plague

Watercolor with some editing in photoshop. This is one of those pieces where I'm torn between really wrestling it to death to make it portfolio worthy, or just cutting my losses and doing something better. The assignment was two random words that we had to illustrate, I got "phonograph" and "butterfly" and didn't want to do butterflies flying out of a phonograph like everyone suggested.


Someone said the above statement to my cousin Jane and I thought it was pretty funny, seeing as she's our age. 4th grade hobo is all the rage this spring though, so whatev. just sketchbook page

A few new things. Got slowed down this weekend by a really wicked flu that I think I caught from the librarians. Watch out for them, they're tricksy. Wasted most of the weekend coughing and sleeping and complaining. I finally got a chance to cook though, and made some nice tom yum goong soup that helped me feel better and stop talking like Tom Waits (thanks kyler).

This week- Hallmark workshop and Megacon. Things are busy and I'm starting to feel kind of buried under deadlines. I don't see this semester letting up at any point though. I just hope all works out.

tallcake

Possible postcard?
One of the benefits of working in what I like to work in (digital, watercolor) is that I can start something and it can end up in a portfolio later that day. Doesn't quite work the same with oil paints. I have always felt that oil painting is something I should keep for my own work, and not something I would want to work in professionally. Maybe time will change that, but I doubt it.

I'm submitting for Hallmark's workshops tomorrow. From what I've heard, they're changing a lot and heading more in the direction I'd wanted to go anyway (less bunny-esque, more idealike). I think I would be happy working there, so long as they don't ask for anything with pudge and bunnies in the same sentence.

More later

buckle

a few new sketches

and watercolor. Working on Rives is like working on paper towels, I'm not sure if I like it yet. Andrew Wright suggested I soak the paper, I think I'll try that.
This semester is out to get me, it seems.

avelskiver

SO HOW WAS YOUR BREAK?!

Mine was nice thanks. Here's some stuff from over my Minnesota venture.


Adam's Gazebo

Adam's friend Adam

Volker & Volker & little Volker

Attila owns a shop that sells really beautiful Turkish rugs. Adam used to work for him, so we paid him a visit and did some paintings for him

This was one of my little paintings. We drank lots of tea and got a tour of the area


We drove home from Minnesota, I did some drawings of the wussy hills of Wussconsion

The drive back from Minnesota was LOADS OF FUN withMatt, Adam, and me in Adam's ford escort with 2 guitars and no less than 47 suitcases. This was drawn pretty early on in the trip while spirits were still high.

I am excited about this semester, but I am still trying to get used to the sleep schedule. Comics class with Thiel, more Prattwerk, and Megacon are all things I am looking forward to. Also, our apartment is all blogatized, now that Trish, Sarah Caterisano, and Sarah Watts are in the blog updating kind of mood.
Pan's Labyrinth comes out friday im excited

Lemonade

Some quick watercolors from yesterday. The middle one was tricky, I got a new sketchbook about a month ago and hadn't really worked a lot in it until yesterday. The paper repels water, it's really hard to work on, so I've had to figure out how to paint without washes, and with dilluting the paint as little as possible. I also just started a portrait of my sister in oil and should be done with that soon too.
I couldn't believe how hot out it was today, like in the mid 80's. Not that I want to be ridiculously freezing, but it isn't even snowing in Minnesota, which is the only reason I'm going there.
I saw The Queen today and it was really good, if that's your sort of thing. I'm also going to look forward to Curse of the Golden Flower, if for no other reason than it looks very pretty and probably epic, though there seem to be a lot of push up bras.
And this is probably my last post of the year. This year has been insane. I wouldn't want it any other way.

that broke

Superfast (uh but still heartfelt) christmas gift for my mom, and a quick watercolor of my backyard as the sun was setting the other night.
Hope all had good holidays.

what okay

an invasion of bunnies

Christmas came way too fast, and seeing as it's still in the 70's and 80's it still feels like october. It's still nice though, to be home for a bit and let the days drag out. Time at ringling always moves too quickly, and suddenly, you're a junior and first semester is over what?! For once I don't feel (completely) like I'm just here to be waiting to go back to school, but actually enjoying time with my family and time to paint and get caught up on work and eat real meals and sleep til noon and not constantly feel like the world's gonna implode. I'm getting a camera for christmas and I hope to take a lot of photos of people and places around here before I head back.
youknowyouknowyouknow

.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

quilts

Paint what you know? I know quilts and tea and slightly anxiety ridden women.

Sarah (who never updates her blog..) said to me last night, when I was freaking out over a dumb painting, that, isn't it funny how a flat surface and some oil and pigment can completely change our emotions and all that other junk. It's a weird predicament, to care about something inanimate so much that it has that much bearing on your life. A little break will be nice.

And then back to work.

aboline

Sketchbook! Some of these are a bit old, Volker still has hair.






















And also an illustration



This was an open assignment. I was trying to draw a memory I think I had of new england when I was very young. I'm not sure if it really happened or not. I think that would be a cool theme for a series of illustrations, "stuff that maybe happened". That and I wanted to draw sheets. I need to figure out how to work and not tighten up on bigger pieces. Pratt recommended I look at J Muth and I think you should too. If you like watercolor. His are sweet without being saccharine or tacky.

Final projects and things being completed. I want to maintain this mindset over break and paint a lot, see if I can find some cool subject matter in NPR, and maybe coerce Watts to go landscape painting with me.

This semester has been supercrazy.

jazzy

24 hour comic we did a few weeks ago. Text later, maybe.










I'm living off of tea and various granola products. Doing magazine layouts melts my brain. Reading comics to keep sane. Looking forward to Minnesota and things to come.

yola

they are friends i spose.

Only a few weeks left in the semester. This is good and scary. Winter break will hold- sister graduation, possibly north georgia, definitely land of lakes and snow and more snow, and definitely catching up on other projects and letting all of the knowledge and pratty-zen-like wisdom marinate until I maybe start to get it and step it up and start doing something I'm happy with.

til then

somehow

I've been keeping a collab sketchbook with some kid I know and it's been pretty fun. It's kind of refreshing to work on someone else's lines, and have them work on yours. These are a few pages.
More Prattwerk posthaste.

little fingers

Another watercolor technique that uses ink and charcoal and other things. I like what I can do with this one.

Recently I've been putting a lot of thought into what I want to do with comics. One of my big hurdles was being unsure or unable to decide on what kind of look I'd want it to have. Pratt's techniques have been useful in that regard, as the drawing is very fresh and direct (something I'd want) and still has an emotive quality (also something I'd want). The story is the hardest part at this point. I have a very brief sketch of an idea of what I want to say, it's just always been hard to flesh out a story, make it something worth your time, worth my time. We'll see, I spose.