Dancing and VD!

No, not Vicki and Dana, this time. Valentine's Day! Left Foot Boogie is throwing a big Valentine's Day dance this Tues, the 14th and you're all invited. There's going to be chocolate, wine, singing and, who would guess this: dancing! We've been lucky enough to score the same AMAZING house (click here) where we held our orphanage fund raiser dance last summer (four stories, overlooking Lake Union) and all this for just $15! All the dough is being generously donated to the Star of Hope orphanage in Bungoma, Kenya. I'll be sketching portraits for $10, good ones for $15. Hope to see you there! For more info, click here.

And our Star of Hope Facebook page is back online. You can check that out as well (click here), while you're at it.

Vicki's Digging the Job

Yeah, she's had to get up a lot earlier than she used to, but she's really loving working with Effectiveness Institute. For one thing, there are actually people to interact with about work projects. And then the whole gender thing with the accompanying mysteries and wonders, like footwear.

But now that there's a possibility of an office gathering, she's had to give some thought to my, shall we say, "appropriateness." 

Being the new kid, not many people have called yet. But she's ready!

But I'm doing what I can to steer clients her way! Call her today!

I'm In A Band!

I'm in a basement band with Doug Keith (lead guitar) and Mike Cressy (rhythm guitar and tamborine), two of the best illustrators in Seattle. Nathan Garland is also in the band (bass), but I have no idea what he does for a living and he won't discuss business at band practice. We don't have a name, but I tend to think of us as either "The Stubby Nubbs" or "Drawn Badly." Mike drew what he calls a sketch and I call a finished illustration of himself playing guitar, with who I suspect is me on drums. You know how I hate for art to not truly reflect life, so I painted stripes on my bunny slipper ears. They're dealing with it.

Pub Sketches

Had a great time sketching last night with my fellow illustrator/graphic designer Doug Nellis at the Pike Brewing Co. The owner, Charles Finkel, held still long enough for me to snag his sketch. That's his wife, um... Mrs. Finkel, with him in the photo. Also got worker Mike and brewmaster Dean. That's Doug with his sketch. I'm trying to get him to loosen up. You can see he's a pretty uptight guy.

The Non-Dairy Superhero!

Who do you call when the non-dairy creamer is all gone and Vicki hasn't had her morning cup of coffee?

Card Shark

A friend of mine quit his job to do something easier: earn a master's degree in physics. At his party I gave him a card I'd made, which he promptly stuck in his back pocket. Vicki immediately schooled him on the physics involved with that move. I just love Vicki.

Swim Coach or Voice Coach?

That Coach Michael, you just can't keep up with him. On top of volunteering swimming classes at the Y just about every day of the week, he's started taking voice lessons. He says it's to improve his breath control, blah blah blah. I know it's so he can yell at me louder.

Christmas Wrap-up

Vicki got me a few Christmas/Hannukah/Solstice presents, but they didn't stay a surprise (I'm SORRY, already!). As punishment, she insisted I wrap and decorate them with my usual drawings. Can you guess what she got me?

Talked with Sleeping Bear!

I actually spoke with my Sleeping Bear Press Publisher (Heather Hughes), Editor (Barb McNally) and Art Director (Jennifer Bacheller) on the phone a couple of weeks ago. It was pretty much a telephonic meet and greet, now that the contract has been signed. I chose which format to draw Ozzie and the Art Contest (square) and they've sent me a packet of books and their catalog. Once my new template arrives it'll be time to get down to work on the real art!

No Brainer

Vicki's been toying with tea lately, so I'm not always sure what to do with the hot water. I prefer coffee, and not just because these stickies adhere to the coffee pot a lot better.

Garden Therapy

Can't say enough about the benefits of this garden therapy craze – when snow's not covering everything.

Hard As Rocks!

A little while ago Vicki hopped off a stone wall and bonked her shin on an outcropping. It swelled up and hurt like a (insert thing that hurts here). When she told our friend Gabriella about it in an email, this was her reply.

When the swelling and pain didn't subside, Vicki went to the doctor. During the exam she told the doc what Gabs had said. This guy may have been a good physician, but his sense of humor must have been removed in med school, because he honest to god said this.

We Visited the Kids!

Last week we flew to St. Louis to see Kyle and Michelle (and our grand dogs, Ruby and Diesel). It snowed that day and it was COLD. We had a great time. Kyle's a natural horseman, who learned from guys who trained with Buck Brannaman (the "horse whisperer"). I got to watch Kyle work a "problem" horse. It was quite amazing watching and listening to him. The horse's owner was very impressed and couldn't believe how nicely her horse behaved. I might have got a little carried away.

Guest Writing Teacher

I was invited to guest teach for one day of an eight-day "write and publish a children's book" class for middle and high schoolers. It was very fun and the kids were great. Interesting what they really pay attention to and what's just a snore. Luckily, Vicki coached me and gave me the idea for my "hook," – the concept of Max as my muse. They paid attention to that, I'll tell you.

SNOWMAGEDDON!

The Seattle Times was warning us all to prepare for a massive snowstorm that was going to shut everything down. Our local weather folks are darned accurate about rain, but they don't really know their snow. So most of us were a bit skeptical and when the snow DID come, and not all that impressed – at first.

Vicki's Got A New Job!

After 26 years as a freelancer, Vicki decided to take a job as a full-time employee! She's now with the Effectiveness Institute, a Bellevue-based human resources consulting and management training company. Since E.I. is all about communication and team processes, she got to interview with just about everybody there, over a long period of time. With so many interviews, it was inevitable that there would be at least one "scheduling malfunction." Vicki learned of it when the boss called, saying he thought the interview had been scheduled earlier that day. I loved Vicki's quick-thinking response.

But she got the job - of course. I was worried about the big change in her schedule and keeping regular work hours, so I made sure she got plenty of sleep before her big first day.

No matter how good you are or how long you've been doing your work, there's always the first day jitters.

And then, after all that, Seattle's big Snowmageddon hit on day two of her job!

She ended up working from home for a few days. There have been some bumpy adjustments.

The snow is melting and Vicki is at the office. My bunny slippers and I miss her and I have promised to learn to use the stove. This is a very exciting start to our new year and I'm so proud of her. Congratulations, Vicki! 

Modern Boy Scouts

Did you know that Scouts can now get merit badges for helping um... people of a certain age with their texting? Well, they should. Maybe then Vicki and I wouldn't have to call each other to ask what our texts were SUPPOSED to say.

Kay Kay's Animal Taxi

You know the Star of Hope orphanage? (no? click here to see. And what the heck, donate while you're there) You may remember that Kay Kay is a local matatu (taxi van/bus) driver and gifted artist who painted the classroom walls with pictures of animals to help the kids with reading and spelling. This has given me an idea for a picture book featuring the Star of Hope. I've just begun working on the story, but right now it's about Kay Kay picking up the animals in his matatu on the way to the orphanage for a portrait session. Here's my first sketch and a few photos.

Orphanage Director Leonard Muyelele with Kay Kay