A step in the right direction

My desk arrived the other day!  yay!  Even though it is a piece of crap, it still gets the job done.  My studio is all set up.

As you can see, I have been drawing away.  Actually, in the middle of this drawing, I got the idea to do a video of my drawing process. About 40 minutes into it I finished the outline.  That's when I noticed it was so bright that you couldn't even see anything on the paper.  Live and learn- I will fix it for next time.  So now I am half way through two new drawings.  Neither of which is today's Sketch of the Day.  Here is further proof that I love Johnny Depp.

Johnny

On a completely different note, I came across another person trying to sell t-shirts using the image of my Legend of Billie Jean painting.  wtf?!  This is the 4th or 5th time this has happened.  Before it was on Ebay, but his time I cam across it while looking for an avatar for my new Billie Jean Fans page on DeviantArt.  I really don't understand why people photoshop my copyrighted image when they can photoshop someone else's for those t-shirts that nobody buys anyway.  People suck.

Now for todays Recipe of the Day!  This one is simple.  I am currently reading Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, so, in honor of Prior Philip and the monks of Kingsbridge, here is the recipe for Horsebread.

HORSE BREAD

"Take two bushels of good clean beans and one bushel of wheat, and grind them together. Then, through a fine [sieve], bolt out the quantity of two pecks of pure meal, and bake it in two or three loaves by itself. The rest sift through a meal sieve and knead it with water and good store of barme [yeast]. And so, bake it in bread loaves and with the coarser bread feed your horse in his rest."
(Gervase Markham Country Contentments, 1615)

Enjoy!

day off

So I have the whole day off to sketch and relax.  Too bad we don't get mail until around 1pm.  Hopefully my books and pencils I ordered will arrive today. Until then I'll be going through the Better Homes and Gardens and Food  Network magazines I was lucky enough to get my hands on at another base.  It may be a little cheesy, but  there is actually plenty of great creative inspiration (not to mention yummy recipes) to be found in them.  Plus, I am a sucker for Thanksgiving and Christmas decorating.  I also found a couple of recipes to try when I get home to see if they will fit well on the Dust Jacket Cafe menu.  I plan on having a seasonal menu to keep things interesting, and take advantage of the freshest locally grown foods.
I have considered having a "build your own float" menu to include choice of ice cream and soda flavor combinations,but I'm not really sure.  It would fit with my book, in which the main character renovates an old cafe, which used to be an even older soda fountain.  I guess I'm just not sure if it would be popular enough to be worth the cost of including it.  There was a restaurant in the Cleveland airport that had smoothies and wraps.  It was actually the closest I've seen to what I had envisioned the Dust Jacket cafe to be like.  I even looked into the cost effectiveness of the franchise itself.  I decided against it though because I believe the local and "hometown-ness" of the Cafe to be more important.  It still was helpful to get a realistic idea of what I have in mind might look like.
Sketch of the day!  Actually, this was part of a letter when I was stuck on duty in the middle of the night.  I think it's actually the only drawing I have ever done in pen.

wish you were here

Recipe of the Day!
Author Sarah Addison Allen was kind enough to donate to our book club out here, and included a sheet of recipes to coincide with her book Garden Spells.  If you haven't read it, please do- you will LOVE it!  Recipes like this, from books themselves, I hope to be able to include in the cafe.  I am always looking for new ones- and ones people have found in books and actually tried themselves.  I myself have made fried green tomatoes using the official seasoning mix.  I got it at K-Mart, but you can also find it online.  I gave it to my partner's mom along with a basket of fresh local tomatoes and she and her husband loved them so much she has made it multiple times since!

ROSE PETAL SCONES

rose petal -- encourages love...

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

4 Tbs unsalted butter

1/3 cup unsalted coarsely ground pistachio nuts

1 cup heavy cream

1 Tbs rose water

2 Tbs edible rose petals - finely shredded

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine and sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda,

sugar, salt and cinnamon. Cut in the butter and mix until crumbly. Stir in the

pistachios. In a separate bowl, combine the cream and the rose water. Stir in the

shredded rose petals. Add the cream-rose mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until

a soft dough forms. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for

10-12 minutes or until golden brown

Christmas Greetings!

Well, I finally have internet in my tent, so this will be much easier to do!  I've had alot going on as far as my artistic ventures are concerned.  As much as can be expected from the middle of nowhere, that is.  Thanks to an Amazon gift card for Christmas, I have a few books, pencils, and paper on they way (and a much needed electric kettle to make my tea!)  I will also have a little more time to get back to some good old fashioned drawing since I wasn't able to sign up for any classes in the upcoming semester- too much uncertainty in my work schedule.
So, I am taking advantage of the opportunity to get back to my roots.  I used to love drawing houses as a kid.  I threw in landscaping, cute little windows, and there was always a swing set.  I've decided to hone my skills in doing home portraits while I am here.  That way, when I get home I should be ready to offer the service openly. I've got to do plenty of initial runs for practice and testimonials first. Unfortunately, GoDaddy sucks and somehow took down my website even though I just renewed it.  I can't get them to respond to my emails, and I'm just sick of their crappy service anyway, so I'm just giving up on it anyway.  I will do a whole new site when I get home and get everything a more established anyway.
I'll post pics as soon as I get started.  I did do one drawing since my last post- the first in quite a long time, too.  Not perfect, but not bad for being out of practice. : /

LEO

In DJS news, I've pretty much completed a mock menu for the cafe to include in presentation packets for investors.  I know it's very early, but I want to make sure I've got everything ready to make it happen.  The space I had scoped out turns out to be around the corner from a small family owned book shop that also sells original paintings (mainly by the owner.) Hm.  Well, location will still also depend on where my better half is willing to be. location location location

Where to now?

I started this blog awhile ago  to easily keep thoughts and progress posted on how my artwork ventures were going. Well, little did I know that so soon I would be deployed overseas where there is not a single canvas in my near future.  Meanwhile, back at home my new studio has been built and all of my stuff moved in.  From the pictures I've seen, it looks great.  On a positive note, my sketchbook has arrived, so when I find something other than sand to look at, perhaps I will have a worthwhile post.
Actually, I have spend alot of my down time here working on the business plan for Dust Jacket Studios, which is, for all intents and purposes, my dream for my future. DJS is the environment I have in mind where you can enjoy fresh made food, cozy up with your favorite dog-earred book, and see for yourself other peoples visions and creative process.  This dream is far from being realized since I have so many other paths to walk, but when I get to that one, I will be more than ready.
In the mean time, I will leave you with this link to my website where you can check out my gallery.