Another Painting of a Fox

Nothing like a birthday to get the creative juices flowing. Also, animal calenders provide great reference photos.

Coffee with cream and sugar ... and walrus

I wanted to show off the amazing mug Stephanie got me for my birthday so here's a drawing of it! We've been admiring the ceramic work of Dan and Laurie Hennig at a local gallery here for a while so I'm especially happy to have my very own piece by them. I haven't done a still life drawing in a while so this was also a good opportunity to work on my chops. Check out their website for more info on this ceramic duo and take a gander at the pics below, too.

Floppy Desk

So around a year or so ago I found this desk across the street from my house. It was a bit beat up, drawers missing, and paint chipped, but I thought there was still some life in it yet. For a long time it sat in our front entrance, gathering mail, scarves, keys, and providing much needed storage space underneath. As useful as it was, I felt it wasn't living up to it's potential so I decided to fix it up a bit and give it to my cousin's daughter for her fourth birthday.



I sanded the whole thing down and painted it purple, then outfitted it with new drawer knobs that I got from the rebuilding center. The most challenging thing was figuring out what to do about the two missing bottom drawers. But then I remembered how kids like cubby holes to put stuff in, and with the expert woodworking help (once again) of Michael Heumann we were able to turn them into just that. Below is a picture of Nora and her sister Lila sitting atop the finished product.



Oh yeah, and I drew a picture of it too.

Birthday in a Bubble

Dear blog,

I recently made my first terrarium ever! My girlfriend Stephanie is a seasoned terrarium maker and when her birthday came up on the 15th I decided to take a stab at it. Succulents and tropical plants are ideal for terrariums because they require minimal care and can survive indoors. I decided on a desert theme and added a dinosaur and shell to increase the awesomness. We haven't set it up yet, but this particular type of plant holder is hung from a hook in the ceiling. I think she liked it. Thanks for listening. You're the best blog ever!

Your pal,

Ilan