Aby-a-Day – 31 Mars 2020: How to Train Your Singapura…finished! (Cartoon Tuesday)

As you remember from last week’s post, I started working on a drawing of Izaak as Toothless the Night Fury from the How to Train Your Dragon films. The first step was the second, clean ink layer. I did something a little different than I usually do, though; I only used black for the outline on his eyes and his tail attachment. On the rest of his outline, I used dark brown, and on his collar, I used blues and silvers. And I finally worked out how the eyedropper tool works in Procreate! You’ll notice I didn’t outline the bones on the wings. I actually did, but then copied them to their own layer. I had an idea.

I did the undercolouring in two layers: one of the basic shades, and another on top of that with the eyes and collar colour and the wings and prosthetic tail. I found a marvellous texture brush in Procreate that was perfect for the wings and the tail attachment.

Here are the two undercolour layers combined…and then with the ink layer.

Then I worked on the wing details. These are the outlines from the inking…with some transparency, layer enhancements, and…finally, a use for the plastic wrap filter!

Then I switched to the background. I found a blank background from the movie art and deleted the bits in the scene I didn’t want. Then I added a paint layer to adapt the scene to what I wanted.

Then I combined those and ran a few filters.

But…when I switched from Procreate to Photoshop and put “Zakless” on the background, I discovered there was a transparency problem.

You can’t always see the gaps in colour when you’re working in Procreate on a white background. But I came up with an easy fix.

I made a quick solid, opaque figure on a separate layer between the background and the colour layers. This would actually turn out to save me time later on.

Problem solved! Now it’s time for the collar and fur texture.

I did the collar first. I actually used a photo of Alfred’s collar and changed the hue and lightness to get Zak’s blues and lightened the opacity to get the braid pattern. This is on a layer between the second ink and the undercolour. I could have done a similar thing with his tags…but I liked the way I drew them.

Next, the fur texture. You’ve all seen my fur brushes, and I didn’t do anything new or unusual…except this: I found a wicked cool scale brush along with my feather and fur brushes. Never needed to use a scale brush before, and I really like the effect.

Here’s the finished Zakless, including whiskers and eyeshine.

And here he is with the background.

Add his shadow (made using a copy of the opaque layer I had already made, just black, distorted, translucent and blurred)…and voilà! Here is the finished Zakless!

Or is it? After I thought I’d finished him, I got a brainwave on how to improve the eyeshine…with the plastic wrap filter!

I think it looks more realistic. I also added a tiny drop shadow to the collar. It’s barely noticeable, but it adds a bit of depth, which I like. Yes…I think he’s finished now.

Aby-a-Day – 30 Mars 2020: Shelter in place (Hipstamatic Monday)

In a lot of places (that don’t include Sweden at the moment), people have been told to “shelter in place” to avoid spreading Covid-19. Despite the Swedish government not yet ordering a lockdown, I have been staying inside as much as possible. So I thought I’d show the places the cats have been sheltering in today.

This was what Izaak and Alfred were doing before I got up to take photos.

I love the way this shot of Lorelai! Part of the fun of Hipstamatic is it’s random, like a slot machine. And this photo is one of the jackpots!

And this one isn’t bad either.

Here’s Dashiell on Pyret’s chair.

And here’s Dash channeling 1967.

One of Angel’s napping spots is on a dining table chair. That’s where I found her today.

And, as napping places go, the kitchen tables are a pretty good place to nap.

Aby-a-Day – 29 Mars 2020: Izaak and Angel outside (Cinema Sunday)

It seems like an odd pairing, but when we go outside, Izaak and Angel pair up together.

It’s actually pretty adorable, because they generally weigh almost exactly the same, around 3.4kg (7.5lbs), which makes them roughly the same size. Alfred and Dashiell are the big boys, and Lorelai is our tiny little girl.

You can see how much bigger Dash is compared to the two of them.

But look how cute this is! They’re almost holding tails!

Here’s a video of the two of them. It’s accidentally slow motion, but you can see how they make a sweet, if strange, couple.

Aby-a-Day – 28 Mars 2020: TImeshare cats (Swedish Saturday)

I’m always amused at how popular napping spots go in and out of style amongst our cats. As an example, for months, nobody regularly slept on this cushion at Björn’s end of the sofa.

Then Lorelai adopted it and naps there every evening. She’s so cute when she does that, curled up in a tight little ball.

But what’s even funnier is, during the day, when Rory naps, it’s in other places nowhere near that corner. During the day, that’s Angel’s napping spot! I’ve read that cats timeshare places in the house, and apparently, our cats are big believers in that!

Aby-a-Day – 27 Mars 2020: “You have to stop the Q-Tip when there’s resistance!”

I don’t remember exactly where I came across these (I think it was probably Kickstarter), but the idea of a reusable Q-Tip was very appealing to me. So when I discovered LastSwab, I had to try it.

Originally, I was intrigued on my own behalf, because I use a Q-Tip every time I take a shower (full disclosure: They clean well, but they don’t soak up the water I get in my ears, so not perfect). But then I realised they would be awesome to use on the cats’ ears when I do their biweekly grooming (claw clipping, toothbrushing, ears, anal glands and combing). Depending on the cat, I use two to three Q-Tips per ear! So I got a LastSwab for each cat.

Each cat has varying degrees of waxy build-up. Alfred, like Jacoby, has the dirtiest ears. Lorelai and Dashiell are next, then Angel and finally Izaak. So I used Freddy as my model.

They are a little more “grabby” than cotton swabs, with those little nubs.

Look how much wax they collect! Jake had chronic yeast infections in his ears, and I suspect Freddy has the same; problem is, Freddy’s insanely hard to give drops to. So I usually do an extra cleaning on his ears on the off weekends.

On Freddy and Jake, I could use three or four swabs in a go. Add in the other cats’ ears…that’s a lot of swabs. I can get all of Freddy’s wax in one go with these. They clean easily with just soap and water, and if you think about it, it’s not much different from having a toothbrush.

There you go, Freddy…all clean!

Okay, Freddy…that’s a little too much enthusiasm.

Postscript…Rory’s LastSwab case suffered a broken clip the first time I used it. I reached out to the company…and they are sending me a whole new LastSwab! All I wanted was a new case. That’s pretty great customer service!

Aby-a-Day – 26 Mars 2020: Reach out and touch someone (Thursday Things)

The other day, we were watching YouTube videos on the television, and I wanted to show Björn the video of Lorelai stalking the geese, which he hadn’t seen yet.

After that, YouTube autoplayed the next video, which was the one of Izaak sitting on top of Dashiell.

Dash was intensely interested in seeing him and his buddy on TV. And then the cutest thing happened.

He reached his paw out and touched Zak! It was so sweet, so tentative…but he definitely recognised his friend.

Then a different video autoplayed, one of Angel and Zak outside. And Dash patted Zak’s image again! I have never seen a cat do this before. I have seen them play with images on screen, but not recognise another cat that they know.

I made a little video of him…but he went behind the screen looking for the cats. I did finally capture him patting Zak.

Aby-a-Day – 25 Mars 2020: Wordless Wednesday (Two sides of the same cat)

Other People’s Singas: Life with Misha

Today in the Facebook Singapura Group, a Polish man named Lucasz posted a link to a YouTube video showing him trying to work on his laptop wish Misha, his Singapura.

Yeah…I know that feel.

Aby-a-Day – 24 Mars 2020: How to Train Your Singapura, a work in progress (Cartoon Tuesday)

I finally watched How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World a couple of weeks ago. And, of course, Toothless reminded me a LOT of Izaak. So…

I had to do it. First, the pre-sketch, and then a main sketch.

This is the preliminary inking.

And here’s the whiskers and eyeshine. I still have to do the second inking, base colour and texture (obviously)…but I am excited to finish it and see how it looks!

Loki Hunts With StarClan

Do you remember back in 2014, two Abyssinians in Australia who were who were rescued by my friend Phyll. They settled into their new home quickly, and were named Loki and Odin (because Odin lost an eye).

So it was very sad for me to see Phyll’s post yesterday morning in the Facebook Abyssinian Cat Club: “Hi all, it is with a broken heart that I let you know that Loki, one of the Renbury Rescue Abys that you all helped save in 2014, has passed tonight. I am heartbroken, he was such a gorgeous boy, but know I was with him at the end and after. The photos are of him when he was in the pound and the other, his life with me after you all helped save him and his litter mate. My new job is to help little Odin understand that his brother will not be back. Odin was given the chance to say goodbye to Loki as he came home with me. Arrangements have been made and Loki will be picked up tomorrow to be cremated and returned home. Not sure little Odin understands that Loki has gone as he is not the smartest of cats in the world, but I am hoping. Thank you all that helped these boys and remember Loki with love.”

My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend has stopped running today. Sleep well in Tuonela, dear Loki.

Aby-a-Day – 23 Mars 2020: Magnificent Alfred (Mischievous Monday)

When we went outside the other day, Alfred and Lorelai were a bit naughty and ran down the hill to the road and the houses.

He met a friendly Labrador; that’s why his tail is puffed up. I tried to get him to go back up the hill to the lawn.

Stay classy, Freddy.

Spoiler alert: He didn’t go back up the hill. These were taken before the fun and games with the lake and the geese.

Okay…maybe he’s not the poser Jacoby was. But he is rather photogenic.

…and this would be when he jumped down and went over to the lake. Brat.

Aby-a-Day – 22 Mars 2020: Lorelai and the Geese (Cinema Sunday)

It started with Alfred.

He’s the first one who ran towards the lake.

But Lorelai took it to a whole other level.

She decided to HUNT the geese. Who probably outweigh her. Here’s a video of Freddy, but mainly Rory, stalking the geese.

Aby-a-Day – 21 February 2020: Freddy and Bruno meet again (Swedish Saturday)

The first time Alfred and Bruno met, it got a little…tense. But since Lorelai has befriended him, Freddy’s been cutting Bruno a bit of a break.

But he’s still not really sure about this canine.

…And, there it is…

Look at Freddy, getting his fierce on.

Bruno’s used to being put in his place by cats…after all, he was raised by Markis…so, yeah.

Aby-a-Day – 20 Mars 2020: Toothy Towels (Fashion Friday)

This was back in 2017, but Björn found the cutest embroidered towels in the That’s Sew Creative shop on Etsy.

Just look at these cute designs…and don’t they look like Abys? We had been using my Yoga Cat towel on the tub, but the minute I saw these, I knew we had to have them.

I had only two requirements…we had to have dark grey towels, and her machine needed to be able to make the Ö in Björn. Which, as you can see, she could do.

Here’s mine. I love the bow on the tail. They make me smile every time I go into the bathroom.

But are they Abyssinians?

Alfred seems to think so.

Aby-a-Day – 19 Mars 2020: Another trip to the vet (Thursday Things)

Yesterday, Alfred and I went to the veterinarian to see how his lungs look after pneumonia.

As I have said before, it’s a two-bus, almost hour long bus trip from our house to the vet. And we had lots of hang time waiting for the transfers.

This is at Resecentrum. I love this shot.

When we had a bus transfer wait of more than ten minutes, I let Freddy out of his carrier.

Goofball.

But at the vet we got good news: Freddy’s lungs are completely clear.

Not only are his lungs clear, it also looks like he doesn’t have asthma. So that’s great!

Much like Jacoby, Freddy loves to sing the song of his people when he’s outside.

This IS an Airport, Please Announce Your Departure: Aeroplane Ear Posting.

After the vet visit, we stopped off a DjurMagazinet to stock up om raw chicken necks and raw meatballs.

Of course, Freddy helped me pick out the raw food I bought.

Of course, Freddy made friends when we were on line for the cash.

That’s Freddy’s superpower: making friends wherever he goes.

Aby-a-Day – 18 Mars 2020: Wordless Wednesday (The faces of Izaak)

Aby-a-Day – 17 Mars 2020: Probably our last pub quiz for a while…(Cartoon Tuesday)

Last Wednesday, we did our usual pub quiz since Björn was working downtown and I had an appointment. Seems like such a long time ago, now.

It seemed a little quieter than usual, but nothing out of the ordinary. I sketched some cats without names whilst I was waiting for Björn, as a bit of a test. He actually guessed wrong at first. Take a look at the two sketches above. Can you tell who they are?

Well…this one is Dashiell. You can tell by his funny back legs.

And this one is Izaak. You can tell by his cheetah markings around his eyes.

The quiz started out being focused on Scotland and Scottish things, and one of the questions was “Vad är en ‘Scottish Fold’?” Well, of course we knew that one! And of course I had to illustrate what a Scottish Fold is, too. We won the quiz – 800kr, which paid for our dinner and drinks. I wonder if we got extra credit for the fold sketch.

And, since today is St. Patrick’s Day, here’s a rerun from seven years ago. Sláinte!

Aby-a-Day – 16 March 2020: Smol bols and pretty poses (Hipstamatic Monday)

I am kind of loving how the language of the internet is evolving. From L33t speak in the 1990’s to LOL cat speak, it’s really been a lot of fun to watch develop.

And now we have the newest internet dialect: DoggoLingo. Just as LOL cat speak was applied to dogs, DoggoLingo is being co-opted by kitties. It’s a world of heckin good bois, chonks, bleps and peets, and, of course, smol bols

Lorelai and Dashiell, especially, love to sleep curled up into the smallest balls they can. Rory making herself a tiny ball isn’t that hard; she’s a small cat, weighing only 2.6kg (just under 6lbs).

But Dash, who is almost as big as Alfred (who is 4.6kg, just over 10lbs), can make himself into a pretty smol bol.

I don’t know what he does with those gangly legs of his…but it’s impressive.

Freddy and Izaak tend to do a double bol. I am not sure if Freddy has much say in the matter.

Then we have the pretty poses. They have nothing to do with the language stuff above.

They’re just pretty.

Zak manages to make some pretty poses himself.

For about five seconds. Then he goes and ruins it. Way to go, Zak.

Yeah? Well…what you think is a moo point. You know, like a cow’s opinion. It doesn’t matter. It’s moo.

Aby-a-Day – 15 Mars 2020: A little time capsule (Cinema Sunday)

I am not sure where it came from, exactly, but a while ago I discovered a short little video my ex took with his iPhone. It’s just Angel being cute, kneading a blanket on the sofa in our old (tiny) apartment, with a cameo by Jacoby.

It seems to have been taken around the same time as the other photos in this post, sometime between January and March 2011.

Jake would have still been recovering from his escalator incident when these were taken; he and Angel were getting along fairly companionably, too.

Here they are on Valentine’s Day 2011. Two weeks later, Jake would be going to his first cat show…where I met my friend Meg, as it happens.

In any case, here’s the little blast from the past I found on a random jump drive. Click on the image to view it in another tab.

Aby-a-Day – 14 Mars 2020: Scandinavian Winners Show…Cancelled

Yesterday, I posted about the Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade being cancelled. That’s not the only thing cancelled. The Scandinavian Winners Show, which was to be 25-26 April, was declared cancelled on Wednesday.

When I went to the Winners Show in 2018 with Logan, I didn’t fully appreciate what a truly big deal it was. I mean, I knew it was special, and you had to qualify to enter, but I didn’t really get how important it is. Cats who win BIS in the Winners Show get to add the letters SW to their titles. It matters. CFA has nothing like that, where you can earn a title in a single show.

It started to sink in on the second day. There was no judging, just awarding. People dresssed up in their national colours and it felt like a party.

But one of the best things was that our friend Stellan’s Singapura, Chi, won! Now he is SW S*Kustens Chi Sarà Con Te.

He’s also a little doll.

The timing wasn’t right to go to the Winners Show last year when it was held in Turku, but we were excited to go to this year’s show in Norway. Timing was good, the location was good…and it would have been my first time travelling to Norway! But there is a teeny-tiny silver lining…Next year’s Winners Show will be in ÖREBRO! Our favourite showhall and everything! Hopefully this virus will be managed by then.

That’s not all. CFA’s President has announced that, after the Crab and Mallet show in Baltimore this weekend, the CFA show season is over. It usually ends on April 30th.

You may recall I got to visit this show once as a spectator; it’s a wonderful show in a great location. And I got to meet the Mooners! This year, however, spectators are not allowed. Only exhibitors and judges will be allowed in the show hall.