lockets

Some little lockets I made earlier today. Each panel is an original gouache painting, measuring 23 mm in diameter and glazed to an enamel-like finish.

Also, they are a major pain in the ass. But my sister thinks they are cool and I should make a bazillion more. Dilemmas!

That means you, William.

I was testing out a new kind of paper for papercutting purposes and saw this deliciously passive aggressive missive to William Carlos Williams linked on a friend's Facebook profile. Associative papercutting: the new thing?

future listings

Some of the pieces I'm planning on listing in a couple weeks. All of them are gouache, 4" x 6" or smaller, on either paper or salvaged cardboard.

little enigmas

I wanted to share a new object I'll be listing in the shop towards the end of the month.



They are hand drawn wooden blocks, one inch square, done in white ink and pencil and lightly varnished for protection. I'm not sure what to call them yet. I'll probably be making between twelve and twenty, depending on when my patience runs out.

up the wolves

Another (obviously rough) sketch for yet another new drawing. I'm playing with ideas for several different series at the same time, and while a few of them will probably end up jettisoned I'm actually okay with what I have so far. I hope to have all the layouts done and at least one or two pieces completely finished by early July, and hopefully I can get them photographed and printed by early August so I can move on to the next slew of drawings I want to get printed before October. A little ambitious, especially given the sluggish pace I usually work out, but I'm trying to break out of my old habits and give this "productivity" and "decent work habits" thing a try.

a little sketch for "water polo"

Being rather un-athletic myself, I always admired the water polo team in high school. Apparently they were pretty good, but I never went to any games so I didn't know this firsthand. I mostly just stared at their unbelievable upper body musculature. One girl in my graduating class liked to ask me to draw little figures and cartoons on her biceps and forearms, and then flex so they'd move, like sailors' tattoos. It was pretty neat.

Wikipedia has an enlightening article on the history of water polo. I'm sourcing the bathers' costumes from the time period of the sport's inception, between 1890 and 1900. The monsters are just fun to draw.

circe comes home from the market

A few quick shots of the layout for a new drawing.







Shortly after taking these photos I ended up changing a lot of it. I wasn't happy with the angle of her head and the way the animals looked. Sigh.

I'm trying to be more disciplined about the way I approach drawing (and painting, although I haven't painted in so long I'm a little afraid to start again once I unpack my brushes) and do a proper preliminary layout, then studies of the details that trip me up, before starting in on the actual piece, rather than just plowing through and getting frustrated when I mess up because I haven't considered it enough.

Also, in possibly the coolest news I've heard all day, did you know that the phrase "Holy moly" originates from Homer's Odyssey? Apparently the herb that Hermes gives Odysseus to inure him to the effects of Circe's sorcery was called moly. HOW AWESOME IS THAT.