Sunday, March 31, 2013

Fixin' to Draw Cats

The title says it all. I'm a fixin' ta draw cats...everyday. Also, I'm a fixin' ta do a lottery drawing of cats to choose which ones will be the images on the postcard, greeting card, and magnet. (kickstarter rewards y'all)
Tonight at midnight is the deadline to get a photo and cat name to me(only if you are a part of this project...and don't worry if you can't do it right now, I'll be gathering stories and photos for the next month or so--it just means your cat won't be in the lottery drawing tomorrow).
The list below is the cats who will be in the mix. At least for now. It's just about 12 noon here in NW Arkansas so there's time enough to get yours in.

Angel
Arya and Daenerys
Bear&Slinky
Charlie
Clipper
Daisy
Emma and Sophie
Fuzzy Warm
Glacier
Harvey
Henri
Hobbes
Iggy
Itty
Jack B
Kallie Jane
Lewis
Lex
Lyndon
Maggie
Mason
Mischief
Monkey
Mooie
Murranda Jane
Omar and Lucy
Pete
Sage
Sweet Pea
Sydney Van
Sylvie
TC&Red
Tex and June Bug
Tilly
Zazzles
Zerg and Ghost

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Working Like A Cat

I know the above photo is not a cat but I just wanted to illustrate the page layout for those folks who will have their cat and story in the Cat Scratchin' book. This page is from the Dog Scratchin' book. Those of you who are not in the book, please be patient, I'll try and entertain you later in this post. This page shows the max number of words, which is around 360. We will do our best to fit your story and photo on the page, but there may be some cropping and edits. If you haven't gotten your story or photos or both to me, please for the love of cat, send them soon. If you are technology challenged, I do have a PO Box you can send them to. Leave a comment here and we'll figure it out, or go to my website and email me from there.Now, for some entertainment: Oh crap, I've got nothing. That was a tease to keep you reading. Oops, sorry. All I can say is, I am working, working, working to pull this book together. It will take about 6 more months, or so before the actual product will be here. I've heard the cliché, 'I've been working like a dog' and I have to say while I know what the intent of that is, I'm not sure I've seen that many dogs work (OK, I know the herding and hunting breeds 'work'). And even fewer cats work, right? Although I guess sleeping, eating, pooping and killing small things after playing with them for a while could be interpreted as 'work'. So I'm working like a cat in the sense that I'm doing everything I can to not break a sweat. I am, however, making art from your photos and gathering your stories daily.
You can follow me on Instagram at blueyemonkey. I've been posting photos of progress on cat drawin' there.  I also tweet at LCSheets, and I'm on facebook (which honestly has gotten so boring I don't post much there anymore, but you can friend me anyway) My Linda Sheets Art facebook page is mostly empty because I just don't see the point and so haven't kept up with it. Go to the other sites if you want to keep up with it, and of course, here where I try to stay current. If you know someone who has a cat and would like to be a part of the book, send them my way. I have room for just a few more cats. It will require an investment, you can look at the kickstarter project for an idea of how much.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Two Special Cats and Their People

I received photos and stories about these two cats today via email. The orange tabby is Zerg, the white, blue-eyed ragdoll is Ghost. I haven't started drawing them yet, I'm still knocked out by their stories, and even more touched by their owner's story. They live in a military family. Sarah and her boyfriend have both served around the world. He is currently in the Middle East and she is back home with PTSD. She had some injuries and surgeries which caused her to be discharged. The most serious injury to her was one that gets talked about now and then, but is brushed away just as quickly. I'm not going to go into it here, it is her story which will be shared in the book. Suffice to say, both of these kitties are very important to her recovery. They have their own compelling stories of their rescue from shelters or the street. I am always so moved by the experiences folks go through in their 'normal' course of living. It's an honor and a privilege to be invited to draw these cats, (well, all the cats from the kickstarter project) and to share the stories. More to come soon, stay tuned. In the meantime, love on those cats that you have, adopt more if you can, support your animal shelters, and thank you!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Looking for cats to draw...felines friends

I'm still gathering cats from the kickstarter project. I have about 15 to draw so far, out of the many who will be in the book. See the previous link for instructions if you are one of those folks who have not responded to my emails and kickstarter updates. I know I told you the end of March, but now I'm nervous that the rest will all arrive all at once on the last day.  If you have friends who didn't get in on the project while it was funding, just have them contact me and we can make arrangements to include them. I have just recently started to create the patterns and transfer them to the boards to begin drawing. I will include a shot of that next posting. Until then, love on those little purr boxes and enjoy your life!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Everything You Need To Know

I thought I'd add this today, for the backers who will be in the book. Mercury is Retrograde and so far it's been a doozy for me. I'm double-crossing my t's and double- dotting my i's. And still, it's hard to make sure communication doesn't get mucked up!
Cheers my sweet cat lovers!

Dear Backers of Cat Scratchin’—the following is what I need from you for the book;

*Several photos, the larger the better. They can be attached to an email, imbedded in an email, or even via smart phone. The most important thing is that it should be clear, focused and a LARGE file. I will work from the photos; if they are only around 2x3 inches when viewed at 100 percent I can’t use them. That being said, I’ve worked with some pretty blurry photos, so don’t get too anxious about this. Email me if you have questions.

*Description of the cat, physical and personality traits, such as eye color unusual markings, behavior, etc. name of cat.

*How the cat came to you (or you to the cat) Name of shelter (this is helpful because I put a directory in the back of the book and I try to share books and a percentage of sales with most of them)

*The story (some of which might be the above) Using around 325-340 words you can describe your life with the cat, what it means to you, how your life is better, (or ‘worse’ and I say that with tongue in cheek, having had a cat who coughed up hairballs on Persian rugs on a regular basis)

*On the story page there is room for a small photo of you, your cat or you and your cat, please send a copy of that with this email.

*Also, how would you like to be identified? First name? Full name? No name? In the dog book, most opted for full name, but it’s up to you.

I am working with two professional book designer/publishers so please don’t worry about making your story a masterpiece, we will edit.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Calling All Cats...People!

This is sweet Iggy--also known as "Spinky" or "Spinkus Minamus". He has been gone for a few years now and belonged to a good friend of mine. He may be in the Cat Scratchin' book. I'm still waiting to hear from his person about which cats she wants me to draw. I am noting today, just how different dog and cat folks are from each other. When doing the dog book I got funded quickly and the stories and photos came in rapid-fire without much prompting from me.  (kind of like a happy tail-wagging enthusiastic dog) The cat book, on the other hand, took longer to fully fund (although it funded well above said dog book) and now two weeks after funding ended and my doing mass emails, I've only gotten 4 responses so far. That's ok, I can work with that. Hint, hint, hint, the end of March will be here before you know it, so get those photos and stories to me soon!  Like cats, I'm realizing that folks don't always do what you want them to.(of course I knew this)  They will participate at their own pace, and I may have to poke, poke, poke them in order to get everything I need to make this happen. Reminds me of every cat I've had. They do what they want, when they want to, in spite of your desires to control them. Consider this, the sooner you get your cat photos and stories to me, the sooner I get this book together and into your hands.
As always, I will keep y'all posted.