Thursday, January 21, 2010

san francisco: 50% off at pearl art!


Yes, 50% off EVERYTHING at Pearl Art & Craft in San Francisco! Sadly, it's because they're going out of business, but... I guess it's been going on for 2 weeks already, so go with an open mind and lots of money in the meter. All the paintbrushes were gone, and really, not a single one was left, but there was still a lot in the pastel/charcoal department. And tons of scotch tape and embroidery floss. Unfortunately, I got the wrong size blades for my rotary cutter, which at 50% was still around 26$, but lesson learned for being too greedy.

Other than stocking up on boring essentials like my favorite pad-paper, Windmill Power, I also got two sets of Unison Pastels, and a walnut wood empty Schmincke (I love spelling that, and I mean it) pastel box because I need to take better care of my loose sticks. And because it was 50% off.

forgotten drawings


Hey, look what I found while packing up for my new drawing class!

Finding these two still zipped up in my carrying portfolio was kind of a shock; last night I was running around, getting all my materials together, I yanked my drawing board out of my bag, and there they were. Like time had frozen in there. I didn't even recognize them at first, but they were the drawings I did on the day I decided would be my last class. I guess the class just got old for me; I felt stuck, and was no longer interested. Normally, you can take these kinds of classes over and over, because more practice will only make you better—it's not like repeating the same math class—but it was just too much of the same: the same exercises, assignments, people, and teachers. Though I do miss S + D!

My camera "intelligent auto"-focused on her breasts as the face!


What Santa would look like nude. Possibly wearing panties. Sorry.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Bent Objects


Hee hee, have you seen these? This guy Terry Border takes fruits and leaves and things and makes them into little characters. Kind of like Play With Your Food [I loved them for many years] but with more of a storyline, and with a more clever sense of humor.

There are other funny ones on The Huffington Post and posted on his own blog (brain-eating peanut zombies, cupcakes being dangled by their feet over a bowl of sprinkles for an OXO campaign), but my favorite is this one with the lemons. He calls it "Mail Order Bride," which I guess is a euphemism for a blow-up doll... But it's so cute—I mean check out the chair wedged under the doorknob!! Ha! So eager yet innocent. It's Lars and the Real Girl.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

...Ooooor not.

So everything had to come back down 2 days later; after an hour and a half of measuring, math, and ladder climbing that night. Why? Because the owner of the location remembered that they'd wanted to put a mirror there, but actually chose not to tell us before, or even while we were working because he--get this--felt bad! Felt bad because we "were working so hard"!

I guess he'll feel better now, now that we have to do it all over again?

The background story, though, before I forget: One of the owners of a soon-to-be-opening restaurant mentioned giving me wall space for my art after she saw some of my work. I was excited, but didn't want to get tooo excited until it seemed a little more for sure, so of course when she wanted a confirmation from me 10 days before she wanted them hung up, I had nothing ready. Since I mostly draw (on paper), I knew I'd have to get stuff framed if I wanted to use something I already had, but the last time I took something to a professional framer [Frame-O-Rama, and it turned out beautiful and awesome, with the best customer service ever!], it took about 3 weeks, so I knew I didn't have time for that [though I later realized that that was mainly because I'd had a frame custom made], so I thought I'd do a painting instead. A pair of paintings, even. Because that wasn't overly ambitious or anything, especially not for someone who'd dropped her second and last painting class partly because it was too scary.

Those 10 days were sleepless and stressful, because of course they centered right around the new year, and it seemed like all anyone wanted to do was get together and hang out. I did not have time for this! It took everything in me to not to spend any time doing nothing (a direction my body and brain tend to gravitate towards); if I wasn't playing hard, I should be working hard, and after a lot of good work, frustration, and lessons learned (there were some tears), I finally ended up with two pieces I was happy with, and just in time. [And I learned to mat and frame, too! It was actually a relief to do something so black and white by that point.]

So the night of, I took Tom to check out the restaurant so we could figure out how we were going to hang everything, but the wall she showed me last time had a gigantic blackboard on it now. I was like oh my god, what if she didn't think i was doing it anymore because i hadn't kept her updated enough? It turned out she'd decided to give me this other wall, which I wasn't initially happy with, but Tom brought up the good point that the pieces would be more visible from the outside here, so when we were done I was all excited and proud, but not as whew! i'm done! as I'd expected.

And now I think my body must've known we'd have to take everything back down in less than 48 hours! AND find a new place for it.

The restaurant, being mostly windows, actually has very little hangable wall space, and the biggest piece of wall left is behind the bathroom door. The owner was like, "Oh, I thought it might be a cute wall for the painting, since it's smaller and will fit the painting better," and I was like ...n--no. Yeah, as she pointed out, the door's not going to stay open ever, but it's still...The Wall Behind The Bathroom Door. I felt kind of hurt that something I'd worked on so much was being stuffed in this little dark corner. Insulted. So I decided I had to speak up for myself and my work and I said that honestly, I didn't like the idea at all and that I preferred the pieces right where they were, but since she was the boss, I didn't think she was really asking for my permission to move them. And then the little drawing she suggested would be "great" on this other skinny column of a wall, in front of which there'd be counter seating. I said but it'll be right up in someone's face, and way too close to food for my comfort, and she was like, "Well we can just hang it up higher," which would make the halfway height of it at around 70". I mean the little drawing, as she herself pointed out earlier, has to be seen up close to really be seen, and wasn't the whole point of this project to give me space to display--and hopefully sell--my work? They are not here for your decor!

Anyway, I cut them down and brought them home, to be hung after the restaurant setup is closer to being finalized. At least I can take pictures of them now! I can't believe I didn't manage to get any photos of them finished before I took them in, but I guess I had a million other things to think about near the end. Just waiting for a bright day; it's been really grey here lately.

Friday, January 8, 2010

The deed is done!




Details to come. Time for some ramen.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Monday, January 4, 2010

Ballpoint Lilies




Ballpoint pens are really fun to draw with! Paper♥Mate blue is my favorite.