Summer portraits

So I have been doing quite a bit of work (mostly sketching), but I couldn't get my scanner up and running because it's a weird Microtek brand scanner and I upgraded to Lion. But now everything is hooked up and I will be able to update more often. First, a piece I did a couple months ago.

And next is a sketch that I did in my sketchbook towards the beginning of the summer that I will probably turn into a sort of study/finish. It'll probably be like the one above. 

Also, I've been doing embroidery. It's really fun, but difficult and takes forever. I did a self portrait first because I'm totally lame and dorky and want to make portraits of me and my puppy to hang in my house. It's not finished yet, and I look a bit manly, but I like the flowers the best because they are the most fun to make. I will be doing a lot more. Apologies for the crappy lighting, I just took a quick photo. 

Oh yeahhhh. Wood paneling. My studio looks like Mr. Brady's studio. Sometimes I feel like I've stepped into a time machine when I come in here.

I will update again soon, I'm almost finished an invitation I did and I will be starting something for a client soon that should be lots of fun to do. 

Puppy mania.

So I haven't really been doing many finishes lately, though I should be able to start one tomorrow! My problem is my computer. I can't use photoshop and need to completely erase everything on my computer and start over. I can't afford a new computer right now so it's my only option. BUT it's taking longer than expected because my disk drive doesn't work. Anyway, I got a puppy 3 weeks ago today. A Silken Windhound puppy (for my graduation present). I got her from  a wonderful breeder, Gloria,(http://www.coolrunsilkenwindhounds.com/) and she is very hands on so my puppy was plenty socialized and introduced to things before we got her. I also got to visit her all the time before we actually took her home so I got to see her grow from a tiny baby into what she is now. It's been awesome. Stressful, but awesome. I love her so much, even though sometimes she really can be quite the brat! Sometimes she throws puppy tantrums. I usually successfully ignore them so that she will learn that tantrums do not get you attention from mommy, but last night was a big one. She was throwing her tantrum (which she usually does when she's tired and she's trying to force herself to stay awake and play) and she ran up on the couch and peed on it. This sucked because it's a new couch and also she hasn't had any accidents in the house for a while. So, I took her outside immediately and she finished peeing and then started to tantrum on the leash. I picked her up and brought her inside and put her in her ex-pen for a time out and for her to calm down. She calmed down pretty much immediately but I waited about ten minutes. Then I went and got her out and as I was holding her I was gently petting her neck and she started to drift off. Sometimes she won't go to sleep unless I am gently petting her and relaxing her (spoiled!). She fell asleep in my arms chewing on her tail. It was so cute, I tried to take a picture but you can't really tell that she's sucking on her tail like a little baby. Here are some pictures of the little lady. Hopefully I'll have a finished piece to post soon. Meet Laika!

Toady

So for the workshop with Charlie Santore we did posters. I chose to do a Wind in the Willows poster, but it did not come out how I wanted it to. So this is sort of a redo because I liked the toad, but nothing else. So I just put him in a different setting, takin' a stroll.

Threadless tshirt

please vote for my tshirt so it will be printed! 0=ew. 5= awesome!

http://www.threadless.com/submission/336892/Jumping_Salmon


please!

Open house poster design and the wrath of mother nature

I'm just so active this week, aren't I? I hope this is good enough to hold you over because I'm going to be working on putting my portfolio together and getting my postcards ready and trying to move and blah blah. I should have a couple more pieces before the end of the semester though.

This first one was my design for the open house poster, minus the type. It's sockeye salmon jumping upstream! You know, because jumping from high school to college is difficult and sometimes it feels like your jumping upstream (especially in art college) rather than going with the flow.

This next one is sorta about the tsunami in Japan, but sort of not. More a comment on how nature (mother nature in this piece) can be both beautiful and destructive. Its a calm destruction on the bottom, but the houses are slightly disheveled. 

Much needed update.

I've been really busy lately getting everything together for graduation so I've been neglecting blogging a bit. So far Zach and I have looked at many houses in West Reading, one we loved and one we like but there are complications with the one we love at the moment. Who knows, we'll see what happens. Also, my website is all shiny and new! no more stupid wordpress. I dislike wordpress, personally. I just can't tame that beast. So check out the new one made using Jon Laing's cms.

Now a couple of illustrations! This first one is a personal piece, no real concept behind it. I did this about a month or so ago, so I just keep forgetting to upload it.

This next one is an illustration for "The Cat Who Walked a Thousand Miles"

Enjoy!

A Child's Garden of Verses

So first off I did a piece on an album for TrickGo's "Recover" show.



I'm not too happy with my piece because drawing on the album cover turned out to be like drawing and painting on the side of a refrigerator, but it was a fun spring break project.



my album was Disney's "A Child's Garden of Verses". I decided that people killing each other (but more in a stage version of murder hence the ribbons representing blood) would be kinda funny overtop these innocent kids playing in a garden. everyone seems to look at me funny when I say that though. Maybe something is wrong with me, but I think there's something wrong with everyone else, HAH!

Next is a wedding invitation I did for my cousin and his fiance's wedding. The invitation has characterizations of them and their kids. Its my cousin with his son on his shoulders and his fiance with her daughter at her side. They are looking at each other, blissfully, as they are about to embark on their life together. I blurred out the details. I'm sorry, but you guys can't come. 

His Dark Materials

"The Amber Spyglass"

ELY

Done. Finally. 4 months of torture and the Ely is finally done.

My Ely is my own adaptation of the Led Zeppelin song "friends" into a children's book. The story is basically this : from the viewpoint of the main creature in the story. The creature finds a boy on the side of the road crying, lost, and literally blue. The creature smiles at the boy and makes him feel better and more comfortable. He carries the boy through the forrest on his back with the light from his tail making the boy feel safer and less scared. All of the creatures in the forrest comfort the boy as they travel through the wood. As the boy feels happier and happier, he starts to gradually gain his natural color back. Eventually the creature leads him home to his own neighborhood where the boy runs into his mothers arms.

For the whole story to be told there would have to be a few more illustrations, but these are the 4 for my Ely.

Ely poster

So here is my ely poster. It didnt win, but it got 6 votes which is pretty sweet considering the top 3 had 7 and 8 votes. They eliminated it because the bird is deadish and its kinda depressing I guess. But that was a part of the concept so I knew that mine probably wouldn't be picked. They wanted a representation of the Ely process, and this is how I feel about the Ely, hah. I'm just happy it got votes!

end of semester update

I'm only going to post a couple things, cause everything else is ely stuff and I'm not quite happy with all of those pieces so i wont post them until they're done. these are both pieces from children's book illustration.

first, alice in wonderland spread:

now the final for children's book. i decided to do the greek myth about the sirens cause i felt like drawing mermaids:

ta da.