New Pup adventures and VINE

Good afternoon my lovies! How is everyone doing? I just got back from taking the pup for a walk and sweating my butt off because the humidity is kickin high today, at least in my area. I live about 2 1/2 miles from the beach, so its not too bad, but it’s a bit muggy.

We picked up our new puppy, Mystique, last night and she was a lil out of it due to her surgery. She is such a lovie dovie dog, and she slept with us all night long. She was afraid of the stairs, so she has been avoiding them, but the kiddos trained her by bribing her with food.

I already have a funny story! So, you know I am a hairstylist and I have a few mannequin heads lying around, I threw one of the old ones on the floor and she went full frontal attack on it! It was actually quite hilarious. I managed to get a small video of it. I posted it on my new Vine Account, so if you wanna check it out, Find me I am user Sweet Surrender!

Also, for any fellow artists that are reading, Check out Jerry’s Art-O-Rama Summer giveaway with Pinterest!

Check out more details by clicking on the picture below!

I have a busy week! I am in search of a salon that is close to where I live, (at least in the same city) and also that suits me and my style and of course, my clients. I have a few interviews set up through out the week and next and I will more than likely be going back to my shaved side and bright colored hair, because I simply cannot stay away!

I have tons of tattoo designs to draw up for clients and I have been a bit behind. Oh yea, before I forget, I did a couple more tattoos, just did some filler, which I am not done, and did my first cover up. I am still practicing, so please bare with me!

I am slowly building myself up and my skills.  

Thanks for stopping by and see you in the next post!

Friday Awake and Wired

Good morning yall! I just finished editing a video that I filmed earlier this week that I kept putting off, and actually I didn’t even have to edit it so yay! This week, like almost every week has flown by! I wanted to share some photos and a video of my past week and some of the things I have been working on. Arabella and I and had some good mother and daughter time last weekend at the Chesapeake Jubilee, she was my lil helper. While I facepainted, she put temporary tattoos on the kiddos that came by our table with Executive Tattoo. It was a good time although it had rained on and off on saturday and things were a lil muddy, but we didn’t let that put a damper on our weekend!

 

 

 

Here are some designs I was working on which I am thinking of putting on a display board for whenever I have any gigs.

Of course, I have to share some of my artwork that I have been working on:

 

Here is A progress shot: the rose on the left is a the first rose I ever drew about 4 years ago while living in Colorado, and then the rose on the right is a rose I did a few months ago. I love seeing how I am improving over the years. It is true to get better you have to PRACTICE!

I have been working on this dragon design for what seems forever, I originally rendered it with a red and yellow dragon, but the client wanted to see more red in the dragon, so I redrew it and stayed up all night coloring it!

Then, I started on this Ohm design for my sister, Nique!

Before I forget to post, check out my latest video on youtube!

And if you missed the video I posted last week, you can see it here too!

Have a marvelous day!

Nerve Wrecking

Hello my lovelies! How is everyone’s Monday? Mine was good, it was more like a Sunday for me because I worked my butt off this weekend painting faces! I worked with Tattoo Skills at the Shake, Rattle and Roll Car Show in Suffolk, VA painting faces! It was actually a HOT day and I sweated all my makeup off! Check out my lil facepainting sign I whipped up for my gigs!

 

Also,  I wanted to let you know that I finally did my first tattoo last Friday. All I can say is the experience was nerve-wrecking, but of course in a good way. I had such adrenaline and I don’t think I have ever been more focused on something in my life. One of my friends volunteered his arm for me. I filled in his cross he already had with more black, then added the year 2011 at his request, then added 3 roses to the bottom, which I will later fill in.

 

 

I think for my first time on someone else, I didn’t do half bad. It’s a learning process for us all. I cant wait to shade it in after this is healed. I used a stencil with carbon paper and stencil spray and of course made sure everything was as clean as possible. I know after doing it, I definitely feel it is my passion and this was just the first step to fueling my passion. I am excited for more to come.

I finished editing this video on Friday and forgot to post it since I was bombarded with doing my first tattoo, so here it is, I made a quick video just showing the artwork I have worked on-which if you read my blog, I already explained some of this and you will see me get shy in front of the camera too. hahaha Enjoy!

Progress and tattoo designer tips

 

See you in the next post!

The only person you should try to be better than, is the person you were yesterday.

I need a lil less caffeine right now

I don’t know if it’s the amount of coffee I have drank today, which was only 2 cups, or that I ate a few sugar cubes through out the day, or that I started taking green tea supplements again, but I have an insane amount of energy right now and it is going on 2AM!!!! I promise, I am not on anything besides caffeine, but for some reason since the moment I woke up today, I have been in my art room just pumping out work. I love days like this! I can only hope that I can keep up this productivity.

Last weekend, I wanted to share with you a few pics from a NATO festival the family and I went to, where Jermie dressed up as a live bush! Sounds weird, but it was pretty awesome. Check out this quick video I filmed and see if you cant get a chuckle out.

They had tents set up from each country and they all handed out pamphlets, maps, flags, yummy snacks and all sorts of free goodies to promote travel to their countries and to learn more about each country. It made me want to take a vacation right then and there! If only I had the Tardis, we could all go. hahaha

 

I cant believe it is already MAY! wowzers! This month, I have tons of facepaint gigs, tattoo drawings and even a few sewing and backdrop projects, and not to mention I’ll be participating in a flash mob. Im super excited!

I worked on two custom drawings, which I will post when they are finalized, but I am really proud of myself for pushing through and focusing on my art. I feel it is really starting to pay off.

I may have already posted this video, but I have been watching it over and over because I feel really inspired by Sara Fabel and I love the videos she posts. She just is a real down to earth girl.

 

I took some tips from her in this video in regards to my artwork. I like to draw my artwork big, only because I love the details in it. She also kinda opened my eyes to using photoshop to help edit your work and to make it much more crisp and sharp and making it easier to design sleeves of bigger pieces that have more designs in it. It makes it easier to scan in your work and then it is easy to arrange them in how the client will want them. So, I practiced with this piece:

This was hand-drawn, nothing traced, I drew them separately, uploaded them to photoshop and then separated them and arranged them to look like this:

 

I am still trying to figure out photoshop and learn how to make the lines better, but this is a start. I am starting to put together my portfolio in a professional way instead of a binder or loose paper. I checked out some of these online from my favorite art supply store, Jerry Artorama: (way cheaper than AC MOORE, or Micheals)

 

 

I rearranged my studio as well, so I think that also has me moving around more, I have more space to get things done. I practiced again on an orange just because I was feeling a lil restless and wanted to practice my color with a 5mag shader….I have a slight issue when I was squeezing the blue into an ink cap, the tip busted open and blue ink went EVERYWHERE! hahaha Luckily, I had a medical sheet laid out, so it was an easy clean up- otherwise my white desk would be a blueberry blue right now. hahaha

I really cant wait to get an apprenticeship, but for now as I build up my portfolio, Ill stick to this for right now

 

I still have a ways to go!

Well, I think my brain is starting to shut down a bit as my eyelids are getting droopy and this dubstep music that was once waking me up has now turned into a lullaby. Goodnight my creative friends! See ya tomorrow!

It’s Monday? No, wait it’s Tuesday

It’s 440am. I just got done with a tattoo illustration that took me all night to do. I wanted it to be just right. It’s a military tribute tattoo and I get a lil emotional drawing up those type of designs, especially since I have been overseas and have lost many dear friends. I hope to draw up my own tribute tattoo for the time I served, but just haven’t yet, because I want it to be just right. Here is a hint of what the tribute tattoo has in it. Hopefully, I will win this design at createmytattoo.com

Oh yea, here is the design I won over the weekend:

Last week was a busy week for me. I’ve been going hard on my new business, I finally manned up and got everything situated with my business license so now I can actually make a living from freelancing with makeup and body paint and all my artwork I have been doing. Whew, talk about paperwork and forms and fees. But it’s all worth it to me. I feel a sense of pride knowing that I work for myself and that I set the rules on how I want to work. I feel more motivated to work hard because it’s helping my family not some corporation. Ok, ok, enough of my tangent, it’s too late for that. Well, I guess it’s too early for that right?

My weekend was good, did a few gigs while hubby took care of sick kiddies who in turn got him sick with a stomach virus that I escaped unscathed! Mwahahahahaha (insert evil laugh) I’ve been doing a lot of shoots with Roger Mitchell’s Motiontography and I am loving it! It feels good to do something I love. Here are a few photos!

I am so behind on my videos too! But I got a package from a blogger in Australia from Valentines day, I sent her a package, but it just returned to me ( I filled out customs sheet wrong and I cant send perfume or body spray) so I have to resend it to her and she prolly thinks I totally blew her off. (I’m sorry if your reading this, I will get it together again) I want to show you guys what she got me.

I am sooo tired now that I have stopped drawing, so I will wrap this up and go to bed. I will keep yall posted as always what random adventures I have going on! Have a great morning, or afternoon, or evening-whatever time it is where you are reading this!

 

xoxox, Cecilia

Find arms that will hold you at your weakest, eyes that will see you at your ugliest, and a heart that will love you at your worst. Then you have found true love.

Create My Tattoo

I have been on Craiglists looking for a second job all day and typed in "tattoos" for fun and I actually found a pretty cool site for those that are into tattoos. If you have followed me for a while, you know that I want to one day apprentice to learn how to tattoo. But for now, I am working on my drawing and illustrating skills by drawing tattoo designs. I draw them for friends, family and clients that contact me.

This website Create My Tattoo is for people who are looking for custom tattoo drawings and for tattoo designers. A client can hold a contest listing what they are looking for and give a deadline and a prize value. Artists enter their interpretation of a design and the winning design gets the prize. Oh yea, and It's free to register! Just click on the register link in the top right hand corner of the page and its fast and simple!

I am making it a goal of mine to do at least one tattoo drawing a day to improve my skills and with that enter a contest everyday. That would be pretty to cool to win a few contests, but I just want to improve myself. :)

But I also have great news! I have a job interview on Monday for SportsClips and I am pretty excited. So wish me luck! I'm off to go finish a contest entry. I'll post it when I am done or a link to my profile on Create My Tattoo! Good luck for those who check it out and decide to enter their artwork.

Thanks for stopping by! See ya again soon!

 "If time does not wait for you, dont worry. Just remove the battery from the clock and enjoy life".