T-Rex does the Hop

Easter T-Rex • iPad with Procreate

In the Spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.  

- Mark Twain

As Spring comes kicking and screaming into our area, like a cat being taken to the vet, another holiday quickly approaches. Fake plastic grass, themed items of every pastel hue in the spectrum, and candy enough to put a gargantuan dino into a diabetic snooze have littered the stores since before Valentine's Day.

So, what's up with the picture? A result of a jelly bean overdose hallucination? A mockery of Eastertime commercialization?

None of that. He fell into my head - kerplunk! - one day while pondering what kind of bunny drawing I was going to do for illustrator Dani Jones' March Daily Doodle Challenge.

The Challenge can be followed on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr (mostly on the first two) under the hashtag #dailydoodlers. Each day, from March 6 to 29 minus weekends, has a different theme and participating sketchers post their offerings. The results range from sublime to hilarious. A collection of crazy creative blossoms for all to see and enjoy. It's been so much fun, and the daily sketching has sharpened my skills in ways I didn't expect.

I am also taking my Easter T-Rex to Aquariann's Bunny Blog Hop, where I hope he'll stick to egg distribution and abstain from gobbling up the cute little critters featured there.

Click below to visit, and feel free to participate, too!

The Unsquished

Zombie Bug • Digitally colored pen and ink

The Unsquished

The bug you squished is back once more.
He's standing right inside your door.

Just one antenna did he lose,
and from his side drips greenish ooze.

With legs reduced to only three,
he takes each step quite carefully.

But, soon he'll sit upon your head
as you lay snoozing in your bed.

The Unsquished ©2012 Teresa Rodriguez

'Tis the season for spooks and creeps. The above illustration pays homage to the unfortunate victims of swatters, rolled up magazines and well-aimed toxins. We've all dealt with the fly that wouldn't die. Did he have friends? Or, did he just...change into something else?

Click below to feature your creature at 

Aquariann's Zombie Blog Hop:

The Sea Girl and the Pearl

Digital - 7x8.25

The Sea Girl and the Pearl

She found a pearl,

the little Sea Girl,

upon the ocean floor.

She took it back

to add to her stack

of objects to adore.

The orb glowed bright

and offered delight

atop her trinket pile.

The Sea Girl's eyes

gazed on her new prize, 

and twinkled with her smile.

A giant eel

in search of a meal,

swam by the Sea Girl's home.

He saw a glimmer,

a shiny shimmer, 

in dunes of sandy loam.

The eel swooped down,

disturbing the ground

and searching for his prey.

The Sea Girl fled

into a thick bed

of seaweed where she lay.

The hungry eel,

who still had no meal,

went somewhere else to feed.

The Sea Girl packed

the treasures she stacked

and moved to the seaweed.

There was one thing

that she would not bring,

one thing she wouldn't miss.

She tossed her pearl,

the little Sea Girl,

into a deep abyss.

The Sea Girl and the Pearl ©2012 Teresa Rodriguez

The image above was the result of much experimentation in digital painting and painting in general. It was a rewarding venture, where I played with different brushes and techniques. Ironically, my work in Photoshop is helping my skills with traditional media such as gouache and watercolor. The main difference being the material expense that doesn't exist in cyberland.

I love to watch tutorials and demos by artists such as Will Terry, Chris Oatley and Dani Jones to see what how they develop their masterpieces. A search through YouTube can find lots of other educational nuggets by generous artists.

This week I am happy to be participating in Aquariann's Mermaid Blog Hop, where you can find lots of other sea folks who may have a less traumatic tale to tell. Click on the button below to visit. And if you are here from the Hop, welcome! :)