i censored it to preserve a modicum of my dignity. in all fairness, i must also disclose that this is a low-quality phone picture and the colors are super wonky.
i don't know what obscure art dude title travis gave to this piece, so here are my suggestions:
"reclining oompa loompa, nude in the midwest"
"i got no permission from the subject before submitting this for a public show"
"dear penthouse..."
also, my bastard sweet husband started a blog. CHECK IT OUT.
s you read this, sylvie and i are up in the air, on our way to pennsylvania! i'm so excited to spend the next week surrounded by so many people i love. i will do my very best to keep posting regular during my trip. as you may or may not have noticed, i am continuing to tweak small elements of the blog. i'm still settling in and getting used to my new home on the internet. thank you so much for bearing with me and for continuing to read!
did you notice the sweet hand drawn letter beginning this post? i've drawn, scanned and colored each letter of the alphabet. my plan is to start each post here with one of these letters. this is the project i referred to in yesterday's post. i hope you like it. i think it looks pretty nifty. if any other bloggers out there are interested in something similar for your posts, please let me know! i'd be happy to draw up some custom letters for you to use! email me at [email protected] (there is an email button in my sidebar) to work out the details.
i thought i would take this opportunity to write about traveling with a baby. i'm not an expert by any means, but this flight is sylvie's 5th time on an airplane. my wee traveller! i definitely have a small list of essentials i bring with me on the plane.
1. an oversized lightweight scarf. you can use it as a blanket for your baby and a pillow for under your head or elbow. also, if your kid is a nap-fighter like mine, you can use it to cover their face and block out stimuli as you attempt to wrangle them to sleep.
2. an empty thermos. obviously, you can't take a full one through security. once i'm through the checkpoint, however, i hightail it to a coffee shop and fill it with hot water. that way the water for her bottles stays warm for the duration of the flight.
3. pre-portioned formula. i have these small containers that came with my breast pump (kind of ironic that i use them for formula now) that perfectly hold 6-8 scoops of her powdered formula. it makes juggling a baby while making a bottle much easier.
4. a wrap or carrier of some kind. i always wear sylvie on the plane. when she was younger she used to sleep in the wrap as soon as she got snuggled in. those were the days! now i use it to keep my hands free so i can wheel my carry on around easily. she generally stays content in the wrap. i used to use the baby bjorn or maya for this, but she isn't that comfortable in those anymore. now i use an ergo (worn on the front of course) and it works great! i love that i can sit down with it on easily.
5. small toys and a lightweight blanket. i always pack a few of sylvie's smaller favorites in the carry on along with a thin (so it folds up to a small size) blanket. this way i can let her spread out on the floor and let her get some of her energy out before the flight.
6. a laptop with a cartoon dvd inside. if all else fails, sylvie will usually sit still and be quiet for the animaniacs. it's a total parenting fail, but it works!
7. plenty of pacifiers. sylvie is a total paci baby. i rely on them to get her through the pressure changes that occur during take-off and landing.
there you have it! is there is anything i've missed that you swear by? let me know!
here is a quick sneak peek of some hand typography stuff i'm working on for this blog.
i consider myself a fairly computer savvy person, but i don't think i will ever move away from doing the bulk of my design work by hand. i do, however, like to use the computer to make small tweaks. take my header, for example. it's entirely hand drawn, but i took it into photoshop and bumped up the blacks and made a few small changes to keep everything a little more polished. drawing letters has always been a passion of mine. i'm so excited to finish these up today and get them scanned in. i'm turning them into a blog element, which i think could be really interesting.
i have a to-do list that's about a thousand miles long today. first up, a trip to target for a few jars of baby food for our flight tomorrow and some new pacifiers. (i'm proud to say that these few jars of food will be the first i have bought for sylvie. i've made every single meal for her up until now. these are just to tie us over until i can make a few batches of food at my parents' house.) from there it's all laundry and packing, cooking and drawing for the rest of the day. whew! wish me luck!
the death of marat by jacques-louis david, 1793
allie at it's a wonderful life received the H i drew for her adorable son, henry! i'm so happy with the way it turned out and i can't wait to work on more commissions for people. i am currently finishing up an E for a little girl named ella. to get your own, please visit my etsy shop! now that i only have 3 shifts standing between me and stay-at-home-mommyhood i will have plenty of time to work on more pieces before sylvie's arrival. i love to draw and it has always been my dream to be able to make a living from my work. thank you for helping me turn my dream into a reality. i have the best readers!
that's right! he is putting sylvie's beautiful crib together as i type this. i can't wait to see it when he finishes!
this is what i am working on:
since i am now too cumbersome to help with the construction of her crib, i've decided to work on a drawing for her.
i really can't imagine a better saturday night!
(click for a larger image.)
and some detail shots:
so, i'm thinking about starting up a small etsy shop to sell some of my illustrations. my eventual goal is to be able to contribute to our household finances through freelance work alone. for a sampling of some of my other work, click HERE. my question for you, dear readers, is this: would you patronize my shop? please leave a comment with your honest answer. i'd love to hear what you have to say, especially if you have an etsy shop of your own! all advice is welcome. thanks!!
this is what happens when 2 married, twenty-something art school graduates get bored. enjoy.
i am in awe of my husband everyday, not only for his talent but for his dedication to his craft. he has a needy wife, a baby on the way and a job, yet he finds time to go to his studio almost everyday. he's awesome. plain and simple.
our different approaches to art is yet another example of the certain yin and yang element in our relationship. he likes to paint from life--landscapes, portraits, still life, etc. i like to draw monsters, hybrid creatures, and anything else i can pull out of my head. his style is softer, mine is graphic and hard-edged. his chosen materials are paint, charcoal, and pencil, while i prefer pen, markers, and colored pencil. i like that we're different in a lot of ways. it keeps everything interesting. i could never be with someone who is just like me.
