Jillian's Smorgasboard.

A friend of mine that I've known for a very long time reached out to me to ask me to create something special for her sister for her birthday. Come to find out, they have a relationship similar to my sister and me. This particular piece was 11x14 inches and took me over 40 hours to do, but here it is.

I think of these smorgasBOARDS as a visual representation of what makes someone who they are. It's like a puzzle I have to put together. It's so great. I've included some detailed shots so you can see some of the areas I really loved.

Willow.

I recently painted this portrait of Willow the cat. It was from a fish eye photo. Willow passed away at the end of May and crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. I wanted to push and challenge myself with this one by focusing on textures. I really loved the way it came out and so did Willow's owner.

Happy Birthday, Matt!

Yesterday was Matt's birthday and we go all out with our birthday cards to each other. For his this year, I made a mixed media cut paper pop up card featuring a little 2 inch version of his dog, Riley, that I used gouache paint for.

Josephine Baker.

Been having a hard time creating lately, but this portrait of Josephine Baker came to me so effortlessly last night. I did it in just under an hour in procreate. Did you know Josephine Baker was AMAZING?! She was part of the resistance and would share secrets she gathered from the nazi regime via invisible ink on sheet music! She also fought against racism and she was all about equality!

Toby the Toad.

This isn't the first time I've been inspired by Toby the Toad (and it won't be my last). I've been having a hard time getting going creatively. I'm lacking motivation and the inspiration just isn't striking me. It has been negatively impacting me because I tend to be pretty hard on myself as it is. After attempting to draw something three times, I gave up and started scrolling on social media. I happened upon a photo of Toby making smoothies and decided to just let myself have fun and not focus too much on the actual process of creating it. This is the end result! No lines (a new thing for me) and lots of bright colors. You can find Toby the Toad over on instagram!

Hawaii.

A friend of mine asked me to create something very unique and special for her husband for their 2 year wedding anniversary. I was all too happy to jump to the challenge. It's funny because I expected this to take me a couple of hours tops, but it ended up taking NINE! I tend to get lost in the details of everything I do. I find this to be both a blessing and a curse, but I also learned a lot along the way. I did this in procreate and printed it at 6x8 inches. Sarah was very specific about what she was looking for from the drinks to the flowers to the landscape; she really wanted it to capture HAWAII. She was so happy to receive it and her husband even made it the background for his phone.

Gladys Bentley.

This is Gladys Bentley and I only just learned about her this past week. 

Jasica Gill from Women Sound Off described Gladys as "a Black gender-nonconforming lesbian who dominated the Harlem Renaissance."

She was revolutionary in her masculinity as James F. Wilson writes, "differing from the traditional male impersonator, or drag king, in the popular theater, Gladys Bentley did not try to 'pass' as a man, nor did she playfully try to deceive her audience into believing she was biologically male. Instead, she exerted a 'black female masculinity' that troubled the distinctions between black and white and masculine and feminine." 

I listened to some of her songs on YouTube, they're gritty and her vocals are so unique. She was known for sporting a tuxedo and a top hat and I was instantly inspired by her. Look at how cool she is! Although the photos I found of her were in black and white, I wanted to showcase Gladys in vibrant color because when she took the stage, there's no way she didn't light up the room.

Pet Portraits.

I recently did a couple of mini pet portraits. Dita Von Teese's cat, Aleister, died the other day and I was really upset about it. He was my favorite celebrity animal. It was really cool because Dita Von Teese actually saw it and said that she loved it. It was touching. This other pet is Lily. She is my friend's fiancé's mom's dog that is really old so I did this for her.

Fool of a Took!

Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite THINGS in life. I haven't done half as much Lord of the Rings art as I should have, but I'm correcting that slowly. I recently finished up this painting of Pippin from the movies for a friend of mine as a thank you for her help when I needed it most. I used Casein paint and it took me about 9 hours to do.

The Shire.

I've been practicing a lot on procreate and I came across this photo from the Hobbiton Tours that I wanted to try to paint. I've never really done any landscapes and thought this would be a great time to test out doing just that and digital painting. I used the gouache paint brush and did this first study of it, just blocking the shapes in, which took me 40 minutes. I thought I was happy with it, but something in me wasn't.

The next night, I wanted to try to push it as far as I could and get in there to fine tune the details. I spent 6.5 hours on this painting and I am very happy with it. I learned a lot, though. I went into this thinking landscapes would be easy. I could not have been more wrong: it was so difficult! I also have a tendency to try to get in EVERY SINGLE DETAIL so I had to strike a balance between doing that and getting the general idea of the THING down. My favorite part of the second one is the fence to the left of the stone walkway.

The sunlight is what really makes this piece, though (well, actually both pieces). It's warm and soft; you can almost feel it. I've had the privilege of seeing this Hobbit Hole in real life and I cried when I saw it. Hobbiton in New Zealand is one of the most magical places I have ever been. One day, I'd love to move to New Zealand and work there. One day.

The thing is, art is the one thing you can't rush. You really have to take your time and spend time on anything to see it through. This is also a great example of what money gets you for the amount of time spent. You want the 40 minute sketch or the 6.5 hour piece? You can't expect to pay what you would for the 40 minute piece and get that 6.5 hour piece. If you want the good stuff, you have to be willing to spend the time and the money.

Lord of the Rings will forever hold a special place in my heart. Here's to making many, many more pieces inspired by the world that is Middle Earth. I love each piece I finish, but I haven't felt this proud of something in a long time. It's not like I went into this expecting to love it as much as I do, but I think that because of my pull to it, it took up some extra room in the best way.

From 1910.

There was a photo floating around the internet of two men, circa 1910, holding hands and I wanted to recreate that image while practicing my skills on procreate. This took me an hour and I used the gouache brush. I still wanted it to look like a photo. I don't really know what I'm doing, but I'm trying to learn.

Killer Klowns From Outer Space.

One of my favorite 80's B horror movies is Killer Klowns from Outer Space. I love clowns and this movie is "bad," but it's GREAT. I watched this a lot growing up. I wanted to pay homage to the bright colors and characters with this procreate piece. If anyone wants to purchase a print, let me know!

Betty's Home.

Here's something new to add to the list of things I can (kind of) do. My sister has a friend that she's grown up with and I have had the pleasure of getting to know her family. Well, her grandma wanted me to draw/paint her house she grew up in. It's a house full of memories and life. She gave me a lot of art direction on this and this is the final product. So, if anyone's looking for a house illustration, let me know!

Elton John's Shoe.

I've been messing around with procreate/digital painting more. It's hard, man. It is quite a challenge. I had a picture of Elton John's shoes, but just decided to try to paint/draw one of them. When this is small, it does look like a shoe. I don't know. I used the gouache brush and outlined it using a micron brush. I like the colors, though.

Juanita y Jose.

I have a dear friend named Micaela Ruiz that I have known for 14-15 years. She's one of the most genuine souls I know. She is full of so much light and life and makes people better just by being around them. I know a lot of her family and consider myself very fortunate in that sense. It was her dad's birthday recently and she asked me to paint this piece of her mom and her dad to give to her dad for his birthday. It was the most special piece I have ever created. My dad spoke to me through her dad as he told Mickey, "tell Chelsea I love her." I cried a lot when I read it/she told me that. I painted this over the course of days. We came up with the idea of memories floating in the background and so it's almost like a dream state.

Toby the Toad.

Toby the Toad is my favorite animal. There's an instagram for him and he has the best set ups. This one was posted the other day and as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to draw it. I made a few edits, but man, I love it. This is the life I want to live: selling jam and sweet tea down south in Bell Buckle, Tennessee.

Happy Birthday to ME!

My birthday was Saturday and it was magical. I had a party for myself and did a fun photoshoot. I think a lot of people get down about birthdays because they're expecting other people to be part of it or make time for them. Well, after I tried to get a bunch of people together and they were full of excuses, I took matters into my own hands and I have not been let down once! Birthdays are the best because I make them the best. For this birthday, I wanted to make something that reflected my state of mind. There's a picture of Lilo and Stitch eating ice cream, but I wanted them to be eating pizza on a beach and so, here we are!

I Wish I Were Big.

One of my favorite movies is the movie Big. I watched it a lot growing up and know a ton of the words. I decided to make the Zoltar machine and this baby took me quite a few hours to do. Check him out and remember: your wish is granted.

Beetlejuice! Beetlejuce! Beetlejuice!

Beetlejuice the Musical at the Wintergarden was the best broadway show I have ever seen. I can't stop thinking about it, singing about it, and wanting to be in it. Its tenure at the Wintergarden has ended, but I hope they open it somewhere else after all of this covid quarantine business ends. It really is a phenomenal show. So, I did a color study from it; just trying to block in shapes. It's Beetlejuice riding the sandworm.

Orville Peck.

Annie Forrest is a photographer that took a bunch of pictures of Orville Peck and released a book (that I don't have) called Giddyup and this is one fo those photos. I like the juxtaposition of this masked crooner, man of mystery against the backdrop of an indoor pool. So, I illustrated it.

Quarantine Mask.

Life has become weird since quarantining ourselves. My friend said something about this particular scene from The Jetsons; this is what it's like to roll out of bed for a zoom meeting and he's right. I wanted to draw it and make Jane look EXTRA tired because honestly, that's all I feel anymore. Rolling with the punches, though, and trying to stay safe. I hope everyone else is, too, and that you find this as relatable as I do/did.

MY 1,000TH POST!

WHAT A MOMENTOUS OCCASION: this is my 1,000 blog post!! Hard to believe I started this thing back in 2008. There were a lot of times in my life I was consistent with it and others where I strayed, but I think that this is important. It's an avenue into my life (especially my past) and I enjoy seeing the growth. So, to mark this celebratory experience, I whipped up a colorful drawing of Rodney from Animal Crossing New Horizons. He's my friend, Scott's, neighbor.

Judy Jetson.

Anyone remember The Jetsons? I used to watch it growing up. I feel like a lot of movies from the 60's and 70's played as reruns in the 90's. I loved the whole family, but Judy was just the coolest. There's one episode that I'll never forget and it's the episode where she enters a contest to try to win the chance to meet/write a song for Jet Screamer. Her song isn't good (Jettttt Screamer, Screamer, Screamer, Screamer, Screamer. Is aaaaaa dreamer, dreamer, dreamer, dreamer, dreamer; maybe there are a few too many screamers and dreamers in there, but you get the idea), but Elroy is working on a secret language at the time and that gets shipped instead of Judy's song and Jet Screamer loves it and picks her (aka Elroy's). EEP! OP! ORK! AH-AH! And that means I love you! Come flyyyyy with me! Up highhhhhh with me! It's so good. I can still hear it. Anyway, here's a little Judy Jetson doodle.

Pee-wee Herman Stickers.

In honor of the 35th anniversary of Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Matt Benyo and I teamed up to create some really awesome stickers! We combined elements from the movie and Pee-wee's Playhouse to present this sticker pack! You can get it over on my etsy by clicking HERE! Tell em Large Marge sent ya!

Hocus Pocus Stickers.

Now seems like a great time to say I've made some Hocus Pocus stickers based off of my drawings and I'm offering them as a new sticker pack! It's just a bunch of HOCUS POCUS! Check them out over on my etsy by CLICKING HERE! Anyone else as much of a fan as I am?! Who's your favorite character?

Officer Big Mac.

Mayor McCheese brought back images of a hamburger cop and so I had to do some research and finally figured out it was Officer Big Mac! I remember there being a metal cage version of his head in the McDonald's outside play area at this one specific McDonald's in Woodhaven. You would climb into his neck (like a tunnel) and then his head had cage bars around it (which was a hamburger) and his police hat was on top. It was a jail. It was great. Anyway, here's Officer Big Mac. I hope you enjoy him as much as I enjoyed making him!

Dolly Parton.

Dolly Parton is ONE IN A ZILLION. She's the true NATIONAL TREASURE and this world is a better place because of her. I was working on some techniques and decided to do this young Dolly with some bright colors a la Andy Warhol and mostly I am just excited because tonight, at 8 pm, there is a DOLLY PARTON BIOGRAPHY ON A&E and that's the real gift on this day. I miss going to Dollywood.

Disney.

I made this for a friend's birthday and I'm offering the chance for you to be in it, too!

For $20, I'm doing digital copies of you and your favorite Disney character in front of this castle! To add additional characters or people, it's $10 each!

I hope you enjoy this whimsical piece and have a great weekend.

Mayor McCheese.

I have been in a real art funk lately, but my inner voice said... "draw Mayor McCheese..." and I didn't even question it. THERE WAS NO HESITATION, WE MUST DRAW MAYOR MCCHEESE! So, I did and I am OBSESSED WITH HIM/IT. Why is he so cool? Cause he's a cheeseburger mayor, that's why.

Lately I've Been Feeling So COOL!

The Jonas Brothers recently celebrated the year anniversary of their single, Cool, coming out. Each of the brothers posted a photo from behind the scenes for the video and Kevin posted this awesome, brightly colored picture. Seeing how we are all self quarantining due to the coronavirus, I am living vicariously through this drawing because Kevin looks like he's on vacation and I wish I was.

TIGER KING COOKIE!

I was approached by this awesome baker named Candace and she asked if she could use my Joe Exotic and Tiger to make a cookie out of for fun. I told her absolutely! She finished it up and posted it today and I AM BLOWN AWAY! You can check out her other cookies and beautiful work HERE! How friggin cool is this?! You can still get the Joe Exotic sticker on my etsy! Don't miss out!

Ecto Cooler Sticker.

It's the 90's and you're about to watch Are You Afraid of the Dark? on Snick and you've got a plate of Bagel Bites and a juice box with Slimer on it which means you're drinking ECTO COOLER! I've got fond memories of this orangey drink and wanted to make a sticker to satisfy my nostalgic needs. You can get one here, but there's only a few left!

Tiger King Sticker Pack.

Have you seen Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness on Netflix? If you haven't, I urge you in these trying, isolated times to do yourself a favor and watch this. It's 7 episodes long and your mouth will drop AT LEAST TWICE each episode. It's a documentary and I don't want to say too much, but if you enjoyed it as much as Matt and I did, you'll understand why we had to craft these stickers. The whole thing looks like it's shot/happened in the 80's, but it's FROM NOW. If you're interested in these stickers, they're RIGHT HERE! That's my etsy link. Watch it. What else are you going to do?

H.R. Pufnstuf.

Here's a major throwback for this Thursday. Does anyone remember H.R. Pufnstuf? It came out in 1969 and had one season, but it was a wildly imaginative children's show with puppets, witches, and a flute. My mom introduced it to me growing up and they'd play reruns in the 90's. My mom said that they must've been on some drugs when they made it, but always in a lighthearted kind of way. Well, I saw this magnet Sid Krofft posted and wanted to do a stylized Chelsea version. I printed it out (and it is so colorful, and BEAUTIFUL) for my mom and dedicate this to her.