New electronics and fun art stuff

Hey so I got some mega cool xmas gifts. A new digital SLR and a nifty scanner. Now I can make new things and takes images of them!! Today I've been playing with my new toys, here's some older work that I've scanned.

Also later this week I'll be going on a mini break to San Fransisco and I plan on taking a on of pics with my new camera, so watch out for new material!

I also plan on scanning a bunch of my negatives (as soon as I find them) an uploading some more of my photo work to this blog.

"Venice" Mezzotint using aquatint process. Done in my semester abroad in Florence

Pencil sketch done at the Musee d'Orsay

Model sketch. Red conte crayon

Scene from the Canterbury Tales. Pen on paper

Scene from the Canterbury Tales. Pen on paper

Finishing up the Labors Series for BWAC

I have off work tomorrow, and I’ve promised myself to work on a couple of things. As some may know, my dad and I are in the process of building an art studio space in the basement (where the darkroom used to be) so I can finally have a place to work. It’s almost done, I still need to transfer a lot of stuff from my room and give the new space a quick clean but I’m going to try to accomplish this in the morning.

There is another reason I’m anxious to start working again. I’ve joined BWAC (finally) and am going to be featured in their show in May. I’ve decided I’d like to display my Hercules series, which as of yet is still incomplete. So I have to get my arse in gear to finish off the series. I have an idea or two for the remaining 2 paintings. I’d also like to make a Nemian Lion II because I am no longer in possession of the first one. So that brings up the total to 3 paintings I have to finish before the second week of May. I think I can do it; I tend to work better under a deadline anyway.

I also plan on making a book for a special lady I know who gave me an awesome gift the other day. I think it’s going to be classic cinema themed basic sketchbook/notebook. The cool idea I had was that it would have random interwoven images of such classy folks as Lauren Bacall, Bela Lugosi and Gregory Peck. I’m not exactly sure how I’ll go about making this, but I’ll figure it out. Is it too much to put in a few Cinema quotes as well? Is that lame and dorky?

So looks like I’ll be a busy lady. My family’s also plans on taking a vacation in Barcelona for two weeks in the middle/end of May. I’m super psyched about that. I’m second guessing purchasing a scanner and might opt for giving my self a camera for my birthday. I can’t do much with a new scanner in Barcelona and all my film cameras are either busted or too archaic to use for tourist-ing. So hopefully I’ll have lots of new work to show everyone in the next month or so, painting, photo and book stuff!

Here are some random images, figure drawings and sketches from MICA years past and of course my Lauren Bacall woodblock print from LaG.

Halloween Sketches

So I've been feeling particularly Halloween-y as of late. I've been watching a lot of the old monster and horror movies while working at the video store and I've also started reading H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man. I've decided to dress up this year as a Drive-in roller waitress from American Graffiti, mostly as an excuse to wear those rockin' skates that Jonathan Trundle gave me. I was going to be Cesare, the somnambulist that strangles people from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, but I thought it might be a bit obscure.

Anyway, here are some recent sketchbook drawings, all done in pencil. And of course my pumpkin paintings, done in acryllic, Vincent Price and Frankenstein's monster. Creepy bugs, monsters and bodies are basically what's been on my mind the past couple of weeks. Happy Halloween!!

Blank books & Stuff to Buy book

Here are some more books I made. In class we always made a demo book step by step so that we knew what to do for homework on our own. These books were usually blank, so Laurie would call them “gifts” as opposed to “art” or “artists’ books” because there was no content. These books I will use as sketchbooks or notebooks.

The above pictures are of the demo books from the following assignments: Album binding (green), Coptic binding (purple with multicolored paper) and Case binding (Italian paper and blue book cloth). The long purple one is Stab bound with brown butcher’s paper, the sketches are from when I went to Dr. Sketchy’s a live model drawing session at a bar in Baltimore. For some we painted our own paper for the covers.

One assignment I found fun was the Stab binding project. This type of binding is a traditional Japanese binding and is typically made with very long, thin Japanese paper in the inside for flexibility. The paper is cut very long and then folded over and bound on the open side. I thought about the idea of the long, thin paper and what kind of project would lend itself to this type of binding. Finally I decided that I could bind all of my old shopping receipts in a book which I aptly titled “Stuff to Buy” the front and back cover is simply the back of various cardboard food products that were in the apartment. I wrote out my usual shopping list in red colored pencil and bound it with red thread. I wanted to keep the color palette black, white, brown and red. I find it kind of diaristic and somewhat autobiographical in that you can probably tell a lot about my personality through the products I buy (mostly food and art supplies) If you took the time to read you would notice patterns, like the fact that I eat a ton of Mac n’ cheese along with various blueberry products. I don’t eat meat, I prefer to buy more expensive fresh mozzarella and I spend a lot more money on art supplies than clothing. Along with the fact that I’m a pack rat and I have actually saved all of these receipts in the first place!

So I'll be a busy bee this week, which is really good because I spent the last two weeks basically in my room because it was rainy and I was super lazy. My brother just graduated H.S. (congrats Alex!!) and we're planning a duel graduation celebration/family get-together. Also one of my favorite gals, Jasmine, is in from California and there's going to be an amazing Glam Rock themed welcome back party in her honor. I'm throwing a dinner party for some of my guy friends where there will be lots of win, Scene It and Star Wars Trivial Pursuit. And then, hopefully I'll be working on some freelance stuff and working for Aurora again, which is super-awesome (and lucrative!)

That's all for now, I've taken more images, which will be up soon, so hold tight for more book art stuff!