Mission Completed: Couldn't get enough

I was kind of on a roll with these little creatures, so I took a break from painting this evening to finish them.  Prints will be available in my shop shortly.  I just need to think of names for them.

Mission Completed: Lucy

Whipped this little cutie up today, in time for Valentine's!  Her name is Lucy and she is quite lovely.  She's available in my shop!

Sketchbook: Feeling a little squirrely

It's easy to see by the following sketches that I don't normally draw in a typical bound sketchbook.  I find that I forget to take the bigger sketchbooks with me when I go out and I usually lose the smaller ones, or end up filling them with recipes and lists instead of drawings.  I do tend to keep at least one notepad with me at all times.  For some reason I can keep up with those more easily.  Maybe it's because of the constant list making, and the fact I can shove them in my pocket.  Whatever the case, I do end up doing a lot of sketching on torn out pages of these notepads, or scrap paper that I keep handy at my desk.  I do have a "real" sketchbook and I do use it from time to time, but mainly its for working out ideas for bigger projects.

Anyway, on to the sketches...

 

Not sure what I'm going to do with the lion cub.  I just liked it.

I'm thinking of making the squirrel into a Valentine card.  I haven't decided how I'm going to finish it.  I either want to make a more finished drawing of it, or do small watercolor painting.  I haven't used watercolors in a long time.  I'm kind of itching to try them again.

Out & About: Fabricate

My prints, button sets and other goodies can now be found at Fabricate!  It's a pretty awesome store/gallery located in Northside featuring hand-made goods by local artists.  Actually, I've had things there for about a month, I just forgot to mention it.  Oops!  So, if you are in the area, stop in and check it out.

In the Studio: Rethinking

I started out this evening trying to get started on some paintings.  It was not happening, so instead, I took a breather and started trying to figure out what to do with my studio space.  I know that studios are not the most organized places.  My studio especially.  It is where the mess happens.  I have found, though, I don't really enjoy being in here when the mess gets out of control, which is often.  I need some way of taming it. It is time to reorganize and hopefully come up with a better functioning space that will not drive me crazy.

My studio is in my home.  It's a weird set up.  I have to walk through it to get from the bedroom to the rest of the apartment.  It's definitely not the first thing I like to see in the morning or the last thing I see at night, but it is what it is.  I'm thinking if I can make the space more ORGANIZED and more like a room instead of a space with piles of crap and unfinished artwork, then maybe it won't be so irritating to walk through.  Also, if it feels more inviting and less intimidating, then hopefully I'd be more inclined to spend more time in the studio, which would be a good thing.

Just to let you know where I'm coming from, here is a little tour of my humble studio space.

THE BEFORE:

This is the main area, the desk.  This is where I do most of my work, including painting.  I'm beginning to think that I need to invest in an easel so I can work on bigger pieces.

These are my paint bins.  All of my paint tubes are grouped according to color and then placed accordingly into the boxes.  The boxes are kept next to my work surface so my paints are always at arms reach.  This is probably the only area that is organized.  I'm assuming the easy accessibility is the main reason the paints get put away.

Here are my "random" bins.  They were suppose to help control the clutter, but now I think they just add to it.

And this is where I was going to organize the papers (sketches, transfers, etc.) for current projects, but I really couldn't tell you what is there now.

This is my amazing closet.  It holds most of my tools, some of my fabric, my tv as well as records and a non-functioning stereo.  My bad, the stereo acts as a bookend for the records.  I think a big problem in my studio is that my supplies are not grouped together in the same location.  My fabric, for instance, is kept in the closet, over by the desk and in another storage unit on the opposite side of the room.  I need to fix that.  I also need to move the records somewhere else.

Here is the other side of the studio.  It too is a dumping ground.  Here you can see my exercise ball as well as clean laundry, that probably won't get put up any time soon, and a cat tunnel that is much loved by both of my companions.

This is the inside of that storage unit.  Like I said, some of my fabric is in here.  My sewing machine is buried somewhere in there.  Also, it has, yet again, a bunch of random stuff that I didn't know what to do with so I shoved it out of sight.  Awesome.

I'm hoping I can create a comfortable, inspiring and organized space.  I'm planning a trip to Ikea soon.  I just need to locate a truck.  I'm expecting to come home with a couple of pieces of furniture that will help in my studio transformation.  I can't wait.  I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Sketchbook: a horse for Katie

A while ago, my friend Katie helped me update my website.  It turned out better than I had expected.  In order to repay her for doing such an excellent job, I am doing a painting of her gypsy horse, Heffie.  I finally finished the drawing for it!  She said she wanted it to be super cute.  I hope this meets her expectations.

I prepared my surface last night, so I am set to start painting this, as well as the puppy in space piece, sometime this weekend.  So far, I am on a roll this year.

Sketchbook: Puppy in Space

I have a couple of projects I will be working on this month. Both will end up as paintings, but for now, I am still in the drawing phase. The drawing pictured is almost ready to be transferred to my painting surface, which still needs to be primed (boo! I dislike priming.) I love the space ship. Kind of wish I had one. Don't you?

New Year, New Things

Christmas, my birthday and New Year's celebrations have come and gone and it is time for me to set my sights on the things I want to accomplish in this grand year of 2011. I have a long list of things to do before my next birthday. Some are just for fun, like planning a trip to Europe and taking more bike rides, and some are big goals I have set for my artwork, like having another show and basically being more productive. I am excited to start getting things done and checking things off my grand to-do list!

To welcome in 2011, here are a couple of pics of my New Year's escorts and I.

Happy New Year!