Arts and Crafts

Growing up, it annoyed me to hear "Arts and Crafts" said in the same breath. Like they're the same, if you did one you did the other. It annoyed me because I considered myself an artist, but not a crafter. And I really didn't want to be a crafter. I drew and painted and illustrated and created and experimented. I didn't craft.

Of course, I had a very specific idea of what crafting was. Crafting was what those moms with the clean houses did in order to make their clean houses all decorated and cute. They'd find some cute thing someone else had already made and follow the step-by-step instructions and end up with the same cute thingy to put on their cute, clean doors or tables or whatever.

(DISCLAIMER: there is nothing at all wrong with having a cute, clean house.)

I wasn't interested in cute. Or in cleaning for that matter. Getting paint all over myself, and the canvas--now THAT was something I could handle. And getting ALL the dishes dirty in the creation of a beautifully delicious pie, or leaving bits of paper all over the carpet after a snowflake cutting session. (Those are mandatory every winter. No exceptions.)

Snowflake cutting was the closest I came to crafting. But snowflakes were kind of brainy and creative, if you know what I mean--making them with six points is a challenge for awhile, but then you do them with five, and then with seven, or three (four or eight points was just too easy). I did it enough to kind of intuitively know what the final snowflake would look like. It always baffled me (still does, actually) that people would follow a pattern to cut a snowflake. I mean, seriously? You follow the directions on how to fold it--that makes sense. And then you make something unique and cool! You know, that whole every-snowflake-is-unique thing? You don't follow a pattern.  Seriously?

So if I was never really interested in crafting, why on earth would I apply for a job at a crafting company?

Easy answer: I didn't.

A fellow illustration major did. He was offered the job but didn't feel like it was the right fit for him. He ran into me on campus and mentioned there was an opportunity for a vector-based illustration job, and I was the only one he knew who really liked working in vector, so would I possibly be interested in that? Sure, I said. He told me that if he decided not to accept the job offer, he'd recommend me. They contacted me about a week later and it ended up working out, and there I was, working for Cricut, designing crafts.

So it wasn't that I applied at a crafting company, it was that someone recommended me for creating vector-based artwork.

My first project wasn't an easy one, and I can now actually talk about it because it's released for everyone to buy--the 3D Floral Home Decor cartridge (http://us.cricut.com/Shopping/detail--3D-Floral-Home-D%C3%A9cor-Cartridge-0-12660.aspx). So not only was I doing paper art, I was doing fairly complicated 3D paper art for people to decorate their cute clean houses with (I mean, Home Decor is right in the title) for my very first project.

And I discovered something about myself. I'm still not interested in having a clean, cute, decorated, trendy, etc. house. (I fit the disorganized artist stereotype pretty well.) What I am interested in is visual problem solving--figuring out how to make something work. And then how to make it better.

Some of the coolest flowers on that cartridge came from seeing something someone else had done and saying, ok, thats cool, but how can I make something even cooler? And some of it I just completely made up.

And it was so. much. fun.

And now I can't stop. I've designed and assembled about 5 new Christmas ornaments by this point, cut out on my awesome Cricut Explore machine. Its taken multiple tries to get them right, and my garbage can is full of failed attempts and the carpet is covered in paper confetti.

And then, when I've finally got something that works, what do I do? I might take a quick snapshot for instagram, and then I stick it on the shelf, along with the other final versions and a bit of dust (I don't clean, remember?)--and start a new experiment.

It was never really about creating something to display and look cool.

It's about creating something cool, period.


I think back on all the projects and mediums I've gotten really into--ambigrams, stained glass, even oil painting, and a freaking upside-down picture book--they have specific limitations, and then you have to take those limitations and say, ok, what can I do? What will work? To me, thats the most interesting reason to do arts and crafts.

Yeah, I said them together. Arts and Crafts.

Grin and Bear It

I haven't really blogged in awhile. I've really fallen out of the habit of blogging.

The other day something reminded me of an old blog entry I'd written, and I decided to go back and find it. I ended up looking over a bunch of old blog entries. I'd for gotten how often I'd written, and how much. I wrote in more than one blog, too. And, even if I do say it myself--some of my blog posts were really entertaining. I ended up laughing out loud when I read a few of them.

I made alot of good new habits on my mission, but I think I lost some good ones too.

I'd like to get back into the habit of blogging. I never really had a schedule before, I just wrote when I had a thought I wanted to throw out of a funny story to share. I'd like to try and see if I can get back into that habit again... if it doesn't work, I may set a more specific schedule for myself.

This is connected to a thought thats been rolling around in the back of my head (which I just posted as my facebook status). It is this: activities where I've learned to get over my mistakes and have fun are those that I've improved most in and bring me the most joy--art and dancing. Those that I still have a hard time getting over my mistakes in I haven't improved in and tend to avoid--specifically, speaking and writing.

What started me thinking about this was a little thing, really. In one of my classes I made a comment that didn't make much sense. It was actually a really dumb comment. I got some raised eyebrows and chuckles and the class discussion moved on. Nobody else in the class probably remembers my dumb comment, at least not very specifically. But all day afterward and into the next, I kept remembering the mistake and wincing. Why did I say such a dumb thing?

In dancing I am very aware of the fact that I'm not great, sometimes I slip or don't follow an obvious lead or, yes, step on someones toes, and thats just how the dance goes, and I laugh and keep dancing. After years of participating in art critiques, I'm pretty good at not getting offended at comments, instead just taking them as they're meant, analyzing them, and then applying those that I feel will actually be helpful--all without getting all hurt and offended.

Actually, I think this was one of the biggest reasons that I chose to major in Art rather than English (which, when it really comes down to it, are the only two majors I really considered--I can't see myself actually majoring an anything else.) I enjoy both. But I knew that I would have a much harder time accepting critiques of my writing than of my art, and would therefore have an easier time in art. Did I choose the easy way out? Maybe in this specific aspect of the choice. Overall, I don't think so. I chose the one where I knew I would be better able to learn from my mistakes.

Is that strange? It seems like someone should either be good at getting over any mistake, or not. You're either prideful, or not. I guess people aren't that simple.

Anyway. So I want to get back to writing a blog again, just as a way to do a little low-pressure writing.

Farmers Market

This week was my first time actually going out and selling my artwork in person--I've sold art online, but not really face-to-face with potential buyers. It was a great experience! My main goal first off was just to get the experience, to get an idea of what to expect with this sort of thing in order to do it better in the future. Goal achieved---huzzah!

I learned some things that are maybe obvious to some people, but are new to me, and hopefully helpful in future. Some of them are:

• -People aren't just going to line up to give you their money (duh). You have to catch their interest first. This can be a problem when your art is the you-only-get-it-when-you-look-again (upside-down) kind.
• -Clouds are one of those good-or-bad, awesome-or-terrible things when you're selling outside. They either mean rain (no!) or shade (yes!). Fortunately, we had the shade kind of clouds for most of the day.
• -People like to buy things when they have a 'thing'. Like, some people have a cat thing, or a book thing, or a dancing thing, or a mustache thing, or something. This is why fanart sells... and also why people get in trouble for selling fanart. I want to figure out some "things" that people like that are NOT trademarked and design things they might like.
• -I sell like a missionary, and so does Normandie. We tended to focus alot more on the person than the product. Which lead to some fun conversations, but I have no idea whether things would sell better if we had focused otherwise. So far, I've enjoyed using my missionary conversation skills so I'll stick with that for now :-)
• -Sitting/standing around and doing nothing except greet people is tiring. 
• -You don't know if something will sell well just because you like it. You just have to see how people respond when they see your work, and notice what catches their eye. It might not be what you think.

New York--quick and boring write up

So a couple people wanted to hear about my New York trip, and I wanted to tell you all about it. But one of the effects of the New York trip was that I am now VERY behind on my homework, so finding the time to do a good thorough job of it is just not possible. This is the best I can do. Truth be told, no effort has been made to make this report at all interesting. I basically just looked at the itinerary and wrote a couple lines about each place we went.

The first place we visited after our flight was the National Portrait Galleries in Washington D.C.. It was here that I started my method of museum-viewing that I used throughout the trip—don’t worry about running through the whole museum to see the famous pictures, don’t worry about appreciating every single piece of art there, just walk around until a piece catches your eye. Take a closer look, try and figure out why it caught your eye, maybe take a picture or a sketch, then move on. The portrait gallery was really fun, it was really interesting to see all the different types of art there.

Afterward we visited some of the monuments, which was fun, but I’d already seen most of them at least once on my previous trips there.

The next morning we went to the Delaware Art museum, where I got to see lots of Howard Pyle originals. It was SO COOL. Howard Pyle was amazing. There was also some work by other artists that was fun to see as well.

Right after that we headed to the Brandywine museum, which have a lot of the Wyeth’s work (N.C., Andrew, and Jamie). The N.C. Wyeth gallery was closed at that time, but Bethanne, being Bethanne, talked to the people in charge and got them to let us in anyway, which was awesome. The N.C. Wyeth gallery was probably the highlight of the trip for me, I wish I could have stayed longer but I’m glad that they let us in at all. I also really liked some of Jamie Wyeth’s paintings, he was a great colorist. Before leaving I bought a couple postcards for myself of N.C. Wyeths paintings, I chose those that I thought had the most accurate color reproduction (since I had just barely seen the originals, I thought that that was probably the best time for me to make that kind of call :-). I only realized later that the two illustrations I had chosen were both from Treasure Island...but that's not surprising, since that's probably N.C.'s most well known work. 

After the Brandywine museum, each of the 3 vans went their separate ways to get lunch. We decided to get snacks at a grocery store just to tide us over until we could get real Philly Cheesesteaks in Philadelphia.

Finally, we headed over to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. My favorite pieces there were probably those I saw by Monet and Cassat—I guess I just kinda have a thing for impressionists.

Then, we went to get our real Philly Cheesesteaks. We went to a place called Genos, which is apparently one of the two places that claims to be the originators of the Philly Cheesesteak. The sandwiches were delicious (if a bit expensive).

Thursday, we drove to New York. Our first visit was to Blue Sky studios—you know, the people who made Ice Age and Rio. They gave us a tour and then we got to eat lunch with all the BYU alumni (/Mormons) who work there. It was really fun and inspiring to see how much art and work (and artwork) goes into making movies.

Next we visited Bob McGuiness, who was just the nicest guy. We all crammed into his studio and we talked about art. It felt kinda like we were visiting someones grandpa or something (which I guess we were, haha). 

The next day started with a visit to a certain bakery, the name of which has slipped my mind. But we got the thickest, richest, creamiest hot chocolate I have ever tasted or probably ever will taste. It was seriously amazing. I was surprised at first that one small cup was 6 dollars… then I understood.

Our first visit was to Abrams Books. I was pretty sure that I had walked into heaven. I mean, this was a place filled with books, book lovers, and book makers. And they gave us cookies and picture books and were just really nice in general. Yeah. I used to want to be an Editor… I know that I would have loved that, but illustrating is so much fun. Yeah. Anyway. I guess we've established that as long as books are a big part of my future, I'll be happy.

We went to the Society of Illustrators for lunch and oh my do they have a whole lot of awesome art there. Definitely a feast for the eyes, and they fed our mouths as well. It was basically a buffet style thing and it was all delicious—my favorite was the cuscus salad. Yum.

Then we visited an artist’s agent, Richard Solomon. They talked a lot about what they do and what they look for in artists they represent, etc.

Then, the Museum of Modern art. They had some interesting stuff there, and also stuff I didn’t quite understand… I got to see some famous paintings in person though, which was cool, including Christina’s World, The Scream, and Starry Night, among others. Afterward we got street food for dinner and visited the Strand Bookstore, where I was sorely tempted to by so many things but I didn’t :D.

Saturday morning Rebecca and I went and bought tickets to see The Mystery of Edwin Drood. We were late getting to the box office but it turned out being a good thing because their servers were down and they weren’t able to sell tickets yet. We waited around for awhile, and with the help of some really nice people we were able to give them our names and number, so they could call when the system was working again. We walked around, saw a cool church which we explored, and they called Rebecca back and we were able to buy our Student tickets for 32 dollars. Success all around!

Then we visited Sam Weber’s studio, which  was way cool—he was a really nice guy and we got to look through his originals, which I’d seen in print (both in book covers and art books) but it was interesting to see what the paintings looked like before he altered them digitally.

Next, we headed to Paul Zelinsky’s studio, which may have been my favorite studio visit of the trip. He was really nice and accommodating, and we got to look at the originals of his Rapunzel picture book, which won the Caldecott a few years ago.

After that, we headed straight back to Broadway to see our play. We got a delicious torta from a street vendor outside the subway station which was possibly the most delicious thing I ate on the trip.

The show was fun. The singing was amazing and there was a lot of fun comedy in the show. The voting at the end for the detective/killer/etc. was also fun. So overall, the play was a fun experience but it wasn’t particularly moving or life changing as other Broadways (or equivalent) I’ve seen. But it was worth the 32 dollars, so I'm happy :-).

Sunday was a bit of a rest day, as it should be. We went to the YSA ward at 11:30 and afterward headed to the Met. By this point in the trip (actually well before this) my feet were feeling pretty abused and complaining fairly loudly. Fortunately, the Met is one museum we visited on the trip where most rooms are well supplied with benches. I continued to use my wandering method of museum viewing, adding a long sketching period in front of paintings I liked which also happened to have a bench in front of them. It turned out to be a very fun and restful way to experience the museum.  Afterward Bro. Barret took us walking through some fun sites to see in New York, including some murals by Maxfield Parrish and Dean Cornwell.

Monday morning we visited Peter de Seve’s studio, which was fun. He’d actually forgotten we were coming, but was very friendly and accommodating anyway. He offered a lot of good thoughts and insights about the industry.

Afterward we visited Brett Helquist’s studio, which was wonderful. He showed us a bunch of his original paintings and gave us some really inspiring and sound advice about how to go through school and get started as an illustrator.

Then, we had free time until 4, when we would have to head to the airport. I got Rebecca and Stephanie to come with me to a Filipino restaurant I’d found by searching online. I got to have Sisig and they tried Tocsilog and Bangsilog. Then we wandered around Soho, looking at random shops, my favorite of which sold all kinds of fancy and exotic foods. I got a pear-almond tart, which was delicious.

Then, we headed to the airport and home.

And lived happily ever after.

This I Believe essay

For my Writing about Arts and Humanities class, we had to write a "this I believe" essay. These are essays collected and published by http://thisibelieve.org about (of course) peoples beliefs. Here is my essay--though imperfect, I'm mostly happy with how it turned out, and I feel that I was at least able to communicate my belief clearly.

Sketchbooks and Stick Figures

-->

We’ve all experienced hundreds of getting-to-know-you conversations. We all know the questions you’re supposed to ask. What’s your name? Where are you from? And for me and most of my peers, this next one is inescapable:

What’s your major?

Illustration, I answer.

Oh, Illustration, they say. Is that, like, art?

Yes, I confirm, Illustration is art.

Wow, they say. I can’t even draw a stick figure. You must be really talented.

After participating in variations of this conversation hundreds of times, it’s really got me thinking. What do they mean by that last comment—“You must be really talented”? Sometimes it seems like an explanation, or even an excuse, for being good at something.

I do believe that there is such a thing as talent—raw natural ability in a certain area. What is strange to me about the comment “You must be really talented” is that, in the end, I don’t feel that talent has very much to do with my success as an artist. Talent, or raw natural ability, is just that—raw, unrefined, and untried. Even a person that apparently doesn’t have talent can excel beyond someone who does—if they invest the required time and effort.

So, you can’t even draw a stick figure. This doesn’t prove that you’re not talented and could never do “good” art. It simply shows that you haven’t spent much time drawing stick figures—yet. You could, though. And you could get really good at it, given enough time. This is why artists carry sketchbooks.

I first learned the value of sketchbooks from my high school art teacher. Every week she would collect our sketchbooks, not to critique them, but to make sure that we were drawing, observing, and recording ideas constantly. “You don’t have to show your sketchbook to anyone if you don’t want to,” she’d say. “This is where you mess up and make mistakes. It’s where you think. It’s where you learn. It’s not to show off how talented you are to anyone else.” Through sketchbooking I learned how much time and effort is required to produce good art. The merely talented who aren’t constantly sketching get left by the wayside. Artists succeed because, even when they’re not in front of a canvas with brushes in hand, the have a sketchbook that they carry everywhere.

Believing in effort over talent is extremely liberating—just think about it. I really can do, and be, and accomplish anything I want, provided that I am willing to put in enough time and effort. And so can you. Your hopes of what you want do and be and accomplish can be realized, if you are ready to do what it takes. Try it—invest a little time and effort. I believe in you.

Buhay pa ako....

Hello everyone who reads my blog! Which is to say nobody, at least lately, because there hasn't been anything for anyone to read.

Sorry.

I really do want to do better. I really enjoyed having a blog before the mish and I've wanted to post here, I just never got back into the habit once I got home... theres always something else to do and all that. Well, I'm breaking that right NOW by postpoing my homework a bit longer, again, to give a quick brief update on my goings-on, which I hope will get the ball rolling for me so I'll start posting things here again like I used to.

I'm really excited for this new semester, all my classes so far are great and I'm learning so much... my only complaint would be how busy I am, but its good busy so its not that bad.

On Mondays and Wednesdays I have History of Graphic Design with Stephen A Hales. So far I'm really really enjoying this class, its been really interesting and thought-provoking, which I can't honestly say about art history classes I've taken in the past--and I'm an art major! It seems that people's question here is, why History of Graphic Design instead of History of Illustration? Well, this is the class that had room and fit in my schedule, and now that it's started I'm glad it worked out that way.

Tuesdays and Thursdays start with Senior Illustration Studio with Brother Barret, which has been fun so far. We're basically just doing different projects we can add to our portfolio and enter in competitions. Our first assignment was on the theme of "buffet", and my concept has evolved quite a bit since I started but I'm having alot of fun with it.

After that I have my Foundations Global Leadership class with Anton Bowden. This fulfills the Social Science general education requirement for graduation which most people fill by taking something like Anthropology or Politics or some such thing. I just saw the course title and thought it sounded cooler than any of the other courses and signed up. I'm really glad I did, everything we've talked about has been really interesting so far--Personality types, Learning Styles, and Team Dynamics are what we've covered so far. We met our groups for the group project today and I think my group has alot of potential to work well together, especially because we can apply what we've learned in class about how teams work effectively.

Then I have Professional Business Practices for Illustrators with Will Terry. This class is really fun and interesting. We've talked alot how the market for illustration is right in the middle of a huge shift because of new technology like e-books and the i-pad, but this doesn't have to be a bad thing for illustrators if we take advantage of the technology available. I'm really excited about what we've been learning in this class.

Then on Friday we have Illustration 4 with Justin Kunz, which is the En Plein Aire painting class. I've only been once so far and it was difficult, but I think with time I'll get better at it.

And on top of all that I need to start/continue work on my BFA project... I turned in my proposal today, I'll probably know on Thursday if the Illustration faculty liked my idea and whether I can go forward with it or if I need to think of something else.



And that is my life recently in a nutshell.



Is anybody reading this? Just out of curiosity...

pet peeve

I can't really call it a Pet Peeve, because that is just something that kind of rubs you the wrong way, but doesn't really make you extremely angry.

Last week one of my roommates had one of her guy friends over. I talked with them a bit, and he seemed nice enough, though not exactly the type that I could really hit it off with, if you know what I mean. (Which is to say, he was very not nerdy.) So they continue chatting while I go over to my usual end of the couch with the lamp and start reading. He's kind of on his way out--they're gradually getting closer to the door while conversation continues--when they get on the subject of their aspirations, etc. and my roommate admitted that what she really wants to do is write for children.

"Oh," says her friend, "thats easy." He made a motion like he was just scribbling something really fast. "I mean, you just... you know?"

This is far from the first time someone has made a similar suggestion to/in front of me when someone admits to aspirations in childrens literature--either writing or illustration. Its hard for me to believe that they don't realize how utterly tactless, and of course wrong, they are. (How would you like me to say in a sort of brush-of way that your major sounds easy?) But what is also hard for me to believe is that, knowing how unthinking and common, etc., this thinking is, I still become, like, swellingly angry whenever someone makes this kind of comment. But, probably fortunately, I am not a person who yells, or even one who shows much emotion or says much of anything. So when my roommates friend says that writing childrens books is "easy", its only inside that I'm screaming,"EASY? Yeah, well you know what ELSE is EASY? JUMPING OFF A CLIFF IS EASY. So why don't you do the world a favor and go DO that. And be sure to aim for those SHARP ROCKS AT THE BOTTOM. And by the way I've decided to HATE YOU FOR ETERNITY." But while I'm thinking this, I'm still apparently calmly reading, though they probably never noticed that I've stopped moving my eyes over the page, or turning pages.

I waited for my mostly-suppressed explosion until after he was out the door, which was fortunately not long after.
"How can he not know how utterly tactless that was? Not to mention entirely wrong," I said.
"What was?" asked Annie, who had entered just as I said this. I told her what he said, and how this has happened to me several times before, and how it always makes me see red, but I never, ever say anything. So in a very small way it is my fault, for not correcting this thinking when I encounter it, right?
"Well, kind of," Annie said, "I'm not saying that that kind of thinking shouldn't be corrected, but really, I think it's better that you don't say anything when you're as angry as all that. And I know it's hard, but you should probably try to get used to the fact that you're going to keep encountering this kind of thinking and you should try and just let it roll over you, or you're going to keep getting angry about something you have no control over."
And of course she's right, but that doesn't make it any easier.

Second Day of Classes

I'm going to like my Tuesdays and Thursdays. My classes are New Testament, World Dance, Narrative 1 (which is going to be AWESOME), and Illustration 1 (which will probably be my hardest art class, and probably my hardest class PERIOD, but it is also going to be AWESOME.)

And, now that I'm in the BFA program, I get Studio Space. Oh yes. I am really, really excited about this. No more trying to carefully arrange the easel and palette and towel and turpenoid all on my desk at once. I AM OFFICIAL NOW.

Not much more to add. Except that the phone chord is still lost. I don't really know where to look. And I'm wearing my nerd rock and it makes me happy. And one day I will be Brave and Wear It In Public and people will be like, "Oh.... I, uh, like your necklace." And I will be Amused.

First day of classes!

So today was the my first day of classes--woot! Not really all that much to report about it, to tell you the truth. I had work all morning (8-1) and right after that I had Advanced Life Drawing with Brother Hull. I'm pretty excited about that class. I feel that I'll learn alot, and most of the work will be in class (drawing from models) or stuff that I already do (sketchbook). Then I had my Advanced Computer Applications for Illustrators class, which might be more accurately titled "Digital Painting". If you want to see my teachers work, his blog is http://davemcclellan.blogspot.com/. It seems like most of the work for this class will be done in class. In addition, we can basically paint whatever "interests us". This means FANART.

On a completely different tangent, I've lost my phone chord. You know, the one you charge your phone with. This means that I am Without A Phone. So if you've tried calling me in the last few days and were sent straight to the answering machine, thats why.

Another completely different tangent--Scarlet Pimpernel at Hale Center Theater THIS FRIDAY. I am really excited to see it. Becky went to see it and told me that she thought they did a GREAT job. (Of course they did. This is Hale Center Theater we're talking about.) So that is one BIG THING I've been looking forward to for MONTHS that is Coming Right Up.

I'm planning--hoping--to try out for the folk dance team this Wednesday. The catch? If girls want to try out, they have to bring a Man with them. I have two days to find a man...


The Second Semi-Annual Utah Thief-Con was AMAZING. I now have a Nerd Rock. Well, its supposed to be Hamiathes Gift, but somehow in the two days since I've made it it has acquired the endearment "Nerd Rock."

"Hey, I like your necklace."
"Thanks! Its my Nerd Rock."

This amuses me immensely.
I'd show you all a picture of said Nerd Rock, but the way I would do that would be with my Handy Dandy Camera Phone which, as I said, is out of battery and not likely to be charged until next weekend (when I'll go home to Witness the Awesomeness of Sir Percy.) So maybe later.

Also, I'm planning on having Annilyn the Amazing help me make some awesome Nerd Shirts. They will be hilarious and nobody will really understand what they're about unless they've read Awesome Books.

Speaking of books, I'm going to be getting a couple free ones in the next couple weeks. I am rather pathetically excited about this.


Yes, it's been awhile since my last entry. But thats because not much has been going on. Now that friends and roomies are back and classes have started, hopefully there will be more Things Of Interest (To More Than Myself) to share.

Fanarts!

Ok, so this is kind of like a follow-up post to the last one. Because what do I do when I obsess about things? (That is, Aside from being all giggly, and talking about them to people who don't care about whatever it is I'm obsessed with AT ALL or, even if they do care about it, I talk about it so much that they get SICK of them or...
Well, yeah. Anyway.)

The answer is, I DRAW PICTURES.

Aside from my current "obsession", my excuse for drawing these was to learn how to paint in photoshop. Which I'm still kinda figuring out. If you click on them, and then on the little magnifying glass with a plus sign above them, you can see them big. :)

So here they are.

First, we have
Moira From The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner



I painted this in less than an hour and a half. For that kind of time, I think it looks alright. I kind of like this idea, I might either keep painting on this one or do another one of basically the same thing, but... better. I was drawing it from my memory of the scene, so when looking back at the actual text it is interesting to see which details I got right and which I didn't.


I was walking up steps into a small room with marble walls. There were no windows, but moonlight came from somewhere to fall on the white hair and dress of a woman waiting there for me. She was wearing the ancient peplos that fell in pleated folds to her feet, like one of the women carved in stone beside old altars. As I entered the room, she nodded as if she'd been expecting me for some time, as if I were late. I had a feeling I should recognise her, but I didn't.
"Who brings you here?" she asked.
"I bring myself."
"Do you come to offer or to take?"
"To take," I whispered, my mouth dry.
"Take what you seek if you find it then, but be cautious. Do not offend the gods." She turned to the tall three-legged table beside her. It held an open scroll and she lifted a stylus and wrote, adding my name at the bottom of a long list and placing a small mark beside it.
When I woke a moment later, Pol had dinner ready.

.....

I had been dreaming again of the lady in the chamber; her hair was held away from her face by a string of dark red stones set in gold. She used a swan feather pen to put a second mark by my name, and she seemed concerned for my sake...



Irene Dancing under the Orange Trees



I really should have planned this out better before starting. As it was, I was moving things around and such halfway through painting and trying to make it work--almost just because I could more than anything. (Hey, if you have layers in your painting, why not use them??)

This is a fanart piece for Megan Whalen Turner's The Queen of Attolia. AWESOME book, just by the way.


"Before he died, my grandfather used to bring me to your palace so that I could see it for myself. There was a party and dancing one night, and the palace was full of people. I went to the kitchen garden to hide because it should have been empty, but once I was inside, the door opened from the flower gardens, and you came in my yourself. I watched you walking between the rows of cabbages and then dancing under the orange trees. I was above you, in one of the trees."
Attolia stared. She remembered the night she danced under the orange trees.



And then for the other Obsession,
The Elusive Pimpernel


This is a fanart piece from a scene of The Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. Since I'm still trying to learn to use photoshop, that was one of the main goals of this piece. Notice that the pattern on his coat revolves around a five-petaled flower . I had to look up what a chapeau-bras was in order to draw this--thats the style of hat he's wearing. I'm still learning how to draw expressions and ages, so he looks a bit younger/more feminine than I'd want, but then again... this IS Sir Percy we're talking about.


This is the passage illustrated:

"Dishonour and ridicule! Derision and scorn!" [Chauvlin] murmured, gloating over the very sound of these words, which expressed all that he hoped to accomplish, "utter abjection, then perhaps a suicide's grave. . ."

He loved the silence around him, for he could murmur these words and hear them echoing against the bare stone walls like the whisperings of all the spirits of hate which were waiting to lend him their aid.

How long he had remained thus absorbed in his meditations he could not afterwards have said; a minute or two perhaps at most, whilst he leaned back in his chair with eyes closed, savouring the sweets of his own thoughts, when suddenly the silence was interrupted by a loud and pleasant laugh and a drawly voice speaking in merry accents:

"The Lud love you, Monsieur Chaubertin! and pray how do you propose to accomplish all these pleasant things?"

In a moment Chauvelin was on his feet, and with eyes dilated, lips parted in awed bewilderment, he was gazing towards the open window, where, astride upon the sill, one leg inside the room, the other out, and with the moon shining full on his suit of delicate-coloured cloth, his wide-caped coat and elegant chapeau-bras, sat the imperturbable Sir Percy.

"I heard you muttering such pleasant words, Monsieur," continued Blakeney calmly, "that the temptation seized me to join in the conversation. A man talking to himself is ever in a sorry plight. . . he is either a madman or a fool. . ."

He laughed his own quaint and inane laugh, and added, apologetically:

"Far be it from me, sir, to apply either epithet to you. . . demmed bad form calling another fellow names. . . just when he does not quite feel himself, eh?. . . You don't feel quite yourself, I fancy, just now. . . eh, Monsieur Chaubertin. . . er . . . beg pardon, Chauvelin? . . ."

He sat there quite comfortably, one slender hand resting on the gracefully fashioned hilt of his sword - the sword of Lorenzo Cenci- the other holding up the gold-rimmed eyeglass, through which he was regarding his avowed enemy; he was dressed as for a ball, and his perpetually amiable smile lurked round the corners of his firm lips.

Chauvelin had undoubtedly for the moment lost his presence of mind. He did not think of calling to his picked guard, so completely taken aback was he by this unforeseen move on the part of Sir Percy. Yet, obviously, he should have been ready for this eventuality.....was it not a fact that whenever or wherever the Scarlet Pimpernel was least expected, there and then would he surely appear? ...

Aye! it was all so natural, so simple! Strange that it should have been so unexpected!

I'm not sure I want to put these on the "art" blog, because they're not really very professional. I look at them and all that I see is FLAW. FLAW. FLAW.

Wear the old coat and buy the new book. -Austin Phelps

Yesterday was payday. Today was a bookstore day. I spent less than twenty dollars. Only got three books. I feel pretty good about myself.

Todays haul:

The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Barnoness Emmuska Orczy. Because I loved this book and read it a few times growing up and I need my own copy that ISN'T the Readers Digest Version. No, I'm not joking--the copy we had at home was part of the "Readers Digest Abridged Classics" series. And all fiction was 25% off, so it was only $3.71 even before you also subtract my employee discount.
Crown (and Court) Duel, by Sherwood Smith, because I've been wanting to re-read it for awhile and I wanted my own copy and it was paperback and therefore cheap.
Amulet: the Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibushi, a graphic novel, because I read it awhile back and I really liked it. And it has nice colors. :D


While we're on the subject of books, I'm in the middle of Too Many, but I'm mostly enjoying myself anyway. Nausicaa and Harry Potter are paused while I finish Poisonwood Bible, which is quite good, and King of Attolia, which I'm marking. Since Deidre seems to be in a similar situation as far as reading too many books at once, Thief is also paused. Count of Monte Cristo is going well, but I'm not sure how much I actually like it. There is cool intrigue and such, but I just really don't like the Count at all. I'll expound upon this subject more when I finish the book, so keep checking the book blog.


And, if you haven't already, check out my art blog to see what I've been doing at work these last couple weeks.

Realization

So I realized something today while I was working in the bookstore. (Which was very nice, just by the way. When I'm not there for hours every day I don't get sick of those shelves that I have practi-mostly memorized...)

So all the time I'm doing in the bookstore is alternate Saturdays, and then I'm on call if someone goes on vacation or something.

Paydays are alternate Fridays.

Yesterday was payday.

Today was my day in the bookstore.

This pattern will continue. Payday Friday, followed by Hours in the bookstore I haven't been visiting as much lately the day after.



Do you know what this means?

This means that the day I feel rich is the day I'll be spending my day surrounded by books. Books for sale. Beautiful, beautiful books for sale.

Today I only got five. And they were all from the bargain table. And they were all worth it. I am a better, happier, more fulfilled person for owning these books! Ok, well, you know what I mean.

Todays haul:

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale, because the hardback was on the bargain table for less than I would spend on a paperback
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusac for the same reason, even though I haven't read it yet (and I DON'T BUY books I haven't read as a general rule) because I fear Dire Punishment from Shanelle if I don't read it soonish
That Book Woman, a picture book with a great story and pictures--wonderful gesture in the drawings, *love*
We the People, a kids history book that I needed because the watercolor illustrations are phenomenal and the illustrator is Officially one of my All Time Favorites.
Cheyenne Medicine Hat, a book about Native American horses with Really Boring Text but gorgeous illustrations.


All of these, hardback, for less than twenty dollars. Oh, and I grabbed three ARCs for myself. I mean, seriously, how could I resist?

Another List

So I think I like lists. Or, rather, I like the idea of lists. I am definitely a person who isn't particularly Organized, and lists carry with them the idea of organization with a fraction of the effort. And the benefit, but yanno, you get what you pay for. Or... well, you know what I mean.

So here is another list, for your amusement.

Responses to the statement "I'm An Illustration Major":
-Oh, you're in the artist apartment!
-I... didn't know that was a major.
-Oh, thats cool. I'm in *insert intellectual sounding math-or-sciense-based major here*
-Like, for kids books?
-I know. (nod toward notebook margin, which is filled with doodles.)
-Thats, like, art, isn't it?
-What is that, exactly?
-My (*obscure relative*) wrote a book, you should do the pictures!
-Thats awesome, I really need a logo for this business you're trying to start.

Can anyone think of more that could be on the list? (Artist people, I'm looking at you specifically.)

and...

I GOT THE JOB! YAY!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!

The Illustration Portfolio is turned in and is being looked at RIGHT NOW.
What if they dont like it? What if I didn't see some horrible flaw in one of my pieces? What if its just not as good as everyone elses? Only fifteen are going to be accepted... aaaagh.

We'll find out the results April 20th. Which I'm glad about, because its not far off and we know which day it is. I'm glad that the Illustration People aren't like the media arts people...