Hello!

If you have arrived here you most likely are a new owner of a "Penciled In" drawing...our collaborative series for Art-o-mat®.

UPDATE: Late Summer 2012 This edition of Penciled In is a collaboration with William Hessian. William and Took met through Art-o-mat and enjoyed each other's art. William conducts Miniature Art Hunts across the US and Took knew she wanted to bring William and the Miniature Art Hunt to her hometown of Northville, MI. In 2012 Northville celebrated its 2nd Annual Miniature Art Hunt and William and Took decided to collaborate on 100 Penciled In portraits.
William started out with Took's basic characters that were transferred to the blocks and then added color and his own unique touches, giving them a whole new personality. You can find out all about William HERE and HERE -- he is one dazzlingly brilliant guy!
PLEASE -- leave us a comment, name your character, tell us how you got it...just look for your character's number on the back of the block, then find it in the Blog Archive on the right side of the blog...scroll down. We'd love to hear from YOU!

UPDATE: Summer 2011 This batch of Penciled In is a sort of "All-Stars" edition. Juana and I made 100 blocks with an assortment of 17 of our favorite Penciled In characters, as well as 3 *new* "Youngsters" -- a young cat, a young dog and a young rabbit. Each character has 5 variations. We hope you like them! PLEASE -- leave us a comment, name your character, tell us how you got it...just look for your character's number on the back of the block, then find it in the Blog Archive on the right side of the blog...scroll down. We'd love to hear from YOU!

UPDATE: 2010 "The Youngsters" is the all-new set of Penciled In characters. They will all be getting names and comments from us. If yours doesn't have a name yet, please check back periodically -- or tell us what YOU think it ought to be. Oh, and please disregard the instruction insert in your box...just look for character's number in the list in the Blog Archive on the right side of the blog.

We would LOVE to know how your teensy portrait came to you -- leave us a comment. Did you get it from a machine yourself? Was it a gift? Did we trade with you at the swap meet in Minneapolis? What machine was it in? Was this your first arto-experience?

Oh...and give the guitar on the right side of the blog a try, too!

Cap & Leo -- about us

Cap: aka Took Gallagher (a triple Capricorn)

Took is an arto-host and artist. She is living happily ever afterly in Northville, MI with her 4 cats.
Took is very easily entertained and enjoys a semi-wide variety of activities such as: cutting magazine pictures for collages, doodling new characters, playing Magic: the Gathering with Juana, drinking waaaaaay too much coffee. She also loves cotton candy and finding ways to turn her tongue blue.


Visit Took's other blog.

Leo: aka Juana Moore (a Leo)

Juana is a lifetime painter, collagist, and maker of stuff. She loves hanging out with Doug and the cats, playing with dolls, watching movies, customizing and painting toys.

Visit
Juana's website.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

#50 - Maddy

CAP: Most of my Wolfys look angry. This handsome (and marvelously colored, btw) guy looks to me like he hasn't crossed all the way over the line to angry...he is just mad.

(And no, this is not short for Madison.)

LEO: Yeah, Maddy looks grumpy more than anything. And although 'Maddy' sounds kinda girly, it's NOT Madison... maybe he's going, "DON'T call me Maddy... woof. But he doesn't really object, just a tiny woof or grrrr.

#49 - Bertie


CAP: Say hello to Bertie Blue Eyes.

LEO: Hello, Bertie! Don't know if Bertie actually has a back-of-the-head, or if his eyes are just holes to the sky, but he looks serene, copacetic, even. This one makes me really happy.

#48 - Sunday


CAP: Ooooh...nice job, Leo! Great colors!

I will call this one Sunday (because it is.)

LEO: Another glowy one - a pooka should be black, not pink, but Sunday is a pooka like Harvey. He could be BIG trouble if you don't keep an eye on him. Robert Anton Wilson's ghost is keeping an eye on him now.

#47 - Mocha


CAP: I love the luscious colors of the cat and also the blues in the background. This is Mocha.

It looks to me like Mocha can see the background and likes it, too.

LEO: Aieeee - another vibratey Louis Wain kitty! Mocha does look one with his caffeinated environment.

#46 - J.J.


CAP: I don't know why I automatically started hearing Donovan's "Jennifer Juniper" in my head when I looked at this cat.

This is now J.J.

LEO: J.J.'s palette looks sort of Mary Englebreit. It shoud be raining cherries, or she should be hugging a planet or something. J.J. likes her colors, and i do, too.

#45 - TRFM (Mac)


CAP: This dog's full name is TRFM (as in "the real Fleetwood Mac.) But you can just call him Mac.

And by the "real" Fleetwood Mac, I mean Peter Green's band from the late Sixties. THAT Fleetwood Mac.

LEO: Hey, i saw them once (TRFM, i mean). It was at the Grande, i think, or maybe the Eastown. Mick Fleetwood did his swingin' balls deal (don't ask). Peter Green was good, but sad. Come to think of it, Mac looks a little blue. He looks like he needs that pick me up.

CAP: Yeah...he's blue thinking about how wrecked TRFM got.

#44 - Lucky


CAP: Lucky is lucky he was designed with this marvelous plaid and color palette. I was seriously considering not doing more rabbits for this series. This rendition changed my mind.

LEO: I really like doing the rabbits, i'm glad you drew some more. And i'm glad you give a reason for him to be lucky, otherwise i'd think it was because he was missing a foot, or had an extra one!

#43 - Mousey


CAP: Mousey.

Mousey is a great mouser...earns his keep every single day. Here he is enjoying a well deserved break at a fabulous arty coffeehouse.

LEO: Mousey kind of looks like my parents old cat, Desmo. Desmo was also a good mouser, and he was always picking up chipmunks and baby bunnies as well. He wouldn't appreciate a coffee house unless there was someplace soft to sleep.

#42 - Buster



CAP: Well...let's see...how about Buster?

I really love the colors and background on this guy.

LEO: He's almost camoflaged... i like Buster.

#41 - Louise


CAP: About a million years ago I was married to this guy who was a writer. We teamed up on a little handmade book. It was called "Kitty and Louise". They were both cats, Kitty was the girl.

This could easily be Louise.

LEO: This is another favorite, i like the colors and her serene face.

#40 - Spike


CAP: Spike...because he usually spikes his dog brew.
LEO: Spike appears to be a Weimaraner.

#39 - 'Treuse


CAP: 'Truese because his is chartreuse (and looks pretty zoned out from drinking Charteuse).

LEO: I thought he was another of those radioactive guys, but, yeah. 'Truese is listening to The Cramps, which goes well with chartruese.

#38 - Mirabelle


CAP: This is Mirabelle, after one of my twin Irish Wolfhounds (who no longer live with me). Got that same kinda look in her eyes...LOL...and such a sweet face.

LEO: Super intense colors on this one. It's fun to make the fur 'girly', give her a 'do.

#37 - Prince Floss


CAP: Prince Floss.

Man, this makes me really want some cotton candy right now...even more than normal.

LEO: Well, i'm glad i succeeded in making this kitty look like cotton candy! Bet he's sticky.

#36 - Rudy


CAP: He just looks like a "Rudy" to me...so this is Rudy.
LEO: Rudy can't fail.

Friday, May 21, 2010

#35 -Kepa


CAP: Juana, I am thinking this guy must be Basque -- so you should name him.

LEO: Okay, his name is Kepa (after Kepa Junkera, who has been blogging his ecounters with Basque Americans while he roams the USA).

#34 - Binky


CAP: Binky.

This is a wonderful family dog. The people the family got him from when he was a puppy said "no, he won't get very big"...so the little twin girls named him Binky. Ha. They still put bows in his hair -- and he lets them. That's the kind of good guy Binky is.

LEO: Yes, Binky looks the the perfect good natured giant. I love doing this kind of dog, these colors!

#33 - Stoney


CAP: Stoney, because I like the pebbly background and I didn't want to call him Pebbles.

LEO: Stoney is another fave, i almost kept this one. He looks like a white tiger. A psychedelic, Louis Wain style white tiger. That background took a while, but you get in the zone. Like Stoney.

#32 - Fabio


CAP: The male supermodel of our cats...Fabio. Just look at this guy's fabulous hair!

LEO: Yeah, he's hot. Probably has a hairball issue, though.

#31 - Queen Millicent


CAP: Queen Millicent.

LEO: Kinda went all out on the queenliness on millicent, then gave her a silver crown to sorta tone it down. She's too noble to believe in bling.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

#30 - Chas


CAP: Chas...Chazzy to his friends.

I just like the name Chas.

LEO: Chas is a hipster, but not a doofus.

#29 - Deve


CAP: This guy reminds me of a cat I inherited once who started out as Mr. Jinx but whose name I changed to Steve. My niece was just learning to talk around that time and called Steve "Deve".

LEO: I got nothin', but i like the name 'Deve'!

#28 - Finn the Younger


CAP: This cat looks like a budding young magician to me. Finn the Younger is learning the "biz" from his uncle, Finn the Elder.

LEO: Finn the Younger imagines he has the Eye of Agamotto around his neck, but it's really just a button. Nevertheless, he's shiny.

#27 - Roscoe


CAP: Roscoe is this dog's name.

While this guy looks nothing at all like my old dog Roscoe, he does have Roscoe's mischievous (but innocent) look.

Oooh, Roscoe and I were such a team...LOL...that's probably where my "career" as an instigator got its start.

LEO: I love Roscoe, he's one of my favotites. He's one of the 'radioactive' dogs. I like to make things look glowy for some reason. Maybe he ate some GID garbage. Whatever the cause, looks like he's enjoying himself!

#26 - Vince


CAP: This is Vince. I figured I was going to be calling one of the jacketed cat guys Vince at some point, but I had a dream about Alice Cooper last night...that clinched it!

LEO: Actually i might have called him Vinnie when i was coloring him. It's the black jacket.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

#25 - Rory


CAP: Oooh...I really really like the colors in this one! And this one still has the little triangles on the sides.

This is Rory.

LEO: You must like his one, since he's named Rory. He has a rough-and-tumble look about him. I wish i'd made more green guys.

CAP: Yep, I really DO like this one! And you can make more green guys in the next set!

#24 - Harriet


CAP: I know that Juana told me some of these girls with necklaces reminded her of June Cleaver. I am not sure which one it was exactly...so in honor of one of my favorite television moms, I am calling this one Harriet, as in Harriet Nelson.

Perhaps some other tv mom names will pop up later.

LEO: Good call! This lady is super pretty. I really layed down the color with some of these, and it worked well on Harriet.

#23 - Craig


CAP: As mentioned earlier in this blog, Wolfy is normally just called Wolfy...no matter how I color him. But for this series -- with Juana doing the coloring -- Wolfy's personality changes a bit each time and it really cracks me up...I love it.

This Wolfy's name is Craig.

LEO: Craig is a Wolfy who got the plaid treatment this time, and pink-and-grey plaid is kinda preppy, so he could definitely be a Craig. Maybe Pastor Craig, not preppy, but comfortable in plaid.

CAP: Ha...I was thinking of Craig Ferguson...prob'ly comfortable in plaid, too.

#22 - Gabe


CAP: I'm not sure why exactly, but the basic drawing for this cat reminds me of my dad...so this guy's name is Gabe.

LEO: Gabe was right next to the guitar on the right side gutter, so he got a strumming intro when i began to write this! It was fun putting a lot of motion in this great design through color. This cat is very suave. And blue.

#21 - King Speedo


CAP: ...but his real name is Mister Earl

LEO: Okay, i get his jaggedy whiskers make him Speedo. But now i'm thinking he doesn't have any clothes... except perhaps speedos? Because he's a swimmer, and that's a medal around his neck. He has a whole separate life when not being King. A whole separate wet and speedy life.

CAP: LOL

Friday, May 14, 2010

#20 -- Salvador Wolfy


CAP: Normally, all of the Wolfys are just called Wolfy, but this guy reminds me of Salvador Dali...so he is now Salvador Wolfy.

LEO: The ONLY Wolfy you will see with whiskers - because i didn't know Wolfy didn't have whiskers! But he's also purple, so i suspect he's a pretty stand - alone sorta guy. A lone wolf, so to speak.

#19 - Licorice


CAP: Looking at this one (one of my favorites) for the millionth time I finally heard it say its name. And that name is Licorice.

LEO: Good name for a cute tuxedo kitty.

#18 - Sydney


CAP: I'm not exactly sure why I chose Sydney for this cat girl, but I think it fits her.

LEO: Sydney is a nice name for a girl. Sydney is wrapped pretty tight, peter pan collar and not a hair out of place.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

#17 - King Nimby


CAP: It is very rainy today with a bit of thunder and lightning.

The clouds on this guy look to be kind of swirly and changeable.

This is King Nimby.

LEO: King Nimby looks like he is remembering something from long ago.

#16 - Petey


CAP: In honor of the dog from The Little Rascals, this is Petey.

LEO: Yes, he does have 'Petey eye'. This is maybe my favorite design in this group to draw, he is so mellow, friendly and easy to play with. And he has YELLOW eyes!

#15 - Rexy


CAP: Aha...one of the cats that was left "plain".

I really love the plaid...and all the colors.

This is Rexy...for the gold crown.

(We eat at a Thai restaurant named Rexy's and there are amazing things painted on the walls and lots and lots of gold.)

Leo: Howdy, Rexy! By 'plain', Cap means i put cheeks or a mane on most of this cat design to make the head more symmetrical. No explanation for this; normally i'm a pretty asymmetrical type! But this guy had the perfect lines, he just needed to be plaid!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Greetings!

CAP: Hello -- Perhaps you have found your way here to the blog because you are the new owner of one of these "Penciled In" drawings.

If you don't see your drawing listed yet, come back periodically. Please feel free to post a comment. Let us know what machine your piece came from. Tell us if the name fits for you, or if you would call it something else.

Just say "hi".

In any case, Thank You! And thanks for stopping by!


"The Naming of Cats"

The Naming Of Cats by T. S. Eliot
The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
First of all, there's the name that the family use daily,
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,
Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey--
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:
Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter--
But all of them sensible everyday names.
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,
A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum-
Names that never belong to more than one cat.
But above and beyond there's still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover--
But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.

#14 -- Loretta

CAP: Meet Loretta.

I like the name Loretta. Lots references, including Loretta Young and a Steve Harley lyric.

LEO: Hey, i love that name, too, though Do Not Love Loretta Young. Loretta Lynn, why, yes! I called her June Cleaver when i was coloring her.

CAP: Oh...THIS is the June Cleaver one! Okay. But how come the "do not love" Loretta Young?

#13 -- Mick


CAP: I rolled the virtual dice and got a total of 13...which gave me the letter M.

Let's see...how's about calling this guy Mick.

LEO: Oh, this guy is SO a Mick. Look at that red jacket! I kept doing these vibey backgrounds. Must have been channeling Louis Wain. Late Louis Wain.

#12 -- Camilla


CAP: Camilla. No reason, just Camilla
LEO: It was really fun doing the markings on her face. She means business, like my cat Nell.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

#11 -- Rusty


Cap: I really like this one. I also like the background a lot. Rusty.

(Note: this cat is NOT named for Rusty the Chicken from The Friendly Giant, nor is he named for Rusty Cuyler from Squidbillies ... although I like both of them.)

Leo: Okay, now i AM thinking of Rusty the chicken! If i color another one of this style, i could give him a comb in Rusty's honor. And everyone would think it was a mohawk.

#10 -- Caffey

Cap: This drawing was adapted from an original ceramic tile I made and I believe I called it "Dog Brew". I'm going to call this dog Caffey...part caffeine, part coffee.

Leo: This design is particularly fun to color, and the steam is so nice in your design. Caffey doesn't look too wired... yet.

#9 - Cocoa

Cap: She's got a Chanel/Jackie O/Sixties kinda thing going on...let's call her Cocoa.
Leo: Yeah, she does! I really like this gal, she looks even better 'on the block'.

#8 - Sparksy


Cap: His whiskers look like sparks to me. Sparksy.
Leo: He's one of French-ified dudes. Actually, he's Basque. Sparksy wants you to think he was running with the bulls, but he's not dumb. Though he does drink red wine mixed with coke.

Monday, May 10, 2010

#7 - Reine Brune

CAP: Hmmmm...what's her story? What's her name? I like her crown and whiskers.

How's about Reine Brune. (
"Speak in French when you can't think of the English for a thing.")

Leo: Lucky for you she likes her name. She's benevolent, but formidable.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

#6 -- Grampy

Cap: This guy is so cool...he cracks me up. Every time I look at him I get a different story in my head about him.

Just now he looks to me like he could be an ol' mountain man moonshiner named Grampy.

Leo: Okay, now you have me picturing him hopping about dancing to a fiddle player. Or maybe a fella whistling into a jug. He could do that.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

#5 -- Fritzi


CAP: How fashionable is this cat?

When Sue and I were kids we had to spend a lot time at the pool at the country club because both parents played golf. It was tortuous (really, it was) but it was cool after waiting all day when a parent was finished because then Sue and I could go over to the clubhouse side and hang out having "cocktails" with the friends of whatever parent was done. One of my mom's friends was named Fritzi. She had the most stylish clothes and looked so amazing after the ladies changed out of their golf clothes into their "real" clothes.

Let's call this cat Fritzi.

And I love her background, too.

LEO: I love the name Fritzi because it reminds me of the Fritzi riz comic, which i loved.

Friday, May 7, 2010

#4 -- Pinky

CAP: This is one of you "cotton candy" cats. Hmmm...what can his name be?

He kinda reminds me of that character I made on a tile a few years ago (that was based on a guy that was working on my house at the time). So in "honor" of them, this is "Pinky".

As you know very well, I love cotton candy. I also really love the purple around this Pinky's eyes and his slight smirk. This Pinky makes me smile.

LEO: I like Pinky's face, too, and of course i was thinking about cotton candy when coloring these fluffy pink guys. Bet his curly whiskers are sticking to his face!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

#3 -- Queen Tangerine


CAP: See...this series is so much better now that Juana is doing the coloring. She brings a much needed infusion of personality to the basic drawings.

The smaller, plainer one on the right is from the last set that I did solo. I like mine, but I really love Juana's color combos and shading and stuff. It is really difficult for me to choose colors and I don't "get" how to shade effectively.

Also, being an artist who can draw and paint, Juana is able to add elements and totally change the look.
This basic, standard issue cat king became a fantastic cat queen.

Believe me, I am not cutting myself down...I just know my limitations.


LEO: Actually, i think you are really gifted with color. Think i like yours just as much as mine! But i really enjoy playing with other people's designs. Once i know they like the results, it's a bit less stressful than building a new piece from the ground up.

Also, you get to name ALL these guys, because your names are so good. When we post one that i did name, i'll give mine, too.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

did you try the guitar?

Hey...did you try out the guitar on the right side of the blog? Scroll down...

You can "strum" it or activate the keyboard thing and play "chords" and stuff.

I think it is pretty amusing.

#2 -- YT



CAP: Here is # 2 of the debut batch of 50 "Penciled In" colored pencil drawings by the collaboration Cap & Leo for Art-o-mat®.

I am going to call this one "YT".

LEO: Why "YT"? I like your names, i only named about ten percent of them while doing them! He looks sorta 80's 'punk', or he's got a 'Fonz' thing going on...

CAP: heh..."Whitey"...he's a white cat.