Double Chin

Historical Sarah Comics, Part 1

2007-05-09T14:16:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted in over a month. That's so very highly not okay.
I just drank some coffee so I'm not going to be over thinking this post, I'm just gonna type and get it up impulsively and it'll probably turn out fairly dumb-headed.

I haven't been drawing much lately, I'm gone from Ontario now, and am hanging out in Portland Oregon for the summer with my handsome young man-slave Eliot. I get to molest him like a creepy old woman on a regular basis, and in return he seems to be fond of me. I don't understand it, but when you luck out, why over-analyze?

So the point I was getting to is that I've been moving and checking out Portland and all that, and doing a whole lot of not drawing. In fact, drawing has totally fallen out of favor with me for a while, now. I'm going to be doing some sort of art activities over the summer, but the precise form has not fully gestated yet.

So since I don't have anything exciting to post (two days ago I did two of the worst paintings that have ever been created on this earth. Should I suffer the world to see them? perhaps someday. not today.) Instead, I'm going to post some of my old works... not old as in a year or two old... oh, no, old meaning pre-art school. Dating back to those painfully self-conscious yet innocently non-self-aware days of jr. high. Some of my favorite work dates back from them. I was bursting with unfulfilled romantic yearnings, obsessions with drawing Disney characters, super social awkwardness, absolutely no writing talent, and a history of reading much too many Archie comics. A powerful brew.

Pocahontas in "High Flying Ride". Late elementary school... probably Grade 5. I drew Pocahontas obsessively. She walked the line between being my "I Want To Be Her" idol of feminine grace and charm, and my first cartoon crush. I was able to enter into her romantic world by drawing her constantly, and the comic form allowed my drawings to have that added dimension of life that story lends. Note the Archie comic-like layout and title.
This is, if memory serves me correctly, the first comic I ever created. Luckily, I can lay blame for this limp piece of writing with my childhood chum Melissa Harder. For all my future comics, however, the bad writing is all me.

Pocahontas, untitled comic. Maybe late Grade 5, or Grade 6.
Colored in pencil crayon, this time. No one understood the story of this comic. Come on, people... see, Pocahontas takes Meeko berry picking with her, because he can carry the extra berries in his cheeks. Isn't that HILARIOUS and CLEVER?
Cripes.

Pocahontas in "Just Kidding". Grade 6.
Wait, how about this for a plot- have two characters being total asses to each other over something completely petty. It's funny! The structure of this comic is really reminiscent of the one page Archie comic gags, and is a formula that I start to repeat over and over, and over again. I guess I just found the world to be a playfully cruel place.

COMING UP IN THE NEAR FUTURE:
Pocahontas engages in some ironic twists and witty word play on the original movie script; Hercules and Megera act like jerks to each other; Esmeralda is cruel to the well-meaning Phoebus; and tons of other mythological fun-filled adventures!!

Pigeon!

2007-04-04T09:05:00.000-04:00

My dad has fallen in love with pigeons, and his birthday is tomorrow (eep, can you say express post??) so I attempted my first stuffed animal ever. I used wool, unbleached cotton muslin, and a whole lot of making-things-up-as-I-go.

crane and kittyness! oh my!

2007-03-23T06:58:00.000-04:00

Thanks for the kick in the pants, Melissa. :P Got me off my lazy bum to post.

First off, here's my latest textiles print (well, this is the ink /n gouache version, to be transferred to silk screen). It's kitties! And German words! whoooooh! My favorite is "nicht bohrend", with the corresponding kitty in glasses with awesomeness lines around it.
I am going to make a skirt from this print. With BIG dots!

And this is a logo for the Cranedance Retreat (commission).
Oh brushpen, why'd you gotta give me the what's what like that? Man. We reached an understanding, but it took lots of time and negotiation. Eliot's making a font to go with it. He's good at fonts (among many other pleasant things). :D

And... my last textile print was with salamanders, which was pretty bloody fun, so I'll get to the scanning of that! ciao, kittens!

connection scrawlings

2007-03-10T17:40:00.000-05:00

Textile madness!

2007-02-24T15:03:00.000-05:00

A handbag I made... get it, HAND bag? There's a hand on it?
That's right, I'm funny. I'm not quite finished it yet, I still some embroidery to do... a twirling stream of red thread is going to be coming out from the clenched hand, and hanging from the thread is going to be some teeth made of sculpy that Miss The France made for me!
The bag brings together lots of themes I love- plaid, skin textures, and sketching bodyparts.
My sewing skills are still crude at best, but growing in power with each passing day!!

This is the silkscreened version of the pattern I designed (the rough version was posted in this blog about a month ago or so.) It's a two color print (with overlap to create the dark purple) and using hand painting for the long purple stripes. I had to print up a meter of yardage, and because the project was done with the little silkscreens (about 14" by 14"), it took all day to do. But I'm terribly happy with how it turned out. I think I'll probably end up using it to make the most rad set of curtains ever. Yes, curtains... it's almost like I'm nesting or something. Gah!

I'm going to Montreal tomorrow for spring break! Whooh, frenchies everywhere!

sketchbook bag and new figure photo

2007-01-26T14:17:00.000-05:00

This is the sketchbook bag that I made for Eliot for Christmas! It's handmade felt with hand sewing and embroidery, and is the first thing I've ever designed and sewed. And he hearts it. score!

This is a less crummy photo of the figure that I made recently... she has just too much hair, I think. It's just too fantasy-barbie-esque. Note were I burned her foot at the bottom. I can't wait until the oven is fixed so I don't have to use the toaster oven anymore.

Sarah Anne Johnson

2007-01-26T08:50:00.000-05:00

Sarah Anne Johnson is an amazing artist who works in photography, as well as painstakingly creating figures and settings to photograph, which she shows alongside the "real" photos. Beautiful beautiful fascinating work.

Tree Planting Project

Either Side of Eden

Her figures have such subtle and intuitive gestures, and she creates brilliant atmosphere.

some notes from my sketchbook

2007-01-26T08:43:00.000-05:00

words,
communicating with others in language is difficult for me,
words are tricky, untrustworthy,
(with absolute meanings that may not be agreed upon)
they can help understanding,
but fuel misinterpretation.

But physical communication
is so very intense, direct,
harder to fake.
No wonder people put up
barriers, avoid eye contact in elevators.

Eye contact disables me,
because it is pure communication,
blows past interpretation to immediacy and moment,
it is basic and naked.

paint and hair

2007-01-24T22:40:00.000-05:00

These pictures are pretty sketchy- her hair is actually a fantastic blood red mohair, and looks like arteries when held up to the light.
She is a wheat-field siren. Isolated in a sea of grain, amid flag-strewn powerlines, she waits for victims. (someday when I have the materials I'll create the scene.)

I think what of the biggest challenges using sculpey and acrylics is keeping it from looking cheap. The idea behind doing these feels more like sculpture than Barbie. In the future, covering figures with acrylic medium will be nixed from the program, because they make the flesh too shiny. There are some artists who use heat-set oil paints for a more natural looking flesh, and although I like the idea, I don't have the money to invest in anything like that as of yet. There is also some breathtaking work people are doing in porcelain, but that's in a little deeper a commitment to process and equipment than I have access to right now. So I'll have to keep experimenting with different combos of what I have.

Oh, and she has a broken neck. APPARENTLY these sculpey things aren't like plastic kid's toys that can take abuse. Which is going to cramp my clumsy, dropping things style.

Fresh from the toaster oven....

2007-01-23T18:07:00.000-05:00

whole lotta grab-bag-iness

2007-01-20T09:09:00.000-05:00

She's not done yet, but here's what on the go right now. I've been having a grand old time trying out different poses for her, but I think something a bit tentative and introspective will be what I'm going to go for.

Her legs, although made mostly of thin wire and tinfoil, are pretty floppy and unsupportive... I hope I can get her propped up in the correct arrangement for baking, so that she stands up nicely. I'm probably going to have to make her a flat stand of some sort to glue her feet down to, but that'll be fun to make, methinks.

Ok seriously this is so superhot. Check her out, all laid out and emaciated and made of plastic...
This is before I added on much of her bodyfat... I love adding on layers of muscle and fat, it's such a wonderful fleshing out... the whole process is just... I just love working over the human fleshiness, the solidity but uncertainty of form, the points of assurance but also hesitation... anyway I'm getting art-flaky, and that just means that I'm having a great time.
But anyway... HOT!

This is a page from a collage/photos/paint/etc. book I was making for Eric last summer. I like this one, especially because they're lighting his bum on fire. tee hee. hot bum. HEHEHEHE

Check it out, my awesome new student ID photo, taken by some tech kid who didn't have a clue what he was doing, and obviously cared very little. BUT the important thing is, that it show my new hair (I've never gotten streaks done before... and look, it's getting long! whooh!) and my NEW GLASSES. They're even cooler when you can see the details- the frame's pattern/colors look like something between fine mermaidy fish scales, and pixelart. In gorgeous colors that look a bit different based on the lighting.

Ooh, reading and craft night with the crew is tonight. I can't wait, getting together with superawesome people to read interesting stuff out loud, make silly crafts, drink tea, and sometimes act out random french plays point blank, is pretty much my definition of.... SUPERAWESOME!

btw, I really love the new easy to use spellcheck on blogger, but it still doesn't seem to understand all the words I like to make up.

repeat!

2007-01-18T19:11:00.000-05:00

I just kinda thought hey wouldn't it be neat to make patterns. Repeating stuff over and over is so incredibly busy and mind numbing and kinda like a math puzzle but in a visual sense. And patterns are really hip right now in clothing and art and science and all sortsa superdooperness, probably. And, um, I was suppose to do them, for my schooling. Cause it'll make me smarter or something.

There's more variations on them... but i think you got the idea. Patterns are all about the excetera, excetera's.
The second pattern in the bunch is the one I've put on a silkscreen, and will soon be covering fabric with like a nutty squirrel-like industrious... no wait industrious is more like a beaver I guess.... ok, I'll be printing all over that cloth like a beaver with his... no, no no, I'm too tired for cleverness.

In conclusion, patterns clearly have made me a much more intelligent individual and a better artist. I will incorperate them into future projects for the good of my species.

smooshy face gets all the trimmings!

2007-01-14T17:28:00.000-05:00

I take pictures of objects on top of sewing machines. It's a living.

Painted up and in your face!

Prepped for surgery.

Rabbit hair.

Now, will I add any bits of clothing or jewellery? Shall this poor soul who suddenly looks like an 80s rocker recieve further embellishment? This I shall contemplate as I get back to my REAL homework.

dolls for my mumsie

2007-01-11T18:00:00.000-05:00

These are the figures (ok, ok, dolls,) that I made for my mom for Christmas. They're not for playing with, of course, just for display... the hair is faux fur, and their skin were painted with really thin acrylic washes. They don't really have bodies... really just soft wormlike tubes with no legs, and wires with hands on the ends. Those parts just hide under the blanket, so it's ok.

smorsh.

2007-01-09T18:24:00.000-05:00

So, I took photos of the completed mother and child sculpture/dolls piece that I made for my mom, HOWEVER I left them on my brother's computer. So until he sends them to me, I am itchily wanting to post them but unable. BLARG!

So anyhow, here's something I did today- I tried crumpling up tin foil and covering it with sculpty to make a bust, and man, you save so much clay that way! And it takes way less time to bake. nice.
In case no one has noticed over the past... year or so... I've been flailing about artistically, trying different mediums and subjects and approaches to making art... trying to find what that one thing for me is. And, well... nope, I havn't had that AH-HAH! moment, yet. Nothing seems to say "this is that medium you will work with for the rest of your life. This is your calling." I'm still restless. But... I am still loving the journey. Exploration is bloody exciting.

Over Christmas break, I completed a series of tests with a doctor... and I officially, certifiably, an ADHD girl. My mind likes to wander like nobody's business. And my intellectual abilities are in the 97-99 percentile of the population, but my paying attention and focusing on a task are at 30%. Shite. Quite a discrepency, no? It's no wonder I've always felt very smart, and yet very dumb. It's good to finally know what's going on, though. Makes it easier to figure out what working strategies will be better for me.

Oh yes, so anyway, here's the new sculpture! It was fun to really twist with the expression, my God I love the human face so friggin much. fun fun fun. And it took way less time that those mother and kid heads. Now I'm more familiar with the medium. Next I will paint it up. Maybe add some hair, we'll see.

attack of the sleeping heads

2006-12-17T11:34:00.000-05:00

Actually they're not sleeping, they're going to be looking down, reading a book.

Thank you Mel for introducing me to Sculpey, this stuff is super neato.

Some of my recent projects I havn't been able to post yet, because they are going to be given as Christmas presents. These heads are also for a gift, but my mom doesn't visit my blog. She's going to bawl when I give it to her, I just know it. Ah, Christmas. It's all about how many people you can make cry.

I sure hope that they don't burn when I bake them. Me=sad if that happens.

Pygmalion

2006-12-17T08:35:00.000-05:00

I've fallen madly in love with a lump of clay.

Well, she's no longer a lump of clay, but she was when I started to make her. And now, all I can do is feel my heart race as I pass her in the room.

I think I must have forgotten how much I love to sculpt the figure. Why must I lose my heart to so many different mediums? I love to draw. I love to paint. I love textiles. I love sculpting. I love papermaking, and collaging, and photography, and researching a million different things. And deep down I still love the possibilities in animation. How can I ever figure out what to do with myself if I'm being pulled passionately in multiple directions?

And some day, I'm gonna have to leave school and actually support myself financially like a real person. ::terror::

But... I'm working on figuring that all out. In the mean time, I'll cheer myself with infatuation with inanimate objects. And dream of spending this summer in Portland with E-dog. (psst, E-dog i kinda think you're super awesome and kinda sorta super miss you....)

oh, and as you can see, I've finally got my camera up and running again. HORRAY! I have more things to post, STAY TUNED.

rejoice!

2006-11-25T12:26:00.000-05:00

wow, it's been forever and then some. jeepers.
Well, we FINALLY got a router, AND the cords to hook everything up, so now I so happily have internet access again on my computron. whoo-diddly-hoo!

My camera is out of commission (hopefully not permanently... I really need a new one...), so I havn't been snapping any new ones of those for a little while. But here are some sketches, with love from Mr. Scanner.

collages

2006-10-31T00:04:00.000-05:00

Four collages. The first used one used the computer, but only to scan and print out the sketches for me to layer in by hand. Mediums used are watercolors, oil pastels, acrylic medium, cut paper, metallic string, thread, pencil, foil from a can of chips and gum wrappers, photocopier, mylar, wax crayons, whiteout, tracing paper, and print-on-able clear sheets. Oh and some pencil.

I'm really excited about these new combos of materials I'm playing around with. Feels like I'm tapping into the direction I'm suppose to be going.
I recently finished a textiles project in which I created prayer flags... once I get those photographed (they're hanging up in the kitchen now) I'll post them.

wicked little town.

2006-10-22T23:51:00.000-04:00

Horray, more stuff! I can't beleive that it's been almost a month since I've posted in here... it's been a very drama-filled month in my life. I'm really tired and not overly chatty right now... but can say with some confidence that soon I will return to my regular posting filled with all my experiments and inane musings about Important Art and Life Related Stuff.

A linocut stamp I made for a textiles project:

Photos:

Pen and wax crayon sketches:

Pencil, tracing paper, tape, and plants:

cotton fabric and sprayed pigments:

Thank you everybody who commented on my last post, I'm sorry I'm such a huge bum and havn't replied. Once life is more normal I'll totally be semi-internet-social again.
Oh, and the post's title is because I'm listening to "Wicked Little Town" from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Awesome movie.

carrying on

2006-09-25T19:37:00.000-04:00

Hey, Mitch is the most lame-o roommate ever. Geez. And just because he's good at drawing and animating, doesn't mean he has the right to wash my dishes for me without permission. I hate him. Go start heckling him, peoples.

This is the cover of my new sketchbook. It was very ugly so I had to paint it and paste paste a picture and lace to make it pretty. Now it is pretty and I'm happy. The picture is Samantha Morton (the love of my life) in the awesome movie Morvern Callar.

These are some sketches of late. I'm still not headoverheels back into drawing (since my last breakup with the artform a few weeks ago) but I've been dabbling again.

And photography, which is of course a far newer affair, relative to drawing...

I still havn't gotten the internet hooked up in my room, so the terrible inconvenience of borrowing Mitch's laptop to go online is my super impressive excuse for the still infrequent updates. For shame. But soon, we will buy a router, and all will be well again.

Horray! Interweb powers are once again with me!

2006-09-17T18:48:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I'm very excited about being able to post again, so here's some overposting; far more images than should be put up at one time.

A collage with a found fabric, zipper, lace, and a lovely shot of Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby.

A stab at painting after a month's abstinance*.

The next three oil paintings I created a couple years ago, in my fundies year at Alberta College of Art and Design. I just recently found them in my parent's basement.
Some photos taken around my hometown of Westlock, AB:

And these were taken at home and on the farm:

I've also retreived a lot of old drawings from my parent's computer, including some old comic pages I drew in elementary, jr, and high school. They're pretty rediculous, and shall be posted soon.

*meaning abstinence from painting. ok?

I'm back!

2006-09-07T11:15:00.000-04:00

I've now returned to Oakville, and am just waiting for my internet to be hooked up, so I can resume blogging. I have lots of new art and photos to post, and had an awesome time in Alberta (and on my trip to California).
So... more stuff to come within the new... few days or a week, maybe! horray!!

cartoons, photos, and a text collage

2006-08-16T15:01:00.000-04:00

I have a confession: I've had next to no interest in drawing, lately. Beyond drawing out some observations and doodling here and there (and a some lifedrawing sketches, caricatures, and and studies of compositions and poses in magazine photography), my sketchbook has, of late, become filled with words, collages, magazine clippings, typography (the influence of Eliot) and ideas for fabric patterns. My cartoon drawing abilities are definitely suffering for lack of practice. But Eliot made a good point about that; I'd mentioned how frustrated I was with the fact that I didn't seem to feel like drawing cartoons, and he replied "Why do you have to draw cartoons?" I'd never even thought about that, before. I guess, I... I don't HAVE to, do I?

Nonetheless, I think this is probably just another cycle of interests, and drawings/cartoons will have it's day again.

2006-08-13T13:17:00.000-04:00

I've been awfully busy lately, on my super wonderful trip to Victoria, BC, then a drive down to Portland, Oregon, then Mendocino, California, and finally San Francisco. I fell in love with each of those places. (well, I didn't actually fall in love with Mendocino, although it was lovely.) I haven't sifted though the pictures from that trip, yet. Oh, and I also got to experience the Pacific Ocean at several different points along the coast. And to play with crabs and fish and other critters in the tidal pools (I'm so cruel to wildlife, I know. I just love them so much!)
These photos I took on or near my parent's farm. I'm trying to find a way to grab hold of what things I love about my home, while I'm here. One thing I love about traveling: the more I experience the places that other people call home, the more my own place of origin feels like less of a faceless default setting, and more of a distinct, specific collection of textures, feelings, colors, and symbols.

(btw, I'm not sure how the tonal levels and saturations on these will look to other people, as this monitor is pretty sketchy. I hope they translate reasonably well on other computers.)

Back home used to feel like an isolated and boring place to be banished to. Now its become more of a refreshing, rich, and calming haven.

My posting may be very here and there until the end of August. By the beginning of September, I'll be back in Ontario, with my awesome computer and fast internet connection, meaning that regular posting will resume.

more photomagraphic images

2006-07-19T19:36:00.000-04:00

... there's something very immersive about photography... it's possible to evoke atmosphere and place... and there's a immediacy that I like... and the variety of textures... and experimenting with light... And next year, Eliot and and his fancy nice camera are going to be my roommates. I see good things in the future.

Posting on my blog from here at home is very troublesome. The internet is a very tempermental dialup connection, and the computer has a habit of crashing. The calibration of the moniter also seems a bit sketchy, so I sure hope the colors and contrast in these photos look somewhat like I intend them to!

Sketches

2006-07-19T19:14:00.000-04:00

My parent's scanner is not working. My camera is doing double duty, photographying my sketchbook AND taking regular pictures. Really taking one for the team, it is.

EEEEEH!

2006-07-17T17:09:00.000-04:00

Ok, I'm back in Alberta. On the farm with the family. I've draw pictures, taken landscape photos, gathered up some super awesome textiles that I'm very excited about, collaged, and have been painting the house.
None of that is important right now.

All that matters.... is.... KITTENS! KITTENS KITTENS KITTENS!

I know my priorities.

Flying HOOOOOOOME....

2006-07-12T21:27:00.000-04:00

I have to get into a taxi at 5:15 am to go to the airport, tomorrow. Oh god. And because of my deep drug-like addiction to sleep... I'm going to bed super early.

I have still been sketching, but nothing that's felt relevant enough to post, these last couple days. I'd probably be able to find a few interesting bits here and there, but I still have tons of packing and stuff to do tonight. Luckily my parents have a decent computer and scanner, so I'll be able to keep updating and stuff once I get to Alberta.

Ok, here are a couple of the photos I've taken lately. I know, probably not as titillating for the viewer as drawings and painting and stuff, but I'm really really excited about photography, the fact that I know nothing about it be damned. I'm discovering so much about composition and framing, it's not even funny. Or maybe a little funny. heh. eh heh. ::cough:: eh.

I can't wait to get home, I'm going to go through a bunch of old stuff in the basement to make collages from; and I'm taking acrylics and watercolors along to keep mucking around with; and I can't wait to take photos of the farm and cows, and the grain elevator in Dapp; and two of the cats are going to have kittens soon (WHOOOO!); and I might make some crafts to try selling at the farmer's market, and my mom's going to teach me how to use the sewing machine... And I'm going to start finding fabrics that remind me of home, to make a swatchbook for inspiration once the Textiles program starts next year.

AND hopefully I'll get to visit my Edmonton/St.Albert friends a bit. AND AND AND I'm going to go to Vancouver to meet up with Eric and Eliot, and then we'll go down to SAN FRANCISCO for a little bit!! HOLY FRICKIN crap, this is going to be so awesome.
Oh, and I need to also work my butt off to make some money in between all these things. dammit. It'll work out, somehow. It has to!

OHHHH, and I'm going to go frog catching, too! Dad said that the frogs everywhere, again. Like they used to be, before the drought-ness. It's going to be amazing. Oh frogs I LOVE YOU.

journal pages, and a photo/textiles/lighting/texture study

2006-07-10T10:58:00.000-04:00

In a couple days I'm going home to Alberta.

mememememe!

2006-07-08T15:34:00.000-04:00

Something that's fun to do: take lots of head shots of yourself while drunk Friday night; during the saturday morning hangover, do all kinds of cropping and color manipulation in photoshop.
I'd like enlist some more people to take pictures of. It's so fast and easy and fun to play with... Super Neato. Thanks for the idea, Eric! You rock, baby.

hehe this next one is angsty-teen looking.

I think the window was open.

2006-07-07T11:40:00.000-04:00

I'm such a rock star, I don't even need to brush the hair out of my face.

art on the internet

2006-07-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

Browsing the internet can bring such a bittersweet mix of delight and despair. There are so many talented artists, plugging away every day, and it's such a wonderful, inspiring thing to view. And that the interweb has allowed our generation to almost effortlessly share our art, ideas, sketches, the shining glories and the charming little blips and artistic regressions... we are so lucky. When I let the competitive side of me take hold, I'm filled with intimidation, discovering how many people there are with drive and talent and vision; it makes me feel insignificant, and that I'm really nothing special. For every inspired outpouring and study I produce, there will always be someone else taking it further, someone more worthy. The internet is an effective way to face the fact, that there's always going to be someone better than you. Always.
And any artist who denies ever comparing themselves to others, nor feeling competitive, nor intimidated, is lying. Or just arrogantly dillusional.
So what is there to do? The cliches, I suppose. Pick myself up and keep, ehem, "following my heart"; keep creating, listening to my own muse, regardless. And "be thankful" for the blessing it is to witness the achievements of other artists, to be able to converse with them, to learn about them, to delight in their ideas and successes. And be inspired, not intimidated. One of the best things about all the art on the internet, the forums, the webpages and sketchblogs, is seeing that absolutely incredible things are possible, and by lots of 'ordinary' people. And the privilege to witness them progress from struggling beginners, to technically and conceptually brilliant creators.

This week:

2006-07-07T08:37:00.000-04:00

We've got some markers, some photography, some digital (photoshop painting) studies, some pencil crayon, highlighters, a little ink, hand photocollage, and pencil. Some cars (rare! it's so rare that I draw vehicles, oh god vehicles rarely incite my interest**...), nudes, landscapes, bones, anatomy, tourists, sidewalks, streets, weeds.... It's such an interesting world out there.

Note: I didn't take the photos used in the above two photo collages.
They are criminally STOLEN from magazines (ie. I cut and pasted, and am obviously going to hell.)
All other photos in this post were created by me.

** I think the last time I drew vehicles in any capacity was while I was working as a flag girl on the bridge crew in Alberta, and all I saw, all day, every day, was pickup trucks, semi trucks, cars, sometimes vans, all passing by me, off to do interesting things. One of the girls I worked with (she was an awesome buddy, a proud redneck chick, and really gorgeous; I think she has a baby now....) Anyway, she was a car/truck fanatic, and tried to teach me how to identify the different brands of trucks, the different types and terminologies (like crewcab, extended cab, um... can't remember much else). Every time I sent through a group of vehicles, I would radio something like "um, sending 5, last one a blue crew cab Chev." And then when it passed her, she would tell me if I identified it right or not, often correcting me. She even tried to explain the different number of cylinders in engines.... Man, a different world. And how did I express this new awareness of vehicles? I make pages of vehicle sketches and studies during lunch and coffee breaks. Drawings now buried in the piles of sketchbooks cluttering my parents' basement, and most of the knowledge forgotten. Oh, sweet memories.

painting people on the computamer.

2006-07-03T18:21:00.000-04:00

My flavor of the week seems to be digital painting. And figures/portraits. Most of the figure work that I do normally is based in line; I've been stuck in rut drawing in the same way for so long, it wasn't interesting anymore, and I wasn't really engaged with the problem of representing figures so much... sortof lapsed into a plateau. So trying to use shade and tone and color is still so novel to me. And working like this... I'm learning so much about structure and form and color, and composition, and everything is so much more fascinating now.... Everything is made new....

First, a couple simplified greyscale studies....
hehe, they're so manly. There is some seriously ambiguous arm muscles going on with that guy's armpit.

Now this little digital study is after an image by Katsuya Terada. I'm not a fan of his intensely super-porno art, but some of his paintings and studies are darned purty. I just loved the way he used colors on this redhead. Oh, and this study obviously does the original no justice.

And this last one was made without reference, just trying to apply some of this stuff I've been figuring out. I love her super high forehead. Her facial structure was partially inspired by a Virgin and Child painting by Dieric Bouts from the 15th century. Her skin is so eerily lifeless, so alien.... woooooooooh.

More painting water...

2006-07-02T19:01:00.000-04:00

So, today my attempts to paint water continued. This time I used photoshop, and worked from some reference (Something I loathe to do, but shall for the sake of my education.) I think I learned a lot from it about the way water looks.

The Beach

2006-07-02T18:43:00.000-04:00

On Canada Day, I went to the beach. I have not been to a beach in probably... a year or two. I find them weird... too many bronzed guys and girls trying to be as sexily displayed as they can. And people trying to get me to play silly flirty games, or frolic in the water (fearing the whole time that my suit will come untied and pop off, leaving me topless.)
But I had a great time, much to my shock. I ate icecream, bought bubble solution and blew bubbles, got a tan, and sat on my towel and drew pictures. And there were tons of unsuspecting models to sketch, of various sizes and shapes, all over the place. And my top didn't fall off. We got a little lost on the drive back to Oakville, but all in all, the day was a smashing success.

a modest stab at Painter

2006-07-01T08:53:00.000-04:00

Hi, Corel Painter.
No, we havn't really met before.
My name is Sarah. Let's try to get to know each other.
I'd like to learn to paint water, how about you?
No?
Well, how about you just pretend you do, ok?
Oh.
Oh, I see.
Well, I'm going to try using you anyway.
Ok, be that way.
Hey, that's not fair.
I never said that.
Wait, but....
....that's just mean, Corel Painter. I hate you.
I just wanted us to be friends.

-exerpt from A Conversation with Corel Painter IX, pg 129.

stud from the future, or the past? Or the past future????

2006-06-30T14:36:00.000-04:00

Man, he's such a handsome devil. I'd tap THAT. *

I usually draw ladies. So here is a man. This is an acrylic painting on canvas board, with a piece of paper from an encyclopedia.
And since I've been so decadently over-embellishing lately, making super busy compositions... I practiced some restraint and tried to keep this one simple, minimalist.
And, I still suck mightily at painting hair. But... it gets a little better each time.

*I most definately would NOT tap that. ew.

A Feast of Victory

2006-06-29T12:57:00.000-04:00

orange and faded

2006-06-29T10:04:00.000-04:00

I'm very in love with the hazy variable screen that putting tape on the edges of the collage creates.

I've been doing lots of other studies in my sketchbook, mostly to do with drawing drapery, and with the effects of lighting design on rooms... but none of that feels overly compelling to post.
These color, saturation, and texture explorations feel much more important right now.

Landscapes

2006-06-27T20:34:00.000-04:00

Today, some experimental little variations on an environment, with digital collage. Nothing too polished, more just looking for a feeling and atmosphere. I've done so little landscape and scenery before, it feels like such a fresh, unexplored visual world for me.

The only collage that I created the photography for is the middle one; the others are assemblies of many photos gleaned from various random sources on the interweb (and for which I take no credit, save for the recombination, and photoshop manipulation/assemblage). I hope no one sues me. Believe me, I sure ain't making money off of these.
Copyright issues freak me out.

doodlin... and some early morning written images

2006-06-26T19:07:00.000-04:00

I totally very much want to make that shirt. And soon I will learn how... oh, the power of textiles will soon be MINE! MWAHAHAHAHA!

Written early in the morning:

We die together
in this bush.
Under the berry bush.
A cloud dissolving into the sky,
an island elipsed by water,
a teaspoon of sugar dissolved in juice.

I planted a garden in this row,
in the black earth that rings our yard.
I grew carrots and potatoes,
You thought about lovely, brooding things.
I had babies,
they grew like our garden,
and the sun shone down on them.
Insects bit at them,
Most survived (but not all.)
We went on vacation together,
You and I.
We walked the beaches.

The Beatles:
Paul McCarthy still sings.
Something something still writes.
John Lennon is dead.
Something something else still writes.

"But isn't he dead?"
"Yes, but someone with the name 'something something' still writes."

Your form changed.
So did mine.

The water table levels rose in the soil,
we ate my vegetables
and shellfish (from our trip.)

Now we die
One then another
Under the berry bush
The water level rising above us to cover
our heads,
the branches,
the continent.

I'm surveying it now,
and I love the way the sugar dissolves.

Battles and photos

2006-06-26T08:39:00.000-04:00

I've been having lots of headaches trying to post things on blogger lately, simply because my internet is acting slow and stupid, and blogger itself is being difficult to connect to. Thus I can only hope that this post even makes it up.

But I shall push ever forward, heroically fighting the digital monsters and armies of evil slow connections. And maybe someday, the true light of High Speed will return to shine upon this weary land.

We Implore You

2006-06-23T10:59:00.000-04:00

Save us, Jesus. Come back to us, Unicorn.

Once I believed in both of you, and I miss it.

Create a sense of mood and place

2006-06-22T22:09:00.000-04:00

All done through a combination of hand collage and photoshop manipulations.

watercolor and collage

2006-06-21T21:03:00.000-04:00

When having a bad day, it's probably not a great idea to pull out the medium that you haven't used in years and seldom have the patience to use properly... and then use it for a self-portrait. Nonetheless, one bored, crappy evening a couple days ago I decided that was exactly what I was going to do. I find the results quite interesting, in a questionable technique-wise, but somewhat expressionistic, manner. It's an unplanned drawing (just going straight in with a quill pen) starting at one end of the picture and working my way around until suddenly the page is full of a picture. When I jumped in with applying the watercolors, I discovered that the ink I used was NOT waterproof, so... well, that was a challenge. Rather than scrapping the picture I tried to go with the melting ink lines, letting the black outlines bleed and see what comes of it.
The drawing is kindof Alice-in-Wonderland-ish, with the disturbed feeling of awkward proportion and slightly skewed perspective.

Collage is such a great way to flush out the ideas and themes that are dancing in the corners of your brain, but only come out in more subconscious ways.

I have some collage/drawing/digital concept art pieces that I've been working on lately for two esteemed colleagues' project, but am not sure if they will allow me to post them here, as of yet. Shame, because I'm pretty excited about them.

Last night I watched "The Blue Angel", the 1930 German classic. I very much recommend it; very engaging storytelling and acting... and a well played, traumatic ending.

Oil pastels are neato.

2006-06-19T13:24:00.001-04:00

So I sez to oil pastels, I sez "hey oil pastels, let's go down to the zoo together, and try out some color action." And oil pastels said, "Why are you asking me? I'm just a passive medium."
So we went. (along with Jordon. Who actually drew the animals at the zoo.)

I love the Fauvists.

I learned about the use and abuse of color. I heart color!

OMGold!

2006-06-17T08:13:00.000-04:00

I now have the power... to paint... with GOLD.
That's right.

I plan to abuse this power in every way possible, as God intended.

And here's a photocollage, which I made before these wonderful painting-with-GOLD days (ie. two days ago.)

And a painfully gold-free sketch that I somehow still find it in my infinite compassion to like.

Lifedrawing

2006-06-14T22:34:00.000-04:00

I realized during lifedrawing tonight, that I almost never look at the page when drawing from the figure, so it's like I'm constantly doing blind contours. Whenever I conciously remember to look at the marks as I make them, there's a distinct difference in the way I draw. More control (which, mind your, isn't always a good thing.)
The second last figure on the last page (shaded 3/4 frontal woman) was a doodle made up during a break.
To the people who've posted comments: thank you!, and sorry I havn't responded yet, I've been an antisocial schlub!

Judith prt 2

2006-06-14T08:33:00.000-04:00

Ok, this morning, rather than finish getting read for an appointment, I decided it was more important to get distracted in adjusting the composition for Judith and Holofernes. I played with the placement of his severed head, and her arm, so that she's actually lifting the head, and it has more weight to it. But I liked the clear visual triangle and eyepath of the previous one... so I'm not sure which one I like better...

Judith beheading Holofernes

2006-06-13T20:03:00.000-04:00

I created cutouts with the idea of making a very simple little animation of Carrivagio's painting (relying more on sound, camera cuts and framing, simple movements to tell the story, rather than full animation). I don't think I'll be animating it anytime in the very near future (although it would be fun to make a little leica reel....) I was more interested in the conceptual end than the full scale production (hence why I would/will be better as a concept artist than an animator). As I was create the cutouts, I also spontaneously wrote out a little script for the scene.
Judith looks so sad, to me.

To make the cutouts for animating in photoshop:
I dividing the bodyparts and background into separate layers, patched up the areas left blank/revealed in moving the pieces, extended the knife, and painted in Holoferne's beheaded neck. I removed all of the blood, which would probably be best animated in, rather than as a cutout layer.

To show the changes, here's the characters adjusted to post head-cutting-off. I wish I had lackeys/slaves to do the animating for me.

Modified version:

The original painting:

The Judgement

Holofernes lies sleeping in the candlelight of his tent. Sound of campfires snapping, conversing drunken soldiers, occasional clatter of metal, from outside.

Holofernes snores. Sound of rustling cloth and muffled footsteps approaching in the darkness.

Young Woman's Voice: (offscreen, whispering) Danya, I'm frightened.

Old Woman's Voice: (offscreen, harsh whisper) Do not lose your nerve, child!

The widow Judith emerges from the shadows, her elderly maid follows, clutching a rough sack. T hey stand over Holofernes.

Danya: Do you love your God?

Judith sniffs.

Danya: Don't you want to protect His People?

Judith begins to weep quietly.

Danya: Do it now! That's not a man! That is our enemy.

Judith (sobs, looks to Dana, then back to Holofernes): Not a man... (she grasps his hair)

Danya: A beast, a fiend, a killer...

Judith raises her knife,

Holofernes (snorts awake): wha...?

Judith hacks into his neck; he lets out a bellowing squeal, but it abates as the blade slices his windpipe.

Danya watches with hate and bloodlust in her eyes.

Judith's eyes flickering, mouth tensed, the painfully wet sounds of the knife slowly sawing through his neck: past the windpipe, jugular, neck vertebrate, flesh...

The head swings free, and Judith holds it in shock, it's weight dragging from her fingers.

Sound of the knife clattering to the ground, and blood gurgling from his neck.

Judith stares into space. Danya grows impatient.

Danya: Quickly, you fool! Give it to me! (Judith mechanically lifts the head; Danya grabs it and stuffs it into her sack.) Good! You're a hero, child, now come on! Back to the city, before we are discovered.

Danya turns and scurries out; Judith is frozen, looking at his body, blood on her fingers and dress. She sniffs and whips at her nose. A streak of blood is left on her face.

The men's laughter continues outside the tent; Judith turns and silently leaves.

I couldn't relate to the couragous hero assassin Judith; I empathize more with those who feel trapped by expectations, and would kill only with heavy misgivings.

Morning collage

2006-06-13T09:50:00.000-04:00

STEGOSAURUS and sketches

2006-06-12T21:23:00.000-04:00

Study of a dinosaur from a 60s stamp/coloring book cover. My theory is... in order to be able to use color and paint in an intuitive way, I have to just keep playing with them, as often as possible. Until they feel as much like natural extensions of my thought process as drawing is.
I'm having a love affair with intense color, contrasts, and texture. They make me swoon.

My favorite sketchbook stuff from today. Just making stuff up.

Oh, and this one. Was watching a movie with Sarah Polley, and noticed that she tends to look drugged/abused in her movies. It's the whole 'Canadian realism' films she goes for.

Buffet of things

2006-06-11T21:32:00.000-04:00

Landscape done in acrylics (copied from old Walter Foster book)

Pretty Fall Tree (a stab at oil pastels, with acrylics)

Um... hands. Naturally.

I like trees.

Drawing in the livingroom.

I have some other sketches I like and will post, but this is enough for one entry. Geez.

OOOH, yeah, but first, two photos!

I bought this little terra cotta sculpture at a second-hand store in New Orleans, and loved its cutely sinister quality. And couple days ago, I knocked it over, and the little boy's head broke off. After an overwhelming wave of surprise and dismay, and realized that it looks even better this way.
Some day these kids are going to kill me in my sleep.

"Freedom! I want freedom!"
ha, sucks to be born a PET! mwhahaha.

I love my chinchilla.
Man, I hope I find a job soon. I'm clearly going insane.

Lively Liz painting

2006-06-11T10:39:00.000-04:00

Another painting of 1950s exotic dancer Liz O'Leyar. It... doesn't really look like her.

Again I followed some painting techniques from the "Painting Portraits, Nudes, and Clothed Figures" book (although I only somewhat followed the instructions, fooling around with the paint a lot.) The technique is an old master's method for oilpainting (although I was improvising in acrylics), with a warm underpainting, and then overpainting cool glazes. It really is a nice way to get some depth and fleshiness to the skin, and introduce a lot of neato, rich colors.
A lot of the skin I ended up painting and blending with my fingertips (because I didn't like the effect of the brush, and the pallete knife wasn't quite cutting it... hehe, get it, cutting, knife? whew!) But pushing the paint around with my fingers, while a bit clumsy, did produce a nice smooth but lively effect. Horray for fingerpainting!
Oh, and sparkly surfaces effects are SO easy to add in, but they makes such a great counterpoint to flesh! I love it! AND I discovered that less is definately more when it comes to detail in hair.

Listening to: Walk Like an Egyptian (Bangles)

oh GOD.

2006-06-10T10:31:00.000-04:00

Ya know those Saturday mornings, when you get all showered and ready to go buy ink for your printer and hay for your chinchilla... and one minute you're just quickly checking your email before you leave... and then suddenly you get that sick feeling in your stomach that you've just been writing notes about film and photography lighting setups from wikipedia articles, and sketching lighting and composition studies from stills of old film noir movies? And getting caught up thinking about how those visuals are used to develop power structures and establishing/manipulating who the viewer identifies with?

And not even noticed that you were doing it until two whole hours are gone? No wonder I never get anything done. I get so distracted.

I'm glad you understand.

vacation!

2006-06-09T11:49:00.000-04:00

Tastes

2006-06-08T22:15:00.000-04:00

I like unreal real colors.

In retrospect, the R looks a bit like an A. But it's a R.

This one has a title:
"He Said Judgement Is The Only Way to Keep People From Getting Lazy.
and i hated him for it...."

The biggest challenge with the last peice is keeping myself from defending/justifying it.

Girly painting in Acrylics

2006-06-07T19:46:00.001-04:00

Yeah, so turns out, now that I think about it, that I've never really learned/been taught how to paint (in terms of specific techniques; nor painting the figure). And I'm not getting any YOUNGER....
So, I was in an AMAZING used bookstore on Kerr Street, and they had tons of big, thin, old Walter Foster how-to-make-art books, so I picks some up on painting and also a book called "Painting Portraits, Nudes, and Clothed Figures". I liked the last one because it actually has step by step photos and explanations on all these ways to paint people. Yeah, APPARENTLY there's techniques and you don't actually have to make up everything from scratch. Funny, that.
I picked out a photo of Exotic dancer Liz O'Leyar, from a 1955 girlie magazine I have, and tried out some of the techniques from the book.
I like the results. Some parts look like hell (is that suppose to be HAIR? Don't ask me!) and some look pretty neato (I love her rosy cheeks and eyelashes). But the main thing is... I've now learned what the term "Alla Prima" means. ONWARD!

On a side note, I totally skipped lifedrawing tonight. I'm feeling sick, wanted to paint, and will sneak into fundies lifedrawing tomorrow. So there.
Oh, and I also bought (with money that should be spent on food and rent...) some other used books, about wolves, natural disasters, and the Natural History of Carnivores. Bloody awesome.

Books are my anti-drug.

Oh, wait, no. Books ARE my drug.

Grabbag of Drawings

2006-06-06T20:26:00.000-04:00

These last two were drawing from life, the rest are visual thoughts. All from my sketchbook, drawn in ink.
My line quality and drawing style seems to be quite effected by the medium I'm using... with ink there's a slightly shakey, decisive/indecisiveness thing going on; with pencil (especially colerase, like in the previous post) things are more flowing, energetic, animation-styling. I enjoy each in their own way.
I worked at the gym today for the first time in ages, and I pushed myself way too hard... now I'm feeling sniffley and weak... no, I don't want to get sick! BOO.

wizzle wuzzle

2006-06-04T21:23:00.000-04:00

Did some goofy cartoony sketches today, fun fun fun!

I reverted to the crazy cartoon doodles during breaks from a pencil rendering that I'm copying as a study. And! Caravaggio is a really fascinating painter (and the whole chiaroscuro thing in general is really interesting as a slightly surreal but also hyperreal sense of light and depth on the figure!); also, "Sleep" by the Dandy Warhols is a good song.

hair and face rendering...

2006-06-03T08:42:00.000-04:00

Inspired by the exquisitely shaded sketches Sub Lee, and the work of Renee French (who heart's Renee French? I heart Renee French.), I'm trying my hand at some rendering/shading. Good way to establish a better sense of values (to use in both my sketching and painting), and to try to extend my patience. I will beat you, Attention Deficit Disorder! Damn you!
I didn't make it past the head and hair on these pieces... but that's actually a victory, as I used to never put any time into the hair- I would be bored after completing the face. I actually learned a lot about rendering hair, it was pretty darned exciting!

Next image was done from reference:
I talked to Eric yesterday. And I've been in a happy grinning mood ever since. I'm such a sucker. Damn him, and damn my shmuck heart.

gentler

2006-06-02T14:51:00.000-04:00

Today's Number is: 2

2006-06-02T10:21:00.000-04:00

Best song of now: "Samson" by Regina Spektor
I'm working on a little cutout animation of Judith Slaying Holofernes.
I want to get my hands on some fabrics.

Beauty is in the gaps, the spaces between facades.

Exorcism

2006-06-02T10:16:00.000-04:00

trying to exorcise the thoughts and images from my mind through making collages.

three more collages

2006-06-01T15:11:00.000-04:00

Three new pieces (done by hand, and with varying degrees of photoshop manipulation):

It's really fun and challanging to think more about atmosphere and setting, creating a sense of place. I never used to spend much energy on that; I was always thinking about just the characters.

A super hot babe emailed me and told me I could post these images, with his blessings. Awesome. Thanks, super hot babe.

Lifedrawing

2006-05-31T22:30:00.000-04:00

Tonight my epic re-engagement with lifedrawing continued! It went a bit better than last week; no great drawings, but there was a proportionately higher number that had that elusive 'something' that starts to hint at how much I adore drawing the human body.

30 sec.

1 min

1 min

5 min
(there's lots of problems here, but the foot and the right hand... they make me happy.)

Having spent most of the session drawing large with conte (that size and medium has always been a struggle for me,) I rewarded myself with drawing a some poses in my sketchbook with a pen. I felt much more at home doing that; it was relaxing.

Today I borrowed from the library three issues of the design periodical, "Print". It's really exciting to read articles about design, because in some way's it's so different from animation and illustration. But it uses a lot of the same basic visual principals. And... I don't know, it's just really interesting to learn about issues in another field... the one I've been reading so far is concerning the responsibilities today to design for sustainability. I must confess that I've been quite cynical in regards to the environment, bitterly believing that "I'm just one person, there's no way anything I do can make any difference." That's being challanged, and I like that. It gives me hope.

And I'm still reading Nabokov's Lolita. Such an incredible, brilliantly written, effectively disturbing work. Absolutely amazing.

Random blabbing

2006-05-28T08:08:00.001-04:00

Man, my computer's fan is so noisy. I think it's semi-clogged with chinchilla hair (those crazy rats shed their soft, soft fur all over the place. man.) But I'm pretty nervous about opening up my computer tower to clean it, because I suspect that the second I attempt to do anything dis-assembling-like to the tower, it's gonna be like "uh, no, no touchee." and explode. And I really love my computer and don't want it to die. That would be highly awful.
But my computer is so loud, it's annoying.
Life is so complicated. God.

So, I didn't get a call for the job at the art supply store, which I don't understand because I'm so incredibly qualified- I've worked retail, lots of art background, willing to receive crap pay, and work crappy hours, and know how to act cheerful to customers even if I hate their guts. So why didn't I get the love call? What's wrong with this world?
Looking for a job is lame. I'm sick of it. And Johann gave me bronchitis. So I'm actually sick. Sick is lame. Bitch bitch bitch. :P

On a very positive note, I just discovered two new sources of amusement:

The Adult Swim Fix, where my sad lack of Cartoon Network can be somewhat remedied! Horray! And they have a blog for people who work there, that is also fun to read. Man, people in the industry are just as biga lameo dorks as I am! It's so awesome!

And... I really can't remember what the second one was. Dammit. But I'm sure it was something good.

On a related note, I don't know if it's the internet that's ruined me, or just plain ADD acting up, but I can't seem to find the attention span to watch an entire episode of anything on tv. I just get so bored I wander off half way through a show. Or it just might be a product of how boring so much of tv is right now. But I rented a couple movies from Blockbuster a week or two ago, and it took me several different tries to finish watching the first one. I loved it, it was an INCREDIBLE movie (The Sweet Hereafter) but I just couldn't sit through the whole thing in one shot. I had to do it in installments. I'm about half way through the second movie after a couple tries.
Is watching tv and movies really something a person should be "working on"? Am I the only one alarmed by this?
Making art is the only thing really holding my attention lately, and with that, jumping from project to project and medium to medium keeps it interesting.

When your chinchilla tries to bite you, that means she loves you, right? She's lucky she's so cute. Same thing for my crayfish. If she wasn't so cute in such a super ugly way, she wouldn't get away with trying to pinch me all the time. As it is, it's more like a "aww, she's trying to claw my eyes out!" Ned Flanders kinda thing. Johann suggested that I name her Cars, because that's what the old label on the side of her tupperware container home says. I like the idea. As long as no one thinks I'm naming her after some Pixar movie. That would be lame.

Wow, I'm rambling. But that's why Sunday mornings are for, when you wake up earlier than your roommates. And you're procastinating from cleaning computer fans.

Collage (mostly)

2006-05-27T14:13:00.000-04:00

Layers of a Room
(collage)

(Collage, yarn, google-eyes)

Inner City
(collage /w sketchbook drawings)

Asymmetrical German girl
(white pencil sketch on black paper)

Further experiments...

2006-05-26T10:45:00.000-04:00

In complete contradiction to what I've been saying lately about abandoning illustrative, figure-based drawings... here are two illustrative, figure based drawings. Go figure.

This morning I tried out vector art.

Last night I tried thin acrylics washes over a conte tonal drawing.

I am pleased with what I have learned from the above experiements.

I like art.
And hummus. I looooooove hummus.

Lifedrawing, acrylic doodle, books

2006-05-24T21:54:00.000-04:00

First of all... I am very suspicious that my roommates make my chinchilla smoke pot, somehow. (one of them used to hotbox his hamster on a regular basis, until he crushed it in the couch accidently.) I just got back from lifedrawing, and she is acting INSANE and twitching and bitey and paranoid-looking, to an extent I've never seen before. Now she's intently chewing the lifeblood out of a piece of wood I gave her. Man, I have to confront those roommates, and tell them NO. Bad. My chinchilla is NOT going to become a dope fiend.

Soooo... a couple posts ago, I flippantly remarked that I know how to draw the figure, and don't need to prove that anymore. Well, about that, um... lifedrawing tonight suggested otherwise. I got there, and sat my brain down, and said "hey, brain, there's a naked lady right there, and we KNOW how to draw naked ladies. So let's just take the conte and make an ok drawing of her. Capiche?" And my brain said, "SURE THING! I can do that, no problem!"

Oh, there was a problem.
There was a definitely a problem.

So, I also posted last week that I'd put up some lifedrawings, no matter how badly it went (what with this journal about being honest and not trying to impress anyone, etc.), but ouch. I really want to take it back, and go hide under a rock.

But I won't. I'm a trooper. And...

SERIOUSLY, my chinchilla is INSANE! She's all over the place!

But, yeah, anyway, here are the least disgraceful of the lifedrawings!

30 seconds.

1 minute

1-2 minutes

3-5 minute-ish

So in conclusion from this evening of lifedrawing: There's nowhere to go but up! I'm starting to get the feel for it again, just have to keep at it.
Now here's a little acrylic painting I did today! Playing around with the medium, testing out some things.

I also visited some art galleries today and received plenty of inspiration. And then went to a used bookstore and bought some books I didn't really have the superfluous funds for. But they were pretty cheap. It's all good.

"Fantastic Painters"- color plates of some wonderfully surreal and bizarre pieces
"Russian Folk-Style Figurines" - AWESOME.
"Folk Art of Europe"- Oh sweet Jesus take me now. I'm happy.

Today while I was painting, I felt so perfectly content and at peace with my life. It was a very nice moment. Playing with texture and brushstrokes, mixing up paint with my palette knife, gliding it on to canvas; not worrying if it's the right or wrong way to paint, but just getting caught up in the act... so therapeutic. Purr. Now I just need to find that same zen while lifedrawing.

new play

2006-05-22T12:39:00.000-04:00

Collage, acrylics, human hair, google eyes

Collage with google eyes.

Acrylic and conte stick on canvas board.

This is all very exciting! Everytime I create something new, I discover:
-new interesting ways to use materials
-the wonderful variety and power of color
-unexpected compositions and imagery that come from intuition, not logic (but in retrospect, make more sense and provide more insight then anything I would have 'thought up' and planned through concious effort.)

Boo art world!

2006-05-21T13:21:00.000-04:00

Some tired, cynical (probably overly pessimistic) observations:

-figurative and narrative art is popular; transparent storytelling is valued for its accessibility
-contemporary attitudes towards art demand that it serve a definite function
-presently, 'art for art's sake' is commonly considered pointless, self-indulgent, and elitist
-indulgent 'art for entertainment's sake' is valued and popular
-highly developed "skills" and "techniques", functioning as a display of 'talent', are worshipped
-being a starving artist is no longer cool, unless you somehow still had money for an iPod. Or unless you USED to be a starving artist, but have since become an underground sensation/commercial success.

-experimentation is only valued if it is successful
-success is largely measured in commercial viability

I am sick to death of the competitive and elitist side of the commercial art/illustration/animation world. Not that those qualities don't surely run rampant in fine art, as well. Figurative, studied art that has a specific 'point', no longer satisfies me. My interests/obsessions are always transforming, but this is a stronger change than is usual for me.... More experimenting, more abstraction, less clear 'storytelling'. I know how to draw people, I don't need to prove that (to myself, or anyone else) anymore. It's time to explore some unknown territory.

I'm not forever abandoning the commercial art world, or illustrative images. I'm just taking a bit of a break. This rant is really more in frustration with myself and the silly views/priorities I used to follow, than with anything else.

-blog posts that are not funny, irreverent, or do not contain 'skilled' artwork are usually not popular

the fiercest things I know

2006-05-18T11:38:00.000-04:00

Ok, the model didn't show up last night for lifedrawing! So I worked up all that nerve to go to lifedrawing for NOTHING! I did get a chance to catch up with some schoolmates I hadn't see in a while. that was cool.

Since I don't have any lifedrawings to post, here's some other stuff.

I painted this dinosaur in acrylics, copying part of an old children's educational book thing. The acrylic painting has been sitting around my room, staring at me angrily, because I didn't have the nerve to add anything to it. This morning I finally grabbed it, forced a googly eye onto it with glue, and collaged it in photoshop. I'm happy with the results. The pattern is scanned from one of my favorite shirts, that I bought a long time ago at value village. It's never fit me right (it's too tight around the chest and armpits), but I own and wear it strictly because it's print and color is so great.

A photograph I took. I like it.

"Strange Powers" by The Magnetic Fields is a great song.

Gulp

2006-05-17T16:09:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I'm going to finally make it to lifedrawing tonight (previous 2 weeks things came up), and hoo-boy, this is going to be interesting. I'm going to be rusty as a... as a... a very rusty peice of metal.

clever, Sarah. Real clever.

Regardless of how out of shape this drawing session goes, (I'll be like a former runner that's so out of shape, they're falling over after a little jog. There. That's a better analogy) I'll still try and post something from it.
I've decided that this blog is NOT some portfolio to impress people, or trying to win a job. I'm going through a period of change in my artwork, and a reassessment of my creative priorities. I intend this blog to be a brutally honest documentation of my artistic adventures (for better or worse!) And also, the blog is useful as a motivator- it gives me something to do with a piece once it's finished, rather than just tossing it in the corner of my room. I still do that... but now at least I scan/photograph it first.

Color saturation, fetuses, toys, etc.

2006-05-17T09:28:00.000-04:00

I havn't been drawing in my sketchbook a whole lot, lately... I think it's because all these colored playings that I've been working at has been satisfying my compulsive need to image-make. Which I'm ok with, because I've been phobic about color for too many years, and finally getting caught up in it is a lot of fun.

In this image (ballpoint pen and markers) I've exercised my God-give right to pump up the saturation of colors using Photoshop. Thanks, God. Color rocks, and was a really good move, creation-wise! And a worshipful shout-out to whatever science deities created Photoshop!

I think that dark blue on the head was a bad call. I'll know better, next time.

Another thing. Am I the only female out there that's a little unnerved by the idea of something like this:

growing inside my torso? Seriously. LOOK at it. The movie Aliens wasn't too far off in its imagery and metaphors. Maybe that's why there're hidden inside for most of that time, until they're at least a little less freaky looking. This sometimes gets on my mind, since cousins and old school chums my age are starting to produce offspring. Yikes.
Wouldn't it be nicer if fetuses looked more like this:

I'd DEFINATELY have a very difficult time choosing to abort something THAT cute.

create create create, freely you silly people

2006-05-16T11:10:00.000-04:00

Trying some more things, breaking more of my own rules and having fun doing it:

Folk art style in acrylics! Horray flatness, texture, and wonkiness!

Unplanned play in acrylics and collaged paper! A painting that descended into the abyss of incoherence and ugliness, and had to be dragged back into pictureness.

The not-PG friendly collage! wuh-oh! She's touching his larva covered worm, as the Queen Elisabeth in her leisure suite looks on. I don't think she approves.

Photoshopping

2006-05-14T17:24:00.000-04:00

Photoshopping: It's like Cowtipping, but with more photos and shopping. And less cow poop. Usually.

I've been putzing around in photoshop, reaquainting myself with the program. I havn't really done much digital painting in the last several years (with a couple exceptions, such as when Giullaume gave some lessons a little while ago), and before that I was using Paint Shop Pro. So it's learning-curve time, playing with the different tools, learning about all the masks and levels and brushes.... I'm challanging some rules I had in my head, that basically said using tools is cheating. As though using computer manipulations is just a crutch. Well, it can be, but it also can be an opportunity for expanding what's possible. I'm also taking on my "never ever use photos for anything" rule, and am starting to manipulate and use pictures I've taken myself. It's crazy how years of drawing with the same methods can build up such a list of do's and don'ts, that creativity can be severly restricted. Man, I used to think texture and pattern was a lazyman's game, but now I'm just nuts about it's potential. And collage: it's fun! Neat!

And now, "The Lab Results", featuring "New Experiments" ie. "Having Fun with Visuals"

The last illustration's my favorite. I love it's lack of slickness.
And now, the most awesome picture I've ever taken. I love everything about it, the colors, the odd composition, the content, the washed-out-ness... I can die happy now. My artistic purpose is fullfilled.

Final note: I very much want to get a copy of Painter. I've wanted to use that program for years and never have got my grubby impoverished little hands on it.

retreat of the manchild (and womanchild.)

2006-05-13T11:44:00.000-04:00

My latest musings, theories and generalizations about society, contemporary culture, and the art world, in an attempt to develop some understanding of the endless stream of information and opinions I'm continually consuming.

A theory on the growth of art inspired by naive art, cartoons, outsider/folk art, children book illustration, and "world through the eyes of a child" art.
Many young artists of my generation seem to seek a simplified, childlike view through art, because we hate/can't understand this complex, contradictory and cynical adult world. In the past few decades, "issues" (economic divides, racism, cultural intolerance, religious intolerance, corporations/consumerism/worker exploitation, [insert society's other ails]) were thought possible to combat and cure, through education, research, political correctness, therapy, government programs, etc. But in this new century, we've had brutal reminders (terrorism/war, corruption scandals, intense liberal/conservative divides) that we're not as progressive as we thought we were. Hatred, intolerance, corruption, prejudices... they run deep through the foundations. Maybe mankind's problems can't just be 'goodwilled' and 'reasoned' away.
Oh, and all that expensive education suddenly isn't a sure ticket to a job. There's no social security anymore. You're probably gonna have to work for 'the man' whether you like it or not. And, you are probably a racist. Just like everyone else.
"Solutions' feel inadequate, "one-person-can-make-a-difference" now feels silly. So by retreating into a child's world, we (and by we, I refer to many of the 20- and 30-somethings of today) find our best way to survive through this. By reviving that aura of magic, make-believe, and anything-is-possible-in-our-minds, we can get away from the big, crazy, complex adult world with all its problems. We can't fix anything. So instead, we'll daydream, watch cartoons, smoke some pot, take our pills, eat sugary nostalgia childhood cereal for breakfast, follow a guilty pleasure like the OC, collect toys, and tuck ourselves in at night. Go back to a time when a sugary novelty fixes everything. Safe and secure.

Ok, that dealt with mostly with why a childlike lifestyle is popular. But I think it's pretty easy to connect that to the appeal of such a style in art, and the draw of naive and folk art as well. The current strength of surrealism makes sense, too: this world doesn't make sense, it's irrational, it's surreal.

All this thinking is a lot of work. I'm not sure if I explained that all well enough, but I sure am tired. I guess I'll reward myself with some candy, and go take my nap.

ink doodling

2006-05-12T20:45:00.000-04:00

The knees of the girl in the last one makes me think of Steamboat Itchy, when Itchy shoots Scratchy's knees out, and when Scratchy crawls along the floor, it leaves two trails behind him. Cartoon violence. I love it.
It could use some color to clarify this, but she's holding an internal organ in her hand.

I'm developing some personal iconography that reminds me in some ways of the later work of Philip Guston. Paticularily the simplified, flat buildings.

a passage of displeasure

2006-05-12T15:18:00.000-04:00

Anyone disinterested in honesty, skip this post. For anyone who dislikes intense feelings, pain, or hearing the innards of another... come back another day, when I'm feeling irreverent again. You've had your warning.

I sobbed. The deep kind of sobs that shake your whole body, right from deep within your gut, inside your internal organs, beneath the muscle sheath that helps you breathe. Diaphragm, that's the one. And your entire trunk is racked back and forth.

Last year, across this same numbered distance, our seperate minds still found the same mental stream to swim in. And yet this time, the umbilical cord feels clamped. He's gone his separate way, and is not inviting me along. The thin feelers I send out, the runners of a strawberry plant... they do not find fertile ground.

How can one who’s core I have absorbed into my own, become foreign to me? It’s as though my own arm… no, something more vital: my liver or stomach… an internal organ has suddenly become not my own. It’s not that my body is rejecting it… But its cells, they are no longer my cells. And its continued place within, will only kill me.

The sobbing is my body trying to save itself, begging me to eject him.

Caricature

2006-05-11T18:40:00.000-04:00

This is the caricature done of me by my highly talented teacher Peter Emslie.

Man, look at those mischevious cat eyes, I'm totally about to start some trouble of the saturday morning variety.

Right now I'm totally using blogging and the internet to avoid writing an essay. oooh essays. We have strong feelings towards one another, don't we.

La-la-Lolita

2006-05-10T09:04:00.000-04:00

I could never be sad in this life, as long as this blog is still around to read:
http://mylollipopsaresweeter.blogspot.com/

A sure-fire pants-peeing good time.

And when I was in Chicago, I bought a pink t-shirt with this picture on it:

that says something like "Can you BELIEVE that we actually made a movie like Lolita?" in french on it. At least that's what Guillaume translated it as. I love wearing shirts I can't read, that might be showing off how bloody ignorant I am.

Yeah, so anyway, best shirt ever.
And funniest blog, ever.
Or EVUM, in homage to Mike from Milwaukee.

*This same T-shirt can be seen on my dynamic cameo appearance, in the video, "Sheridan Animation: Beard Wars", in the intense final scene at the barbers. Man that was good times. Thick bristly hair flying everywhere, and hot a blade going slice, slice. Then just two men with baby soft chins and dazed looks on their faces.

Zoo sketches

2006-05-07T11:22:00.000-04:00

My favorite drawings from the St.Louis zoo. (which btw is a fantastic zoo with lots of cute kids. Oh, and animals.)

Me drawing the bears at said zoo.

The way that I've been drawing lately, it's terribly ovbious that I havn't lifedrawn much in over a year. I miss it, and am glad to get back to it this summer. I want that feeling of energy and structure back in my drawings.

I think it's also time to end my hiatus from drawing with pencils. There's an exploration of form and volume that pencil drawing lends itself to.

In closing, please behold the most delicious pecan-filled waffle to ever be consumed by a visitor to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Yes, the blessed breakfaster was, indeed, I. Oh, my good Lord be praised.

Coyotes

2006-05-05T19:20:00.000-04:00

Today I'm learning to draw coyotes.

She had to do it. He was eating her arm.
I attempted some inking in the above image.

In the second (below) I played with ink and marker on illustration board, with some colored paper cut out on top. Kinda makes it feel like something from a children's magazine, teaching kids stuff.

Oil Paintings

2006-05-05T17:35:00.000-04:00

These are the two oil paintings that I did a little over a month ago, when I was staying at Eric's, and he let me use his supplies. It had been years since I'd tinkered with oil paints. I didn't plan anything out each time, I just sat a canvas in front of me, and resolved to create something, ANYTHING, start to finish, in one sitting.
I found it very fun and exhilarating to do this, to just grab colors and let your subconscious do whatever it wants. Now I can't wait until I've saved up the money to buy some oil paints and canvases of my own, and keep practicing.

This next one actually didn't start with ANY kind of image in my head of the total composition (the above image, I was disciplined enough to at least work through the entire canvas simultaneously.) For this one, I actually started with just doing little painting doodle exercises, experimenting with globes and areas of color, trying different brush techniques. Several times I turned the canvas 90 degrees to doodle on another part of it. And then, once I had far too many disconnected shapes and colors going, I decided I had to SOMEHOW pull the whole thing together into something of a balanced composition. I don't think the painting is an overwhelming success, as an end piece. But in relation to my goals (pulling the composition and color scheme somewhat coherently together from a huge mess) it was fairly successful.

wow. I just went to another browser to find the name "Aya Takano", and that was like... must have been an hour ago. I completely forgot this post was here, waiting to be finished. Geez! But, at least I just found some new amazing and inspiring artists, and got some ideas for some kinds of things I would like to make!! (next year when I take a ceramics class, I'm DEFINITELY going to make a cookie jar! I've also been thinking of making a coloring book for young adults. Very excited about that project, too, although I don't know how exactly I would distribute it.... hmmm.)
ANYWAY, I went to find out how to spell Aya Takano's name, because I was going to mention that that second painting of the girl in a trippy space world was, I think, vaguely inspired by her beautiful work. Because I'd been drooling all over her paintings in a book, just shortly before making that picture.

On another note, I just got a free desk the other day from some random girl I met in the elevator, who was moving out of the apartment building. So now I have a BEAUTIFUL desk right under my window where I can paint and ink and draw and keep my art supplies and make up all kinds of nonsense. Before, I was usually just sitting on the floor to paint, and it was hurting my back. booo. So new desk=YAY!
ps. Oh God I need to find someone to hire me. Oh no money. super boo! I hope the Blockbuster downstairs hires me, I'd like getting employee discounts on movies. Mmmm, moooovies. ::drool::

Fattie Miss Sun-Face

2006-05-02T23:49:00.000-04:00

A little painting doodle done today in acrylics and ink, on the inside of a cereal box. That paper does not take water too well.

Lots of pictures in this post. Horray! Pictures R Fun!

2006-05-01T19:22:00.000-04:00

Hmm, it's been a few days since I've posted! I've been distracted by the visiting Eric, but today that muse departed for Montreal, and I'm going to have to find new things to draw and become entranced in. Boo!!

This weekend there was an end of year, animation student party, and some non-animation students that showed up started fighting like drunken savages. Eric was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and got punched, choked, and smashed on the head with a beer bottle. He had to go to the emergency room, where they put STAPLES into his HEAD!! I almost passed out when I saw them, it was terribly gruesome. But lucky for him, chicks did scars, and soon he's head will be even MORE irresistable to lusty women worldwide. He was very put off by the whole awful experience.
Here's Eric's Brain-Staples.

That night, Eliot and I walked to the hospital to see Eric, having drank 4 cups of coffee a piece, as well an Extremo (or something) energy drink that they don't even sell in Canada; it was an attempt to sober up, but I think they just mixed unsettlingly with the alcohol. Anyway, so we were walking through Oakville residential streets at 2 or 3 in the morning, and the next day was a spring cleaning garbage pickup day, so homes had piles of old appliances and wood and furniture and boxes of random stuff out front. It was a very surreal night. So, I found tons of pieces of wood I wanted to paint on, but they were too big to carry. And Eliot found a long pole with what looked like golf balls on each end, and decided that it was his Gandolf staff. I think it was more of an awesome poking-people-from-a-distance stick. Then in a cardboard box, I found a faded scrapbook, filled the cards, announcements, childhood drawings, and other memorabilia for the first 5 or so years of one 'Jaclyn''s life. How could someone throw that away? It's now MINE.
This absolutely AMAZING little card was in the scrapbook. So find that's so DEFINITELY worth becoming a garbage-picker. Aw-yeah.

I don't know if that story was going anywhere. But anyway, it was a strange, weird walk. A firetruck drove by us, as Eliot swung his Gandolf stick and I tucked Jaclyn's precious memories under my arm. I wondered what would happen if I fell into the street and a was run over, how trying that would be for Eliot- one friend in emergency for a head cut open in a fight, another smashed in the roadway on the way there. When I ran the thought by him, it freaked him out a little. There was no wood to knock on, so I stomped on the cement instead. When we finally arrived at the hospital, Eric was alone in the waiting room, still waiting to get in and be stitched up. This is a sketch I did there. I hate lead because it always smudges up in sketchbooks.

And these are from me being the cliche, "creepy girlfriend that draws you while you're trying to get some sleep". hehehe. Sucks to be him.

In the last one, I was experimenting with a new way of applying acrylics. But Eric was too busy sleeping to realize that he had to hold still for me, so he rolled over right after I'd only blocked in his basic flesh form. So I had to make pretty much everything up. Fortunately, it was still a victory, because I figured out some neat new techniques with paint. Admittedly, my figure and drapery painting needs some work, but one thing at a time. hehe. funny thing is, after I finished the sketch, I realized that I neglected to paint in his beard. haha, I demasulinize you for rolling over in the middle of a session!

Marker studies

2006-04-27T23:59:00.000-04:00

These are some marker sketches of late, playing with different ideas and imagery. I so rarely use color, it's like an exciting new adventure. And I must admit I sometimes love gaudy saturated colors, they're so fun.

This one is my own rendition of an Edvard Munch lithograph. I've been adopting some of his imagery lately, it really resonates with me. This the three stages of womanhood, a poison flower.
An ill fetus (with dandilion.)
Two different color schemes for a doodle that I've decided try my hand at painting. Experimenting with unusual color choices (expanding my mind, man...)
Another based on an Eduard Munch image of an insane woman (inspired by his sister). I added in the room. I'm finding something compelling in the combination of bright colors and cheerful decoration juxtiposed with melencholic subject matter.
Some more experiments with color, pattern, and imagery. The two central women were copied from an Edvard Munch painting.
Right now I'm concentrating on sacrificing some of the glossy, pretty, pre-planned slickness in drawing, in order to get images down urgently, directly, and without self-censorship.

Incredible Painters

2006-04-27T10:15:00.000-04:00

I've been discovering many historical painters and artists, lately, that have left my mind reeling and throbbing with ideas and inspiration. There have been such brilliant people, such extrodinary work... Alice Neel, again, that brutally truthful painter of portraits; Edvard Munch, expressionist explorer into the depths of the instinct, emotions, and archtypes; Egon Schiele, intense and sexual and breathtaking lifedrawings; Kandinsky, a Russian painter of vibrancy and color; Arnold Bocklin... and so many more. I'm overwhelmed with a need to paint, aspire to create work with a fraction as much force and life and urgency as these people have. I'm terrified, as well; I don't feel up to the challange; when I sit to paint, so many ideas flood my brain and I can't order them, can't make sense.... the only solution is to simply sit down and start painting, and eventually the work will sort itself out.

Alice Neel

Edvard Munch

Egon Schiele

Wassily Kandinsky

Arnold Bocklin

2006-04-24T10:37:00.000-04:00

"Hartley" by Alice Neel
The time has come, it seems, for me to step past the safety of cute and generalized ideas. I have to be honest in creating art, and that thought terrifies me, much as it always has, because when I allow the truth to come out in my work, there's negative consequenses- all the ugliness, the contradictions, and biases in me (that exist in everyone, but is covered in social nicities and acceptable personas) is there for everyone to see. I'm afraid of truth because:
-it is very subjective, not everyone agrees; but opinions that don't evolve and change will die.
-it's not always pretty
-people like pretty things, safe things, comfort... and many people I love very much will not like my art if I'm honest. It's happened before. And that terrifies me.

But events in my life recently, along with the inspiration of some fantastic artists, have led me to understand that I can't continue to meander along the edges of honesty, always holding back. It's time to stop caring what other people think, or what makes them uncomfortable, and do the things I have to do.

I dislike the self-importance of this sort of discussion, but it's a neccesary evil towards taking one's self seriously.

The paintings of Alice Neel are incredible, and dig straight to the bone. She was a very couragous woman.

Nancy and Olivia, by Alice Neel

Rag in Window, by Alice Neel

Marker ladies

2006-04-22T12:37:00.000-04:00

Markers and I are continuing to negotiate our hostile relationship. The talks are making some progress.

I'm still a bit heavy handed with them and make lots of little mistakes (sloppy/unconfident lines, ugly color placements, etc.) But overall I'm feeling good about this direction. I'm getting more free and experimental with my color choices. And I'm getting better at drawing hair- I've always just ignored drawing the hair on people, leaving it very sketchy or abstract or just plain ugly... so yay, that's getting better too (with room for improvement, granted.) yay!

PS. the tan colored marker in the bg of the second pic grew angry during the negotiations and chose to dry out as I used it, in defiance. What a bastard. But I kinda like the rough look that resulted, so I WIN, MARKER!

PPS. I totally want to move to Portland. There's such a fantastic art community growing in that city, and it sounds like such a beautiful place to live. Too bad I'm not American (makes it a bit harder to go live and work in an american city.)

Congrats to the cool people!

2006-04-21T08:54:00.000-04:00

First off, I'd like to issue a congratulations of a high order to:
- Guillaume Chartier, Cliff Mitchell, Matt Kalanowskis, and Evan Bonifachio for the nominations they all received for the Dreamworks scholarship. They all earned that nomination through HUGE effort, dedication, love for animation, and for being all around fantastic people. I LOVE YOU GUYS! :sob:
- His Honorable Highness Eliot Morrison, who not only is going to be my roommate next year, but also, has finished his charming epic animated film "The Grouch", much to the delight of animation students, children, young-at-heart adults, and the developmentally challenged throughout the world. Everybody and their pets should go see his labor of love at:
http://www.yiggs.com/grouch

And... that's all I have to say about that.
I'd also like to issue a general grievance with "headaches" and "nausea". Now what is the evolutionary value in just making me miserable, huh? What's up with THAT?

Sketches

2006-04-20T15:41:00.001-04:00

These are a few of the things I've doodled out the last couple days:

These first ones I drew after copying a page from a little kid's coloring book, and I wanted to try out some of the line work idea's from it. Just some randomness, and of course lotsa nudies. Bodies are so much fun to draw. Note the use of COLOR in the sketchbook. This rarely happens, so I'm very proud of myself.

Yeah, so fetuses! I find that babies make for some interesting imagery (actual fetus' even more so; need to get some more reference of what those crazy little half formed alien things look like.)
A coyote. Sortof. I don't draw animals often, but I'm finding that some of them make really interesting archetypal images to put in a picture, so I've set out to learn to draw them better. Drawing the taxidermy animals at the Field Museum in Chicago helped. Oh Field Museum, I love you. I hope I can find something similar in Toronto.
The Indian goddess Kali-Ma. She's a dark goddess of death and carnage, but also life and rebirth. She wears earrings made of the corpses of children. That is brutally badass in a very 'but our culture is too sensitive, refined, and compassionate for such HORRORS!" kind of way. This sketch annoys me in style, as it harkens back to my more disney-esque days. That pose is pretty stiff, too. But check out that belt made of arms!! Isn't that frickin awesome?
Aaaaand one more little Kali for the road. wearing a skirt, and looking like a highschool student. hm.

The photos from my trip didn't turn out so well, much to my displeasure. So I will sift through them for the few worth scanning, asap.

Gouche paintings

2006-04-19T00:06:00.000-04:00

I don't have anything new scanned right now, so I figured that I'd post these little paintings that I did a year ago. They're panels from a storyboard I came up with, about a pinup girl who runs a little boy over with her bike.

Returned!

2006-04-15T23:05:00.000-04:00

Hellooo! I'm back (sortof.)
I'm at Eric's (Chicago-land) waiting for him to get back with a couple of friends I've only met once before**, and I'm brushing my teeth so that I'm not extremely gross. I'm already sortof gross, because today we were in Chicago (I went to the field museum and drew their AMAZING collection of taxidermied animals; the leopard was the best for its super intense creeping pose; they also had the Man Eaters of L... ? ... that place in Africa where "The Ghost in the Darkness" happened. They had those lions. They were neato.) Anyway, so the point I was getting to is that we were in Chicago and had to run a whole lot of blocks through downtown in order to not miss our train.... so as a result I'm already sortof gross and smelly. But brushing my teeth is all I'm going to do to impress Eric's friends, because I like this icky sweaty yet pretty shirt that I have on, and I ain't changing out of it.

**The first time I met them, I was in a wheelchair, pretending to be physically handicapped (IT WAS ERIC'S IDEA, HE'S THE HORRIBLE PERSON). Since that prank, I don't think they entirely know what to think of me.

So, I'm going back to Ontario tomorrow, and then I'll be able to get my photos developed (yeah, I had to use disposable cameras b/c I left my digital at home. doh.) and then I can post and pictures and explain about all the exciting adventures going down to New Orleans. We visited Elvis in Graceland, went to a lot of art galleries in Chicago and N.O., toured graveyards (and saw REAL OLD HUMAN BONES in a grave/tomb thing that was broken), saw the sobering wreckage from hurricane Katrina, played around in the French Quarter, went on a swamp tour (WHERE I GOT AN AWESOME NEW PET!!), saw crazy awesome doll museum with creepy old dolls, went camping, caught really fast lizards and a fat toad, got my face pressed between a stripper's really fake water-balloon boobs, had my tarot cards and palm read, saw a magic show, ate tons of delicious seafood and po-boys and gumbo and fried chicken, AND bought some really awesome souvenirs (I got the cheesy stuff for my friends. mwaha.) And... I might be forgetting some stuff.
On top of that I've become incredibly inspired to paint (in oils, and I want to buy some acrylics when I get home). Visiting art galleries and seeing all kinds of new things has reinvigorated me, and I'm so excited to get back to work on some serious artmaking.

So in the next few days, I'll be posting the most choice photos, telling the accompanying stories, as well as putting some of my new work. oh boy oh boy.

Man, I can't believe they're not here yet. My teeth are more than brushed.

America-HO!

2006-03-22T19:22:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, a uniquely sexy young man showed up at my doorstop. He inquired if I would like to join him on a roadtrip.

I asked him, "Are you an American?"
He said, "yes."
I said, "Strike one."

I then asked, "When is this road trip to?"
He said, " Chicago, Florida, New Orleans... wherever the wind takes us."
I said, "What, you Americans too GOOD to drive to Europe? Strike two."

I asked him, "Will you stop me from drawing constantly?"
He said, "Only if you're missing something important."
I said, "Never interrupt me from drawing. Strike three. You're out, no roadtrip."

We stood in an awkward moment of mutual disappointment.

I asked him, "Will there be fornication?"
He said, "Um, do you want there to be?"
I said, "JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION."

I asked, "Can I look at your bum?"

He said (nervously), "Uh... I suppose."

I said, "Awesome."

And it was. And we did.*

THE END

* Fornicate, that is. I'm not sure how clear that was. I'm an artist, not a writer! SHEESH!

That was a true story, slightly edited for interest's sake. I added in all the naughty bits. It was actually a fairly respectful hug, with respectable amounts of groping. I actually didn't even ask him any questions. I'm an all out LIAR.

So, anyway, I am going on a delightful splendtacular roadtrip. I will be on the wild, open roads of America until around mid April, and thus my blog will only be updated during that time, if I'm able to find internet access in the ditch. I'm going to be drawing like a madwoman, regardless of what Eric has to say about it (he'll be disgustingly encouraging, I'll bet).

So be sure to tune in to Double Chin around the middle of next month, for the post of a lifetime, revealing my unbelievable, death-defying, sexy, hilarious, illuminating adventures, with much tedious driving time thrown in to balance the mix!!!!! Wowzers!

PS. (This Guy: http://jameswillie.blogspot.com/ is the shit. His drawings of girls blows my mind. It is how I want to draw girls. I want to steal his hand and wear it on my head as a bloody trophy.)

BTW- the title of this post, "America-HO!" is to suggest that I'm going to America, and I'm going to be a total ho while I'm down there. On a ho-related note... MEL GET A BLOG! Your art is MORE than awesome enough to post! So DO IT DO IT NOW or I won't send you those nudie-girly-postcards!!!! Take THAT!!!

Digitamal painting

2006-03-21T13:36:00.001-05:00

Guillaume ( http://rydia.net/clairvoyance ) and I did this painting as a TEAM. I say GO TEAM US, and Guillaume says "ok!" He is very very awesome at painting (and art in general) and is teaching me to digital paint in photoshop! HORRAY!!
This doesn't look near as nice in this crappy little compressed version... the colors are much brighter/more intense in the real one. Bright colors are the shit. This compressed version is just... shitty. MEH!

sometimes i like to draw

2006-03-20T18:34:00.000-05:00

Alrighty, I've got some new sketches all scanned up!

These are drawings of the lovely Samantha Morton. I don't think I've quite got her captured, yet, but I'm still working on it. She has such a fascinating face. I'd love to do a painting, using her face for a character.

This was a funny looking guy on the bus. I felt like I was really sticking it to the man, when I drew him. That is, if sticking it to the man meant noticing that he had slightly smaller hands than is normal, and exaggerating that for my own amusement. It probably doesn't, but I'm still satisfied.

Some neat bus ladies. (well, the full body sketch isn't a lady... that's some man. mere technicalities.) My drawings seem to crowd together and/or overlap a lot in my sketchbooks.

A little pen doodle of two women, drawing while watching Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blonds. Man, that movie was halarious. I love Marilyn, I don't care how cliche that is. She's popular for a REASON.

I finally figured a bit better some of the features that distinguish caucaisans from asians. And the guy was this awesome old security guard I was chatting with, he had a great head (and was a funny guy to boot). The lady I just made up. Look at her! She's so middle aged!

I think I need to take a nap. My brain won't sit still lately, and I'm exhausted.