Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
I am a dash and you are a dot
Some Stumptown silliness:
I left Molly alone for a while and instructed her to pretend to be me and draw in my sketchbook. When she asked what she should draw, I said a portrait of me. :P The Russian woman's pants were to illustrate a story Molly was telling about a woman at work whose butt does incomprehensible things shape-wise. And then of course we have my appreciation for these things.
A man complimented me on my cute style. I retorted that I was a gritty realist, sir, and set about drawing gritty-real-Batman to prove it. Later, someone said "Sailor Jesus" and I had to draw it. I used the empty space in the top right, but Molly pointed out that this made it look like Sailor Jesus was Batman's 'good angel'. We came up with Tinkerbell-Voldemort for the evil side. And then put Batman on a therapist's couch because he is clearly troubled.
I left Molly alone for a while and instructed her to pretend to be me and draw in my sketchbook. When she asked what she should draw, I said a portrait of me. :P The Russian woman's pants were to illustrate a story Molly was telling about a woman at work whose butt does incomprehensible things shape-wise. And then of course we have my appreciation for these things.
A man complimented me on my cute style. I retorted that I was a gritty realist, sir, and set about drawing gritty-real-Batman to prove it. Later, someone said "Sailor Jesus" and I had to draw it. I used the empty space in the top right, but Molly pointed out that this made it look like Sailor Jesus was Batman's 'good angel'. We came up with Tinkerbell-Voldemort for the evil side. And then put Batman on a therapist's couch because he is clearly troubled.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Wandering over the hills unseen
I drew some fan art for Watership Down this week. It's my absolute favorite book. **spoilers ahead**
I watched the 1978 animated film when I was little (my mom wasn't ignorant of the content--I was just persistent in asking to be allowed to see it). In 5th grade, I was surprised to see a book by the same title on the shelf of our neighborhood library. It was so fun rediscovering the story; some scenes were familiar but I was still surprised by each twist in the journey. I bought the book and read it every summer until my paperback copy fell apart. Even when it was in 3 pieces and the pages fell off one by one when you turned them, I kept it. I can't find it now, though...I must have finally given it up when I moved out of my parents' house last fall. I need to find a good hardback copy...
In 7th grade, I was reading Watership Down on the sidelines of soccer practice during one of my frequent sprained ankle recoveries. A friend's mom came up and commented on the book. We started talking about the movie, and in my teenage eagerness to distance myself from anything emotional, I made a joke about how terrible the musical sequence in the middle was. My friend's mom mused, "That's my favorite part, actually," and explained why. I was suddenly ashamed, wishing I had the confidence to admit that it was mine, too. She passed away a few years ago. I didn't know her well, but this is something I will always remember.
So this fan art is for that scene from the movie, where Fiver's vision leads him to Hazel. It's so beautiful--the feverish imagery and the Art Garfunkel song and the symphonic suite in the middle of it. I love poor Fiver, set upon by his gift/curse, thought to be mad by just about everyone, and how he saves the lot of them time and again. I especially love the sun/moon bleeding into the field (and the music that accompanies it), and how this is a metaphor for where Fiver finds Hazel, bleeding out in a storm drain--something that hit me while rewatching the movie this week.
Fiver's ears should probably be down to tag him, but I liked the composition much better with them up.
I watched the 1978 animated film when I was little (my mom wasn't ignorant of the content--I was just persistent in asking to be allowed to see it). In 5th grade, I was surprised to see a book by the same title on the shelf of our neighborhood library. It was so fun rediscovering the story; some scenes were familiar but I was still surprised by each twist in the journey. I bought the book and read it every summer until my paperback copy fell apart. Even when it was in 3 pieces and the pages fell off one by one when you turned them, I kept it. I can't find it now, though...I must have finally given it up when I moved out of my parents' house last fall. I need to find a good hardback copy...
In 7th grade, I was reading Watership Down on the sidelines of soccer practice during one of my frequent sprained ankle recoveries. A friend's mom came up and commented on the book. We started talking about the movie, and in my teenage eagerness to distance myself from anything emotional, I made a joke about how terrible the musical sequence in the middle was. My friend's mom mused, "That's my favorite part, actually," and explained why. I was suddenly ashamed, wishing I had the confidence to admit that it was mine, too. She passed away a few years ago. I didn't know her well, but this is something I will always remember.
So this fan art is for that scene from the movie, where Fiver's vision leads him to Hazel. It's so beautiful--the feverish imagery and the Art Garfunkel song and the symphonic suite in the middle of it. I love poor Fiver, set upon by his gift/curse, thought to be mad by just about everyone, and how he saves the lot of them time and again. I especially love the sun/moon bleeding into the field (and the music that accompanies it), and how this is a metaphor for where Fiver finds Hazel, bleeding out in a storm drain--something that hit me while rewatching the movie this week.
Fiver's ears should probably be down to tag him, but I liked the composition much better with them up.
She loved that man who died here yesterday
Sketch dump!
The man in black from LOST. I love this actor's face.
I loved Tangled and the character Rapunzel, but her design kind of terrifies me in some shots. It's like, her eyes are so big I feel claustrophobic when there's a close-up.
I really want to do a pin-up along these lines of Buffy with the BAMF axe. The truth is, Jo Chen already nailed it (below), but it's too fun to not attempt myself.
Anastasia~
Random OCs.
I like this silhouette for spring--blouse tucked into floofy skirt.
The man in black from LOST. I love this actor's face.
I loved Tangled and the character Rapunzel, but her design kind of terrifies me in some shots. It's like, her eyes are so big I feel claustrophobic when there's a close-up.
I really want to do a pin-up along these lines of Buffy with the BAMF axe. The truth is, Jo Chen already nailed it (below), but it's too fun to not attempt myself.
Anastasia~
Random OCs.
I like this silhouette for spring--blouse tucked into floofy skirt.
We'll be playing and having fun
Tonight: Drink and Draw like a Lady West!
Elisabeth, Cat, and I spent last night baking, frosting, slicing, etc. in preparation. It's going to be awesome; hope you can make it! Remember to bring business cards and/or minis if you come!
Saturday and Sunday: Stumptown Comics Fest!
Come to booth B-22 to see Emi Lenox and me!
Elisabeth, Cat, and I spent last night baking, frosting, slicing, etc. in preparation. It's going to be awesome; hope you can make it! Remember to bring business cards and/or minis if you come!
Saturday and Sunday: Stumptown Comics Fest!
Come to booth B-22 to see Emi Lenox and me!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Love hides in a smokey light
"Being a professional is doing the things you love to do, on the days you don't feel like doing them."
I struggled with a huge art-block last week and the week before. There were several days I went to Periscope for 8 hours and didn't go home with a single usable drawing. I tried all of my usual tricks to inspire myself: exercise, reading, trying a new medium, watching a Ghibli movie...but to no avail. As much as I love that Dr. J quote, and believe it applies most of the time, once in a while you have to forgive yourself for not being able to do it. :-/
I appear to be out of my funk now, but with a heavy load of catch-up work to do. Yesterday went well. I guess I'm taking it one day at a time. I'm pretty optimistic. The excitement of Stumptown should keep the creative quadrants of my brain fueled for a while.
Have some silly comics from the last week:
(Inked by family friend Cole, an 8 year-old aspiring comic artist!)
I struggled with a huge art-block last week and the week before. There were several days I went to Periscope for 8 hours and didn't go home with a single usable drawing. I tried all of my usual tricks to inspire myself: exercise, reading, trying a new medium, watching a Ghibli movie...but to no avail. As much as I love that Dr. J quote, and believe it applies most of the time, once in a while you have to forgive yourself for not being able to do it. :-/
I appear to be out of my funk now, but with a heavy load of catch-up work to do. Yesterday went well. I guess I'm taking it one day at a time. I'm pretty optimistic. The excitement of Stumptown should keep the creative quadrants of my brain fueled for a while.
Have some silly comics from the last week:
(Inked by family friend Cole, an 8 year-old aspiring comic artist!)
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Stumptown Con Sketches
The Stumptown Comics Fest is next weekend!! :D
I recently closed commissions due to time restraints, but you can still get a con sketch from me at Stumptown next weekend. I will be doing black and white drawings on 9"x12" bristol. (The Kiki drawing above is one that I did at Emerald City last month).
To guarantee a spot (I will only take 5 requests), pre-order your con sketch now! That way, I have all week to reference and draw your con sketch, and it's ready to pick up as early as the beginning of the convention. You can also sign-up for a con sketch at the show, but once I have 5 requests, that's it. I don't know how quickly they will go, but I recommend that you come by early on Saturday if you don't pre-order.
To pre-order, e-mail me and tell me:
a) Your name
b) What character you want me to draw (can be anyone, even real people or original characters if you send me reference, but only 1 character please)
c) Any notes about what pose/outfit/setting/mood/etc. you would like
d) Whether or not you would like grayscale Copic marker shading on your drawing
The price is $40 and you can pay when you pick up your drawing. :)
I recently closed commissions due to time restraints, but you can still get a con sketch from me at Stumptown next weekend. I will be doing black and white drawings on 9"x12" bristol. (The Kiki drawing above is one that I did at Emerald City last month).
To guarantee a spot (I will only take 5 requests), pre-order your con sketch now! That way, I have all week to reference and draw your con sketch, and it's ready to pick up as early as the beginning of the convention. You can also sign-up for a con sketch at the show, but once I have 5 requests, that's it. I don't know how quickly they will go, but I recommend that you come by early on Saturday if you don't pre-order.
To pre-order, e-mail me and tell me:
a) Your name
b) What character you want me to draw (can be anyone, even real people or original characters if you send me reference, but only 1 character please)
c) Any notes about what pose/outfit/setting/mood/etc. you would like
d) Whether or not you would like grayscale Copic marker shading on your drawing
The price is $40 and you can pay when you pick up your drawing. :)
Friday, April 8, 2011
Fighting in the darkness for the light
I drew this comic for Bradley Angle, a domestic violence shelter here in Portland, to use for their spring appeal. I love the idea they came up with for people to honor their female mentors by sending in pieces of her wisdom for the shelter inhabitants to read. Bradley Angle approached me to see if I could put their message into a comic instead of the normal text letter that they use. Very cool! This is the organization that Wonder Woman Day benefits as well; they are down with Portland's comics community <3
If you would like to receive this comic in the mail with information on how you can 'honor her', e-mail marts@bradleyangle.org and ask to sign up for their newsletter. Check out Bradley Angle here.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Then I see our friends and everybody's so excited!
The Stumptown Comics Fest just posted its convention schedule!
Friday your only option is to PARTY, so do that. :P Cat Farris, Elisabeth Forsythe, and I are hosting Drink and Draw like a Lady: West at Things From Another World (Hollywood location). I am very excited for DDLL. This is the first time I have helped organize a big event! (Check out that fly poster by Emi Lenox!)
I've never been able to attend panels while tabling before, but I'm going to try to make it to Jacq Cohen's 'Publicizing your Comic' panel on Saturday at 3.
The Stumptown after party has been at Cosmic Monkey for the last 3 years, and that's always been great, but I am excited to see what the move to the Jupiter Hotel will bring. Like the move of the convention itself to a bigger venue, change can be good.
On Sunday, I am speaking on the Autobio Comics: How Much is TMI? panel at noon. (Trivia time: the only panel I've ever spoken on was an 'Upstart Artists' panel at Kumoricon at age 17!)
If you are from out of town, I highly recommend that you go on the SCF 2011 Art Gallery Guided Tours! I think it sounds so nice to be driven around and shown the comic highlights of Portland in just 2 hours! So easy! Is there any other convention that has something like that? My Periscope comic will be up at PCPA this month with lots of art by other Periscopers, so check that out if you can. :)
Friday your only option is to PARTY, so do that. :P Cat Farris, Elisabeth Forsythe, and I are hosting Drink and Draw like a Lady: West at Things From Another World (Hollywood location). I am very excited for DDLL. This is the first time I have helped organize a big event! (Check out that fly poster by Emi Lenox!)
I've never been able to attend panels while tabling before, but I'm going to try to make it to Jacq Cohen's 'Publicizing your Comic' panel on Saturday at 3.
The Stumptown after party has been at Cosmic Monkey for the last 3 years, and that's always been great, but I am excited to see what the move to the Jupiter Hotel will bring. Like the move of the convention itself to a bigger venue, change can be good.
On Sunday, I am speaking on the Autobio Comics: How Much is TMI? panel at noon. (Trivia time: the only panel I've ever spoken on was an 'Upstart Artists' panel at Kumoricon at age 17!)
If you are from out of town, I highly recommend that you go on the SCF 2011 Art Gallery Guided Tours! I think it sounds so nice to be driven around and shown the comic highlights of Portland in just 2 hours! So easy! Is there any other convention that has something like that? My Periscope comic will be up at PCPA this month with lots of art by other Periscopers, so check that out if you can. :)
Monday, April 4, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Who am I to disagree?
Here's the mp3 file for the interview with 89.9 FM Portland, All Classical about Comic Artist Night at the Opera. Patrick posted on my Facebook page last night that it may have been cut from the program. I was not around a radio yesterday so I can neither confirm nor deny that it aired.
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