Sketching Random Faces

I was watching another horrible '90s movie the other day - Swing Kids - in an attempt to watch what I thought was going to be a Pre-Nazi Era / Germany-in-the-1920s film so I could do some Frankenstein research.

What I was thinking when I rented this... I'll never know.

Swing Kids is basically one giant Disney-boy music video, complete with the 1990's swing music craze, a young Christian Bale and Sean Robert Leonard.

Think Newsies set in Nazi Germany.

It's not a terrible film for what it is - but it certainly was not what I thought it was.I'm actually surprized at myself - come on, I grew up with these actors, how could I not know?? 

Anyway, it was fun to get a bit of sketching in for Frankenstein, so I could start filling in the background with some interesting faces.

The past two days have been so incredibly cool, I've been wearing a sweater and drinking green tea lattes.  A SWEATER.  IN JULY.

But I actually like that, so it's no biggie.

Gets me excited for fall!

In other news - isn't this color amazing?  It's like a sunset in my fruit.

If you're at a market and you see these guys, I highly recommend picking them up.  Really really good dipping sauces!

Haven't tried the BBQ flavor yet, need to find it in stores!

Gyu-Kaku Tare (dip)　牛角たれ　[foodlabel.jp] 

Oh my gosh, look at how many flavors they have:

Left to Right

1. Shoyu (my fav) 

2. Umami (sweet+salty)  

3. Refreshing Plum 

4. Garlic (strong! not for vampires) 

5. Kochujan (Korean chili paste) 

6. Chicken Basil 

7. Specialty Miso 

8. Kokuuma (for beef negima)

Summer days

Went to the Hubbardston Flea Market this weekend, got some blueberries and cool old stuff from the antique vendors.  But mostly it was to enjoy the sunny weather.

blueberries + pineapple for breakfast, I love my doctor's office, located in an old mansion, and we went back to Kimball Farms for BLTs and grilled corn!

getting ajikaiso + sushi at Ebisuya in Medford

at Honey & Salt in West Brookfield

Leon The Professional for Gallery 1988 Crazy 4 Cult 6 NY

Gouache + acrylic paint on watercolor paper  |  11"x14"  |  $225

Hello friends,

It's been a while since I've posted a painting, so it's nice to get to do that again!

Here is a piece I recently sent off to Gallery 1988 for their latest installment of Crazy 4 Cult (My favorite exhibition!)

This time they are taking their West Coast operation over here to the East and doing a pop-up gallery in NYC's Meatpacking district!  Pretty sweet!

I first made a collage in Photoshop, since getting the actor's likenesses was essential. 

I'm not very good at capturing likeness free-hand, so I usually make it easier for myself by having a solid base to work from.

I work in navy blues so much, I thought I'd try some green hues...

The finished work

for sale via Gallery 1988 NY August 9th - September 1st

Crazy 4 Cult NY 

opening Thurs. August 9th

reception 6-9 PM

64 Gansevoort St.
NY,NY


runs until September 1st

Frankenstein - Page 15

A recently finished page from issue #1 of Frankenstein.

So excited to have my passion for this project back!  I had explained in a previous post - some pretty heavy stuff happened associated to this comic.  

(If you'd like to read why, you can click here)

But after reading an amazingly uplifting blog post by Danny Choo, I realized it was time to kick this into high gear again and really get it finished.

I had gotten over issues I was having, (like thinking getting depressed every time I sat down to ink a page) - but I realized it was time to Carpe Diem this baby and move faster.

If you think about your typical 24 hour day - minus sleeping, eating, working hours and commute - you probably only have 4 hours a day to do whatever you really want.

That's pretty insane

ONLY 4 HOURS A DAY.  PROBABLY LESS!

That explains why the days go by so fast!  

Why life goes by so fast!

If I'm going to get this project done, I have to commit all my free time to it like I did this fall.  So happy to say, Issue #1 is almost done - it's going to my Editor's this week and I'm working on the cover now!

............................................................

Been enjoying the blueberries this season - eating about 3 boxes of them a week!

Love having these with greek yogurt and honey for breakfast!

Typical lunch after working on comics all day.

A really colorful salad for dinner.

Food is so pretty.

I'd show you the blueberry crumb cake but 

I ate that before the lens cap could come off.

Review: Platinum Carbon Fountain Pen カーボン万年筆

JetPens.com asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing this pen, which of course I love any and all writing materials/art supplies so I was more than happy to do it.

Usually, I end up using any pen I like with my artwork - whether they are designed for art or not.

There are a few things I really liked about this pen and only a couple that I didn't, so here we go!

The refills are inexpensive, which is very nice, and the tip is very sturdy, so I don't expect this to wear out soon.

Of course, hence the name 「万年筆」(man-nen-hitsu) which means 10,000 year pen. 

Wouldn't be surprised if it lasted you that long.

Platinum Carbon Fountain Pen
◉ $13.50 includes one cartridge  BUY IT HERE
◉ $3.30 refills for 4 cartridges  BUY IT HERE


Over all, not a bad pen.  Amazing = ink dries super fast, very waterproof .  Not so great = the ink bleeds very easily on regular typing paper, or anything thin.  This pen is definitely for people who are signing documents on nice stock, like resume paper or legal documents.

PROS : Extremely waterproof - dries very quickly, never smudged at all!

CONS : Extremely waterproof - this will stain your clothes permanently!

The company that makes this pen, プラチナ (purachina) a short Romanization of "Platinum" has been making fountain pens since 1919! [Japanese site]

Recommendation:

Use this pen for doing fine details on artwork, signing documents, and generally making your desk feel a bit more sophisticated... but definitely use it with a grade up from regular typing paper.

This is also quite a long pen, so it probably won't fit in a short pen case.  But you can find the desk pen holder if you'd like to keep it at arm's reach.

Everyday should be wonderful

I had a really nice conversation with a good friend last night, and as it turns out we both are coming to the same realizations about life at the same time.

Sometimes, the experiences you have in life don't seem like they leave that much of a mark.  Then you look back at them collectively and think;

"Wow, I'm actually the same person I've always been, 

I just know more of what I want now."

I mean, you change as a person, in terms of what you want from life,

but I'm noticing my personality is completely the same.  

Sometimes we pass into stages of our lives quietly, without fanfare, 

and sometimes they are indelibly book-marked by something.

Someone once told me 

"You have everything you need -

 to deal with any kind of situation, 

any kind of stress or sadness, 

- inside you"

I'm realizing now, that I have the choice to make everyday wonderful, 

and nothing ever holds me back but myself.

Everyday Andy and I take the time to get up earlier and make breakfast together.

These moments are so special to me.

And worth any extra effort or time.

Blueberry + pineapple smoothies are surprizingly good : (thanks, Misha!)

and quite beautiful

Jan gave us gorgeous lettuce and zucchini from her own garden

Thank you, Jan!

my neighbor grows something fabulous every year

Allie-Oop enjoying the park