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Birthday Cards and other nonsense.
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Message
Posted
I seldom make birthday/Christmas cards etc. Don't know why...they are fun to do and more personal. This year events forced my hand. For the first time ever I made a Christmas Card, got some printed, and off they went. Didn't cost too much, I'll probably do it again next year. I posted it in the gallery, so I won't put it here again.
January saw three birthdays in our family. Mine, my brother's and my grandson's. So, two cards needed. As we don't go shopping during this abomination, I looked online and couldn't find anything suitable. So nothing for it but to make some.
My kid brother (there are four of us) had the cheek to reach 70 this year, that makes me feel like Methuselah. So I made this card...pen and watercolour, text added in photoshop.
This is the inside page...
In a phone call, we'd been talking about staying fit during 'this.' Obviously I advised my kid brother that I was superbly fit, and why wasn't he? So I did this for the back page of the card. You'll spot immediately that it's a fake. Yes...I've used somebody else's face on my body.
Next I needed a card for my grandson. 14 going on 34, smart, funny, clever...he's into reading, drama and drums. Nothing online fit the bill...so I'm forced to make one again. I went wrong here. I decided to do a spoof newspaper about his birthday (nothing new there). For a reporting style I choose that naff sensationalist style that was popular a few years back...you know the sort, they couldn't describe a lady without giving her age and calling her curvy, or something worse. No sooner had I posted it, than I thought my Grandson won't know anything about that style of newspapering...too late...I'd sent it. He'll think I barmy. He loved it, and he thinks I'm barmy.
Both my grandson's did me cards...here they are...interesting how others see you...I'm much more like the back page of my brother's card.
Both have given me hair. I haven't got any, I gave it all away to charity years ago. I don't have a moustache either, but I've been given one. I wonder why? Maybe the last time I saw them I hadn't trimmed my nose hair.
This is the closest I'll get to a chat today with anyone other than my wife. I didn't want to put this in the gallery, but it's quite safe here because hardly anybody reads the forum...unless they're barmy like me. There was something else I was going to say, but I've forgotten what it was. It might come to me later.
This is the inside page...
In a phone call, we'd been talking about staying fit during 'this.' Obviously I advised my kid brother that I was superbly fit, and why wasn't he? So I did this for the back page of the card. You'll spot immediately that it's a fake. Yes...I've used somebody else's face on my body.
Next I needed a card for my grandson. 14 going on 34, smart, funny, clever...he's into reading, drama and drums. Nothing online fit the bill...so I'm forced to make one again. I went wrong here. I decided to do a spoof newspaper about his birthday (nothing new there). For a reporting style I choose that naff sensationalist style that was popular a few years back...you know the sort, they couldn't describe a lady without giving her age and calling her curvy, or something worse. No sooner had I posted it, than I thought my Grandson won't know anything about that style of newspapering...too late...I'd sent it. He'll think I barmy. He loved it, and he thinks I'm barmy.
Both my grandson's did me cards...here they are...interesting how others see you...I'm much more like the back page of my brother's card.
Both have given me hair. I haven't got any, I gave it all away to charity years ago. I don't have a moustache either, but I've been given one. I wonder why? Maybe the last time I saw them I hadn't trimmed my nose hair.
This is the closest I'll get to a chat today with anyone other than my wife. I didn't want to put this in the gallery, but it's quite safe here because hardly anybody reads the forum...unless they're barmy like me. There was something else I was going to say, but I've forgotten what it was. It might come to me later.
Posted
Love your cards Lew, they are much more personal than shop bought. As you will know by now, I have been painting my own since lockdown last March. I have 3 more for this month and a hoard for next month, but it keeps me sane, had our jabs this week so summer is something to look forward to. Hope you and your wife can do the same !!
Posted
Thanks to all for your input and kind words. I'm pleased, and unsurprised, by your success with cards Sylvia.
I realise the forum has it's serious side, where helpful and often valuable information is imparted. But nobody seems averse to inserting the odd bon mot, particularly Robert, and this is why I read it. So when you read barmy, I obviously mean someone else...not you.
I've remembered the other thing I was going to say...the 'other nonsense' of the thread title. I've been stumbling over many pictures I've started recently. I like making odd pictures, thinking I can make them up as I go along. This can be done, but you still have to think about structure for even the oddest picture to have a chance. I was reminded of this by a forum comment by Linda Wilson (I think), an abstract was being discussed, and Linda said the normal rules like composition have to be considered.
This where I've been going wrong lately. Here's an example of what I mean by a 'make it up as you go along' picture. A fun thing to do, less fun when they don't work. I just started drawing without any thought for construction..
It's off balance, and whilst I think some of the individual elements are OK, it doesn't work, and got finished hurriedly. Which is why I haven't put it in the gallery. Here's an old drawing, that was done along similar lines...
The loose theme was to contrast robotic and flesh & blood creatures...very loose. But I did consider structure, the two standing women, one classical and one robotic, provide some sense and form to the picture. This allowed me to 'play around' with the rest of it. That's missing in the previous picture.
This came to mind because I'm doing the same sort of image now...blowing hot and cold over it, trying to give it some structure...and feeling it's not working. I'll press on regardless, even if it only gets shown on the forum.
It's off balance, and whilst I think some of the individual elements are OK, it doesn't work, and got finished hurriedly. Which is why I haven't put it in the gallery. Here's an old drawing, that was done along similar lines...
The loose theme was to contrast robotic and flesh & blood creatures...very loose. But I did consider structure, the two standing women, one classical and one robotic, provide some sense and form to the picture. This allowed me to 'play around' with the rest of it. That's missing in the previous picture.
This came to mind because I'm doing the same sort of image now...blowing hot and cold over it, trying to give it some structure...and feeling it's not working. I'll press on regardless, even if it only gets shown on the forum.
Posted
For many years, I sent my parents a home-made birthday card - and every year, one to my mother, after my father died 20 years ago.
Well, mother died too last year - her 95th birthday would have been in two weeks' time. So - I don't have to do one this year: she liked animal pictures, but I was beginning to run out of them - over the years she's had donkeys, pigs (her favourite things), rats, horses, lions, bears, toads, wart hogs, hippos, rhinos, I think a blue-footed booby featured in one of them, I can't remember now. There was a porcupine; a badger - surely there must have been a meerkat? There was certainly a giant sloth.......
Ah well; nothing lasts forever. I think Lew that by and large I kept my cards fairly basic - i.e. you got your warthog, if such a thing appealed, but without much added detail - I focussed on the critter: my mum liked to know exactly what she was supposed to be looking at, a plethora of images would have confused her - and I should have heard all about it!
Posted
A good read about all the cards. I've had some very cruel cards, very cruel - usually from my son! But we all scream with laughter. Often we use photos taken surreptitiously during the year, asleep with mouth open, chomping with mouth full etc. As we can't get out and buy cards it turns out to be quite enjoyable to make them.