molif | en

Four years ago Michel happened to be sick like recently.
Actually, it was more serious then. Few times during the year he fell for more than a week with 40 degrees C temperature.
And nothing could help him, so finally we called for some alternative.
On the stage appeared this sumo hare, dedicated to scare the flu virus and to help Michel get well soon.

First times it was a success. That made him an honored member of the little hand-made society on my shelf.
Then it seemed like the flu got resistant to hare power, so we’ve changed the tactics and decided to visualize our dream little house.
Made with all our love and wish for good health and many more miles together on our bikes, here it is:

My man got well finally, just in time for his own wedding. Then… then we made thousands of miles together and it is very possible that we won’t stop.
The house? It still illuminates our evenings.

As much as I love to draw, I cannot resist making things from clay and from fabric.
I guess that all of the girls in high school today will laugh at the fact that when I was a teenager, still loved to play with dolls and toys I was often making clothes or houses for them.
Of course, it was partly because of the fact that there were many kids around me – and then it seemed to me that I was made to care and entertain relatives’ and friends’ children.
Don’t get me wrong: most of the time I was doing this gladly, and kids are good excuse for these games.
We’ve had many joyful days and I still love to dwell in the world of fantasy and toys.
My parents are also creative people and they influenced me a lot.
There is still somewhere in the attic an old puppet theater. My father once started to make it as a gift to my mother, but it ended not finished.
Sometimes I remember about it and I want to finish it together with Dad, but it seems that every time is not “the right moment”.
Maybe I don’t want to go too far from the childhood, as I enjoy making toys even today.

Let me introduce you to some that I still keep.
Here it is one of the very first I’ve made – it’s almost 13-14 years-old, I believe:

At that time I was drawing constantly, even applied for a school of Fine Arts. I intended to study Metal & Plastic Arts, but I couldn’t pass the first exam (graphics) and I didn’t go to the second one with the clay modeling, where I was sure I could be way better at.
Anyway, even today this little bear is keeping well the leftovers of my once huge collection of pencils. Some of them are so short now, you cannot even see them.

And what about this little piggy that we have here? Well, this guy also has a story to tell. He was made together with another one, and the other went as a present to a friend’s baby.

This one stayed at home as I considered it not so successful, but lately I found him and improved it a bit by adding the smile and the pants.

There will be a sequel.

I remember the times when every free minute meant for us to grab the bikes and go on traveling adventures outside Sofia.
Nice, but didn’t happen for a long time. Michel is still ill, and this is going on for more than ten days.
Even Batman himself couldn’t help in this case, despite sending to us all week his own branded lemons:

From solidarity I am at home too, saving the people around from the flu virus, so all I can do is looking around and finding old and new things that could show in my blog. Like this greeting, good for Twitter-fans:

Here is another one, much smaller, made with some help from one little two-years-and-a half-old fairy:

Nia seems to draw far better than me, actually.
Don’t believe me?
Well, judge by yourselves:

I think she’s very good. Maybe one day she’ll laugh on this picture, but I like it and I wish her to develop a good skill.

A friend of mine asked me lately if I can draw one of those little creatures – tarsiers.
I promised to try and I start looking for a model in Google Images.
That’s how I found Darlene Sanguenza’s blog – she’s a designer and illustrator from Philippines (where some of these little creatures live).
There are plenty of wonderful and inspirational things on the site of Darlene.
You can see her illustration, used by me as a reference.

And here is what came out from me:

Sure, it needs a lot more attention, but I like it enough for a first try.

Here they are – this year’s cookies. I don’t know what’s the problem with them, but they just don’t want to stay in the tin box untill Christmas.

So, it’s a good thing that I’ve got them pictured, at least this way i am able to show them to you.
Every year I think about making at least twice more than these. From the other hand, no matter how many cookies I’ve made, they are never enough, because
I love to give almost all of them to friends and loved ones.

About the recipe… well, I like to improvise. Finding the right recipe, using the same products, but mix them measuring everything with my eye and instinct, and frankly, I am probably lucky, because I very rarely fail, even with our old and whimsy oven.
For example, I was dying for brownies yesterday evening. Since I am not planning a trip to England in the next few days, I decided to make myself some.
Here is the proof:

…is what I always do when I’ve got a pen or crayon around.
Of course, the modern technologies could not be skipped. After I’ve mentioned many times in front of the right people HOW MUCH do I want to try use a tablet, well, I finally got one as a gift for my birthday. This was last year, actually.
Till now the tablet is cover with dust. And I feel guilty for NOT having time for play.

This is result from the two-minutes play with the tablet. I couldn’t dare to show it, if it wasn’t Michel, who made me by bugging my conscious for not writing here at all.
Here is another small thing from me, made with ordinary pen:

Actually, this rabbit is done during this year’s Future Publishing conference where I happened to be as an editor of the Bulgarian version of .net magazine.
Most people write down notes, I usually like to draw. This way I listen even better.
I still hope that one day will have the skills and patience needed to make from this scratch a fine illustration in Adobe Illustrator…

Yes, my day. I love the whole October – best time of the year.
The day is so bright with all the kind people smiling and calling to wish me nice things, that I would like to ask if it could be like this every day.

Feel happy, so i wanted to share few music greetings from me to all of the nice people out there:

So classic:

(and the same with High Quality, only not loud enough)

Something from The 80′s

and another, modern one:

Thanks to all of you!

Not, it’s not about me.
I am rebelling all the time for this and that, but today I just wanted to present you one guy, who stumbled me in my daily work for .net – Grzegorz Kozakiewicz, or just – pencilrebel.

He is very crazy. And awfully inventive. Skillful.
And for his imagination one could say nothing more than what his site is revealing – see by yourself.

Tha man has also a blog, very naturally. You can see there how he made this whole amazing site.

I am very fond of this particular and rare kind of people – for which there are no imagination limits in the work they love to do.

Greetings from the sea… and I had to say goodbye today, but this is something that I always do with heavy heart…

Recently, while I was busy to show off my little clay army here, my favorite illustrator Monica Calvo found the latest funny video from the sequel Simon’s Cat:

Distinguish animation, every time I watch in dismay and with great pleasure!
If you happen not to be familiar with the previous two videos, I can remind them to you easily:

1. ‘Cat Man Do’

2. ‘Let Me In!’

They are very indicative of the cat’s temper…
And also these days I read this joke:

“I am absolutely not able to understand why women love cats.
Cats are independent creatures, they don’t obey and perform, not coming when you call them, they love to linger outside in the night and to come home only to be fed and cuddled.
After that they only want to be left to sleep in peace.
In other word: in cats women love something that they terribly hate in men… “

There is some truth in this… but also there are people, who just don’t like cats at all.