Nothing but Art. All the Time

Well it seems like it's back to business as usual for the rest of the world as everyone returns from their winter vacation. As for me I've been drowning myself in work the entire time. I'm finally finished with my Design Moose Design Group piece, which I will be sure to promote even more when it all goes live. I look forward to working with Jean and Julie again, they're pretty wonderful ladies.

The Dead Men Walking relaunch went live a few days ago as well. It's Zombie fiction written by Austin Wulf, my wonderful significant other. I designed the layout and did the graphics, then we both learned how difficult it is to seriously customize a blogger. It's pretty close the original idea with Austin making a few tweaks that he preferred. We're both working on submissions for an upcoming Zombie anthology that's coming out. I'm super pumped but I have to finish my Tattoo Design portfolio first.

On New Year's eve I also got to meet Mark and George Lundeen of the Lundeen family of sculptors. Loveland is actually a huge deal in the sculpture world. It's a really great art town, which makes it a lot of fun. There's a ton of galleries for a little sleepy town in the mountains. Mark and George do bronze sculpture work for the most part. George has a Ben Franklin in Philadelphia as well. I know next to nothing about sculpture, but these guys are a big deal. George is in the top five and Mark is in the top 10 biggest bronze sculptures in the world, at least I've been told. They sell pieces for millions of dollars and my aunt just kind of chills with them. She introduced me to them on New Year's eve and I now have an open invite along with my Aunt and co, to go hang out in their studio whenever, which is a pretty awesome opportunity. Especially because I can't wrap my brain around 3 dimensional projects.

I've been really working myself overtime trying to get a good body of tattoo design work, and I keep drawing more instead of finishing what I started. -.-; I have so many ideas for all sorts of projects, it's getting out of control. I didn't intend on doing another gypsy piece but I did and I'm very pleased. I have some good flash sheets going. Plus I'm almost done my chest piece design. I'm so psyched on it. I'm afraid to post it online because I don't want anyone else in the world to get this tattoo done except me. I hope to knock this stuff out of the park today so I can meet some other deadlines for contests and annuals this month. Sleep is over rated anyway.

Plus I decided right now would be a great time for hobbies. I haven't picked up my bass in like a week...but art always takes priority, though I hate seeing it sit there while I forget all the things I learned. I also have a new sewing machine and I bought a punch of patterns to try out. Oh and my crocheting and knitting...I have link a hundred different projects started there too....At least right now I am finishing the things I start instead of letting it become a mountain of what could have been.

Auld Lang Syne

In about 7 hours here in Loveland, we'll be ringing in the new year. And we finally got some real snow on the ground too. In honor of the coming new year, I pieced together a meme from good ol' deviant art that summarizes my art through this past year. It was fun to think about. I did more traditional work than ever before I think because I was so technologically cut off, and have horrible representations of it because of my lack of scanner for awhile. Two pieces are lost to the world somewhere. I hope someone kept them, or found them so they can be enjoyed and aren't getting mashed into nothing in a landfill somewhere.

My resolutions for the year are to eat better, lose weight (like everyone on earth except my boyfriend with his freak metabolism), run the Boulder Boulder and the Philadelphia 8K in the fall, and be an established tattoo artist by next year as well as a more established freelance illustrator. And finish my murder mystery comic. It's going to be good if I ever finish beyond the first page -.-;

I hope all of you have great new year's resolutions with the intentions on keeping them, high hopes for improvement across the U.S, especially economically, and for a better state of the world in every coming year. Enjoy your parties, I'll be drinking some homemade martinis and hot chocolate, enjoying the snow and evening with my family.

Happy New Year!

Dumb like a Moose, Dib! Dumb like a Moose!

This project has allowed me way too many opportunities to quote invader zim. I just sent this guy off to the AD for review. I'm pretty happy with it, plus it's a very appropriate subject for my new landscape. I don't think I draw enough animals in my life. It also helped me discover that I really need to start working at a desk. I have a side cramp...seriously. I'm just glad to be picking up work again now that I'm out here.

What is Narg Up To?

I hope everyone's holiday was great and wonderful. I received a sewing machine and pasta maker along with a cupcake recipe book so i can become the room mother I've always been meant to be when I have kids.

The end of this year is proving to be quite busy. I am working with a new design firm called design moose and they want their logo/branding design ready for production by the first of the year. There's also a bike website I'm in the running for doing and my mock up needs to be in by the 7th. Dead Men Walking is set to be relaunched with my art work (which is not quite done yet) by the 6th I believe, plus I have an interview coming up in the next week or two....and i need to finish my new portfolio for that right now. Phew! I guess when it rains it pours, but I'm not complaining. I'm glad I haven't had a deadline laid on me for the fitness trainer site yet, but the business hasn't really decided what they want to do with it, just that they want me to do it.

I just sent my sketches out for Design Moose so I'm ready to start working on my next project in the interm, but someone got me a puzzle for christmas as well which I became addicted to immediately. I love puzzles...and it's of candy...o.o
For now though, I need to hit the gym for an hour to make sure all those delicious cookies I made don't make my new year a fat one.

Happy Solstice to All!

Also Merry Christmas, again.

So I just finished another creative christmas project. I worked on some coasters, a set of 9, for my aunt's boyfriend as a christmas present. I'm pretty ok with how they turned out, especially the recipe sides. I was surprised about which ones I liked the best we all was said and done. I've got some pictures if the whole set as well as the three I liked the best in detail.




That means I'm freed up to concentrate on redesigning that blog and some other projects. Also, having my sweet new set up means I can revamp my website pretty soon and my twitter, which I'm pretty psyched on.

I also added some links in the side bar of other places around ye olde internet where you can find me, such as facebook, deviantart and twitter. I would like it very much if you followed me in every single one of those places. I demand followers.

I had my first stand up bass lesson today as well. Super fun. I slap some bass big time.

Merry Christmas, Bitches!

Tis the Season and all that. Above you will see my design for the christmas card I'm sending out this year. Definitely feeling a little homesick for philadelphia out here in colorado. It's also the first picture I've ever done completely digitally. Full digital painting in photoshop cs5 with my little bamboo tablet. I did it totally professionally too, with a bleed and everything. Like a real adult artist!

Here's how it works all laid out like a card:
I like it quite a bit.

As for my professional life as an artist, I'm still mainly doing personal stuff. I'm working on my portfolio, a new promo card, and some story ideas. Plus I have a creative project for christmas. I'm making coasters for my aunt's boyfriend. I got the idea from an assignment the design track had to do when I was in college for illustration. I was in the digital track so I only saw the end results but everybody here likes to drink, in the way of being really into wine or whiskey like people are into coffee. The idea is illustrate the drink on one side and give instructions on the back. I have ten drinks and I'm doing pretty basic color schemes so hopefully I'm not killing myself doing it.

I have two jobs right now working freelance. I'm designing a website for a fitness trainer and I'm helping to illustrate an up and coming blog. The blog is in the blog fiction genre and it's about the zombie apocolypse and takes place in philadelphia. Here's a link to it's current state: zombie blog I'll repost the link when it's relaunched with my art, which it desperately needs. But both projects are going to take place after the holidays most likely. Right now it's just me and whatever I want....and also wrapping presents until I die.

At Last My Hand is Complete!

So, I know I -just- updated, BUT i just finished my latest piece. I think I'm going to use it as my frontis piece for my tattoo portfolio. And I'm a pretty big fan of the texture I put on the roses.

Now I mentioned that I just got my tablet....like 14 hours ago...but I finally feel like a human being again. I'm doing art the way I want to be doing it and it feels amazing. It makes me feel more positively about everything. I know how sweeny todd felt about his barber blade thing. I've got the new bamboo pen and I'm using CS5 photoshop. I've got the trial version for the next 26 days but my christmas gift from my loving family is going to be the software I need to be the awesome artist I am meant to be. Hopefully I can talk them into the design premium CS set up as opposed to just photoshop so I can do all my web design and graphic design projects I want to do along with a flash animation I've had rolling around in my head for months.

I still haven't slept since last entry but I want to keep working. It's like I've been in a desert and now I have water to drink and I can't help but drink myself to death. Except less dramatic. PLUS I can finish my strength card...FINALLY!!!! I intend to take an epic nap later though....like an intense nap