mischief + madness

Another Random Sketchbook Page - Mysterious Floating Body Parts

2012-01-30T23:01:00.000-05:00

I was flipping through an old journal from a few months back and found this backside of one page with some random floating body parts on it. I'm not sure exactly what was going on, but I kind of like how it turned out.

Video Friday: The Black Key's Loney Boy

2012-01-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

It wouldn't be a Video Friday post without a man dancing and this man definitely knows how to shake a leg. Have a fantastic weekend!

Michaël Borremans

2012-01-22T23:03:00.000-05:00

I just discovered Michaël Borremans's paintings and I fear I am becoming a bit obsessed by them, especially these two.

"S is for Snake" - Olaf Hajek

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm partial to the letter "S" anyway, so this beautiful hand lettering by one of my favorite illustrators absolutely slays me. Created by Olaf Hajek for the Illustrated Alphabet project.

Holiday in Photos

2012-01-04T15:29:00.000-05:00

The last few weeks have been too chaotic for blogging, but I thought I'd post a brief recap in photos. We spent most of our time throwing Christmas decorations around our apartment, wrapping presents, visiting my family in Alabama (including my sister and little three month niece) catching up with old friends, celebrating Jesse's 30th birthday (!!) and then carousing the new year. Oh, and the best news of all is that we finally got an offer on our house in Philadelphia and are set to close on it at the end of the month!

I'm excited for 2012. Jesse's wrapping up his job in Philadelphia and finally moving full-time to Baltimore in just a few days. This year feels like it will continue to bring fresh starts and interesting experiences. My goals for the year include more travel, more sketching and illustration work, and trying to convince Jesse that we should get a dog!

The Nicest Place on the Internet

2011-12-21T21:27:00.000-05:00

Having a bad day? The nicest place on the internet is guaranteed to make you feel a little better.

Another way to make yourself feel better? Go see Hugo. Jesse and I watched it last weekend and we both loved it so much.

via Swiss Miss

Video Friday: Mina Tindle's "To Carry Small Things"

2011-12-09T13:09:00.001-05:00

Um...there's dancing, glowing lights, pretty colors, vintage styling, and a black sparkly dress that I covet in sinful ways...how can I not like this video? Also, the music is perfect for listening to while getting dressed up to go out. Do you have any fun Friday night plans? After being sick all last weekend, I am more than ready for a night of fun debauchery.

Lately: 12.9.2011

2011-12-09T12:57:00.001-05:00

I'm finally getting over a cold that's been bugging me all week. Since my posting's been so sporadic the last few months, I thought it was time for another post about the many random things that I've been liking lately.

Top Row (l to r):
1. The work of Alex Kopps
2. Holiday decorating (image from last year's Anthropologie catalog...more garlands here).
3. Winter activities to get me out of the house so I don't get the SADD...like ice-skating! Photo by John Albok.

Middle Row (l to r):
1. The Breeders 2008 album Mountain Battles. The whole album is good all the way through...but esp these two songs.
2. I love Carson Ellis's illustrations in this book. You can tons more from it see more here.
3. Over the holiday I'm going to try my hand at making this d.i.y. bag - it's exactly the simple kind I like to carry.

Bottom Row (l to r):
1. The Chris Gethard Show - A madcap live NYC cable access show put on by some Upright Cititzens Brigade comics. It's so hard to try to explain what this talk-show/call-in/variety hour/ punk rock/ d.i.y extravaganza of a show is about. Suffice it to say, one member of their panel is a human fish...and he's awesome. If you don't live in New York, you can still watch it live on their website's livestream every Wednesday at 11pm est. Jesse and I are obsessed with it and having been making our way steadily through all of their archived shows.
2. This color palette
3. The horse pattern on a $3 makeup bag I picked up from H&M a few weeks ago...sorry no link.
4. The Black Keys 2010 album Brothers. Especially this song.

EAMES: the Architect and the Painter

2011-12-09T10:55:00.000-05:00

This film is being shown at the IFC Center in New York City right now, but if you don't live in NYC, you can check it out on December 19th at 10:00pm on the PBS series “American Masters". I will definitely be watching.

p.s. - Ice Cube also is a fan of Eames.

Land Camera Highlights of My Day

2011-12-01T23:40:00.000-05:00

My friend, Ariane, who I've known since I was six, came up from DC for a few hours of good food, talking and window shopping in the Hampden section of Baltimore. Apparently she she causes film to melt.

After Ariane left, I walked down to Mt. Vernon park at dusk while things were being set up for the annual lighting of the Washington Monument (Baltimore's version of lighting a giant Christmas tree).

The George Washington Monument a couple of hours before it became a spectacle of fireworks and technicolor surrounded by carolers and people drinking cider and hot chocolate. You can see a sliver of moon already starting to show in the right hand corner and it was barely 5pm!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a super quick and last-minute illustration I finished last weekend for the Baltimore City Paper about how to prepare goose, instead of the other more common protein, for a holiday dinner.

No matter if you're eating tofurkey or turducken today, I hope you get to spend the day around people you love and have a happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. I Love You

2011-11-23T00:30:00.000-05:00

I probably heard this song by The Beatles play a million times growing up with no reaction, but about a month ago, when it played randomly on one of my itunes playlists, it almost made me choke up. I have no idea why it affected me so much harder that time, but now I can't get enough of it.

It's so short and simple, just over a minute and a half long, but that one point around 1minute, 22second mark where Paul McCartney's voice breaks slays me every time.

Vintage Magazine Cover Inspiration: Harper's Bazaar

2011-11-21T22:38:00.001-05:00

Once again, picking up my very forgotten series...


Illustrator: Louis J. Rhead. Christmas 1894

Illustrator: Harry Whitney McVickar. March 1896

Illustrator: unknown. February 1904

Illustrator: George Barbier. February 1916

Illustrator: unknown. March 1916

Illustrator: Gustav Michelson. April 1916

Illustrator: Erte. January 1918

Illustrator: Erte. November 1920

Illustrator: Erte. November 1926

Illustrator: Leon Benigni. March 1932

Illustrator: Erte. December 1932

Illustrator: Erte. November 1933

Illustrator: Erte. March 1935

A large number of these came from this great blog post. I think I love Erte's covers the best, especially that one from January, 1918....but that really early cover from 1896 is pretty killer, too.

p.s. - I know that some of the "unknown" illustrator covers have a signature, but they're too small for me to make out. If you know who illustrated any of those, please let me know!

New Illustration for Delaware Today

2011-11-17T15:36:00.000-05:00

I recently finished this illustration for Delaware Today Magazine. It went along with a short story about a guy avoiding his regular barber whenever he had to get his hair cut somewhere else.

While working on assignments, I usually turn in 3-4 loose pencil sketch ideas for the art director to choose from. While I'm happy with the idea that art director picked, I also kind of have a soft spot for one of my other ideas, below, and am considering finishing it up just on my own time for my portfolio.

Wendy MacNaughton

2011-11-17T15:14:00.000-05:00

Wendy MacNaughton's monthly illustrated documentary series about San Francisco, Meanwhile, for The Rumpus is beautiful and enlightening. It's really one of the best forms of reportage illustration with social commentary I've seen. The Meanwhile, 6th and Mission, is incredibly moving, but I'd still check out the others as well. I especially like The Dolphin Club one.

Video Friday: U-Ram Choe's 'Guardian of the Hole'

2011-11-10T23:35:00.002-05:00

This video is mesmerizing to me. The sculpture is on display at the Asia Society Museum until December 31st. Jesse and I are considering taking a day trip up to New York just to see it in person.

More photos and info via the Make blog.

Rocky Horror at Theatre Project

2011-11-09T00:33:00.001-05:00

Last Sunday, Jesse and I stumbled upon the last performance of the season of The Rocky Horror Show at Theatre Project - a small theatre venue conveniently located a couple of blocks from our apartment that's known for constantly putting on interesting shows.

Anyway, the performance was great, but even better was the poster designed for the show by David Pluckert of Spur Design. That's how you know The Theatre Project has good taste - they get David Pluckert to design all of their posters. He's possibly my favorite theatre poster designer ever.

Oh, and the reason we were walking by Theatre Project that night was to check out a Greek food festival going on at a Greek Orthodox church next door. So, a s~~panakopita~~ baklava sundae and a live performance of The Rocky Horror Show....not bad for a last minute decision to take a walk around our block.

Halloween Plans

2011-10-28T20:16:00.000-04:00

I love Halloween. It's the only holiday where it's not only accepted, but encouraged for adults return to the childhood activity of playing dress-up....and then parade around in public that way.

But this weekend I've heard reports that we might get snow (!!). It's just way too early in the year for me to try to come to terms with my fear of Winter, so at the first sign of a snowflake, I'm locking myself inside, costume and all, for a horror movie marathon while I finish some illustration assignments.

For any of the other recluses out there who plan to do the same, here are a few horror/ suspense movie marathon suggestions. FYI: I can't stomach slasher, torture, or intruder-based scary movies. I'm a big wimp when it comes to horror films anyway, so the only ones I can watch lean more to the visually-interesting and suspenseful end of the spectrum, rather than eye-covering terrifying....although some of these still give nightmares.

1. Early Masterpieces: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari/ Nosferatu/ Tod Browning's Freaks (gooble gobble, one of us)

2. Creature Triple Feature: Frankenstein/ Bride of Frankenstein/ Dracula (1931)

3. That Nice, Quiet Boy isn't Actually so Nice: Psycho (1960)/ Peeping Tom/ American Psycho

4. Night Terrors: The Night of the Hunter/ Night of the Living Dead (1968)/ Wait Until Dark

5. Children Are Creepy: The Shining/ The Devil's Backbone/ The Orphanage (You could easily add Pet Semetary or The Omen (1976) to this list.... disturbing children are the absolute worst for me)

7. Animals Aren't Any Better: The Birds/ Cat People (1942)/ Jaws

Enjoy!

Video Friday: Oliver Peoples 2010 Campaign

2011-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

This video is not new, but it's new to me. The colors and compositions within each frame are what's doing it for me. Plus, since I was a teenager in the 1990's (and a big Garbage fan) it's nice to see Shirley Manson around and still looking hot....Elijah Wood looks pretty dapper as well.

directed by Autumn De Wilde. Song: "Just You and Me" by Zee Avi.

More Books with Nice Covers

2011-10-21T12:03:00.000-04:00

Usually I buy books for their content, but I'll admit to occasionally making a purchase strictly because I like the design. These two books, luckily, are a combination of both.

I found this vintage one in a pile at a goodwill shop over the summer and love the simplicity of the design.

This one is part of a series of newly designed Puffin Classic Hardcovers that came out last year. I couldn't resist the color palette and pattern....

...or the nice endpapers. The Secret Garden cover from the series is also really nice.

Land Camera in 'Bama

2011-10-19T22:08:00.001-04:00

Almost exactly one month ago, my sister had her first baby - a little girl named Ava. Last week I took a very quick trip down to Alabama to finally meet her and see the whole family

I brought along a vintage polaroid land camera that I found at an Alabama thrift shop for 99 cents a couple of years ago. I'll do a whole separate post on that camera because it's my favorite new (old) toy.

In the meantime, here's my new niece. She's the most content, easygoing baby I've ever met.

Harvest Time

2011-10-10T19:48:00.000-04:00

Our house in Philadelphia is still on the market. The only good thing about that situation is that the small garden I planted over the summer has finally ripened and we didn't miss out on any of the harvest. A lot of my plants failed (carrots, tomatoes, and strawberries), but we did get to eat some actual homegrown lettuce, basil, rosemary, mint and peppers.

The peppers are my crowning glory. We've been feasting on peppers each week in nearly every form - stuffed peppers, grilled peppers, eggs and peppers, pepper stir fry, etc. Knowing that I grew them from scratch makes them extra tasty. Our Baltimore apartment doesn't have any sort of garden access, but that's probably for the best. I've been so busy with work since moving here, I don't think I'd have any time to try to grow things again. My window plants are even lucky that they're succulents and don't need much attention. Each week has gotten a little better, but I'm still figuring out how to balance my increased teaching load, my illustration work, my personal work...and the rest of my life. I think I'll have it figured out soon.

Bill Cunningham New York

2011-09-22T23:19:00.000-04:00

It's so hard to jump back into blogging after being away for so long. I can't even remember all of the things that have happened since I blogged last, so I'll just start fresh with the things on my mind right now.

A few days ago, I finally watched the documentary, Bill Cunningham New York. Even if you're not interested in street fashion photography, I highly recommend this movie just to be introduced to Bill Cunningham. The man is so charming, so humble, and so enthusiastic, even at 80 years old. His streamlined devotion to his work and his ability to live simply and sparingly are such rare qualities. I just want to hug him.

In the meantime....

2011-09-06T15:58:00.000-04:00

Until I return back to blogging (internet should be hooked up tomorrow!!), make sure to read this blog post about the Dark Art of Pricing for illustrators and designers, written by the amazing Jessica Hische. Luckily, the illustration department at the art school I attended covered business practices, but I know a lot of art schools don't and you really need to know those skills to survive as a freelancer.

I really have not abandoned blogging....

2011-08-31T18:14:00.000-04:00

...I just haven't had internet at my apartment since moving, and definitely not for lack of trying. Verizon went on strike and has lost my appointment several times and Comcast took nearly four weeks to add my new apartment building to their network grid. So, Comcast will finally hook me up....by next Wednesday. Who'd have thought in this modern age that it could be so hard to get internet access! My fingers are nearly numb from dialing their phone numbers so often.

Be back soon....hopefully!

p.s. - I'm really excited to be back in Baltimore and my apartment has worked out great!

Another Random Sketchbook Page - Rittenhouse Square

2011-08-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

Many different quick sketches from many different afternoons spent there.

Another Random Sketchbook Page - Planes + Trains

2011-08-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

click to enlarge

The miniature trains and planes that moved along wires, suspended along the ceiling of the Kimmel Center during Philly's month long celebration of Paris for PIFA earlier this year. I loved this festival so much, especially the street fair on the last day.

Another Random Sketchbook Page - Reading Terminal Market

2011-08-08T09:00:00.003-04:00

click to enlarge

During the beginning of the week my internet service will be a little shoddy while I'm waiting to get it hooked up. Plus, I'll be busy unpacking, so I've pre-posted for the next few day some older sketchbook work from a few months back that I never got around to putting up. Be back soon with news of the move!

Goodbye Philadelphia

2011-08-07T02:06:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow (Sunday) is the big Baltimore move day. We had a stoop sale this morning and I met so many nice neighbors that I wish we would have done that when we first moved in. Jesse will be staying in Philly and commuting back and forth between the two cities a little longer while our house is still on the market, but I'll be an official Baltimore resident beginning next week. I've enjoyed seven years in the land of Rocky and cheese steaks and these are the random places or things in town I'll miss the most:

For Sketching and People Watching:

1. Rittenhouse Square. My favorite park out of the five strategically placed throughout the city. My regular walking path takes me by this park and I made sure to stop there one last time today. When the weather's nice, this is my favorite spot in the entire city.

2. Reading Terminal Market. So many different kinds of people and foods smushed all together. I could wander around here for a whole day and still not get bored.

3. The Museum of Natural History. Surreal, beautiful, and creepy all at the same time. I would recommend paying a few extra dollars to walk through the butterfly room.

Entertainment:

4. The Ritz Theaters. These are a triumvirate of art house movie theaters (The Ritz Five, Ritz at the Bourse, and Ritz East) all within a few blocks from each other and all within walking distance from the three places we've lived in town. Each theater only shows between two to four films at a time, but you can count on them to be good ones.

5. The Trocadero. My favorite live music venue in town. Beautiful architecture and Movie Mondays!

6. North Bowl. A kind of kitch-y, hipster-y bowling alley, but cheap. The upstairs is full of pinball and arcade machines and the downstairs has an old-fashioned photo booth. The food is delicious and there is a bar. I am the absolute worst bowler in the world, but even I had fun as a member of a bowling team here one summer.

Thrift Shops:

7. Philly Aids Thrift. This place is enormous and you there is a ton of junk to sift through, but it's cheap, cheap, cheap. I have rarely walked out of here with nothing, and have more often than not found treasures. Plus, the volunteers there are all extremely nice and write funny editorial notes on many of the clothing tags and all profits go toward local HIV/Aids organizations. This is possibly the place I will miss most out of everything else in this list. I dropped some of our things off here today in an attempt to lighten the moving load....but still couldn't help leaving without a few extra finds.

photo taken at their old location, P.A.T. just inspires this kind of random magic.

8. Retrospect. More expensive, and smaller shop, but better curated stuff than Philly Aids Thrift. Only a block or two away, so you can hit it up right after.

**There are tons of other thrift shops in town, but these are my favorites in "Queen Village", the neighborhood I lived in the longest. R.I.P. The Curiousity Shoppe. Other good ones in this area include Astro Vintage, Wilbur, and Decades.

Restaurants/ Desserts/ Coffee:

9. Franklin Fountain. Intricately detailed retro Ice-cream shoppe. They serve phosphates and the servers more than likely have handle bar mustaches. I went there on my 28th birthday, for an anniversary, and last night, after a goodbye dinner with friends. It's that kind of place.

The "Broken Hearts" specialty.

10. Sabrina's. My favorite spot for brunch, just not on Sunday when the line is crazy long.

11. Miel Patisserie. The only place I've found in town that offers fresh macarons. I picked up several today because I just couldn't leave without one last stop there.

There are so many restaurants in Philadelphia, it's too hard to narrow them down in list, but I'm also going to quickly mention Parc, The Mid-town Continental, Buddakan, and Bistro Romano for being the setting for several special occasions during my time here.

Oddities/ Misc:

12. The Carousel in Franklin Square. A carousel downtown. Nothing more needs to be said.

13. The Toynbee tiles. Too bizarre to explain here, so just read about their history here. A documentary is coming out about them soon!

14. The Mütter Museum. A museum devoted to medical oddities and not for those with weak stomachs. I only needed to go once, but I'll never forget it. If you have any interest is seeing the world's largest colon, Grover Cleveland's tumor, or a collection of items swallowed and removed, this is the place. I'm just glad that such a macabre museum exists.

15. The Magic Garden and all of the glass tile mosaics that pop up on row house walls throughout Society Hill.

photo from here

16. The Four Seasons Murals. Philly has tons of murals scattered throughout the city, thanks to the Mural Arts Program, but I'm especially partial to David Guin's Four Seasons, since our first apartment used to be located across the street from his Winter mural. His mural for the Morris Animal Rescue was also a favorite to pass by.

image via flickr

Okay, there are many other things I'll miss about Philly (the zoo, the sculptures around City Hall, the intersection of "Tattoo Row" and "Fabric Row" where we lived for five years, watching waves of tourists do the "Rocky" run up the art museum steps, my friends...), but this post has to end. I have to go to sleep before our big move day. If you ever make a trip to Philadelphia, check out this great Philly Guide from Design*Sponge - I can vouch for almost every place on there.

Goodbye "City of Brotherly Love". I hope to come back and visit you often.

Video Friday: Andy Warhol + Dean & Britta

2011-08-05T09:00:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I watched 13 Most Beautiful...Songs for Andy Warhol Screen Tests. It's a collection of 13 of Warhol's silent black and white screen tests put to a soundtrack by Dean & Britta. I especially like the Lou Reed screen test above, set to a cover of one of his songs.

I can see how most people might find these to be incredibly tedious, I would almost recommend them as a background video at a party or in the background while working on a project instead...but if you enjoy watching faces and listening to good music like I do, then I also think they can stand on their own. You can find a few more of the screen tests from this collection on youtube.

Video Friday Tuesday: Georges Melies's L'homme Orchestre

2011-08-02T09:00:00.002-04:00

I love that a film created over one hundred years ago can still amaze me. You may know Melies from his more famous film, Le Voyage Dans La Lune, which is also incredible.

p.s. - While looking for this video on youtube, I accidentally stumbled upon this bizarre, but equally mesmerizing clip from a '70s french film of the same name. Sooo strange, but such pretty colors!

Another Random Sketchbook Page

2011-08-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

click to enlarge

The man sitting next to me at Barnes & Noble, reading underneath the table with his double pair of glasses and double snooty expression.

This past week...a.k.a. Why I'm Glad We Have Home Insurance

2011-08-01T10:03:00.000-04:00

The Friday before last, our neighbors' house caught fire and ours suffered some slight smoke damage.

Bedroom soot and my now even-less-white cons

No one was hurt and our insurance company has been incredibly helpful. In fact, our damage has been cleaned up in a week by a professional cleaning crew and a dry cleaner. Right now, we're just happy to be sleeping back in bedroom again instead of camping out in my tiny studio, and we're thankful we didn't have to deal with anything beyond superficial damage. We feel terrible for our neighbors, whose house will have to be gutted.

A couple of positive things came from this experience:

-For the first time in my life, I got to witness a real live fire crew in action in front of me, with the trucks and big hoses and everything.

-Our house is probably a little cleaner now that it was to begin with.

-The cleaning crew had to run ozone machines in our house on the last night to get rid of any remaining smoke smell, so our insurance company paid for us to stay in a hotel in town that night. Jesse found a great deal on a really nice one downtown. It actually felt like we were on vacation for night, plus the view was amazing!

The hotel view and Jesse....who's also taking a photo...

-This last one is long, so bear with me. You know that website, the burning house, where people post photos of their most precious items that they would grab in case a fire broke out? I stumbled upon it a few weeks back and determined what things I would include. This is the mental list I formed at the time:

my laptop (for all of the photos, illustration files, and documents)
my back-up drive (for older files not on my laptop),
a few sketchbooks
my engagement ring (I always wear my wedding band, but don't always wear my engagement ring)
my grandmother's ring
my wallet (for credit cards, id, etc)
my glasses (I mainly wear contact, but am blind as a bat, so this would be more for practical purposes)
possibly my favorite pair of shoes

Well, I was home when the fire broke out next door. I heard my neighbor scream and saw puffs of smoke start to billow through our bedroom walls. Not knowing if our house would be engulfed next, I decided I should try to save a few of our things. That's the moment I realized how silly my above list was. All I could think about was how fast I needed to get out of the house. Luckily, I was wearing my glasses and engagement ring at the time, so those went with me regardless. The only other items I consciously thought to save were my laptop and my bag with my wallet and phone in it, and probably only because they were sitting next to me at the time. I didn't care about my favorite pair of shoes, I just put on a pair that were close by and easy to slip on and didn't even think about risking going upstairs for my back-up drive or my sketchbooks. The same with my Grandmother's ring. While standing outside, still not knowing whether the fire had spread to our house, I surprisingly wasn't sad at all at the prospect of losing all of its contents. Not the vintage stuff we've collected that can't just be easily re-bought; not my carefully curated collection of clothes and shoes; not even all of my drawings, paintings and sketchbooks. For those, I simply thought, oh well, now I'll just have to create more....and make them better. Maybe it's all of the Thoreau and Emerson I read in high school, but I remember thinking, those are just things, I don't need them to be happy. What made me happy was calling Jesse immediately on my phone, telling him what had happened and just hearing his voice.

Luckily, we didn't end up losing anything and who knows how I would have felt after the immediate shock wore off. Plus, I'll admit, while standing on that sidewalk I do remember thinking how glad I was to still have my laptop.... so, yeah, there's that. Jesse also made fun of me later because I didn't think to grab any of his belongings, and he's made a point of how showing me where his back-up hard drive is stored.

Like I mentioned before, things are pretty much back to normal now at our house...or as normal as it can be when you're moving to another city in six days. Yep, only six days until Baltimore and we still have so much packing to do!

Anniversary

2011-07-12T10:47:00.000-04:00

Three cheers for three years! You're so good at making everything fun, Jesse-dear.

F.W. Glasier's Circus Photography

2011-07-11T09:00:00.001-04:00

1908

1902

1899

1906

I love these so much. You can see more from this amazing collection here.

Via How to Be a Retronaut (I could get lost in this site for hours).

Another Random Sketchbook Page

2011-07-06T09:00:00.003-04:00

(click to enlarge)

Goodbye Cy Twombly....

2011-07-05T19:28:00.001-04:00

Twombly in 2005 in front of Say Goodbye, Catullus, to the Shores of Asia Minor (1994)

Untitled. 2001

.... and thank you for all of your beautiful, enormous scribbles. Your Fifty Days of Illiam installation at the PMA has always been my favorite room in the museum.

Images via: The New York Times 1 & 2

A Weekend of Faces

2011-07-05T13:50:00.000-04:00

wallpaper faces

demon door knocker face

Deanna face

string typeface

Random instagram-ed photos taken during a few different walks throughout Philly over the weekend:

1. The wallpapered lobby of the Quaker City Mercantile, a branding and advertising agency near 13th and Sansom. It became a game to try to identify all of the portraits.

2. An awesomely terrifying door knocker spotted in South Philly around 6th and Reed. We saw this one our way to the movies to finally see Super 8, which we both thoroughly enjoyed.

3. A house we frequently pass by on 11th and Pine recently received a dramatic new paint job. Shocking Yellow. I happened to be wearing a yellow dress - a color I hardly ever wear. Jesse thought it deserved a photo.

4. An installation seen in the window of one of the Art Institute of Philadelphia Buildings near 16th and Chestnut. Probably referencing this Magritte painting. I'm more impressed with the careful string weaving and pretty typography.

Video Friday: Splitscreen: A Love Story

2011-07-01T08:44:00.000-04:00

Splitscreen: A Love Story from JW Griffiths on Vimeo.

This two minute film was shot completely on a Nokia N8 phone and recently won the 2011 Nokia Shorts contest. It's a nice reminder that creativity, talent, and ingenuity can trump expensive equipment any day.

Plus, you know....Paris....again. I'm developing a serious problem.

Jazz Age Lawn Party

2011-06-30T13:05:00.000-04:00

I'd seen photos of the famous bi-annual Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor's Island the last several years, and always kicked myself for not taking a bus up to New York to attend. Last weekend, I finally amended that mistake and am so glad I did. The music and dancing was fantastic and I loved seeing all of the modern day flappers and dapper gents walking around. I even saw Bill Cunningham and his trademark blue coat taking photos for the New York Times!

Have you seen the documentary about him yet? It's on my must-watch list.

Anyway, I'd definitely attend the Lawn Party again, but next time I'd make sure to bring a big blanket to sit on and pack a parasol and a picnic lunch....and brush-up on my charleston a little bit beforehand.

Since the only photos I took that day were either wide-shots or blurry, check out this blog for a ton of great ones that really capture the fashions and spirit of the day.

Another Random Sketchbook Page: Joan Didion

2011-06-29T10:22:00.003-04:00

I just finished reading The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. Her writing style is so clear and direct, it makes me want to read more of her books.

She also has a great face with a lot of character in it. Kind of like Samuel Beckett and James Joyce. You can tell by her face that Joan Didion doesn't mess around. That's the kind of face I want to have when I'm in my seventies - no botox or "sweet old lady" face - I'll take the "I don't mess around" option.

Have you ever seen photos of Joan Didion as a young lady? She was actually quite glamorous.

If you've read and liked The Year of Magical Thinking and want to read another well-written book about mourning (albeit one sprinkled with a a large helping of pop culture references), I highly recommend this one.

Cleo from 5 to 7

2011-06-23T12:25:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I watched the french new wave film, Cleo from 5 to 7, for the first time. Directed by Agnes Varda, the story follows a pop singer's interactions around Paris for the two hours she's anticipating receiving the results of a stomach cancer test. That description sounds depressing, but watching the main character's personality transformation during the movie actually left me feeling hopeful.

Also, the film was set on June 22nd, 1961. Although it had been in my netflix queue for a weeks, I accidentally ended up watching it exactly 50 years to the day! How's that for a random coincidence.

The cinematography of the movie also made me wish I could to take a trip back to 1960s Paris immediately.

methinks Wes Anderson really liked this opening title sequence

If that isn't inspiration enough, the movie also found a way to fit a three minute slapstick silent film featuring Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina into the plot somehow. Really, what more could you ask for?

Delaware Today illustration: Fresh Veggies and Farm Life

2011-06-23T11:10:00.000-04:00

An illustration I just finished for Delaware Today magazine about the perks of country life.

I especially enjoyed drawing all of those veggies since I'm tending my own tiny vegetable and spice garden now - peppers, lettuce, carrots, basil, rosemary, spearmint, thyme, oregano, and a few struggling tomato plants. I was really surprised by how much I'm enjoying gardening. Almost every day, I find myself in our back yard weeding or watering or tending to the plants. There's just something very relaxing about the organization of it all as well as watching things grow.

We're going to start looking for an apartment in Baltimore soon and I hope we can find one with an outside space...or at least some lots of large windows with a southern exposure.

Our House

2011-06-20T10:54:00.000-04:00

Our house finally went on the market last week, which means we've done all of the painting, rearranging and renovating we can do. So, I figure that it's finally time to show you a few photos.

Since we originally planned to live here for several more years, only about a quarter of our plans for the place got completed. And when we realized in February that we might be moving, we stopped buying furniture and hanging artwork. So what you're seeing is really just a work in progress. And instead of a full house tour, here are a few vignettes of the parts that are the most finished. Also, I didn't include any photos of my studio, because it hasn't changed too much since this post. Maybe soon I'll put up a couple of before-and-afters... like the original scratched-up black and white checkerboard vinyl floors that used to be in our living room.... yeah.

living room

stairway, bedroom door and bathroom

stairway

living room

bedroom

dining room

library/ guest room

library

stairway and living room

bedroom


backyard and kitchen window

Video Friday: Cassini Mission

2011-06-16T23:30:00.001-04:00

CASSINI MISSION from Chris Abbas on Vimeo.

Jesse showed me this video yesterday and I can't get enough of it. I love when science and art collide.

The video was created by Chris Abbas using footage of Saturn and its moons captured by NASA with the Cassini Imaging Science System. You can learn more about Cassini and the on-going mission on NASA's website:

saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/science/index.cfm

Track: 2 Ghosts I, Ghosts I – IV by Nine Inch Nails

ghosts.nin.com/

Birthday!

2011-06-02T12:09:00.001-04:00

I turned 29 this morning! Technically, sometime around 8 am, I think....After all of our recent traveling and constant house projects, I just really want to have a pleasant, low-key day.

Since the weather is gorgeous - mid-70s, instead of the humid 90 degrees we've had lately - I think that calls for a walk to my favorite park, hopefully some sketching, and then dinner plans with Jesse.

I've been really happy the last few weeks. Possibly due to summer weather, or traveling, or catching up with friends and family, or excitement over our impending move and new job.... no matter what the reason for my good mood, though, I'm inclined to believe 29 is going to be a really good year.

Alabama Road Trip

2011-05-31T23:39:00.001-04:00

Last week we drove down to Alabama to attend a very beautiful wedding, visit with my parents and adorably pregnant sister and brother-in-law, and see the aftermath of the tornado that went through their town.

The tornado destruction was sobering, the wedding was enchanting and our drive was very long. Of course, I completely forgot to take photos of any of the important events. Instead, here are a few views from the road, the floor of a hotel bathroom, the boat dock of the house we stayed at during the wedding, and one photo of us actually at said wedding. And I didn't even take that one - I stole it from a friend's facebook page (thanks, Ariane!).

Since arriving back in town, we've been busy getting our house ready to put it on the market. I should be back to blogging in a few more days....hopefully.

Oh, and that wedding really was like something out of a movie. I'd love to post more photos if I can scavenge some from other friends.

Friday Video: Pocketknife by Ferraby Lionheart

2011-05-13T14:56:00.000-04:00

Ferraby Lionheart came through Philly a few weeks ago and played at Kungfu Necktie. I planned to go to the show, but then due to my complete disorganization mixed up the date and completely missed it. So in my grief, I'll just have to post one of his videos on the blog instead. This song will seriously get stuck in your head, but it's okay because it's good.

Do you have any fun weekend plans? We've been painting our kitchen all week and are planning on working on our back yard this weekend. Jesse got to feel like a lumberjack a few days ago by removing a stubborn old tree/enormous weed stump from our garden with a hatchet and saw. Now I can start planting some of the vegetable seedlings I've been growing inside and hopefully they won't all die. If we can get that space cleaned up enough, I promised to show some photos. I also have some drawings to work on and a trip to plan.

Kay Nielsen

2011-05-13T14:18:00.000-04:00

I only recently stumbled across the work of Danish illustrator Kay Nielsen, but I'm already very taken with it. Even though he illustrated books during the early part of the twentieth century, doesn't his work look incredibly modern? He illustrated fairy tales by The Brothers Grim and Hans Christian Anderson as well as a book of Norwegian folk tales called, East of the Sun and West of the Moon. The last image is my absolute favorite.

Ch-Ch-Cha-Changes

2011-05-10T14:44:00.000-04:00

With my sincerest apologies to Mr. David Bowie, I'm back with some big news. Jesse and I are leaving our beloved Philly and moving back to our equally beloved Baltimore at the end of the summer! Yep, that means selling the house that we spent more time searching for than actually living in and changing jobs. I'll explain from the beginning.

I got offered a full-time teaching position starting next Fall at The Maryland Institute College of Art. It's the school Jesse and I both got our degrees from (and where we met and started dating) and for several years I commuted from Philly to teach there. I didn't really have a huge career plan to become a full-time college professor right away, but this was one of those times when an opportunity presents itself in front of you and it's just so good you can't possibly pass it up. And, except for the new house, it's a great time in our lives to make this big change. I'm still going to continue freelance illustrating, sketching, and blogging, so you'll still see plenty of my drawings around, I'll just be working a lot more. That's not a bad thing. I'm one of those people that relishes a challenge and more work.

The move is a little scary. We haven't had time to make all of the improvements on our house that we intended too, but we're currently scrambling to pretty-up the place a little bit, and then we'll put it back on the market and hope we don't lose money. We're going to have to buy a car. My first car ever. Is it odd that I owned a house before I ever owned a car? Jesse's going to have to look for a new job. He'd been told his current job would probably shrink to a part-time position in the Fall, so he's not too sad to be leaving it and is looking forward to trying to find something more fulfilling. We just hope the tough job market will oblige him. Most of all, though, we're going to miss our friends in town.

On the other hand, we're also really excited. This is a fresh start. We were getting to a point where we could almost guess exactly where we'd be and what we'd be doing over the next five years....which can be very nice, but maybe not nearly as nice as life spontaneously presenting you with some new options. We're both going to be turning 30 in the next year or two (sheesh, I'll be turning 29 in less than a month), so it's time to shake things up!

And, finally, you might be thinking, "yeah, but Baltimore?" Yeah, Baltimore. It's a quirky town, full of flaws, but completely comfortable with itself. I'll have to do a full-on Baltimore post soon to explain my soft spot for this city. Along with a post about the things I'll miss most from Philly. So, really, this move is good for the blog, too. More posts soon to come! I promise. After all, I have to let you know how all of these changes pan out. In the meantime, I should maybe learn this dance in celebration....

(Top image by David Davies via his flickr)

Beautiful Origami

2011-05-02T09:24:00.000-04:00

All created by Roman Diaz. You can see more via Origami Roman. I especially love that unicorn in the top photo.

Thinking About Home

2011-04-27T23:01:00.000-04:00

I lived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama from age two through eighteen. It's where I grew up, it helped form who I am today and even though I've been gone for many years now, it has never completely left me. I still consider it my home and my parents, sister and brother-in-law still reside there, along with many friends.

Earlier tonight, a mile-wide tornado sliced through my hometown, causing massive damage. My family is fine, just without power right now, but that's the case for at least 50,000 other people in their city as well. I've been glued to the news all evening as the injury and fatality count increase, and more and more photos and videos of the devastation appear online. Even if I can't physically be in Tuscaloosa right now, my heart and mind are with all of the people of the town, and the region, tonight.

You can view some of the footage of the tornado here and here and here.

My Monthly Obsession

2011-04-26T00:47:00.002-04:00

I'm usually a pretty frugal person by nature. I like fashion, but I don't spend a lot of money on my own clothes. I don't go out to eat that often. We buy a lot of our furnishings from vintage shops and ebay. I like to think that I'm just not that interested in materialistic possessions.

But I'm kidding myself because I have two definite weaknesses - shoes and books. I've been avoiding shoe stores for a while now, but I can't cut myself off from my books and have been allowing myself at least one new purchase a month. My two latest:

If you click the links, don't let either of the prices give you a heart attack, after vigilant ebay and amazon stalking, I acquired both for much less. And they're worth it - beautifully designed; large, glossy photos; I could flip through them for days and still be content. I've got a couple of book lists going on amazon and I'm trying to decide what will be my next monthly library addition. Perhaps one of these:

Or, possibly, one or two new ones from the Coralie Bickford-Smith designed Penguin Hardcover Classics collection:

So far, I only own four - Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice, Treasure Island and Sense and Sensibility, but I love Wuthering Heights and just saw the new version of Dracula....But, whenever I see any books from this series, it just reminds me that I still don't own any of these yet.....

....and that really must be remedied at soon. Especially that copy of This Side of Paradise. And I could always use another copy of The Great Gatsby. After all, I only have two so far.....

I know, I know, this has moved from obsession to addiction. If I was really addicted, though, I would have splurged on this. It's my holy grail. I've been looking for a cheaper version for ages and just can't allow myself to spend that much on a book no matter now magnificent. Oh well. Have you bought any really, really good books lately?

Another Random Sketchbook Page

2011-04-20T13:29:00.001-04:00

We spent the weekend trying to sow the very beginnings of a garden into our tiny, cement backyard. I have a pretty green thumb with indoor plants, but it's my first experience raising outdoor ones. Fingers crossed that they survive.

Video Friday: Chaplin's Table Ballet

2011-04-15T11:58:00.001-04:00

Charlie Chaplin would have turned 122 years old today! This famous scene never gets old, though.

I hope you have a fun weekend! Philadelphia has an international festival of the arts (pifa.org) going on for most of the month of April. Their main inspiration has been the city of Paris, so they've constructed an 81 ft. lit Eiffel tower in the Kimmel Center, along with offering various activities throughout the month featuring parisian food and wine, art and acrobats and will end the festivities on the 30th with a street fair featuring a giant ferris wheel in the center of Broad Street! I am very excited the city is doing this. Tonight, Jesse and I are going to our first festival event, The Green Fairy Cabaret, an aerial, acrobatic show performed on a rooftop garden and featuring an absinthe bar. I am psyched.

Mysterious House Guests

2011-04-15T11:15:00.000-04:00

Our house has a typical scary unfinished basement which I usually avoid unless I really have to do laundry or find a place for more of our junk. The previous owners didn't do the best job of cleaning before we moved in, but for the most part they only left boring, useless artifacts (empty cleaning supplies, paint cans, broken shelving, etc). After further delving, I realized from the levels of dust and product names, that it must have been a tradition of sorts for previous owner not to clean out the basement, since things were obviously left from different decades and by different groups of people.

Last week, while waiting for my washing machine cycle to finish up, I remembered an old, cheap briefcase with a broken handle that I had spotted in the past, but never felt curious enough to investigate further. Upon opening it up, I found tons and tons of old black and white photographs from the 40s and 50s. A few caught my eye and I decided to bring them back upstairs to live again in their (possible?) old house. No information was written on the back of any of these, so I just decided to make up my own names and background for them. Let me proudly introduce the new mascots of our manor.......

Oscar

......and Natasha

And this is Natasha after a very striking haircut

I dare say they make a very dapper, and mysterious couple. A standard to definitely try to live up to. I'm going to have to frame and hang them up somewhere as a reminder.

In other vintage photo news, The Sartorialist is starting his vintage photo series again! I loved seeing those last summer and can't wait to see the new round.

By Post from London

2011-04-12T10:06:00.001-04:00

Last Sunday, my doorbell rang and a big burly man was standing there with a bag marked "Royal Mail, London" wrapped around a large box. I was dumbfounded enough to be receiving mail on a Sunday and since I couldn't fathom what I might have purchased from England recently, I had to double check to make sure my name and address were the correct ones on the tag. That's when I saw the return address from the Folio Society and a light finally went off in my head. These were my copies of the book I illustrated for them over the summer!

You can read more about the book here on their website, but in the meantime, I took some photos of a few of the interior illustrations and my first ever book cover design. If anyone's in need of an hand model, I highly recommend Jesse, he's very good at holding things steady for photographs.

The Folio Society was a fantastic client to work with and I'm so happy with the final, published product. They really don't skimp on materials - the paper is thick and slightly textured, the design and typography complements the illustration work instead of overcrowding it, and the cover is gold-foil stamped! An illustrator really can't ask for their work to be better packaged than that. The whole experience was a great introduction to the world of book illustration and I'm so grateful that I had this opportunity.

Video Friday: Days of Being Wild

2011-04-08T12:46:00.000-04:00

I've had a great week - spring weather, trees blooming, lots of work, a last minute visit from an old friend, and tomorrow night, Jesse and I are going to see The Black Lips play at the Troc!

Also, remember how obsessed I was with In the Mood for Love? That obsession has never really let up. I found out soon after watching it that it was part of a very loose trilogy. So, a few months later, I watched the last movie (2046), and finally, just this week, I watched the first part (Days of Being Wild). The characters and stories are only loosely connected, so you don't have to watch all three to enjoy each movie, but I still recommend that you do and think it enhances each one. In the Mood for Love is still my favorite of the three but that takes nothing away from the other two, since I think it might be one of my favorite movies ever ( tied with The Apartment and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).

Anyway, that was a very long introduction to one of the best pick-up scenes I've ever seen in a movie, delivered by one of the smoothest characters of all time. And this is just part of the first few minutes of Days of Being Wild. Enjoy and have a fantastic weekend!

Summer Illustrations and Retro Inspiration

2011-04-07T15:06:00.000-04:00

I had to take a little time off of the blog to take care of some personal and work things, but I'm glad to finally return.

Earlier this week, I finished up a fun illustration for the upcoming June issue of Delaware Today that really put me in the mood for warm weather and vacation. The article is based on one woman's anecdotal quest to finally spend a summer relaxing and enjoying the indulgences of a vacation by the shore instead heeding the typical magazine advice to "shape up in time for summer".

Any time I draw someone with a big smile on their face, it puts me in a good mood the entire time I'm working on the piece. Mentioning this assignment also gives me an excuse to post some of the retro/ retro-inspired beach reference photos I gathered for inspiration (click the image for its source). Warm weather and beach time can not come fast enough!

Gorey Book Covers

2011-03-08T22:09:00.000-05:00

I'm really familiar with Edward Gorey's illustrations for his own books, but have never seen his cover designs of authors' work. I think these are lovely.

via Edward Gorey's Elephant House

Another Random Sketchbook Page

2011-03-07T10:09:00.000-05:00

(click to enlarge)

I was feeling a little out of sorts last week. When a long walk doesn't help, I can always count on portrait sketching to make me feel normal again. It really never fails. I keep a folder of interesting faces saved on my desktop just for the occasion.

Have a good weekend!

2011-03-04T19:55:00.000-05:00

This week was kind of busy, but I'll return on Monday with a brand spanking new sketchbook page. In the meantime, suave young Christopher Walken wishes you a merry weekend!

(via Bonnie Tsang's pinterest)

Le Cercle Rouge

2011-02-28T15:56:00.001-05:00

Over the weekend, I watched the french heist masterpiece, Le Cercle Rouge for the first time. The film manages to set up the intricate details of a robbery, while also exploring the psychology of each of the three criminals involved, as well as the detective constantly on their tail, all while barely speaking a word. Each camera shot is styled and set up so beautifully, that heavy dialogue would only be a distraction anyway. The smart suits, mod decor, and subtle acting are enough for me to keep this movie on heavy rotation for a long time. Plus, Alain Delon!! Even with a kinda silly mustache....Alain Delon!! Enough said.

My New Studio

2011-02-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Finally, after many promises and much delay, here's the part of our house where I spend the most time. This is the only room on our third floor - the stairs lead straight to it, so sometimes I feel like I'm working in a little turret. It's cozy, but bright and since I no longer have to share a workspace with Jesse so I get to keep it as clean as I like! Oh, and you may notice that it's almost March and I have yet to remove Christmas ornaments for the branches in the corner....they're just so festive, every time I start to put them away, I change my mind. The new addition that makes me the happiest is in the last photo - Jesse made a fold-up practice tap floor out of some of the leftover bamboo we used on our first floor of our house!

Kana and Richard's Wedding Invitations

2011-02-23T09:00:00.002-05:00

Remember forever ago, when I posted the save-the-date that I made for the wedding of my friends, Kana and Richard? Well, their wedding ended up getting postponed because of the gulf oil spill and as terrible as that was, it gave me more time to design their wedding invitation suite! Excuse the poor quality of the photos which skews the colors slightly (I just shot them quickly with my point-and-shoot). Also, if you notice some odd blank spots in the text, a few pieces of information were photoshopped out for privacy.

Main invitation

RSVP front

RSVP back

A set of small slip-ins (front)


back of slip-ins

We printed the whole set on a thick textured cotton paper using catprint.com. My favorite part of the design was a complete surprise to me until I actually received my own invitation in the mail - Kana incorporated the image from the save-the-date as stamps!

Lately

2011-02-22T15:04:00.001-05:00

A few of the many things I've been inspired by lately:

Clockwise from the top:

1. Yelena Bryksenkova's sketchbook. I actually taught her several years back when she was a sophomore at MICA. This lacework is especially lovely.

2. The movie Diner. Especially this priceless Kevin Bacon scene. Design*Sponge did a great "living in" post on the movie several weeks ago that made me watch it again.

3. Vintage scissor walls lamps. I've been ebay stalking a couple of these.

4. The six part PBS documentary/reality series "Circus" follows the Big Apple Circus for a season. I'm about halfway through watching it on netflix instant view and loving it so far.

5. This is pretty much my winter uniform. Just exchange the blazer for a super long cardigan and every once in a while throw in a skirt and tiny dotted tights and you've got me covered for a week. Oh yeah, and shrink the legs by a mile.

6. For the last year, Jesse's been on an early 90s music binge for better or for worse. It has reminded me of how much I love Only In Dreams, off of Weezer's blue album, though, so I can't fault him too much.

7. Cursive typewriters exist! Who knew. Someday, I will own one of these.

8. This color palette makes me happy while it's snowy and dreary outside.

9. Over the weekend, I picked up this typewriter key necklace for ten bucks from Urban Outfitters and have been wearing it ever since.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

2011-02-15T10:55:00.001-05:00

Heart-Shaped Forest, Cantabria, Spain - via black eiffel

I spent most of last week sick with a cold, but luckily got rid of it just in time for Valentine's Day! Jesse had Monday off work, due to an odd work schedule, so I played hooky, too, and we spent the whole day just hanging out.

First, We got brunch at Sabrina's Cafe, close to the Italian Market, where I got the best apple and chedder omelette I've ever tasted. We've tried to stop there for weekend brunch, but there are always lines out the door. Now I know why.

Sabrina's stuffed french toast via roboppy's flickr

Since it was finally sunny and a little warmer than usual (who knew I'd be that excited for temperature in the mid 40s), we walked down to Old City and perused vintage book stores and then saw a matinee showing of Somewhere. I loved the movie, especially for the father/daughter bonding moments and for one of the more realistic portrayals of an eleven year old girl I've seen, but as you know from reading this blog, I'm a total Sofia Coppola apologist.

I can't even remember the last time I saw a daytime movie, much less during the week. There was something so liberating about it, and really about the whole day. It was one of the most leisurely, relaxing days we'd had in a while and the perfect low-key way to spend Valentine's Day. I hope you had a lovely Valentine's Day as well.

** If you liked Somewhere, check out the official website - there's an inspiration board, behind the scene clips and photos, and anecdotes from the film.

My Futuristic Pod

2011-02-09T22:27:00.000-05:00

click to enlarge

This is the last house of the series. I'm still continuing it in my spare time, though (I'd like to end up with an even 20), so you may see a new one show up on the blog from time to time.

Tap Classes

2011-02-08T10:55:00.003-05:00

Jesse is much better at picking out presents than I am. He has a way of always knowing exactly what I like as well as finding something I'd never think of myself, which keeps the best part of a gift intact - the surprise. This Christmas, he gave me tap lessons.

As you can probably guess from all of the videos of dancing I post on this blog, I love everything about dancing. I'd taken dance lessons for years when I was younger - ballet, jazz, occasionally hip hop and acrobatics, but tap was by far my favorite and from time to time I'll still practice time steps and wings on our kitchen floor while wearing socks. Luckily, Jesse pays attention. Also, luckily, my mom tends to keep things, so my old tap shoes arrived in the mail a couple of weeks ago....and they still fit.

This weekend, I took my first tap class in over ten years. It could have been a disaster. Even though it was an adult class, I pictured myself showing up and being the lumbering dinosaur among a group of young, quick tappers. Or, what if I could remember the rhythm and name of tap steps in my head, but my feet and ankles had aged into unresponsive cement blocks and wouldn't cooperate? Instead, everything turned out perfectly. I was far from the oldest and my feet have a better memory than I do. I can't wait to go back next week.

So, in conclusion - lessons are a fantastic gift and I'm happy to be dancing again. Although no amount of classes will ever make me as good as these tappers, I can at least enjoy watching them for motivation:

My Reclusive Castle

2011-02-08T08:52:00.001-05:00

click to enlarge

Based on this old sketch. It's one of the reasons I'm so happy I keep a sketchbook - you never know when old ideas can trigger knew ones.

My Desert Bunker

2011-02-07T09:00:00.002-05:00

click to enlarge

Video Friday: The White Stripes - White Moon

2011-02-04T10:22:00.000-05:00

A little shout out to the White Stripes since they decided to call it quits this week. This is the last scene from the Under Great Northern Lights documentary. It kills me every time I watch it.

My Aviary

2011-02-04T09:21:00.000-05:00

click to enlarge

My Place By the Shore

2011-02-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

click to enlarge

The House that Kat and Fred Built

2011-02-02T22:27:00.002-05:00

Kat Heyes is a British illustrator, photographer, designer, and all around stylish girl. She's all over the internet, so I'm sure you've seen her work somewhere. She just bought an old Victorian fixer-up and started a blog chronicling the renovation and decoration process. It's great inspiration for us (and anyone else attempting home renovations) to try to tackle some of our bigger projects....and to help us pick out some furniture. Seriously, it's taken us months to agree on a single light fixture. Our house may never be fully decorated. Kat's portfolio site, flickr, & house blog

My Swan Resort

2011-02-02T09:00:00.002-05:00

click to enlarge

If this house looks familiar at all it's because it already showed up once on this blog. Or at least a slightly different, earlier version, that I created as a gift for a friend, did. As the date of the Philly show approached, I really wanted this house to be a part of the series...hence, version #2, which I like to think of as The Swan House in Spring.

My Botanical Sanctuary

2011-02-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

click to enlarge

Happy 2nd Birthday, blog!

2011-02-01T08:59:00.000-05:00

I'll try not to ignore you so much this year.

p.s. - It's cold and dreary here and probably will stay this way for at least another month and a half. I could really use some rainbow fields right now, even just in photograph form.

image via shilo byrd

Dan Mountford

2011-01-31T09:15:00.004-05:00

Super lovely double exposure + vector piece by Dan Mountford. Part of a series titled, "The World Inside of Me".

Dan Mountford's flickr via The Aviary

My Camping Tent

2011-01-31T09:00:00.002-05:00

click to enlarge

Video Friday: Russian Cossack Dance Off

2011-01-29T11:43:00.001-05:00

What's a better way to start your weekend than a little Run DMC.....and Russian Cossack dancing? I think it's a brilliant mashup. If you liked it, you should also check out this Charleston/Daft Punk video as well.

Do you have any fun weekend plans? I'm afraid mine just involve cleaning, drawing, and staying inside away from the snow. My drawing studio in our house is finally starting to feel properly set up and lived in, so maybe I'll post some photos of it next week.

Via Boing Boing

My Cabin in the Woods

2011-01-29T11:29:00.000-05:00

click to enlarge

My Winter Hibernation

2011-01-27T09:00:00.002-05:00


click to enlarge

This drawing is especially fitting for today. It snowed on and off yesterday and then all through the night. It's only January and I'm already eager for Spring.

My Weekend Sailing Home

2011-01-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

click to enlarge

My Paddle Boat Retreat

2011-01-25T23:20:00.000-05:00

click to enlarge

If you've been reading this blog for very long at all, you're well aware that my mind's been focused on houses for the past two years. Since reality and our finances don't make it possible for us to buy or build the type of houses that I dream about, I figured I could at least immortalize them on paper. So, on and off between 2010 and 2011, I've been returning back to this small series. For now, there are only thirteen houses and they're currently part of a small show at Chapterhouse in Philadelphia through the end of the month, but it'd be nice to eventually have an even twenty. I'm not sure what my plans are for them beyond that....maybe something, maybe nothing, but in the meantime I just needed to get them out of my head.

Each day, I'll post a new one.

Hello stranger!

2011-01-21T17:17:00.001-05:00


My Giraffe Sanctuary - click to enlarge

I realize that I haven't posted anything in over a month. The holidays just killed me. We spent a straight week before Christmas working on big house projects to prepare for our first house visitors, then we traveled to see friends and family for another week, then I had to finish up a series of small drawings for a show that I'd agreed to nearly a year prior, and finally, this week I'm finishing up a wedding invitation suite for one of my friends that I'd promised weeks ago.

But, next week I'll be back for good. And I'll show you the rest of the series of drawings that this top one belongs to. In the meantime, thanks for your patience and best of luck surviving the dreariest part of winter.

Sky Scarves

2010-12-12T23:40:00.000-05:00

I'm in love with the idea of these scarves created by Maria Alexandra Vettese. If I owned one, I'd definitely hang it up instead of wearing it - anything to bring the outdoors inside as much as possible.

You can see the whole exhibit, Come Darkness, here.

Video Friday: Going to Acupulco (from I'm Not There)

2010-12-10T14:16:00.000-05:00

I'm a big Bob Dylan fan and finally watched Todd Haynes's Dylan film, I'm Not There, last week. I hadn't slept much the night before and kept nodding off for one or two minutes at a time, which didn't help the non-linear, surreal structure of the film. For the first 3/4 of the movie, I enjoyed a few scenes here and there, but wasn't that impressed on the whole. Inexplicably, though, during the last quarter, all of the various story lines, cinematography styles, characters and time periods coalesced into one subconscious fuge that left me thinking, "yeah, if I was going to make a movie about Bob Dylan, it would be exactly like that."

This is one of my favorite scenes because of all of the beautiful, dreamlike imagery. The band performing Dylan's song, "Going to Acapulco", is Jim James and Calexico. Oh, and all of Cate Blanchett's scenes are pretty fantastic, too (p.s. - the one in this link is probably NSFW).

Another Random Sketchbook Page

2010-12-08T17:58:00.001-05:00

(click to enlarge)

Sketches from the Museum of Natural History visit. Still animals are much easier to draw than moving ones.

Philadelphia's Natural History Museum

2010-12-05T23:23:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I visited Philadelphia's Natural History Museum for the first time. I can't believe I've lived in Philadelphia for nearly six years without hearing more about it. The museum has three floors worth of animal dioramas (created in the 1950s), dinosaur skeletons, interactive games for kids and a room full of live butterflies. I took my illustration students to the museum to sketch, but definitely plan to return on my own again. There's just something so eerie about glass cases full of still animals. They're really beautiful and creepy at the same time.

I'll post my sketches from the Museum tomorrow. If you live in Philadelphia and haven't visited the Natural History museum yet, I highly recommend it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T13:42:00.000-05:00

J.C. Leyedecker, "Baby Butcher", 1921.

(Via boingboing)

NYC: Take a Walk

2010-11-22T16:07:00.002-05:00

I just came home from a quick weekend trip to New York City (hanging out with an old friend + the Brooklyn Flea Market + a bulgarian disco divebar fully equipped with an ice cage = an exhausting, but amazing time). Every time I visit, I always try to soak up all of the amazing architecture, fashion, and creative design I see just walking down the street. This Take a Walk video of New York street fashion by Gabriel Mendes and Ani Tzenkova really captures the energy and personality of the city perfectly.

If you can't get enough, check out their other similar videos for this series, especially this one they shot during New York's Fashion Week.

(Via Black Eiffel)

Another Random Sketchbook Page

2010-11-17T13:53:00.000-05:00

(click to enlarge)

I've mentioned before that I teach a figure drawing class. One of the benefits is that every once in a while, during one of the longer poses, I get time to do my own quick sketch. We mostly draw nudes, but every once in a while, we draw someone like Tim, who will happily pose in his own top hat and tails on request.

Video Friday: Maps & Atlases - Solid Ground

2010-11-12T08:30:00.001-05:00

I heard this song about a week ago and it's been stuck in my head ever since. Also, the video kind of reminds me of the Fall weather we're having right now in Philly - dreary and cool, while still desperately making me want to visit a cabin on a lake.

Mental Floss's Talking Pictures

2010-11-11T13:15:00.001-05:00

Jesse just emailed me a link to this series of posts on Mental Floss's blog, Talking Pictures. Each post showcases a collection of found flea market photographs all centered around a theme. Some posts are humorous - Glamour Shots, Hide This Please; some are uplifting - Love and Marriage; and some are heartbreaking - The Dead, Life During Wartime. The series I found the most profound, though, was Times of Trouble. Definitely check it out. I'm a sucker for vintage photos, but the sentiments on the back, as well as the beautiful handwritten script make these some of the best flea market finds I've ever seen.

Ikea Cookbook - Homemade Is Best

2010-11-10T17:35:00.000-05:00

I love the clean design and creative photography of Ikea's new baking book. The photos were taken by Carl Kleiner and styled by Evelina Bratell.You can read a little bit more about the book here. Apparently, you can only buy the book in Ikea's Swedish stores. Hopefully they'll market an English translated version stateside soon.

Vintage Magazine Cover Inspiration: Life

2010-11-09T08:30:00.053-05:00

Continuing the forgotten series...

Illustrator: F.X Leyendecker. February 1922

Illustrator: John Held Jr. November 1925

Illustrator: John Held Jr. January 1926

Illustrator: John Held Jr. February 1926

Illustrator: Russell Patterson. September 1928

Just a parade of endless flappers...the first and third might be my favorites...although I love how modern the last covers feels. Why choose a favorite? I like them all.

Address Typography

2010-11-08T11:18:00.001-05:00

(click to enlarge)

I've always been smitten with beautiful typography, but since our house purchase, I've been paying extra attention to smartly designed house numbers. Papercut, a french design duo, takes photos of well-designed street numbers whenever they move to or visit a city and then chronologically displays them on their website. Needless to say, their meticulously organized collections have mesmerized me for at least a good hour. These are some of my favorites from their LA, NYC, San Francisco, Troyes, and Brussels collections.

When the last owners of our house decided on the placement and purchase of our own house numbers, their decisions seem to intentionally align with the cheapest, most boring numbers strategically placed in the most ill-advised, hardest-to-read location....so this post is pretty self-serving - I'll be using these photos for my own inspiration as well.

p.s. - My huge book illustration project is finally finished, so my blogging hiatus is over as well! ~~Regular blogging returns now!~~ Semi-regular blogging returns now!

Images via Papercut

A Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Parallel Dimensions

2010-10-06T00:44:00.000-04:00

Or so the title of the book claims....

Actually, I wish this was huge so I could print it and hang it up on my wall.

I'm swimming in crazy deadlines for the next week and a half. Until I have time to write more thoughtful posts and share sketchbook pages again, this blog might be a haven for the random images I stumble across on the internet that I like....and if you prefer it that way, there's more of that on my tumblr page. Be back soon.

image via flickr

Color Dipped Spoons

2010-09-22T21:52:00.000-04:00

Either heads or tails. Top image from the September 2010 Elle Decoration (UK) for the new collection of paints from Fired Earth. Bottom from Ladies and Gentlemen.