Horrorhound Weekend and Work in Progress

Work in Progress!
 
First of all, I wanted to share my work in progress.
I dragged my oils out again and worked on something that had been in my mind for a while. -
I added 2 more figures to this piece. I don't know the next direction, but I'm happy with the curled up figures.

I've been working on this for a while, and this is possibly it's third incarnation, I'm finally getting somewhere I like. 
























HORRORHOUND WEEKEND
I had a wonderful time at Horrorhound Weekend 2011 Indianapolis!!!

I had my booth, of which I bring way too many original works but hey, I'm a masochist.

Where else can a child of darkness find a connection? I feel like these horror conventions are a family reunion! Horns, zombies, multiple piercings, blue hair, blood drenched bodies, fangs, killer clowns, strange characters, giant monsters... all of these seem completely normal to me. *JOY*

More photos can be found here: Horrorhound Weekend Photos!

I definitely plan on doing it again.




By the way, a friend bought one of my "Brain Candy" art/sketchbooks full of my drawings/sketches/photo manipulations/words, and I always draw something in the back - he was getting it for a friend and requested something with "Hippo" - so this is what I came up with - a HIPPOPILLAR!

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Yesterday (3/31/11) was fairly productive.

-I sent my GenCon registration and payment. (YAY!)

-I created a little figurine (The Atomic Age Cinema created little cut out figures of themselves as boxy characters - I made "Doc Tor Calamari" first.The cut and construct format was a pain in the butt, but well worth it. haha!)


- Sent a message to Herron about Teaching

- Called Ivy Tech about another teaching possibility in Columbus Indiana - WHICH I got a phone call today, and starting April 15th, I have a 5 week workshop teaching drawing. Hurrah!

- FINISHED my application/qualifications CD to send to the Arts Council about a MURAL Project. That took WAY longer than it should have. 

- I organized my acrylic paints!

- AND  I worked on a painting with OIL. (See the top)

Inspiration in leather, detritus and hair dye. I'm also a business woman

The weather is warming. Like every spring, I feel a weight lift from my shoulders. I begin to organize things that have needed attention for months - inside my head, in my house, and in my art. I'm getting back on the bandwagon with recycling, organizing my finances, and finding that extra spurt of self drive.

As I said, the weather is warming, yet I insist that now is the time to paint my old leather jacket - I worked more on it. I insist on wearing it this weekend, I hope at least the evenings are chilly enough to justify it!

I deliver pure dream states and nonsense, fantasy for the sheer joy of imagination.

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I took a walk in my immediate area. There is not too many pretty views, but I did enjoy detritus inspired parking lots. I'm a fan of moss, weeds, rust and overcast days.




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Hair is refreshed!

I'm enjoying the copper look, but I am scared that I won't be able to find my bright shiny Dr.Pepper red that I so love. The brand I use discontinued their old red that I loved. Their replacement doesn't quite hit the mark- too much yellow, and I don't know ANY OTHER BRAND that does the bright demi-permanent RED, and I really don't want to bleach my hair and go for fire-engine punk red, or go for any temporary dyes. Anyone have a suggestion? I'll write to the company too. At least the replacement smells better.

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New Prints TEASER

I am preparing for the HORRORHOUND convention this weekend. I just picked up my new prints and they look great! This is just ONE of the new designs. :) Come see my booth this weekend to see more, plus new original art never before seen!


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random digital thing

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Self-Employment as an artist

*Dear art schools everywhere - if you do not have a mandatory 'practical business for artists' art class, you must create one.

*Dear artists - don't forget about SALES TAX.

*Dear word entrepreneurs - please create a dictionary that translates LEGAL JARGON ~ BOHEMIAN ARTIST both ways.

...
I ~grumble~ while I learn things the long hard way on my own. At the same time, I am enjoying the fact that I am more knowledgeable after hard earned lessons. I'm starting to view this whole 'business' thing as real and a part of me, rather than just some unattainable scrambled non-art frustrating road block. I'm at least finally making real use of my office drawers and organizing tools.
But seriously, I have a Masters of Fine Art, and I never once heard the word 'tax' at any school I attended. No wonder so many talented schooled artists are lost.

jellyfish and LOTS of sketches

Its been a while, and I have a build up of sketches to post.

First of all, I'm going to try getting back into the daily art thing - some unexpected things happen - such as last night I just decided to put marks down on paper and came up with this jellyfish drawing.


"Sleep, Dream, Death or Delirium, I don't know and we never can tell"
9" x 12" ink on sketch paper.


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And now for a ton of sketches


Reaching for art, and then finding love (right next to me)


Comfort from a strange roundman.


feeling lazy and too full. (of tacos)

(my Fave)

I stayed up too late one night, and got my THIRD wind. I felt like
I wanted to know the WORLD. I wanted to do RESEARCH. I wanted to read
and paint and know THINGS.
"At night-time my brain expands and I feel like I can ingest the WORLD!"
"The tip of my brain parts grows tastebuds at night, and reaches out to experience the noosphere"


A random sexy man. I think its a man.


Last but not least, some random sketches from my day yesterday.
My friend Steven is working on a special project involving collage and bodies. Some friends were visiting and I just hung out and drew people. It was refreshing to do some art around friends doing art. I need this more often. His progress and process can be seen at his DeviantArt page. Advisory: many of his photos include nudity.

Thirteen on the mind

I've been slacking in my blogging!
Can you tell, I need "MORE SELF DRIVE PLEASE?"
Oh yeah. Although, I think I'm getting back on the wagon. I can hear the wheels creaking, and I'm trying to pull myself up before my foot gets run over or something.

I have been working on a series of works featuring the number 13. I initially did a fun piece on paper as incentive for the Thirteenth buyer on my Etsy site.

I only feel like sharing one at the moment. The thirteenth buyer piece is secret until the recipient gets it, and my most recent one is way to powerful to post yet. *grin*
You'll just have to be satisfied with one right now. I'd like to get at least 3 REALLY GOOD ONES before I start sharing.


"Thirteen Licks" 5" x 6¾ths" (available for $30 at my Etsy)

Also, here is a slightly arty photo.
I don't take do ~photography~ often, but I felt this one deserved to be shown.

"Encircle"

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One last thing - a sketch from my sketchbook.


"There is some sort of emptiness here. It is fairly new. I'm not sure how to process it, yet I believe it is supposed to be there."

nothing but the process of making a zombie greenman (and brownman?)

I recently had a commission to do something similar to my first zombie greenman
(The first one can be seen here.)

I decided that rather than having 1 zombie, I'd do two - the second would be reversed and with different colors. 5" x 7" mixed media on bristol.
These are the outcomes.



The first one (green skin) is sold (the patron chose this for his commissioned piece) and the second is available for $50 at Etsy

THIS IS HOW I ARRIVED AT THESE 2 ZOMBIES

I did the drawing in pencil. Tracing paper and carbon paper was used to transfer the image to another sheet of bristol. (Dave helped with this. Thanks Dave!) I recreated the outline in bic pen - once dry, bic pen is great to watercolor over, because it does not get as 'lost' as pencil marks will.

I used watercolors for a base.

Continued watercolor... still base coat

Continued watercolor... now adding variation of shades

outlined in ink (micron 01), and colored pencil added in for more variation and shading. The background texture was also manipulated with colored pencils. The tree in the foreground has been lightened by adding a light later of white acrylic.

Further variation and 'rot' added in with ink (micron 01)

FOR FUN!!

I took both images and digitally combined both halves to make new and symmetrical expressions.

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If you dig these, keep an eye out for prints in the near future. :) ... OR commission me to make a super special one for you!

All those other things that make me feel creative besides drawing on paper

As the title says, "all those other things that make me feel creative besides drawing on paper".


I wanted to do something for myself, for fun, without and pre-planning, and without the stigma of 'I'm going to try selling this later.' Ahh, how refreshing. This coat was given to me in '06, on my last visit to England. It was starting to fall apart and I haven't worn it for a year and one of the pockets is torn. Therefore, it was time to make it useable again by giving it a facelift. (Ok, I say no sale's thoughts here, however, throw $ at me and I'll play with your leather clothing too)

food


I've been enjoying making food lately. The first is basically an everything salad. (I also tried this as a sandwich, minus the pasta, but including the strawberries) and next is a potato, veggie, sausage dish. :)

However, the most fun I had besides eating these dishes, is finding interesting things about the food I never knew before, like this fascinating pattern I found after breaking off all the celery stalks from the base.



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And then some inspiration from something I have nothing to do with. Just an awesome car I saw while driving. I didn't fuzz the plate out because its so funny.
I would LOVE an opportunity to paint all over a car like this.