Meeting Drawing

Temporary Studio

I'm in Atlanta on day 1 of a four day conference on girl bullying. It's an interesting experience traveling alone, eating dinner in restaurants alone, coming "home" to an empty hotel room alone. Sometimes it's too easy for me to be this quiet and alone. I've set up a little "studio" for the next few days because I have a group show with PROJECTMILL coming up at Fabricate. With so much napping and thinking about baby these last few weeks I haven't gotten as far on the work as I should have so I packed a few things so I could work while I'm gone. I'm feeling a little mix of emotions tonight. While I'm gone Ben has started transforming my studio into the(I've struggled saying these words and keep calling it the spare room) baby room. My studio has been cleared, carpet ripped out, and there's no going back now. Not that I have worked there much in the last two years since the store opened, it was just a place that I knew would be there for me when it was time to make again. I guess I have something else to make now and hopefully this trip shows me that I don't need a room to make, just a desk, a window and some making supplies. All of that aside, I'm SO excited that the spare room will have a new occupant soon. So strange and exciting.

More Illustration!

Check out my illustrations for the women's issue of City Beat! The first one is here and the second one here.

Illustration Project!

I did 7 illustrations for the Best of Cincinnati issue of City Beat. You can check them out on their site or pick up a copy for the glossy version! This project required me to stare at pictures of pigs for a week and I realized that pigs are really weird animals to look at but it was a fun project. Now I'm ready to move on to that children's book.

Also, Fabricate was voted one of the top 10 new stores in Cincinnati! Yay!

48 Hour Film Festival

It's been a few days since I've posted anything. I had a crazy week at work and this weekend I've been helping my friend Yusef on a 48 hour film festival entry. I've gotten up both days really early to sit behind the computer. He decided he wanted to animate his movie so I was called in to try and help out even though I know nothing about animation. He decided to give me the task of drawing backgrounds. This is one of them I created in Flash. I'm hoping he will eventually teach me to make things move but with only 48 hours to record, draw, write, and animate there wasn't much time for that. I'll post the film here eventually. I've decided that if I can do this an entire weekend for someone his project I can do this a few weekends between now and October to bust out some paintings. I'm definitely behind at this point so it's going to take some serious discipline.

I Drew In Light on the Wall

BLAHOG

I've been feeling blog lame. I think coming down from vacation combined with a gloomy rainy week has killed my lust for posting. I forced myself to draw this drawing tonight because I don't want to get out of the habit of blogging. I have a few ideas for paintings floating around in my head so hopefully I'll get some time to commit those to paper soon. Stay tuned.

Self-Portrait #350

I set a timer for 10 minutes for this drawing. I need to loosen up and time limits are a good way to do that.

Self-Portrait #349

I don't feel like I've been challenging myself creatively these days. I think this self-portrait is evidence of that. I need to get into the habit of looking at art more. I need to spend more time flushing out all of the ideas that float around in my head that are never fully realized. Maybe that will be the focus of my next challenge after this self-portrait thing is done. I need to be looking more. I also need to get back into my crafty craftyness.

Self-Portrait #341

Quick wacom tablet drawing.

Self-Portrait #336

It just wasn't happening tonight.

Self-Portrait #319

My nose feels this big today from blowing it so much. The highlight of my day was not getting drinks for a friends birthday but getting to buy tissues with lotion in them. They are magical.

NEXT!

2009 Goals!!!!!!Last year I set several goals for the new year and it was nice to have those to go back to and get refocused from time to time so I think I'd like to do that again. I have a few regular readers and I depend on you to keep me focused. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the day to day and forget to actually get things accomplished. Here goes...

1. Take an Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop class.
2. Sign up for another session of life drawing.
3. Create 100 4x6 paintings and have a show. I failed at this last year
4. Continue to blog regularly even when the self-portrait challenge is done. I'd like to come up with another assignment for myself.
5. Start a savings account!!! Yes, I do not have a savings account and this is the year. I'm growing up.
6. Go to yoga at least once a week.
7. Continue to make stuff to sell on Etsy even though I've NEVER sold anything. (Hint, Hint...please someone buy something!).
8. Figure out the best way to make and actually make an animation that has been floating around in my head for a few months.
9. Landscape my backyard. Yet another failure from the year before.
10. Finish painting the house...a project that was started two years ago.

Self-Portrait #312

I'm not sure why it feels good to transition into a new year, why people put so much stock into a new beginning. I generally think that is a little silly but this year I'm definitely ready to put 2008 behind me. I can't say that this was a great year for me. There was a lot between my blog lines that went unsaid. It could have been worse but it could have been much better. I do feel fortunate to have the life that I have and I'm sure that in my life there will be a few more bad years to come but I am very glad to be putting this one behind me. I'm excited about setting new goals and looking back on the ones that I did accomplish. So here's my year in review. I set out with many goals, some were accomplished and some will be carried over to 2009.
1. Learn to use my sewing machine. I can't say that I spent a lot of time on the sewing machine but I can sew a straight line now so I'd say I did pretty well here.
2. Buy more gifts for people on Etsy. YES! I did this. I do have to say that I bought more gifts for myself on Etsy too.
3. Post things on Etsy to sell by next holiday season. YES! I did this too. Too bad no one bought anything but hey...baby steps.
4. Blog at least once a week. YES! I struggled a little with this one and then the self-portrait challenge came along and turned into a monster.
5. Complete 100 4x6 paintings. NO!!! But 2009 is the year.
6. Have a show with above paintings and have a show and sell the rest on Etsy. NO!!! But again, 2009 is the year.
7. Claim a craft/art corner in my house. YES!!! I have a great room that is used for both now.
8. Start making Christmas presents in August. NO!!! This is just a dumb idea.
9. Treat my backyard with the loving care with which I treat my front yard. NO!!! But 2009 is the year!!!
10. Save money to buy a macbook. YES!!! I think this was the best purchase ever. I love my computer.

So I think I did pretty well. I'm working on my 2009 goals and will report out on those shortly. This is my first attempt at color on the Wacom tablet. It's a little scary looking but a good first try. Now I'm off to get ready for ring in the new year!!!

Self-Portrait #308

Tomorrow I hope to try color. Then I'm going to start figuring out how to create an animation.

Self-Portrait #307

Wacom tablet!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Self-Portrait #305

THIS IS SOOOOOOO COOOOOOOL!!!!! Ok. Ben got me a Wacom Tablet for Christmas. It is amazing! This is my first quick attempt at drawing with it. It's going to take some getting used to because it feels really weird drawing on a blank computer mouse pad and seeing the effect on the computer screen. It is a lot more natural feeling then I thought it would be.

Self-Portrait #289

I don't think I look like this.

Self-Portrait #270

I dusted off my pastels tonight.

Self-Portrait #262

Self-Portrait #260

I accidentally gave myself two black eyes in this portrait. I went stupid while drawing. I can't believe this is #300. I didn't really think that I would make it this far. On one hand I'm really tired of taking pictures of myself and on the other hand I realize that I'll probably have some strange withdrawal from this project. I do wish that I had done more drawings so maybe for the next 65 I'll try to focus on that. I'm sort of having a self loathing phase with my art. I just don't feel like I'm as good as I used to be or as good as I could be but I guess I'm the only person who can do something about that. I think the winter blues are hitting me today. I really don't like the cold some days. I think this may be a long winter.

UPDATE: 300 does not follow 259. WOW. I actually have 100+ portraits left. UGH!