Sunday versus #7

Superman vs. Generic Prehistoric Beast

Swing your partner 'round and 'round
With a pocket full of kryptonite to hold you down.

Script by Jerry Siegel
Artwork by John Sikela

Superman #13
November/December 1941
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Daisy - Sunshine on a Stem

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul. ~Luther Burbank

Sweat Lodge Confessions: If you Need a Moment, Steal It

art journal entry

Hello Muffins!* Last week I was scared shitless. My band was supposed to perform at a well publicized show in less than 48 hours and it was a Worst Case Scenario: Laryngitis. Full blown loss of voice. All I could do was make mousy wheezy sounds. I panicked. At least if I had broken both of my legs I could still get up and sing. We had been boot camp rehearsing for weeks night after night--I felt helpless.

So now what?

After a little research I discovered that Laryngitis can't be cured with drugs. It requires rest. So I took a Vow of Quiet. I turned my apartment into a sweat lodge--boiling lavender water until the windows fogged, letting the steam relax my throat while gargling gallons of saline solution and zinc lozenges. I spoke as little as possible to rest my voice.

For those two days I remained quiet and I began to notice an interesting transformation: the sounds in my building became more acute, the tension in my shoulders dropped, sleep came easily, my steps became lighter and was suddenly more aware and relaxed than I had been in weeks.

There was medicine in the quiet.

So I write this for all of you who need a moment to recharge, a moment to heal.
Steal a moment to be still. :)
Where do you go or what do you do to find the quiet?

The Many Lives of Superman #5

The Many Lives of Superman

Surgeon!

Script by Leo Dorfman
Pencils by Al Plastino
Inks by Al Plastino

Action Comics #337
From Riches To Rags
May 1966
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Robin In Flight - Friday Feathers

Hear how the birds, on ev'ry blooming spray, With joyous music wake the dawning day. ~Alexander Pope

Robin in flight - 04-23-11 - Gateway Trail - Blacksburg, Virginia

Posted for no other reason...

...than for sometimes you just have to dance!


(and sometimes you may have to use the dance as an excuse to send vibrations through the floor to shatter the timing mechanism of the bomb located underneath the dance floor)

Script by Cary Burkett
Pencils by Kurt Schaffenberger
Inks by Dan Adkins
Colors by Adrienne Roy
Letters by Jean Simek

The Superman Family #196
Super-Disco Fever
July/August 1979
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Lilac Dreaming

Flowers leave some of their fragrance in the hand that bestows them. ~Chinese Proverb

Ten Days of Action Comics #10

And so we bring our ten day celebration of the centennial issues of Action Comics to a close with today's post. Following the pattern that we've established over that last nine days would mean we're showing the cover to Action Comics #1000. We're going to have to wait another 8 years for that one, so instead we're going for a two-fer by combining day ten with this week's Weekly Panel of Steel post and take a look at what's inside the issue.

With well over twenty collaborators involved, we had a wealth of panels to choose from. Pete Woods has been a phenomenal Superman artist for the past five years now. (Geez, has it been that long since Up, Up and Away!) If anyone deserves the honor, it's him. Dan Jurgens revisited his iconic Death of Superman storyline for a page, so there was that to choose from. Rags Morales packed a whole issues worth of emotion into his one page recap of the destruction of Krypton. And then there was contributions by Ryan Sook, R.B. Silva, Gary Frank, and Brian Stelfreeze...

All of these creators made it almost impossible to choose, so I went with the sentimental pick instead.


That's right, the band's back together again!

Anyone who has been reading my blogs for the last two years knows that the Death of Superman storyline was the moment I became a lifelong Superman fan. How could I not pick the awesome two-page spread of all of the major players from that era back together in one room.

And when it's drawn by Jesus Merino, whose style I have enjoyed for well over a decade now, it's even better. I, for one, can't get enough of his work, so I was thrilled to see him helping out at the tail end of the Black Ring storyline. I'm hoping that he sticks around the Superman stable of artists for the foreseeable future (like a post-Grounded Superman gig would suit me just fine).

So there you go...Superman is back in Action where he belongs and everything is right with the world.

Life is good.

Script by Paul Cornell
Artwork by Jesus Merino
Colors by Blond
Letters by Rob Leigh

Action Comics #900
The Black Ring Finale
Reign Of Doomsday
May 2011
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Maryville University PAINT Exhibition

My students in the beginning and advanced painters class at Maryville University held a 3 day exhibition of their work starting Tuesday.

It was a smashing success!

We prepared our classroom to look like a gallery --- and hung the work with nametags. It was wonderful.

Invited guests and food, music provided a festive atmosphere. So many compliments and well wishers.

I was so proud of them~!

Maryville painters rock!

Stop by tomorrow if you have time.

Maryville University

One Maryville Drive

Chesterfield, MO

Wishcastin Wednesday: Focus Pocus!

Hello Sparrows!* It's Wishcasting Wednesday and our wishtress Jamie asks, What do you wish to focus on?

I wish to focus on finishing my record.

We started recording our EP last September and are now finishing the last half of eight original songs. Making a record has always been my dream--and I can't think of anything I am more proud of than working with people I love and creating original material of substance. After a kick-ass stepping out show this weekend, I feel strong and confident. I need the hutzpah and the focus-pocus to finish pulling this thing into being. If you're curious, here's a quickie live cut of one of our slower numbers from a recent rehearsal.

What do you wish to focus on, duckies?

Two new videos!!

Watch me put on my usual routine of makeup with a bare-faced me on the side for comparison!



Haul video of my purchases from F21 and Topshop.


I've been a hardworking youtuber LOL!!

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CLICK THAT BUTTON!!!


DO IT! It's my freaking birthday today and I demand it!!

I think I'd have an awesome birthday weekend (it has already started yesterday :D). I'd blog about it soon with peektures!

Kate Middleton Wedding Ring

Kate Middleton is reportedly so worried about her engagement ring falling off that she has asked the Crown jewellers G Collins and Sons to resize it.

The bride-to-be has asked Royal jewellers to fit two beads inside the £32 million (Rs 231 crore) sapphire band once worn by Princess Diana to stop it slipping.

The dazzling sapphire and diamond band was first given to Princess Diana for her engagement.

William later gave Kate the same ring to ensure his mother was a part of the special day

Willowy Kate is having the ring made smaller because she is terrified it will fall off as she marries William.

Kate, who seems to be slimming for her big day, has reluctantly accepted the dazzling sapphire and diamond band is too big for her size H finger.

And she has asked Crown jewellers to attach two tiny platinum beads, dubbed speed bumps, to the inside of the bottom of the ring.

A Royal source said, "The band was turning. A bride's worst nightmare is looking down and seeing her ring has fallen off.

One can only imagine how this is magnified when you are marrying the future King of England."

The band was Princess Diana's engagement ring.

It was given to Kate by Wills to ensure his mother would be part of their special occasion on April 29.

£32 Million

Cost of the sapphire band worn by Kate Middleton

Wedding Dresses for Kate Middleton

Source :http://www.brides.com

Kate Middleton Hair Style

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Hummingbird Moth - Wednesday Wings

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.
- Aristotle

Hummingbird Moth seen on my walk along the Huckleberry Trail 04-25-11

Blacksburg, VA - My FIRST sighting for 2011

Cyrus Family - April 21, 2011

Miley Cyrus and family headed out to dinner last week in Studio City. They went to the Mexican restaurant Casa Vega.Credit: MileyCyrus.bz.

Ten Days of Action Comics #9

And finally, here's the cover for the first American super-hero comic book to reach 900 issues the honest way, in stores today.


Only one thought comes to mind...welcome back Superman!

(psst...Hey Superman editors! Can we not have another two years go by without Superman in Action Comics? Please?)

While we're celebrating, we might as well take a look at the alternate covers too!

That's Alex Ross on the left and Adam Hughes on the right.

Artwork by David Finch

Action Comics #900
June 2011
Copyright (c) DC Comics

HerSpeak Presents: MINX MIX TAPE!

Hello Kittens!* I am excited to bring you the very first Minx Mix Tape! Each week I'll be posting our very own all-girl digital dance party highlighting female musicians making killer contributions. Some old, some new, all awesome. Lets do it!

First Up, Kelis with "Acapella".
I've had this video on the brain all day--all feathers and face paint for the go-go goddess.


Next up, Miss Derringer with "Click Click, Bang Bang".
Her songs make me wanna rob banks!


And Finally, The Gossip with "Pop Goes The World".
Beth Ditto is God--She's a lazer powerd Cyndi Lauper sent to save us with funk.


Got girl songs you want to hear? Throw it on the tape- Post a link in the comments!

Butterfly of Blue ~ Leaves of Green

Expectant of greater things,
We try climbing -
Higher
And Higher;
An effort that costs us much,
Leaving us short of breath
To find only
The ground below is much prettier.
~Phillip Pulfrey

Blue butterfly seen on my walk yesterday 04-25-11 along the Huckleberry Trail

- Possibly an Eastern Tailed Blue Butterfly -

Ten Days of Action Comics #8

Here's a bit of a surprise...Eight days into our celebration of Action Comics and it's our first homage to the original cover.

I would've thought that that would've happened a lot sooner than with issue #800, but here it is.


I always liked the homages that play a little bit with the perspective of the original cover, and this one's no exception. A gorgeous cover for a fantastic issue (Boy, do I sure miss Joe Kelly on Action Comics).

Artwork by Drew Struzan

Action Comics #800
April 2003
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Gator almost Done!

Working on the gator today --- along with rain, lightening, and thunder.

These rainy wet days make for perfect watercoloring weather...

It has taken a different direction than I thought... but I am beginning to really like it.

It's darker and more for-boding than I originally intended.

Perfect swamp gator! They have a creepy ominous quality when you see them in the swamp.

Gator

watercolor

46" h x 34" w

2011

almost finished

Personalized T-Shirts

I read somewhere that you can use freezer paper as a stencil. I have wanted to try it for a while now. I bought freezer paper at Walmart about 3 weeks ago and am just now getting to this little craft.

I decided to go ahead and make Emily and Nicholas personalized shirts. Here is how I did it:

First I opened Word on my computer and printed out my kids names with the size and font I wanted the name to appear on the shirts:

Then I got my freezer paper out:

I cut out some freezer paper and traced the names on it with the shiny part of the paper down:

Then using my exacto knife I carefully cut out the names creating a stencil:

With Nicholas' name, (the o and a are missing the center):

I kept the center parts:

Then I went to my ironing board and ironed down the freezer paper (the hot iron causes the paper to stick to the fabric), I was very careful and made sure every little nook was sealed:

Here are the shirts with the freezer paper stencil sealed :

Next I took out some acrylic paint and textile medium:

(note: the textile medium should be added to acrylic paint to make sure the paint does not crack when washed, if you have fabric paint, then you don't need the medium)

I needed two parts paint and one part medium:

I mixed it all together:

I put some paper under the top of the shirt to prevent any paint leaking thru to the back:

Then I took my brush and carefully dabbed the paint on:

Then I let the shirts completely dry:

Then I carefully removed the stencil paper:

I used my exacto knife to remove little parts:

Then I sealed the paint with a warm iron (I carefully patted the iron down):

Here are the shirts I made today:

Made in Washington:

Nicholas:

Emily: