Fur coat + Winter Song

Hey everybody,

After wrapping up a set of Fall Fashion illustrations, I've been looking a lot at all the fur coats walking around lately.  (Not by themselves - they are usually on somebody)

So here is a recently completed piece in that vein, the last of 4 pieces headed out to Gallery 1988's PAPER PUSHERS show, opening December 11th.

★ If you live out in San Francisco - please check it out for me! ★

Wish we could be there to see all the amazing work!

colored pencil + gouache // available for purchase at Gallery 1988 SF Dec. 11th '09

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some ear candy for you

(I've been looking for this song for 5 years!)

Eisley is a great band; I recently got the MARVELOUS THINGS EP off Amazon. The lead singer has a sweetly mysterious quality to her voice. I wasn't able to find much of their music on iTunes, so it was back to ol' fashioned CDs!

NEXT POST ☛

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SUPER AMAZING WONDERFUL 

...✩HOLIDAY PRINT SALE!✩...

The next post will be up for a little while, as I take a break from the blog-o-sphere to work on some client projects and take print orders!  I'm going to offer 8 art prints, 8"x10" for just $10 each!  Or, if you are a mathematician, it would look something like this:

x8.8x10.10

stay tuned! ☃ 

Bluebirds & Fuschia

recently completed painting

It's been a really busy two months for us - way busier than usual! I enjoy being busy, though - I think being stagnant is my biggest enemy. (Bowser used to be my biggest enemy, then I beat him, now it's stagnation)  I am lucky to have many wonderful clients working on some great projects, but it's going to be nice to have Thanksgiving off.

Andy and I are celebrating our first Thanksgiving together!  For 5 years we've spent it apart, with our respective families (who live far away from each other).  We're not even bothering with dishes - it's out to eat, baby, and we're stoked.

  some photos from our last trip to La Fiorentina Pastry Shop, Northampton

Now all I can think about is food ....

Smashing Pumpkins poster

Final Artwork for Poppies & Pomegranates

Prints available for purchase at SPACE 242 Boston, MA
ROCK EXTRAVAGANZA show // Dec.4th

The prints have been made and are at the gallery! 

They are in limited release, only 3 of each poster are made - then they are gone!

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some movie blathering

Andy really got me into old movies - which lead me to the ever-amazing Barbara Stanwyck and Marion Davies.  Interestingly enough, they are both similar people - tough and confident, but effortlessly funny and quick.

Stanwyck came from a poor family in Brooklyn, her mother murdered by a drunken man on a street car, her father disappeared while working on the Panama Canal.  Orphaned at 14, she went hoofing it B pictures and piano bars until being discovered in the 20's.  By 1946 she was the highest paid woman in America, but sadly I don't think many people now know how wonderful she was. ♥ Excellent TCM tribute (5min)

Davies was in a similar situation until falling in love with William Randolph Hearst - one of the most astoundingly wealthy men in the Eastern Hemisphere. (His publication company still publishes many magazines today) Sadly, her marriage was a rocky one - and being made fun of by Orson Welles didn't really help her confidence either. Citizen Kane may be heralded as one of the best movies ever made - but it forever painted her as talentless and whiney. It's a really fascinating story, and worth looking into!
♥ Marion Davies film montage (2min)

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  These movies are something we both love together, so we're having some Inkspots love songs play at the reception as well. (Which won't be ruined for me because some post-apocalyptic RP shooter game may have used the same songs in their ads....) ♪

ANYWAY

I bring all this up since I've been researching 40s fashion for my current project - a fantastic 96 page graphic novel I'm very excited to be working on. Complete with pirates, ninjas and a 6-year-old Japanese math whiz who wears big headphones and speaks in emoticons - should be pretty awesome.

Poppies & Pomegranates

ink, graphite + chalk on Reeves BFK

original available for purchase at PAPER PUSHERS

Gallery 1988 San Fransisco // Dec 11th - Dec 23rd '09

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process work 

initial drawing on gray paper

adding Japanese sumi-e ink and touches of colored pencil

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♥ Happy 2 Years, Blog ♥

 

thanks for reading

Well, it's been two years since starting this illustration blog, and it's been a pretty awesome venture; even as I still try to figure out exactly what this thing is actually about.  It started as a way of keeping a fresh internet presence with my artwork, but it's actually more fun than "just something to update".  Thanks for reading!

Featherweights

new sketch

drawn on recycled envelope

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I've recently become enamored with Shugo Tokumaru's music.  These songs in particular will be playing during our reception - fantastically lovely and quirky ♥ (Hopefully like the party itself!)
Please have yourself a listen ♫ ♪

I've been scouring like Brillo lately trying to find a unique vintage headpiece for the wedding.  My hope is to find something classically perrenial - but it's hard to decide, I like quite a few of them!

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And thanks so much to everyone's great input on the post about dresses! I went to try on a gown very similar to the first one-shoulder gown, to quiet any insecurities about ordering online. Incidentally, I fell in love with the "test" gown and bought it!

It makes me feel like Rita Hayworth 

Vineyard for Paper Pushers

new work on paper for 1988's PAPER PUSHERS show

available for purchase at ★ Gallery 1988 San Fransisco

December 11th 2009 - December 23rd 2009

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It's been unseasonably warm here in Massachusetts this week!  It was nice to get out on a cool day with my new clear umbrella that I love so very, very much.  I don't like black or any dark umbrella fabric colors - they make me feel claustrophobic.   Instead of huddled inside a little tent, the clear plastic lets you feel like being part of the world again!

 

Wedding Gown Sketch

drawn on the back of a recycled envelope 

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Lately my obsession with weddings has left me sketching all kinds of girlie things in my spare time.  (Which is a really fun change of pace since my current graphic novel projects involve zombies, space pirates and ninjas!)

♥ Below are three dresses that I'm crazy about.  If you have any opinions, I'd love to hear them!

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★ My favorite for the ceremony // It's delicate, flattering & really affordable

 
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★ My 2nd choice for the ceremony // I'm big into old movies, and the vintage feel really speaks to me 

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★ My favorite for the reception // I love the sophisticated cream color & the lovely rosettes.

    I originally wanted this for the ceremony, but would like to wear it more than once.

Dia de los Pescados

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Yuka and I went to the New England Aquarium this week, and naturally it was magical - the eels poking their faces out of giant coral, the glowing jelly fish, and of course, the Domo merch at the 7/11 around the corner! (The hunt is finally over for Homie Domo)

You know the ironic part?  This time next year I'll be Mrs. Veronica Fish.  *ba dum chhhh*
 

click MORE to read rest of the post below...

Veruca Salt poster + Spider Babies

Vercua Salt rock poster // archival print // 12 x 18

3 prints available at Space 242 Boston Dec. 5th

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Original drawing // graphite + ink on Reeves // 9 x 12

Framed original available at Gallery 1988 San Fransisco Dec 5th '09 - Jan 5th '10

I was very excited when Gallery 1988 in San Fransisco asked me to send some works on paper to their upcoming PAPER PUSHERS show in December.  Halloween season has me really moved me to do some drawings of bizarre cult film characters, but I didn't want to do something that was inextricably "Halloween-y" (Does that make sense?)  

So it was time to do some inspiration-hunting!

While watching the super bizarre cult movie "Spider Baby", I was particularly struck by Jill Banner.  Sadly, she didn't make many movies, as she was killed in a car accident at only 35.  (and apparently was in a relationship with Marlon Brando!)  She kind of became my muse, though I don't like to say that since "became my muse" sounds slightly pretentious.

She seems totally unaware of the camera while she's acting.  The tangled hair and dirty nightgown make her deceptively ordinary but she's so pretty!  Now, this is one messed up film - people seem to either love it or hate it.  I adore it, even though it's kind of an acquired taste - and I really can't say why!

Jill Banner  1964

Tomorrow Yuka and I are going to celebrate All Soul's Day at the Forest Hill's Cemetery in Jamaica Plain.  It's an amazing few acres of old trees and gothic architecture - and every year for Dia de los Muertos they throw a fun festival!

I'll report on how it goes this week - I'm not expecting to see my Uncle Lefty (may he rest in peace) but you never know!