Over here!

I have too many blogs and haven't used this one since 2012! To see what I'm up to, head to my Paper Bicycle blog HERE! My recent artwork and the things I'm up to are posted more regularly there!

Or find me on my tumblr!

Ace of Swords - Progress Sketch

Here's a sketch I was working on last night for the upcoming Light Grey Art Lab exhibition: Tarot, Mystics and the Occult. I'm excited about it for many reasons - partly because of the meaning of the card and partly because of the collection of people that will be showing with us. I should be, but I've been procrastinating doing all of the other things I should be doing - while I work on this piece. I have another piece of art due this Friday for another fun show! I'm excited to finish these up and see what other people do! Yeah!

Sketching a little tonight, on top of a sketch I was making last night. I am considering doing a quick color of this one, even if it's really rough. I'm gearing up to do quite a few florals for a new project I'm doing with a friend. I'm psyched about it, but won't say what it is quite yet. As soon as the semester is over, I'll be looking forward to opening up a whole new can of worms. Until then, it's sketchy mice in some sketchy flowers.

Gnome for Tigtone

For some reason this piece of art has taken me forever to create. It's not that it took me that long to actually paint it in Painter, it's just that I've been so insanely preoccupied with everything else that's going on these days that I've only been able to work on it in spurts. But finally! I got it done! I'm sending it off to Andrew tonight so he can use it for his project : Tigtone. He is incredibly talented and a wonderful person. I'm excited that he's working on such an awesome project. I'm glad to be a part of it!

Work.

I just posted this one to the Paper Bicycle blog, but I really need to post it here!
I finished a pen & ink / Corel Painter combination piece of work for the Light Grey Art Lab show "People & Patterns" - for the grand opening!

You know -- every time you make a piece of art that has a deadline, you go through all the crazy stuff- like hating it, then loving it, then being precious with it, then freaking out until it's over - then it's done. And you like it.

That's what I went through with this one.

Here's another one I did for the show! Short and Sweet -


You know how I love to draw lips.

Raccoon Painting, Finished

Check it out. I made another painting in the style of Field Boy.
This one is was painted for a good friend.
It's acrylic on Hot press watercolor paper (which is a new paper to work with for me)!
I think it turned out pretty well!

Maybe I can fit another painting into my schedule some day.
I'm looking forward to a week where I can stay home and crank some art out.

Field Boy Painting, Finished

I did it! I'm so excited! I finally got to finish this painting I stared a couple months ago. It wasn't so hard once I made some time for it. I think all in all, its about a 30 hour painting. It seems that it's rare that I get a whole night to work on something - but thanks to good friends and great company, a bunch of us got together over the weekend and had an inspiring couple of art nights. Jesse Riggle, Chris, Francesca, Adam worked on some art with us, while we had some company from Alyssa, her friend from out of town, and Bryan. :) I have so many ideas for new paintings now, but at least I can say I have officially checked this one off my list. This was a really fun new way of working for me... Looking forward to making some more!

Here are a couple details:

Plague - For digital class tomorrow

Yes, it's 1 something (in the A.M) and I'm getting ready for class tomorrow.
We're on our second week for Photoshop and I'm excited to share some techniques with my students tomorrow. As always, it's nice to brush up a little bit before you get up there and have to explain everything, so I made this weird walleyed, bloody boy for a demo tomorrow. I'm excited to try him out in class.
We'll all be coloring some nice greyscale drawings. Here's to a good class!



and here's the pencil drawing before all this crazy digital coloring.

New Painting - with a new method

So I stared this painting on Saturday with vigor and gusto - and got a huge chunk of it done. I'm working in acrylic, with a masking technique - on an 18" x 24" clayboard. All of which is semi-new, and really fun. I've gotten pretty good at making all sorts of shapes with artists tape over the weekend and wanted to show my process so far. I hope to finish this soon. I'm super excited to get a body of new work together... and maybe, just maybe, use it to apply for something special.


Full scale sketch


Color layer 1 and transfer of my drawing in white


Masking off areas of the painting with tape - creating the background


Process so far

So, this is as far as I got this weekend, which is a really great start for me. I think I only need maybe 6 -8 hours to complete it and I'm super excited to line up a bunch of canvasses for some landscapes I'd like to do after this.

Pattern process tonight. : Mice in some cheese.

This long weekend was awesome. I got tons of stuff done -- started a painting, drew in my huge sketchbook, made some food (congratulate me - that is hard to do!) and caught up on some daily patterns for Paper Bicycle's Daily Pattern Project

I just made one I'm super proud of. For some reason I was having a blast. Maybe it's the mice. Anyway, here's a bit of my process for making this pattern:


Finished Repeat Pattern


Sketches


Tracing the big shapes in Illustrator


Painted a bunch of Ink textures for the details


and then photoshopped all of them together.
I have some custom brushes that are awesome that I did all the linework with.
It didn't take that long, either! I think the hardest part was trying to come up with the repeat! Woo!

Daydreaming about Iceland's landscape

I spent the day thinking about Iceland again. I found a residency that looks phenomenal. I am seriously considering applying for a month over there. I have no idea how I'd make that work - with work. Still, it's in the back of my mind. I start teaching Digital Illustration tomorrow and I'm totally excited. Here's a quick painting I did tonight. Not sure why it's purple, but why not.



and the sketch that preceded it.

Gobs of Patterns from Paper Bicycle's Daily Pattern Project

It's hard to keep up with double posting these!
I'm having a great time doing the Daily Pattern project and am very proud of a lot of these! It's been interesting so far - I'm getting faster and it feels like it's only been tough to think of something a couple of times! The hard part is - if you don't do your pattern early in the day, all the good versions of that topic are taken, and you have to think really hard about how you're going to make a pattern that hasn't been done yet! So, here they are! Everything from the last two weeks!


Mice


Milk


Bulb


Fourth of July


Hair Products


Quilt


Minneapolis


Recess


Dog Accessories


Date Night


Bandaid


Circus


Keys


Bowtie

Another Batch of Patterns!

Here are a huge chunk of patterns from last week's topics!
I'm trying to get as much done as possible this week because I'm off to New Jersey on Wednesday to meet with an awesome client and THEN I'm headed to Portland for Erin Loechner's Ace Camp!
I am so excited!

I'm hoping to get some exciting art inspiration and meet some amazing people! Besides that, it's been nice getting a little bit of a break this summer! I love the rainy weather and I am getting used to doing a million patterns in a row!


A tribute to my late birdie, Dean!


Yoga


Air Mail


Hands


Father's Day

Besides this, I'm excited for us to get our crop share! I wish I was here to eat it in Thursday, but Chris and Francesca will have to eat it without me and let me know how it goes! Send me good vibes, I hope my travels are safe and that I get some sleep on my trip!!

Updatey Update

Wow, this week has been insane!
I am so excited. We're making patterns like crazy in our free-time, and getting things done! I've been having stair-master battles with Chris and eating a lot of spongey fake hotdogs this week (strange flavor and strange texture). I've also started teaching my two classes at MCAD! The trend blogging class is righteous and my digital pattern design class is full. Everyone is super nice and I am so excited to see what they'll do over the next 6 weeks!

Besides that, awesome news! I was featured on Betty Magazine's Blog!


I am so psyched!!!

We were also featured on Zupi. com, which was SO SO awesome!!

Alyssa Nassner's pattern is first on the list of patterns. She is super talented!!
Chris, Francesca, Mary and I are all in that post, too!



I will have this week's patterns to post here once we finish tomorrow's topic!
I'm excited for that one, too!

Seems like a good week, for sure!

Ah, to be in Paris...

I've been meaning to head to paris for the last couple of years.
After the loads of complements from my sister, mother and father, I've been meaning to make it there someday. I hear the food is great, the atmosphere is amazing, and maybe this is a chance I can finally go there!

Oh Happy Day is giving away a 7 day trip to Paris!
Here is a link to their giveaway!

I'm hoping that I'll get to go some day!
In the meantime, I'm posting this silly picture of a polar bear outfitted with french bread, a beret, a mustachio, and the Eiffel Tower. All the things Paris has.
:P

Last Week's Patterns & This week's news.

I have another chunk of patterns from last week to share. All of these are for Paper Bicycle's Daily Pattern Project!
Also - I have some awesome news! I was featured on DesignWorkLife.com.
I can't believe it! I am super grateful and totally surprised! It came on a day when I really needed some cheering up and I was shocked to see that I was feautured.
Here is the link to their post on me!


Bear


Childhood


Bikini


Amphibians


Backyard

Next week will be exciting.
I'm teaching my two summer classes at MCAD starting tomorrow. - Design / Trend blogging and Digital Pattern Making! Wish me luck!

I'm also contributing to Ten Paces and Draw - You'll see my sketch and final contribution later this week!