Day 177: Dappling

I drew a lot in my sketchbook today. Particularly animals. I also painted. I was inspired by the ideas of magical animals and cosmic animals (always with the cosmic fox). Then I drew a little bit more. And after that I drew some more. I attempted drawing Castiel from Supernatural (I was watching a lot of Supernatural today). After that, I got inspired by a short film called The Backwater Gospel. It's one of my favourite short films. As a result, I drew this:

Kind of an angel of death type thing. It's acceptable. Here is the short film that inspired it.

Day 176: Premature Burial

At the moment, I'm going through a faze of fascination with werewolves and premature burial. I'm interesting in trying to combine the two some how. Maybe doing some supernatural based things. I just need to brainstorm...

Day 174: Second day of the Comic Expo

It was a long day. Apparently that's what happens when you wear shoes that aren't good to stand in for all day (even if you have a small piece of carpet to stand on). Still, it was a good day. I sold a few pieces, and talked to some nice folk. Also... a photo op with the Boondock Saints. However, once again I forgot to photograph my outfit. Nonetheless, here is my booth. The deepest darkest part of the deep dark woods! 

Day 175: Glorious Comic Expo... Final Day

Oh, the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. It was such a great weekend! I made a bit of profit, and met some lovely people, along with talking to some old friends and Facebook stalkers (who are actually friends). I saw some lovely art, made some trades (kind of by accident, but that's why I always keep prints on hand... Just in case). 

Now, I'll just go through my final day in greater detail.

I started my day by waiting in line for about an hour and a half, waiting to see Norman Reedus. He is one of my favourite actors, and he just seems so interesting and lovely. The wait was well worth it. Norman Reedus (of Walking Dead, and Boondock Saints fame) was what I would define as heart-meltingly charismatic. He was just so lovely. I brought one of my old tintypes to have him write or draw on. I like really different things, which is why I got Astronautalis to write down the word that was one of his tattoos (I can't recall it at the moment). Here's how it went. Norman Reedus seems to call every young lady 'baby' (not in a lewd or rude way, but in a really loving type way), and so he called me that. He gave me a hug, and when I gave him the tintype with the request that he write something interesting on it, he was quire interested in what it was, and when I told him, he put down his hand and we held hands for a moment and he called me a sweetheart. Then he wasn't sure what to write, because I gave him full license. He said 'How about I sign it, and then I decorate him?' (the photograph is of a man). That sounded great, so he did. The result is this:

Norman Reedus, a man worth of swooning, made my 19th century man into a Cat-Man. With ears. And whiskers. I swooned. Then he gave me another hug. Seriously. Heart-meltingly charismatic. And once again, I stood out from the crowd. I didn't say anything about the photo op with him, but even then he was so charismatic. Just... gah. Gloriousness. *swoon*

In other news (as I continue to fan-girl it up over my interaction with Norman Reedus), I did quite well at my booth. Maybe not as well as last year, but still quite good. I am particularly happy because I got two commissions. I only charged $5, because my drawings take about 5 minutes (10 if I'm really meticulous), and I wanted practice, and to let people know of Knicker Misadventures. For the first drawing, I was given full artistic license. I forgot to photograph it, but I drew a moustached man wearing a fez and holding a rabbit, with several other details. Another commissioner saw a little doodle of Cthulhu that I drew, and asked if I had one by itself (it was a small one on a page of two other small portrait-style drawings). The result was this:

                                  

I'm practically a real artist now! Kind of. I need to work more. I'm definitely going to practice drawing like crazy over the summer, and maybe get to the point where I can do versions of pop culture icons and characters and such, and people will give me lots of the money. Also, if I can get better at things like water colour. Or even try to begin with. I'd like to make money off of my art. And I like doing it convention-style. Take that, galleries.

Finally, I made it my goal to have a photo taken with a fursuiter. I'm completely enthralled with fursuiters, mostly because I can appreciate the work that goes into it. I would like to make things like fursuits, but I half-heartedly tried, and it didn't really work. That's what happens when you attempt things half-heartedly, kids! Any ways, this fursuit was so lovely. 

                                             
This year was so tiring, but it was so great. I'm actually really excited for next year. What will I do...! It was just such a good convention. The friends you make at conventions who are also vendors are like a weird type of extended family. Such lovely people, and so many cool, amazing, things!

Day 173: First Day at 2013 Comic Expo

I... don't have any photos. I forgot to get people to take photos of my Dorothy costume, and I was so very, very busy doing stuff at my booth. I didn't even take photos of my booth. I will try to take more tomorrow. Another long, long, day. However, the Expo felt better than last year. A little less people, more talking, and so on. I look forward tomorrow! Plus... Photo op with Boondock Saints!! Ermagerd! Boondock Saints. And I'm going to wait in line to meet Norman Reedus. Nahrmahn! 

Day 172: Dinosaur Push-Pins

I made some little plastic dinosaur toys into push pins. Because, really. What else would I do at nine o'clock at night? Now... To bed! And then to a weekend full of being a geek, selling my wares, and just enjoying everything about the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. I already ran into a few friends, and met a couple neighbours, all of whom are wonderfully cool people. It's going to be a great weekend!

Day 171: No rest for the wicked

Behold! A terrible photograph, taken in a dark kitchen, with flash, of the only thing I made today that wasn't Comic Expo related! Delicious, delicious, cupcakes. The recipe only makes two cupcakes. I didn't consume a dozen cupcakes or anything. The one that I did eat was tasty. Chocolate cupcake, with hemp seeds, pecans, and raspberries inside. Plus, just a bit of icing on top. I used a fancy piping attachment, but the icing had been in the fridge, so it was quite stiff. Thus, it was difficult to make pretty.

Now... to bed. Tomorrow is a long day. And then... a ridiculously full weekend of being at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo! I really don't know what I'll be able to post about. Unless I make an exception to the rule and post about business-based things. Then again, it is the Expo... and I will be wearing cool costumes that can be revealed at last... Any ways, you get the point. I'm busy. And now I need sleep. 

Day 170: Nicht Nein

I don't have anything. I drew a little bit, but nothing that seems worth posting about. My day was just so busy. I was helping my fiancee move, and before that I had a jury critique. That was daunting, and made me realize that I don't want to make the art that I thought I want to make. I'd really rather just draw and write and make comics and research myself into historical oblivion. Le sigh. 

So... I don't have anything to post. Not to mention that I'm exhausted. I'm not even going to set an alarm for tomorrow. I'm just going to sleep until I feel rested. Then I will wake up, make art, and tidy my room. It's such a cluttered nightmare, and it makes me want to set fire to my possessions, just so that my room will be cleaner. Uggghhh. My organizational skills are slight, at best. 

Day 169: Pencilled Self

Quick self-portrait, done in pencil in the late evening. I was too tired to do anything else. I'm trying to practice drawing. However, it's kind of impractical, as I do most drawing when I'm tired. At which point, I don't really focus on the drawing very much. Not to mention the fact that I don't really use erasers... I probably should.

I look genuinely upset in this drawing. Kind of peeved. 

Day 168: Don't oggle my goggles

Decorated some goggles, for my Dorothy costume. They turned out quite nicely, but they're really grungy looking. They'd be perfect for Dorothy as a tornado traveller or something of the sort. Only thing is, my Dorothy isn't like that. I would have to grunge everything up in order to have the goggles fit. I'm going to play around and see. I'd like to have goggles, but they're not perfectly necessary. But boy, do they look good with my newly reddened hair. Sadly, I did find a pair of second hand glasses that would have been perfect. They were at Value Village, and I could have painted the lenses green or put green cellophane behind the lenses. However, I did not buy them, as they were FIFTEEN DOLLARS. Seriously. At a thrift store. I don't think I want to try shopping at Value Village any more. A few things are cool, but it's so much more expensive than it used to be. Which is stupid. I am not pleased. Ah well. There are plenty of thrift stores in the metaphorical sea. 

...Of thrift stores.

In other news, I learned what happens when you try to add fancy icing to cupcakes when they're still warm. It melts! I knew that was going to happen, but I didn't really care. By the time I ate them, they reminded me of Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat. The movie version with Mike Myers. The purple colour I made is almost the exact same as the movie. Weird. However, when the icing was not warmed, the way I decorated the cupcakes looked cool. Star shapes all over. It's so exciting to have a piping set! So much fun to play with. Thank you to my parents!

Day 167: BATCNTRY

Today's valuable lessons are few, but important. Maybe. The first and foremost is that 'country' is not necessarily a word that should be abbreviated. Mostly because there is no formal abbreviation, and in order to make sense, it can only be achieved by removing the 2/3rds of the vowels. Actually, that might be the only lesson. Other than the fact that cross-stitching is not a good thing to do when overly tired. Nor is it a good project to start at 12:30 AM. At one point my stitches were going the wrong way, and I almost cried. (Almost. I didn't actually cry. It was just moderately depressing to have to take out stitches and fix them). Still, I felt like making a small cross-stitched patch that just says Bat Country (Hunter S. Thompson inspired), only abbreviated and obscure, would be cool. And that's what I did. But, naturally, it's almost 1 AM, so I can't finish it. Or won't. The only reason I did as much as I did was because I was watching Paranormal State, which I enjoy. However, that was until YouTube decided that loading properly and playing the full video to the end instead of restarting... things like that just didn't seem acceptable to YouTube, apparently. Now my room is eerily quiet and after having some more run-ins with the scary noises that my wall makes,  I'm a little paranoid. I'm going to go to bed. Still, though, I wish that I had some background noise while writing this. I could have listened to music, but I don't like listening to music before bed. Mostly because I never, ever, stop.

Day 166: Drawing practice

 

Drawing practice. Kind of. I drew some lions, eyes, fox skulls... I need to practice more and work harder. Hone in my drawing skills. Though my conjoined twins are not too bad. I'm going to do more with them. It is inspired by this photograph:

I tried to draw them as young girls, because I like their expressions. I think I should get another good eraser and start doing pencil drawings that require more work. Practice practice...

Day 165: Little black frames

Today I successfully drove in the city. I would have taken transit, but Google Maps wasn't giving me the transit information for how to get to a location, so I was left with the choice of driving or walking. Walking would have taken about an hour, and that seemed ridiculous. Also, it seemed like a good opportunity to practice city driving. I was happy with myself in the fact that I successfully drove on Glenmore Trail. I got a little bit lost on the way home (I missed an off ramp), but fortunately it was an area that I'm familiar with, so I was able to utilize some mean navigational skills. 

While driving, I was able to go to Michaels. It was mostly an opportunity to wander around a craft store and try to get ideas for my upcoming wedding. Not to mention the fact that I just enjoy walking around craft stores. It's like how I enjoy wasting time in dollar stores. And hardware stores. And places where nothing has a particular purpose, but could be manipulated. I like stores where there's a vast variety, and I can wander around and get ideas and look at things that I would love to have but don't need. I did buy a couple of things. I bought a spool of thread (I need to make the time to go to a fabric store), and two small oval frames. The frames were a nice find, especially since they're ornate in shape. However, they were hot pink and bright orange. Not favourable to me. So, I painted them black! I am quite pleased, and now I have two lovely frames. The "glass" (errather, protective layer?) is just plastic, but I can deal with that.

In other news, I also painted little men in suits with mustaches. You can see a small glimpse in the above photograph.

Day 164: A study in black paint

 

Sometimes I get ideas to do art work. Often times, all I want to be is an illustrator and a comics artist. I have so many visual aesthetics in my head, as far as what I want something to look like. Still, I need to practice. I want to use paint and do small paintings, and utilize  paints and gouache more in my comics. It kind of frustrates me, though. It's just a little annoying when I have so many ideas, but I don't have the practical skills to do anything with it. It's not bad art. I mean, it's translatable. But it's not what's in my head. Which is just a tad inconvenient. It's the same reason as to why I don't really write music. I have so many ideas, but I can't get it out of my head without being something other than what was in my head. Nuisance. Maybe I should just practice practice practice. Maybe sometime soon I'll just stay in bed for a whole day and just draw and draw and read and draw and research and draw. Tempting... 

Day 163: Learned about some dead things

Researched death symbols and death traditions and synonyms for 'mortuary'. For about two or three hours. Is this normal? Ha. Of course not. I'm not normal!

Day 162: Cameo II

A while ago, I learned that plain school glue (liquid glue) makes a great replacement for resin, while creating a matte finish that still protects the image below. Today I decided to create a couple of Knicker Misadventures cameo chokers, with these cameo-style pendants that hang on black ribbons. They turned out quite nicely. I'm getting so excited for the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo!

Day 161: We can't stop here...

Today, I drove back to Calgary. Now, I've been reading some Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and I've been thinking about the movie, and how the phrase 'We can't stop here- This is BAT COUNTRY!' resonates with me. On one of my numerous breaks (I pull over regularly to stretch or shift or change CDs or whatever), I decided to take this photo. Then, I edited it using the 'creative' photo editing aspect of Picasso Photo Editor (the creative aspect is where you can draw and add speech bubbles and silly things!). As you can see, I drew in bats (poorly), and added a speech bubble, with (a mild paraphrase of) the famous words. Also, I added a tint to my sunglasses in order to make them look more Hunter S. Thompson-like. Errather, Johnny Depp as Hunter S. Thompson like... Any ways, I was thinking of this image:

Only thing is, I had to make some changes. Such as the fact that I don't smoke, didn't have a hat, or a Hawaiian shirt, or actual yellow tinted sunglasses or... Anything, for that matter. Still, I did my best. All the while thinking of Ralph Steadman's illustrations for the original book.

Day 160: Cameos

For the Comic Expo this year, I made up some new business cards, and I'm going to draw on the back of the cards (in Knicker Misadventure style!). Since it might be cool to draw Comic Expo guests in the style, I decided to practice using friends' profile pictures on Facebook. Some are pretty cool. Not really recognizable as the person, unless you know specifically... But I guess that can be the case with a lot of caricatures in general. 

I'm so excited for the expo. I'm planning and hoping to start pushing Knicker Misadventures, so that people start getting interested and so on, so that maybe next year I can start working towards making a full-on book and stuff. We'll see... but yeah! I'm going to sign stuff and draw things for people. It should be cool. 

Day 159: It's my birthday!

Just kidding, I don't actually get as excited for my birthday. Though, not going to lie. If someone woke me up at midnight on my birthday and gave me a tiara and let me go back to sleep, I would be delighted. But still, now that I'm older and I've spend a few birthdays alone, birthdays aren't as big of a deal. However, this year I am back home for a brief time, and I was able to be home during my birthday! It was quiet, and cozy, and nice. Admittedly, because I was just relaxing, the only things I did was read and work on my Comic Expo stuff. However, that aspect is really productive, so that's good.

 

I did an intro comic to put at the beginning of my catalogue book, and printed up brand new business cards. Aren't they smashing and clean? I am going to draw on the back for everyone who takes one. I figure that it's a good way to connect with individuals at the Expo, as well as starting to emphasize Knicker Misadventures. I'd really like to do an artbook/comic book/thing at some point. I'm toying with the idea of working towards an Indie Go-Go campaign to make that happen... but only after I'm done school. 

It's funny. I can't really do any art work when I'm home. At least not when it's just for a few days. I'd just rather chill out and show my dogs some love and bask in the prairie. Still, it was prudent that I get a lot of Comic Expo stuff done while I was here. 

Day 158: Home!

Back in Saskatchewan for a brief time. However brief, though, it will be sweet! It's great. I mean, look! I made chocolate chip cookies- in a real kitchen! Not to say that the kitchen in Calgary is imaginary or unreal in any way... but nonetheless... there's a difference between small cramped kitchen and nice and big properly furnished kitchen. It's also nice to be able to visit with my mum while I bake, and just be in familiar and comfortable surroundings. 

And... Bonus! Photos of a decrepit hospital!

 

Day 157: Homeward Bound (But we can't stop here...)

True story. Enough said. Midnight sketch. Kind of going through a Hunter S. Thompson/Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas thing. 

Day 156: The Breakfast Club

Actually, this blog post has nothing to do with the actual Breakfast Club. Y'know. The Breakfast Club. The movie. Great movie. However, I did decided to post about the breakfast I made for myself. I made crepes! Above is a photograph of a particularly sad looking crepe, which is continuing to cook in the frying pan. The crepes were delicious. I made enough that I was able to have some later as a snack, and for once, the recipe I used didn't result in thick, cardboard-like crepes. Yuck. Not these, though! These were yummy! Especially with the raspberry and yoghurt combination I ate with a few of them. Nom nom...

In other news, I made even more progress in my cross-stitch. 

Isn't the flower trim lovely? Especially the living ones? The flowers on the bottom are a little less lively. But that's because they're dead. I want to add some black and grey, but neither of those are colours that I seem to have at the moment. 

Day 155: No time...

I was weaving for the entire day, in order to get a project done. Between this, and trying to make more hoods for the Comic Expo, I didn't have any time for my own art. Not to mention, my arm is a bit sore, due to it being rubbed raw. It kind of has rug burn, from constantly rubbing against wool as I would reach under threads to grab my shuttle. The redness has gone down a little bit, but it's still quite sore. Good times... Any ways, I didn't get much done other than school and hoods. Not to mention, I'm quite exhausted. Off to bed, to awaken to a long full day! Hopefully I'll get some of my own art done.

Day 154: Every House is Haunted

My fiancee and I saw a book called 'Every House is Haunted', and the cover design was a cross-stitch design, not unlike 'Home Sweet Home'. I decided that such design was perfect for an actual cross-stitch. I have yet to do the border, but the whole thing is free-hand. I'm quite pleased. 

Day 153: The Box of Mary Toft

Today I worked on my presentation boxes a bit more. I completed the box for Mary Toft, and started the box for Marie Antoinette. Along with the boxes, I will be binding small books that will explain the person, and give history and such. I'm quite pleased with it. I made the wood look aged and such, using gouache, and printed fabric with lino cut. The fabric is, of course, various bunnies and rabbits! Probably dead... but nonetheless! Mary Toft is arranged in such a way that her dead uterus bunnies are shown, and she is huddled against the fabric. As any 18th century medical hoaxes would.

Day 152: Art Doll Presentation

Work in progress, but I really didn't get the chance to do anything. Long day in a critique! I will be decorating and making pretty these boxes and frames, as presentation for the art dolls I have. My favourites so far are Mary Toft and the Plague Doctor. I'm going to paint/stain the wood, and put lining/wall paper into them. I'm also planning to make little books that explain the person or something of the sort. Especially for Mary Toft. More tomorrow! Lots of making this weekend, so watch out! ...Even though most of it will be for the Comic Expo. 

Day 151: Dorothy, Completed

  

I know that I posted about Dorothy costume yesterday, but I am finished now! I think that I should get a couple more accessories, and an addition of something like goggles or glasses (with emerald green lenses, of course) would be fantastic, but it's not necessary. Basically, if I get my hands on some without having to order online, cool, they will be a nice addition! But... I'm not going to get worked up over it. I didn't sew on buttons or any closure, because I'm lazy and just want to call this done (so that I can focus on a few other things I want to get done before the Expo). I figured that it would be okay, since I am wearing it with this giant cinching belt. I will have a shirt underneath, plus 3 or 4 skirts (all of the poofy skirtness!). Naturally, the outfit is done, but I am not posting full photos until after/during the Comic Expo, so that it's a glorious surprise. I might do a photo shoot, but we'll see if I can wrangle anyone up. 

Also, I wanted to share the above photo of my awesome outfit. It's finally a good balance between warm and cool enough to wear my vintage knitted sweater jacket which is missing a few buttons, is a little itchy, but I love it to death. I think this outfit is the best outfit I've assembled in weeks. Black skinnies, knitted sweater, sheriff shirt, tall boots with wood heel, and two back scarves. Don't I look chick in a cozy hipster kind of way? Vanity, your name is Grimm.

Finally, here are the shoes (again). With socks! I will be wearing ankle socks with the shoes (naturally), but not the ones shown. I found this great pair of mesh/fishnet socks with lace on the ankle, which are going to be perfect. 

Day 150: Dorothy Gale

I'm getting close to finishing my Dorothy costume. It's based off a pattern, but it's becoming an alternation and spin on the pattern I chose, because as I get close to finishing it, I'm deciding that some choices would be better than others (including referencing the movie more). It's going to be more of a vest covering, double breasted, with some bustling and stuff going on. And so many skirts underneath. Then, topped off with my glittery ruby slippers, of course! I was starting to worry that I wouldn't get this finished, but it's looking good!

Day 149: Arctic Fox

 

A friend of mine convinced me to create a fursona, so that I could be a part of an art piece she's commissioning (well, has credit for). She is a Furry, so she creates personalities and alter-egos that are animals. I've always been fascinated with the subculture, and so many of the people are really interesting. They get a lot of flack, but that is mostly because of a misconception (if you have that misconception, watch Fanboy Confessional, specifically the episode about furries). Any ways, a 'fursona', is the persona you create around an animal. That fursona has specific colouring, a personality, special markings, and so on. I don't consider myself a furry, but I adore a lot of what goes into it (and like any kind of subculture, I can appreciate the work and craft that goes into it). I sketched a bunch of drawings, and it was fairly easy because I already knew roughly what I wanted to do. When I used to (and sometimes still do for Comic Expo) wear ears and a tail, I almost always choose a White or Arctic fox, with black tips on ears, and a black tip on the tail. I riffed off of that, as I connect strongly with the symbolism and personality traits attached to foxes (both Red and Arctic). It's still a work in progress, but the good news is, it's really straight-forward and simple. White, with black markings on ears, tail, and below chin, and small grey streaks on either side of nose, with amber eyes. I'm always interested in creating alter egos. As far as personalities go, my favourite is my Steampunk character/alter ego, Autem Mortimer. It's just fun to play around. 

Day 148: DIY T-shirt

For a while, I've been wanting to get mens' and unisex band t-shirts and alter them to make them into grunge kind of punk shirts. Kind of... Today I got two cool shirts on sale from HMV, for $20 (pretty good for two new shirts). One is a Nightmare Before Christmas shirt, which I cut the sleeves and neck off of, and cut the bottom into fringes. Having fringes seemed fitting, as it is Tim Burton. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out (and I'm wearing it now!). The other shirt is a Led Zeppelin shirt, with Icarus on it. I've been wanting a shirt with this design on it, because I enjoy Led Zeppelin, and I enjoy the design. For the Led Zeppelin shirt, I just cut off the sleeves and the neck, as it fits me quite nicely as a loose shirt (mens' small! Yeah!).