Rembrandt Studies

If you're in the Cleveland, OH area, the Cleveland Museum of Art currently has an exhibit of some Rembrandt works. I went to a preview day today and bought some postcards to do some studies.

 From Portrait of a Man (detail), attributed to the Workshop of Rembrandt van Rijn

From Saint Bartholomew by Rembrandt van Rijn

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Revenge of the Skatepunk

She's baaaack.

I come bearing the gift of steampunk!

Does anyone remember my little blurb when I was talking about going to Another Anime Convention a few months ago, up in Nashua, NH? Like I briefly mentioned, I ended up going to a lot of really amazing steampunk panels. Ones discussing Steampunks, Victorian ethics, and our own ethics; and ones of Steampunk around the world, because seriously, why do so many Steampunks cling to Victorian England when there was a whole amazing world to steam up. I learned about, for instance, the art of James Ng, who is a really brilliant example of non-Western-centric Steampunk, and just a beautifully skilled drafstman.

All the Steam panels I went to were run by members of The Wandering Legion or by Ay-Leen the Peacemaker, writer for the blog Beyond Victoriana. If they're ever at a convention you're attending, check them out. it is well worth your while.

As it was, this con coincided with a project for my Fashion and Body Adornment Class. It was my self-directed final and my teacher, curious about this Steampunk stuff I'd been drawing, steered me in the direction for more of it. I was kind of "meh" at first, because I felt like I'd exhausted my interesting in drawing steampunk, but then I decided to roll with it, working specifically non-British Steampunk, deciding to create outfits for people in different countries. So in the end, things work out.

In making these paintings, I gave myself a few rules:

1) The countries I chose would be associated with Great Britain in some way, largely through the Commonwealth.
2) I would preserve the corseted silhouette in my figures' outfits, but find new ways to use it.
3) NO GOGGLES OR GEARS. Though two of my characters were in situations where goggles would have been inappropriate, I didn't want to default to one of the traditional default icons of Steampunks. Of course that's kind of bullshit, given rule 2 but....

Here they are.

1) Arctic Canada. Her outfit was inspired by Inuit gear when going up into the Arctic Circle to hunt seals. Her corset is worn for extra core warmth and the metal trappings on her boots have spikes to crunch through ice. There are sun marks under her eyes.


2) Egypt. This one is where I started dressing characters, rather than trying to costume a culture. This character walked into my head, someone who offers to guide foreign tourists and archaeologists through tomb sites, but takes them to tombs that are open or trapped, while steering them away from ones that are still safe and unseen.


3) Singapore. I know, I know. It's a bit of an anachronism to have a food hawker for a genre that branches into the early 20th century at best when Hawker Centres are more a mid-20th century/contemporary thing but...sh. Just...shhh. So here is my food hawker. The corset she's wearing is back support for the steam-heater backpack that carries all her food in different canisters. Steam power keeps the food delicious and hot, with an exhaust pipe directed away from her body to prevent burns. This way, she can set up at any old road side and sell her food.

And there you have it!

Oh and since, an hour and 27 minutes ago, it was Christmas, I had an excellent time with my mother and two of my aunts who are visiting from the Philippines. Gifts were given. Too much food was eaten. Doctor Who was watched. Good times. Good times.

Watch Me Burn

Uh...weird set of inspirations for this one.

I was thinking about Weimar Berlin, like I do, and had "Love the Way You Lie" stuck in my head.

It really doesn't go deeper than that.

In other news, I have only one week of school left before the semester ends and I have less to do than I originally anticipated but still more to do than I am necessarily comfortable with having in front of me. I'll manage, since I have to, but I'm tired.

I am also on the verge of delivering some Very Exciting News but I'm still afraid of counting chickens before they hatch and I'm holding back on it until I know that it is for sure and certain.

Bad Days mean cool art?

I tend to make strange/creepy art when I'm frustrated. Doesn't it feel like, sometimes, there's just a big well of frustration going through you?

Skatepunk

Oh dear, I thought I'd already posted this. Oops.

It comes from a conversation that came up at one of the Steampunk panels at Another Anime Con in Nashua, NH. There was a comment that people tend to pick the same character types when creating steampunk personas: air pirates, mechanics, adventurers, etc. Where were the steampunk domestics, librarians, and stay-at-home dads?

Or in my case, where are the steampunk hipster skateboarders?

Fun fact, when the bicycle first became popular in Victorian England women couldn't ride them in skirts, but they wore wide, floppy bloomers. For Modesty.

The Deer Hunter

An illustration for class.

Leave Your Troubles Outside

The Emcee from Cabaret. That's all.

I'll Be Your Server Tonight

So I said last night that I would post more art. Then I did a six hour shift, where I did nothing but talk on the phone. Then I came home and had frozen yogurt and talked with my roommate. Who is excellent.

Anyway, here's a piece I actually finished last week but I wanted some input from my classmates before posting.

Wow I'm late

So I put off posting this because I wanted the brides to see it first and then I...completely forgot to post it. My friends Amy and Mandi got married at the beginning of July and I did a painting of their cat, Chivas, as a wedding present.

And now I just remembered that I've completely forgotten to get something else off their wedding registry. I suck.

Wilkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome...

I ended up doing Sebastian Droste as well.

Anita Berber - NSFW

Anita Berber (June 10, 1899 – November 10, 1928) was a dancer/prostitute/artist of the Weimar Period. One of her acts was dipping roses in chloroform and ether and then eating them. She would often walk about wearing nothing but a fur stole, a silver brooch full of cocaine, and her pet monkey.

From Book Illustration

I was tired of that doll being the top post. Have something from my book illustration class.

Hey look! I can draw!