Well, first off to say, I am soooooo glad September is finally here!! You know what that means?? School starts and I have my days to myself for the most part!! WOOHOO!!! (Sorry just a little excited once again..LOL, now talk to me tomorrow when I have to actualy get up early and get the kids ready and off to school..hehehe).
There isn't a whole lot going on at the moment. I started my first painting job for my uncle and aunt's sign shop on Sunday. The two sides on the sign are exactly the same so therefore the picture of the duck, which is really all I am painting has to come close to at least resembling the previous side. The first side my uncle decided he wanted to help me with and I have to say it looks nowhere near as good as the second side I did by myself yesterday. So he has agreed to let me have a go at retouching the first side and making it look better like the second side. I found after leaving and taking pictures of the sign yesterday after working and Kim's great eyes a couple of places I can fix on the second side as well, but I think the overall progress is pretty good. So I will share it with everyone to see...

Now, just so everyone knows , the paint was wet when I took the picture, so there are really white spots to where the glare hit the painting. Not mess up's...LOL.. The sign was also laying flat as the paint I had to use was a flat laying paint. (Not like using acrylics or oils.) Also, I am attaching a picture of the previous sign that was used prior to my aunt and uncle redoing from another sign maker...

Feel free to tell me what you think and comment.

Looks great, V -- so now are you a professional artist?

Schools started a week ago here; I'm happy too, although the flurry of signups and open-houses and forms to fill out is a little much.

We went to the "Sesame Place" water park in Langhorne, PA, over the Labor Day weekend (stayed one night in a hotel.) Both kids had a lot of fun, but I don't think I'd recommend it as a destination. It's really overpriced, I'd say, and then they nickel-and-dime you once you're inside as well. Somehow, even though we drove 3 1/2 hours each way, on Sunday and Monday, we saw no traffic and had no problems. Lucky, I guess.

Ernest, ohh I know all about the nickel and dimeing of the indoor waterparks!! We took the kids to Ohio earlier this summer to The Kalahari Resort and stayed two days. Since its in Sandusky by Cedar Point, we usually leave the hotel and hit the fast food joints or the nearby resturants. The hotels are rediculously priced for just simple food and drinks. Good thing most of the rooms have refridgerators...there was a nearby Meijer store that we did a little shopping at and got plastic bowls, silverware, cereal, milk and stuff to make sandwiches with for all of our breakfast and lunches and hit outside the hotel for dinner. Sandusky is about 2 hours away from where we live in Michigan, how did you manage 3.5 hours??? My kids were driving me crazy before we got there and before we returned home!!

As for being a professional artist...ummm I still think I need a lot of practice!! That paint I am using is in no way anything I would want to work with!! Acrylics are much more easier to use. Latex is not my forte'..LOL. I was able to do alot better work after I finally decided to take my own painting brushes, though. Normally, my aunt and uncle dont get work that requires that kind of detail. You slop the colors on and your done, well they dont really slop the colors but you know what I mean.

I hate you all you people who are glad school started again. j/k but at least for this month I have 2 full time course loads. I liked my month and a half vacation from having to do anything, but now I have to go back and join the real world.

Using mankind's greatest invention: the minivan with the built-in entertainment system

LOL Ernest, yes I may have to get the entertainment center in my minivan, music or at least my music doesn't go over so well. The kids really dont like country music...oh well. its great torture at times too!!

Amanda, awww you poor baby!! LOL, you didn't have to go to college you know, and take such a long course, such as nursing. Besides, I wasn't talking about you going back to school, I was meaning the heathens. I would rather you be out of school and sitting here and drawing with me all the time.

Well I managed to create a space in my basement for my art stuff.
My wife brought home an old exam table from work for me. I pulled the foam off of the plywood and cleaned it up a bit. Now I have my airbrush area, a place for my supplies and I also hung a dremel kit from the ceiling to try my hand at wood carving. I am all over the place trying to find MY mdeium. At least I am having fun trying. Now if only the kids/baby would allow me down there to practice!

Does anyone here do any primitive folk art? I was thinking of trying this as well. I hope to be good enough to sell some on ebay so I can afford more supplies.

Ok, so school has finally started and I get a little breather. Still have the two babies here that for the most part get along until they both want the same toy!! Then the fighting begins. My neice, is biter, so I am trying to figure out a way to keep her from biting when she gets mad. Thats a hard one there. Anyone have any suggestions? Would gladly love to hear them.

As for the sign, I finished both sides with just doin the duck. My uncle finished off the water details and the lettering, and I have a new picture of the final sign. The owner of it was very pleased and loved the duck, which is the main attraction to the sign. Within, the next week or so, my uncle has to removed the second sign and now that I have finished the first I know the second will be quicker and a lot easier. As long as I make the same amount for the second as I did the first its all good.

Great job Venus!

Venus great job hun ... I think it looks very nice

I am in my backyard this morning, and I hear a woman over the fence, in the alley out back, talking to her children, encouraging them to open their seatbelts. "C'mon, honey, you can do it!" Then she says "just wait, kids, mommy's going to get help" and she runs off. I go out the back gate and when she comes back, I ask her if I can do anything. Her car is in her garage, running, and her three kids are buckled in, locked inside. The oldest is three. The AC is running in the car, and so the kids are in no danger, but she's pretty stressed out.

I called AAA for her, but she wasn't too happy with the 15-20 minutes it was going to take them. I tried to jimmy the car open with a coat hanger and failed. Then she decides she wants to break the windows with a hammer. All I could do was talk her out of breaking the back window: the back window glass of a minivan with a defroster and an antenna inside it costs several thousand dollars, as I found out some years back. So she tries the passenger window. She smacks it with a hammer as hard as she can -- POP! And nothing happens! She takes that as a sign and stops.

Then a friend of hers drives by and suggests calling the fire department, and she likes that idea, so she calls, and the fire department is there within five minutes. They have real burglar tools and get the door open in a jiffy. The little boys are scared -- if it was my son, I'd think he'd be THRILLED to be rescued by a real-life fireman.

I called AAA and cancelled, but the service guy came anyway. Had to turn him away.

WOW, Ernest, sounds like an eventful morning!! Sheesh, all I got was a kid who almost missed the bus and two fighting toddlers. Ohh the one I babysit bit Patience again..I need to figure out a way to get her to stop biting. Even if it is hubby's neice he is getting pretty mad about it because it is a daily thing...anyone have any similar situations and know of any tricks? Other than that I finished my partial rose picture, and went to the bank to pay some bills, and came home and here I sit......

WOW it's great to be back online and back at Drawspace!!! I missed this place. There are so many new faces...and some old ones . Jeanette SO good to see you are still here! *Waves at Venus* And Kim ...Hi ya Kim!! I see Brian is still doing awesome cartoons. hugsssssssss be back to drawing SOON.

Pammy!!! OMG, its so great to see you back!!! Hiya hun. Where have you been? What's going on? I hope things are going well and can't wait to see you and your work again!! Welcome back!!

Hi Venus;

Being a retired signpainter (the old type with brushes) I can say well done!

venus great job on the duck, that really looks fantastic!
hi pam good to hear from you again. I have been on and off over the summer. been pretty busy, but i miss drawing and i miss drawspace, hopefully i can start getting into practicing everyday again. school started for my kids too but they school at home so they are still here in my face. there not so bad though.
none of mine were biters venus wish i could help, my cousin was a biter but i dont think they really did anything about it. he use to bite me all the time to the point my dad wouldnt allow my mom to take me there anymore. maybe serf the web and find out some ways you can help with that.
my husband inhaled chemicals on the back of the garbage truck over the summer and now he had some bad breathing problems so been pretty worried about that, that has taken up alot of my time because now work wont pay for dr exspenses or nothing, they trying to say he is a heavy smoker thats why he having breathing problems, never smoked a day in his life, they wont let him go to dr but he did anyway, now dr says he needs to see specialist and work saying no but he is going anyway so dont really know what is going to happen with that. but kids are doing good so far in school. so thats good, im working from home now and thats going good too. but takes up some of my drawing time. so that isnt good, just going to have to find the time even if i have to stay up late. i am trying so hard to get those color pencils, having a hard time with it though.
shadow watcher i have been playing around with airbrush as well. got some magazines. doing some practicing, not going as well as i would like. i think i am still trying to figure out the air pressure and tips and if i should and how much to dilute the paint. its usually so thick that it clogs the brush all the time then made it so thin that its like water. and i need to get a small air compressor-using my hubbys and its just a pain to walk back and forth to where i have to paint. again not enough time to practice. i love the portaits they do in black and grays. and of course the flames and skulls look pretty awesome too.
venus sandusky isnt far from me at all-we use to race there all the time. we sold the sprint car and got a 74 nova we are fixing up to drag race. pinks was in michigan and thought about you, wondered if you were there. alot of people from norwalk was there. that was pretty cool. well thats about all thats been going on with me. kind of glad summer is coming to an end. i love the fall, and halloween. i miss dressing my kids up for trick or treat. everyone use to say how great they looked. i always went all out-never bought store costumes though, always used the make up and got things from good will store or thrift stores. they were always monsters or vampires and frankenstien. i will try to find the pictures, here they only allow up to 15 years old to trick or treat. dont know why. but at least i get to pass out all the candy. trying to talk my boys into dressing up for all the trick or treaters, would love to have a haunted trail or something. but no one is going for it.
Lori