Thursday, April 30, 2009

New things!

Hey kiddies, I've been working on all of my promo stuff for my portfolio reviews/Open House and whatnot. I'm going with a squirtgun theme, because I love squirtguns and they remind me of summer and sunshine and wonderfulness. <3 So here are my promo keychains (on black and white). They have my pen name along with my website on them, and they're neon and engraved and beveled and yay! Designed entirely by me (as well as assembled). Along with this, I've changed my resume/invoice to match and my NEW HEADER. It's jazzy, I think.



ALSO: I AM GOING TO BE IN A SPACE 242 SHOW. AND NOT JUST ANY SHOW, BUT ONE WITH ANDY FISH, VERONICA HEBARD, AND LINDSAY SMALL. This is the BIGGEST DEAL IN MY ENTIRE LIFE, and I'm so excited! I get to have my work up in my FAVORITE gallery with 3 of my FAVORITE artists and friends. It's going to be so awesome!! More information closer to the show, but for now just know that it is on June 26th at the Dig's Space 242 gallery at 242 East Berkeley St. in Boston. ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY. I REPEAT: THIS IS A BIG DEAL.

More stuff soon! School's almost over yayyyy!

Monday, April 27, 2009

Summer Air and Optimism




Tonight was my big senior show for the illustration Degree Project. It was lovely - there were so many people there, and I ran out of business cards on my podium very quickly! I wore a pretty dress and got to talk to everyone and show my parents around. My friends Savannah, Marissa, Pat, Chris, Dave, and Luke came (along with all my MassArt lovelies), and Marissa brought me flowers!! <333 Thanks to everyone who came and to everyone who was there in spirit. Your support means the world to me. <3

I also may be making a cameo appearance in an upcoming show at Space 242. But nothing solid yet so I can't telllllll yoooouuuuu. OOH SECRETS

I ordered two more sets of postcards tonight because I re-decided that I want to represent my painted work along with my digital work. So critical! And I'm waiting for my promotional keychains to come in so I can epoxy them together and love them. (They're the squirt gun ones. I actually bought squirt guns at Target yesterday. Yay almost summer!)


Aside from that, I'm just finishing up my last couple of assignments before the schoolyear is over for me forevs. Then I just have to make 4 paintings for June 16th, start and finish my comic by June 1st, make a role-playing costume for a friend before July, and make a cover for the Dig before June 21st. THESE ARE MY PLANS. I MUST KEEP THEM.

My Degree Project is Over


I never thought I would ever say those words. But yes, the project I've been working on for a year is now officially over.

There's going to be a big gallery show tomorrow night for all of the Illustration seniors and their degree projects from 6 - 8 in the MassArt tower building on the 11th floor. You should stop by if you can! Everything looks wonderful. <3 I've just finished my "graphic summary" or process book to describe my project and all that good stuff. It'll be on display to flip through underneath my paintings. I'm happy to say that I worked my ass off to finish this project and that I have no regrets. I admit I wish I'd spent less time whining and more time working at certain points, but I'm satisfied with how my pieces turned out.

Here's the last painting I completed for this project. All of the pieces involved clowns as a substitute for myself in representing issues and feelings I've been having as of late. Clowns represent humility, to me, which is something I've experienced a lot this year (to my benefit - my head almost wouldn't fit through the door). This piece in particular represents losing my sense of youth and childhood and knowing I can never turn back to that kind of easy life. But things are okay, being an adult.



I hope you guys can make it to the show! Give me a call if you'd like to come and need directions. <3 (781)351-9699. There will be snacks! And amazing artwork!

Friday, April 24, 2009

Things lately

have been good.

I've had some tough times dealing with stress and anxiety over my place in life and the world right now. But because I have amazing family and friends, I've been able to straighten things out and get back to being optimistic and ready for anything.

I went to the Space 242 gallery opening tonight for the DESTROY BOSTON show, and I have to say the work was definitely interesting. There were rocks carved with wizards and crazy faces and giant nipple/spike/egg/creature drawings on the walls. I finally got to meet Tak Toyoshima, illustrator of the comic Secret Asian Man, and he's a really nice guy. We chatted about school and a few other things, and I told him I really want to design another cover. That'll be one of my first priorities after school's over, along with finishing my first comic.

So things are feeling pretty good for right now. I hung my pieces for the Illustration Degree Project Show, and the opening is Monday night from 6 - 8 in the President's Gallery on the 11th floor at MassArt. Stop by if you get a chance! All of the work looks fantastic!



Again, I want to thank my mum (who took me out to buy business-y clothes and got me a really nice haircut), my friends (Lindsay, Alex, Sarah, Kate, Alycia, and so many others), Andy and Veronica for being such great mentors and friends, Jared (who I'm extremely proud of and miss terribly) and everyone else who's been so great to me lately.

To conclude, a few sketches for a kids' video game I've been working on:




Thanks everyone! Less than a month until graduation!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Princess Lindsay! :D


Featuring Allison Bamcat as a small retarded mushroom! :D Yay!


Apart from that, I finished my last Degree Project painting today. I'll post all of them up here as a set (5 big paintings and 5 little ones) soon.

Also, my boyfriend Jared found out today that the opening he was working on for his production company (Lone Wolf Productions) was approved by the Discovery Channel to be the official opening for the show! It's called Angels & Demons and should be out sometime soon. I'm really excited for him!


My lists are wittling down as the year ends, and college is almost over. I'm not so scared anymore - just excited.

More updates soon YAYYYY!!

Monday, April 20, 2009

The Post You've All Been Waiting For



So about a week ago, I asked every artist, designer, friend, and cactus I knew to draw me a picture of the lovable Nintendo character, Wario. To be honest, I'm not sure what really inspired this whole thing. I was sitting in Andy Fish's comic class trying to draw a fat ice cream truck driver, and instead I found myself drawing Wario with Hulk arms (pictured below). I thought it was silly, and I started texting people, asking them to join in on the fun that is drawing fat, comical, recognizable cartoon characters.

After a few of my closest friends had eagerly given me some drawings, I started asking around at school and on the internets, sort of as a test to see who would put in the effort or make the time. I said that even a 5-minute doodle would be fine - just do it. People asked what it was for, and I said it was for me. That also changed up the playing field for people who would enter. Knowing it didn't need to be "good" or in a certain format and that I didn't need anything other than the drawing made more peopl
e want to draw. While others, knowing it wasn't "for" anything found really no pressure to do it. (I'm still waiting on a few people, but if they never get to it, I won't cry.)


But here is a showcase of all the people who joined in on this lovely adventure. There were no specifics, just to include the character somehow. Some people really had fun with this, and a lot of people took the time to put their creativity into it. And I think that shows what kind of person you are.


I really want to thank everyone who made me drawings, and I hope you had fun! I think they all turned out hilarious and awesome.


Row 1: Alex Butera, Alex Carlson (2)
Row 2: Linsday Small (2), Ty Dunitz
Row 3: Ty Dunitz, Kori Handwerker, Andy Fish
Row 4: Anthony F., Neil, Joe Blair
Row 5: Carly, Jesse, Caroline
Row 6: Cole Swavely, Ben Z, "Dan"
Row 7: Kate McElroy (3)
Row 8: Nicole Cauoette (2), Mike Keselman
Row 9: Dave Wentworth, Jeff Powers, Nameless (1)
Row 10: Nameless (3)
Top/bottom of page: Me.


Thanks again, guys.


Personal blog later.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Wario: CALL FOR ART

Hello, all of my wonderful readers and talented artist friends.

I need you to draw me a picture of Wario, this guy:
It just needs to happen. I'm not sure why, yet. I was sitting in Andy Fish's class on Thursday and it just came to me.

So far, in the past 2 days, I've gotten 9 Warios.
Once I hit 20, I'm gonna post them all here. Maybe there will be a mini-book. Maybe this will be the beginning of many more projects like this. Who knows.

An example, courtesy of my buddy bud bud, Neil, who hopped right on the bandwagon:

Thanks Neil!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Skeshes.

Some things I did today.

The one with the clown girl, I've decided to make into a painting. Like, a real painting. I've been struggling a lot with which media is my favorite. I feel like there's a lot of pressure on artists to do one thing and one thing only so it's easier to sift through all of us. It makes remembering us easier.

But I'm still so young. There are so many things I want to try, still. I don't know if I'll draw this way for the rest of my life. Picasso wasn't Picasso until he started being a little wacky.

Anyways, some skeshes.


Clown girl. She's holding a caterpillar for Lindsay.



Kenny. Alison Cowell's dude. I don't know why, but I'm obsessed with him. She has a book coming out soon! (I took creative liberty with his hair. I hope you don't mind.)


Wario. Everybody draw Wario.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Promo keychains!! <3


Here's the design for my new promo keychains that I'll be handing out at my senior Portfolio night as well as selling on my etsy. All of the little white details will be beveled and engraved on super fluorescent green acrylic. The orange pieces will be adhered with epoxy, and the whole thing will be hung on a keychain! I'll probably wear one as a necklace for the show, or for forever. :D

The design is now off to New Zealand for manufacturing (I had to brush up on my Illustrator skills to get the templates all set up), and they should be here and ready to assemble in 3 weeks.

From initial design to cleaned up design: 1 hour.
Cleaned up design to Illustrator vector: 1 hour.
Illustrator vector to broken up pieces arranged on templates: 3 hours.
Cost of materials/shipping/labor: $182.53.

I'm so excited! With the money I saved on my business cards/postcards, I don't mind paying extra for these. :) The effort and the thought will shine through.



And there will be special edition pink ones too! Yay!