Oh Stomach, You Cruel Master

Hello Blogger,

I can't sleep. I have a lot on my mind. Nothing bad just lots of things. I'm a thinker, plus my stomach decided to really really hate me. So i figured rather than lying around being sick and awake, I should sip a fizzy steaz energy, get some pep and get things done.

I just picked up some new tattoo mags and I've been flipping through them. My favorite bartender from philly was featured in Skin and Ink this month so I wanted to check out her pictures from the NYC convention. They look awesome Faith! That got me browsing artists so for the last hour I've been finding internet-y ways of following a few. Tara McPherson was featured in Skin and Ink as well and I have to say she's one of my new favorite artists. She's not a tattoo artist but is still an extremely talented illustrator and a pretty savy business woman it appears. I'm pretty sure I want to be her to like a T. Not in artistic style but she basically has all the things I want save the successful tattoo artist part in addition to being a kick ass illustrator.

I finally bought a tablet today. It's the new bamboo pen. It's alright but I prefer the former gen, especially since I can't flip the pen and get an eraser. Though I'm thankful to FINALLY have a tablet again at all. I'm pumped to get some work done. I'll make this upset stomach pay off if it's the last thing I do! I hope to post new art soon.

Today was a day of lots of thinking. I laid out my plans and goals to my boyfriend (over drinks, it was our miniversary today). He already knows them all but its good to talk about it. I'm really driven right now. I need to make it happen, i don't think I can settle for less or even almost. It's good to feel that motivation though I'm scared of self sabatoge. Being human can really kick you in the ass with all the complication of having a huge brain.

Here's to being unable to sleep causing me to work harder

New Art

Hello friends.
Here's a little update. I think I mentioned before that I'm working on a portfolio just for tattoo design. This is one of my classic gypsy designs with my friends name. I'm working with out a tablet but on CS5 so i've been able to do some cool things, though i still miss having a tablet. All in good time I guess. I've gotten a couple call back about some graphic design gigs here in loveland but so far nothing has panned out. Though this town does have some great galleries to get involved in as well as a big bronze sculpture community. I hear there's some major players out here. I also had a pretty good experience at a tattoo shop in Greeley. I might have a spot there in time, so keep your fingers cross for me.

On a side note I'm a little miffed about somethings, and have been for awhile. I used to be involved in a society of sorts and by involved I mean i was a member without any perks for being a member. No one in charge even communicated with me when I tried to contact them about things. I was only able to submit to one show because a friend was kind enough to tell me about it. When I mentioned this to those in charge, that I and other members were never let in on show dates and deadlines, instead of a response I got booted from the community. This really perturbed me. I am a good artist and it was really insulting to be treated that way. At least I could have been given a response or a reason. Recently they put on a Sailor Jerry show. When I was apprenticing I had to do a lot of research on Sailor Jerry and I know a whole lot of the guy. Most of the work I saw that was submitted seems to have no idea who he was or what he was about other than he was called a sailor and therefore must be really involved in mermaids. It just irked me beyond belief because this is a huge part of my life and something that I really hold close to my heart artistically but some dude decided I wasn't good enough to be part of a community with no notice what so ever, but its fine for people to have no clue about subject to submit to any show they want as long as they meet some unspoken standard. Maybe I'm bitter or maybe I think it's just not ok to be jerks.

When I finish certain pieces I'll make sure to post them so keep watching

Where Are We Now?

So if you've been keeping up on my twitter, you may have read that I had been traveling across the country. I've reached my new settlement here in Loveland, CO. Not the best place for the illustration biz but a good place to catch my breath. And the whole trip was great inspiration. Also while I'm here I can focus solely on my career. I can finally finish stuff and I'm close than ever to the computer set up I desperately need. It's exciting.

I'm also working on a brand new portfolio dedicated to tattoo design to be paired with my regular portfolio. I'm hoping to make that my day job, as impractical as that may seem. I'm hoping to have better luck find a place to hone my craft here in Loveland. Philly is not the most friendly to the up and coming in the tattoo biz. Wish me luck. When I'm done more of my designs I'll post a taste of my new portfolio. I'm unrealistically hoping for next week for that. I just really want to get out and into some shops sooner rather than later.

Some Hearts

So that's a really fast scan I did at kinkos of my latest commission. It's another tattoo design. See...people love having me design their tattoos...so why won't tattoo shops allow me to do them as well? It makes sense to me. The design is actually for two tattoos that go together. Each figure is to go on a foot with the banner above it by the ankle. The banners say "some hearts learned to love, my heart learned to kill" It's done with a combination of paint, inks and markers. I added the blue background and a border you can't really see just so he could have a cool piece of art to hang on the wall as well. The scanner at kinkos isn't very large and they charge by the minute so I just did a really quick scan to show it off.

Well I've applied for more jobs than I can remember. I went out for a textile job, a job for a parenting handbook, gay mascots for t-shirts, graphic novel artist, teaching digital art at a charter school, jewelry illustrator, tattoo apprenticeships....everything you can think of and I still haven't found anything. Sigh. I'm heading out of philadelphia in October though, which is a big deal. I'm moving to Colorado for awhile to try to get a better handle on my finances and maybe get a leg into the art industry some how....maybe even the apprenticeship I've so been seeking. We'll see. But I'm still doing art no matter what right now. A few commissions here and there, lots of personal projects. It's not so bad. I'll keep you posted and hopefully post a photo of when that design gets tattooed proper on some feet.

Back from the dead

Well it's been a while.

I have been working I swear. I was out at the computer camp for a month doing some funny things with kids and photoshop and it was a lot of fun. Right now I'm still trying to amp up my portfolio, do a bit of a redesign on some things and get my resume looking sharp. I was also trying to get a few more promo pieces together but I need to get a tablet first and maybe a decent computer of my own -.-

I wanted to use my Joanna image as a promo card but i haven't finished it. I was trying tonight but using a mouse just is not going to work. It's like a completely different artist did it when I switch to the mouse. It's weird to think I ever worked entirely with the device. I'll load up my progress because I'm quite proud.




I really want to finish it soon. Let's hope i get some equipment soon!

Busy Busy Busy

Well I have been very busy and again I've made a change in address. I'm now living in a lovely apartment on 4th and south with my very lovely boyfriend. Currently the above picture is where I'm doing my work for the time being. I desperately miss my tablet and computer and photoshop! But working traditionally isn't so bad. Though I do miss my scanner even more because then I could actually showcase my work at some form of decent quality instead of cell phone photographs.

The 90's Show for the autumn society opens this friday at Brave New Worlds Comics at 45 N 2nd st, philadelphia, PA from 6-9pm. The show will run until the 30th and yours truly has a piece in it. I encourage you all to come down and have a look at all the wonderful art...especially mine. Here's a photo of my piece in case you can't make it. But you're missing out on it looking all nice and framed and your ability to buy it.



I also donated a piece to Philly AIDS Thrift for a silent auction during their Summer of Love Benefit at Philadelphia's Magic Garden located at 1020 South St, philadelphia, PA. The event will be on Friday June 11th from 5-9pm featuring food, refreshments, cash bar, the silent auction, DJ TransAm spinning and live music by Dangerous Ponies. General tickets are $25 and VIP are $50. All proceeds are going toward Philly AIDs Thrift, a non-profit set up to sell donated items and distribute the proceeds to local HIV/AIDs service organizations. This cause is very close to my heart as I have lost people to HIV and AIDS, and know people fighting the disease now.

My piece for the auction is dedicated to the bike kids and hipsters out there...kind of. The people who really love bicycling for the right reasons and are true to themselves as well as are all around good people. People I think will be involved with this event the most. Riding a bike and sharing cigarettes is a huge part of life in the summer along with drinking early in the morning when concerned with my friends. I based the painting on Austin and I, but tweaked it so we're a little more hipster to relate more to that scene and culture. I like it a lot. And I love tandems. I hope all of you can make it to this event as well.




I'm currently working on a website design for The Bakery creative co-op based out of my old house with Angela Latini and many other local artists of all kinds. So stay tuned for that ladies and gents. It's of course, cake themed. And I will be doing it digitally if it kills me.

I'll also be leaving in a few weeks to teach photoshop art at a summer camp for a month. I love teaching people things and I'm pretty excited. Even more so to have art to be so present in my life again. I feel invigorated. But for now I must meet my other half at work so we can ride home together because we're disgusting like that.

Random Collection of Art-like Things

Oh blog how I neglect you sometimes.

Well I have been very active when it comes to art lately. I'm still sans computer and things so I'm still hurting for that. I finished a few "pieces" recently. The quotations are necessary as they are kind of odd ball projects.

A lot has been happening with me avid followers. Things are all starting a new with new love, new living, new directions. My tattoo set up is nearly complete so I will be back on my game and hopefully making money again, I'll be off at a summer camp in a months time teaching younglings how to be creative via photoshop, I need to get a piece together to submit to a show by the end of this month (eek!) and I want to submit a piece for the 90's Show the Autumn Society is putting on -if- I'm actually welcome to do so. Now to follow: lots of pictures.

Let's start with my latest commission. A guy contacted me to get a tattoo design for a grim reaper chasing uncle sam. Not something I'm super thrilled on but I think I made it look cool. I gave it up really cheap because I knew it was going to be in marker since my computer situation is a bit askew. He was really happy and it felt nice to get kind of art directed again. Enjoy the sideways picture from my phone. It's awesome I know but no scanner=crap.


My next piece is a bit of an installation piece done for the game SF0. If you don't know it look it up, it's incredibly fun to play. I made some shoes to throw over a power line. I put 'don't quit' on the bottom to somehow being inspiring. I saw a sign that said 'you are beautiful' and wanted to do something in that vein. I drew an owl, lady gaga, an octopus and fairy tale princess on respective side of each shoe and threw them up in an alley in front of the front door of a possible new apartment I might be living in later on in life.



My wonderful boyfriend recently turned 21 and I made him a cake. It was rainbow and vegan and delicious. I painted the top in a very "starry theme" He loved it






I made him a gift as well. I feel that a flask is a very appropriate gift for someone who just turned 21. I painted the outside. I've never painted stainless steel before so it was an interesting endeavor and I have no idea how its going to hold up. I used gesso initially then a mix of acrylic, water color, ink and marker then covered it in clear nail polish.



And just to show how in love we are: