IF: Toy

A toy will keep you company even at being bored.

Spring is here!

Feeling a bit lightheaded and happy for no apparent reason--just like this dog.

Movie Monday Rainy Town

Rainy just like here...

Blue and Red or the Give Away results

This week promises to be a busy one. Lots of new ACEOs and a few new felted animals created over the weekend are added to my shop. Also on Monday morning I posted the results of my giveaway held on Facebook. The winner is Kathrin D. and she will be receiving the 3 Foxes (see below)

And here are a few more new critters.

Movie Monday Boy as a Boy

IF: Stir

Stir your coffee well with lots of milk and sugar and you are bound to have new ideas stirring in you head

Spring Give AWAY and new pictures

My favorite time of the year is here, and in honor of the first spring birds , first spring smells, and first spring sun I wanted to host a give away. I will be giving away an original ACEO of your choice. To enter please visit my Facebook page and leave your comment. The rules are posted there
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-Usova/29913441534

I have seen the geese fly by several times already in the past few days, and my cats took a keen interest in them:) So did the kids.
Here are a couple of ACEOs on the subject.
Wishing you all a great week and lots of sunny vitamin D!