Iris sent the cover of the show catalogue to all of us members today, and I thought you would like to see how my BBQ Marlin drawing ended uo being used. I don’t know if it will be printed in colour or greyscale, though…Probably greyscale. But I can still wish for colour.
Yesterday, Iris asked me for a Marlin drawing for the cover of the catalog for our show next year. I didn’t want to do yet another version of Marlin grilling; I wanted to do something new.
I thought about it a little bit, and, because the big theme this year is the outdoor barbecue dinner on Saturday night. So, I got the idea to do a sort of 1950’s-style guy eating at a table laden with barbecued meat, holding up a knife and fork with a napkin ties around his neck-
This is Marlin with the table of meat I found; it’s from an early 60’s Andy Griffith’s BBQ Sauce ad. I modified it in Photoshop and I may do more with it. Marlin’s feet won’t be in the final drawing; it will cut off at the bottom edge of the table, but I wanted to draw a complete Marlin in case I want to use some of the layers in another project later on. I also have a really fun idea of something to put on the bib. Stay tuned.
Here’s the video of my preliminary sketches in Procreate; click on the image to watch it in a new tab on Flickr.
NEMO is having a cat show next month, and Iris asked me for an outline of our mascot Marlin. Well…there were a few problems with that. Back in 2013 when I originally drew Marlin, I did it old school: ink on paper, scan, and fill in Photoshop using the paint bucket tool. Eight years ago, it was fine…but I can do better now. Also, back then, I didn’t put outlines and colours on separate layers, so I literally didn’t have the outline handy.
I put the old logo into Procreate and redrew Marlin. I wanted to keep him as close to the original as possible, because he’s our brand, so I didn’t change anything. I just refined him.
Then, also in Procreate, I did all the colours except the base cream coat.
Then I shifted back to Photoshop. Sometimes, the old tools are the best tools. I duplicated the outline and filled it all with cream using my trusty paint bucket tool.
Here are both colour layers together. Keeping with preserving the original, all the colours are eyedroppered from the 2013 drawing.
And this is the result, a shiny new NEMO logo for the Roaring Twenties!
Yesterday, Iris sent NEMO club members a draft of the flyer for our first post-Covid in-person show. It’s only open to exhibitors, and masks will be required unless eating or drinking. When I saw it, I knew what I had to do.
So here is the new, improved, mask-wearing Marlin doing his BBQ thing.
Here’s how it looks on the flyer itself. Not bad, eh?
Yesterday I posted Lorelai’s and Dashiell’s results in the Garden State Cat Club Virtual Show. Today it’s Izaak’s turn. His best final was 5th Best in Sharon Roy’s ring.
This is what Sharon had to say about him starting at 3:54.
Zak was 8th Best Cat in Championnship in Vicki Nye’s ring. She also finalled both Rory (in this same ring) and Dash, so she liked all of our cats.
Vicki’s assessment of Zak starts at 4:11.
Zak also made 11th Best in my friend Lorraine Shelton’s ring.
She really liked him, too; see what she had to say starting at 2:53. With Dash making two finals, Zak three, and Rory four, this really was our best virtual show ever!
I entered Dashiell, Lorelai and Izaak in the Garden State Cat Club Virtual Show a couple of weeks ago, and the finals were announced earlier this week. Today, we have the Abyssinian finals. Rory got the highest final: SECOND BEST in Kenny Currle’s ring!
You can see his assessment of Rory on YouTube starting at 5:06.
Rory got 10th Best in two other judges’ rings: Jeri Zottoli and Nicholas Pun.
You can see Jeri’s comments at 4:00.
Nicholas’ opinion is at 3:52.
Rory’s lowest final was 13th Best in Vicki Nye’s ring.
Here’s what Vicki had to say about Rory starting at 1:37.
They had a special class for cats who were never shown because of the pandemic called “A Star is Born.” Vicki gave him 4th Best in her ring.
This is was Vicki thought about Dash, starting at 5:56.
Dash was 7th Best in Gary Veach’s ring, just ahead of his nephew Max! Max also finalled in some of the rings that Dash didn’t.
You can watch Gary’s commentary on both Max and Dash here starting at 4:34. Tomorrow, we’ll see how Zak did in the show.
In yesterday’s post, I called Izaak Dashiell’s personal therapy cat. But at that show, a young man in a wheelchair came to look at the cats, and Björn put Zakk on his lap.
And Zak was so good! He just sat there and let the boy admire him whilst his mother took photos. It’s always fun to show off Zak because Singapuras are still such a rare breed in Europe.
It’s too bad that therapy cats aren’t really a thing here.
Because like Logan before him, Zak seems to be a natural.
The little cat show at DjurMagazinet at the end of 2019 was the only show Dashiell got to go to before Coronavirus happened-
All in all, he managed it quite well, despite his usual skittishness. Of course, he wasn’t alone.
He had his little big sister, Lorelai, to keep him company.
And, of course, his personal therapy cat, Izaak.
It’s too bad, really…I think he would have done wonderfully at a FIFe show.
Remember when, back in the day, we went to cat shows and didn’t know words like “social distancing”?
Sigh…
I do.
Especially in Sweden, the pariah of Scandinavia. We may never have a show again at the rate we’re going.
These photos are from a show in Västra Frölunda…15 September 2019. Back when the world was…normal.
This is judge Ad De Bruijn from Holland examining Izaak.
Zak really turned it on for the judge, too…but he didn’t get the NOM.
I don’t think I have shared one of these before, but this is Ad De Bruijn’s judging sheet for Zak (these sheets are the BEST thing about FIFe).
The second day of that Swedish CFA show was as much fun as the first, both for us and for Jacoby.
We had a lot of judges come over from the US. At this point, I had only been in Sweden for six months, so it was fun to see some familiar faces and hear some familiar accents.
This judge, Albert Kurkowski, was one of the few non-American, non-CFA judges; he was from Poland, and he was a guest judge from the World Cat Federation.
I really enjoyed watching him handle Jake.
There was a really pretty little Burmilla girl who was frequently benched next to us during judging.
She reminded me a bit of Tessie.
This judge, Inga Balciuniene, was also a WCF guest judge from Latvia.
Pam DeLaBar is a CFA judge who lives in Finland. I actually hadn’t ever seen her at a show in the States. It’s nice having another ex-pat in the cat fancy.
And our friend Russell Webb was there, too. He was always Jake’s lucky charm.
Jake was Second Best cat in Premiership in Russell’s ring.
As we did Saturday, when Jake got a little antsy we went outside to play in the snow. This time, I didn’t bother with the harness and leash. I figured, how far is he going to get in that deep snow.
Famous last words.
He started making off towards a little house. He went pretty far really quickly, too! I was surprised how hard he was to catch.
I finally caught him, though.
The cats we have now are awesome, and a lot of fun to show…but I still miss going to shows with Jake.
I never did post the photos from the CFA show we went to in 2017 I was reminded of yesterday.
Jacoby seemed delighted to be back at a CFA show after competing in a few FIFe shows.
And our friend Teresa Keiger seemed delighted to see Jake on her judging table again.
Many CFA judges enjoyed showing off Jake’s “hands off” style on the judging table, and Teresa is one of them.
People never got over how he loved to just stand and pose on the table, with absolutely no desire to run off.
Jake really loved CFA shows.
Even so, later in the day Jake started getting a little antsy, so we took him outside to play in the snow.
The snow was fresh and wicked deep.
I think Jake was happy for a break outside…but a little taken aback by how much snow there was.
That didn’t stop him from exploring, though.
He even plowed his way to a chain link fence.
When he got there, he gripped the links and looked out through the fence.
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It was strangely reminiscent of the way he loved to look through the chain link fence in our little park along the Harborwalk back in Boston.
After the first day of showing was over, we settled into our hotel. Jake knew where his food was!
Jake and Björn chilled on the bed watching TV.
There happened to be a documentary about cats on TV that night!
Jake was very interested in it and watched intently. It was so cute!
Four years ago, Björn, Jacoby and I were at our first (and Jake’s only) CFA show in Region 9 (Europe). There in only one CFA show in Sweden annually, and it’s inconveniently located and so close to the beloved Örebro show, so we only entered it the one time.
It was fun, though, and Jake really enjoyed himself. He always preferred CFA’s format to FIFe’s. And, entered in the show, were three Abyssinians descended from Instincts cats.
It was fun to see old friends again. Pam DeLaBar, a CFA judge, is also another American expat living in Finland.
There was also a lot of snow. When Jake started getting bored, we went out and played in it.
This show was also the only show where Jake finalled in every ring. There were only nineteen cats entered in Premiership, and, interestingly, they were almost all older than five years. It was a fun time…even though the rosettes were printed on cardboard.
We went outside again on Sunday to play in the snow. This time, I didn’t bother to put Jake on his leash. He went on a bit of a walkabout before I was able to catch him!
I’ll share more photos from that show weekend tomorrow and 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.
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.
I finally got around to entering the CFA International Top Cat Challenge finale. After the results of the last show, I was a bit hesitant, but ah, what the hell?
So I entered Izaak,
and Lorelai in the Championship class,
and Dashiell in the Premiership class, using the regular photos.
The entry fees were $10 each, with the fourth entry being free. So, I entered Angel in the Household Pet class.
But the main reason I entered this show was for the “Haute Cat-ture” fun class. Cats…posing in costumes? Um, yes please! I entered Jacoby in four different outfits: His Red Sox uniform…
…His Don Draper suit…
…His super posey snow photoshoot wearing his knit cap and his boots…
…and of course, Jake’s fabulous Thanksgiving outfit! Wish me luck!
Two weeks ago, I posted about entering the Paws Across the Sea joint Region 1/Region 9 CFA virtual show. Well, the results were announced last weekend! As expected, Lorelai didn’t make any finals (there were three blue female Abys in Championship), but we did have a bit of luck…each of the other cats made one final each.
Izaak was 15th Best Cat in Championship in Iris Zinck’s virtual ring. He also made a final as 15th Best in the Nemo show.
You can hear Iris’ comments on Zak here (starting at 0:55).
Dashiell was 4th Best Cat in Premiership in Suki Lee’s virtual ring. In the Nemo show, he was 6th Best Cat in Premiership in one ring, so that’s a good sign for when we finally get to go back to real cat shows.
You can hear Suki’s comments on Dash here (starting at 7:12).
Perhaps the most gratifying final, though, was Angel’s HHP final in Gary Veach’s virtual ring. She was 12th Best! This is only her second show…and her first final.
You can hear Gary’s comments on Angel here (starting at 3:06).
I really do miss going to cat shows…we haven’t been to one for an entire year, since last November, if you can believe it. But at least we have virtual shows to keep us going.
Remember the artwork I did for a Region 1/Region 9 virtual CFA show? Well, entries are closing today!
I entered Izaak and Lorelai in Championship…even though they aren’t registered in CFA, as long as they are registered in any organisation, they’re eligible to be shown.
I know I use these photos from Örebro a lot, but they are just so wonderful. It’s going to be interesting; whilst Zak is the only Singapura entered (so far), there are three Championship blue Aby girls entered!
Dashiell is entered in Premiership. I wish I had more professional shots of him, but at least we have the photos from the ferry! Although, had I known virtual shows would become a thing, I would have taken his collar off.
Entries were $10 USD each, but the fourth entry was free, so I went ahead and entered Angel as a HHP. The cats will all be examined by CFA judges, just like a real show, and there will be top ten finals. But there is also a Spectators’ Choice element, and people can vote for their favourite cats. To vote for any of our cats, click on their photograph and their gallery page will open in a new window. Votes cost $1 USD each, and you can purchase multiple votes for each at one time, but can only make one transaction per cat per day. Funds raised will go to support both regions. For more information, go to the show’s home page.
Last December, we went to a “mini-show” at our nearby pet store, DjurMagazinet, similar to the one we went to in 2018.
One fun thing about these “pet store” shows is, there is no judging, and a lot more downtime. So we get to explore the store.
Including the cat trees.
But Izaak wasn’t the only one exploring the cat trees. If you recall, we met a lovely sorrel Somali named Tootsie at the last show we went to at DjurMagazinet.
Both Tootsie and Zak were (literally) all over the cat trees at the show.
It was fun to watch Tootsie and Zak interact.
They both live with other cats and (used to, anyway) go to cat shows often, so they were quite civil with each other.
They mostly explored the trees individually, but near each other.
Zak really liked how high he could get.
He also really liked the hanging puffball toys, while Tootsie explored the cubbyhole.
Zak then moved to one of the hammocks, and from there seemed to notice Tootsie.
He came down to say hello.
I think they could be friends!
Facebook reminded me today that exactly five years ago, Jacoby and I were at our last NEMO show. Kind of interesting that in 2015, the 10th and 11th of October fell on Saturday and Sunday the same as this year. One nice thing about the show hall at Sturbridge is that it has WiFi, so I was able to FaceTime with Björn and virtually introduce him to my friends.
It was funny…Jake never used to “pole dance” on the judge’s table, but for some reason, at that show, he did it quite a few times!
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He seemed as surprised as anyone.
He got a catnip kick-stick from our friend Donna.
He really liked it.
We also got to meet our friend Kim’s famous Bobby, star of Netfix’s Catwalk. Yes, we can honestly say we knew him when.
Jake’s mini-me was at the show, too.
I had to show it to Carla Bizzell, who had once called Jake a posable action figure. She was quite amused.
And let’s not forget the costume contest! Jake and I dressed as >a href=”target=#>Jake from State Farm and the woman on the phone.
It was the best costume. I got to wear a bathrobe and pajamas all day. And I even had a phone.
“What are you wearing, ‘Jake from State Farm‘?”
That was one of the best shows I’ve ever been in. I’ll always remember it fondly.
New England is beautiful in autumn…but our part of Sweden gets similar bright foliage, so I don’t miss it too much.
The Daily Abyssinian...and Singapura 