Infinite Scroll Project - Space!

This week's Art House Project was a variation on the 'Exquisite Corpse' exercise.

The Exquisite Corpse, or cadavre exquis began as french surrealist exploration into a collection of words within a group. Each participant would write a word without any knowledge of the word that came before, creating an amusing string of nonsense, or maybe even a semblance of a story. From there it was adapted with various sets of rules and grew to encompass images as well.

For this version of the exercise, all the participants drew something inspired by Outer Space within the confines of a few wavy lines provided by the Art House.

This was my entry.



The rest of the entries can be seen on their flickr group, or by watching the twittersphere for #infinitescroll.

Little Owl WIP

I started working on another acrylic painting this week.

I've had this idea swimming around in my head for a bit now and got a chance to try and paint it out. The image in my head plays out like an old storybook; a little owl loosely tied up in string surrounded by a few friendly (or are they?) rats checking out the scene.

I've still got a lot more work to do but I am pleased with the direction it is heading. Based on the outcome, this painting will hopefully be heading up north for an animal-based show in the spring... more info to follow :)

Have a spectacular weekend everyone!

Something New

I've been sketching a lot of rats recently.
'Home' is a quick little painting I worked on this week, but it isn't quite finished. Almost, but not there yet. I left my watercolors alone for this one and turned to an old friend; my acrylics.







Hope everyone had a fantastic Valentines Day! Onto the weekend!

Post-Holiday Cards

Last weekend a fantastic friend of mine came to me with an idea. She and her husband had their hands full buying a new house over the holidays and weren't able to send out Christmas cards. Now that they are in and settled (and have an exciting permanent address!) she wanted to create a card that could function as a belated holiday wish as well as a notification of their new address.

They also have an awesome cat.

This is what I came up with for the illustration on the front of the card. The whole process took about 3 days and now we are excitedly awaiting the results from the printer.

I've been knee-deep in a few very serious projects, so having a quick fun diversion was a nice change of pace. Can't wait to see how they look printed!

Flying Pigeon

Its been pretty windy here. Aside from making it obnoxious to run or bike into the wind (which somehow always seems to be the way I need to go...) it keeps the temperatures really nice and stirs up the air a good bit. It also seems to stir up the neighborhood pidgeon/dove population.

Now that I have a bit of a break in between projects, my brain has sort of floundered around trying to decide what to start next. This can be a dangerous time for me, as it is far easier to waste time when I'm not exactly 'ignoring' my to do list (since I haven't decided on one yet). To keep idleness at bay, I like to just draw. A lot.

Which is how I end up outside, tracking down flocks of fluttering pigeons.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!

The Hobbit and Some Really Old Work

I was grateful to be able to spend the holidays with my family in Michigan this year, and though it was a quick (and rather cold) trip - we made the most of our time together.

One thing we were all hoping to get to was a showing of The Hobbit. I had already seen the movie once, but I was anxious to see it with others that shared my excitement for the previous 3 films. The day after Christmas (in the midst of a terrific snow storm) we all piled in the car and made our way (slowly, but surely) to the movie theatre.

While in the seats awaiting the start of the movie my sister and I regaled each other with our fond memories of experiencing The Lord of the Rings trilogy together. We share a deep mutual affection for the books and movies, and it was exciting to be on the verge of another multi-year fantastical event.

I started to think about how much influence the books and films have had on my life, when I was gobsmacked by a rather hefty realization. I've always loved drawing, Ever since my squishy little toddler fingers could grasp a crayon, but it was reading/watching The Hobbit, The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings that finally gave me the direction to pursue art. It wasn't exactly subtle either.

After seeing The Fellowship of the Ring, I found myself enamored with the work of Alan Lee and John Howe and spent nearly every day of my first semester at college trying to recreate their work. You might ask at this point, "how does a college kid have that much time on her hands?" Well, I didn't. I drew so much, that my grades suffered. I was enrolled in the Biology program, but was spending so much time with my art - that my Bio homework was taking a serious backseat.

It was then, in the middle of painting my interpretation of the lands of the elves in the Silmarillion that I felt lightening. It was so obvious that it was silly. I had no business being a Biology major. I was failing to see that the one thing I loved and could actually see myself doing for the rest of my life, was right there.

So I switched schools and enrolled in Studio Art. Suddenly, my hours spent making things was actually encouraged and rewarded. It was awesome. I'll always have a fondess for the films, specifically for providing me with the kick in the butt I needed to discover my path (also for their awesomeness in general).

While I was up north and contemplating all this, I scrounged around for my old sketchbooks and actually managed to find my old Tolkien-inspired book from 2002-2003.

Here are a few sketches from that book, 10 years ago... (yikes, has it really been that long?)

And then here's a quick mini-sketch I did after seeing The Hobbit.

In other news, the Art Studies Showcase is this week! I'll be showing 3 new pieces and will be there for the entire event. If you are in the area, stop by and say hello!

Merry Christmas!!

Here I am, 10 hours before my flight to Michigan - packing, doing laundry and wrapping my last presents when I realize "I'M OUT OF GIFT TAGS!!!" Usually, this wouldn't be a big deal, but 90% of the boxes I am currently packaging up are the same size/shape and easily mix-up-able.

So I quick made up a sheet of tags (based off my Christmas cards this year) and figured I would throw them up on the blog if anyone else was in the same predicament.

Click here to download my 2012 Christmas Gift Tags!

I hope everyone has a warm and wonderful holiday!

A few fish

Throughout college, my goldfish tank provided an endless supply of inspiration for mindless sketching. I loved watching my fat little Oranda Peaches and her Ranchu buddy Max bumble about the tank in search of alge or a lost flake of food. I owe many of my 100-level art class assignments to their antics.

I no longer have the vast fish tank I once had, but I still love to paint fish when I can find them!

I hope everyone is having a nice start to the holiday season! I've got a few cards left to mail, some cookies that need baked and of course a ton of unwrapped presents to attend to - but I'll get there. More coffee!!

A Postcard for a Good Cause

I sent in my watercolor piece for the Fowler Art Collective; Year Two Postcard Exhibit on Friday.

My postcard will be up with others for sale at the event on December 7th - with 25% of the profits generated going to NYFA's emergency relief fund for Hurricane Sandy.

The show looks to be a great event, I just wish I could make it up to New York to see it. If anyone finds themselves in the vicinity, let me know how it was!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve everyone!!

Though I've been battling the mother of all colds since last week, I've been trying to prepare for my first S.Florida rendition of Thanksgiving as well as ready my little art shop for the weekend's sales extravaganza.

I didn't do any sort of promotion last year as I was out of the state (and therefore away from my studio) for the whole week. This year however, I am excited to be in my studio fulfilling orders and working on new projects! This will also be my first Thanksgiving as a vegetarian, so I am anxiously awaiting my first bite of a Tofurky. I am always all about the sides anyway (mashed potatoes, cranberries, yams... yum!) so I am not too worried about skipping on the turkey. AND it means I totally don't have to feel guilty about filling up on greenbean casserole. And pie.

But back to the 2012 Thanksgiving Sales Extravaganza!!

I am super pumped to be able to offer a few promotions this weekend in keeping with the holiday spirit. (Or shopping spirit I should say...)


Black Friday: 15% off any order!
Enter code 'FRIDAY12' to recieve your discount. Code goes into effect Friday at 12:00am

Small Business Saturday : Buy 1 print - get a second print free!!
Just pick out any print in my shop and head to checkout. In the 'notes' section, leave the title of the print you would like to receive for free!

Cyber Monday: Free Shipping on any domestic order!!
Enter code 'FREESHIP' and pay nothing for shipping if within the U.S.! Code goes into effect Monday at 12:00am

If anyone has any questions on the ordering process, feel free to leave a comment here or on my facebook page.
Happy Thanksgiving to all and happy shopping!

(Im off to buy more pumpkin mush - can never have enough pumpkin mush!)

Paintings from magazines

I love my Tuesday night watercolor workshop.
Here are a few paintings from our last session, all painted fairly quickly from random magazine clippings.

It's been a very long while since I've painted people in a non-digital setting, so I was a bit unsure at the start of the exercise. But I'm happy with how they turned out and have been collecting images all day that I might be able to use to make a few more tonight :)

Little ChickenBrick Update

It's been awhile since I've shared what I do as Lead Artist for ChickenBrick Studios.
We just started work on a nifty little tip calculator - - and I got to create a robot.

I love robots.

It's a really simple little app, mostly just for fun. Should be on the market soon!

Gray Wolf in ink -- Step by Step

I was out and about this afternoon and felt a *real* cold breeze. Being in Miami, one can experience the occasional "ocean breeze" which is a refreshing degree or two cooler than the current temperature, but a true 'cold breeze' is rather hard to find.

WELL I found one today :)

And as soon as it washed over me and encouraged me to bunch up my sweatshirt against my neck, my head was swimming with thoughts of cinnamon, cider, snow drifts and wet crunchy ice. So, as soon as I got in the door - I lit my 'winter' candle (from bath and body works!), put cider on the stove and started to draw out something from a colder climate.

It had been awhile since I've done a purely ink painting, so I got my trusty pen out and ready to go.

From there, I taped down my canson bristol board,lightly made a pencil sketch and went over it with my pen.

Adding the water!! I am using a #14 watercolor brush and not really paying a lot of attention to where I spread the inky water, just making sure I leave the highlights white. Here is a good place to put down some masking fluid - if I was ever good about keeping masking fluid. The goal on this pass is to complete the majority of the middle tones so everything is basically a light wash. I'll add the darker values next time.

I've started to darken a few areas, namely the mouth/nose and the area around the eyes.

Even darker! Here I am actively trying to shape the puddles of color to emphasize the volume in the skull and fur.

Woo finished.

I scanned it and did a test run of the print and it works out very well, I am very happy with this final product. Which, at the end of a run of several failed paintings is a very nice feeling.

Prints of the Gray Wolf are available on from my store!
Also, make sure to check back in a few days -- I am hoping to have some coupon codes for the upcoming weekend of shopping posted :)

Fus Ro Halloween!

I'm sure there is a better shout to combine with Halloween, infact - I am positive there is one, I just don't know what it would be. Suggestions?

So my freetime for the last few weeks was mostly devoted to the creation of my Dovahkiin halloween costume. I can't really sew and have never actually made a costume before (cutting a shower curtain into a tabbard doesn't count) so this was some pretty new territory for me. The helmet and shield took the majority of my time and were made from cardboard, masking tape, hot glue, mod podge and acrylic medium. (And paint, of course!)

Starting the helmet.

Creating the horns from twisted masking tape.

Construction of the shield.

Gauntlet and painted shield. 

Finished Helmet!

Unfortunately, I ran out of time at the end and had to purchase the midsection piece as well as the rubber gauntlet/shin guards. The "fur" beneath it was chopped up six dollar bathmats from Target.

We headed out to Lincoln Road which is the hub of Halloween night here on the beach. The streets fill up with terrific costumes and everyone has a blast, ourselves included.

Now that I've washed and packed up my costume (totally going to wear it next year too!) I spent a bit more time with another piece of Skyrim-related art; the poster I haven't touched in weeks.

I think it's almost ready for color. After adding the eyes, it's feeling a bit cartoony to me, so I'll probably go back into each of the faces and tweak their expressions a bit. Uthgerd also looks a bit *too* pretty, need to make her a bit more rugged. After ignoring this piece for so long, I am pretty pumped to finish it :)

Progress on 2013 Sketchbook Project

I signed up for this project last year and really enjoyed the process but wished that I had blocked off more time to complete it. This year, I've made a promise to start AND finish well before the deadline. I am really hoping I can keep this promise to myself... last year was a race to finish.

Thus far I think I am making fairly decent headway, *knocks on wood* so I'm just hoping I can keep it up!

Progress thus far on my 2013 Sketchbook Project; BIRDS!!! I've been exploring birds a lot as a subject matter recently and really wanted to continue working with this as a theme.

I've got the majority of the book planned out, in terms of what birds I want to sketch - I just need to make sure I block out the time to complete it.

Woo time management skills :)

Gotye and Kimbra --- on CANVAS!

Yesterday I went to pick up the 20 x 25 canvas print of my Gotye and Kimbra illustration. Not only was it finished early, but the shop (Tropicolor) did a gorgeous job. When I unrolled it at the counter I literally danced. My apologies to the man finishing my order, I occasionally break into dance when supremely happy.

I'll sign it, re-roll it and then it ships out to California. Great timing too, as tomorrow is the Gotye concert here in Miami. Pretty excited, should be a good show :)

Swan Sketch

Had a free moment today after dinner (soy cabbage rolls - yay) and decided to sketch out a swan.

I did this particular quick painting on ancient, really cheap watercolor paper, and it shows. Sadly, the whole page is super warped which doesn't lend itself to being scanned too well. I haven't had much luck flattening it with any of my normal methods, perhaps I'll try ironing it? Running over it in my car? (I joke, I joke)

In other news, I'm about to get my first canvas print created! I was approached by an awesome guy who would like my Gotye and Kimbra painting printed on a giant, 20 x 25 canvas. After many days of research I settled on a local printer to produce the piece and I am finalizing everything with them tomorrow. I can't wait to see the final product!
Pictures will definitely follow :)

A few Skyrim WIPs

I finally picked up Dawnguard, the expansion for Skyrim last weekend.

A few minutes into my illusion-based thief's story and I was already itching to make a new piece of Skyrim art.

I started thinking about my character's journey and how incredibly movie-like the last 45 minutes of play time had been. With that in mind I decided to try my hand at a Drew Struzan-esque movie poster.

Drew Struzan was one of my childhood favorites. His work is probably most recognized in his massive collection of illustrated movie posters, like the late 90's StarWars collection. Mind blowing stuff. And all done on gessoed illustration board too... so incredibly impressive.

On Friday night, I started sketching out a movie type poster using characters from Skyrim that had a major part to play in my Dragonborn's story.

This has taken most of my weekend, and is still super, mega WIP (What is going on with Ulfric's forehead!!??) But I am excited to continue it. Please ignore the eyelessness of the characters -- I like to save those for last :)

Ulfric Stormcloack.

Brynjolf, my fellow thief.

Uthgerd, probably my favorite follower.

My Imperial.

When I finished my tribute to Mordin, from Mass Effect I made a mental note to avoid complicated armor sets the next time around. And what do I decide to do next? Dragonscale armor. It's like I enjoy the frustration of teeny details or something.

I'm hoping to finish up the value study this week and start adding color by the weekend. Lofty goals indeed :)

Little Blue Flowers

Last summer I remember hiking around the Flat Irons in Colorado and coming upon a man who was painting along the base of one of the trails. He had his work laid out on the ground around him, some for sale and some just to dry out. I watched him work for a while (as long as my friends were patient for!) and was entranced by his technique.

In one flick of his fat bamboo brush, he laid out an entire patch of trees, or one blade of grass. His whole arm moved in sweeping gestures, splattering water and paint in a way that made the clouds appear in one flash of the brush. It was dance and it was beautiful.

I've always been interested in learning more about this asian-influenced method of painting, (generally associated with bamboo and cherry blossom paintings). But it wasn't until I started taking classes at the ArtCenter here in Miami that I felt I might be starting to grasp the seriousness of that endeavor. Learning from those who had spent time in China and Japan working under the masters of that type of painting has been an eye-opener. Hearing about the rigidity of their instruction, the countless hours in repetition of key forms to learn to create in that style has been really, really interesting. I know I certainly wouldn't have the fortitude for that kind of strict education, so I'll try to gobble up any bits of knowledge I can while here.

I did this little painting last week attempting to work from my (admittedly very small) knowledge base of asian-styled brushwork.

So much learn, so few hours in a day!

Framed Show Pieces

I finished the matting/framing of the show pieces this morning -- less than 24 hours before they need to be dropped off. Nothing like down to wire...

The show is next week and needless to say, I'm pretty excited. I can't wait to catch up with everyone and see what other work has been submitted.

Also I'm in love with natural frames. I ended up buying 4 extra (of the smallest sizes) to frame some of my recent birds.

In other news, I made the final updates my to my new site! Next up is a new storefront complete with new originals, updated prints and a few framed pieces.

My to do list is still pretty long, but it feels so good to get a few of the items checked off :)