30 Day Drawing Challenge: Days 3 - 10

I'm 10 days into this challenge and having to pull from the creativity pool on a daily basis isn't always that easy. A couple of days, I really hated the prompts. One day, I just didn't feel like it. The good part is that I'm sticking with it. There is a great sense of pride in being able to flip through my journal and see the progress. While most of the drawings/paintings aren’t very beautiful, there is something beautiful about the sustained effort.

Day 3: Favorite Food


Avocados have been my favorite food for a really long time. Growing up, a special treat in my household was avocado slices and tomatoes with salt and pepper. It is still one of my favorite treats.

Day 4: Favorite Place


I have lots of favorite places, but one of the most interesting is Central Park. It is magical and fun. While walking in it, you can get lost and see celebrities, castles, and a whole slew of other things you would never imagine in New York City.

I drew this sketch from a photograph back in April of last year. I've always been very fond of it.

So, I painted it. It reminds me of  Holden Caulfield. Whenever, I'm in NYC, I think of Holden and the ducks. I love playing out that idea of adventure. However, I do try to skip that whole committed part at the end.

Day 5: Best Friend


I have a great family that I love and friends that I care about, but I don't really have a best friend. So, I decided to cheat and say the thing that is always there for me. This is pretty much the ugliest, most ridiculous portrayal of  music ever, but I'm posting it anyway. This would be my failure day. I tried to recreate the way that my vinyl looks on the shelves in the background. I sorta wish that I had just skipped everything else. *Shame*

Day 6:  Favorite Book Character (Can't be a movie)


This day was fun. I dug into the box of my books and came up with a few of my favorites.

Max from Where the Wild Things Are - I always read and enjoyed Maurice Sendak's books growing up. In college, I saw an art exhibit of his work and have been a true fan ever since.

There's No Such Thing as a Dragon was always one of my favorite books. Thanks to books, I want a pet monkey, a dragon, a trip to Hogwarts, and the title of Queen of All Wild Things.

Day 7: Favorite Word

I'm not sure that this is my favorite word, but it is my favorite Pulp song. Same difference really.

Day 8: Favorite Animated Character


Naaaaaaaarf. Hands down, Pinky is my favorite animated character. His laugh still doubles me over with the giggles.

Day 9: Favorite TV Show


Once Upon a Time isn't really my favorite TV show (It has been Buffy The Vampire Slayer since the first second I saw it in 1997), but I really enjoyed watching it over the weekend and was pretty (*spoiler alert*) heartbroken when they killed The Huntsman. So, I played around with a photo of him.

Day 10: Favorite Candy


I have had some serious Smarties induced sugar highs in my life. It is goooood.

Make It Pretty Inside and Out, The Music Experience

I realize that I talk about vinyl a lot. In fact, just at the sound of a v word leaving my mouth, I can feel everyone around me roll their eyes. I am quickly becoming one of those crotchety old people who lament the better days when everything was cooler.

If I was in a band (someday, when I can play a whole song without stopping at a mistake, apologizing, and then starting over), I would hate digital music. I mean, I constantly buy digital music (Amazon MP3 is my friend) and I would love that people are listening on their iPods or whatever, but I would feel robbed of the ability to present the music as an experience.

Album artwork is completely lost as a thumbnail. I fear that without having books of lyrics and photos to look through, people are not paying enough attention to the music itself. Plus, iPods let you shuffle around too easily, missing the complete, straight through feel of an album. Music has become a background to tv shows and something to amuse you in the car. It feels like the art of the music listening experience is lost with digital, which is also why Amazon Vinyl is my other good friend.

With that said, I tip my metaphorical hat of gratitude to both The Avett Brothers and Pearl Jam for what arrived in my mailbox last week. Check it…

The Avett Brothers’ I And Love And You Boxed Set

Pearl Jam’s Backspacer on Vinyl

Receiving both of these was like an unexpected Christmas present: the unpacking, the surprises on each page, the jokes on the album labels, and the oh so beautiful artwork (album artwork has always been one of my favorite things). From looking at these sets, both artists respect and think about their music and the packaging. To me, that’s just as important as the music itself. Also, to be fair, Pearl Jam’s packaging is always amazing – the CD version of Vs. has long been one of my favorites.