hi

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Saturday, April 26, 2008

dressed like a villain

Feel much better, my cough is even starting to subside. That is good.

Even managed to get up early and get to school on time to print out the handouts for my presentation. I rock! I had extra time in fact so I called mom and we chatted.

My presentation, I think, went well. Stuttered a little bit but I always do. Had lots of material and knew what I was going over and showed a nice bit of Mirrormask. This was one of the few classes where we were there up until the last minute. Squeezed a lot out of it.

Left my keycard at home so I had to go get it. I am getting sick of my commute. I love biking and totally plan to continue to do it, I would just like a break. Or not have so many double bike trips.

Work went really quick. Had to locate my OTHER broom. I left out extra toilet paper because I'm sure there will be more people coming and going in the studios than normal over the weekend and coming week. Matt gave me a scare when I was changing the trash. I was in my head not paying attention and he went "boo" and I said a swear and he laughed. JERK FACE. Chatted with Andy who is doing these spectacular abstract paintings. Morgan is up to his normal Morganity. That dude is awesome.

Almost done with Rent Girl. Mostly reading it just because I heard so many females loathed it. It just seems like a sort-of cut and paste story. Nothing too original or ground breaking yet. Has its moments but meh.

Took yet another nap with Ibanez when I got home. I don't think I am low on iron, just low on sleep.

I didn't have much motivation to work in the evening. I am giving myself this time to recover from illness. And to ponder how to wear my trench to optimize awesome.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

REFRIDGERON - DISASSEMBLE!


I met Nicholas Gurewitch, the creator of Perry Bible Fellowship. He was doing a signing at Floating World Comics so I stopped by. He signed my copy of The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories. We chatted a little but I was really jittery and starstruck. Waaah! So exciting. He dug my name and my bike helmet and was eager to show me the hidden 42's in his work. Tee hee. When I asked about taking a photo with him, he asked if he could wear my helmet. Hee hee. I love his work so much. He was sweet, more soft spoken than I thought. I'll see him again at Stumptown. Maybe then I will have calmed down.

Critique went smoothly. As in it was a pretty recognized fact that my big blue mess wasn't all that successful. But I had my little drawings up as well so some nice dialogue was started. Sara called my work "Illustrator-y" and "conventional". As in, drawing figures in outlines and with washes is conventional. Seemed like she was suggesting I find a whole new way of drawing figures. Uhm okay? Modou said it was more classical than conventional, which I took as a compliment but it sort of wasn't? I guess maybe because I wasn't being Avant Garde or "new" with how I presented them? Eh I don't really care. My critiques have never really been in depth into the structure of them and Sara always mentions something about it being hard to critique my work because I am an Illustrator. I think she doesn't like Illustrators. Well, if she likes my work then I might actually be worried about it. She can be closed minded. That's okay. She can keep to her highly conceptual work that is just a big mess of cute and I'll keep to my comics.

Ibanez and I took a three hour nap when I got home.

Painting was a brief critique of our final pieces thus far. I don't think I will tweak the one of Llyw until I get everything done. If I try to make it as good as Robin's and then the next ones blow Robin's out of the water then I'll have to do more reworking. I'll just see where they are when I get the portraits done.

Didn't get much time to rest at home before going to Floating World Comics. Due to the amount of bike riding I have done today, my hair is so wind blown and cool looking. I finished my little report on Neil Gaiman for Comic Lit tomorrow. Now I am going to make myself some dinner, try and digest as much From Hell as possible, and then write about it. If it wasn't for the nap, I would be so dead right now.

Tomorrow I have my presentation and work. After work I might print, just to get it out of the way early. Saturday is Stumptown Comics Fest. Then it is Sunday and next week is Spring Focus Week. In two weeks time I have to: paint two portraits, draw up more comic pages then I would like to admit to, paint something for Art History, and finish up my printing. Focus week is the cram week. And by cram I mean hunched over drawing and painting and printing week.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

the list shortens


I am covered with the blood of printmakers. Ink everywhere! But I am now half way done with the mostly final project in printmaking. Just have to run off some prints of my reworked plates and then that is it.

So yeah, long long day in printmaking. I got my aluminium. Photocopied both my images. Put the first image on. It went on without a hitch. I was very worried too. Seemed like it could have easily gone horribly wrong (it did for another person). But it didn't. Came back from lunch and etched it. Cut my paper. Rolled up the ink. Prepared everything. And I printed. From about 2:30 to 4:30. Which really isn't all that long but it is two solid hours where I couldn't stop because stopping would mean the plate might dry out. Can't have that. The red ink went onto the paper much nicer than the black. It was also my own mix of red and not straight from the can so that made it extra special. It was a rich and bright red. A lovely one. Vibrant. So I got all the prints done and they look great stand alone.

I now see the wonders that litho present to me. The variety of colors I could combine...the images I could apply to the metal... oh dear oh dear. I want to do more! I went from image on paper to 10 prints in five hours. And the second round to finish the print should go quicker. Damn I'm loving this. I must do more!

Comic club was cancelled due to no Karen so no paper for Jam. Also not that many people were in the commons, the posters went up late, there were no tables in the commons, and with no food it is hard to draw a crowd. But I had a good lunch anyway. I sat with Jim and Daniel and chatted comic stuff and ate my sandwich. Was a very good lunch.

After being hunched over printing for hours, it felt so great to recline in a chair. Unfortunately I had to read From Hell and that killed the fun of relaxing. I think I would enjoy it more if I had more time to spend with it. I find the history interesting but it is going on and on and makes for slow reading. Get on with the murdering already! Blah blah blah I'm tired of the character portrait of London.

Yoga was brilliant. It unkinked my back. Got me out of my slouch. I even got my heels down during Downwards Facing Dog. I don't know what I would do without yoga. Helps me unwind and keep me loose and upright. I think I would be a bundle of tense if I never took the chance.

A wee bit chilly and windy going home. Made myself a bit plate of frozen stir-fry (very bland but warm) and some hash browns. Conversed with Lindsay. Finished my big blue mess. It is still a big blue mess, just with a big blue lady over it all. Meh.

Portrait of Robin



Portrait of my friend Robin for my Painting Techniques for Illustrators Final.
Watercolor. 10"x14"

Lollipop (candyTrill)

Whoo I win twenty bucks! I'm not all that sore from yesterday. I woke up creaky and the first bike ride was hellish but I'm not so bad right now. Just tired. But it is 1am so that is understandable. But I don't have to roll out of bed till 10 so it's all good!

The first part of Experiments in Drawing critique. I brought my big blue mess of a drawing but we didn't critique it. Yeah I don't like it. I don't like having to redraw figure drawings. Plus I'm not trying ot say anything with it and Modou asks that of us. The drawing isn't me. It isn't how I do things. I'm not looking forward to having to defend it. But enough about me.

The critique went decent enough. Same old good analysis (though a little lack luster this time around). No one cried. Same old negative comments. Sort of the same "this would be really nice on a wall" suggestions which are USELESS. Ohh I'll draw on the wall, okay. I'll work on that at home and bring that in. Mmmhmm. I was starving during class (ran out of granola bars). Karen was nice enough to lend me some chips after I elbowed her in the face.

The first ride home is always the worst of the two. So sore and tired and still waking up.

There are ants that are crawling about one of the pieces in the student show. Part of the piece has sunny side up eggs on plates on the ground. Real eggs too, they have been there for about a week with no replacement. It is rather disgusting. And now there are ants. Bleh.

Rewatched Mirrormask to figure out what scene to show the class on Friday(for my presentation). Rob Brydon is in it! I knew he was in it but I never really knew how awesome he was. Now I am a QI educated gal and I can say he is quite cool. I liked it much more the second time around.

On the way home I swung by Trader Joe's to get some granola bars, juice, a multi-vitamin, and some lollipops. They have the best lollipops. So delicious.

Didn't do much during my break. Really needed the break. Need it. The little list of things to do looms over me. Actually right now I feel totally on top of things. It is all doable. A little while ago (about 10 hours?)I was worried. It seems like so much. But now my mind has wrapped around what I need to do and when. I'm good.

Finished the painting of Robin in class. I propped it up and stepped away and was blown away by it. Things just suddenly fell into place with the painting. I have improved so much, I almost can't believe it. Was I once wary of this class because I feared the medium? I can't remember. I have gone beyond the expectations I had of myself.

I passed by a syringe on the ground on my ride home. Not so fun. Also not fun was the heavy rain expelling itself from the underbelly of the clouds.

I did my laundry. It was much needed. Two loads. I almost never do two loads. But now I have clean towels and undies. It's a good thing.

I'm up so late because it took me so long to rethink of a lithograph idea and to draw it out. I didn't have the time to do what I wanted, but what I changed it to I am excited about. Just a face, but if the color lays how I want it to, it will be fierce. I like the art of the design just as is. Thankfully I will be working from photocopies and won't be destroying the original. Tomorrow is a work day. If I can manage to run off the first printing of the piece, well that will be rad. That is sort of what I am shooting for.

The rest of tomorrow will be spent reading From Hell, thinking about my Art History design, and working on my Experiments and Drawing piece. I don't think I'll get it to a point where I like it. Like I said, just sort of looks like a big blue mess.

Monday, April 21, 2008

the magic number

Wow. Twenty bucks says my next entry starts with "I'M SORE AND HURT ALL OVER."

The Art History test was delayed so that Libby could teach us more more more. We got up to Manet and that is about it. So much info that was so generally covered. I must have more! Thankfully I have to take two art history electives. Whoo!

Yoga was standard yoga. It cut a little into class time though. Oh well.

The time to register for next semester is upon me. So begins the "I signed up for this, then this, then I changed it to this after talking to Pearl" season. I could only figure out four classes to take. I really need to talk to Pearl. Three of them are pretty certain though. So what I am taking (which will most likely change) is:
Illustration Studio I: Word + Image (with Chad)
Painting Techniques for Illustrators II (with someone that isn't Annie)
History of Design (there's a Art History 1945-1970 option but this works better with my schedule)
Science F(r)iction (the most temporary class right now. Just something I signed up for as an elective. It is another lit class with Trevor).

So yeah, that will most assuredly change. I'd like to take five classes but I have no idea how to fill it up.

I helped Karen put up posters for comic club and went home. Lousy weather. I only had a short amount of time to relax and put another layer on my drawing before it was time to go.

Go to Melanie's 30th Birthday Sun Salutation Extravaganza!! Melanie is my Monday Yoga teacher. She was doing 108 Sun Salutations in honor of her big day and invited people to join her, so I did. Sun Salutations are a cycle of movements in sync to breathing. One rotation is: prayer, swam dive down, flat back, hop to plank, scoop down through chutarunga and go into cobra, back into downwards facing dog, hop your feet to your hands, flat back, sweep your arms up, and come back into prayer. And that is one. I did 27, then I drew for a bit (I asked if I could ahead of time, the results were actually nice for being really quick). I did about five more in the middle, and finished the whole 108 with another 10 or so. A grand total of about...

42 Sun Salutations. Ha!

It was intense and nice. I have never gone over the Burnside Bridge on my bike before. Going across was worse than coming back, but coming back I had that final stretch with the hill. Stopped by Ole Ole and got a mondo burrito which I scarfed about 3/4 of when I arrived home. I did another layer on my drawing. Not sure how I am going to take it to school tomorrow. Hmmnn. Now I am just relaxing. I know I'll be sore tomorrow but it was so worth it.

return to productivity

It was a productive day but I don't feel like it was.

I have all my pages thumbnailed. It is 11 pages which is a lot to do in a couple weeks, but a lot of them have rather simple panels. I also have the first page mostly drawn out. Once I figure out how I want Chiaki to look, then I can get started. Thumbnailing doesn't look like much but now that I have it, I can just get into the actual meat of the comic.

Added another layer to my Experiments in Drawing piece. It is coming together slowly. Looks better with one more layer and the entire piece filled in with some sort of line or value.

But ehh, only two things? The next two weeks will be a busy time spent playing catch-up. At least my health seems to have returned.