
I had the idea to make mix CDs for my work crew, including a series for individualized CD covers. I based the series on a book of nursery rhymes by
Nicola Bayley that I have had since I was maybe 5 or 6. One thing I learned pretty quickly was that painting on the dining room table is not the best way to keep your back and neck from hurting. Also I learned that lack of sleep, caffeine, and pure OCD behavior help you get things done pretty quickly, because of course I procrastinated.
The Owl & The Pussycat
Originally uploaded by veggiesteph This one above is my favorite: my favorite rhyme and stars two of my favorite characters. I constantly sketch my little yellow Owl and my Siamese cat Bucky, who I lost this past year to FID.
I painted them all on thick drawing paper using acrylics. The nursery rhymes I used were:
- Mary, Mary Quite Contrary
- Little Bo Beep
- I Met a Man Going to St. Ives
- Humpty Dumpty
- The Queen of Hearts
- Hickory, Dickory Dock
- 3 Blind Mice
- 4 and 20 Blackbirds baked in a pie
- Hey Diddle, Diddle
- 5 Little Pigs
- Little Miss Muffet
- The Owl & The Pussycat
You can see the entire set of pictures on my Flickr page, in a set called
Nursery Rhyme CD Covers.

The Setup
The Owl & The Pussycat sketch
Page of Sketches
Hey Diddle, Diddle Cover
St. Ives Sketch and Start
St. Ives Closeup