Have makeup, will pose.
Photo by Rachel Krislov

The Village

I don't actually remember thinking this was a good movie when I saw it in theaters. I remember guessing the ending about fifteen minutes in and, yet, still getting scared of the creatures after the Twist. And I remember going home after the movie and making the uncomfortable realization that I lived across from woods.

However, the soundtrack is gorgeous and it's just the thing to listen to while biking through said woods.

Nightmares

I had a nightmare last night, about a crone troll with a ladies' wig and gown, whose hands caused rot in everything they touched.

Silliness

Some watercolor doodles I did at work. I recently got a haircut and have found a noticeable change in bedhead. The second is a gift for a friend.

Why the Mango is Heart-Shaped

Watercolor on some very bad paper. I'm not sure if I like the looseness or if I think it looks a hot mess. It's based on a Filipino folktale about a girl who commits suicide and the mango tree grows from her grave.

Coming out of my transparent nerd closet

(photo by Rachel Krislov)

So, you might notice two new links in my sidebar there. One is my formal portfolio, the other is a selection of my costume work. I've been doing a lot of cosplay for ages and I've acquired a lot of skills in pursuit of that hobby, including sewing, wig styling, and, now, body paint. During my last semester at AIB, I interned for the American Repertory Theater's costume shop and turned my hobby into a professional skill set.

I've always been hesitant about posting my costume work, despite the skills I've learned from it, because the majority of my costume projects are cosplay. That is, costumes based on characters from cartoons, tv shows, comics, etc. I am interpreting someone else's work, taking it from one medium to another. That aside: It's...incredibly nerdy. I've always felt like there needs to be some barrier between my personal nerd life and my professional life. And. Really. That's kind of dumb. 

So here you are everyone. Some of the nerdy stuff I do. I may post a couple more photos from this shoot later. 

A side note: To the commenter on my last post, this is actually why my tumblr header is a line from Prometheus Bound; I was interning for the theater while production was underway and saw many of the costumes come together. I am incredibly flattered that you mentioned my blog title to Michael and Gavin.

I'm pretty sure my own degeneration is just getting worse and worse

I ran across a meme on tumblr. "Draw yourself exactly as you are right now."

So I did.

What I did with my summer vacation

Things I didn't do: Get hired, move out, get a rabbit, have my life go according to plan.

Things I DID do: Get turned down for a job and offer to volunteer for them instead and find out that it was totally worth it.

The photo up top are the nine apprentices I helped teach at ArtWorks this summer. ArtWorks is a summer program, but it's not a camp. The closest comparison I can make is that it's a paid internship, because all the apprentices are sorted into different co-ops (vocal, architecture, ceramics, dance, painting, etc) and their main objective is to learn an art skill, but they're also paid and taught about professionalism and good behavior on the job. There were also occasional guest speakers.

I applied to be an "on-site coordinator" for ArtWorks, a full time paid position, but it didn't work out due to lack of experience, as well as what the organizers perceived was a need for me to teach. So instead, I took on a part-time unpaid assistant teaching position for the painting co-op and it was seriously one of the best six weeks of my life. There is something really cool about telling an apprentice how amazing he's doing and watching his eyes light up. Or bringing in artbooks and watching one girl start writing the names of artists and movies all over her hands.

Apparently this went a really long way for a lot of them too.

So maybe I'm a little broke right now, but it was a great experience and I'm really happy I decided to take it on.

Fencepiration at Heights Arts

What was supposed to be a massive construction project just ended up being a big hole in the ground so artists Carol Hummel and Debbie Apple Presser began a public art project, using recycled materials to decorate the fence with a montage of the seasons.

Last week, ArtWorks, the group I'm assistant teaching painting for, sent some of the apprentices to help them with the project.

Steampunk Commissions

Two commissions I did for my friend, writer Ruth Hartle, of her characters Gale, Finn, Ella, and Wednesday

Returning from the Dead

"It is a matter of physics, a scientific fact that the human body reacts in very similar ways when anticipating food and sex. Capillaries swell, lips and membranes become engorged, saliva thickens and the pulse rises. It's no accident that the two pleasures have become... confused."
— Anthony Bourdain

For my senior project, I chose to examine the idea of "food porn," how we watch Food Network or look at food magazines and the food is just as primped and shined as any pinup. And, as Mr. Bourdain points out, our reactions to food and sex can be similar. So I'm juxtaposing luscious food with equally luscious girls.

Shop is live!

GREAT NEWS EVERYONE! THE BITTY BITER SHOP IS UP!

(Photos courtesy of Roxas Angell)

Falling off the face of the earth so far that I fall back...

Hey everyone. So. I am exceedingly good at disappearing for long periods of time, but I promise new art is coming. To everyone who saw me at Anime Boston last weekend, HELLO! Welcome! Thank you for taking my card.

And now I indulge in some shameless self-promotion. Come to the Yes. Oui. Si. gallery to see our new senior show this Saturday night!

March 22, 2011: World Water Day

Hello my dear followers:

Tomorrow, March 22, 2011 is World Water Day. It might seem a little odd until you remember that clean, safe water is still difficult to attain in many parts of the world. So, with that in mind, I'm leaving a link here for Water.org, a charity that works with communities to build wells and sustainable water sources within communities, and I'm offering sketches and doodles to anyone who donates over the next 24 hours and has proof (the site offers digital receipts). If that sounds up your alley and you'd like some art for your donation, message me on DeviantArt (also go there for samples of my art) or via my blog here with your proof.

This offer begins 12:00 AM Eastern Time on March 22, 2011 and ends 12:00 AM Eastern Time on March 23, 2011.

And continues...

Yeah. That's right. Pikachu.

Oh childhood.

And so the degeneration begins...

Yeah. Doctor Who fanart. I did it. And there's more to come. Prints for Anime Boston in April.

Another post about stuff I read...

Since I read a lot and feel like blathering about it.


Read this, mostly, on the plane home. It's about the author's life in Paris with a young family after leaving New York City for a couple of year. It's breezy and entertaining and there was a great comment he made about how, inevitably, books about foreign countries written by ex-pats are really books about America. Very interesting.

Also in the middle of this, about the daughter of Pope Julius, who commissioned the Sistine Chapel. Very well written, though there's a great deal based on conjecture.

Sketchity Sketching!

Just doodling a lot. I'm trying to remind myself that drawing can be fun too. I have some silly works coming up soon, a lot of fanart in preparation of Anime Boston where I'll be tabling, as well as my senior project. Updates will be more frequent, I swear. Cross my crooked little heart.

I'm you Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Cherry Bomb

Just a doodle inspired by my friend's Lolita fashion rants over at Sugar Bomb.

So, like, I had a New Year's Resolution. I was going to update my blog at least twice a week every week.

And then I remembered that I have a bad track record with resolutions, so. Awesome. Mostly I've been doing a lot of sketches this break, including something with a Dalek that's still not quite done, and a lot of reading. I just finished:

And am in the middle of:
And will soon start:
I've got a really limited scope of interest. Can you tell?