I sort of lost myself in all the details of the peeling paint on the railings and the crumbling concrete. I love all the different weathered surfaces I had to tackle here. The cat isn't quite as realistic as the rest of the drawing - but I'm not sure he's actually the focus of the picture.

Just a little christmas cartoon for the fun of it!

8x10 pencil drawing with some coloring pencil in red and green.

Can you believe that The Kitties knocked out this totem pole in the backyard this week? Who knew that adding an energetic kitten to the bunch would make such a big difference? It's about time Tyrone got to work.

freelance illustrator...more avail on my website: www.jossfrank.com

Reflecting on last year's primary activities, Lily contemplates future strategies, objectives, and goals. Any tips on defeating the Dancing Cat Toy are welcome.

Sometimes, Ryo-Oh-Ki gets haircuts, Edward Scissorhands style.

I've always wondered what would happen if I mixed all of The Kitties together into one.

I also saw The Wolverine this weekend. When I came home and told Lily all about Hugh Jackman's awesomeness in the movie, she insisted that I add an extra-sharp claw here. I think she's envious. I wonder if this hybrid cat can also heal itself. Why not?

Comet is a good sleeping buddy.

I wish I were disciplined enough to sit at a desk when creating my artwork. Typically, I'm sitting on my chaise lounge in front of the TV, surrounded by packs of pens and markers and hunched over the sketchbook on my lap.

When I draw, I tend to lose track of time--and Lily. When I think of it, I whip my head up to scan the room for her. Here is where I find her most often: across from me--almost always upside down--in her spot on the couch, with her Wubba always nearby. (I think she, too, has lost track of time.)

Visit Melissa's Kitties' blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com.

A graphite and pencil crayon drawing of a maine coon cat with beautiful blue grey eyes.

I'd been down and out with a cold for practically the entire month of December, so I'm a little late in wishing you happy holidays. Don't worry, the Kitties have been playing nonstop while waiting for my energy to return. It's not snowing here in D.C., so I don't know where they've been!

De un sólo trazo aparecen ellos: adorables gatos : D

Share the love!

The other day, the Orioles's new center-fielder, Adam Jones, made a spectacular catch to save a run for the team. He ran backwards--looking up following the ball--blew a big bubble on the way, jumped, caught, crashed into the back wall, and summersaulted forward on the field before raising his arm up to show the ball in his hand. Gordon is perfecting this trick, but without the wall because I think that's too dangerous.

Visit the Melissa's Kitties blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com.

I haven't yet figured out Jane's fur patterns from the photos I've seen. From what I can tell, she's a fluffy motley mix of greys, with a touch of brown. While I know I don't have her quite right yet, she says she doesn't mind--She's just happy to be here. She says her hot pink collar is perfect, and that's her favorite feature anyway.

Visit the Melissa's Kitties blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com.

Simon is a skinny boy. Norman is...extra large.

Visit the Melissa's Kitties blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com.

After an action-packed weekend in New York -- celebrating with Sting on his birthday, catching the latest scoop from the cast of "Arrested Development," experiencing my first Jon Brion show, and sharing fun times and yummy meals with good friends -- all I wanted to do was hibernate when I returned home.

Luckily, The Kitties made some room for me under the blanket.

(Happy birthday, Sting!)

Phew!

There's nothing like a good cup o' tea.

Visit the Melissa's Kitties blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com.

I have my own lucky kitties.

I looked up Midsummer Night in the dictionary and on Wikipedia because all I knew about it was Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, which I've never read or seen.

I found that worldwide celebrations mark the summer solstice on Midsummer Day--sometime between June 21 and 24, depending on the culture. Traditionally, it was believed that witches and other supernatural beings took over the night before--Midsummer Eve--causing widespread mischief.

While all that was going on around the world, The Mother Kitty enjoyed a quiet moment during her evening walk.

Here is her Midsummer Night.

Visit Melissa's Kitties' blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com.

Hi everyone,

I meant to post this a few days ago. Better late than never!

2020 continues to be a crazy year for all of us. But I found that these turbulent, uncertain times are a reminder to be grateful for every little thing.

Enjoy your friends and families, near and far, as we await brighter days ahead. (We did just pass the Winter Solstice, so they really will arrive.)

Remember – now more than ever – we must continue to wear our masks, stay socially distant, and wash our hands. Stay safe and healthy!

Here's to a fresh start in 2021, full of fun, joy, peace, togetherness, and Kitties! See you soon.

See my blog for this and other full posts: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com.

I don't know who will surrender first during this staring contest. Experts give The Mother Kitty (reigning champ) the edge with her years of experience, but don't count Lily out. She is the new prodigy in this area. Place your bets.

Visit Melissa's Kitties' blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com.

Although it's summer now, Tyrone is still talking about the Winter Olympics. After watching hours of the events on television, he'd run outside to practice his favorite sport in the backyard. I think he's almost ready to qualify.

I didn't quite do these hands justice, as I can't really draw anything well aside from The Kitties. Thanks to Johnny Depp for having simple tattoos in just the right places for this week's Illustration Friday challenge!

Visit the Melissa's Kitties blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com.

Of all The Kitties, Simon needs his eye glasses most.

Felis Margarita is the latin name for sand cat, but I think it's a beautiful name. So this is what I imagine a Felis Margarita to look like!

Even when on the most important of missions, all kitties remember to take time out to look good.

When Lily Cat and I first met, she looked at me just like this. Wouldn't you have taken her home too?

The Kitties will get out of this eventually.

Pencil Portrait. Ninja is from Cat Rescue and has been an amazing pet. He demands his walks ( using a cat harness ) daily at the same time, He loves jewelry, and is constantly borrowing it from me and returning it at his own discression.

B.J. loves to sit in the sun. Rather than tan like most, he fades. How do you like the new look? (He seems unfazed.)

In Ohio, our backyard was a Winter Wonderland. Here, The Mother Kitty braves the wind and checks things out. (I have a feeling she won't be out for long!)

Happy New Year, everyone!

Visit Melissa's Kitties' blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com.

This was in an email I got from Robin Bullock about upcoming concerts. We have seen him twice in concert, once with Sue Richards, another time with another guitarist. Sue plays the harp.

I looked up The Wedding Day 🐱😻painting. It’s strange, that one site lists the artist as Peter Ogden, another as Louis Wain. 🐱😺Both of those artists painted cats.

Sometimes when you sit in the backyard, you can hear The Kitties whispering through the trees.

Everyone but Norman picked out his/her own hat for this week's topic. Ashes took the liberty to create one specifically for him. We'll see what he thinks of it when he wakes up from his nap (or if he'll even notice). Comet just finished watching Buster Keaton's ultimate collection on DVD and is a little obsessed. Gordon chose one of Johnny Depp's old knit caps (and is doing his best impression!) And Simon spent all afternoon knitting his own special concoction. They are just about to hit the town!

Visit the Melissa's Kitties blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com.

Our green-eyed kitties are watching...

The Mother Kitty always has the right of way.

As I mentioned last month on my blog, Johnny's Angels--Depp Fans for Charity, a fan-run website that offers Johnny's fans a meaningful way to honor his charitable efforts, is running a holiday fundraiser benefiting Children's Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition. Johnny's Angels offered supporters the amazing opportunity to send a Christmas postcard to Johnny himself! Due December 15, who knew I'd obsess down to the wire over this little postcard?!

Well, I guess that's not surprising. I hope he likes it!

Here it is--minus my private little note to Johnny, of course. What do you think?

Although the postcard submission deadline has passed, the Johnny's Angels holiday fundraiser continues through December 31. Supporting this wonderful cause will make these kids holiday season extra special! Read more about it and donate today at this site: www.johnnysangels.org/currentfundraiser.htm.

The children and their families will thank you! Happy holidays, everyone!

Some of Ry-oh-ki's haircuts are an acquired taste.

Last weekend, I saw The Amazing Spider-Man. Since then, Simon has been practicing his moves in the yard.

These are words to live by.

It all began with these two.

Lily only plays when she's ready. She's rarely in a hurry.

For the last couple of months, my calendar has been full of travels and visitors.

My spare time has gone toward an online course, Blogging Your Way, and the resulting laundry list of things to do to improve my blog. While on a break from that, I've been watching the movies of TCM's October Star of the Month Fredric March.

Side note: We've come to the conclusion that Fredric March is one of those actors that makes a movie better just because he's in it. While we still have a few movies to watch and they've all been good so far, we still like and recommend our old favorites The Best Years of our Lives, Inherit the Wind, Nothing Sacred, A Star is Born, and Hombre.

Lily has been equally occupied. Two weeks ago, she went on her first field trip out of the apartment while it was getting its annual pesticide treatment. She stayed in a friend's apartment for a day and didn't speak to me until she got back home.

The following week, I was off to a three-day meeting for work and came home to find my Dad visiting for the weekend. We were happy to attend The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. Though I'm not sure the sanity I was seeking has returned.

This week, I'm fighting allergies while Lily is frustrated by the nightly shadows she finds on the wall. We're both exhausted by Project Runway's season-long drama and crushed by its finale.

Now, I'm finding it hard to stare at the computer as long as I have been, and Lily--as always--is annoyed that I'm sitting at the computer for any length of time.

In short, we are spent. Shhh....

Visit Melissa's Kitties' blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com.

When I read this week's Illustration Friday topic, "Journey," I instantly got a Sting song in my head. "The Book of my Life" is about Sting's struggle with memories as he wrote his fantastic autobiography, Broken Music. (I highly recommend it!) I'm not quite sure how to draw life's journey, so I moved on to "Secret Journey," a song he wrote with The Police in the early '80s. Even more abstract, this song is about discovering your path in life, becoming a wiser, older soul, and achieving peace.

While I was contemplating these big ideas, I overheard Gordon, who was still telling The Kitties about his recent trek through the Sahara Desert. So, I moved on to another Sting song called "Tea in the Sahara."

Another song written with The Police, this one ended up on their last album, Synchronicity, in 1983 (but Sting still sings it often these days). This song was inspired by a story by Paul Bowles called The Sheltering Sky.

Although I haven't read The Sheltering Sky yet, I can guess what it's about from the song. Three sisters meet this guy, and they try their best to make him happy. In return, they ask him to meet them in The Sahara Desert for tea. He promises that he will, and they wait and wait and wait.

Sting says that this story ends tragically, but Gordon interrupted my research, shaking his head. On the contrary, he ran into the sisters last week. They were all fine--and thrilled to have company. But the tea, he says, was really, really strong.

Visit Melissa's Kitties' blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com