Have a Very Flu-Free Christmas!

Keep Dreaming!

This adorable photo of a kitten in the gutter has been around for a while. Then someone desaturated it and added a top hat. It reminded me of this Oscar Wilde quote, so I made a meme!!!

The original color photo can be found here:  DeviantART/~butterfly~heaven

My Global Talent Search Entry

I don't know if anyone else will like this, but I made something that I would love to own! 

It's probably one of the weirdest things I've ever made, I really went out of my comfort zone. 

The pattern is wonky and random with lots of unexpected negative space. And the lion is so random. It's just so strange! I love it!

I am very proud of this!

I've been burning the midnight oil for days trying to finish some school assignments. Just finished the b/w version of a coloring book cover. I love it so much I can't believe I made it! I feel like coloring it will ruin it, but we'll see.

My Big New Orleans Birthday Extravaganza!

 Memorial Day weekend 2016 will be memorable for me and 17 of my closest friends! 

We celebrated my XXth birthday in style - in fabulous sweltering New Orleans!

Here are a few photos:

The courtyard of the lovely Hotel Provincial. It was supposed to be haunted, but we saw no ghosts.

My room on the far left. The best mattress EVER!

Touring the City with my cane and my phone at the ready to wrangle 18 people!

Amazing comedy show at the New Movement Theater with my besties 
Kevin Munroe, Terrance Balazo and Loren Kraut!

(A giant cockroach stole the show!)

Birthday Girl!

Birthday Dinner in the grotto of Cane & Table (appropriate name)

Pat and Terrence were responsible for the decorations!

We had the time of our lives!

Gorgeous/Yummy Cake courtesy of the wonderful Correia-Damudes!

My sister Nikki had this delivered and forced on me. Feathers stuck to my sweaty skin.

Swamp tour!

We all got to hold this 2 year old alligator, his name was Elvis.

Last night of carousing! See ya'll in ten years at my XXth!

Thanks to the magnificent bastard KayDee Kersten for planning the whole dang thing!

Missing Mom.

Today marks a year since mom passed.

I lost the person I loved the most *and* most fantasized about murdering.

Actually, the only person I ever fantasized about murdering.

That's a special relationship.

I still cry almost every day.

You don't know how hard it's going to be to lose your mom until it happens.

Here's bunch of art I've been making in class

2 Vicuña

Children's Book Final

Children's Book Sketch

Lumberjack Ornaments

Ornament Sketch

Coloring Book Sketch

Plate Final

Plate Final

Plate Sketch

Home Decor - Ceramics

Home Decor - Glass

Home Decor - Fabric

Home Decor - Metal

Home Decor - Metal Sketxhes

Home Decor - Metal Sketch

Found Object Collage Wall Art

Found Object Collage Wall Art

Gifts Final

Ha ha!

At Least He Didn't Call Me Fat!

One of the reasons I stopped dating and just embraced Spinsterhood:

Make Art That SELLS??! What a Concept!

I've been taking some classes in making art for licensing. It's out of my comfort zone, but I am learning a lot. And it's been a good way to get me back making art after the loss of my mom & my job (on the same day!) ...and a debilitating knee injury! (both knees!) 

These are online classes, so I don't have to venture out on my cane. The program is really amazing. Students are from all over the world, taught and developed by a remarkable woman, Lilla Rogers. She used to be a designer and is now a high powered agent, representing artists I really admire. She is a great teacher, very nurturing and kind, and so knowledgeable. The classes are packed with ACTUAL useful information! And the assignments are challenging, to say the least. 

My greatest challenge, as you can see from the samples below, is finding a style to commit to. 

In the past, as a greeting card artist and an animator, versatility was an asset. As a result, though, I 

have no defined style of my own, really. I have been able to find it with my Fine Art, I am hoping these classes with help with my illustration. 

If you are interested, here is the link to Lilla Rogers' site: Make Art That Sells

Here are some samples of the work I did in the first course:

Children's Book Illustration 

 (My typical animation style) 

I fell back on Flash vector art for this one. I suspect there's a chance this may be the style I end up with, but in the mean time I will try out other possible styles/techniques. 

Art for Gifts 

 (This is also typical of my style: retro people. But "people" are not great for licensing, apparently) Here you can see my first pieces using my brand new Cintique, which I bought specifically for this course! I used one at EA. Not great for animating in Flash, but wonderful for freehand drawing!

Home Decor - Plates 

Fell back on my Fine Arts style for this one - made with my ipad! 

 Flash again, tried something different, looks a bit harsh/forced to me. 

Wall Art

I think this one is dumb. They always want you to do flowers, I have never been that type of artist, so I came up with this clunky mess.  I think I am getting more comfortable with flowers, though, which hopefully I will prove true in the work I do in the my current class. For this assignment they also wanted us to use found objects/textures. I have loved incorporating real life textures ever since my Blues Clues days. I used them in the backgrounds of my short film "The Old Flame"  I was thrilled for the opportunity to use pompom trim again! I use it in my fine arts when I can!

New Class - Home Decor!

I've just started a new class that focuses on Home Decor. I f$%ked up the first assignment by leaving it til the last minute. It was to be a birds theme, and the products were to be metal. My sketches were cute but I really half assed the final piece. Needed more variety and patterns. I would like to say "I don't know what I was thinking", but the truth is I didn't have time to think because I was rushing. Asshole move. This week I am trying to get ahead of the deadline. Unlike graphic design, this is not the kind of thing I can do at the last minute. lol!

Sketches/Ideas

Tattooed Parrot!

Somehow I ended up with this.

The palette was chosen for us, btw. It's for a baby's room. 

I guess it's ok, but not as professional as some of my fellow students.  

I am particularly inspired by Asa Gilland and Tina Loffler. They have really defined styles and obviously know what they are doing. I have only been doing this for a couple of months, so I will try to be kind to myself. (That's hard for me!!!!)

I'm in two Sketchfest shows this month!

 Fresh Mugs

 Brava Theater