Got blog banner?

Alrighty! Many of you have contacted me asking how to add a banner to the top of your blog. I struggled with this too. Blogger's Dashboard doesn't really make it too easy, does it?! Well, I ended up doing what you guys did, I found and contacted someone else with a banner in place and they kindly offered up the information. (Thanks, Jaime!) So, in the spirit of communal bloggin' and all that...here's what I did:

First, I have my own home site where I host my images and hotlink to this blog. There are other options for uploading images to blogger, but I've not tried these so you'll have to try'em out yourselves. I'm using the minima template by designer, Douglas Bowman. My banner image is 649 pixels in width and 149 pixels, height. I'm guessing that different sizes and different templates work essentially the same, just tossing out that information as a possible guide.

I tried copying the code here in this post but for whatever reason, if wasn't working. So, instead... I'm including the image below. It will HOPEFULLY, in the least, guide you to where you can make the changes. You will find the html in your template folder. Oh, and not to confuse you....there should NOT be any birds in your coding... ;)

Good Luck y'all and thanks again for all the incredible comments and emails. **I'm in the middle of a couple assignments right now, so it may a few more days until I can post a new drawing.

EDIT: Please note!! I am in no way an aficionado when it comes to coding html/blogs or anything technical! I just wanted to pass along whatever information I had that might be helpful to others...as I had many requests for it. I'm sorry that I can't upload the actual html for easy cut and paste...the blogger formatting doesn't seem to allow this. Also, it's quite possible this code only works on the template I've used. Ultimately, it's the "header" section in your template that would need tweaking. If and when I learn more tidbits, I'm happy to share! Also, thanks to all of you who added further information in the comments section.

Illustration Friday- TRANQUILITY

I guess I've now got birds on the brain (or I'm bird brained!) but this is what I came up with for this week's Illustration Friday theme, which is "tranquility". What's better than a nice soak in a bath after a long day of foraging worms for dinner and building nests? Only thing missing here is a glass of wine, me thinks.

As we all know...there is something particularly tranquil about water... whether one is drinking, soaking, floating or sitting beside it. Personally, I have a lame tub for soaking...it's too short and not very deep. I sometimes pretend it's much more luxurious and accommodating by adding pretty smelling soaps and lighting a candle. Not very creative, but you can sort of escape this way. Still, the damned faucet is drip-dripping and the porcelain against my shoulders is cold. I don't have regular access to a hot tub/spa/jacuzzi either, but those are particularly nice on a cool evening (with said glass of wine). At the end of my swim work-out, if I'm not sharing a lane with anyone else....I take a good solid minute or two to just float. Some might regard it a little strange perhaps, but that 60 seconds of buoyancy, floating atop the water and breathing in deep is a particularly tranquil moment I enjoy. And we all need those moments.

A Hearty...

So, a weird thing happened.. a weird, lovely and slightly overwhelming thing. Both BoingBoing and Blogger's "blogs of note" put "shout outs" to my blog on the same day. A whole lotta people, from all over, browsed on by and a great many (okay, geesh, like over a hundred of you!!!) left very nice comments. Admittedly, I became slightly obsessed with checking my email and blog for new posts because.... I just could not believe all the responses! It was absolutely crazy. So, please know that I really appreciate all of you who took the time to click and leave a comment. I thought maybe I could draw a picture of myself holding up my own swollen and oversized head...but opted instead for a simple thank you birdy. Hopefully the little bird will suffice for my big hearty thanks. And hopefully, I won't grow a huge head and start wearing an ascott.

Some folks asked to know a little more about me and/or my work. So, here's a little background: I've been paying rent as a working artist for the past 11-12 years. Starting out in the Interactive arena and now, transitioning into Animation. Most everything on my blog and site was drawn for the fun of it: to beef up the portfolio and/or to just improve my skills, (Unless otherwise noted on my site) Sometimes I just draw because I can't deal with watching anymore "Court TV". Most of my paying work does not legally belong to me OR it is something that I'm not interested in pursuing... that kind of stuff I just leave out. Most all my artwork is digital with the basic drawing done in Adobe Illustrator and textural details added in Adobe PhotoShop. I received a BFA in Illustration at a California State University. Drawing makes me happy.

A lot of people who meet me think I'm from the Mid-West. I think that's because I'm generally pretty nice, say thank you and please and smile regularly. I think maybe my drawings reflect that too. Don't be fooled though, I am native Californian and I can be just as cranky as the next guy when I'm cut off in traffic.

Let's see, what else? Hey! Have any of you checked the links in my sidebar??? Or the links page on my site? There are TONS of great artists/ illustrators and crafts-people out there doing fabulous things. I learn from all these guys on a regular basis. I love the internet...check 'em out!! I will be adding lots more as time passes too.

Again, thank you for your very kind words. Because of it, this week was extra nice.

Swan Lake

I decided to take another stab at the whole "Metropolitan" theme from last week's Illustration Friday. Just for fun. So here's she is, the same gal from the illustration below, at the Ballet. Perhaps this is even the same day...after her walk through the city. Of course, it could be the Opera or a theatre show she's attending...but I have a feeling she's there to see the classic "Swan Lake". I remember how much I loved seeing Swan Lake at the Paris Opera House in the late 80's....sitting under that amazing Chagall painting. Oh my, what an overwhelming delight that was.

I almost cried.

Illustration Friday: METROPOLITAN

Here's this week's drawing for Illo Fri....it's a slice of Metropolitan life. I thought about illustrating something with more hustle and bustle, crowds or even a more elegant moment with skyscrappers filling the skies . BUT, I just kept finding myself thinking of a more European/Soho/ parts of San Fran kind of setting instead, though my drawing depicts none of these specifically. A bazillion years ago I studied for a semester in Paris and more recently dated my man in San Fran (before he moved closer)...and the perfect day was to walk around the city neighborhoods and stop somewhere to loiter over a nice latte or glass of wine. That's MY idea of true city life. Here in Los Angeles, my life is more Suburban than Metropolitan...like the song says "Nobody walks in LA". Ahhh... but someday, I would love to live in San Francisco with a scruffy little dog. I hope I won't be 80 then and unable to walk those hills!

Lil' Yogi and hangin' with Ma and Pa.

Here's a belated "Sport" themed drawing for last week's Illustration Friday. I'm not all that familiar with yoga so this pose is probably way off the map in terms of authenticity. Truth be told, I don't really care all that much...which, I hope some of you who follow a strict yoga discipline won't find blasphemous... I don't mean any harm. I just liked the shape of my initial sketch and decided to take it to finish. If you've got a name for this pose (made up or not) I'm looking for a "title". This was drawn in Illustrator and touched up in Photoshop.

Just got back from a nice, lazy vacation visiting my parents up in NorCal. It was really lovely. Got to visit some old friends from my childhood (Hello, Dyers!!) and spend a lot of quality time with my bitchen' kick-ass parents. Basically, we shopped, we ate, we went to the movies, we ate some more, we shopped some more, sunbathed, dined al fesco, drank a lot of wine, worked on crosswords together, read magazines and books, and just plain-ol' hung-out. It was great. Did I mention that we ate... a lot? Ah, How I've missed my parents' cooking!

Thank God, Lap Swim at the local pool is in full swing. I need it more than ever now~

Dad and I took a morning and drove out to sketch and paint the scenery by a local river. Well, I guess I should say... Dad sketched and painted the scenery....from life, that is. His watercolors were really nice and I totally felt intimated because it's been so long since I've tried drawing anything from life. It's sorta like my whole "painting" issue, I guess. I ended up painting a couple of cartoony dead bugs (loosely based on the dead bugs on the picnic table we were sitting at) and a racoon strewn about in some leaves. We didn't see any racoons...but that's just what ended up happening when my pencil hit the paper. I didn't think to bring the drawings home...but maybe I can get Dad to send them to me...along with one of his sketches from that day. I feel lucky that my Dad and I share a love for drawing and painting. It means a lot to me. It was either that or I was going to have to develop a love for tying flies. ;) Mom and I share a love for SHOPPING!! So, I'm lucky for that too! Peni and Tony...I love you! Thanks for the great visit!