Endearments

a closer look at the design for the Valentine's tees

Valentine's is almost here, {a couple LOVE tees are left, by the by} and if you're one of those people that hates the holiday, well you can save your whining because I love it.  Yes, it's commercial, yes, it's kind of a waste of money - but whatever! It's a nice thought, and we need something to get us through the long, holiday-less aftermath of dreary winter.

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♥ Jenny tagged me recently for a blogger meme to list 5 Guys I Used to Have a Crush On.  {At first, all I could think about was Five Guys Burgers + Fries} But after I got a burger, it got me reminiscing about the good old days in 1995, with my side-ponytail, stirrup leggings and huge cat-embroidered sweater ... needless to say - a lot of silly nonsense was happening.

LEFT TO RIGHT // Mikey from The Goonies, half the cast of Newsies (except "Crutchy"), New Kids on the Block (the cartoon), Batman, + Mr. Bubble.

As you can see, I clearly worshipped TV as a kid.   
Alison, Lindsay, Bamcat, + Misha - if you are reading this, consider yourself tagged ♥

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Valentine's Day Tees

 Valentine's tees are here! 

PINK: $20 ♥ WHITE: $25 ♥ GREY: $25

All tees one size // Free Priority shipping

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Print runs are extremely limited

Order by February 8th to have by Valentine's

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transactions conducted through PayPal

for transactions without a PayPal account, please contact me!

LOVE Tees ♥ Colors + Options

PINK short sleeve $20.00 WHITE long sleeve $25.00 GREY long sleeve $25.00

Polaroids

VALENTINE'S TEES // SNEAK PEAK

I've been crazy busy lately, but I took a night off this week to print these lovely shirts for you.  

For you!  Yes, YOU!  YOU specifically!     AVAILABLE NEXT POST!

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In Memorium of my now useless Polaroid 600

 

It's not the same, but it's a pretty cool machine.

Polaroid POGO review below ☟

Straw Hat + other scribbles

Some figure painting / sketching from this summer //

 

I love getting super colorful with these studies!

These are demonstrations I did for my students during a portfolio-prep painting class at the Worcester Art Museum - to help kids get their stuff together for art school.  You can see the students personalities in how they posed for me.

It's hard to get students to get loose - they like to stay tight and technical.  But I think when you obsess over perfection, the work turns out less realistic - and you end up erasing more than you draw. 

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Now, I didn't want to take the dog for two weeks.  I didn't think I was a dog person.  I like cats - they don't smell, they are self-sufficient and demand nothing but litter from me.  But MAN - Allie the Yorkie has melted my cold, cold heart!

Poor Basil, however, is still angry.  He will come into our bedroom at night searching for his usual spot (which is by my knees).  After realizing  it's taken (by Allie) he gets immediately offended and leaves.

Allie the Yorkie - our house guest for two weeks

BOSTON ART SCENESTERS // see my work and new stuff by our cool artist friends at these shows :

"I ... YOU ... WE ... ROBOT" // 242 Group Exhibition

Opening Friday January 29th 6-8pm
 

SPACE 242 @ 242 E. Berkeley St. Boston MA

Please stop by the same night to 

INTERACTIVITY : INTERPASSIVITY  // Kristen Mills + Jessica Hyatt

  Opening Friday January 29th 6-8pm with Artists' Talk 5-6pm

Fort Point AC Gallery @ 300 Summer St, Boston, MA

Asebino - an onsen obsession

♥ So lately all I can think about is just getting married already.  If you asked me a few years ago, I would've said "Naaaah I don't want to get married - it seems overrated."  But now that it's been a few months of being engaged I'm like "Let's do this thing!  WOO!"

It's not in the sense of rushing anything or wanted to skip to our honeymoon in Japan, but for me it's like Christmas and I already know what my present is - Andy♥.  So I just want to open it already! October 2010 is a very long ways away!


In my spare time I've become obsessed with looking at Japanese onsen.  It's becoming a problem.  We're only stay at one during our visit, and I've literally looked at hundreds of options.  


For some people, visiting the Grand Canyon or Niagra Falls or the desert is a form of spiritual enlightenment.  Journeying to a place where you are in complete awe of the natural world.  It's kind of how I feel with the hot springs.  Different kinds of water are said to heal different ailments and I really don't think I can stand 98˚ Celsius water!  So I'm being quite selective.
In my extensive - and probably psychotic - searching, I keep coming back to Asebino.

Ahh the serenity!

Speaking of nature, here is the only new work I can show right now - a pair of recently commissioned shoes.

We got a new visitor this week!  Alley is a sweet, lovable 6 year old.  She never barks and is extremely well-mannered, but I can't help thinking how much she'd look like Nick Nolte if we put her in a Hawaiian shirt.

My other projects are under wraps for a while - 

but I'll have some new desktop wallpapers and Valentine's tees ready soon!

Happy long weekend ♥

KC-130 + Nami

Here is the finished product ...

 

KC-130 + Nami

with some half-tone

These are my favorite characters in the graphic novel I'm working on with JJ.  KC-130 is a robo-bodyguard of sorts, whom Nami, a tiny savant with cool headphones, decides to make her personal jungle gym. He gradually becomes less annoyed with her presence throughout the book.  JJ writes such great characters!

See it this month at SPACE 242's "I ... We ... ROBOT" show 

242 E. Berekely St. Boston, MA   //  opening January 29th 2010

my toys

Andy and I had a great dinner at Apsara's on Park Ave. If you are in Worcester, you should check out the Southeast Asian there - the food was amazing!  We ate on the platform - you take off your shoes and put your legs through the sunken floor.  We ordered curry, beef skewers, a pot of tea, soup, rice and spring rolls for $25. 

Then came home to eat this monstrosity ...

BAM!

 

Otherwise life is the same - working here in the studio on projects and teaching a few teen classes at the Worcester Art Museum.  I did, however, mess up my left knee cap something fierce!  It really hurts!  It pops and cracks when I bend it, I'm hobbling around the house like Tiny Tim.

Pentel Brush Pens // Review

I recently picked up two different brush pens by Pentel.  Ah Japan, you geniuses!  Both of them are pretty stellar, but not without little drawbacks.

KC-130 + Nami original sketch

Bit by bit ....

 

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PENTEL COLOR Brush Pen in Black #101 // $7.50 ...............................................Grade: A-


PROS // This brush gets nice black line, it's very easy to hold, and the tip becomes juicy and saturated with ink.  When working on heavy, textured paper, you can achieve a great dry-brush effect.  The tip is larger than the Pocket brush pen, so to get very thin lines is going to require some practice and finessing.

CONS // It's difficult to get it started upon opening it up, and if you squeeze too hard, ink will either drip or shoot out of the tip sides.  The ink takes stays wet a while and does not dry as dark as the Pocket pen.

on heavy textured paper

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PENTEL POCKET Pen in Black // $16.50 ...............................................................Grade: A+

PROS // This brush is excellent.  The large tip allows a good varied line, and it comes with two refills, so it should last quite a while.    Allows a thinner line than the CP as well.  The ink goes down smoothly, and dries deep matte black.  The ink dries darker and richer than the Color Pen.   (below the Pocket Pen ink is OVER the Color Pen ink)

CONS // As all brush pens, the tip needs to be taken care of gently, so I wouldn't let my 8 year old cousin go smushing it around. The tip is not as long as the CP, but it is much more sensitive to your hand - meaning even your pulse can be seen moving the line if you're not careful!

Who are these for?

• If you are an illustrator or graphic novelist, you probably already own one, but if you were on the fence about it - grab them!
• If you are learning Chinese, Japanese or another calligraphic language, you should try practicing with one of these!  It's easier for a student to use than the traditional ink well/sumi-e brushes.
  

 In other news...

Today is 01/10/10!  For some reason, it makes me nostalgic for my old zip code in NYC, 10010!  Life is pretty busy lately, although it's hard to contain my excitement about the wedding, even if it is 9 months away.

Ah, the last of Christmas ... 

Andy, me & the guys made this beautiful/ugly Rice Krispie Treat House

 

How to be an art collector

The internet has no shortage of online marketplaces and web-stores.  Of all the fun stuff I can buy on my computer, art collecting is a passion.  The holidays are past, but I still enjoy giving and receiving art works for the apartment.

While you should definitely check out gallery openings in person ('cause they are majorly fun), if you can't hop in your jet for that opening in Culver City and back again for the after party in Brooklyn - there is le internet.

 \\ Some great sites to find amazing pieces //

★    .................GRASSHUT .......................................................................

Grasshut is a progressive Portland, OR gallery that often has super cool stuff in their shop.  If you sign up to the mailing list, you can get in on amazing preview sales - a piece you like can be yours before the show even opens to the public!
I was able to snag a piece from one of my favorite artists - J. Otto Seibold - for a ridiculously low $66.
J. Otto is known for his works Mr. Lunch + Olive the Other Reindeer and too many more things to name.

★   ..................ARTYBUZZ ........................................................................
Created by Richard Wilde, Artybuzz.com is a new online community where artists, photographers, illustrators, designers can showcase and sell their artwork.  Artybuzz provides high quality giclee prints, canvas art prints, t shirts and more.  
If you are an artist, consider submitting your work to them - they take no commission and manufacture excellent quality prints on your behalf! ♥

★  .............GALLERY NUCLEUS .............................................................
 If you live in Los Angeles I am jealous of you.  Nucleus hosts lots of amazing shows with excellent topical themes.  They did a Bruce Lee show and everyone in the shop dressed in the famous yellow track suits; they have animation process work from Pixar, video game concept art from Blizzard - anything and everything - they do it!    {I think one of my older art works is still kicking around the web shop.}  Oh and hi to my friend Lin - Veronica misses her! ♥

★  ...............GALLERY 1988  San Fransisco + Los Angeles  ................
A lot of big guns of the contemporary art scene have available works for sale at G1988! 
If your plans don't include dropping $750 on a 4 ft x 7 ft painting of a gigantic happy walnut - that's okay!  They have reasonable prints and other cool things.

★ .................ROBOPICTO .........................................................................

After curating Pop Euphoria last year (wow, a whole year ago!) Andy and I opened up this awesome mini art market featuring the highlights of the show! 

• Need to find a painting of a mermaid?  
• A He-Man doll that's been shot with a BB gun? 
• A hilarious print of Hide + Seek Jesus?    

          Your search = over

Peter Pan: Chapter 8 by Lauren Moyer // $200 free s+h

DIY Anatomy + other prints by Damien Weighill // $45 ea

He-Man BB Gun series by Dark Igloo // $20 ea
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♥ There are many reasons to buy art - not the least of which is the uniqueness it adds to your home.  

Even if you buy a print that many people own, your appreciation of the same artwork kind of makes you kindred spirits!  How cool would it be to go into someone's apartment and see you have prints by the same artist!  It's not the same as buying the same sweater or pair of shoes. ♥

 \\ Some of our art collection //

Notorious B.I.G by keenan cassidy

Oh No 4H by j. otto seibold

 This is Awesome by lindsay small

It's 2010!

Happy New Year!

some hats we made with the awesome kids 

at the Worcester Art Museum's First Night Party 

 

 

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It's going to be a busy year!  I am very excited to literally hit the ground running in 2010 with some great projects with great clients.  Along with wedding planning - there won't be much time to sleep!  


It's been a great vacation!  And thanks to my aunt sending us some amazing Free-Trade coffee from Sri Lanka, I'll have enough caffeine to push me through February and March all-night-drawing sessions.

I will not be able to accept new illustration or design projects until Spring 2010.  

                                                                                                       Thank you

I love New England in winter 

{as long as I don't have to shovel}

Good bye, Holiday-eating.  I will miss you the most of 2009