The PreHistory of The Far Side: A 10th Anniversary Exhibit!

41. The PreHistory of The Far Side: : A 10th Anniversary Exhibit by Gary Larson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The PreHistory of The Far Side is not just a large selection of The Far Side comics, Larson also describes his beginnings, including childhood drawings. I really enjoyed his comments on mistakes he and printers made, subtle variations to his comics, public reaction, and rejected cartoons.

It was great to revisit the cartoons I loved (and still love), and to see how many of those are also Larson's favorites.

It's an excellent book to distract you in waiting rooms or if you're stuck at the hospital for observation, because the comics are funny and outlandish in the best ways, and it's easy to stop or pick up at a moment's notice.

Highly recommended! (But if you find you don't like his humor, put it down and move on. It's not for everyone.)


A year ago on TTaT: Sheep farm revisited, part 2

Life of Art SitRep #89 Oorah!

Every week, I work towards creating a life of art for myself. This is the zigzag filled journey.

Play along in the comments with your own pursuits if you'd like. (That's where I'll cheer you on.)

*******

This week, I

Shot 88 photographs. Some tests and some contenders.

Tweeted, FB'd, zblogged some sales, including:

50% OFF Cards, Calendars, & Ornaments in my shop!
Use code: TOP3HOLIDAYS

Offer is valid until October 23, 2011 at 11:59pm PT.

Made 60 new smartphone and iPod Touch cases for existing designs. Thought I was done but I need to remake some since they got stuck in "in progress" limbo. sigh.

Puffy Clouds On Blue Sky by RocklawnArts

Raging Fire by RocklawnArts

Made my first calendar poster, Construction Crane 2012 Calendar Poster:

Construction Crane 2012 Calendar Poster by RocklawnArts
Browse other 2012 Posters

Made templates for new products now available in my shop: 2"x2" gift box, tile inlaid gift box, and tile.

Made Tiles, Small Gift Boxes, and Tile Gift Boxes for: Blue Bokeh, Bokeh in Spring, Circle With Fire Escape, Desert Wave, Double Arch, Field of Basalt, Green Man, The Link, On The Golden Gate Bridge:

Circle With Fire Escape by RocklawnArts
Use Zazzle's shirt designer

Bokeh in Spring by RocklawnArts
View other Abstract Gift Boxes

Made Underwear Out To Dry, Western Auto Half Cylinder Building cards with message templates.

Added new product links to links file.

Created Rainbow Bullseye digital design, full bleed version, and one on white background for folder image. Wrote product description for it and revised other rainbow product tags based on some keyword info I looked up. Created Rainbow Bullseye product line:

Rainbow Bullseye by RocklawnArts
See other ornaments

Rainbow Bullseye by RocklawnArts
See other Happy birthday Cards

Rainbow Bullseye by RocklawnArts
Join Zazzle's graphic design affiliate program

Rainbow Bullseye by RocklawnArts
Join Zazzle.com's clothing affiliate program

Revised Rocklawn Arts store intro and added top picks back with tile and gift boxes. Rearranged store a bit.

Posted 14 products to blogs.

Gave 2nd star pass to 5 photograph folders. Need to get better about reviewing and ranking my images so I don't get overwhelmed by them. Gave 3rd star pass to 5 folders.

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How are your pursuits going?


3 years ago on TTaT: Note to self, ed. XIV; Milkweed

Splotchy autumn colors

Kinda weird but also cool.


A year ago on TTaT: Life of Art SitRep #36 So this is what distraction-free looks like

Life of Art SitRep #88 More than it looks like

Every week, I work towards creating a life of art for myself. This is the zigzag filled journey.

Play along in the comments with your own pursuits if you'd like. (That's where I'll cheer you on.)

*******

This week, I

Shot 106 photographs inspired by a Creative Live workshop.

Watched "Dramatic Post-Production with David Nightingale" on Creative Live.

Made 122 new Case-Mate cases for 20 product lines. If you need a case for your BlackBerry, iPhone, iPod, or Samsung Galaxy/T-Mobile Vibrant, my store has lots of options. And for the next couple days,

Get 25% OFF Cases!
Enter code: CASEMATESALE
Offer is valid through October 16, 2011 at 11:59pm PT.

Caught up on adding tags to all the new cases.

Finished updating product lines with fixed links, revised descriptions, tags & categories; revised product orders.

Moved calendar folder to top of store, rearranged the rest a little.

Renamed photo files in 7 folders.

Posted 6 products to blogs via email.

Tweeted some sale information.

*******

How are your pursuits going?


A year ago on TTaT: Vinyl meets pollen

Thinking

This image has been on my mind a lot lately. The near silhouette of me looking out. It's what came to mind when I thought of writing about Steve Jobs. I didn't expect to be so affected by news of his passing. Perhaps that–grief seems too strong–that sadness is selfish since it is his vision I will miss most. I so would have liked to see what he would've come up with in another 30 years.

Thank you for all of the beautiful, increasingly easy to use technology, Steve Jobs. It's made many things possible for me.

*******************

Now if you'll notice in the photograph, I'm not just looking out, I'm taking a photograph. This is acutely on my mind at present since I may need glasses. It has perhaps always been inevitable if you were to look at photographs of my entire spectacle wearing family, but I'm not ready for it. I am holding off for now because the focus disparity between my eyes is very mild, and I hope that now I'm not concerned it's a reaction to medication that it will mellow out. sigh. Also, I may have blown the prescription by not pressing my forehead far enough into the thing. Seemed like it was a sort of button, but I was just against it rather than pushing into it. Did I imagine that or is it common to those lens determining thingies?

In any case, paranoia aside, it may just be age which means it's only a matter of time.


A year ago on TTaT: Pinecones and Leaf

Life of Art SitRep #87 The bog

Every week, I work towards creating a life of art for myself. This is the zigzag filled journey.

Play along in the comments with your own pursuits if you'd like. (That's where I'll cheer you on.)

*******

Been thinking quite a bit about what's useful and not useful with all this time-consuming description, tag, category wrangling of late. Even managed to let up a bit on the perfectionism which is fairly miraculous. At some point the descriptions are done enough and adding new products to the marketplace is more useful. Progress. (Still much more to be made though.)

This week, I

Shot 235 photographs: anemone, other flowers, P-51 Mustang and B-17 flying Fortress WW2 planes.

Made horizontal and vertical templates for 9 new Case-Mate cases available on Zazzle: iPhone 4 ID, iPhone 4 BarelyThere, iPhone 4 Tough, iPod Touch, iPhone 3 BarelyThere, iPhone 3 Tough, Samsung Galaxy S/T-Mobile Vibrant, Blackberry Bold, Blackberry Curve.

Made the new cases for Rainbow Stripes, Rainbow Squares, Rainbow Polka Dots on Black, Rainbow Polka Dots on White, Dark Red and Blue Rectangles, Light Blue and Dark Blue Rectangles.

Light Blue and Dark Blue Rectangles Samsung Galaxy S case by RocklawnArts
Browse other Checkered Case-Mate Cases

Rainbow Polka Dots on White Blackberry Bold case by RocklawnArts
Design your own iPhone cases

Rainbow Squares ID case by RocklawnArts
View more iPhone 4 cases

Made wrapped canvases of Dark Red and Blue Rectangles, Light Blue and Dark Blue Rectangles, Rainbow Planets, Rainbow Square, Rainbow Squares . Decided against Rainbow Stripes, so I'm done creating wrapped canvases for current designs, woo!

Updated 20 more product lines with fixed links, revised descriptions, tags & categories; also revised product orders. The remaining 11 just need final tweaks. Almost done!

Got a nice comment from Cheryl Paton who featured my Golden Fountain Water 2 ornament on her lens.

Zblogged Rainbow Polka Dots on White and on Black in one post.

Emailed 15 products for display on blogs.

FB'd, Tweeted some sales.

Renamed photo files in 7 folders.

Watched "Luminosity Blending Techniques" Photoshop tutorial.

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How are your pursuits going?


A year ago on TTaT: Translucent Trillium

Another one, eh?

So this is what 38 looks like.

Meant to post something closer to my birthday a couple weeks ago, but, like most of this year, I've been preoccupied.

Nonetheless, here I am out for a round of birthday miniature golf. Despite vastly overestimating my golf prowess, I had a good time outside on a lovely day.

A year ago on TTaT: Just my luck