Friday, June 29, 2007
Zen & the Art of Sea Life
I'm smitten with sea life right now. Maybe it's the summer, maybe it's living in Los Angeles, maybe it's the straight forward beauty and intricacy. I'm almost finished with the octopus painting, and hopefully I will get to go to the aquarium this weekend so that I can sketch and photograph some from life. When I used to work at an aquarium, I would sit in the tunnels on my breaks and watch the oversized kelp tank brimming with phosphorescent light and zen life. That must be it, my romance with sea life: the zen of it all.Labels: arts+crafts
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Projects
More for my own purposes than for your readership, but I'm always inspired by other people's working projects.
- writing: 30 stories in 30 days @ Anthologie
- The Story of Shoes
- redesigning this site
- developing a portfolio for either school admission or professional use
- one-line/ink drawings everyday
- paintings
- reading 8 books this summer
- making skirts with my friend Alanna (the fabrics below from ReproDepot make this project even more enticing)
- a hexagonal afghan inspired by this one that I'm over the moon for
   Labels: arts+crafts, lists
In A Teacup
I really hate it when I go home after work and spend the rest of my day vegged out in front of the TV eating. So I never do this; instead, I line up evening classes and most recently have been creating a multitude of personal projects to move towards the creative life and careers I want. Last night, after Ryan & I took our first evening walk around the neighborhood like the geriatrics that we are, we put on Barbarella (which I found out to my dismay and amusement, is a Jane Fonda sci-fi erotica) and I set up to paint. I've been so inspired by all the fabulous fairytale art on Etsy, and have been itching to start painting again. I finished an octopus painting that I might still put a few touches on after the oil dries for a bit, and started my first acrylic painting -- which is what you see above. I've been painting with oil since well before I could drive, but this was my first time making a painting out of acrylic. I loved it for its ease and opacity, but it does NOT like to blend well. It's definitely been fun though, and I am itching to get home today and continue working on this piece. I'm looking forward to churning out quite a few, so friends might as well start expecting art for their birthdays.
I also watched all of Amelie again for what seems like a century. Suddenly, I realized not only had I forgotten all the nuances of my favorite film -- I had left all the magic and baggage tied up with this time and this experience. As the opening sequence rolled, I remembered seeing it for the first time in the small arts theater with my best friend Cathy and her boyfriend at the time. She let me play with her high-tech-at-the-time 2 megapixel camera and I took these pictures of the red ruched curtains inside. Overwhelmed with emotions and memories stirring, then I remembered each of the subsequent times I saw it in the theaters (I believe 4 total), and how each time I shared it with a different friend like a secret hiding place (since it was very under-the-radar at the time). And OH the nostalgia of my senior year of high school - the romantic parts of course - all the potential of applying to college, and being in love for the first time, and the years to come and the time to be and choose anything you wanted to be!
Not only was Amelie a transformative film in my life, it's a time capsule of a transformative time in my life. What's funny is that I always write off high school as a miserable time, oppressive and repressive, a time to hold it inside how much you terribly hated the politics and the people who won the most votes and adoration. It's nice to remember that there were actually moments where I felt infinite.Labels: arts+crafts, films
Monday, June 25, 2007
I Love My Boyfriend Pie
I made a blueberry pie with vanilla crumble topping tonight for our 17 month anniversary. We don't really celebrate these monthiversaries, but we're game for any occasion to have decadent food! If you look at the recipe, you might notice that I substituted almond paste/marzipan for vanilla paste and flax seeds because that's what I found at Trader Joe's. Turns out almond paste is probably something thicker, so my topping mix came out to be more frosting-like than crumb-like. I got a chance to use the new/old food processor my mom passed down to me though, and that was terribly exciting! Also, I might have added a bit too much sugar to the blueberry filling, but it was still sooo good warm with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.
Being with this adorable boy is better than all the warm blueberry pies and decadent vanilla ice cream in the world.
 Labels: foodie call, love
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Melrose Trading Post
One of the pair of old photos I found today at the Fairfax flea market. I just love his dashing little hat and his serious face. The lady who sold it believes it to be Civil War era. I also picked up two framed pieces of art, a beaded 1920s purse (I'm giving as a present, shhh), a milk glass bud vase and another red purse. I love the flea market.Labels: vintage finds
Saturday, June 23, 2007
B&W Vignettes around my apartment
Labels: domestic goddess, photolog
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Gold Shoes
 Labels: the story of shoes
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Don't Fly Away
The Illustrator self-portrait drawing I did for the Illustrator class. Certainly very idealized and cartoonized. This could all be so much easier if I just painted it by hand!
Anyway, I dropped the life drawing class at the community college because the caliber of the students were just far below what I had expected. I don't know why I'm surprised. Instead, I'm going to work on my Story of Shoes project along with just drawing everyday in my sketchbook and working through an anatomy book, and possibly doing a few of Andrew Loomis' books. Then in the fall, I will most likely take a life drawing class at Art Center.
There's a lot on my mind right now, always about all the potential that lays ahead of me (and the twentysomething young). What a blessing and burden it is to be young and having all the doors open to you.Labels: career jar
Monday, June 18, 2007
Alright Already, We'll All Float On
Non sequitur entry by category for your reading pleasure:
- The Weekend. Despite starting off the weekend crappily (see entry below), I actually had a pretty pleasant time. I paid all my car bills, had brunch at the Lazy Daisy next door as I got my smog checked, watched Knocked Up which was as good as the hype, drew my self-portrait in pencil then in Illustrator (honestly, drawing and painting it in real life is SO MUCH easier and more artistically intuitive than on Illustrator), had Father's Day brunch with my family, and I had my usual quarter-life crisis case of the Sunday nights. We decided to go down to San Diego next weekend, when Ryan's mom will be visiting, and also when more of my friends will be in town. Which left me very happy to not be on a four hour drive. I love easy, lazy weekends.
- Waitress. I realized I never raved about Waitress. There were all these plans to dedicate a whole entry to Waitress and my new pie obsession (that appears to be subsequently squelched by my first experience with bitter Key Lime Pie). I loved Waitress. It was adorable and poppy and dark and smart and heart-wrenching and true; I nearly cried through the whole entire film and I never do that! The film was amazing, and I think what really kicked me while I was down was that I heard an interview with Andy Griffith on NPR a month before the film came out, and they were discussing (the director & writer) Adrienne Shelly's murder and how she had stated before in interviews that this film was a love letter to her 3-year-old daughter. Yeah, my heart was pretty much a pile of disintegrated sparkles.
- Grocery shopping. Now I just want to go grocery shopping and make myself a bunch of great lunches and dinners for the week with the new/old food processor I got from my mom. This is a good thing as last week we were suffering a severe case of the food ennui. Thanks to Flickr groups like Veggie Dinner Plate, Vegetarian Times' website, and Vegan Lunchbox. Do you have any foodie sites you'd like to share?Labels: daily, films
Friday, June 15, 2007
Just Trying to Survive...
I ate so much junk food today I can just feel the arteries clogging up. Because I've been haunted by a migraine headache for the best of this work week, I wanted to stave it off this morning by eating. Yogurt, a tall iced soy chai latte and a lowfat blueberry apricot muffin (which just means 400 calories instead of 700). Then I felt so disgusting. I made myself feel better by going shopping on my break and reassuring myself that it's ok as long as I still fit into an XS. At Old Navy, which really means I'm only size 3 months pregnant. Seriously, has anyone been to Old Navy lately? Things are adorable, but everything, EVERYTHING looks like and is sized for maternity clothing. Let's be honest, I'll take the XS whenever I can get it, but sometimes I want it to mean something.
Then lunch of Santa Fe Rice & Beans, fries, and a big slice of Ann-is-going-to-overeaters'-hell. Which is of course, washed down with a brown sugar cinnamon cupcake from the nearby cupcake shop and a cup of strawberry flavored guilt & nausea. Did I mention nausea is a side effect of this haunting migraine?
Mmm...I'm thinking eating out at thai food for dinner. I would be looking forward to the weekend, except that I'm pretty sure we already have 6 hours dedicated just to driving back and forth from San Diego on Saturday and to OC on Sunday for Dio de Diablos. Which translates to Father's Day in my family.Labels: i care what you had for lunch, the blahs
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Cinderella Flats
 Labels: the story of shoes
Bloom Where You're Planted
On top of all my summer goals (including 30 stories in 30 days on Anthologie), I'm also starting my first sketchbook series. Since I suck at drawing feet and shoes, I'm going to draw all my shoes and write each one's brief history. The project will be called "The Story of Shoes" and documented here.
Lately I've just been so inspired by all the great blogs and resources by (and for) illustrators out there. Check out DrawAnyway.com and the Illustration Friday Blog for some inspiration.
Now I've got to delve into the deliciously thick pile of books I checked out from the library today, including Jeffrey Yamaguchi's 52 Projects. Reviews soon. Or join me on GoodReads.Labels: arts+crafts, books, photolog, the story of shoes
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Anthologie
Psst...you can see my current public writing project with one of my best friends, Gina, at Anthologie. Don't forget to write!
Also, coming up will be a new and freshly updated art portfolio including photo series from my last year in school. Since the photos and drawings up now are from when I was in middle school through high school, which was almost 10 years ago. Which is sad.Labels: arts+crafts, writing craft
Monday, June 11, 2007
Good Grief, Miss Ann!
On this particularly cloudy June morning, I find myself in the middle of a dense fog called Too Much Information (TMI). Now you may find yourself caught in a TMI moment in which a friend/coworker/passerby/person-behind-you-in-line asks too many questions and reveals too much about him/herself, but this fog of TMI is very very different.
While many design, crafty, homemaker blogs are very entertaining and often times enlightening and inspiring, I am finding myself just inundated with information. (It's not anybody's fault but my own, since writing this entry I just visited four different crafter/illustrator's blogs!) Don't get me wrong, I love artists' & crafters' blogs since there is nothing better than sharing information on how we're all getting along and doing the things we'd love to make a living doing. But just today, I was suddenly struck with how behind and often hopeless this makes me feel!
Sometimes living information might be too much of a good thing. I'm proposing to myself a week of actually living & doing, instead of a week of "How-To". By this, I'm going to only give myself a limited amount of time each day to soak in as much illustration/blogging/crafty goodness before I'm forcing myself to turn onto my own work. All other time will be consumed by reading books (static information might actually help), writing short stories, and drawing/painting every single day. I mean it, missy! Confessing this here is an attempt to make myself accountable.
Every so often, I give myself a lot of grief about this lack of activity but by compartmentalizing what it is I'd rather fill my time with, I think I'll be able to actually DO instead of absorb. It only takes 21 days to make a habit.
All this thinking and grief was prompted by a very full weekend, and a very good base of inspiring friends who sometimes I fall out of touch with for too long. But they always bring me back to myself.
I sincerely hope you have that too.Labels: career jar, the blahs
Sunday, June 10, 2007
From the Weekend
"I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'" -- Kurt VonnegutLabels: good things, losangeles, quotes
Friday, June 08, 2007
The Freakin' Weekend
I am so HAPPY it is the weekend! This past week has been insane at work, knocking my personal life out of whack because of irregular rhythms, which are not all bad, but I am definitely appreciating a break from work. Now if only I could plan out a decent mini-break for the summer so I can really take a break...
Professionally, though it has been a draining week, it has also been fantastic in that I landed my first proposal! So now that I've earned my keep at work, and feel adequately safe on the streets of LA now that Paris Hilton is behind bars once again...I have a bunch of things I want to do this weekend in celebration. CELEBRATION OF FUN! With last weekend all cooped up indoors because of Ryan's cold, and this past crazy work week, I am ready to be reckless and actually relax.
Things I want to do this weekend:
- go to a karaoke bar!
- go to the Museum of Jurassic Technology!
- read out in the sun (with 55 SPF on, of course)!
- shop SJP's new line Bitten!
- finish reading a book!
- illustrate things & play with my scanner!
- decadent breakfast at Urth!
- see Waitress & Paprika!
Out of all the creative advice books, the most important thing to note would be to SEPARATE your creative work time from your relaxation time (which might actually include creative work). I know it's hard for me to sit down and read a magazine or book without feeling guilty that I should be writing a short story or doodling in my sketchbook, which is the WORST FEELING EVER since now something fun seems like WORK.
RELAX YOUR WEEKENDS, friends. I just bought a new vintage dress from Wasteland and popped a multi-vitamin; I'm ready to rock.Labels: daily, lists
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Magenta on the Brain
Also known as Coxcomb, but it's much more interesting to call it My Brain on Open Examination (picked up at the Farmer's Market today). I do love bizarre flowers.
In a completely unrelated note, here are my summer goals:
1. Do 1 month's worth of short stories prompted by 3 AM Epiphany
2. Read 6 books (or more!)
3. Participate in Illustration Friday!
4. Learn Illustrator
5. Take life drawing
6. Develop online photography & illustration portfolio
7. Start a novel draft
8. Read (and possibly do) The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
9. See a bunch of good films
10. Write/illustrate a children's book
I just (finally!) bought a scanner, which I should be receiving tomorrow. I am beyond excited because this means so many things in terms of developing as an illustrator! I'm also very (geekily) excited because I just put three books on hold that will be available for pick-up at my local library. Say what you will about the cons of L.A., but I'll be happy as long as the public library stays amazing!Labels: lists, losangeles, photolog
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Six Things
Just short and sweet today as the weekend was oddly consuming and I have my first Illustrator class tonight; six things you might not know about me:
1. I secretly like hiking.
2. I'm a vegetarian.
3. I boycott Forever 21 for its corrupt business practices.
4. I hate celery, onions and cilantro.
5. I've had three jobs since I graduated college. (I plan to stay at this one).
6. I obsessive-compulsively count things (street lights, trees, lane reflectors) when I'm driving.
Dear readers, wherever you are, feel free to share six things about yourself.Labels: about me, lists
Saturday, June 02, 2007
There is enough time to be everything you want to be.Labels: photolog, quotes
Friday, June 01, 2007
A Dog's Life
I forgot to mention last week, after all the hubbub of dog health & animal hospitals, that I received a call in the afternoon from the vet that confirmed that Lucy doesn't have cancer. She just had a really bad infection.
Whew. Now we can all rest easy; Lucy's already got a head start.Labels: dogs
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