A while back I scored a strand each of some chunky rough-cut chalcedony & opal, in gorgeous shades of blue.
This is what chalcedony (a cryptocrystalline! of quartz and morganite!) looks like in the rough.
And this is what Peruvian opal, which is only mined in the Andes, looks like before it is cut.
This is my new necklace.
This is NOT going on Etsy. It's mine!
An interesting dream last night, or rather, in the hours before waking:
I am waiting for a bus, and it is raining. Luckily I am waiting indoors, watching through the big windows in the front of a deserted and empty department store. I am feeling sorry for all the other people at all the other stops along the route, because the bus is terribly late today and not many of the stops have any place to shelter. The sky is absolutely dreary, and it is getting cold and dark.
I always have a sketchbook with me, and my sharpie, so out of habit I take that out and start thinking about what to draw. The room becomes a design class, and on the far wall of this gigantic, abandoned space the professor has written down our assignment for the day. One of my classmates points it out; apparently i've been dawdling or daydreaming instead of doing the work. It is difficult to read, since a.) i am myopic, and it is far away b.) it is in scrawly cursive and c.) it's nigh impossible to read in your dreams. Apparently this is an entirely separate function of the brain.
A moment of clarity: thinking outside of my situation, I realize I am actually somehow able to read and write while dreaming. It's been happening fairly frequently over the past few weeks, where i've been typing something or looking at signs or trying slowly and painfully to write a message (i keep getting distracted or interrupted), so perhaps I've been practicing. I seem to be getting better.
The assignment is a design task: something about drawing an architectural rendering of a business which is rooted in ancient history. What?? and since these are words in a dream, they are quickly gone. I am clever though, and the inspiration comes quickly: an ice cream shoppe in the desert. I remember some elaborate faux factology- did you know, that it was the Ancient Arabian people who invented ice cream? it was made from sweetened and spiced milk and topped with sugared dates. (Sounds excellent, but is that even true?? where would they even get the ice to make such a thing?? how did my brain come up with that? what is this strange affinity i have for middle eastern culture?) Already i'm off, drawing this Arabian ice cream parlor in the desert.
It has arched windows and spires and columns, and elaborate mosaics on the patio. There's some camels chilling outside while the children wait for their treat. I am having a tough time drawing the camel's legs; one is standing at attention and comes out looking a bit lopsided, and the other one is sniffing the ground. I draw a sloppy U shape to represent a saddle or blanket on his back. I can't get the cupola of the roof quite right, and this is seriously aggravating. I realize again, lucidly, how weird it is to be mimicking motor control in a subconscious state. I draw a boy sitting on a mule, and the mule is stealing a lick of sweet cream from a nearby dish. This is exactly the kind of funny thing i might draw even if i were awake.
And then i am awake, and it's really frustrating because i was right in the middle of this great big fantastic artistic effort, and now i have zilch to show for it. You can't take drawings back from dreamtime, you know. So now i have to start all over again..... but it is sort of fascinating, because then i wonder: where do my ideas come from? Maybe what makes me an artist is the ability to to tap into my subconscious, on cue, from my waking life, and then draw from those images and ideas. And now it seems i have somehow managed to do it vice versa, and mimic my waking life and objectivity while in a dream state. neat!
So it's no question that I am a maven of sharpie markers. My particular favorite is the dual tip in black, with a fine and extra fine point; I've got a well-defended stash which is tagged and labeled so i don't lose them, and I've also got a few different colors. When they broke out of the blue red black rut a few years back- oh holy bajeesus, olive, magenta, teal, and PURPLE??- i thought i might die and go to heaven. Actually, with the amount of fumes i breathe in, that is entirely possible, whoops. So it was pretty much inevitable that I'd eventually stumble onto the actual Sharpie website.
Why have i never thought of it before, durrr?
Oh, that's right. Sharpie fumes affecting my brain and all that.
So it turns out you can actually PERSONALIZE your own markers. Duuuude, you don't even know how excited i got about this idea. On the website there's the usual crapola like sappy wedding favors, or some effed up holiday clip art. Blah. What i want? is sharpies with my studio name and logo on them. Or sharpies with my actual line drawings printed on them. The promotional possibilities are endless. I could even turn it into a whole performance dealie where I'm working on a piece in public, and i could sell or give away the actual markers I'm using at the time. Wooo! Exciting!
heh, yeah........ i better lay off the fumes for a while, i think.
I am no stranger to antique shops and kitschy boutiques, especially the ones that feature vintage jewelry, handbags, gloves, and accessories. I've noticed that the "fascinator" is starting to make a fashion comeback, at least stateside; on the other side of the pond, hats and hair decorations have been the standard for fancy dress since forever and ever.
Basically it's a piece of millinery, larger than a barrette, and smaller than a hat, featuring flowers, rhinestones, and feathers. Sometimes they have a veil or piece of tulle, and they look hot hot hot with some chic red lipstick : ) You might remember old photos of your grandmother (or great grandmother) wearing something like it when she was dressed up, or movie stars who used to rock the look in the 40's and 50's.
If you look up "fascinator" on etsy you'll find loads of designers selling them for upwards of fifty bucks, or more, depending on detail and craftsmanship. I wanted one of my own, but i was having none of that. So i did a quick run to the craft store to get some basic supplies, and then dug around in my stash to see what else I might add. Here's the result:
Ok, I admit; I was a little overzealous with the hot glue gun with this one, but it still looked pretty fabulous when I wore it to a wedding we attended last weekend. A lot of the older women there cooed about how they remembered their aunties and mothers having them once upon a time, which was super fun to hear.
I think I'll be making more of these and possibly selling them in my shop. What colors do you all like?
12:30 PM
What's this?? An empty easel??!
What a rip off.
Matilda the Guinea Pig says, "I found some canvases under here, mummy! you can paint on these!"
Ugmoe the Rabbit agrees.
But I don't really feel like painting today. And look at my worktable! it's a friggin' disaster!
Well, i mean, a CREATIVE disaster. But I need somewhere to work just the same.
That's better. 
I think I'll do a drawing today. Get back to basics; just me, a sharpie marker, and an unwitting sheet of paper. Who knows what will become of us?? Only the next couple hours will tell......
It's still art though.
Behold: my badass twin-tip sharpie marker! and so artfully photographed!
I am unstoppable.
First things first: draw a border with the fat end of the sharpie. I kind of eyeball it to be around 5x7 inches, since 5x8 (the size of the card) is kind of useless. And i don't use a ruler, because that would be cheating, and i like my lines to look kind of screwy.
Now comes the tough part..... what to draw??
1:15 PM
Kay, let's start with some heads.
And then things begin to make more sense....
This is one of those moments where i have to stop and do some complex thinking. I rarely plan out a drawing ahead of time, so I have to consider how I'm going to draw the pose. And because i can't erase, if i screw this shit up then i have to start all over. Not a huge loss at this point, but still sucky.
Sometimes this involves some gesturing or flailing around to get it just right. Meet my imaginary bunny rabbit, everyone!
Since i have been known to work on these drawings in public- say, the subway or in a cafe- I have occasionally gotten strange looks from people because i was pretending to have mermaid fins or an invisible squirrel on my shoulder.
Ok, i think i got the hands right. Or at least good enough!
So then i gave the girl some long, straight hair.
Added some details to the eyes.....
2:00 PM
I have this idea to draw a moon in the sky, but i don't feel like drawing a circle. i mean, I CAN draw a pretty perfect looking circle, but i'm a lazy mofo.
So i'm cheating, with whatever is kicking around on the messy table.
This will do.
The rabbit gazes at the new moon in the paper sky.
I added a few touches to the girl's gaze, as well.
And some more rabbity details.
Maybe i'll just spraypaint it instead!!
har har, just kidding. I think the sharpie fumes are getting to me.
(By the way, don't try that at home, especially with a fresh sharpie. In the time it took to snap a picture, i was definitely feeling woozly.)
Ugmoe decided to get in on the action. "Oh hai," he says, "what are you drawin'?"
And when i showed him, he made this goofy face.
I guess everybuns a critic.
Badump-ching!
And then I drew an "aura", i guess you would call it.
I dunno really why i do this.
Actually, i do, and it is for a couple reasons: it sort of flattens out & separates the main figures, which I like, and contrasts them with the background.
The other reason is a little more esoteric. When i was *ahem* "studying" street art, one of the basic elements of almost every piece is the "force field". It kinda serves a practical aesthetic purpose, but also has these pseudo-mystical connotations; in a way it's meant to protect the finished painting.
So I've always liked to include that, even though i can hear my old illustration professors huffing and sneering about it.
A thoroughly markerfied sky.
Girl, why don't you smile more?
That's better.
Rendering some patches of rabbit fur:
And then a couple of details, like a locket for the bunny to wear.
And there we have it, all finished!
As always, thanks for hanging out with me while i draw, guys.
Oh, what's this on my doorstep?
Something from Hong Kong! I love getting international packages.
oooh, what's inside?
Apparently they have mistaken me for somebody else. harhar.
Aha! it's something i bought on etsy.
Some bronze filigree.....
And some wooden hoops.
Which i think will be pretty useful for making jewelry : )
Got my hair cut this morning (tres couture paris, 1920), so OF COURSE I had to take the opportunity to ham it up a little.
12:15 PM
Hey! So every Monday I'm going to be doing a live art piece, and share the work-in-progress on my blog.
This week has a theme, because I've been meaning to keep up with Illustration Friday; this week it's FIERCE. And since I happen to be pretty fierce, I figured this would be an awesome week to try it out!
So here's the canvas, a medium sized 18x24 incher which has been sitting on my easel the past couple hours, TAUNTING ME.
I'm not taking any of that crap, not from a canvas. Eff you, mister blank canvas. Raaahr!
(back in 15; gotta get some stuff together!)
kay. First things first, gotta get warmed up. I need to feel..... fiercer.
Warpaint, pigtails, lipstick, hawt jewelry, check!
Stripey stockings, purple shoes? check check.
Very ferocious Dancey-Dance? You know it.
What has this got to do with art? Gotta get in the mood. I'm feeling the hot pink and orange, i think.
So then we need the usual, less exciting supplies:
ok, time to stop goofing around, and get to work!
Speaking of fierce creatures.....
To stick the tissue to the canvas, i'm going to rip it into little bits, and then spread clear Matte Medium all over it to make it stick.
I painted some on the canvas, and then stick the paper on. Then i paint some medium on top of the paper, too, to seal it in.
Hopefully this will make the canvas less bumpy, since that's a pain in the ass to draw on later.
It's getting yellower!
So now i'm taking all this ripped up tissue paper and adding it on top of the other tissue paper. The effect is hella rad.
This is what it looks like so far.
I think it's pretty awesome just as it is, but it's definitely not FIERCE enough yet. I have plans, however......
If i stick the tip of my finger just a little in front of the nozzle, i get some sweet splatter blows.
I also like to let it drip a little.
Art is an extension of oneself: true dat.
First, get the brush super wet.....
....and then glop on the paint, and watch it dribble down the canvas.
Gravity is so cool, heh.
I think we need some polka dots, yeah!
Drips and polka dots in fearsome technicolor!
The next part is gonna be so cool......
I've decided to start drawing, so i got out my pigment sticks.
A figure begns to emerge....
And shes a fierce little pin up hussy! ooh la la!
Getting there......
I like how it says "Manga" next to her butt, teehee.
And as a special surprise for eFairy (because it was her suggestion), she's now a ROLLER GIRL!
Awwww, i know.
But what do you guys think? I'm open to sggestions. i think I'm going to leave her as just a line drawing, and maybe just add a couple of touches of color here and there. But i think it's mostly done : )
Once AGAIN, thanks to everybody who took time out of their day today to come see me make a dork out of myself, and thank you all so much for your comments and encouragement! I will definitely be doing another painting next monday, so feel free to offer some suggestions of what you'd like to see. I'll be posting a few more times before then with loads of other artistic exploits.
And one last time: RAAAAHR!
So, I haven't been so very bloggy this week, due to some fabulous misadventures in Maine, and the fact that the gallery was trying to steal my soul. Four workdays standing around for no good reason makes Annie a very grumpy girl.
I did make friendly with a new artist, though. Her name is Jen Maestre, and we have a few things in common: we both went to MassArt, we both like making stuff out of unexpected and unconventional materials, and her studio happens to be in the next town over from where I grew up (and i'm invited to go visit, squeee!). Oh, and she likes beadwork- and we all know i love beads- so there's another thing. But anyways, her work blows my freaking mind. Check out this sculpture:
Here's her website. She also has an Etsy, where she sells these amazing jewelry pieces made out of laminated & sliced up colored pencils.
Drool. Just drool. I bought a pair of earrings and rocked them in the gallery the other day. I think we might be looking into carrying her work now : )
In other art news: TOMORROW IS MONDAY, AND YES, I AM DOING ANOTHER LIVE PAINTING! I noticed some people were bummed last week because they missed some of the action, so I wanna make sure you all know when to check in and see what I'm up to. I'll be starting tomorrow at noon sharp, because I have a plan and I want to prepare a few things first.
So see you all tomorrow : )
11:00 AM
Ok, here we go. I'll be updating this entry, every 15-30 minutes or so, as I add more and more to may new painting. Right now it's a large, intimidatingly BLANK canvas just chillin' on my easel. But i work fast so it shouldn't take too long.
First i need a few things, which i took the liberty of photographing earlier:
The Canvas, of course. 
Lots of Paint. I ain't picky. I buy the 50 cent stuff at AC Moore, heh.
Paintbrushes (while i'm cheap on paint, i will spend major dineros on these. I'll also use whatever's at the hardware store, though, haha.)
Clean water. Two jars, because i'm lazy and i hate getting up to get clean water.
I wash & save all my styrofoam trays, they make handy paint palettes : )
Some serious moxie, and a large brush, haha
Squirt some right on there.....
Get the brush wet:
spread it around.....
New color!
Working fast now.... i haven't even rinsed off my brush.
Interesting.
because i work fast, it's still wet, though, so if i want to add anything else the paint will turn to mud.
I am impatient, so i got out my hairdryer.
The rabbit wants to know what all the ruckus is about.
Then i threw on some bright green.
What do you think so far?
Here's a trick: get the brush REALLY WET:
Then glop the water all over some fresh paint, and let it run down the canvas.
Mmm, drippy.
How about a bronze border?
And then some blue paint, for a little punch....
And then i added some purple. Here's the finished underpainting.
Let's not spazz out on paint fumes TOO MUCH, k?
Golden microcosms.
Goldfinger!
Splatterpainty! like supernovas and stardust.
Told you i work fast!
This is going a little slower than usual, because have to stop and take photos and edit/ upload them. But i'm enjoying documenting my process, so.
Anyways. Time to draw something.
These remind me of nerve endings. I like scientific / organic forms.
And a figure begins to emerge......
I had a moment of inspiration right here.... what to do with the other arm....? I like to make my stuff a little edgy, but not too serious. At first i thought it would be an angel, but that's wicked cheesy.
I thought maybe it would be interesting to have the figure holding some balloons. That lead to ->Helium-> Molecules. And then my brain went all haywire, and the concept came together. Just like that. Just now.
An expression takes shape.
firming up some linework:
Time for black paint, and a fine brush:
Painting in the linework
There she is.
the linework is finished....
I started filling up the balloons : )
Can't let the girl go nekkid, now can we?
All smiles....
Painting in some flesh tones:
And some vivid hair!
It's getting there.....
Hey, remember when this was WHITE?? hehe.
Girl can't go out without her makeup.
Check out the copper & gold highlights.
Touching up the lines i smudged....
Adding some details:
Ready for her closeup....
Almost finished!
I'm going to add a few details here and there, along the molecule/ helium theme. Maybe some diagrams drawn in the background.
Now that i look at her, she eerily resembles a girl i worked with at the gallery, which is kind of funny.
So, i'm kinda tired. I'm going to take a break for a bit and have some dinner, and later tonight i'll post the completed painting! Thank you so much to everybody who came by and cheered me on and put up with my gazillion pictures, hahaha. This was so much fun! You guys are awesome.
So, WOW. I am tireder than i thought, and it's dark out so the light in the studio sucks, so I decided to hold off on adding more until tomorrow. I will be adding a few more details to the piece because it's nagging at me, it's not really finished. I mean, it could go on forever and ever, but there are still a few elements which I'd like to tweak.
Here's another photo of the piece; and a goofy one of me after i got all cleaned up to go out to dinner.
(Notice Matt's handpainted robot clocks in the background; we're both super artsy, hahaha.... clockzilla.etsy.com! )
Aside from that, I can't even tell you how fantastic it is to get all this wonderful feedback from you guys, plus all the discourse about art and creativity that's been happening. So! Awesome!
Next monday is also an art day, so if you guys want to see more of me painting in my studio, I'm all for it. Be there or be square! I'd really like to do this kind of thing regularly, and maybe throw in a few contests / giveaways/ tutorials in the future. I am totally open to ideas, so bring em on! : )
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