School is back in session, dear readers, and tonight was my color fundamentals class. We had a fun activity (in groups) where we were presented with color swatches and had to name them. Our group had post-apocalyptic ones.
I shall share:- Theme: Post Apocalyptic Cityscape
Yellow- "Caution Tape"
Light Blue- "Forgotten Skies"
Brown- "Down and Dirty"
Green- "Radioactive Lime" (on further thought, it shoulda been Nuclear Waste)
Muted grey/purple- "Fresh Bruise" (Dying Breath would have been more fitting..)
Dark grey- "Concrete City" (class favorite, along with the hangover group's "Red headed Slut")
Dark dusky blue- "Endless Night"
Red- "Red Dawn"
I wish I had a job of naming things. I would have a blast...
So, with school back in session, new blogs shall happen!
And on that note.. up and coming projects!
-Gatling Gun w/ swivel hip mount
-Armored boots
- Brass violin crossbow
-Brass Epaulets
....and more yet!
Until next time,
-J
Monday, January 11, 2010
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Finals, and more!
Hello, readers, ye few and far between!
Classes are out for a few weeks, so I can finally breathe. I've realized how much I've learned over the 11 weeks of my courses, and how much I've improved, technique wise. For any artist who feels 'stuck', I encourage you to invest in a drawing class- you'll surprise yourself!
And for those who cannot, there's a $16 book at Michaels titled "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain". It's a very helpful book, especially on the subjects of Light logic, the "Cut-off-skull" syndrome, and negative space.
Here is a link to some of my works from this past semester: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25305470@N02/sets/72157623020808756/
With school over for a few weeks, it's time to focus on my costumes. I have much to do, and am making little progress right now. Two weeks until my deadline, however-- wish me luck!
Until next time,
-J
Classes are out for a few weeks, so I can finally breathe. I've realized how much I've learned over the 11 weeks of my courses, and how much I've improved, technique wise. For any artist who feels 'stuck', I encourage you to invest in a drawing class- you'll surprise yourself!
And for those who cannot, there's a $16 book at Michaels titled "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain". It's a very helpful book, especially on the subjects of Light logic, the "Cut-off-skull" syndrome, and negative space.
Here is a link to some of my works from this past semester: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25305470@N02/sets/72157623020808756/
With school over for a few weeks, it's time to focus on my costumes. I have much to do, and am making little progress right now. Two weeks until my deadline, however-- wish me luck!
Until next time,
-J
Monday, November 23, 2009
Oh, where has the time gone?!
October became November way too quickly. I was a very productive creature this past October, putting together 3 last minute costumes (Zombie Bride, my clown, and my Darkstalker gear). I'm going to break this update up into parts.
First, October's End:
On the 25th, I participated in a wonderful thing known as a Zombie Crawl. By some luck, I managed to procure a well fitting wedding dress, uglied the Hell out of it, and adopted a painted-teeth-over mouth look for a rather grim image. My friend Jonny Ringo and I duo'd this walk as the Until Undeath Do You Part duo, complete with "I married him for his brains (and then I ate them)" signage. It was a hit!
On the weekends leading up to Halloween, I spent my time at House of Torment in Austin, taking photographs and videos of my boys. Bobo, Zippo, and Grapeo all had face time. I made some fiends! I mean, friends...
On Halloween, I was recovering from sickness. I did makeup for a dark Alice in Wonderland, and then proceeded to turn myself into a spikey-boot-wearing-grim-smiling purple and pink clown gal. I stomped around Torment taking more pictures, and then set off for adventures with the clowns. It was a very fun and exciting night, full of airsoft guns, balloon animals, alcohol, and jovial behavior. It was the best Halloween ever.
November:
November has been fun. For Friday the 13th, Ryan of the Outlanders (A wonderfully creative group from Atlanta) was in town to visit. We attended Darkstalkers--(think Haunted House on turbo- you basically go through the entire haunt, in pitch black, with one glowstick. Oh, and the best part? All the haunters can touch you, grab you, and you sign a waiver just to walk through. Brilliant! Saturday was even more fun in that we worked Darkstalkers.
My favorite scare was one where I scared an adult man, he screamed, backed up quickly and nearly knocked his wife on her rear. Beautiful. I did both Ryan and my makeup for this event- really, no flash was needed, the darkness added something extra all on its own.
As for Art school, I've so far given speeches on Steampunk fashion, DragonCon, and How to do Classic Zombie Makeup. I also no longer feel stupid in my Observational Drawing Class. How is this? We had a portrait class. Now, portraits I can do. Lemons, for some reason, annoy me.
And so we bring it to the present. At current, I am recovering from a nasty ear infection of sorts. I lost hearing for over a week in one ear, with terrible pain. Thankfully, the ENT specialist was kind and poked a hole in my ear to help me out with that.
My current projects? Some fun marker sketches of character concepts, our SkyDog flag, and perhaps some post-apocalyptic clothing. Project Runway inspired me to sew, again.
The next event coming up is Ikkicon- I am NOWHERE near ready for this!
So, dear readers, as you can see- Life is quite busy! Who knows what the next weeks will bring?!
-J
First, October's End:
On the 25th, I participated in a wonderful thing known as a Zombie Crawl. By some luck, I managed to procure a well fitting wedding dress, uglied the Hell out of it, and adopted a painted-teeth-over mouth look for a rather grim image. My friend Jonny Ringo and I duo'd this walk as the Until Undeath Do You Part duo, complete with "I married him for his brains (and then I ate them)" signage. It was a hit!
On the weekends leading up to Halloween, I spent my time at House of Torment in Austin, taking photographs and videos of my boys. Bobo, Zippo, and Grapeo all had face time. I made some fiends! I mean, friends...
On Halloween, I was recovering from sickness. I did makeup for a dark Alice in Wonderland, and then proceeded to turn myself into a spikey-boot-wearing-grim-smiling purple and pink clown gal. I stomped around Torment taking more pictures, and then set off for adventures with the clowns. It was a very fun and exciting night, full of airsoft guns, balloon animals, alcohol, and jovial behavior. It was the best Halloween ever.
November:
November has been fun. For Friday the 13th, Ryan of the Outlanders (A wonderfully creative group from Atlanta) was in town to visit. We attended Darkstalkers--(think Haunted House on turbo- you basically go through the entire haunt, in pitch black, with one glowstick. Oh, and the best part? All the haunters can touch you, grab you, and you sign a waiver just to walk through. Brilliant! Saturday was even more fun in that we worked Darkstalkers.
My favorite scare was one where I scared an adult man, he screamed, backed up quickly and nearly knocked his wife on her rear. Beautiful. I did both Ryan and my makeup for this event- really, no flash was needed, the darkness added something extra all on its own.
As for Art school, I've so far given speeches on Steampunk fashion, DragonCon, and How to do Classic Zombie Makeup. I also no longer feel stupid in my Observational Drawing Class. How is this? We had a portrait class. Now, portraits I can do. Lemons, for some reason, annoy me.
And so we bring it to the present. At current, I am recovering from a nasty ear infection of sorts. I lost hearing for over a week in one ear, with terrible pain. Thankfully, the ENT specialist was kind and poked a hole in my ear to help me out with that.
My current projects? Some fun marker sketches of character concepts, our SkyDog flag, and perhaps some post-apocalyptic clothing. Project Runway inspired me to sew, again.
The next event coming up is Ikkicon- I am NOWHERE near ready for this!
So, dear readers, as you can see- Life is quite busy! Who knows what the next weeks will bring?!
-J
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Oh, Art Institute...
I suppose since this is, in fact, an art blog I can post on Art school as well.
A bit of backstory: I've tried for years to get into my chosen program. Usually, I just ended up with a poor portfolio, or not enough funding. I finally got in, and into the Media Arts and Animation program.
I was thrilled, truly. Despite the fact I was starting a week behind the other students in the classes I was taking, I still looked forward to it. That's not saying I don't, right now. I'm just not particularly enthusiastic about my Tuesday night class.
This class is a drawing class. Those of you who know me, know that I am very set in my ways in how and what I draw. This is bad for learning. Still, I've been attempting some "interesting" projects- half of which have to be drawn upsidedown, per criteria.
Tonight, we drew lemons. Yes. Lemons, as a demonstration of how light plays off of an object. Hurray? It's not that I don't like lemons (I like lemonade), it's the drawing of them in grayscale that I'm not too fond of. I don't mind the mess of the pastels, or how the charcoal manages to cling underneath my fingernails for two days after.. no, that's just fine.
It's really just my own personal frustration, as the lemons were backlit.. and the rest of the lights were off. Now, granted, my night vision is extremely poor. My depth perception is.. all right. My peripheral vision.. we don't go there. Suffice to say, my lemon (although I liked how it was shaded) was a pathetic lump of a thing compared to the work of my classmates (who had, smartly, elected to use colored pastels instead of greys).
So. Second lemon drawing, I thought I would be smart, and use the colored media I had- prisma pencils. By this time, I was already frustrated with myself.. and in creating my lemon, I had forgotten about the entire lesson- ie, light. So yes, the lemon had many different colors and shades, but not enough value to be of use.
Poor lemon.
I had a few moments of "You know, maybe I'm not going to fit in with this animation program.. maybe I should return to special effects makeup and costumes. Like I had originally planned."
It's an appealing idea, I'll admit, but I refuse to quit... even though I feel like a complete idiot in this classroom. So, I will suck it up, and draw her lemons. And her self portraits in charcoal. By candlelight. Like she asked... and if my progress disappoints her (like my homework I turned in this week- sorry, I wanted to center my object.. apparently, this was WRONG).. then I'll just find a new way around the work.
So there you have it, my art school experience.. for the week.
Tomorrow is public speaking! And hopefully... something more creative after work.
Until next time dear readers,
When life gives you lemons.. and asks you to draw them, pick the colored pastels. You'll thank yourself later.
-Jen-
A bit of backstory: I've tried for years to get into my chosen program. Usually, I just ended up with a poor portfolio, or not enough funding. I finally got in, and into the Media Arts and Animation program.
I was thrilled, truly. Despite the fact I was starting a week behind the other students in the classes I was taking, I still looked forward to it. That's not saying I don't, right now. I'm just not particularly enthusiastic about my Tuesday night class.
This class is a drawing class. Those of you who know me, know that I am very set in my ways in how and what I draw. This is bad for learning. Still, I've been attempting some "interesting" projects- half of which have to be drawn upsidedown, per criteria.
Tonight, we drew lemons. Yes. Lemons, as a demonstration of how light plays off of an object. Hurray? It's not that I don't like lemons (I like lemonade), it's the drawing of them in grayscale that I'm not too fond of. I don't mind the mess of the pastels, or how the charcoal manages to cling underneath my fingernails for two days after.. no, that's just fine.
It's really just my own personal frustration, as the lemons were backlit.. and the rest of the lights were off. Now, granted, my night vision is extremely poor. My depth perception is.. all right. My peripheral vision.. we don't go there. Suffice to say, my lemon (although I liked how it was shaded) was a pathetic lump of a thing compared to the work of my classmates (who had, smartly, elected to use colored pastels instead of greys).
So. Second lemon drawing, I thought I would be smart, and use the colored media I had- prisma pencils. By this time, I was already frustrated with myself.. and in creating my lemon, I had forgotten about the entire lesson- ie, light. So yes, the lemon had many different colors and shades, but not enough value to be of use.
Poor lemon.
I had a few moments of "You know, maybe I'm not going to fit in with this animation program.. maybe I should return to special effects makeup and costumes. Like I had originally planned."
It's an appealing idea, I'll admit, but I refuse to quit... even though I feel like a complete idiot in this classroom. So, I will suck it up, and draw her lemons. And her self portraits in charcoal. By candlelight. Like she asked... and if my progress disappoints her (like my homework I turned in this week- sorry, I wanted to center my object.. apparently, this was WRONG).. then I'll just find a new way around the work.
So there you have it, my art school experience.. for the week.
Tomorrow is public speaking! And hopefully... something more creative after work.
Until next time dear readers,
When life gives you lemons.. and asks you to draw them, pick the colored pastels. You'll thank yourself later.
-Jen-
Friday, October 16, 2009
Inspirational Friends
I am taking a pause as my pastel fixative dries (hurray drawing class homework) to reflect on a few things.
Here are a few lessons my amazing, creative friends have taught me about life and art:
1) You can't take yourself too seriously. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, be a fool for a day, or put yourself in (harmless) awkward positions.
2) You also can't -not- take yourself seriously. Put your heart into what you do, keep reaching to better yourself, and never give up.
3) Be bold. Be yourself, try new things, and don't worry about what the others think. Be both proud and humble, be grateful, and share your knowledge.
I consider all of the above to be true. I also believe that inspiration breeds inspiration. The costumer sees a flower, which inspires a dress, which inspires a writer to write a story about the dress, and a film maker to create a film from the writing, which needs the help of designers to promote the film, musicians to fill the soundtrack and photographers to catch this entire sequence of events one frame at a time.
I have had many people inspire me to pursue my dream.
When I was 13, I began Renaissance festivals. It was my D&D, I suppose. It was my way of playing, of donning a mask and becoming someone else. This was where it really began, I think.
When I was 16, doing festivals, struggling to get that image I wanted in my costumes and characters I met Jeremy. At 17, we were good friends. I visited him as much as I could, constantly in awe of his projects- Wings, props, costumes. He and his then roommate Patrick (whom I refer to fondly as Patches) were working on foam masks and acting and small film projects. I still consider them both brilliant and true friends.
I was hooked. I had to learn more, I had to know more, and I decided that Austin was where I wanted to be. Austin has always held that wonder, for me, once I discovered the people in it. From the age of 17, my goal was to eventually live there.
In the same year, I created my first longtime played festival character- Malice. I was a bright blue and purple faerie with fangs, who liked practical jokes and people, and I'm pretty sure I injested a fair amount of glitter in my years playing her.
Malice led to my Elf, which led to the Kabuki, which led to Beetle, so on and so forth. As I continued with festivals and my pursuit of new personas and costumes, I found more kindred souls: Crystal the wingmaker, Becky the elf, Scott the fangsmith (Hi dad!), Leslie my fellow shiny-chaser, Bethany (my god woman, I envy your musical talent), and Ben and Noel-- my current partners in crime, as I like to think of them- I love you both dearly.
Each and every one of them has inspired me.
And, most recently inspiring in these past few years, The Outlanders and friends(as I met them then)- Danny, Ryan, Laura, Sasha and Adam, and then Ace and Justinian (All hail the Emperor!). I blame (and thank) them for my heavy pursuit of Steampunk, for showing me a new outlet. Thank you for keeping me laughing, and the ideas coming. I would like to thank Ace, again, for rekindling my love of Steam during a much enjoyed conversation shared at a party this past Dragoncon (everyone gets discouraged at some point).
I'm rambling, but my point is- Art is contagious. I don't think I would be half the person I am now if I hadn't crossed paths with each and every one of these wonderful people. I am in awe, and inspired and thankful to call each one of them my friend.
And as gooey as it was, I needed to say it.
I am also celebrating the fact I have a garage again (Hurrah!) so I can work on props once more. I have a heaaaavy list of goals this next year including fangwork, latex, and mastering my airbrush.
And, for a random note- I am so jealous of each one of you who is working a Haunt this season. I wish I could. It never seems to work with my schedule- but there's always next year. Now, back to the pastels!
Until next time,
-Jen-
Here are a few lessons my amazing, creative friends have taught me about life and art:
1) You can't take yourself too seriously. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, be a fool for a day, or put yourself in (harmless) awkward positions.
2) You also can't -not- take yourself seriously. Put your heart into what you do, keep reaching to better yourself, and never give up.
3) Be bold. Be yourself, try new things, and don't worry about what the others think. Be both proud and humble, be grateful, and share your knowledge.
I consider all of the above to be true. I also believe that inspiration breeds inspiration. The costumer sees a flower, which inspires a dress, which inspires a writer to write a story about the dress, and a film maker to create a film from the writing, which needs the help of designers to promote the film, musicians to fill the soundtrack and photographers to catch this entire sequence of events one frame at a time.
I have had many people inspire me to pursue my dream.
When I was 13, I began Renaissance festivals. It was my D&D, I suppose. It was my way of playing, of donning a mask and becoming someone else. This was where it really began, I think.
When I was 16, doing festivals, struggling to get that image I wanted in my costumes and characters I met Jeremy. At 17, we were good friends. I visited him as much as I could, constantly in awe of his projects- Wings, props, costumes. He and his then roommate Patrick (whom I refer to fondly as Patches) were working on foam masks and acting and small film projects. I still consider them both brilliant and true friends.
I was hooked. I had to learn more, I had to know more, and I decided that Austin was where I wanted to be. Austin has always held that wonder, for me, once I discovered the people in it. From the age of 17, my goal was to eventually live there.
In the same year, I created my first longtime played festival character- Malice. I was a bright blue and purple faerie with fangs, who liked practical jokes and people, and I'm pretty sure I injested a fair amount of glitter in my years playing her.
Malice led to my Elf, which led to the Kabuki, which led to Beetle, so on and so forth. As I continued with festivals and my pursuit of new personas and costumes, I found more kindred souls: Crystal the wingmaker, Becky the elf, Scott the fangsmith (Hi dad!), Leslie my fellow shiny-chaser, Bethany (my god woman, I envy your musical talent), and Ben and Noel-- my current partners in crime, as I like to think of them- I love you both dearly.
Each and every one of them has inspired me.
And, most recently inspiring in these past few years, The Outlanders and friends(as I met them then)- Danny, Ryan, Laura, Sasha and Adam, and then Ace and Justinian (All hail the Emperor!). I blame (and thank) them for my heavy pursuit of Steampunk, for showing me a new outlet. Thank you for keeping me laughing, and the ideas coming. I would like to thank Ace, again, for rekindling my love of Steam during a much enjoyed conversation shared at a party this past Dragoncon (everyone gets discouraged at some point).
I'm rambling, but my point is- Art is contagious. I don't think I would be half the person I am now if I hadn't crossed paths with each and every one of these wonderful people. I am in awe, and inspired and thankful to call each one of them my friend.
And as gooey as it was, I needed to say it.
I am also celebrating the fact I have a garage again (Hurrah!) so I can work on props once more. I have a heaaaavy list of goals this next year including fangwork, latex, and mastering my airbrush.
And, for a random note- I am so jealous of each one of you who is working a Haunt this season. I wish I could. It never seems to work with my schedule- but there's always next year. Now, back to the pastels!
Until next time,
-Jen-
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Of Pink Frills...
So recently, upon listening to such artists such as Jill Tracy, Amanda Palmer, Rasputina, Harlequin Jones, and even Kate Nash, I came upon an idea I didn't think I would have had.
Persey should be more feminine. And by more feminine, she should wear an all-out victorian saloon gal dress.
Why not, I think? So now here I am- pattern ordered, and I picked up 5 yards of horribly awesome pink fabric that has a slight shimmer. It's dusky rose, and just.. yes. I will weep with either horror or glee once this outfit is done.
I'm playing her up more "Hi, I'm adorable. I kill things sometimes" as any good lady sky pirate should be. I feel pretty. All that's missing is another hat (oh man.. another hat?), and bits here and there. I'll be posting progress pictures of Persephone's new duds, as they become available.
Until next time, readers!
-Jen-
Persey should be more feminine. And by more feminine, she should wear an all-out victorian saloon gal dress.
Why not, I think? So now here I am- pattern ordered, and I picked up 5 yards of horribly awesome pink fabric that has a slight shimmer. It's dusky rose, and just.. yes. I will weep with either horror or glee once this outfit is done.
I'm playing her up more "Hi, I'm adorable. I kill things sometimes" as any good lady sky pirate should be. I feel pretty. All that's missing is another hat (oh man.. another hat?), and bits here and there. I'll be posting progress pictures of Persephone's new duds, as they become available.
Until next time, readers!
-Jen-
I Spew Art
Dear Reader,
It's true. Art is a disease, a very contagious disease and obsession in my case. I can't go a single day, it seems, without a billion and a half ideas- most will never see the light of day.
So, this is where this blog comes in to play. I'll be spewing my ideas here for others to see. Expect to see my latest projects, hear my crafting rants, and stare in horror (Yes, horror) at some of the monstrosities that come from my brainmeats.
Happy reading!
It's true. Art is a disease, a very contagious disease and obsession in my case. I can't go a single day, it seems, without a billion and a half ideas- most will never see the light of day.
So, this is where this blog comes in to play. I'll be spewing my ideas here for others to see. Expect to see my latest projects, hear my crafting rants, and stare in horror (Yes, horror) at some of the monstrosities that come from my brainmeats.
Happy reading!
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