February Update

February Update weather

Today’s high is supposed to be 57 degrees. That’s unusual for the first week of February in Michigan. In fact, today’s normal high/low should be 34/16. It will drop back down and there’s word of a potential winter storm for Valentine’s Day. With 40 days left until the official start of spring, we do have a fair amount of time remaining for cold and snow. Even though it has been a very, very mild winter so far, and we’ve had more sunshine in the first few days of February than in the entire month of January combined, I admit I’m growing weary of winter.

February Update painting

I did complete one painting for January. One of the folks who signed up to do the Humane Society pet portrait punked out, so I painted these two parakeets in gouache. I’m working on a zine now for February also painted with gouache. Hopefully it will turn out well and will be completed this month.

February Update cats

January was a bad month for cats. Cass, above, had a health emergency and spent 48 hours at the vet with IV antibiotics. I really thought we were going to lose him. Bob went with me to take Cass, which really made a big difference to me. I went the next day to visit him at the vet as well, so he knew I didn’t abandon him. Cass is also featured in my Cats zine I created last month. That little cat has my heart, and I don’t know what I’d do without him. We also have ringworm in our kitten population at the shelter, and two different illegal cat drops. The first one included a FIV+ cat which thankfully we were able to transfer to a sanctuary, and the second one involved the police.

2024 Zines Part One

Thursday, February 8, 2024 0 No tags Permalink

One of my goals for this year is to create two zines a month. In January, I did slightly better than two. So here are my 2024 zines part one. In addition to these three, I did a completely hand-drawn piece that will not be circulated but was more of an experiment, and a fun piece for a dear friend that was just copied and sent to her.

2024 zines part one

This is a mini-zine, eight pages including the front and back cover, was made using washi tape, fancy paper, mini sticker photos, printer text, hand text and drawings. I had 50 copies printed at Allegra and have sent some out to pen pals and for zine trades. It is also available on my Etsy and I actually sold one yesterday! That’s right, first ever zine sale to Redondo Beach, CA. Super excited about that one.

2024 zines part one

Next zine up is a slightly larger zine, again eight pages including front and back cover, stapled. This zine was created with washi tape, vintage wrapping paper, vintage wall paper, vintage postage stamps, hand lettering, and the whole thing was typed up on my 1965 Olympia SM9 typewriter. Then I had it printed at Allegra as well. I have also been sending it to pen pals and in trades, but still need to put it up on Etsy.

2024 zines part one

Finally, we have Brood XIX. This is another eight page mini zine including front and back cover. It’s hand drawn and handwritten, and then photocopied on plain paper. However, it does come with it’s own sticker! Again, I need to get this one up on Etsy. I have been sending it in trades and to pen pals.

I’ve got a couple of zine ideas written down, and I am working on painting one right now. It is a slow process though. For whatever reason, February seems to be especially busy and I don’t have much time for projects as of yet. Hoping that will change a little. Keep an eye on the old YouTube channel, as I will be doing flip-throughs on these zines and a review of some excellent zines I’ve purchased or traded for recently. Hope your February is off to a great start!

January Blues

january blues

My goodness, the January blues are here and they’ve hit hard. We are down to the last week of the month. Yesterday we had a tiny bit of sunshine, and we really haven’t had much sun at all this winter, but today is a dump of snow. The polar vortex is on the way next week, and it will be super cold again. It always seems to correspond that the January blues happen and we have a bunch of sick or stressed cats at work. I am counting down the days until spring, and I know time is passing, but there’s nothing I’d rather do more than curl up in bed. Fortunately for everyone around me, I am somehow able to get up and remain a productive human being.

january blues

I haven’t managed to get my latest scarves up on Etsy. Maybe I can muster the energy this weekend? Since the start of the new year, I’ve finished four scarves or cowls and I’m working on a fifth. My next one after the one on the hook will be Tunisian crochet for sure. Mom got me some hooks for my birthday and I’m anxious to give it a try.

january blues zine making

The sun briefly came out for Mom’s birthday. We had lunch and made some zines. That’s right, I’m back on my zine making and zine collecting. I even forced a bunch of Girl Scouts to make zines.

Yesterday was also the Oscar Nomination ceremony. I’ve seen three of the ten nominees for best picture already, one of the documentary shorts (plus five on the short list that weren’t nominated), one of the animated shorts, and none of the international, feature documentary, or live-action documentary. I’m going to have to get busy.

February Review

Monday, February 28, 2022 0 No tags Permalink

My goodness, February is over and it is the start of meteorological spring. I don’t recall there ever being any other spring than the vernal equinox when I was younger, but this meteorological but started popping up a few years ago. Either that, or maybe I just never paid attention? When was the first time you heard the concept of meteorological spring? Anyhow, there’s still snow on the ground, Bob still had to scrape my car this morning (thank you, honey!), and I don’t suspect we will see crocus until around the vernal equinox or the actual real spring.

I’ve done some artist trading cards here and there, working mostly on a stamp series where I take a vintage unused postage stamp and draw it as the background before affixing it to the card. I’ve sent out ten of them in total. I’ve also been collecting some zines as inspiration for creating my own. That will be the next project, I think.

I finished the Cornell Botanical Illustration class. Here is my final drawing.

I sent out letters for InCoWriMo 2022, which was really just a chance to catch up with my pen pal letters I’m behind on. I suppose overall it has been a fairly creative month, and I’ve even wound up completely caught up at work which seems quite odd. March starts some Fridays off here and there and I would like to get a zine done and available. That’s provided WWIII doesn’t actually start or anything.

How was your February?

January Review

Wednesday, February 2, 2022 0 No tags Permalink

As January reaches an end and we look into a February starting with a huge predicted snow storm, it is hard to feel that spring will ever come. I look back through google photos and instagram to see previous February to see signs of spring. There’s not much there. However, we do have Twin Peaks Day, so we have that going for us. Wednesday marks the halfway point between winter and spring.

I’ve continued on with some ATCs. They are a nice break from the Cornell illustration class, which is quite challenging. I just finished an Our Lady of Guadalupe, which didn’t turn out so great, and I am working on a Saint Gertrude, the patron saint of cats. How does one get the eyes of a saint so they don’t look like they are possessed? Or like they are watching the water in a toilet bowl rise to where it might spill all over from a blockage of giant proportions? Saint Gertrude is the patron saint of cats, and her day is also Saint Patrick’s Day. Cats or snakes? It’s easy to choose.

February might bring the return of the robins. That is a fairly normal occurrence. I expect the month may pass quickly, as they often seem to do the older I get. It’s also InCoWriMo, and hopefully I will get a good deal of letters out. As always, I’ll have Valentine’s Day gifts for the staff members, and will send little items out for Twin Peaks Day. Hope your month is off to a great start!

Artist Trading Cards

Thursday, January 20, 2022 0 No tags Permalink

While I am taking an online class from Cornell on botanic illustration, I’ve also stumbled across Artist Trading Cards, or ATCs. They are 2.5 x 3.5 and can be mixed media, painted, drawn, or whatever you like. There are groups where people trade them. You post yours, and others ask to trade, and then you exchange them through the mail. You collect them, these tiny pieces of art from all over, and store them like baseball cards or something.

Anyhow, in some spare time (a few minutes every couple days), I’ve been putting some together. Next up I am working on a small series of painted ATCs for Twin Peaks Day February 24th.

I’ve been sleeping terribly. Not falling asleep until after 2:30, and having terrible nightmares when I am sleeping. I’ve had excruciating headaches this week, too. No days with highs above 27 in the ten day forecast. It’s a desperate feeling. I know it’s only January, and we have a long, long way to go until spring.

I’m a bit behind in my letters, but I have nothing to say. Nothing that isn’t complaining about the weather, anyhow.

January 2022 Update

Monday, January 10, 2022 0 No tags Permalink
January 2022 update

I haven’t been able to do several things since October, updating catobear.com being one of them. Today I woke up feeling a little better, more able to think of what I need to do and plan for in coming months. Don’t know if it is just a fluke or an actual change. When I look and realize I’m the only one looking at this, I suppose it doesn’t matter much anyway. I have been pulling together my 2022 bullet journal, photo above. I always like a new journal when it’s compact and clean and full of possibilities.

January 2022 update

I cleaned up my art space, as I am starting a botanic illustration course online through Cornell this Wednesday. I have a real fear that I won’t be able to keep up. I haven’t really painted or done much artistically since October. Perhaps you’re thinking the desk is still a mess, but everything I need is within easy access.

I have managed to keep some YouTube videos going up on my channel. Do check it out if you like postcards, vintage calling cards, old Christmas cards, etc.

Anyhow, that’s where we are. Miles away from spring. Treading water, but no longer going under. At least for now.