So I finally finished my two concert posters. It took extra, double, x's 2 the amount of time because I had to halftone everything. Meaning, I only used 2 colors, but made shades of it by making the different shades by using dots of the color at different frequencies. Meaning, this project was often accompanied by some choice words as well. This one, I posted the original a few days ago, this one is the halftone version.













original poster (top),
halftone version (bottom)
















Also went to the Parsons, publication meeting today. There will be a Parsons newspaper/publication coming out this semester. It will the first one since the last one 3 years. There was a good turn out, so there will be a multitude of talent working on it. I will probably have a few illustrations in the first issue and hopefully will continue doing it through this semester. Keep an eye out for it, there will be some action going on inside the elevators in a few weeks.

I watched the movie, One Hour Photo, this weekend, and the child predator-like behavior of the character played by Robin Williams inspired this series of drawings. (Halli, there, I watched a movie and was inspired..you win) The drawings are more on the more stereo-typical end, but they should be viewed as a group to show how these ppl lure kids w/ 'saccarine-sweet' type gifts.

blue blockers--(pairs well w/ 'bald eagles')
candy bar
creepy van
mint
slide

Another one for the show. I made it into a promotional piece for my internship applications.

Flatstock Concert Poster Competition

Poster design entry for Tara's class for Flatstock 12. Poster entry requirements: limited to two colors (I still have to half-tone the final version). I hope to make a second entry as well.

Dinosaurs

I just love drawing dinosaurs. Something about them, their teeth, the texture of their skin, their nails, they are so interesting to draw. In this series of drawings I made I am describing their fall from man-eating power reptiles to the cheap plastic toys that they really are. And on a side note-----ED HAS JUST OVER 50 DAYS LEFT and then he'll be home! I am really excited to finish the 'donut of misery.' xoxo

new work

I finished the piece for my children's book class for a 'concept' book, meaning like a counting book or color or shape book. I am still not very happy with it. The second one just personal work for this summer's show.

February Natl Geo Adventure

The February Issue of Nat. Geographic Adventure has a map of India that I painted what seems like ages ago. I am really pleased with the incorporation of labeling. Originally, I had painted in the labeling, but w/ reproduction, it would have made for really small type. Way to go, my successor, Lauren (sorry if I am incorrect w/ the name, my memory fails me) w/ the placement of text and labeling. Making the labeling of a map look good is not always as easy as it looks, I learned that this summer interning there. I have been really lucky to be able to illustrate for Adventure during my time there as well as post-internship-really great ppl there. Anyways, I am not sure what exact page it is on being that I haven't been able to locate one in any of the magazine stores I have been into, but look up Where Next: India, and the map will be in that package. This is the link to the article and map: http://nationalgeographic.com/adventure/travel/india-2.html.

End of first week

So, I made it through this week. And I think I am going to love this semester b/c I really like my classes and my teachers, but I am worried about my painting class. It's back to oil painting. I feel like I finally have this thing going w/ acrylics, and I have to switch. For me, it's either oils or acrylics, not both at one time. I'm just kind of annoyed. Endless drying time, washing my brushes for forever....My teacher seems okay, I am just irked because I hate figure drawing, and I haven't escaped it just yet. One more semester of "experimenting." I just want to start producing artwork that I know I will be able to use in my portfolio. On the bright side, we have to make a 10 foot drawing over the course of the semester, so although it will be a challenge, I think the end result will be very interesting.

We had to draw 5 still lives on a two hour break today. I drew my sandwich and my coke can. They were the best of the five I drew.

the college brain

Something I did last semester as a submission for Current magazine. I am taking an online class on the brain, and thought to share it for my class.

It hasn't even been a full week in the 2nd semester...

...and I have already lost a canvas. It's MIA, gone, in a utrecht bag. As my mom said, "Oh, it's gone. It probably grew legs and walked off. Better yet, it probably grew arms too and took the subway home." Haha. Gotta love her. But yes, I have no idea where I left my Utrecht bag w/ my beloved canvas (blank, thank goodness) but someone got a free canvas yesterday. So, I had to venture back to my favorite store and buy a second.

FIY: Anyone in NYC this June, I will be having a solo painting show in the Financial District, Klatch coffee shop. More info to follow. I am sure I will be showing the work as I progress.

Some new links

I put up a new section on my blog for links.
littlesketchbook.com is the website for a talented illustrator, jasmine wigant. I have been at parsons with jasmine since our foundation year, section k days. It has been really enlightening to see her grow from our foundation days. The other website is courtney reagor's portfolio. I recently started to correspond w/ her. Check out her work, very talented!

back to school, back to school

I am really excited about this semester and the classes I am taking. I hope to really grow this semester. I am working on a painting for children's book illustration. Below is a something I put together in photoshop, but I am unhappy w/ the simplicity of it. I started painting it tonight on a canvas. That one will come w/ a few days of work.

"Children love to sing...

but then their voices slowly fade away." A lyric from my 'i want you' by third eye blind. check it out, very meditative. i drew this on the plane coming back from cleveland. thought it would be interesting to see how it would turn out w/ color in photoshop. the splotchy-ness of the background just happened w/ the paper texture, which i think makes an interesting effect. things are starting to get back to normal: a full apartment again, getting ready for classes to start, using the sandwich maker...the signs of school again.

these two are what i have been up to this week. i am liking the aspect of surface design that i was using in the first piece w/ the whale. and the second piece originates from a doodle i did on the subway. anyways, on the home front, i just bought a scanner, so look forward to more work in the next couple of days. I hope to get more up and running w/ this new addition. xoxo

It has been a long week, at least it feels like it for not being overly busy. I am just posting some little things that I have been working on over the week in my sketchbook. enjoy the holiday!

Today was pretty successful...scanned slides at work for 4 hours straight, organized my desk area to start the new semester, unpacked my new wacom tablet, dabbled with that for a little bit, and finished the rooster painting. this painting was inspired by the rediculousness of my out of control bangs by the end of the night. feeling like a cock-a-too, the bangs were the inspiration for the rooster.

I have been in a dance music craze lately. I downloaded two of my fav songs from working at a&F: tracking treasure down by gabriel & dresden and what a feeling by peter luts. and have been dancing in the temporary empty apartment to these songs as well as depeche mode. luckily i dont have neighbors across from where all the dancing takes place. i feel like this year is a new chapter in my life, i have my show to look forward to during the summer, ed is coming home in march/april, the sisters might be coming for st patties day, a lot of things to be grateful for.

To start somewhere, here are some drawings and paintings that I already have scanned. I plan to put up more recent work once I purchase that scanner [that was sold out at J&R today].

work from last semester







some sketches of whales i made before this year....leading into some book ideas and character design



drawing from this summer at south street sea port

back to the city

I've been back in the city for four days now and have been able to get back to work on my painting. Just little sketches of some children's book ideas in my sketchbook and started a rooster painting tonight. The inspiration has been slowly coming back to me now that some issues are behind me now. Let me just say that I am so thankful for my family and best friends.

For any art magazine freaks out there like me, I would recommend buying the January issue of Juxtapose magazine. It features Tara McPherson, my concepts teacher, a very talented, successful illustrator. She is quite a master w/ posters, I personally am intrigued by the patterns and borders she integrates in her work. I made this concert poster in Tara's class last semester, a project that opened a lot of doors artistically for me.




During a venture to Books of Wonder, I discoved that one of the best children's book illustrators out there, Tomie dePaola, will be there February 10th. A definite must-see if you ask me.

Promotion for the adoration of french bulldogs

This is the little 4x4 acrylic painting I produced to inspire adoration for french bulldogs. I find them cute. My sister just seems to call them "the dogs with buggy eyes"... someday I might change her mind.