Tips and Totems

It's June 5th and I haven't updated in well over a month. What's been going on?

Out of 100 drawings, I got to 94 before May started. It took me a lot longer to recover from that project than I was expecting. In case you're curious, some of the pieces are still up for sale (actually the majority of them....) Proceeds go to ND Mission funds!

I HIT 500 ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE! That was rad. And there will be a contest in honor of this milestone, just as soon as I figure out what to do for it.

Ren faire season is in full swing....should probably get on that.

Oh, and did I mention IT'S ALREADY JUNE.

I seriously don't know what happened to May; if anyone can fill me in, that'd be great. So here I am, mere days from trekking halfway across the country to a reservation in North Dakota. I AM SO STOKED.

So I thought I'd do a fun little post about how I like to go about packing for a trip.

Tip #1: Hahaha, and your mom thought all that time playing Tetris was a waste! Let me tell you, it will come in handy! Watch as I fit all of these clothes and a pillow into this carry-on suitcase! (This is a great skill to know if you travel for conventions and fairs!)

Yoga pants are the best things to pack. Much easier than jeans.

Tip #2: I learned this from my grandma (we went down to Bolivia once, this saved our butts [literally] more than once.) Carry a tiny travel roll of toilet paper in your purse. You never know when you'll be in the middle of nowhere, or really right in the middle of somewhere, and not have any TP available.

what, I totally didn't save these tiny rolls from being thrown in the trash.

Those are really the only tips I have images for, haha. But some other things to remember:
~ The fewer clothes you bring, the more room you have for art supplies!
~ Make sure the art supplies you DO bring (especially paints and pens, as they have been known to explode errywhere) are packed securely in a separate bag.
~X-Acto knives....probably best to buy some at your destination.
~Plan for every type of weather. That Captain America sweatshirt might be the difference between comfort and cold.
~ Shower shoes.

Do any of you have travel tips you've picked up from doing different events?

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And because this is an art blog, I guess I'll show you some art. I'm working on a new series called Totems, which is soooort of based on the idea of animals and objects representing traits/strengths in a person or group. It's a little more graphic style than I'm used to but I absolutely love it so far. I'm going to be doing several more of these and sort of exploring different aspects of what totems are to different people in different cultures. Here's my first finished one:

"Totems," ink and paper cut imposed over watercolor.

Going to North Dakota always inspires me: wide open spaces, bright endless skies, a slower way of life. The traditions and patterns and art of the Native tribes just never ceases to amaze me, so I'll definitely be bringing some inspiration back with me, whether that be art, jewelry, photos, whatevs. I'll do a post when I return!! Until then!

Circus Band

Helloooooo! The weather is beautiful, I had the day off, and I'm just in a brilliant mood. So I've got a pretty short post for you today. Just wanted to give you a heads-up on some more of my 100 drawings I've been working on.

I really liked my "Herald" piece that I did, mostly because I freaking love rabbits, so I decided to do a whole series of animals playing instruments. Part of that was because my boss at work was just like 'OH MY GOSH DRAW ME AN ELEPHANT"

Elephant playing clarinet :)

The original "Herald" piece that inspired me to do more fun circus animals

Mouse playing Trombone

Bear with cymbals

Oh heeeey. Side note. It's Earth Day! I didn't even know that! But I did all my errands on foot anyway. whaaaaaat. Exercising: good for the environment. Hope you all get out there and show some appreciation for Mother Earth!

Also. I have this pet fish. He's a red betta and his name is Smaug. He's not doing so well. I think it's the water here or something. I got some medicine to try and treat him. Send him some positive thoughts!

April Showers

WAHHH It's been a month since my last update?! I do sincerely apologize. My only excuse is I get sidetracked easily. That and I've been working on several projects, which seem to eat up whatever time I have that isn't spent making delicious coffee. So let me fill you in on the past month:

I kicked off my 100 Drawings Challenge, which is basically..I'm trying to do 100 drawings in a month. So far I've got about 60. Schmerrrrr. The reason I decided to take this on is so I could help raise money for a mission trip to North Dakota. Well. I've been making drawings...but it seems like no one's been buying. Which in all honesty, is rather discouraging. I literally just have a giant pile of unsold art sitting on my desk, just taunting me. But. That's not really the point of this project.

The point was to raise money for this mission trip. I've been doing it since I was 13, and it really means a lot to me. Each summer growing up I'd take a week and go to North Dakota with a group from church, and we'd spend the week playing with underprivileged kids, giving them snacks and play time and stories, as well as sending construction teams around the reservation to help elderly families get some badly needed repairs done on their homes.

I have a ton of respect for the Native American culture, and I just love the people I've met. I have made some amazing friends and so many great memories, and I want this 100 Drawings Challenge to be a way for me to use my art for a good cause. 50% of the profits on these drawings will go to the mission team, so they can pay for things like lodging, supplies, and resources to help the Native Americans of Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota. So help me SPREAD THE WORRRRRD.

Along these lines, sort of. During the process of doing these 100 Drawings, I realized I needed something a little more immediate than watercolor (plus it really hated the paper I was working on) and that's when I DISCOVERED COPIC MARKERS. Seriously guys. These things are AMAZING. First of all, I love the way they smell. I love the way they're shaped, the way they color. Just seriously all-around fantastic. Though it pains me to pay upwards of $7 or $8 for each one. That's what COUPONS are for!! Soooo that's where my tips have been going for the past several weeks.

Alright enough jibber-jabber! Onto some art!

Oh one more thing: My awesome dad got my scanner running again (stupid freaking driver downloads, they really irk me) and I more or less figured out the settings, so I can scan pictures now! YAAAAAAY!

No I'm not going to post all 60 of my drawings here. I'll post a few throughout the next few days though. Some of my personal faves and whatnot. Enjoy!

"Alice," Copics and ink. FOR SALE

"Centaur," because I still love Fantasia after all these years. FOR SALE

"Collars," nothing like some good old fashion illustration :) FOR SALE

"Dean II," much better than my first Dean drawing. Dear God I love his face. FOR SALE

"Rogers," because I am just in love with an old-fashioned guy in uniform. Yes, sir. FOR SALE

"Flowers," actually the first drawing I did in markers :D :D FOR SALE

"Hair Bow," playing with some negative space. FOR SALE

"Herald," I now own this iPod skin. I think this is seriously the cutest thing
I've ever drawn and I love it to pieces. FOR SALE

"Hermione," who actually looks like a brunette Rapunzel but whatever.
I was practicing with some more cartoon-y styles. FOR SALE

"Jenna," in honor of the Doctor's new companion. FOR SALE

"Purple," playing with skin tones. :) Love these markers. FOR SALE

"Golden Hair," just a cute illustration of Rapunzel brushing her hair. FOR SALE

"Roses," probably my favorite of the 100 Drawings to date.
FOR SALE

"Faun." I love forest creatures, or really anything with antlers/horns.

"Scheherezade," because I'm reading Arabian Nights. FOR SALE

"Mushrooms." Hooray for retro things! And polka-dots! FOR SALE

"Woodland Queen," which I was going to color, but I might just leave like this because I like it. FOR SALE

Soooo. There are a few of the things I've been up to recently. I've got a lot more in store, if I can just find the motivation to keep going! haha. For now though, I have to get to my bed. I just know it's missing me, and I'm sure it's thinking about me as much as I'm thinking about it. So I shall bid you all good night, my lovelies!

Digital Frustrations

Okay guys. I do NOT call myself a digital artist. There is a reason for this. It usually takes me several days and at least seven internet tutorial searches before I am able to accomplish anything of note. But I DID get this really nice tablet for graduation, and since everything is going digital, well, I've made it my mission to at least be able to draw digitally.

So I'm working on a few projects right now, one of them that might possibly lead to a really massive graphic novel zombie project (yeah, we'll see how that goes.) and another that I am *hoping* to turn into a t-shirt just as soon as I can figure the damn thing out. I AM CURRENTLY NOT A FAN OF HALFTONES. *ahem* Sooo. Add on top of that the fact that I am STILL recovering from my Seattle trip, I have at LEAST 2 commissions I need to finish by the end of the month, and Biggby's birthday is this Wednesday, I have been....well, I was going to say busy, but in all honesty, I've been slacking. Because right now I'm just taking any down time I can get, since I know that Biggby birthday will prooooobably do me in for at least a few days.

Well anyway, here's some snapshots of some of the digital stuff I've been cranking out. I know they've still got a lot of work but I'm just excited that I've learned so much in the past few days regarding digital art as a medium. :) Remember guys, you never stop learning.

I love Misha Collins' face.

So. I still don't get half-tones. But I'm starting to?

the furthest I've gotten with the half-tones on his face. Too much? Maybe.

Possibly doing a collab with someone who's writing a zombie graphic novel.
I know! What would possess me to attempt drawing zombies and dudes?!

Yeahhh they still need a little work. Buuuuut I'm gettin' there!

Stay tuned for a few more posts. I've got a lot of stuff in the works right now, and so I'll be trying to write a few more posts in the next few days to keep you all up to date with what's going on.

Breath of Dawn: Step-by-Step Process

So I felt the need to really set some time aside for me to work on this personal project. It was really refreshing just not having any deadlines, no one to please but myself, just working on a piece that came to me in steps. I've loved working on this piece, I'm rather sad it's all finished now. Means I have to get back to my commissions hahha.

Story time. I actually scribbled down the first draft of this image during a work meeting one night. I'd seen some really cool bird wing images earlier that day, so I guess I had that on my mind. But for some reason, out of all the sketches I'd done recently, I kept coming back to this one. So I found a reference photo I liked and set to work on a final design. Here's the sketch:

I LOVE sketches. I just like the way they look. I went to the Met in NYC once and my favorite thing was pages from Rembrandt's sketchbook. True story.

It's so difficult to tell what a picture is going to look like from the sketch, especially when you're going from dark on light to light on dark. So I had this to work with. Once I had the sketch more or less how I wanted it, I transferred it to a piece of 8"x10" illustration board.

Now, most people who are not poor like me have 3 options they use to transfer things: a projector (preferred method, as it works no matter the thickness of your paper), a light table, or carbon/ graphite paper (You know how when you were a kid, you'd scribble with crayon all over the back of a piece of paper, then set it crayon-side down on 2nd piece of paper, then press down really hard with a pencil and then lift the crayon paper and have a cool design on the 2nd sheet? You didn't do that as a kid? Oh...Well same basic principle nonetheless.) The fourth option, and the one I use because, as I mentioned, I'm poor, is to scribble all over the back of my sketch, which has to be done to scale, and then use that basically as poor-man's graphite paper. Don't say I'm not resourceful.

After I get the drawing transferred, I start inking. Now, me, I start with the easiest thing first and save the hard stuff for later because I'm just a procrastinator like that. I start getting the basic shapes laid out first:

I HAVE ARMS! And one and a half hands!

You might be able to very slightly see the outlines for the wings and sunburst. So this is a really important step, as it really sets the mood for the whole piece. It's now that I get all basic shapes in. I'll worry about details last. Any art teacher will tell you: "Work general to specific." This basically means, if you're drawing a head, don't start shading in the eyes before you've mapped out where the nose needs to be. Get your basic shapes down first, THEN go back and start on details. Proportions, unity, and flow are going to be a LOT better if you follow that one simple rule.

Okay art lesson over. So the next step is basically to just keep on trucking. At this point I've gotten everything either mapped out or inked already, so all I have to do is keep following my sketch (which is really, really hard to see, even for me!) I start on the wings next, and also add some details to her arm bands:

Yo, check out my ink.

I finish up the wings and decide to add a bit more detail to her hair. At the same time I thicken some of the stronger outlines (much like you'd see in Art Nouveau. It worked for them, why not me?)

I believe I can fly!

I was seriously this CLOSE to just calling it quits and leaving it at this, but then I started thinking of the sunburst in the background, combined with the wings, and this old church hymn that my mom always used to sing started playing through my head:

"And He shall raise you up on eagles' wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His hand."

I always thought the tune was a bit cheesy, but I like the words. It's inspiring and empowering and comforting all at the same time, like you can feel so mighty and bursting with the power of the Sun, but small enough that He wants to hold you close and keep you safe.

Anyway. So after that song SERIOUSLY WOULD NOT GET OUT OF MY HEAD I decided it was the Man Upstairs telling me to finish what I'd started, with the original vision I'd been given. So I went ahead and finished it up in one sitting, while watching Psych because let's face it, that show is awesome.  So here is the finished piece:

Copyright 2013. "Breath of Dawn," white gel pen on black illustration board. 8"x10"

Honestly, there are some things I love about it and some things I really wish I could change about it. I just about had a FIT when I finished it and realized it wasn't exactly what I'd pictured in my head. But I'm learning to like it, even with the flaws. It's a process. This is still probably one of my favorite pieces I've ever done. I really like this style and hope I'll be able to come up with a few more along these lines, so look out! Cheers to you all!

Holy Ship!

It's no secret. I am SO DONE WITH WINTER. I am not a fan of snow. I hate walking in it. I hate slipping on it. I mean, I guess I like looking at it, but now when it's pummeling me into the ground. Anyway, I've been doing some more commissions, trying to save some spending money for my trip next week (HOLY CRAP NEXT WEEK), and lately I've had a few people ask me to draw ships.

Which I'm totally cool with, because I freaking love ships. Pirate ships, mostly, but other ships are pretty cool too. Basically any vessel that can traverse the open sea. Or lake. Any body of water, really. Not to mention, they make me think of nicer weather. I mean, no one wants to sail in the winter. Summer is much nicer, right? Ahhh, summer. How I miss thee!

So, time for some marine-time puns!

Holy ship! I only have a week left till I'm outta here! But I'm taking a train and plane, not ship. :(

Schooner or later I'll get this right. Yeah that just happened.

Sssssooooomething about sales/sails!

Sorry, I'm an artist, not a comedian. Not to mention, my dad is a band teacher, so by default the only funnies I know are really bad puns.

I'm still on this white-pen-on-black kick. Mostly because I keep getting people who ask me for it. I shan't complain! So here are some marine-themed pieces I have done as of late :)

"Hard to Starboard," a portrait (?) of the Titanic I drew for a client

"Schooner", a drawing I did for my grandpa at the request of my grandma :) It's nice to have family that supports you!

SO yes. Yay ships and stuff! I'll be doing another post or two this week (hopefully). Next week, I will try and write a post from Seattle! Expect many Comicon photos! :D :D :D Have a lovely day!

February Madness

WOW. It's been almost a month since my last post. Sorry about that! And what a craaaazy month it has been! Okay, so. What's been going on.

Well I turned 23, that's kind of exciting I guess. I got lots of cards and calls and such, which was nice, and my sister and I dressed up all fancy and had a lovely dinner (I ate way too much and basically didn't move the next day, awesome.)

I also got hired at a Biggby Coffee shop, so I'm a barista now! I did my 3 days of training and my first day of actual work is tomorrow. Yikes! I really enjoy it actually, the people that I meet are generally very nice and completely understanding of my new-ness, and the ladies I work with totally rock. So yes, it's been a lot of fun and I feel so blessed that just when I needed it, God provided me a wonderful job opportunity.

Oh, and possibly the BIGGEST thing that happened in January: My parents, because they love me way more than I can even imagine, bought me a ticket to Seattle so I can attend the Emerald City Comic-Con with my sister who lives out there. HOORAAAAAAAY!!!! It's the first weekend of March, so it already feels like it's SO CLOSE. Misha Collins, who plays everyone's favorite fallen angel in the show Supernatural, is one of the celebrity guests so EXPECT PHOTOS. Yeah. I'm also really looking forward to checking out Artist's Alley and hopefully making some kick-ass connections.

On the whole Seattle note, I've been desperately trying to increase my art business in any way possible so I can actually have some spending money once I get out there. It's been frustrating, but I guess I just have to keep telling myself that these things take time. I have gotten a few commissions which is pretty exciting. That's kept me fairly busy the past week or so.

Well, onto some ART.

I've recently started working with white pen on black paper. I personally think it looks totally rad, and it's been received by my fans and friends pretty well. Here are some examples of what I'm talking about.

"Hard to Starboard," 8"x10" drawing of the Titanic I did for a friend.

"Written in the Stars," a portrait of Rose Tyler with the sign Aries in the sky. This one is for sale in my Etsy shop

A miniature (3.5"x5") drawing from a photo by a lovely girl named April who makes and sells hair pieces.

"Always Constant," my first white pen on black paper drawing. This one is also for sale

So those are some of the new pieces I've been making. Many of these and more originals and hand-signed prints are available in my Etsy shop, which can be found here: [link]

I've also got prints, iPhone covers, laptop skins, and pillows at my site on society6:

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Aaaaand if T-shirts are more your thing, I've got a whole bunch of those over at Redbubble:

January Art Hop and Some Silmarillion Stuff

So yesterday I attended my first Kalamazoo Art Hop. It was actually a lot of fun! For someone who hasn't had a social life since May, it was definitely nice to dress up and go out and meet people. As I mentioned in my last post, I joined an art gallery in downtown Kzoo that goes by the name of "Lotsa Little Things." They have everything from jewelry to chain mail to vials of faerie dust to crazy folk paintings and more. It's a fun conglomeration of just about everything, and it's cool to see a group of artists come together like that.

I got to meet and hang out with several of the artists who are also featured in the shop. We talked about the merit of the new Hobbit movie, how on Earth they're making 3 movies out of it (I'm all for it btw), we chatted about old Doctor Who vs. new Doctor Who (they only liked the old ones, I'd only seen the new ones), and I even met a girl my age who talked to me about doing some collaborative stuff. I met a lady who I'm fairly certain was the twin of my watercolor professor from college. She's active in Native American rights and she works with a lot of different tribes, so I chatted her up about that for a while, since I spent some time on Native American reservations as well.

So basically. It was a great night. I'm so excited to get more involved with the crew, make some art friends, maybe make some cash on the side. Things are looking up in that regard.

On a completely different note! My sister is reading the Silmarillion (she's almost completely caught up with me and I'm fairly certain she'll pass me up soon) and has asked me to continue working on the series of Silmarillion illustrations I've been doing. So next on my list is none other than Melkor, who's basically Lucifer if we're comparing them to Biblical types. So we decided he'd look like a mix between the evil of a Balrog and the sly sleekness of Loki. Because if you're gonna be evil, you gotta look cool doing it, or no one would go for it. So here's a rough idea of what I think he'd look like. I was just playing around with armor and things. The final painting will be done in watercolor. Because apparently I like a challenge.

And Then Sometimes You Have Good Days

I'm writing this as my eyes are drooping further and further, and I should probably just call it quits and head to bed. But something happened today that I feel merits mentioning.

I had a genuinely great day.

I woke up early this morning because i had an interview at Chipotle. I'm not thrilled to be interviewing at restaurants, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, and this girl's gotta pay her rent. Plus, I mean, burritos. So I walk to the bus stop at 7:40- the sun isn't even up yet, ok? So like, it's FREEZING because it's January and that's just how things go in Michigan. I'm wearing pretty much every piece of hand-knit accessory I own and that wind is still finding its way to my fingers and ears. I could complain about the weather. But seriously, it was nice. I always love the feeling of walking around before morning light, like you're the first one to greet the day and the world is all yours. So I had that feeling as I walked to the bus-then ran to the bus because I was almost late- then baaarely caught the bus because it was actually on time. *le sigh* but catch it I did!

So long story short I get to the interview, it goes quite well. I'm looking pretty dapper in my dark denim and blazer ensemble, not to mention my rad new specs. The guy who interviewed me was pretty cool. He liked my resume which made me happy, because I was pretty iffy on it (still sort of am, but I'm workin' on it.) Also, our glasses were very similar. I didn't bring it up, but it made me feel better, like maybe subconsciously he'd think I had good taste so he'd hire me? I don't know.

Goal number 1 (interview for a job) Check. 

So after my interview I headed over to Starbucks because I found an extra $5 in my pocket. I have never drunk a cup of coffee so fast in my LIFE. But as I mentioned before it was freeezing outside.

Finally I get home and snuggle in with the works- sweatshirt, fleece pants, extra socks, a blanket, and the space heater pretty much blowing directly on me. It took me 3 hours plus to heat up. But in that time, I managed to FINALLY finish all the sketches for my children's book, which is one of the goals I set for myself this month. I still have a looooot to do before I can publish that book, but the hardest part is starting, right?

Goal number 2. (finish rough draft of children's book) Check.

I finally geared myself up for going back outside, and I headed downtown to speak with a couple who owns a gallery. I've been talking back and forth with them for a while, but today I finally just took some of my art down there, and they accepted it all (because they're nice people) and so now I am officially being represented by an art gallery! I am not yet a full member- I'm just doing stuff on commission, but once I get enough cash I'm going to go in for a full membership which gives me access to lots of cool perks.

Goal number 3. (get into an art gallery) Check.

And on top of that, I did a small ad campaign on Facebook and got 13 new likes today! It's not a TON, I know, but honestly it's more than I've been getting, and hey, I'm that much closer to my goal!

So, friends. Life might give you some really crappy days. But from my experience, usually that just means you're on the right path, and if you're patient and persistent enough, life will make up for those crappy days with a few days where you really feel like you won.

me looking happy and cute and totally not hipster-y

Onward and Upward

Sometimes you just have days that do not go as planned. And sometimes the best thing you can do isn't trying to "find the silver lining." Sometimes it's about looking back on that day and telling it "HEY. You thought you could kick my butt, but I survived you, FOOL." Ugh. Today is one of those days where nothing particularly horrible happened, just a lot of sort of crappy-ish things that added up and over-flowed what was apparently so already-repressed feelings.

I've been alone for a week because my sister (who is also my roommate) is still back home getting spoiled by my lovely parents. So I'm already feeling the lonelies. I also have no life, so have not actually set foot outside my apartment except when I have to go to work. Lazy days are awesome. But they get sort of annoying when you have a whole week of them. So today I get ready, decide I'm going to actually run some errands. NOPE. My boss texts me and tells me I was supposed to work TODAY, not tomorrow. CRAP. Miscommunications are just never ever fun. And I somehow end up on one side or the other quite a lot with these things.

I have an interview tomorrow. And I have to get up early. I hate getting up early. But I really need money. Because...uh...artist. *le sigh* So I got in a fight with my sister's printer (because mine is still being a b-word and won't do anything) and.....YES. I had a ROW. with a MACHINE. (if you get that reference you're awesome.)

BUT. I got my resume done, which was one of my goals for this month. I'm pretty happy with it but I'm sure there are things I need to fix. It's only 11 and I am exhausted so I am just going to leave you with this painting I finished today.

In regards to this painting- I have no idea where the concept came from. I just drew it up one day because I thought "seahorses are so freaking awesome" and then I thought "dude they'd be perfect to ride into a sea battle." Oh, my silly little brain.

25-ish Days of Art...13-20

IT IS NOT EASY TO MAKE ART WHEN YOU ARE ON VACATION AND LEAVE ALL YOUR ART SUPPLIES AT HOME.
Well....I DID add a few new guys to my arsenal:

Posting this photo because I love my markers, and because I actually look cute.

Did this for a friend, it's her favorite verse

Drew this while looking at my messy hair in a mirror

Drawing some Elf jewelry, yo

I'm on a nautical kick. I just want to travel, guys. And maybe become a pirate.

Um. I love whales.

So many wonderful stories begin with a simple "the."