Archive for the 'flies' Category

Invading space monkeys from the planet Mars.

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on October 19, 2008
in Plain Paper, Sketch and flies
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Kat Johnston Sketch - When all else fails, find one note-pad of pink paper, one blue biro, apply flies liberally.

Its a Sunday afternoon and despite the fact that I was spending a nice amount of time sitting down and watching Numbers with the husband, I have cut into that to make some time to do today’s post before it gets too late. How’s that for dedication for you? I’m not even letting it go on a Sunday.

Sorry for the random post title, but I didn’t think that ‘More freakin’ flies on a piece of pink paper’ was going to capture anyone’s attention. Next time, I might even draw some invading space monkeys from the planet Mars… I think that would be fun.

Anyhow… this is really a nothing post today… flies were drawn because I needed to put something up, and they are easy to sketch out while watching Numbers… and suitably more significant for the fact that Numbers often talks about the non-existence of randomness, while I am ‘randomly’ putting flies down on a piece of paper. I know it isn’t random - I think of where to put each, because of how it will link up here, or generate space around there, or how putting one in this location gives more room for me to put one over there later… but it is still drawn with a desire to appear ‘random’, even though it really isn’t.

I wonder if someone with an incredibly mathematical mind could sit down and actually plot out where I would place things dependent upon the first few lines I draw when it comes to positioning flies… I think it would be interesting to see.

Ok… that’s enough of my randomness today… I’m off to watch another episode of Numbers! Tomorrow: Something with a touch more substance… I hope.

What’s the Buzz? (please make the puns stop…)

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on September 14, 2008
in Cartoon, Humerous, Plain Paper, Portraits, Sketch and flies
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Kat Johnston Sketch - ok, we've got to stop with the flies, don't we? The girl is wearing fly goggles for Pete's sake! I'm not sure if the psyche's look kindly on such behavior...

Sorry for the pun. Its a compulsion. I don’t want for such things to happen, but its entirely beyond my control. I know its lame, but I can’t help it that despite the fact that they are about the most sigh-worthy jokes in history, I am still amused by them.

Not much really to say about this picture, save for the fact that I like her. I know, I know, ‘It is getting beyond a joke - stop it with the flies already!’ I hear you cry. If it is any consolation, it didn’t start out that way - I was going to draw a girl like any other… well… not quite any other, but you get the picture.

I find that when I sketch, if something is telling you one thing, even when what you originally wanted was something different, its time to run with it and see where it leads you. Sketches like these take minutes, not days. They’re not meant to rival the Sistine Chapel, they’re just quick little snippets of thought that run skittering across my brain saying ‘draw me, draw me!’ Some just happen to scream out a little louder than others at times. Its better just to listen, really, and go with the flow.

They even start jostling some days, getting more than a little pushy. I guess it can get to being pretty stiff competition up there when I have a million other things on my mind. Especially when an ingenious plan including a ferret, a beach-ball and two pounds of English cheddar cheese is your competition for upper-brain activity.

Ah well… what can I say? Its pointless to resist it. ‘Batty girl with fly goggles’ wins the brain-lottery this evening. Her prize? International exposure on the internets, a ‘buzz-ity-buzz’ caption and an ingenious plan of her very own involving a ferret, a beach ball and two pounds of delicious English cheddar… who said psychosis can’t be fun?

Announcement: All out of Inspiration, but Easier to Share.

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on September 8, 2008
in Announcements, Plain Paper and flies
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Kat Johnston - I'm all out... Inspiration is not forthcoming. Today is a bust.

No really… today is a bust. You’re getting a woman with wonky eyes and a repetition of flies because I’m entirely tapped. Inspiration is not forthcoming since my head is rather focused on my university work at the moment, and has gone entirely out of creative mode for the day.

Now for the fun stuff. I’ve added another little feature to the individual post pages which I hope will be helpful. There is now an easy button to mouse-over at the bottom of each post page to send the link to various social bookmarking sites, to e-mail the post to friends, or bookmark it in your browser.

Do I look like a frog to you?

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on September 5, 2008
in 'The Hubby', Plain Paper and flies
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Kat Johnston - Flies... Good for frogs, not to be given as gifts to your significant other.

After posting that last little picture, I had a rethink… I know that my husband reads this blog (or he’d better, if he knows what’s good for him), and I just wanted to get something out of the way quick. I am not a frog, nor do I require a gift of flies, no matter how much I have been drawing them over the past few days. I’ll take other gifties please. Like frogs. Made of chocolate!

An Amphibian Anniversary Card.

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on September 4, 2008
in Digital, Interesting Links, Plain Paper and flies
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Kat Johnston - Have you ever noticed that the common house-fly looks kinda like a love-heart when they're upside-down?

I was sitting there, looking at one of the fly pictures this morning… and just went ‘that looks like a love-heart to me’. Flies definitely aren’t generally seen in the context of love, but perhaps if the recipient of a card with this on the front was, say, a frog? Then it might be romantic? Perhaps it could have a little note inside saying ‘Happy Anniversary. How About Dinner?’

These flies really are just far too cute for their own good… I think I’ve worked out the connection too, as to why I’ve been drawing them, perhaps. My husband had to go away for a few days. Not something he does often, mind you. Perhaps because he had to ‘fly’ to his destination, this is really just all about him? Then again, perhaps not. He got back today, and suddenly flies turn into little love-hearts. I’m not sure if that is just my odd little way of showing him I care, or it really is just that when I look at a fly upside-down, it looks that way, so I have to draw it. Minimally digitally coloured in photoshop.

I rather like the feel of the flies in this sort of a context, aligning them with a feminine, crafty feel, as if they were used on the front of a card, a motif in scrapbooking, as a pattern on gift-wrap or the basis of a quilt. They are likeable, sweet, nice… whilst simultaniously keeping their same meaning as flies, with the various associations we generally bring to them… pests, disease, death… but all wrapped up in a pretty little bow and painted pink, as it were. Well, anyway, that’s just what I wanted to play with here.

On a side-note, I just discovered a very interesting and cute little site. Perhaps you might want to check it out too. Who can resist a Flying Pizza Kitty?

Announcement: All A-twitter and now on Flickr.

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on September 4, 2008
in Announcements, Plain Paper and flies
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Kat Johnston - Flies are flies and they fly most flyfully... that makes no sense.

Three pictures of flies in a row, and I can tell that it is starting to become a mini-obsession… but that is generally the way it is, when I find something that tweaks my interest enough. It will grab me for a few days straight, then become a ‘regular’ obsession, to join all the rest. I don’t think that this picture is done… but I need to throw up something today, so this is it.

Just an update on the site and on me: I’ve added a twitter feed to the sidebar, so if you pop by throughout the day, you can see what I’m up to! Either that, or you can follow me on twitter itself - my username is KatJohnston, or just click here to see my current profile page.

I have also set up a Flickr account, and have uploaded two sets of photos taken of my wonderful city. You can find them here and here. I will be periodically adding to the Flickr photos and will update you as they become available.

Not Every Spider Spins a Web so Easy to Detect.

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on September 3, 2008
in Plain Paper, Portraits, Sketch and flies
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Kat Johnston - There once was a lady who swallowed a fly...

There once was a lady that swallowed a fly… I have no idea why flies are coming into my sketches over the past couple of days… but they’re cute, aren’t they? Perhaps this is the lady of the true flies… the flies with only two wings! *laughs* To be honest, I don’t think she’s overly fussed either way… so long as they have a little crunch to them. Yesterday’s sketch is far better than this one, in my opinion… but I am throwing this one up anyway.

Lady of the Flies.

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on September 2, 2008
in Plain Paper, Portraits and flies
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Kat Johnston - Lord of the flies move over, there is a new Lady in town.

There we go, I have put up a picture drawn today after all. How’s that for commitment for you? Today’s subject: Lady of the Flies. Complete with antennae.

Just as an interesting side-note, they can not be true flies in my picture. According to Wiki’s page on flies, true flies only have two wings. Although there are other insects that might have fly in the name, such as mayflies or fireflies, they are not, in fact, true flies as they have more than one set of wings. Hows that for some interesting trivia for you? Oh, and, uhhhh, yes… I did just go and look that up.