Sunday Photo Challenge . Design #3

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This is a mechanical plan I’ve been working on with a local engineer. This job began last June and was put on hold for whatever reason. Now it appears to have come back to life, so I’ve been ‘tweaking notes’ tonight, and have once again run out of time. Since I have nothing else to share, I will share this. This is a typical mechanical plan for a commercial building. In this case, a daycare center to be built for a local church.

Mechanical plan for a daycare center.

This is an example of a client wanting to stray from color, using only black and white. This sheet will be embedded into a plan drawn by others, so I drew the engineers title block and saved it as a blank prior to doing this drawing. If the same engineer uses my services in the future, I will be one step ahead of the game. This is a classic example of a ‘spoon fed’ job. The client simply told me what he wanted and gave me the notes to go with his sketch. It was up to me to draw it to scale and make it an attractive addition to the rest of the plan set. That works for me.

Sunday Photo Challenge . Design #2 . Kite In A Tree

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On March 7th, I gave you a peek at a drawing I’ve been working on for a presentation post to represent the month of March. The final drawing will be posted on Writing and Illustrating‘s website on March 27. When I think of March, I think of windy weather, and therefore, I think of kites. Thus the subject for the theme for this drawing.

Flying a Kite . still tweaking the original idea. (#2)

The orples are helping Jack get his kite out of the tree. Sometimes, it appears, orples are handy to have around.

The colors are a lot brighter in the printed drawing. I need to figure out why I am losing color scanning, then posting. Hmmmm, anyone out there know why this might be?

Weekly Photo Challenge . Contrast #2

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My youngest son tells me I am getting side tracked away from my books, which is really why I began blogging. So I decided why not bring the orples into the picture on occasion? Therefore, Olivia and Oscar have decided to spend a day on Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. They were amazed when they got there at how few people there are around. So they decided to spread a blanket and make a day of it. In order to allow them the luxury of being in the photo, I had to print, then rescan the original photo, so it is not as clear as it might otherwise be.

The orples spend a day at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Anyone that has been following my blog already knows about these little creatures, but newcomers might wonder what I am talking about. If you don’t know, please feel free to check out my orples overview category in the right hand column.

Beach view directly downloaded with no orples in sight.

Obviously, this version of the photo which was directly downloaded shows a much better ‘contrast’ than the scanned version above. The morning I took this photo, it was rather chilly, thus the lack of activity on the beach.

Sunday Photo Challenge . Design

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This was a brochure I made up for one of my plan designs when I was focusing on my drafting business. I really need to update my ‘Plans by Marcy’ website. With the ‘new’ housing market being so slow, I’ve been busy with my books and haven’t put the time into tweaking my information and/or adding new plans to my portfolio. Unlike most of my piers, I think color should be used in plans. I not only use color in my brochures, but draw the actual plans in color too. Unfortunately, when I post my drawings on my website, I have to turn them into JPEG files, which distorts the original colors used in my AutoCadd program.

The sample below was printed on 8-1/2″ x 11″ card stock. At one point I was making quite a few similar fliers to hand out and post locally. It seems though, when I’m drafting these days, I am either doing custom jobs, room additions, or renovations. Business in the housing market is sad at the moment, thus my focus has been on my books instead.

A brochure I'd made up for a Craigslist Advertizement.

Below is a sample page from one of my plans. I draw them in color and when printed, they come out much nicer than they look on the computer screen. Being shown on 24″ x 36″ paper helps bring out the details much better than you can see here in these examples.

Page 2 from a 3 page plan set

Weekly Photo Challenge . Contrast

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Given the fact that it is spring, and the Dog Wood Tree is Virginia’s State Flower, perhaps the contrast of the buds against a clear blue sky will be an appropriate contrast for this weeks theme? If not, oh well… that’s what we have here:

Dogwood tree in blossom.

If that doesn’t work for you, here is a better example of contrast, although I am not sure the specie of the tree.

Twigs against a wedge wood sky

Meet Rocky . Rockette?

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Meet my little Raccoon buddy that lives under the tool shed. She has decided to adopt us. She usually comes out at night, but last summer she would make an appearance in the daytime, I think due to the heat. She would nab a drink of water, and sometimes a bite to eat before retreating back to her refuge for her daily beauty rest. Of course, like every other critter that crosses my path, she is a wee bit spoiled.

Wow! Corn. For me? Yum!

Rocky likes little treats here and there and who am I to deny her? She thinks she is a cat, I think.

Cat food works too!

I set some cat food out for her, so the neighbors wouldn’t see her out and about in the daytime and freak out. My neighbors are the ‘animal control’ type that would have her removed and probably killed because she is a ‘wild’ animal. Don’t tell her that though. She comes within about 5 feet of me at night. We mutually agree that is our comfort zone. Just for the record she might be a he, but for the sake of argument, I am assuming she is a young lady. She acts like one.

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I am re-blogging this from doudoubirds sight upon request. We should all be made award of what Governor Branstad is doing on behalf of the large Corporations to hide the abuse they inflict on animals. Please pass along and hopefully enough people Nationwide will contact Gov. Branstad and make him rethink this inhumane law, if by public outcry, if for no other reason.

Olivia & Oscar meet Monster

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Chicky Monster is my old, faithful, no good for nothing, kitty, critter that serves as my side kick. As a rule Monster likes to sit on my lap when I am trying to work. He puts his paws on the edge of my desk. He snoozes, while I try to work around him … until I get frustrated and give him the boot.

Olivia and Oscar conversing with Monster

Monster also likes to hang out in high places, and look down on the world when he is not hanging out inside. Monster is really a big chicken. Thus his name, Chicky Monster. He has been my pal for about 10 years now. I adopted him when my son was in the Navy and his ship sailed right after 911. Somehow, I’ve ended up with this goofy creature all of these years. Hmmm, what would I do without him? As you can see, he is buds with the orples too.

Preliminary Drawing . Kite hung up in the tree

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This is a drawing I’ve been working on today. I still have a ways to go before it is finished. Maybe one day, I’ll tuck this drawing into one of my orples books should text arise to accompany the scene. For now, this is the begins of an illustration I’m working on for the theme ‘March’ hosted by “Writing and Illustrating”.

Just the beginning of my entry . subject to change.

Since time is slipping by today, I figured I share this instead of veering off course to hunt for something else. I did a reblog earlier, but that is not the same thing as posting original information, so with that thought in mind, I suspect you’re not likely to see this anywhere else. Thus, wallah,I present to you my postaday2012 entry for today, which will be re-posted again once it is finished. The deadline for entry for this drawing is March 27th, so look for it again between now, and then.

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Normally, I don’t reblog, but I thought this was so interesting, it was worth sharing. “The Urge To Wander” wrote the text and submitted it the original post, so she is the proper party to thank for the content.