In the Studio: My Kitties

i have a couple of tuxedo cats.  These little dudes are very fancy and look very much alike.  There is a difference in size, but their patterning is almost identical with the exception of their faces.  i do get them confused sometimes if they aren't together and i can only see their backs, especially if they are curled up in little balls with all the white patches concealed.  But, there is no mistaking their faces.  Mr. E has a black face and nose and a white chin, and one ear that is partially folded over due to surgery he had a few years ago.  He also has this cute pink stripe on his lip, kind of like Queen Amidala.  Mr. F has a pink nose with a black dot, a white chin with a small black patch, and a big white patch perfectly placed in the middle of his black face.  Each also has their own distinctive meow, personality and play style.

Anyway, i was working on a personal project and i decided to incorporate their faces.  It was a lot of fun working on their digital portraits.  These will eventually be added to the project i'm working on, but for now, i thought i'd share them with you.  So, without further adieu, i present Mr. E & Mr. F.

 






















-G

In the Studio: Batty

Since things have been kind of dry in the sketching department, i've been doing a lot of cleaning around the house to get my mind off of things.  In addition to the cleaning, i did go ahead and start painting the bat sketch i posted a few weeks ago.  The painting too, is coming along slowly, but i am liking how it's turning out.  i'm pleased thus far with the bat's wings and the lightning bug, especially the sky behind the lightning bug.  Here's some quick pics:

For whatever reason, lightning bugs have always fascinated me.  As a kid, i always loved sitting on the back steps at night with my dog and watching the lighting bugs dot the darkened fields of the farm with brilliant, dancing light.  The farm was my play ground, my entire world.  The glow of the lightning bugs made it seem that much more magical.  Kind of the same way that little white Christmas lights can make anything seem more special.  And bats.  Well, they are just amazing.  They are little furry critters with wings that eat bugs.  What could be better?  Going back to when i was kid (yeah, yeah.  i know, but it's hard to come back after going down nostalgia road), i do have fond memories of watching bats dart and dive at dusk in the parking lot of my brother's apartment.  He would throw pebbles up into the air (not at the bats, just straight up) and we would watch the bats chase the pebbles back to the ground and then, at the last second, dash in another direction.  I just always thought that was sooooooo cool.   When i moved away for college, if i was feeling a little lonely, or just needed to think, i would walk over to the hill next to my apartment and watch the bats feast.  Good times, good times.

Out & About: New Merch at Fabricate

Hey doodles!  Just wanted to check in for a quick little update.  i dropped off new merch at Fabricate over the weekend.  Yes!  i finally restocked!  There's new button sets, prints from Party Animals, and Croc of Love t-shirts.  Sooooo, if you're in the area, stop in and check it out.

-G

In the Studio: Drought

Things have been kind of slow around here in the creative department.  i'm having a show in September at 1305 Gallery and i wanted to have some new stuff to show, but i'm in the midst of a mental blockage.  The sketching part isn't coming very easily right now, but i have managed to come up with a few good things.  In order to take a break from the pencil and paper, i thought i'd share my favorite sketch thus far. 

That's all for now.  i'll be heading back into the cave soon to continue sketching and preparing canvases.  Wish me luck!

Mission Completed: Foodies

i've been working on these food characters off and on for a while now.  Finally, i have two sets completed: veggies and sweets.  The veggies have already been made into button and magnet sets (available online soon) and the sweets will be following shortly.  Maybe, just maybe, there will be some recipe card sets in their future as well. 

i love every food contained in these sets, but i have to say that i do play favorites.  In the veggies, i adore eggplant.  i don't cook with it at all, but i love eating.  Sadly though, it is not my favorite.  Strangely enough, i have found a new obsession with broccoli.  A nice serving of broccoli, noodles and cheese is just amazing.

i have a major sweet tooth.  i blame this on my father who, more times than not, would end dinner with an impromptu dessert, and my grandmother who, in my eyes,  was a phenomenal baker.  Now, that said, it is safe to say that i would pretty much eat any of the sweets below.  But, one does stand out.  i do love a cupcake, but ice cream will always win.  i guess i'm biased.  i have a lot of good memories tied to ice cream.  Whenever my dad would pick me up from school, which was not often, he would take me out for ice cream.  Also, i worked at a fabulous, old-fashioned ice cream parlor for a long time.  So, yeah.  i LOVE ice cream.  i also do like a good sorbet.  Preferably lemon. 

Catching Up: Beach, Boats, Birthdays and Booths.

If it has been a bit on the quiet side around here, it's because i've been on the go, A LOT.  It's all been good, but i guess it is time to play a little catch up.

i took a mini vacation a few weeks ago with some pretty rad people.  i absolutely love the little town we stayed in.  It's ridiculously cute and is close to the beach.  It was my second year staying there, and hopefully there will be plenty more summer days spent there in the years to come. 

Zach and i beachin' it up!

Check out my old lady hat.  Isn't it awesome!

When we weren't at the beach, we were walking around the historic district of town, eating some amazing food and gawking at the palmetto bugs.  We did also find some time to tour the battleship housed on the river that runs through the town.  It was pretty sweet.  My favorite parts were the kitchen area and the caged area in which they kept the ice cream, go figure.  Going to see the ship reminded me of being on vacation with my parents, specifically my dad.  If it were up to him, every vacation would have included a stop at some kind of U.S. military ship, anything relating to the Civil War or a cemetery.  My mom voted for a beach every time.  Basically, the entire vacation reminded me of the good times i had while on vacation with my parents.  It made me miss them more than usual.  

inside

the anchor

Over the last month, there have been a lot of birthdays among my group of friends.  Though i do love them all and hope they each had a wonderful birthday, the most important birthday for me was Zach's!  We had a quiet night at home.  Well, it was quiet for me.  i spent most of my time in the kitchen baking his favorite pie.  He had rousing evening playing Call of Duty, of course.

YES!  It's a birthday PIE!

do you see the xbox controller in his lap?

The pie was super yummy, as usual.

After vacation and birthday fun, it was back to work.  Zach and i had a booth at Roebling Fest in Covington, KY.  It is the first real art/craft fair i've done outside my involvement with The Flying Cat.  i do have to say it was very encouraging!    i got a lot of good feedback and interest from the shoppers.  i did pretty well in the sales department as well.  To be honest, i was a bit shocked by that.  Sooooo, since things went so well at Roebling Fest, i am absolutely going to do more of these events!  Don't worry, i'll keep you posted on when and where i'll be setting up shop.

Here we are at our humble little table.

My "roadie," Shannon, tagged along to lend a hand.  You can see her head popping up behind some of Zach's paintings in this picture.

Shannon kept the table looking nice and tidy, and provided some much needed entertainment throughout the long day.  Here she is modeling a custom made bow featuring one of my characters.  It's totally adorable, and so is she!  Thanks for helping, Shannon!

i've been busy, busy, busy but have enjoyed every minute.  i think the next couple of months are going to be pretty busy as well, and i can't wait!  Thanks for stopping by, and check back soon!

-G

Out & About: June 25th

This Saturday, June 25th, is a slightly big day.  i will have a booth at Roebling Fest in Covington, KY.  i will have smaller paintings, prints, buttons, shirts (yes, the croc of love shirts, and yes i do realize i have failed to get them up on etsy.  just hang in there.  they will be up soon.) and some other goodies.  Sooooooo, if you are looking for something fun to do this weekend, stop by and check out the booth, and the other artists that are participating.  Check out the event site for more info and a schedule of bands that will be playing.  My booth will only be up til 6pm.

Also, June 25th is the last day to view "Party Animals" at The Flying Cat, also located in Covington (713 Main Street).  So, if you missed the opening, stop in and check out the artwork!