yogurt

Sickness didn't slow me down too much. Going in soon for more chest x-rays. I pretty much coughed and slept through all of the month of May. But, aside from reading a ton of Hellboy and renting a ton of movies, I spent my time in quarantine doing a few watercolors and photoshop stuffs.


Rooftops
ink & water color


party dresses
watercolor. Kind of overworked this one, but I like the faces okay. the rest... ehhh, I should be using reference.

and a work in progress-

photoshop. The figure is still pretty unrendered, and a lot of things I want to tighten up, but it's been fun to force myself to deal with an environment and different lighting situations.

I think Ringling painting classes depend way too much on studio lighting, which, combined with Floridian models who have pretty orange-y tan skin anyway, we kind of end up with ugly orange-burnt sienna flesh tones that don't really occur outside the studio. Maybe that's why so many of us are drawn to Richard Schmid, Sargeant, etc etc who really use cool north light to great effect.

My attitude about this summer has changed a lot. I really need to relax and do some artwork for fun, before that stops being an option. I look forward to seeing what everyone in the academy is working on.

pneumonia!

I uploaded an in-progress new design for my website. Looking at Jay Ryan for color and type.

I would have tried to finish it, but I got pneumonia (and bronchitis, laryngitis and pharyngitis) at the end of finals week. I still have pneumonia (plus all the other junk as far as I know), but at least I'm home and I can rest a lot. This is probably the sickest I've ever been, being as I've never let myself get this run down before. Not sleeping enough, or eating right, Ringling wreaked havoc on my immune system. I think I have learned my lesson. Next year will be different.

Still, lots to look forward to for this summer. Just have to get myself back together first.

finality

Ink and wash, and painter

portrait night

This year just will never end! One more week and every day feels longer. I can't wait to sleep and see something other than Ringling. Good god I've never needed a break so badly before.

cranberry bogs

For fun, and because I think some part of me goes crazy if I don't do any watercolor for a while


Painter still life assignment. I don't think I really pushed myself, just kind of played around with the program. It's fun, I'd like to play around with my watercolors in there.

I'm pretty sure my brain has been gone for weeks. But now that it really is almost over, I'm scared of how much stuff I have left to do.
I'm ready for a break from this place.

cinnamon

Sometimes reference is really fun. I got a neat camera for christmas and it really has made me enjoy the photography process again. I think reference in general is pretty interesting at our school. We have a lot of people at our disposal, and we find ourselves in some funny reference situations. I think i've been like 3 dead girls, beauty from beauty in the beast, thumbelina, and lots of old ladies
Some fun shots from the past few months


jane helped me shoot reference for self portrait stuff. not using this one, but I like the light. She made the point that most pictures of me, if you stuck on some type like "anxious? worried?" would make great antidepressant ads. awesome.


for an illustration due friday about a girl who hasn't seen the sun for like 5 years, and is locked in a closet when it finally does come out. Caterislegs :)


I use Adam a lot for reference because you can turn him into a lot of different people easily. This was some of the reference for the bamboo man illustration.


Over winter break, when I had first gotten my camera, I got my sister to pose outside on a really cold stormy day. I liked this shirt she had, but she wasn't crazy about wearing it in the 30 degree weather. Probably the funniest photo shoot ever for me. I like natural light, but it is so rare we get to reference in it.


Reference for Drew's painting. I think reference wise, we put Watts through the most hell

I'd love to see everyone elses reference from the past semester. I'd also like to get a lot of reference for the break, so that we can have lots to paint from.

Also, no luck on American Greetings or Hallmark, so I'll be returning to Precollege. I'm kind of relieved in a way, and I'm excited to make some other plans (san diego comic-con, boston) to hopefully have this be a fun summer.

little miss bikeweek

George Pratt had us design wine labels. These are probably not quite done, but I had fun nonetheless. I did drunk writers (hunter s. thompson, hemingway, fitzgerald) for mine. Apologies to Mr. Dalluhn for messing up the good doctor.


And a few of the more finished sketchbook pages lately
I've been working a lot in my sketchbook, but it has become more academic than expressive. This year, I think my favorite sketchbook was actually the one I started over the summer. It was small, maybe 4x6, and had that brown recycled paper. I could fit it in my pocket or purse pretty easily, and I feel like the stuff I did in there was a lot more fun and honest. Smaller sketchbooks feel more personal for me, I guess, since I can get down a lot of information quickly.

During our whole time at ringling, it seems there has been too much emphasis on sketchbooks, and on having cool sketchbooks. So many professionals don't even think about it I bet, trying to make cool sketchbook pages. It's probably just "a place to draw" for them, and in some respects, that's what it needs to be. I think James Jean's sketchbooks, and all the other cool sketchbook artists, created a kind of benchmark that everyone is kind of mistakenly takes as "how your sketchbook should look". The result usually ends up being just a completely self aware attempt at making james jean style sketchbooks. Maybe?

Maybe not. Either way, I like drawing. I like seeing my friends' drawings. I don't mind doing bad drawings, if it means that some of them will be better in the future. Too much emphasis on the perfect sketchbook, or too many "hey can I see your sketchbook"s and everyone will be scared of doing bad drawings. And that would be a shame. Bad drawings can be pretty fun too.

adieu

glowy bits

For my digital illustration class. I had to illustrate an old japanese folktale about a bamboo cutter who finds a little fairy thing in bamboo and brings her home because he always wanted a daughter or somesuch.

More later! End of year makes me sleepy.

edamame

These were for Pratt's book assignment, I did Renaissance Instruments.


that's what I ate in New York


sketching outside the met

Weird how much this year has felt like senior year. I don't like thinking that if I don't get the perfect internship that my career is over before it's begun. It's amazing to travel and see the wide range of opportunities for artists, and the wide range of careers that come out of this school. And maybe a little bit, to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that if I work hard I will get employed. I probably come across as pessimistic with some things, but I'm actually really excited about my career. Just like I'm excited to make art. Only then, I'd be making art and getting paid, and not having to take math class. That sounds like a nice life to me, so I'll be fine even if internships don't work out this summer.

But really an internship would be nice, please!

trapeeze

This was the better of my character designs for digital illustrations. I did a redesign of Frey, the viking god of fertility and harvest and stuff. This was fun, but photoshop is frustrating just in that you can keep on rendering and rendering your brains out and never be done, if you want. Very unlike a watercolor you can finish in one sitting.

I had a nice snowy spring break in Manhattan, and will post sketches soon.

everydurr

beatrice


recent sketchbook stuff, laid out how it will appear in my hallmark/AG portfolio

somewhat old, from the zoo last month.

Good golly it's midterm and it's spring break! I leave tuesday for Manhattan with some friends. We have some cool stuff planned, society of illustrators, illustration house, maybe blue man group, and other stuff. I have a lot to do but I'm happy to be producing work again. Updates after break I imagine :)

amalgamation

fiona

My blog was all messed up for a week or so, if you hadn't noticed. Blogger thought I was a spam blog (splog, as it were) and so disabled it, sending me back to December. I emailed them frantically and all was repaired and I breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally getting a chance to get some new work done. I need to mix up my subject matter a bit I think, but really, this is what I like drawing most to relax. I also have some comic pages done, I'll get some up when I have something more substantial. The comics class has been going really well.

Here's a sample panel edited to reflect Thiel's comment that one of my characters looked like an artsy cat stevens wannabe, and so we turned it into Matt Dalluhn with a giant butter knife? (Out of respect and admiration I assure you.)

I'm busy as heck! I leave for NYC in one week precisely. I've never been there and will no doubt be lookin up at all dem buildins while someone swipes my camera. I'm really excited. Part of me has always felt like I should live in a big city. I'm very attracted to the idea of public transit, and actual art scene and having late night dining options other than... applebees or taco bell.

Gotta work!

Megacon!

Lunch with the Ringling crew on the last day

Megacon was awesome. I'm still getting reorganized and getting ready for the art sale this Saturday, but soon I will have more megacon work up. I had a great time, I found it pretty inspiring and educational, to say the least.

Lots to do!

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