Rock & Roll.

First off, I'm behind on checking blogs so that is why I haven't been commenting, but I'm going to catch up! I went to the library today and checked out some movies including The Blair Witch Project because I've never seen it and I picked up the new Vampire Weekend CD and I like it a lot. I had to take Shelby somewhere the other day so I sat in the parking lot and drew this vehicle with the plate "HERBUCK".Shelby got this peacock tattoo yesterday. She's getting it colored in and it's going to be beautiful. She's already showing her peacock pride. She'll fit right in at CCS.

Terry O'Quinn.

Terry O'Quinn (or John Locke for you LOST fans) was selected over on The Hallway Show. I didn't want to go with Bald/Lost John. I found an image of him in a bathroom in his earlier days and decided to go with that. I had line work over this, but I decided to turn the line work off. It looks nothing like Terry O'Quinn, but I like the way it does look. I think I was subconsciously channeling Zach Galifianakis.

Imitation.

I rented Roald Dahl's Vile Verses from the library the other day. I didn't read it. I just looked at the pictures like a six year old. Since I don't have a copy machine to make copies with, I usually draw whatever inspires me into my little sketchbook. I didn't write the artists down because I was in a rush, but this is my interpretation of the drawings I saw. With the one on the right, I drew myself in place of the original character and added that quote from the Jack Kerouac book I'm reading.Yesterday morning after I got home from breakfast with my cousin, I videochatted with Micaela and Matt. We ended up having a dance party (Matt didn't participate) and we sang "I'm On A Boat" together. It was a good afternoon.

Heads Up!

I made a new header! I was having a hard time with the header, but I decided to simplify and came up with this. If you're reading this from somewhere other than my actual blog, head over to the blog and check it out! I was looking on Craigslist and I came across this ad. Anyone wanna go get hit in the face with pies? If you're itching to do it, this is your opportunity. I may be desperate, but this is where I draw the line.

7H3 CR3W.

Tonight I hung out with some of The Crew (Vince, Maria, and Micaela) from my college days. I miss being around my friends, but more than that, I miss being in the company of artists. The bottom right image was a collaboration with Vince and the top right is Micaela. She is impossible to draw, but this is the closet I've come. The only problem is she looks like a grandma, but I'M WORKING ON IT.

Head Studies.

Here are some heads and faces on the left and some Hirschfeld work on the right. Al Hirschfeld is a huge influence of mine and his use of line is just jaw-dropping. If you aren't familiar with his work, I highly recommend looking into it. He's the line king. I've been up for 32 hours or something. I've lost track actually, but today was great because it was productive and I hung out with two of my favorite people and went to CCS. I'm actually taking a break from something I've been working on for several hours. I'm just frustrated with it. Hopefully I finish it tonight and I'll post that tomorrow.

Divorce & Stuff.

I have been receiving way too much spam and I HATE IT. Take, for instance, this email, that slipped through the SPAM filter. What am I supposed to say to this?I did some sketches. These are the kind of people I would like to party with.

Friendly Doodles.

I get really inspired by my friends. I find their drawings just as cool as anyone else's. I had the pleasure of recently going to Leo's with Shelby and Chris Boonenberg. I love it when people can just draw and draw and that's what Chris did. The first one is his followed by Brittany Bonnici's doodle of her and Brother Chan kidnapping me because, according to Chan, "I don't ever want to do anything" which isn't true.

West Philadelphia BORN & RAISED!

Over on The Hallway Show, Will Smith was picked. I had to go with Fresh Prince Will. Blogger sucked the colors out of this. This is the first thing I've done in some time that I didn't think too much about AND that came out the way it looked in my head.

Happy Birthday, Trip.

On this day, nineteen years ago, a little devil, in the form of a girl, was expelled from mother Janine and Shelby Kirchoff was born. For real though, I get really tender in my old age as birthdays come and go. When Shelby was born, my parents asked us who would like to share a room with our new baby sister and I jumped at the opportunity. I may or may not have regretted that, but here I am, and here we are. Shelby, you're my little sister and you're growing up so fast. I am so proud of all that you've accomplished and all that you will continue to accomplish. You're funny, you're smart, you're a force to be reckoned with, and above all else, I love you. Not much has changed since these pictures were taken. Happy Birthday, Shelby.

Metal Marvels.

I have a collection of metal wind up robots that I love. I can't wait until I'm like, 30, and I can put them on a shelf in a house. So, I tried to paint ROBOT LILLIPUT again and this time it turned out a little better than the previous attempts, but not by much. I will keep doing it until it looks the way I want it to, but I'm making progress. I used gouache. I just got home from Leo's Coney Island with Shelby & Chris Boonenberg. We stayed for way too many hours and in that time span saw 1/3 of Downriver. Today was a bad first day of Spring. It was gloomy, cold, and it rained. Sweet. Not.

Party Town.

This evening, I skyped with Rhiannon. We played uno and chatted about life. She told me I looked like a ratscallion, but she actually meant a RAPSCALLION (it's my new favorite word). She's also wearing a Christmas sweater because she's a KEVIN.Today I received something special in the mail! This is from my friend, Maria's, co-worker, Alisa Bobzien! It's from an art trade I'm participating in thanks to Brad! It's a card she designed for her friends' letterpress studio. I love it so much because accordions are among my favorite things. She's nice and her work is awesome!I name dropped a lot, but I gotta give credit where it's due. It's the first day of spring! Here's to no snow, severe storms, and being one step closer to summer!

Tom Waits & Shoes.

I'm into Tom Waits. I read this 400 page book about him called Innocent When You Dream and he's the bee's knees. I did this silhouette in my sketchbook.Today I hung out in a tree because I was bothered and then I went to walk around the park for two hours with my friend and we had a great time. We went around dusk and the best part was seeing the stars come out; I love it! Well, I ended up storming away in a mock-rage because I said that I could see Mars, but SOMEONE didn't believe me and made fun of me, and walked right into a SWAMP, basically, AND destroyed my shoes. Janine told me to throw them out because they mess up the washer/dryer (and they have holes in them) so bye bye white slips. Luckily, I have your brother shoes in my closet that I don't want to start wearing, but looks like I'm just gonna have to. Today's lesson: don't storm off the path or you'll ruin your shoes.

Good Advice.

I got this book from the library that had something to do with not worrying so much, but it turned out to be a really terrible book. However, there was one really great page in that book so I decided to scan it and share it. Click to enlarge and read it.

Sketch Session.

I sketched, wondered about Jack Kevorkian, and added this sign that is motivating. My friend Derek posted PARTY CAT on his FB. It's a web comic. I laughed.

SWAT Team.

I went with Janine to pick up our dog Big Mama. We got her groomed. Before this, she looked like a giant sheep dog because she is a great pyrenee, but now she looks like a boy dog. When we were leaving, we saw the SWAT TEAM. I've never seen the SWAT team in real life. I came home and read a Tolkien book and it was great (thanks; you know who you are) and then I tried to paint, got frustrated, & stopped. Painting is so difficult. I can see it in my head, but I can't transfer it. Miz.Today is Vince Joy's birthday. He is one of my best friends and a great artist. He posted a couple of things that inspired him today. Head over to his blog to check them out because they inspired me as well. Happy Birthday, VJ. You're such an amazing person & friend. This picture is old. We should probably take a new one.

An Epic Little Car.

If I could ever be remembered for a single illustration, I would like it to be this one. I want "Here lies Chelsea E. Kirchoff. She drew a great car once" to be engraved on my tombstone. I try to draw cars all the time, but it never works in my favor. Well, this time it did. I used micron pens and a prisma color pencil. This is modeled after my dream car; a 1957 baby blue chevy bel-air. Hopefully it has a flux capacitor in it and then I can just time travel for the rest of my life. Who's coming with me?

Minus 15 Fahrenheit.

I went to the library again. I swear, it's a refuge for me. I watched Rebel Without A Cause and it felt like The Outsiders meets Catcher in the Rye kind of. I find myself enjoying a lot of junior fiction, but I do have several Kerouac books to serve as a bit of a challenge and challenges are always welcomed. Any recommendations?I had a talk with Shelby about things. She thinks I need to give up on certain aspects of my life that I can't change; including people. It's difficult to know what to do when my heart and mind refuse to feel one way or the other on those particular matters.

Roderick Stewart.

I've been listening to "Young Turks" and "Downtown Train" by Rod Stewart way too much lately. Too bad everyone thinks RS wrote "Downtown Train". It was actually the great Tom Waits that wrote it, but Rod covered it. Here's a Rod Stew collage.

The Best Advice. Ever.

I had this art entry lined up, but then I found this song. It's not really a song though. It's a guy speaking. I guess it was a valedictorian's speech during a graduation ceremony and the speech has some of the most sound advice I have ever read/heard/come across. The song is called SUNSCREEN (Everybody's Free) by Baz Luhrmann. If you've never read anything I've ever posted, I urge you to take the time to read this. I hope it makes a huge impact on your day, as it has mine.

Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '99: "Wear sunscreen"

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, "sunscreen" would be it.

The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own experience. I will dispense this advice NOW! Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind.

You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded.

But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine. Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.

The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40. Maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance. Even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on.

Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in "New York City" once, but leave before it makes you hard.

Live in "Northern California" once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

The JFKJ Library!

I love going to the library. It's like a candy store for me. I get lost and come out with a million books. I went today and got all of these. I got The Lost Boys for obvious reasons, Darjeeling because it's great, Sedaris book on tape, and many more inbetweeners. I'm excited to watch/read all of these and then to make art about them.

Home Alone!

I have such an affinity for Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and Home Alone 2. What a great character! Once they replaced Macaulay Caulkin, those movies went right down the tubes though. Anyway, my friend JJ hooked me up with this AMAZING book called Where's Kevin? and it's Where's Waldo except with Kevin. I love it. I also really enjoy the illustrations of Marv & Harry on the last page (as advertised below).I decided to bust the ol Talk Boy out for this one. I had a Talk Boy AND a Talk Girl when I was growing up, but for some reason, got rid of them. In 10th grade, I made a bet with my friend Jeremy and said, "First one to get a Talk Boy wins!" I don't remember what the bet was for, but I bought this Talk Boy off of ebay for not too much and brought it into school, triumphantly. I guess he wasn't serious because he didn't even make an attempt to get one. That told me a lot about him, but here I am, seven years down the line, with that Talk Boy. When I worked the art summer camp in 08, I recorded a bunch of inside jokes with all the kids on it. It's actually a handy toy. I also have this really great song recording on it that I listen to from time to time.I decided to sketch my TB. I actually really liked the sketch I drew on tracing paper. I transferred it into my Andy Warhol sketchbook (look at him...still on EVERY PAGE) and then once I started going over it with micron pens, I didn't like it. I wanted to finish it though, and I did, and I am now indifferent about it. Andy Warhol said something like, "whether you like it or not, leave that to the people to decide, and while they are deciding, move on to making the next piece." So, that is what I try to do. My friend, JJ, says he likes the way I draw because when I make a line, it is with conviction.

Ann Arbor Adventure.

Today was great because: 1) It was nice out. 2) I saw A Single Man and found it enjoyable. 3) I ran into Anna Leavitt. 4) JJ gave me this great Jurassic Park watch that has a pop top and T-Rex bones on the inside and all night I kept saying, "Do you know what time it is? It's T-REX TIME!" 5) We went to Corner Brewery with a bunch of swell chaps for a fireside chat. 6) I've been up for 32 hours! Here's the watch:I worked on this sketch of Shelby. I was trying to tell her that in portrait drawing, she should look at the shapes the shadows make and draw those. I spent 15-20 minutes on this. It was a good challenge. I'm excited because I have a busy week, but the next few posts are cool. I can't wait to post em. I hope everyone had a great day!

So Much Space.

I saw this image on my friend, Mark's, blog and asked if I could share. I could stare at this image forever and not get sick of it. The stars have been out the past few nights, but it's too cold to hang outside to admire them. I do, however, acknowledge them by giving them a quick glance and a smile before getting into the car to go.

Ink-age.

I messed around with nib and ink some more. I was just trying out different line weights and I got extra cross-hatch happy on Valentina's chest. I'm working on a final version of her. I'll post that when I finish it. I used a clay board which I've never used before which was pretty interesting. It has a very smooth finish and says it works with a variety of media. I tried to paint on it (the color on Valentina) using acrylic, but I didn't like the way it took to the paint so I abandoned that idea.

Ink & Things.

I've been messing with ink lately. I feel like ink gives my work a more mature look that I don't really achieve with any other medium. For instance, the couple that I drew in the piece below on the right in pen look much different than the ones I drew with a nib and ink on the left. I did more Imaginarium sketching too.

Perfection.

I went to the midnight showing of Alice in Wonderland at the IMAX with Brother Chan, Shelby, and Zack. It was amazing. The wait time passed by rather quickly and we were seated and ready for the movie. At first, I was indifferent about the adaptation, but after thinking about it more, I rather enjoyed it. I also enjoyed going with them. The sibs don't hang much and I haven't seen Zack in a long time. I'm pretty sure I'm teetering on the edge of delirium though. I've been awake for 34 hours. That might explain why this entry is typed so properly in some spots! For my post this evening, I used a nib and ink to write out the poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Mr. Robert Frost and it was featured in The Outsiders. That book/movie gets me every time.

Night On The Town.

I am planning an epic adventure this summer. It's the Live to Party Tour 2010 or Hobofest 2010. I'm going to live it up on little to no funds on the east coast. I let my hair dry naturally to prepare myself for the summer and my bangs curled up like I put a roller in them. I woke up at 8 pm this evening because I stayed up til noon yesterday and the sun KILLED ME. I am BOTHERED by sunlight. Last night, I had a chat with Charles:
Charles: Your dreams are coming true.
Me: What are you talking about?
Charles: Because of that big earthquake, the earth's axis tilted and now the days are going to be shorter so it's going to be darker longer. It's on the front of AOL news.
Me: NO WAY! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
For the record, I went and looked and it didn't say that, but I'm not writing it off. So, in my sketchbook I painted this night scene with this little town. Night time is my favorite; specifically summer nights. Brother Chan was playing Animal Crossing and there was a meteor shower in the game and I wished I was there watching it. I hope to see a few shooting stars this summer. That'd be nice. Click to enlarge!My mom's neighbor when she was like, 7 or 8, told her that vitamins were MONSTER PILLS and if you ate them, they would keep the monsters away.

Sketches & Grub.

I was working on some old-timey folks in my sketchbook. I know I need to work on hands. I'll have to get around to messing with some poses in the next few days. I like old fashioned things. I like things that have been around and have a story.Shelby and I went out to breakfast the other day to catch up on life. We always seem to miss each other at home. When I'm there she's not or she is, but I'm not. We decided to sketch and grub. It was good. I like hanging with my sibs.

Veritaserum.

I know I said sketchbook this week, and it's going to be, but I had to bust something out for The Hallway Show. Alan Rickman was selected so OF COURSE I had to do a Severus Snape (HP4L). For those of you that don't know, Snape teaches potions at Hogwarts and favors the Slytherin kids (mostly). I gave him a nice Slytherin background and if you notice, the buttons on his cloak are little potion bottles.

Andy Jacks.

I was trying to draw Andrew Jackson from memory (on the left) then someone let me use a twenty as reference (for the one on the right), BUT I didn't finish it because they took it back. I'm annoyed by the fact that Andy Warhol and his same two quotes are on every page of this sketchbook. Micaela Ruiz did a great update and I'm naturally biased because she mentions me (and Shelby). It is officially March and thank goodness for that. March is going to be good. MARCH MADNESS.