.

I've moved!

2011-05-13T10:36:00.001-07:00

Kind of. I'm going to try to filter posts onto this blog until I've got my .com domain site all set up and pretty, but for now you can find me at jeeyonmakes.tumblr.com. It's more of a shop blog than a general work blog at the moment, but I'd still love to see you over that-a-way if you're so inclined!

Backlog

2010-12-07T17:20:00.000-08:00

It's been a while, guys. Circumstances have been playing pretty roughshod with my work output. I finished these tokens in between hectic commutes and phone calls and time spent waiting for the train (circumstances play rougher with you when you don't know how to drive, it seems). Hopefully things will be smoother here on out.

Ebay earrings

2010-09-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

I found these earrings a few months ago on Ebay and snatched them up. Since they're clip-ons I figured I would sell them, but they're so beautifully made that I don't think I want to part with them.

fox apples

2010-09-22T19:11:00.001-07:00

This is the drawing I did a few days ago, scanned and cleaned-up for your delectation.

There are a number of Korean idioms that use the word "fox" to express a trickster-like juxtaposition or quality of the unexpected. Rain on a sunny day is called "fox rain" (another term for it, which I like even more, is "tiger's wedding"), for example. I've been playing with the term in my sketchbook and it's been pretty fruitful (no pun intended) (just kidding I totally did that on purpose oh yeah).

Look forward to more!

Little fried things and hummus soup.

2010-09-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

The tuberous things on the left are fried sunchokes and on the right are a couple squash blossoms from my garden. My method for frying most root veggies these days has been to chop or slice them into roughly uniform pieces (roughly being the key word here) and put them in a pan of cold oil. For some reason - and I'm sure Harold McGee has said plenty on the topic already - frying them by bringing them up to heat causes a lot less risk of splatter and smoke, and you don't have to worry about monitoring the temperature of the frying oil. The results were fantastic! The sunchokes were perfectly crisp with toothsome, creamy centers. They stuck in our teeth in the most delightful way. The squash blossoms were really tender and juicy, and the vegan breading I made (seasoned flour and garlic and ginger-steeped soy milk) was flavorful without overpowering the flavor of the flower.

I soaked and cooked up a bunch of dried chickpeas, intending to use them for mock tuna sandwiches, but I forgot about them for several days and decided to instead use them up in one go by making this soup. It's essentially the same ingredient list as hummus, plus lots of caramelized onions and vegetable broth (I used Better than Bouillon's No Chicken base, which is vegan but hits a lot of the same flavor notes as a classic chicken stock, with plenty of water and a little white wine). You could add a little cream, but we chose not to in order to keep our menu vegan for the night. I added some halved cherry tomatoes and basil from my garden, a generous drizzle of olive oil, and paprika. I bet it would be even better with sumac; next time!

as yet untitled, process photos

2010-09-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

Rough pencil sketch.

More definite layout in pencil with beginning of the inking process.

Inked! Gonna lay in the color tomorrow I think it's bedtime for me now.

sketchbook pages from class

2010-09-14T21:06:00.001-07:00

Florence + The Machine - Dog Days Are Over (2010 Version)

2010-09-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

I went over to a friend's apartment with my good buddy Kate to plan out a collaborative project, and while we were there we caught some of the MTV Video Music Awards. It's been years since I watched MTV or anything associated and the spectacle of it totally won me over. Pop music: I like it now! After years of adolescent devotion to punk rock and The Mountain Goats who knew I had it in me!

But one performance stood head and shoulders above the rest for me. Florence and the Machine - an artist I had only heard of vaguely before tonight - performed "Dog Days Are Over" and it TOTALLY ROCKED. This is the music video. Enjoy!

larissa, short pose

2010-09-07T17:31:00.001-07:00

Acrylic on paper, 24" by 18".

another conceptual sketch

2010-08-05T08:42:00.001-07:00

"Cougar ii"
White ink on Strathmore paper

I was kind of sloppy with this one. I kicked myself over the anatomy once I finished and got a good look at it (note: go with instincts and my own anatomical knowledge over the soft porn-y reference images) but I reminded myself that this is just the first phase. Getting too hung up on the rough draft is counterproductive.

new drawing

2010-08-02T15:59:00.001-07:00

"Cougar," white ink on Strathmore paper.

I've been gathering lots of reference imagery on South Korean folklore and traditional shamanistic ritual and this quick freehand drawing is the first of what I anticipate to be many conceptual exercises.

late plantings: the first harvest and some roughs

2010-07-29T22:48:00.000-07:00

It seems like I'm spending this summer playing a little catch-up. I've been working on a few different sets of drawings, some for my personal work and some for the Etsy shops I've put on hiatus. I'm planning on splitting my Etsy work into two shops, one which I have yet to open: Pen and Paper will transition to DIY printable stationary and gifts in PDF form, and the new shop - Ink and Ginger - will feature my silhouette and drawing work.

Here are a couple pencil layouts for the "Coney Island" drawings, based on Depression-era sideshow attractions.

Meanwhile, my garden is finally delivering some goods despite a late planting!

It's a modest harvest, but enough to shine in tonight's dinner. That's red shiso on the left, and the first cherry belle radish (which I picked a little prematurely) on the right. I dressed both of them in a mixture of toasted sesame oil, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper and served it with some freshly cooked rice and lentils.

Sadly, the seedlings I photographed in the last post all died. I think some fungus gnats got in through the screen and wiped them out. Luckily I have enough seeds for another planting but it's a bummer all the same.

sprouts

2010-07-05T15:01:00.000-07:00

After realizing that the cheerful songbirds whose company I previously enjoyed so much probably made off with most of my surface-planted seeds (you're welcome, assholes) I decided to start some plants indoors and transplant them later. Some of them are really taking off! I planted the seeds three days ago and these are the ones that are already showing:

Chamomile. Look at how charming and tiny they are!

Arugula sprouts. These guys are coming up so strong! Seeing them indoors convinced me that the birds and squirrels got most of the seeds I planted outside. There's only one lonely plant in the entire plot when there should be a gazillion.

Iwai daikon radishes. I bought these seeds from a company that specializes in Asian vegetables, herbs, and fruit. This particular daikon is very dainty, growing up to 1" in diameter in full maturity, and is a traditional vegetable used in Japanese New Year's dishes. I'm really looking forward to harvesting lots of these. The seeds are really easy to plant and they sprout really quickly, but the nature of their harvest means I'll need to keep sprouts, um, sprouting on constant rotation to make the most of them. I'm thinking of pickling some of them to make them last longer - maybe even saving them for New Year's!

Mizuna mustard. This is really good in salads or very briefly wilted in a hot pan with some sesame oil, ginger, and garlic.

Sorry for the lack of art posts, I have some really awesome stuff to show you once I get the green light!

hazy start to summer

2010-06-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a couple commissions that I can't show here, but I've also been trying to get behind this whole "summer" thing. I recently built a rather clumsy raised bed garden in the building's backyard, and Camden and I are working on installing a lot of furniture into the apartment so I can move my workspace into the second bedroom now that our room mate moved into nicer digs.

Kenyan peaberry coffee beans from Four Barrel.

Peonies from Trader Joe's along with my collection of miniature animals in the kitchen.

Nasturtium seeds soaking for a day before getting planted in my garden.

Bartleby acquaints himself with our new chair.

2010-05-31T22:33:00.001-07:00

Yesterday afternoon I found an ad on Craigslist for this charming, plump plaid armchair and matching ottoman. It's a little threadbare on the left arm, and the cloth underneath is torn a couple inches, but for $35 I'm pretty pleased!

anthropomorphized vegetables, inked

2010-05-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

I found this pencil sketch a couple days ago and finished it while I was house-sitting for some of Camden's relatives. The original sketch was drawn two years ago, I think, and it was funny to see how awkwardly I drew the hands. I made a few corrections and inked it in an hour or so. I'm not sure whether to color this digitally and sell it as a set of printable stationary, or color it with watercolor and sell little fine art prints. Decisions, decisions.

Sorry the top got cut off, my flatbed scanner is kind of finicky sometimes.

radio silence broken

2010-05-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

I've been going a little crazy trying to get all my drawing assignments done early so I can visit my sister in New York in a week.

This is one of the assignments for my anatomical figure drawing class.

inked over and watercolor

2010-04-08T01:01:00.000-07:00

I went over the drawing from a few days ago with a brush pen and watercolors.

sketchbook page 183

2010-03-26T23:36:00.000-07:00

some recent sketchbook pages

2010-03-26T01:24:00.000-07:00

tattoo design for maggie

2010-03-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

Finally finished it a couple days ago.

ETA: the original jpeg I uploaded was teeny, so I tried again.

various valentines

2010-01-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

I actually managed to get some Valentine's Day item listed this year, before all the hubbub of school started. So far the semester system has neatly lined up with all the major holidays.

Anyway, we've got framed digital prints of two new drawings, $12, and original ink and watercolor silhouettes and birdnests, $10 and $12 respectively. The drawings are ACEO sized so they are quite wee.

I've listed them all in their own section, so feel free to take a peek.

sketchbook (BART station)

2009-12-16T08:05:00.000-08:00

sketchbook (at the cemetery)

2009-12-15T15:29:00.000-08:00

Drawn partially from life, partially from reference photo at the Mountain View Cemetery (it was so cold I didn't stay as long as I wanted). It is a really good place for sketching, though. The statuary is fascinating and there is a whole section of gravesites that have an Ancient Egyptian theme going on. Pyramid mausoleums and sphinxes and the like.

sketchbook page (the constant tug between the explicit and the implied)

2009-12-13T00:53:00.000-08:00

double pages in my sketchbook from the last two days

2009-12-12T20:48:00.001-08:00

finally done, and some sketchbook pages

2009-12-08T22:02:00.000-08:00

Tentatively titled as "Gifts."

Here is a detail shot:

I'm also trying to finish five sketchbook pages a day for the rest of the month.

not done, but i can see the end

2009-12-02T09:37:00.001-08:00

2009-11-22T15:22:00.000-08:00

I think I'm about 2/3 the way there. I'm still less comfortable painting than I am drawing, but I think I've figured out a way to make it work; if only I weren't so slow.

progress shots

2009-11-12T22:20:00.000-08:00

Camden and I are driving up to his dad's, a lovely cabin-style two story house with acres of pine trees in the back yard, his two dogs, his sweet stepmom, and no internet dun dun DUN.

(I typed "internut" at first.)

I'm looking forward to having a weekend retreat to just working on my school assignments and catching up on Etsy drawings. And, in the mean time, here are some progress shots of the canvas I hope to finish by Saturday afternoon:

The ochre underlayer.

The layout.

Most of the underpainting.

About halfway there. The photo is a little washed out.

Hopefully I'll be able to have the second half of the process to upload when we get back home Sunday evening.

new drawing

2009-11-07T22:43:00.000-08:00

"Housekeeper," graphite on paper 8.5"x11".

I scanned this in just now from my sketchbook, so it needs a little cleaning up before it's ready to print.

winter displays

2009-11-03T00:14:00.000-08:00

Busy, busy, busy, but I made myself make time to re-shoot some framed prints with a more cold-weather appropriate background. Not that you'd know it's autumn where I live - today was a balmy 77ºF and not a cloud in the sky - but I know many of my friends are enjoying their first bevy of hot drinks and warm woolens to brace themselves against the cold.

New ideas are stirring, but I'm playing a vicious game of catch-up with my schoolwork so I'll have to leave them be for now.

Uuuuuugh.

2009-10-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am in hiding, in the open. School is going well (knock on wood) and I've met some amazing classmates and teachers, but it still feels like my mind is rusted over and creaky at the joints. I'm not used to writing long papers or examining a simple question with anal-retentive scrutiny. Admittedly I'm exacerbating matters by insisting on reading more, writing more, talking more than is required, but since the beginning of the semester I've been cognizant of the fact that this year will determine my desirability as an applicant once I'm ready to transfer and, with good luck and a consistent level of good work, once I'm admitted the environment there will be way more rigorous and intense than anything I'm setting up for myself at community college.

Anxiety is the name of the game, I'm afraid. That hasn't changed, at any rate.

Still, I am so grateful I've been given an opportunity to be a full-time student again. I know I'm lucky, and I plan to take full advantage of it.

In other news, Camden and I went out for lunch and a leisurely stroll a few days ago, and on the way back home I tripped on the sidewalk and scraped the holy hell out of my elbow and shin. It hurts a lot, but it was actually kind of nice because as soon as I hit the pavement a guy who had been passing by us in the opposite direction asked if I was okay, and the owners of the restaurant immediately behind us asked if I was okay and got a chair and a damp napkin so I could wipe away the dirt. They were so sincerely concerned, even though it wasn't really a big deal. I was pretty verklempt. Kindness of strangers, indeed.

Can't put my finger on it.

2009-09-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

Something is off about these display photos for this print I listed, but I can't quite figure out what. I think when I have more time I'll try painting a few thin balsa boards different colors and just use those consistently for each print, so the shop has an underlying color palette to boot. But that will probably have to wait until the weekend, when I am not two hours away from handing in an essay I did not spend nearly enough time on because I totally forgot how much time Etsy can suck out of my schedule.

Cure What Ails You

2009-09-16T06:10:00.001-07:00

When my sister and I flew into JFK around a month or so ago, as soon as we stepped off the plane we realized we'd underestimated the oppressive humidity of New York at the height of summer. It didn't stop us from walking everywhere and exploring various nooks and crannies of Manhattan, but it did mean we made a lot more pit stops than we'd originally anticipated.

Thankfully, too, otherwise we might not have discovered this amazing thrift shop: Cure, on 111 East 12th Street.

My pictures do not do this lovely store justice. We easily spent two hours combing through their meticulously selected inventory, cooing over their vintage mugs and glasses, decorative brass plaques and antique inkwells, mid-century lamps, framed political propaganda posters, not to mention shoes, coats, blouses and sweaters, and dresses. It's set up on two stories, housewares and furniture on the top floor and clothing in the basement.

From what we could gather chatting with one of the lovely employees, all the clothing is hand-selected from donations to the store. While a little more expensive than, say, the Salvation Army a couple blocks away, all the clothing looked clean, in good wearable condition (I bought a shirt at said Salvation Army without unbuttoning it only to find some pretty impressive armpit stains when I got home; no such worries at Cure), and there is seriously something for everyone. I know how that sounds, but I mean it.

My only regret is that I won't be able to visit my sister in the fall, when I'm sure Cure's selection will overflow with all the kinds of clothing I love most: tailored wool coats and blazers, thick cozy scarves, winter boots. I guess I'll have to commission a shopping spree via my sister.

If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend a visit. You won't leave empty-handed.

Cure Thrift Shop
111 East 12th Street
New York, NY 10003

so many travels

2009-08-28T15:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a little preview of a wonderful place my sister and I found in Manhattan while we were there towards the end of August. Full post to come soon.

seoul pictures: details from gyungbok palace

2009-08-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

wall scrawl

2009-08-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

So I never had a chance to update from Seoul -

2009-08-13T22:10:00.001-07:00

- because we were constantly on the move. I think we only stayed in our hotel room long enough to sleep and, once, to recover from heat exhaustion. And even so, a week was seriously not enough time. We managed to see most of the bigger attractions, like the Seoul National Museum and one of the larger palaces, but we missed out on Seoul's thriving independent music and art scenes. My sister and I had a lot of things we wanted to do - see a few punk shows in Hongdae, visit the DMZ, check out the dozens of independent art galleries in Samcheongdong - that we didn't have enough time for. Next summer we'll probably stay for closer to a month, and arrive in June so we can catch the annual Queer Culture Festival and avoid the worst of the summer heat.

So in lieu of real-time accounts I'll just post a few retrospective pictures. I took over 4,000 (I know, it's ridiculous, but in my defense a lot of them were "crap, why can't I steady my hands" repeat shots) so I'll try to spare you the bulk and just post a few over the next few weeks.

A sampling of the wares available in Insadong, the neighborhood closest to our hotel. Insadong used to be the main road leading out of the royal palace (which was less a single building and more a city within a city, designed to house not only the royal family but their courtiers, officers, civil workers, and attendants) and is now known for being a bit of a tourist-oriented neighborhood. There is a high density of traditional wares and restaurants, and an even mix of locals and foreigners shop for things like traditional brassware antiques, ceramics, handmade paper products, and the usual tourist trinkets. All of our younger relatives said there wasn't much to see there but I actually kind of liked it.

2009-07-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving for the airport in twelve hours. It's crazy, I haven't been to Korea in over a decade, and I'm freaking out a little because a) I hate flying, b) I hate companies with pathologically indifferent customer service, and c) I hate crowds and yet I am making a twelve hour flight with a notoriously indifferent airline to one of the most crowded cities in the world.

So instead of, you know, making sure I have everything and stuff like that, I've been enjoying the time I have left at home. (And yes, yes, I'll be back in eleven days, but that's the longest I've been away from home in four years. No, more like seven years. So it's weird for me.)

The next update will be from Seoul. HOW NUTS IS THAT. Holy moly.

He knows.

2009-07-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

We travel infrequently. As soon as the suitcases come out Bartleby knows something's up, the same way he knows something's up when his cat carrier comes out, or when we reach for the kitty shampoo and squeeze a little into a full bath. He hates, hates, hates when we leave for a trip. August is going to be full of travel, and I'm a little afraid he won't stop sulking until Christmas.

My sister and I are leaving for Seoul the day after tomorrow and I still kind of can't believe it, and I am so underpacked, and I have basically been feeling a constant level of subdued anxiety for the last week without actually acting on it until this morning. Posts will be sporadic until I get back on the 11th. But then: get ready for a deluge of travel photos.

P.S. Yes that is my bra in the corner of the photo. I figured I should get that out of the way now, before things get too awkward.

lockets

2009-07-14T20:43:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-07-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-07T00:13:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-23T21:59:00.001-07:00

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"

2009-06-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-14T16:10:00.000-07:00

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.

possibly the best way to browse etsy ever

2009-06-11T09:33:00.000-07:00

I know the search function on Etsy receives a lot of criticism, from buyers and sellers alike, and it seems like the administration has been doing a lot of tweaking over the past few months. Personally I haven't felt any major frustrations with the search engine because I don't generally have the budget to do a lot of shopping, but when I started looking for housewares and decorative pieces to pull together the color palette in my new apartment I felt a little overwhelmed.

Then I found this application and I suddenly it's SO MUCH FUN to search by color. (And I can't help but feel extra validated in taking tons of pictures of the interior in progress.) Basically the way it works is you upload a picture and it picks up on the general colors present in the picture. Then, if you want to look for things within a specific hue, you can click on its tab in the palette. There's also a keyword option if you're looking for something specific, like prints or jewelry.

Observe:

This is the shelf in our bathroom that I've been having a little difficulty coordinating with the artwork I already own.

After uploading the picture with the terms "art" and "prints," here are a few sample pieces the analysis came up with:

Astro Boy Pop Art Print, $5.00 with shipping
from Monster Gallery

Ship Mast, photographic print, $30 with shipping
from rogerjporter

Houses, limited edition print, $31 with shipping
from carambatack

Deceleration, illustrative print, $21 with shipping
from MultiplePersonality

Pretty neat, I think. Now I just need to figure out my budget and take more pictures.

hmm.

2009-06-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

For some reason the first sketch in my last post is stubbornly hiding, so I'm trying again.

There's also this:

Honestly, other than the occasional doodle I haven't been working much at all. My application review is taking a very long time so I've been trying to keep busy puttering around.

We found a local farmer's market that gathers every Saturday morning, and we've very much been enjoying the bounty of the season. Cherries and stone fruit are very cheap and sweet these days. There's still a lot of asparagus and the mushroom vendor still has a few morels, which I can't quite bring myself to try. They're so alien-looking and highly valued I feel nervous at the thought of cooking with them.

That's about all at the moment.

unpacking

2009-05-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

We moved out of our old apartment about two weeks ago and are now more or less settled in at our new place in Oakland. It is beautiful. I love the neighborhood, and the building, and the claw foot tub in the bathroom and the gas burners and the huge windows in almost every room that let in all the lovely golden light. I've been exploring the neighborhood and taking pictures. There will be a lot of show and tell.

As far as work goes, I haven't really had a chance to unpack most of my art supplies, and we used up most of our furniture budget on bookshelves and a dining table so I don't really have a desk right now, even. Also, I have no idea where my scanner is. I mean, we packed it, but I forgot to make note of which box it's in so I've been taking blurry, kind of crappy pictures with my camera.

My sketching hasn't been really fruitful so far, but I think these two might be going somewhere. We'll see.

Believe it or not, we are still in the middle of moving.

2009-05-03T23:00:00.000-07:00

We should be settled on Tuesday, and hopefully have all our necessary furniture by the Tuesday after that. I'm really looking forward to posting all my home-improvement projects. (I've been reading a whole lot of Apartment Therapy. Instead of, you know. Packing.) This sounds unnecessarily deliberate and self-conscious, but I think I'd really like to put a lot of thought into the layout and interior design of this apartment, pay more attention to color and form and style.

So yes. I'm not dead yet.

we're moving!

2009-03-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

C. and I just signed a rental lease for an apartment in Oakland. We're so excited! It's a beautiful 1920's two bedroom unit with a huge kitchen, a few blocks away from Lake Merritt and just a stone's throw away from all kinds of cool things: the newly renovated Fox Theater, Chinatown, a pub that serves Trappist Belgian beers on tap, a diner that serves (among other delicacies) vegan pulled pork and milkshakes made with fresh blueberries, and yes. We're fairly pleased.

Anyway, that's way I've been kind of absent lately, and why I'll continue to be absent for a while longer.

Help me overhaul my shop!

2009-03-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

So, now that the rain seems to have cleared out for good and daylight savings time has wreaked havoc on my groggy, sleep-deprived brain, I think we can safely say spring has arrived. I'm planning on adding a flurry of new items to my shop. However, in the past I've always felt kind of frazzled about big overhauls and tend to second-guess myself a lot. Should I take that papercut down or shouldn't I? Should I reshoot photos of that cuff or not?

This year, I thought I'd run my basic ideas for spring cleaning by you guys. What's a good idea? What's not?

1. Which pieces, if any, should I take down from my shop?

2. Would you be interested in a section dedicated to a new line of "printable goods"? (I was thinking of offering DIY coloring cards/booklets featuring my original artwork, stationary sets, greeting cards, etc.)

3. Should I offer custom portraits/silhouettes/papercuts? I did two portraits for friends, incorporating the more surreal elements of my papercuts and silhouettes, and they said they thought this sort of thing would be a good addition to the shop. Dunce that I am, I forgot to take pictures of the portraits. But here are a few pieces that exemplify the style:

Pros: It would give me a chance to work one-on-one with Etsy shoppers and maybe expand my portfolio.

Cons: Very time-consuming - portraits wouldn't be available on a short deadline due to my own schedule, and because of the extra time spent brainstorming I might have to charge more - and possibly just too complicated. Plus it doesn't seem like there's high demand.

4. Your suggestions/questions!

new felt cuff

2009-02-04T23:59:00.001-08:00

$35, now up in the shop.

the crunch

2009-02-02T06:05:00.000-08:00

I'm applying to two schools whose priority deadlines are March 1st, so posts might become a little sporadic/panicky in tone for the next month.

In the meantime, though, here's a little drawing I did on the train:

The dandelion and text are done by hand, and I digitally colored it after scanning it in. It turned out okay; I still prefer painting things by hand, but I know I need to get a handle on digital editing techniques eventually.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this drawing but I'm sure it'll turn up in the shop in one form or another.

gina with a cornflower

2009-01-29T00:30:00.000-08:00

From the item description:

This original pencil and ink drawing is a diminutive portrait of a fellow passenger on the San Francisco Muni, rendered on the ticket itself.

A couple weeks ago I was in the city, sketching on the train, and this girl with impossibly bright orange hair asked me to draw her. The only loose slip of paper I had on me was the train ticket - and that's how it started.

Gina, the girl in this portrait, had just gotten a new tattoo on her wrist done - a plain, tiny red star - but I kept looking at the tattoo of a cornflower on her neck. She saw me looking at it and took off her jacket so I could see the rest. From under her tank top a veritable riot of different flowers bloomed all over her chest and shoulders. "They go all the way down," she grinned. "What kinds of plants are they?," I asked. She replied, "They're all weeds."

This ticket measures 2" by 5", and the drawing itself is about 3" tall.

It's up in the shop for $30. Given how small these portraits are I thought that was a fair price, but Camden thought I should list them for more.

Happy New Year! Year of the Ox!

2009-01-26T16:21:00.000-08:00

Or, as my dad said in a recent e-mail, "happy REAL New Year."

The illustration above is of the engraving "The Chillingham Bull" by Thomas Bewick, depicting a member of one of the last herds of wild cattle, believed to be descended from wild oxen. I tried doing a Google image search for "Korean ox" but the overwhelming majority of results were pictures pop stars or soup. So.

done: 1 down, 4 more to go.

2009-01-26T00:54:00.001-08:00

detail of "The Love Letter," now available as an original painting for $90 and soon to be available as a print.

Last night I said one down, five to go; I worked on a drawing all night before realizing it's turning out to be no good at all. I mean, it's okay, I'm just not really pleased with where it's going. I was hoping for something hazy and muted, that reflected in its line work the victorian engravings and portraits I drew on for image references. Instead it's looking more like a coloring book.

Bah. I'll give it another try, but for now I have to scrap it if I want to get anything else done.

almost done.

2009-01-25T00:44:00.001-08:00

"The Love Letter," gouache on watercolor paper, roughly 6" by 8".

It's so close. I just need to do some final detailing, but it should take about ten or fifteen minutes.

So, tally for tonight: 1 done, 5 more to go.

Sigh. Tomorrow's going to be a long night.

layouts

2009-01-23T20:17:00.001-08:00

Still sick, but recovering quickly enough that I think I can finish all the pieces I meant to by this weekend.

These are drafts for two of them. It's the first layer of two gouache on paper pieces, which - provided I can finish them entirely by Sunday - I'll be releasing as limited edition giclee prints in the middle of next week.

And I'm almost done with "The Bride." At this point I'm just trying to figure out the last step and debating between leaving it as is and matting it, or turning the borders of the paper into a more intricate papercut. I'll post a couple ideas tomorrow to see what you guys think. Camden likes it the way it is, sort of stark and plain on the page, but I don't know. I can't stop fiddling with it.

Edited to add: Huh. It looks like the scanner washed out the paintings. This might be better photographed.

Blargh.

2009-01-21T12:14:00.000-08:00

I've been home sick the past week. I won't bog you down with too many gory details. Suffice to say I haven't really been able to put much up in the shop, other than these journals.

The jackalopes are handpainted in gouache and ink on Moleskine Cahier pocket journals, and listed at $16.

There's also this:

I'd like to get it made into a print, but I'm not quite sure if it's done. Should I add more to the background? Should I bring out the flowers in her hair more?

miniature ghosts

2009-01-16T12:02:00.000-08:00

In the course of trimming down large sheets of paper for papercuts, I found myself with all these tiny leftover pieces, many of them conveniently measuring 2.5" by 3.5".

These miniatures will be priced at $15, and the two little guys featured above are available in the shop this very moment.

the fruits of lethargy

2009-01-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

Normally I love spending time in the kitchen, but there is a very firm variable that always determines just how much time I spend in the kitchen. It's an inverse proportion: the more dishes are in the sink, the less I want to see them, therefore the less time I want to spend at the stove.

This tomato sauce recipe is one that I turn to often on the days when there are more pots and pans and utensils and plates and glasses and oh my god, I can't even finish that sentence because right now there are more dishes in the sink than are in the cupboard that holds them.

So, this tomato sauce? It's low-stress. I think I first saw it on Orangette, who I think in turn got it from Marcella Hazan. It might be the only tomato sauce I ever make for the rest of my life, because the recipe is as follows:

1. Take a 28 ox. can of whole plum tomatoes, open it, and put it in a large frying pans with fairly high sides. Turn the heat onto medium.

2. Peel and trim a small yellow onion, cut in half, and add to the tomatoes.

3. Add half a stick of butter. Smush the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, bring the whole thing to a lively simmer, then turn the heat to low and let it alone for forty-five minutes, smushing and stirring from time to time. Discard the onion and salt to taste.

And this sauce? It's wonderful. I don't know if it's the low steady heat concentrating and sweetening the taste of the tomatoes, or if it's the silky dairy quality of the butter, or maybe it's the fact that you don't chop the onion and so it's milder than usual, imparting just enough of its translucent savory flavor without any sharpness. All I know is that when I serve this, Camden and I don't really have to do dishes because we've licked the plates sparkling clean.

Just kidding, we totally do the dishes. Because that would be gross.

Maybe.

A few more notes: I made a double batch of sauce this time, which provided enough liquid to cook the whole wheat spaghetti right in the sauce. Even less dishes! Hooray! Also, I can't help myself and always add a couple crushed cloves of garlic at the same time as the onions, and then when the sauce and the pasta finished I minced some parsley, mixed it with some lemon zest, lemon juice, and freshly ground black pepper, and sprinkled the lot over the pasta along with a fluffy pile of grated parmesan.

valentines

2009-01-14T21:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes, manufactured holidays, conspiracy of the greeting card industry, wakka wakka wakka. I don't know, maybe I'm softening in my old age, but where I tended to sneer at Valentine's a few years ago I've grown sort of fond of it now.

Although, full disclosure, Camden and I celebrate Valentines the day after most people do. That's the day all the candy goes on sale.

Both pieces are up and available in the shop. Expect to see more soon!

two new pieces

2009-01-13T22:54:00.001-08:00

new series

2009-01-11T18:08:00.000-08:00

"Totem no. i," $40.

Here's the start of a new open-ended series of totem animals. I'm playing around with gouache embellishments.

P.S. I'm so happy with my new scanner. It's a Canoscan 5600F flatbed scanner, about $175 with California tax. It's so fast, and the image quality is leaps and bounds beyond the scanner I had before.

finally!

2009-01-09T19:07:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow I get a new scanner! God, I'll be surprised if it takes any less than six hours to redo all the photos I've taken for the store, but still, it'll be worth it.

Stay tuned!

analytics!

2009-01-09T13:34:00.000-08:00

The Storque just announced that the administration has launched a beta of tracking and site meter software, to which I say: w00t! I've often been curious to see how people find Pen and Paper, and I think this could be a great tool in attracting more customers and getting a better perspective on how far I can take this little project.

I haven't been posting too many new pieces. I'm working on seriously cleaning and clearing out my nest, which will probably take at least a week. But here's what I've listed in the last week or so:

They range from $30 to $35, with the exception of the little wolf cub, which is $15. I'm especially fond of him, actually. The silhouette itself only stands about an inch high, so with the matting and everything he looks especially diminutive. I think he'd look great in one of those IKEA pinewood frames.

recipe: french lentil and roast butternut squash salad

2009-01-04T16:45:00.000-08:00

I've never really liked anything sweet first thing in the morning. Even fresh fruit has to be preceded by a piece of plain dry toast or something, and my favorite breakfast is just homey Korean fare: a bowl of fresh white rice, some kind of clear savory soup, an assortment of banchan, maybe a piece of fish or a fried egg with sesame oil and soy sauce.

As such, when I work at the yogurt shop on Sunday mornings I never really eat anything until I get home in the afternoon. I'll nibble some toasted nuts and maybe sneak a sample cup of the greek yogurt or something, but for the last year or so Sunday breakfast has always been at three in the afternoon, once I get home from work.

I made this lentil salad last night and put it in the fridge to snack on throughout the coming week, but Camden and I polished off two thirds of it already.

Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash
1 medium yellow onion
4 cloves of garlic
2 - 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely minced and set aside; reserve the parsely stems
juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 1/4 cups de Puy lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Peel and cut the butternut into 1" cubes, then halve the onion and cut into large-ish wedges. Coat everything with the olive oil, salt to taste, and roast with two cloves of oiled garlic until everything is tender, about thirty minutes.

While that's roasting, put the rest of the onion, garlic, and reserved parsley stems in a pot of water and bring it to a lively simmer. After it's simmer for ten minutes fish out all the vegetable matter and salt the broth, then add the lentils and cook until done.

Toss the roasted vegetables and the lentils together in a large bowl with the lemon juice and zest, as well as more salt and pepper if needed.

Eat warm or cold.

my favorite winter salad

2009-01-03T21:54:00.000-08:00

Today was a puttering sort of day. I tried to focus and finish a few drawings I started in December but it just wasn't happening. The only thing I managed to do well tonight was dinner.

We have to periodically defrost our sorely outdated freezer. Luckily, at least as far as cleaning goes, the freezer is smaller than two or three of my textbooks and all I found in there were two packs of sausages we bought a while ago at the farmer's market. The boudin blanc I wanted to save for later, so tonight I roasted up the wild boar and apple sausage and served it with a simple lentil salad and roasted potato mash. For a second course, I served this salad.

I think I found the recipe in the New York Times a couple years ago, and since then I've been making it every couple weeks or so. It almost seems ridiculous to call it a recipe. All you have to do is mince a small clove of garlic and mix it up with the juice and zest of a small lemon, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and some olive oil. Then get a good handful of what I like to think of as "softer" winter greens. So: Swiss chard and dinosaur kale are good contenders; their more recalcitrant siblings, like red or green kale and collard greens, are too tough. Wash and pat the leaves dry, remove the ribs, and chiffonade them as thin as you can. Toss the greens with the lemon dressing and let it sit for a bit, five to ten minutes depending on how much tooth you want, then grate a bunch of pecorino or parmesan over the whole mess and mix it up and serve.

It's more substantial than a lettuce salad, because of the heft of the kale, but dressing is bright and lively and keeps it from feeling too hearty. On the rare occasion that Camden can't make it home for dinner I have this on its own, with some candied fruit or some such sweet morsel for dessert.

I listed one more silhouette in the shop, too:

new pieces and prints

2009-01-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

The three silhouettes are all 4" by 6" and are listed at $35; the prints are $5.

so long, 2008

2008-12-31T15:20:00.000-08:00

yay, prints!

2008-12-18T19:57:00.000-08:00

I've gotten some prints of my older work made! Because of higher overhead costs of the Somerset Velvet cotton paper, I decided to go with Kodak archival photo paper. It's actually great, because I can offer each print very reasonably. 4" by 6" are $4.50, 5" by 7" prints are $6.00, and 8" by 10" prints are $8.00. Right now there's only one 4" by 6" print of "Monster no. 1" in the store, but more are on their way!

Also, I might be getting a new scanner after Christmas! We'll see what I find under the tree.

way back when

2008-12-18T05:20:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you've heard of Shorpy. It's a fascinating repository of old photos of America. A friend gave me the url a year ago, and now part of my morning routine, right after getting my coffee and right before reading the news, is to browse through their archives and see what they've posted for that day.

Look at this picture of a Christmas parade from the 1930s:

Look at the teeth on that paper mache head. Is he supposed to be an elf? Or a radish? It's so weird. I wish I could see what color it was painted.

And the clown! Can you imagine a clown in a Christmas parade now? From the look of it, the clown is an early prototype of the American clown, all smiles and birthday parties, and not the raunchy, almost burlesque old world clown.

Anyway, check out their archives when you're looking for something to do.

Woo!

2008-12-16T22:52:00.001-08:00

After weeks of intermittent searching, I found a theater that will be showing Let The Right One In.

It opens this Friday, and my best friend will be getting into town a few days later. I'm torn between going to see this or getting tickets for Mary Zimmerman's The Arabian Nights.

two more before i return to gift-making and wrapping

2008-12-16T16:01:00.000-08:00

I wish the picture quality weren't so horrid. The next plain clear day I get I'm going to reshoot all of these, but still - I can't wait until I make enough for a new scanner.

Each of these is listed for $35. A little on the low side, but I'm attributing the extra time it took to cut them to the new designs and the fact that I'm sick.

new silhouette

2008-12-16T12:06:00.001-08:00

$35, listed just moments ago.

Sale!

2008-12-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

The US Priority Mail deadline for Christmas delivery is December 20th. So, for all of those who feel a little ambushed by the passage of time, I'm having a sale! Check it out!

crumbs

2008-12-15T13:51:00.000-08:00

It's a beautiful sunny day, perfect for photographing new pieces. Except I haven't made too many new pieces. I'm terribly sick.

Well, no. I just hate being sick, so even if it's just a bad cold I tend to whine and grouse and try the patience of everyone around me.

Given that my mom was a bit of a hypochondriac, I have a lot of different cure-alls to choose from when I'm sick. Samgyetang, or Korean chicken soup will probably find its way onto the table sometime this week, but when I got up this morning (well, closer to noon than dawn) I cut a slice of Camden's delectable banana bread and made myself the simplest medicine of all.

GINGER TEA
one knob fresh ginger, about the size of your thumb
a little good honey (optional)

Peel and slice the ginger across the grain with a sharp knife into thin coins and place in a clean teapot. Bring some water to a boil and pour over the ginger, and let it sit for at least four or five minutes. Stir in a little honey if that's to your taste.

holiday test recipe: parmesan black pepper biscotti

2008-12-12T18:26:00.000-08:00

A couple years ago I worked at a bookstore, and when the holidays began looming over the horizon I made liberal use of my employee discount and bought books. Lots of books. I'm too embarrassed to say exactly how many, so let's just say the entire pile of loot weighed, oh, around a hundred and twenty pounds.

I will say this: I agonized just a much over those books as I am agonizing over my handmade gifts this year. Books are tricky. They seem so straightforward, a bestseller here, a critical darling there, maybe a glossy cookbook thrown in to add some color. But - well. Let's put it this way: a couple weeks after I'd been hired as a bookseller, a customer asked me to pick out something for her to read over Christmas break. "What's your favorite novel?," she asked.

"Oh," I replied, "that's a tough question, but if I had to choose just one I'd choose Lolita! Have you read it?"

She smiled politely and shook her head, and soon after she excused herself, saying she had a train to catch. A week later I saw her chatting enthusiastically with one of the veteran booksellers, each of them clutching a copy of 'The Secret Life of Bees.'

This year I thought, to hell with that. Say what you will, there is no awkward subtext to a handknit hat. Handknit mittens don't spark heated (and unwelcome) existential arguments with a customer/relative/stranger on the bus. And homemade cookies, candy, and biscuits? The worst I can expect is for someone not to like them. Or maybe have an allergic reaction.

Actually, I thought that's what happened to Camden when he munched on one of these. He took a thoughtful bite, chewed appreciatively, then sneezed four times in quick, violent succession. I asked him if he wanted some water. "No," he wheezed, "I just sneezed because the taste was so awesome I couldn't contain it in my mouth. I had to set it free."

I know he was just being polite, but the sneezing did illustrate a point. There's a lot of pepper in here. It's potent. But without it the parmesan is a little overpowering, and anyway, the spiciness makes it a wonderful soup dunker or accompaniment to a cold pint.

PARMESAN BLACK-PEPPER BISCOTTI
(adapted from Gourmet magazine)

1 1/2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting (I used half whole wheat, half all purpose)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (2 1/4 cups)
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.

Pulse peppercorns in grinder until coarsely ground. (I used a mortar and pestle)

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 2 cups cheese, and 1 tablespoon ground black pepper in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk 3 eggs with milk and add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and quarter dough. Using well-floured hands, form each piece into a slightly flattened 12-inch-long log (about 2 inches wide and 3/4 inch high). Transfer logs to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging logs about 3 inches apart.

Whisk remaining egg and brush some over logs, then sprinkle tops of logs evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper. Bake, rotating sheets 180 degrees and switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until logs are pale golden and firm, about 30 minutes total. Cool logs to warm on sheets on a rack, about 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

Carefully transfer 1 warm log to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices, cut sides down, in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining logs, transferring slices to sheets. Bake, turning over once, until golden and crisp, 35 to 45 minutes total. Cool biscotti on baking sheets on racks, about 15 minutes.

two new silhouettes

2008-12-12T15:41:00.001-08:00

Both are $35.

alice's gift

2008-12-11T10:21:00.001-08:00

I'm taking a break of sorts this weekend, just listing one or two items every day, so that I can make some progress in my gift wrapping and holiday stuff. Other than tissue paper, so far I haven't had to buy any extra material.

I made my boyfriend's mom a set of handknit and felted nesting bowls and a necklace:

I started with a cigar box.

Then I filled the box with cotton batting, made a little niche and lined it with tracing paper so the cotton wouldn't stick to the bowls, and put that in. I made lined the innermost bowl with more paper, put in a little more batting, and then made the card for the necklace and put that in:

This way the card stands a little higher than it normally would, since it's resting on the cotton.

Then I put in the necklace:

Inserted the paper cap:

Stuck in the tag for the nesting bowls:

And put on the lid!

I sealed the card closed with sealing wax, which I use to package my miniature silhouette and smaller pieces so I have a lot of it to begin with. All the paper is paper I had lying around. The cotton batting was purchased years ago for a project I never got around to finishing.

So far I'm pretty behind in all my wrapping, partially because I'm still waiting on a few things to arrive, but I'm not feeling stressed out yet. One of my presents to Camden this year was that I'd take care of all the gift-wrapping and presentation, and I'm actually having a lot of fun.

the fox, the hare, the tender twig

2008-12-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

Just listed in the shop.

2008-12-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

The satsuma peel is to give a control for color. It was actually sunny today so I didn't have to tweak the temperature or exposure at all.

I'm having fun with the layering of the mistletoe, and after the holidays I'm planning on using the sme layering method with different motifs, but I'm the joining at the top bugs me a little. I wish there were a way to make it less visible.

Thanks, Craftershock!

2008-12-08T16:18:00.000-08:00

Earlier this morning I got a mention on Craftershock, a fantastic craft image-sharing blog. Check out the post, and check out their archives - it's chock-full of really lovely things.

This morning I actually got up on time.

2008-12-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

There are three of us living in my apartment, and only one of us goes to work every morning at the same time. My sister and I both work retail, and I only on the weekends, so our schedules tend to be all over the place. Camden, on the other hand, gets up Monday through Friday at 4:30 am. to get to his 6:00am shift in the city. This is usually the point in conversation when our friends gasp in horror and wonder how he hasn't died yet.

The truth is, his shift is great if only because it ends a couple hour earlier than most other people's. He gets off work around three, gets home at four, and if we're feeling especially ambitious we'll go have a pint at the pub and come home before five. We usually have dinner early, but if I've gotten a late start on a braise or something needlessly elaborate for a weeknight dinner it's still on the table no later than eight. We usually watch something from our Netflix queue, then have dessert and tea and are in bed by eleven. It's a staid, pleasant routine.

Except that this is how it almost always goes: Camden gets up at 4:30, showers, gets dressed, and goes to work. I stay in bed until after noon.

I've oscillated between insomnia and oversleeping since high school, and I'm not really sure why. It's frustrating, because when I oversleep I feel like I'm wasting time. Last night, Camden asked me if I'd like him to bully me into waking up with him, and I said yes.

Which is all a really long way of saying that I woke up at 4:45 this morning, and I got a lot done today.

There are a couple more miniatures, actually, but I'm going to list them later after I tweak the photos. Right now, to cap off the first really productive day I've had in a while, I'm going to go get a drink with some friends. Happy Friday!

object of affection in eggshell

2008-12-04T18:50:00.000-08:00

New "Object of Affection" silhouette up in the shop.

spoke too soon

2008-12-03T15:26:00.000-08:00

It doesn't seem like I'll be able to finish any more of the larger mistletoe pieces before the sun goes down. Oh well, I'll be up bright and early to take pictures tomorrow morning. For now here are three new miniatures to tide over til then.

holiday silhouettes: objects of affection

2008-12-03T10:34:00.000-08:00

Four new silhouettes in the shop. With any luck I'll post four more by the end of the day, as well as more miniatures and such.

"The Pledge"

2008-12-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

This is the second series of silhouette studies related to the same piece as the Finch miniature series.

This will be a very limited series, only three pieces, but I'm pricing them fairly low because they're fairly simple. I'm still torn on whether or not to offer the complete piece as an original or try to get prints made.

Here's the difficulty with prints: my camera sucks. It's hard to get a complete image of anything over 8" by 10" and most of my detail shots are a little blurry, even with the tripod. I'm doing some research into what would be a better camera for art shots, but I think I might just have to suck it up and buy a new scanner.

more miniatures

2008-11-29T16:59:00.000-08:00

I was watching "The Prestige" and something about those piled-up Edwardian hairstyles and all the magician's finches fluttering anxiously in their cages clicked.

I don't know if I mentioned this, but all the miniature silhouettes I've been doing have been studies of a sort for what I'm hoping will be much larger, more elaborate pieces. I won't be offering all of those for sale, but I'll definitely be sharing them here.

new series of miniature silhouettes

2008-11-26T11:42:00.001-08:00

There are actually six in the series so far, but the photos turned out so shoddy (it's raining today) I'm planning on re-shooting them on Friday. Still, I listed the girl with the mohawk and the girl with the bob, just for the sake of putting something new in the shop. I'm hoping to have a series of twenty.

adage felt cuffs

2008-11-25T14:11:00.000-08:00

I made jewelry!

These are the first two in what I hope to be a series of at least ten wool felt cuffs, with partial adages cut out of the center and images from the saying cut out of the top edge. The wool is so soft and warm.

new drawings in the shop

2008-11-23T17:28:00.000-08:00

a little better

2008-11-21T16:24:00.000-08:00

I have to say, though, I'm missing my scanner pretty hard right about now.

new gouache paintings

2008-11-19T21:04:00.001-08:00

The light is obviously really crummy, since I had to photograph it at night and all that. I didn't even bother setting up the tripod, since I'm going to re-take the pictures on Friday anyway, which is hopefully when they'll go up in the shop. I tried tweaking the contrast and exposure so you can see the colors better.

I'm really, really loving gouache. It's so satisfying and matte and lovely, and it doesn't have that tacky quality that acrylic does. For larger personal projects or projects for school, I prefer acrylic because you can paint layers and mimic oil (I still haven't properly learned oil because I can't possibly paint with them in my apartment, but next fall I think I might be wedded to it eternally so I might as well enjoy my freedom) but for these smaller projects, the ones that are almost more like drawing than painting, I think I prefer gouache.

"Sly Boots I" listed in the shop

2008-11-18T16:29:00.001-08:00

I've decided to offer larger pieces unmounted as well. It occurred to me that some people might prefer them loose, to add to shadowboxes or whatnot, or to mount them on different paper than I might choose.

I'm also gearing up to add a bunch of Christmas and winter items to the shop; stay tuned!

miniatures listed in the shop

2008-11-18T15:58:00.000-08:00

miniatures in progress

2008-11-16T21:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry the photo is so grainy and out of focus. It gets dark so early these days and the lighting in our apartment is less "daylight simulation" and more "three lamps from Ikea." I'm planning on painting them with primer to stiffen them and weatherproof them a little bit, and sell them loose and unmounted.