The 4th week finds the Bookseller in China.

Ok,  STILL stuck in Sharpies and digital modes.  I drew a  weird and not very pretty dragon,  based on a card I saw somewhere. Then I "painted" with Sharpies, uploaded it to two different programs to be able to do the simple manipulations I wanted to do and the digital fill-in coloring for background and to make sign, etc.  Found a Chinese pc online, digitally erased and recolored and "stamped" with correct postage on address/writing side.  Printed that out, got the writing done by spouse, and finally uploaded whole mess here.  It is a fun challenge, despite what progress it looks like I am making with all this new stuff. Story line is suffering, to be sure.  Will have to work on that.

Translation of Hank's writing:

Dear Wife,

I just love China. Great pizza! (ha ha) Country is in a building frenzy. They say the national bird is the "Crane." Picked up 17th c. album of landscape paintings by Huang Chun, which we can sell at auction.  Wish you were here. Luv, Hank.

He HAD wanted to add but did not have room on this card: Really love the history, sights, and the people.  Having traversed the Great Wall made him happy.  His sense of humor never changes, so he managed a couple of shots at it despite lack of writing room.

Week three finds the Bookseller in Brazil.  

He writes: Now in Rio! So much to do. Picked up a nice philatelic gem in an antique shop: Napier's Stamps of the First Issue of Brazil, with all 40 plates in rear pocket. Pub. in 1923, #57 of 200 copies. It is in English so I got it at a good price. Will put $750 on it. Got to go. Wish you were here. Love, Hank.

This is an interpretation of a vintage post card. It shows Cristo Redentor, a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world, 2300 ft. above the city . (See Wikipedia.)  I drew it with Sharpies (oh, my, never again) and uploaded it and did more coloring digitally.  That is a propeller plane flying in front of the statue. Below can be seen Sugarloaf Mt.

That was painful!

NOW, I hope, I will get this week's post card posted.
The Bookseller, having heard from his wife that all is well, is now in Spain, a country always dear to her for many reasons.
The front is a poorly rendered drawing, reminiscent of the vintage Spanish Flamenco post cards which were often embroidered.  Alas, this one is not, as it would surely have improved it. The flowers and Spanish symbol are digital enhancements.

The address side of the postcard is a digital image altered and appropriate postage digitally added.

If you cannot read his handwriting, which, thankfully, his wife can, it says:
Dear Wife,
 Como se dice? Biss! In one day, the Home of Cervantes (how Jen would love it, and think of it each time she looked at her Don Quixote print) and the home of Lope de Vega AND charming little bookstores in the "Barrio de las Letras" neighborhood in Madrid.  Tomorrow I will visit the PRADO which is nearby. As usual, will mail books to the store.  
Love,
su esposo

I seem to have lost, more than once now, last week's comments and post cards. I will try to put the post cards back before I post this week's.

This is the front of a repro postcard I made by altering a digital image of a 1927 Austrian postcard. It was to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Beethoven.
The address side of the repro was made similarly, with appropriate postage and a postmark.
The Bookseller writes to his wife/partner in New York.

First Attempt! Thanks for the Motivation, DarcyW, and the Help, Julia and Sandy

  Having been online since 1984, and never having had a Blog, Darcy's 2012 challenge was just too hard to resist. Of course, I may not get any art done, or even develop the story line, but it is such fun just to think about the possibilities!  I am anxious to see all the responses she gets.