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!

Practice makes Perfect

Between all the chaos last week, I decided to bust out my machines and just do some practicing on an orange I had laying around.

I used one of my favorite rose images as a reference and did this freehand. I know an orange peel is a lot different from human skin, but it’s a start to get a feel for the machines. Its not too bad for my first time. (I don’t count my ring finger tattoo because it was 3 letters)

This week, I have been trying to get back into my groove. I had some fiasco situations happen in regards to some projects I did/worked on which left me drained and in a funk. As an artist, you know, not everyone is going to like my work whether it is my drawings, my designs, my makeup, my paintings. Rejection is something that everyone faces, especially artists. I cant say that it doesn’t affect me. I do get sad when something doesn’t work out, but it is something that I need to accept and move on. SO that’s what I have been doing.

I know I am not the best artist, but that’s why I keep working on my craft and keep pushing myself to practice more. I encourage anyone else reading this, to keep doing what you love, even when you get doubters, even when people push you down, stand up and keep pushing yourself. Believe in yourself!

You cannot live to correct the past. Instead you can live determined to correct the future through the past. It's only through the past that we can learn to know the future. A wise man learns from his mistakes. so let the past nurture you.