Hey everyone, back again.  Just thought I'd share a painting I did of my sister.  My Dad's birthday was last Tuesday, and I gave him the portrait I did of myself (see post below) and this one of Jess.  I think already I am improving with oils, getting better at blending and such.  Anyway, my parents really appreciated the gift so I think it was a success.  I plan on continuing doing oil portraits, maybe of celebrities or characters I love.  I'll keep you updated!

Are people still on Blogger?  Rarely?  Yeah I thought so.  Anyway I decided to update this blog because guess what?  Now Molly likes to paint.  I just started but so far it's a lot of fun.  Here are the one's I'm somewhat proud of...

A tiny watercolor of Buster Keaton

A large acrylic painting of a sloth

A medium sized oil painting of myself (my first oil painting ever!)

All right well, maybe see you in another 3 years.  Bye!

Michael Caine

This is a drawing I started about a year ago.  I revisited it recently to make a few improvements with some new tools I have. 

When I look at it all I can see are the flaws, but oh well, at least I drew something!

If you've never watched any old Michael Caine movies, you might not be aware that he was actually a very handsome man once upon a time.  If you need any proof, just watch Alfie, Get Carter or The Ipcress File (his character in that, Harry Palmer, is who this drawing is of).  All are great films staring the very hot Michael Caine.  

Thanks for looking!  I promise more updates in the future!

Happy Easter!!!

From your friends, The California Raisins!



Now go dye some eggs!

Self-Portrait

The very first assignment in my Drawing Fundamentals 2 class was to draw a self-portrait. I don't like the way mine came out, I think I look pretty terrifying and not much like me, but oh well. The Drawing Studio offers a portrait drawing class, which I can't wait to take once this class is done. I'd love to become better at portraits, because I find people to be by far the most interesting things to draw.

Even though I continue to feel very insecure about my drawings, it does make me feel a bit better to look around the class and realize that, though mine could be better, they are still among the top of the class. So maybe school isn't all bad.

P.S. Yes, my hair is that short now, I chopped it all off once again.

Drawing Class

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I'm now taking a drawing class. Originally I was planning on posting everything I drew in the class, but given that we've been drawing the most boring thing imaginable, I decided against it. So, one week before the class ends, I know can show you a few of the things I drew during the course of the class.

One of the first things we did was just drawing a simple ball. Mostly this was to learn about shadows















A much harder exercise we did for homework one night was to draw an onion and a garlic.














Just yesterday I got to draw my Ikea couch- a lesson in perspective.















Overall it's been a really great learned experience. I'm going to take the next class, "Fundamentals in Drawing 2", so hopefully I'll have more drawings to share with you soon.

Happy Birthday, Nico!

This is a card I made for Nico, for his birthday, which is today!!!! So go to his blog and wish him a happy birthday!!

I love you Nico! I hope today you are dancing your cares away, Fraggle style!

Be My Valentine

For all my Blogger friends...


And inside...



I made some other Valentines, too!

This one is for Carl, the love of my life


I made this one for my Dad.


This one's for my Mom.

And last but not least, this Valentine is for Jess and Casey.

Have a happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Proof That Sergio is a God

CLICK ON THIS...

Photo Competition

Congrats, Sergio! We make an awesome team. The wedding is going to rock.

Flower

Last night we had an "Art Jam" party at my house. Lots of friends showed up and created some really amazing art! Everything from painting, needle-felting, drawing, whittling, and even clock making!

I decided to do something pretty easy, so I looked up a picture of one of my favorite Disney characters, Flower, and drew him. I did it free-hand and then water-colored him in. It's not the most creative thing in the world, but I hadn't used watercolors since high school so I wanted to try them out.


I hope we have many Art Jams to come, because I love seeing how artistic all my friends are! Thanks to everyone who came!

Packing-Tape Transfer

I discovered a nifty little craft. It's super easy, takes minutes, and as Jess and I discovered, can be done while bored at work.

Ever wanted to layer images on top of one another? Wanna make a kick-ass collage? Or maybe you want to make a Valentine for Molly but want it to look a little more original than your average Sponge Bob card. Here's your answer: a Packing-Tape transfer. I know, I know, what the hell is that? Well, you copy an image you like and "transfer" it onto another surface, using packing tape. You'll understand more after you read this nifty tutorial I cooked up...

Supplies needed:
• a picture (found in a magazine or printed out)
• clear packing tape
• A bowl of water
• some sort of clear-drying glue, if you intend on pasting the transfer onto something.

First, print out a picture or find one in a magazine you like. (It's best to use a small picture so the tape will cover it all, otherwise you have to use multiple strips and it's more complicated). For this project I chose this awesome hand holding some watches.

Next, get some packing tape, and carefully lay a strip over the image. Rub the tape to make sure it's totally stuck to the picture, and make sure there are no bubbles.

Cut out the image.

Place the image in a cup or bowl full of room-temperature water. Let it sit for a minute or two.

Take the image out of the water, and carefully rub the paper side. The paper will start coming off, slowly revealing your beautiful translucent image! Keep rubbing until you get all the paper off, using water when needed. (Note: Don't put the paper bits down your drain, it will clog)

Now you have a transfer! And it's see-through!

You can put the image on whatever you want. Paper, wood, metal, whatever. I chose a wood box that I painted.

It's so easy! Try it! Try it right now!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Found at my doorstep, in the return envelope I sent him.

Time to buy a frame!

Education

To be completely honest, I don't know much about drawing. I took a few art classes in high school, but didn't learn much there. Anything I've really learned has come from experience when I was a kid, drawing eyes over and over again or doodling on the wall (seriously, for some reason my parents let me have a wall that I could draw on).

Recently I've decided to broaden my horizons and learn the tricks of the trade a little more. So, staring February 8th, I'm taking a class about the "Fundamentals of Drawing" from a place called The Drawing Studio. The classes are 3 hours long, once a week, and I'll be done in late March. When it's over, I might take another class, depending if I like it.

The idea of this is pretty terrifying, seeing as my last experience with school didn't go so well (depression, dropping out, etc). But hey, there are no grades, it's about something I'm interested in, and I'll have more blog posts! To make it even more fun, my sister Jessica and my brother in-law Casey have decided to take the class with me! So even if it turns out to suck we can make fun of it together.

So bear with me people, I might have some boring pictures of "this is a still-life I had to draw for class", but in the end hopefully I'll be better at drawing and have more confidence in myself. Wish me luck!

The Year in Pictures

No, this doesn't have anything to do with drawing. Now that we've gotten that out of the way...

I stole this idea from Nico. It's 2008, summed up by one picture per month.

January

February

March
April

May

June

July

August

September

October
November

December

And my New Year's resolution- to draw more!!!

Engagement Photos

Who says I can't use my blog to plug other people's blogs?

Check it-

Sergio, the best photographer in the world

A taste...


Thank you Sergio and Kelly!

Rabbits.

Here is a snow-bunny Carl and I made up in the White Mountains over the weekend. I had never made a snow-anything before!











And here is a little stuffed guy I made a while back. He was very easy and fun to make! And yes, he is a he despite the dress.

Can you tell I have a thing for rabbits?

Newman

This is not my best work. Let me explain.

When Paul Newman died a few months ago, I decided to draw him. So after a Newman movie fest, I searched the internet and found a photo I thought captured him. Nobody before or after Paul Newman has ever combined vulnerability and complete badass-ness the way he did, so I wanted a picture that really showed that.

What I didn't think about was how hard it is to draw rippling muscles. Seriously. It's time consuming. Next time I'm sticking to faces. If I had more time and patience, I could make this drawing better. Maybe someday I will. But for right now, this blog hasn't had an update in 3 weeks and I'm itching to start something new. So whatever, here this is. I really wish I could have done Paul Newman justice. Oh well.

Happy Belated Halloween!

Carl and I made elements of each costume this year, so I figure I'm allowed to post it on this blog. Having a crafty side can really come in handy during Halloween!

I hope everyone had a great night!

Mr. Wilder

This is a drawing of Gene Wilder that I did about a year ago. I had just finished his memoir, Kiss Me Like a Stranger, and was inspired to draw him. A few minutes ago I mailed said drawing to Mr. Wilder. Well, his agent or something, I guess. I hope to get it back signed. To have a signed drawing of one of my idols would be... amazing.

However, I have heard less than wonderful things about Gene Wilder's willingness to respond to autograph requests. Sometimes your picture gets sent back unopened, sometimes you get a letter that says he just isn't in an "autographing mood". I have this scene replaying over and over in my mind of him receiving my drawing, glancing at it, and throwing it directly in the trash. I will be crushed if I never see my drawing again. I will also be crushed if I get it back unsigned.

Well, here it goes. My friend Alex sent a picture to him a while ago and did get it signed, though it took about 3 months. So this is probably going to be a long wait. I will of course let you all know how it turns out. Wish me luck.

Totally Totes

Last Saturday I had a sewing afternoon with my mother and sister. I own a sewing machine, but have very limited knowledge of sewing, so I wanted to make something easy just to get comfortable with the machine. Jess and I bought some material and made some tote bags. It was incredibly easy! If anyone reading this wants to make one, let me know, I still have the pattern and we could whip one out in about 15 minutes.

Anyway, here is the picture of the tote bag I made. And if you look close, there's even a real live dinosaur foot in the picture! If skulls are more your bag (or tote) than dinosaurs, then check out Jess's awesome tote here.

It may not be perfect, and I wouldn't really trust it to carry more than a few pounds of groceries, but hey, it's a start. Next stop, making Oompa Loompa pants for Halloween. Stay tuned!

I know, I know, this is a drawing blog, not a sewing blog. But sewing is a creative endevour, so deal with it. And I promise soon I will have another drawing up!