Has Anyone Seen My Two Feet?

I have completely and overwhelming lost the ability to stand on my own two feet. I am not sure if they were kicked out from under me by someone or what the deal is. Did I ever once use my own two feet to stand in the first place? Maybe not.

My internal alarm clock goes off at 4:45 am…apparently, regardless of what time I go to bed. However I have absolutely no idea what to do once I’m awake. School work would be the wise choice, yet I still don’t have my textbooks…which makes homework difficult.

I could play with Awesome, but he goes right back to sleep after breakfast.

I could get stuff done around the house, but I am not even sure where to start or what to start.

I could work on editing stories or writing new ones, but by the time I get set up and in the process of zoning out and into the story my time is up.

Additionally because I have to eat as soon as I get up, by about 9 am I’m ready for breakfast again, even though I already had breakfast.

I am getting in “moods” which carry over into everything I do throughout the day, I’m frustrated, lost, upset, emotional, undecided and confused. And that is all before lunch!

I am supposed to be standing on my own two feet but I can’t even seem to find my feet or the ground to stand on. And I cannot blame the east coast earthquake, because…

A) I don’t live anywhere near there.

B) I grew up with earthquakes and really can’t use them for any excuse unless I spill a drink.

Lately even Awesome has been giving me the “get with it Mama” look. It looks a lot like the feed me, play with me, buy me more toys look, but I know what he means.

So is there an age limit when you should know how to stand on your own two feet? (Fingers crossed that it’s a very very very high number)

Old Movies and Other Distractions

I have not done a lot of my own “talking” on here in a while. Everything has seemed too personal or too much information to share with others.

Additionally I have done nothing but procrastinate on things that should be highly important. Today I am supposed to be finishing up the information my publisher needs, but instead I am writing this blog post and watching a stream of Marilyn Monroe movies on a local channel I get via a TV antenna (which is really the coolest thing I have done in like….ever!!!! was getting back to a simpler TV set up).

I find there are times in life when you miss people more than others. One would think you miss people when your life is in a tail-spin and everything is going wrong…this is true. But I also miss people when my life is good, when things are looking up, when dreams are coming true, not just when they are falling apart.

And now onto another thought…when did how we viewed women and their weight change and their need for perfection? When did we lose our ability to sound intelligent when we spoke? When did we get so wrapped up in newer and “better” technology that nothing we ever did was enough that we had to keep making more technology?

The Box ~ 5 Minute Fiction

It came in the smallest of small packages, yet made the loudest thud when dropped on the ground in front of the door.

The man behind the door jumped at the loud noise and opened the door to investigate. He looked at it, bent down a bit, then quickly stood back up and closed the door in silence.

The box jumped and flipped over, the man swung the door back open.

“Ahhhhhhhyyaaaaa,” he blurted and pointed at finger.

The box jumped and flipped again. The man slammed the door once again.

Interview with Illustrator: Guy Porfirio

Guy Porfirio

I am delighted to welcome illustrator Guy Porfirio to Karin Won’t Stop Talking.

Please give us three artistic words to describe yourself.

Observant, empathetic, and passionate — all with a sense of humor.

Does where you live affect what and how you draw even if it is not visible to most readers?

For me, it’s more about life’s experiences affecting how and what I draw than anything else. The things that have made deep impressions on me through the years tend to come out in my work. They become my go-to reference file for whatever I’m drawing or painting at the moment. The best way to make a painting come to life is to become connected to it.  This is where those life experiences really come in handy. I’ve illustrated quite a few Christmas books, all of which were painted from my studio in Arizona (usually during the month of August). But, because I grew up in the Chicago area, I have firsthand experience with things like snow, and the cold, and what it feels like to watch the snow drifting down and lit up by the street light, through the window of my warm cozy house.

What mediums do you use and will you ever switch from using just those?

I use watercolor, acrylics, oils, color pencils, and my computer — usually in some combination or another. I once mixed dirt from my backyard with gel medium just to get the right textured background for a painting. It’s all part of what I like to call the, “everything but the kitchen sink,” method. Probably comes from my days at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, where I spent most of my time trying to imitate the great illustrators of the day: Bart Forbes, Bernie Fuchs, Alan Cober, Mark English, Bob Peak, Brad Holland, Robert Heindel, and Gary Kelly… just to name a few. I am easily adaptable to new mediums and procedures. I don’t freak out when something isn’t working; I just try something else till it does.

Sometimes, just to shake things up a bit, I deliberately throw myself into uncharted artistic waters just to see if I can make something of it. (This doesn’t really count unless you’re right on top of a tough deadline).

Did your degree in art degree affect your work in any way?

Not really. It just means that I spent a certain amount of time in art school. Art school was a very valuable experience for me, and I loved the American Academy of Art. But the real learning came after graduation. I’m still amazed at what I learn day to day. I’m always thinking, “Why didn’t I get this a long time ago?” I guess you’re never really ready for something till your ready.

What did you think when you first learned you would be illustrating Billy Crystal’s book “Grandpa’s Little One?

I thought I had finally made it as an artist. I thought — wow, a real artist is buying my art. It was quite validating. I know that sounds a little pathetic, but let’s face it, we are all our toughest critiques. I shutter to think of all the great would-be artists that never got off the launching pad just because they never gave themselves a break. Working with Billy Crystal was a lot of fun.  I was struck by how similarly we approached the creative process. It really took the sting out of that nagging, “am I going about this in the right way?” worry.

When you start working on a piece, what is the end goal you have for it?

The end goal will always be that I’ve successfully said what I wanted to say. It’s not about making a pretty picture with an interesting composition. It’s being able to connect people with an idea on an emotional level. People remember what touches them emotionally.

What do you enjoy doing most? Children’s picture books, book covers, posters, or advertising illustrations?

I make it a point to tell a story with my artwork even if I’m just drawing a toaster. (Actually that’s a bad example; toasters have plenty of character and just ooze stories.) The fun part of drawing is finding something interesting to say about everything, something, not particularly obvious. I’ve taught drawing classes where I put an object on a table and ask the class to not just draw the object that they see in front of them, but to pick a spot on the object and describe it in the greatest of detail. It’s hard not to find something interesting to say when the ordinary is taken out of context. But having said that, picture books and book covers are the most satisfying in this regard.

Your illustrations both color and black and white, are marvelous in their own right. What do you like to do more of…black and white or color?

Working in black and white is like therapy for my color work. I once went through a period where my work lacked some guts. (It’s ok… I can talk about it now.) I was well aware of the problem but I couldn’t seem to fix it. An art director I was working with at the time suggested that I do more black & white work. Perfect! Working in black and white reinforced the basics of light and form for me. I like to do value sketches before starting a painting just to remind myself to stay on track and not lose the drama.

If you could re-illustrate any book in the world, what would it be and how would you do it differently?

I would re-illustrate my high school yearbook… senior year. Only, the teachers would be zombies, and the students would be space aliens… Not really… Maybe.

But if that didn’t work out I would pick one of the classics. A Christmas Carol would be my first choice just because I like the story so much, but that’s been done too many times in movies and in books. I can see myself re-illustrating The Velveteen Rabbit. I used to read it to my kids when they were very young. I think I could have a lot of fun recreating all the characters, but, I’d especially enjoy livening it up with lots of vibrant color.

To contact or check out more of Guy Porfirio’s work:

Web Page http://guyporfirio.com

Facebook Guy Porfirio Illustration

Blog         http://guyporfirio.blogspot.com

guyporfirio.com    Blog

The Road to a Book Contract – Part 2…Getting Info. to Publisher

I have learned on my rather short journey that some stories are true. Like the long absences of being in touch with your publisher. I took the nearly two month absence from any contact or replies as normal. Yet I started to doubt that I had even signed that piece of paper (the one that had a glowing light when I opened it and the sound of ahhhhh coming from it as I removed it from the envelope).

Alas I made contact with my publisher like a grateful alien finding human life.

But with contact comes the feeling of being overwhelmed, and thus…actually being overwhelmed. (Life does not put things aside or make things happen in perfect order)

I was well aware of this of course…that I would have a lot to do with the process of “before the book” and “after the book.” But actually doing it is mind-boggling in the sense that I feel like I’m trying to handle a sticky octopus shooting its legs in all different directions.

I had to start by controlling at least one of the legs, before I could move to control the next leg. And so that is where I am in the process of my first book. Controlling what I can, when I can, and never happier to get a little bit of octopus goop on my hands.