The Shadow Knows!

Recently I've been reading a bunch of old Shadow pulps (courtesy of Rich's collection) and I've become a huge fan of the Shadow! I love the slogan,"The weed of crime bears bitter fruit!" I have come to the conclusion that "Batman" is a rip-off of the Shadow. These books were written in the early 1930's (most of these pictured here are reprints from the '6o's) But Batman didn't come into being until the late 1930's. I don't know enough about the subject really, but the Shadow is a really impressive character!
One thing I found amusing was that these two books have their covers switched. The story "The Crime Cult" should have the illustration from "Hands In The Dark" and vice versa.

Anyway, the Shadow books have been keeping me company on the subway to and from work everyday. I'm going to have to seek out more once I've finished reading these ones.

Pet Dogs of the Past

My Dad has recently undergone a heart operation and it has got me thinking about how quickly we age and all that stuff. It's interesting how much times have changed and people's pets seem to be reflecting those changes also. Back when my Dad was young....back in the late 1950's he got himself a dog. He named the dog "Shane" and he was a German Shepherd.

Shane was a beautiful dog with a gentle nature. Our Dad loved him.

Here's a photo of our Mom with Shane, (with one of her brothers as well).
Sadly, Shane died of cancer and didn't live a long life.
We also lost Mom to cancer 15 years ago.

The next dog my parents got was "Duffy". He was a Shetland Sheepdog, but he wasn't as good natured as Shane and always tried to "herd" us kids. That's me as a baby in the photo. Duffy was eventually given away to a new home.

The dog I have the best memories of was "Ginger". She was a Lhasa Apso and we got her when I was about 12 years old. I'm probably 14 in this photo. We used to do silly things with her, like put sunglasses on her. She was a cute dog, but she could be somewhat aloof when she wanted to be.....unless you had food...then she'd hang around until you gave her some.
She ended up dying of a heart attack when she was around 14 years old.

Now this dog is "Molly". She's a Bichon Frise. In this photo my son was just a baby. He's 11 years old now!
Molly is owned by my Dad and stepmom. But I don't think Molly's going to be around much longer....she's around 14 years old...and has some breathing problems.

Well, I hope this post wasn't too boring.....I guess I did it more for myself than anyone.

I Just Saw "Coraline"

WOW! This film is visually STUNNING! It was an absolute feast for the eyes! Here are some stills I grabbed from the web. These images do not do the film justice. It was beautiful!
I saw it in 3D....with the glasses....and it was absolutely breath-taking.






I think what impressed me the most is that it was done in traditional stop-motion. I LOVE the fact that they built actual sets and used real lighting. It created an atmosphere that you just don't get with CG alone.
Look at this house! Isn't that just gorgeous!? Okay...I'm biased because I LOVE dollhouses. But still......
Apparently, all these cherry blossoms were made from pink painted popcorn!

I highly recommend this film. I took my kids, and although my 8 year old was a little frightened at some parts, I still think it was very family friendly, but NOT sappy. The music was great too.

Mini Valentine Chocolates

For Valentine's Day, my Sweetheart got me this beautiful heart-shaped box filled with lovely dark chocolates from Purdy's Chocolates.

So I decided to make a miniature box with polymer clay chocolates.

Here's a close-up:
And here they are being modelled by one of my daughter's favorite Barbie dolls, Leah, for scale.

Woodcut Style

I've always been attracted to this style of artwork, the woodcut print. Albrecht Durer was apparently a master of this art and here's an example of his work:


I have no idea why I'm showing that masterpiece and then my own pathetic ink drawings that are trying to mimic the woodcut style, but I'm a strange person. Anyway.....I've been working on a "Halloween Book" and I decided to illustrate it in this style, using old woodcuts as reference.
I've obviously put my own spin on the drawings and have not copied them exactly. It was done more as an exercise to keep my drawing skills up.


The above image was referenced from the Malleus Maleficarum, one of the most evil books ever written, attempting to justify the European witch hunts and trials.

Above was inspired by a woodcut describing the Apocalypse. "The Beast" in chains.

Above, of course are the seven deadly sins, in little demon forms.

This one was actually the very first one I did. It spurred me on to try more. The next one is of two completely different styles:

Below is an image I've come across a lot on the internet....Matthew Hopkins...Witch Finder Generall. I've noticed a lot of "creative" spelling going on in some of these old texts.
I recently discovered there's a movie called "The Conquerer Worm" (originally titled Witchfinder General) starring Vincent Price (swoon), as Matthew Hopkins. I'll have to see it!

Apparently, Hopkins had a real problem with little old ladies owning small animals.
And speaking of small animals, cats have played a huge role in the whole witchhunting tragedy.

"Many people believed the cat to be a child of the moon because of its association with night and eyes that resembled the phases of the moon." (I'm just finishing the quote that I cut off in the image)

And speaking of mysterious things and children, my daughter wanted me to make her a "voodoo doll" for some strange reason. I warned her not to stick pins in it or let anybody's hair become a part of it. Anyway....after it was made, she stuck a couple of pins in it and said it hurt her and promptly decided she didn't want to have anything to do with it any more.

I followed her drawing for it, that's why it's asymmetrical.

Stuffed Toy Making

I decided it would be fitting to show off one of the first stuffed toys I ever made. He was made from a kit that we used to order through my Junior High School's 'Home Ec' class. The pattern was printed directly on the back of the fake fur, and the eyes and other parts came in a plastic bag with very simple instructions printed on a sheet of paper. I remember even the stuffing was included. I had also ordered a Baby Skunk and White Kitten....but those are long gone. We're talkin' 1978 here people. Anyway, this Dachshund, who measures about 14 inches from nose to tail is the only one I've been able to hold onto through all my years of moving from place to place. I've always been a huge fan of stuffed animals, owning about 50 of them when I was a girl.My daughter has beat my record by now. I'm sure she must own over 50 furry friends by now. The latest toy she asked for was one of the "Rayman Raving Rabbids" from a Wii game she and her brother have. I told her that instead of ordering one, I'd just make her one. And so, here it is:

Crazy looking, isn't it? Well, she was thrilled to see him come to life this weekend. As if I didn't already have enough little chores to do. I don't mind making a toy as long as I know it's going to be loved....And I can tell this one is.

(She's just getting her adult front teeth, that's why they look weird)

Playing With Photoshop

On Christmas Day we went to Rich's brother's house in Flesherton Ontario. On the way there, we always pass this sad yet fascinating old abandoned house which I have been meaning to photograph for a couple of years now. Well, this time I had my camera with me and although I was convinced it would have collapsed by now, I was in luck! I grabbed a few photos from the road .....because there's a large gate blocking the property and there were three foot snow-drifts. But anyway, today I had the chance to "play" with the digital photos a bit. I like how they turned out. (One day I'm going to have to get myself a colour printer.)



And of course, here's an unaltered photo.