FLO-rida Wildlife

I recently visited the Homassassa Springs State Park and the Palm Beach Zoo.  I really have been lacking in my sketching, but at least I made a couple that I liked.  My love for drawing never goes away, but I've let it sink into the background while I concern myself with several other things, and it's making me cranky.

Sid & Nancy Dr. Sketchy's

Here are some sketches from October's session of Dr. Sketchy's at the Sake Bomb.  There were two models this time-posing as Sid & Nancy.  (Sid Vicious from the Sex Pistols and Nancy his late girlfriend who he may or may not have stabbed to death.) 
I really enjoyed this one because the models used a guitar as a prop often, and I love drawing musicians!

Dr. Sketchy's Sci-fi

Tokyo Bell in Star Trek garb

Tokyo Bell in Dr. Who garb

More Dr. Who

We were supposed to draw the model in a "sci-fi" scene.  I surrounded her with some Labyrinth characters.  This was definitely a stretch.  And I didn't get to finish the chilly guy because it was timed.

Dr. Who pencil sketch

Not sure if there was a sci-fi reference with this costume, but it made for good sketching.

Dr. Who in color.

The Bureau of Drawers Quarterly Volume B and the Cafe Racer Tragedy

Before I left Seattle to attend SCAD for graduate school, I hung around some of the funniest, geekiest, and most talented people I've ever met. At that time, we were called the Friends of the Nib, but since then the group has been modified a bit and they now go by The Bureau of Drawers.

The idea is the same, they still get together weekly and joke and drink and draw. Recently they published a second volume of their comics, which is available for digital download here:
http://thebureauofdrawers.blogspot.com/2012/06/bureau-of-drawers-quarterly-volume-b.html
I haven't looked through the whole book yet, but I am excited and I know I will find amazing work inside.

Also recently, our meeting spot, Cafe Racer, was struck by tragedy when a shooter entered last Wednesday morning and shot five people, all of whom were good friends to the Racer family.

Many of my friends are still very upset by this unexpected event, and I am still stunned. Of all of the places I've lived and visited, I never expected violence of this kind would occur in the town that I miss and love so dearly.  But what I could have predicted was the overwhelming flood of support and love towards the Racer and the victims' families that occurred immediately after the incident.

There are ongoing benefits, memorials, and events happening, and here is a link to some of them:
http://blog.kexp.org/2012/06/01/live-around-town-cafe-racer-benefit-shows/

The last time I visited Seattle was almost two years ago, and I was happy to catch up with the FOTN at the Racer during my visit. I plan to visit again this summer or fall, and I hope that the Racer has reopened (they are temporarily closed) so I can pay my respects and have a drink with old friends while we sketch.

Another Beach Sketch

Pass-A-Grille Beach

Recent Illustrations published in The New Yorker that inspire me

Josh Cochran

Annette Marnat

Victo Ngai

Frank Viva

I have had a subscription to The NYer for about three years now, and I religiously read the fiction piece in each issue and pay close attention to all of the illustrations and names of the illustrators being published.  This is a small selection of illustrations in recent issues that I thought were especially interesting.  The style and techniques are varied, I think the first one by Josh Cochran is the most similar to the sketchbook look that I employ, (it looks like he could've actually drawn these people in different situations and redrawn them into a party scene-which I have done before.)  But his coloring is more daring than any I've ever tried. 

I think the color palette in each illustration is what initially drew me to them. Frank Viva effectively used only 5 colors, which works well for this graphic illustration.  And Annette Marnat makes very hot colors look soft with her blending in the limited palette.  Victo Ngai's is reminiscient of a Marcos Chin to me, and the colored line work really adds to the drawing.

Recent sketches in FLA

View from O'Maddy's Pub, Gulfport, FL

View from Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.-formerly Harpoon Louies, Jupiter, FL

Jupiter Inlet, Jupiter, FL

Concert on Record Store Day, Local 662, St. Petersburg, FL

St. Pete Pier, St. Petersburg, FL

Tampa Bay Blues Fest, St. Petersburg, FL

Some new work-new direction?

 

I've been creating several different sets of paintings and drawings for work.  I'm constantly in product development mode, which I enjoy much more than the business side of my job, which includes art consulting and spreadsheets for days.  

These two pieces are some that I created in my (limited) spare time.  I really liked them, because even though I have recently been creating commercial art, these pieces are similar to my own style.  They reflect my style in a looser fashion with all brush work instead of pen nib, and I think this is a positive direction for my work.  I'm obviously getting away from editorial illustration, but I hope that I can do more graphic and fashion work in the future.

Finally I have a second to sketch

My new job has been crazy to say the least.  I have been working very long days and nights.  And this includes drawing or painting at home.  It was nice to find a second the other night to draw something for myself-to capture Jose sleeping on the shelves which hold my vinyl and my favorite graphic novels and art books.

Chicago-again...Shedd Aquarium Visit

I took another trip to Chicago this past weekend, and I really enjoyed visiting the Shedd Aquarium.  I hadn't been there since I was in grade school with my girl scout troop.  I sketched a good deal, and some of the creatures were easier to capture than others, so there are quite a few from the tanks that are not represented in my pages.  Sometimes after I draw for a bit, I just like to look and take it in.  So, besides these critters, I also saw (and loved) jellyfish, otters, a sea lion, dolphins, beluga whales, and a rehabilitated sea turtle to name a few.  Besides the jellies and the turtle, these guys were in a section based on the climate and environment of the Pacific NW.  Just another reminder of how wonderful Seattle is...I used to see sea lions on a regular basis, just chilling in the Puget Sound.  Kinda wish the guy in the Shedd was also that free...I'm not sure if he had a specific need that made him appropriate for captivity.  I'm always torn when I visit zoos and aquariums because I love to see and draw the animals, but a big part of me is sad for them.

Kensington Farm Center

I love Kensington Metro Park!  I walk there a few times a week on their nature trails.  I decided to visit a different part of the park yesterday.  I hadn't been to the Farm Center since maybe High School, so I packed up my sketchbook and my Ipod and walked around, trying to avoid the screaming children that scared away my drawing subjects ;)

Here are two of my faves from the visit.

Chicago

Recently I took a trip to Chicago.  I had a job interview for a textile artist position, and I'm pretty positive I didn't get the job because I never heard back from the interviewer after my follow up email.  However, the trip was not a complete loss because I stayed for almost a week in my cousin's apartment in the South Loop and did plenty of exploring around the city.

I had been to Chicago countless times before; my hometown is only about 5 hours away.  I have also been to the Art Institute of Chicago countless times, but I always see something new when I visit.  This time, they were featuring a show called Windows on the War, a collection of Soviet war posters by Soviet Union’s news agency, TASS.  Since I recently finished an MFA program in illustration, the posters were right up my alley.  Mainly satirical, they featured anthropomorphic images of Hitler as several different animals, ie. a rat, dog.  They were meant to bolster support for the WWII Soviet war effort and many featured symbols of the Allies working together against Hitler.  The metaphors used were biting and clever, and the culled collection of posters showed how art was successfully used as a weapon.  The work was such influential propaganda that FDR called for similar work to be advertised in the US.

Here is one picture I took with my phone:

I loved the graphic quality, the simple color use, and the way the artist took liberties with the portraits, but they are still recognizable likenesses of Mussolini and Hitler.

See more of the posters at this link: /http://tass-posters.tumblr.com/

Also while I was there, I visited the Museum of Contemporary Art.  The collection was small, though there were some nice Albers' Homages hanging.  I walked around, trying to drop off my postcards to art directors, and I stopped into a cool Jazz record store and a used bookstore.  I also sketched.  Here is a sketch of Millenium Park.

Canning Jams, Sauces, and Salsas

Recently, I was "up north"-as it is commonly referred to by Michiganders-at my cottage in Wolverine, MI.  I enjoyed the end of summer by biking along Lake Michigan, visiting Tahquamenon Falls in the Upper Peninsula, then seeing Lake Superior, and doing lots of canning with my mom and family friends.  We made marinara sauce, different kinds of salsas, pickles, dilly beans, and peach and blackberry jam (from blackberries on our property).  I decided to sketch a still life of our accomplishments.

Arts Du Jour/Arts, Beats, & Eats

Happy Labor Day Weekend!  Last Thursday, I attended "Arts Du Jour" in Royal Oak.  It was a preview of this weekend's Arts, Beats & Eats festival, but the ticket proceeds went towards a charity of your choice.  Basically, Arts Du Jour consisted of two large tents filled with tapas from local restaurants, with bands and circus jugglers in the background.  This sketch was of one of the main bands.

Tonight I will attend Arts, Beats, & Eats, also in Royal Oak, with some friends.  Similarly to its preview, there will be lots of food, drink, and music, but there will also be artist booths.

Tomorrow is Michigan's first football game of the season against Western Michigan.  I am so excited to be inside the big house and see our new scoreboards and our new coach at work!   GO BLUE!  It's gonna be a great weekend :)

Illo Donation for Buster Bash Fundraiser

This is an illustration I just finished for the Buster Bash, an event in SE Michigan to benefit the Buster Foundation, a pit bull rescue and education center.  I am normally a cat lady, but my cousin is the parent of an adoptee from the foundation, and he is a sweetie.  For more info on the event or the foundation, visit: www.busterdogs.com

Summer festivals

Last weekend, I attended two arts/music festivals near my hometown on Friday and Saturday.  This was sketched in the Beer Tent of Milford Memories, an annual summer festival in Milford, MI.  The second festival I attended was in my hometown of Brighton, MI.  It was much smaller and the live music had not started while I was there, so I didn't sketch any there but I saw a lot of familiar faces walking around.  It rained on and off all weekend, but I still had a great time with my friends.

Band sketches from OBX

I drew these in June during my trip to the Outer Banks, but I'm only now posting them.  They were drawn at bars on Ocracoke Island.  I love getting a little buzz on while drawing in a new place-especially by myself.  No one really distracts you except for the occasional question from the waiter/bartender.

Another sketch of Jose :)

Jose fell asleep while we were watching Rango...what a great movie that referenced one of my favorites-author/doctor/Sheriff/crazy-man, Hunter S Thompson, on his drug-addled way from Barstow to Vegas.

Graduation Card

The past few days I have been making customized cards.  It's fun and easy, and I hope to have an excuse to make more.  This image was on one for a family friend of mine who just graduated from high school and is attending Ringling College of Art and Design in the Fall, which is a great art school.  Thus, I added a paintbrush and pencil to her grad cap tassels. 

Wedding Card

I just spent an amazing week in the Outer Banks, NC for my dear friend Katie Dauka's wedding.  She and her husband Eric and I and about 20 other people shared an incredible mansion on the beach called the Hemingway. 
Tonight, I am going to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI for my other great friend and former Michigan roommate, Kristin Buckless' wedding.

I whipped this card up pretty quickly in two different colors for the weddings.  Both couples love to run together, so I thought it would be relevant for them.