Aby-a-Day – 31 December 2020: 2020 hindsight (Thursday Things)

So. 2020 is almost over. And what a year it’s been.

Think about it…one year ago today, would you ever have dreamed of even one of the things that happened? Let alone ALL of them! From the pandemic, to the fires in California, to the rioting and unrest in the cities, to the hurricanes, to the antics of the American “president,” to the absolutely bizarre events following the election…Just because I live in Sweden doesn’t mean that I am not affected by what happens back in the States. I just hope things get better in 2021, with a new President and a Covid vaccine.

2021 cannot be worse than this year, can it? Let’s hear it for 2020 hindsight!

Aby-a-Day – 20 December 2020: Wordless Wednesday (Warriors plushies!)

Aby-a-Day – 29 December 2020: Not throwing away his shot (Cartoon Tuesday)

It’s finished! I finally finished Dashiell Hamilton! It was a real process, too. But as I mentioned last week, I got a new Paperlike screen protector for my iPad, and it makes drawing on the screen so much more natural and organic. In fact, I did most of this in Procreate. Only the last few bits were done in Photoshop.

And the very first bit. I started with a photo of the suit and a photo of Dash in Photoshop. Then I went to Procreate and did the sketches.

Getting the suit just right was my biggest challenge. It took five layers to make it look the way I wanted it to. I did two base colour layers in Procreate, and a low-opacity layer of the actual suit (done in Photoshop) to add the sheen and texture. Then the ink layer was moved above the colour layers. Finally, I discovered a lace brush in Procreate, which was perfect for his sleeves and cravat.

Dash himself was a little easier, because…well, I’ve done more ruddy Abyssinians than I’ve done 18th century emerald-green silk suits. All layers except the top fur texture layer were done on the iPad.

Put all the layers together, along with the whiskers and a little shadow, and put him onstage…and, finally, history has its eyes on Dash!

And, just because I can, I saved the video of the whole Procreate process for anyone who’s interested. Click on the above image to watch the magic happen in Flickr.

Aby-a-Day – Make a mini Warrior Cat! (Miniature Monday)

The Warriors Cats website has just released a Warriors cats miniature maker, where you can make a Warrior cat in the style of their new new rubber Warriors miniatures.

So of course I had to make Warriors minis of our cats. Although, I did have to modify some in Photoshop; I couldn’t do Angel’s one eye or get Alfred’s colour exactly right using the mini-maker alone.

Dashiell and Lorelai required much less touching up.

My favourite, though, is Izaak. Somehow, the default pose and eyes just suit him!

Aby-a-Day – 27 December 2020: Welcome to the rat race (Cinema Sunday)

We got the cats a remote-controlled rat toy for Christmas. We thought it would be a lot of fun for them.

It…didn’t go quite as planned.

I’m not sure if it was the motor noises or the crazy, self-righting wheels, but they seemed a little intimidated by the thing.

So, Björn got the idea of putting a bit of ham on the back of the rat. Well, that got Alfred’s attention.

And then the ham fell off.

And…then Freddy ate the ham. So much for that idea.

So we stopped the rat to see what they would do when it wasn’t moving.

Dashiell grabbed it and started dragging it off.

He was growling as he pulled it along!

I don’t think any of us saw that coming.

Here’s the video of the whole encounter. I sped it up a little bit, so you may not be able to hear Dash growling.

Aby-a-Day – 26 December 2020: Self-amusing cat toy (Silly Saturday)

My friend (and Dashiell’s breeder) sent us some Christmas gifts. Among them was a simple wand toy with holographic tinsel.

I put it in a pencil cup. Lorelai really liked it.

Errr…maybe she liked it a little too much. But she’s proof that wand toys don’t need to have a human on the other end to be fun to play with.

As for the question on everyone’s mind…I still can’t tell if Rory is pregnant. Her nipples seem to say yes, but he isn’t showing anything yet. I am going to weigh her this weekend, so maybe that will give us a clue.

Aby-a-Day – 25 December 2020: God Jul, Allihopa! (Friday Flashback)

This morning, Facebook reminded me of Christmas three years ago. We didn’t know it at the time, but it was our last Jul with Logan, and it was also our last Christmas at Björn’s mother’s house.

We took the train to Jönköping Julafton morning. It was fairly chilly, so he wore Jacoby’s old snowflake hoody.

Jake had a snazzy new sweater of his own.

Jake had been to Björn’s mom’s house once before, but this was Logan’s first time.

As I’ve said before, Björn&’s mom always made the perfect traditional Swedish Julbord, and it was marvellous. We had the cold courses (hard-boiled eggs with caviar, pickled herring, and smoked salmon)…

…mustard-crusted ham, Jul cheese and red beet salad…

…prinskorv and meatballs (before cooking, here)…

…and sausage, cabbage rolls and Janssons frestelse, which is basically scalloped potatoes that are julienned instead, with anchovies added. It’s delicious, I promise.

Anyway, I had found this special Jul apple at the grocery store, and brought it to Björn’s mom because I thought she’d like it.

Christmas morning, Logan was sitting on a kitchen table chair, and he looked so cute I had to pose him with the apple. The rest is (Facebook) history.

Aby-a-Day – 24 December 2020: Från oss alla till er alla, en riktigt god Jul! (Thursday Things)

Well…it’s been a memorable year, that’s for sure.

I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a year that so globally interesting.

But enough of that…time to watch Kalle Anka and eat and drink too much. Happy Christmas and God Jul.

Aby-a-Day – 23 December 2020: Wordless Wednesday (Gone but not forgotten)

Aby-a-Day – 22 December 2020: Catty Christmas cards (Not Really Cartoon Tuesday)

Okay. Now, I know these aren’t cartoons. But I have been working on colouring Dashiell Hamilton every day. I want to get the green of his suit just right, and it’s taking a lot longer than I thought…and I haven’t even started on colouring Dash himself! I am trying to do as much as I can in Procreate…but yesterday I got a new Paperlike screen protector, and let me tell you, it is a game changer! It really feels like I’m drawing on real paper, and it is so much better than drawing on glass. Even though it’s digital, it still feels organic. I’ve also ordered a set of Pen Tips, which should also improve the drawing experience. While Paperlike and Pen Tips ship worldwide, they are based in Germany and the Netherlands respectfully, so I don’t have to pay any import taxes!

Since Dash-Ham isn’t finished enough to post an update, I’m sharing some Christmas cards I’ve received. The above card arrived today from my Sverak club AbSolut Kattklubb. That is one lovely blue Somali.

This card came a couple of days ago from my friend Donna in Massachussetts. I think these Birmans are adorable. At least, I think they’re Birmans…hard to tell when you can’t see their feet!

This cute little Siamese postcard came today, also from Donna. I love that she keeps sending me postcards…it’s nice to have physical notes from friends sometimes, especially during a pandemic.

Aby-a-Day – 21 December 2020: Is she or isn’t she redux (Medical Mystery Monday)

Well, yesterday was three weeks after I saw Lorelai and Ritchie actually mating.

My friends and the books both say that, around the three-week mark, she should be “pinking up”…and, once again, I really cannot tell.

Although, when we were taking these photos, her nipples did seem to be easier to find…so maybe?

Aby-a-Day – 20 December 2020: Surprise! Another final! (Cinema Cat Show Sunday)

Surprise! On Friday, when I posted about Jacoby’s victories in the “Haute Cat-ture” category, I didn’t realise that there were two judges in the competition. So Jake won AGAIN, earning 6th place in Millenial Exhibitors Judge Romain Attard’s “ring.”

You can see him narrating his final on YouTube.

Aby-a-Day – 19 December 2020: Getting better all the time (Singapura Saturday)

Even when she was a kitten, Lorelai has been a very skilled shoulder cat. She can jump from the ground to your shoulder in one easy leap and stick the landing, without sticking your shoulder.

Izaak…not so much. But he really wants to be a shoulder cat. And he’s been practicing.

“Aw yeah, I got this.”

Aby-a-Day – 18 December 2020: Good fortune in the fashion show (Fashion Friday)

This morning, I got the following email: “Thank you for participating in the 2020 CFA International Top Cat Challenge, benefitting the WINN Feline Foundation. Your cat has WON in the Haute Cat-ture competition! We will be sending your cat a treat or toy via Amazon Prime, sponsored by ZYMOX pet products, in the near future.

Here are our top 10 winners:

Coconut
PinUpCats Pichu
Khufu
Jasper
Milo
Leonidas (Abysaurus Rex)
Pellburn Jacoby Stealin Home
Snowball
Fury
Gememerald A Million Voices”

Yep, Jake made it into the the top ten…twice! He was Ninth Best in his snow boots and knit cap, and Third Best wearing his Don Draper suit. I had also entered him in his turkey outfit and in his Red Sox uniform (including socks), but those two photos didn’t make the final.

You can watch the final, narrated by CFA Region 9 judge Teo Vargas Huesa, on You Tube.

Aby-a-Day – 17 December 2020: Merry Fishmas (Thursday Things)

Pickled Herring is one of the traditional foods on the traditional foods on the Swedish Julbord (Christmas table)…so of course there’s a version of Julsill for cats!

It’s made by Mjau, the “low-rent” version of Bozita, which I’ve mentioned before (Both Bozita and Mjau are made by Doggy AB in Vårgårda). The main difference between the two brands seems to be the range of flavours and the ingredients labels. Mjau lists “meat and animal by-products” and “fish and fish by-products,” with 4% actual herring. Bozita lists the specific animals used, and doesn’t include “by-products.”

But do the cats mind if they get a little Julsill along with their raw? Apparently not…well, except maybe for Izaak.

Aby-a-Day – 16 December 2020: Wordless Wednesday (Jul katter)

Aby-a-Day – 15 December 2020: Dashiell Hamilton inked (Cartoon Tuesday)

I finally got the ink layer done on my Dashiell Hamilton drawing.

But, since I wanted a thin ink line, it’s not very visible, so in Photoshop, I added a stroke to the lines to make it more visible. Now it’s time for colours and textures!

Aby-a-Day – 14 December 2020: Christmas candles (Hipstamatic Monday)

We’re putting up our Jul/Christmas decorations gradually this year, starting with the easiest things first. So first the wreath goes on our front door, and then we put the Julljusstaken in the windows.

And, as always, it leads to some incredibly festive photos ops.

Pair the candles with Hipstamatic’s holiday-themed films and lenses, and you can have a lot of fun. This film is called “Vixen-chan.”

And this film is “Donner.”

This last one isn’t one of the holiday films…but it feels Christmassy, don’t you think?

Aby-a-Day – 13 December 2020: Nothing says waking up like kitties in your face (Sort of Selfie Sunday)

This is how I wake up most mornings. Izaak is usually involved, and then it’s either Alfred, Lorelai and/or Dashiell. I tried to take a selfie one morning…but it did not go well. The front camera, even on an iPhone 11 Pro, is really not that great.

So I had Björn take the photos with the back camera.

So, okay, not technically selfies…but credit for intent. And I absolutely adore the way Zak tries to hold my hand.

Isn’t that adorable?

Aby-a-Day – 12 December 2020: Izaak meets Bruce the Spruce (Silly Saturday)

Seven years ago this Christmas, I found Bruce the Spruce, the plush Christmas tree who dances and sings Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree. We didn’t put up all our decorations last year, but we bought a new tree this year, and we brought up about half our decorations from the basement.

Bruce was one of the decorations. I don’t think Lorelai had seen him before.

I don’t think Izaak had seen him before, either.

Given his plushie obsession, Zak was fairly fascinated.

Or frightened. Could be either.

Nah…I’m going with fascinated.

Don’t stick your tongue out at Bruce, Izaak!