30th Birthday Round Up!

Man, what a whirlwind. My life has been absolutely awesome. The past two weeks, I've been celebrating my birthday. I went to Nashville for delicious food, stopped by Chicago so Matt could meet Lita, got the best birthday surprise of my life (a video that Matt Benyo put together of all of my awesome friends wishing me a happy birthday/including a memory/just saying super nice things about me), my mom cooked me dinner and dessert, got a tattoo on my birthday (thanks to Matt) to commemorate the start of this new decade, and I finally met/pet/fed A SLOTH. Pinch me, man. I ALSO whipped up a little Red Velvet mini cake from paper (in case you missed it). So, here's some photos of my best moments. Click to enlarge and thank you to everyone that helped make this the best birthday I've ever had.

The Legend of Zelda.

My sister got married earlier this month. She's the first one in my family to do so. It was a big deal. I had the pleasure of being her Maid of Honor. The wedding was small and intimate and we had a great time. I asked her what she wanted for her wedding present and she told me she wanted me to make her something. She loves Link from The Legend of Zelda and wanted something from Wind Waker. She found these mosaics online and wanted me to recreate one for her with some adjustments. This thing took me FOR-EH-VER; I'm talking 10 hours. It measures out to about 3.5 x 9 inches and I bought a nice floating frame to put it in. I used different papers to make it. I also painted paper and would go over that with paint on a dry brush to give it a sort of stained-glass look. I'm happy with how it turned out (considering I haven't done a cut out in some time). I wish I had taken a picture of her face because when I gave it to her, she lit up. Here's a close up of the image and here's a picture of my sister holding the framed piece up. Click to enlarge!

Pure Imagination.

Day 22 for Drawlloween is CANDY. I said, "What do I do for candy, man?" And Matt Benyo exclaimed, "CANDY MAN? Do Willy Wonka!" Let me tell you, this is, by far, the greatest thing I have ever created. I said that a few times last year, but this really takes the cake. I've worked on this for 9 hours at least. There's over 250 photoshop layers in this. I really put my all into it. I drew him first and then figured out which candy I would use. That's an impressive list, actually. I did: Kit Kats, Rolos, Twizzlers, Sno Caps, Airheads Sour Belts, Runts, Fruit by the Foot, and a few others. I had to include the famous everlasting gobstopper right in the middle of his bowtie. If anyone wants to buy a print, let me know. I am so proud of this and would love for everyone to own it. Click to enlarge to really look into this because the details are where it's at.

Stickers!

A friend of mine, Rolando, has a sticker company called Stickrmada and he can customize any design you want! He took the lil party bot and gave him life! If you're interested in your own, let me know and I'll put you in touch with him.

The Wild West!

My computer is temporarily out of commission and I am depressed about it. Here is the last drawing I am mustering up for 2013. It's a cowboy. The picture on the left was my inspiration for my drawing. I really dig the little guy. I used different colored ink pens to make him. Giddy'up!

Challenge: Matt Benyo.

I've been on a portrait kick. It all started with this one I'll be posting on Wednesday, but for some reason, they keep turning out okay which is strange because portraits have always been a struggle for me. Matt Benyo posted a photo & challenged me to draw it. I said no, but I thought why not? There are a few things off, but BOOM; I DID IT. I've included progress shots which makes me like this a lot. This took me 4 hours and it's smaller than my palm. SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE. The point is that I am getting better and that makes me happy. Click to enlarge!

 

Scary Sunday.

Taking a break from making things and posting this photo I saw Elizabeth Wight post. She has that whole creepy thing on lock. Vintage scary is way scarier than anything these days. So, back to the drawing board tomorrow!

The SmorgasBOARD.

What have I been working on for the past few months? THIS BEAST. Matt Benyo has help me come up with a name for this style and it is called the smorgasBOARD. It is a mishmash of things that I put together of your choosing; just like the custom shoes. In this case, Brandi Keeler, a dear friend from CCS, asked me to make this board paired with things she, as well as her boyfriend, Donovan, liked. (Go look at his blog for some other photos of it!) This is all sharpies on illustration board and it measures out to 18 by 18 inches and it is PACKED WITH DETAILS. Let me just say that I never would've finished this when I did if it wasn't for Matt Benyo. He helped me with a big chunk of this board and his determination and willingness to help me hasn't gone unnoticed and I thank him dearly for it. We finished yesterday and drove it down to Brandi and when I turned it around and showed it to her, she screamed, "HOLY SH#%!" It made it completely worth it to hand this precious baby over to her when I saw how excited both Brandi and Don were. I know it will be a great addition to their home and I thank them both for the opportunity to create something so special and unique for them. What's your favorite part? If you're interested in a SmorgasBOARD of your own, let me know and click to enlarge the photos!

Dry Cell.

My friend, Jason, who previously got THIS Red Wings tattoo designed by me, asked me to design him another tattoo. It wasn't a total redesign, but it was a cleaner version, with color, and some minor adjustments that he was happy with. The photos that follow give you a feel for the process I go through when doing a piece. Thumbnails first, bigger version, some tweaking, and finally the finished product (which I made in illustrator). It's still humbling and surreal when someone likes something I did so much that they get it tattooed on them. Click to enlarge!

Inspiration.

I've got a piece I'm posting tomorrow, but in the mean time, here are some inspiring things. I came across this Joker picture on my friend Scott's tumblr (and obviously I go way back with the JOKER) and I came across this Aubrey Beardsley piece entitled Peacock Skirt in a compilation book about art over the ages. I like it a lot.

Harry Potter.

Harry Potter came out last night. I didn't go. I started rereading the books because of the movie and I want to finish them before I see it. I have 100+ pages left in the 5th book and I plan on knocking the other two out this weekend. I cried for a few minutes last night at midnight. On Monday, I started this; unaware that it would become what it has. I drew Harry Potter and then Matt Benyo drew Mad-Eye Moody (who inexplicably became the focal point) and it grew from there. I finished it today. It's a giant HP collage on a giant classroom dry erase board made w/Expo Markers. Most of these were drawn from memory and if Voldemort looked like this, I'd have nightmares, but you get the idea. Potterheads, unite. This is the end of an era.

Items of Interest.

THE LADY GAGA DRAWING: So I woke up today, checked fb, and saw LG said she only had a few hours before her article was due to the magazine she writes for and she needed a little monster to draw a picture of her with her new teal hair asap. So I'm like, oh my god, I have to do this (again). So I busted out a little something. It's not perfect, but whatever, I did it, and I got it in. I get an automated email that says, "We'll announce the finalists by July!" I can't post it because if the contest is still going, I can't risk having someone steal it. So, you're gonna have to wait (hello to those that are looking for it: Cody, LC, Elise, etc), but I'll post it soon!

GRADUATION DAY: Brother Chan is graduating TODAY. I am going to make a post tomorrow with pictures. I shouldn't even go because Brother Chan was a jerk and missed my college graduation, but I'll be the bigger person and attend his.

THE LIBRARY: I love the library. I plan on spending the weekend reading despite the fact that I have two birthday parties, a graduation party, and something else I'm not remembering. Kim Raley, I am writing you a letter right now! Here are the books and I WILL READ ALL OF THE HP BOOKS BY JULY:

The Bridge.

I found this image on tumblr about a Bridge in Paris and it said: "You can hang locks on it with the name of you and your BF/GF/Best Friend and then throw away the key in the river, but when you break up, you can't remove the lock. It stays there forever, just like a scar". Isn't that interesting? I found these wood letters in a bag in my room and I really like this lyric from a Lady Gaga song so I put it in my sketchbook.

Red Wings!

A friend of mine, Jason, asked me to design a tattoo combining the Red Wings winter classic D & the Red Wings logo. It took some re-drawing, but I got it to a spot where we liked it; I even redesigned the winter classic D a bit. The plans came to fruition sooner than I thought because I was invited to go with him to get the tattoo done at Graveyard Ink and they made it pop. No one has EVER taken something I've made and had it tattooed on them (not including myself). To know that someone thinks your work is good enough to have it on them is priceless. I did the finish in Illustrator. I lost the sketch that has the wings logo drawn into the D, but here's the D.I went with JJ & Sarah to Pride Fest in Detroit. We stopped by the Ren Cen which brought back Real Steel memories. We ate at Niki's by St. Andrew's and decided to go to JJ's friend's house in Ferndale (I believe) where I met 3 people: AJ, Matt, and Megan. They were incredible and genuine. There was so much synergy in the house between the 6 of us (AJ went to bed early) and after talking, I found out Matt is actually a designer! He makes fashionable garments out of recyclable products! I was BLOWN AWAY by his work AND he's completely self taught; never taken a class or anything! Check out this youtube video to get the gist of his work! For more info, head to his FB like page. I love getting to know new people and I especially enjoy it when they're good people. I look forward to seeing them again.

90's Appreciation Post.

The 90's were the best; so many good shows, movies, and memories. I found this image while stumbling and it was called "The 90's in 1 Picture". How accurate! I also remembered something about the 90's before I took a nap today. All through Elementary and Middle school, I had trouble with MATH. I remember subtracting was especially difficult for me and I don't know why. I digress though. Are You Afraid of the Dark still reigns supreme as one of the top shows of the 90's. What else was good? My dream growing up was to be a Purple Parrot on Legends of the Hidden Temple. That didn't happen, but I'm telling you I could put that monkey together in the Shrine of the Silver Monkey better than those kids. Every time they got to that room, I would scream at the TV because they would try to put it together backwards, upside down, and every wrong way possible. I had a flannel in 5th grade. Alison had a skip-it and I used to enjoy taking it from her and skipping it while she cried. I feel bad for kids these days. They don't have cool shows and times aren't as simple. We had it made and we didn't even know it. What do you miss from the 90's?

Motivate Me!

I have been burning the candle at both ends and as a result, haven't been able to scan in my newest work, but alas, I am taking a break to not only recuperate, but to also share with you this amazing website. It's all about motivation. I hope it motivates you to do whatever it is you're not doing: click here!

Birthday Wind-Down.

I am so tired right now. My birthday was fantastic. Here is how I looked:I woke up early, received a package in the mail from Rhiannon, went to the mall to get some shirts, met up for slurpees with an ex-friend, went for pizza with the Cappello brothers, received a cake and nice gifts from Alex, went to Back Door for MORE pizza, went to the Melting Pot for dessert, got a nice purple V-Neck from American Apparel, spent the evening with Sister Shelby at Leo's, Jeremy and Alicia stopped by and Alicia got me an awesome little Katy Perry set of nail polishes, and now I am home! Here is a picture of Charles presenting me with RIBS from the grill smothered in BBQ sauce as he has two bones in his mouth serving as TUSKS:Here is a picture of the multi-tiered cake Alex made for me. It is FUNFETTI and has some lyrics from Lady Gaga's hit, Born This Way, on top that say: "Rejoice and love yourself today, because baby you were born this way!" I was SO EXCITED!I also received nice cards from Rhiannon, Alex, Alicia, Shelby, and my parents. I was so excited. I really do love cards. I was also policing my facebook all day and I wanted to thank everyone that wrote on my wall/liked my status AND major thanks to those of you that took the time to leave me a blog comment! Thanks for making me feel special throughout the day! Art to come tomorrow!

BE PROUD.

I figured I should probably post something I've made too. This is in my sketchbook. I made it from some nice black paper. I tend to look at it when I'm feeling insecure.MY BIRTHDAY IS ON MONDAY and I am scared at the moment because my leg feels like it's going to get a Charlie Horse and I HATE Charlie Horses because they hurt very badly and I cry a lot when I get them. Hopefully it doesn't happen.

Une Bonne Journée!

The title is supposed to say "A Good Day" and it WAS. My friend Alicia asked me if I would accompany her to visit a french woman she was meeting in Ann Arbor. Alicia was meeting with this woman to ask her about french food and culture for a report for one of her classes. WHY NOT? We arrived and met Cecilia. Cecilia is originally from France and makes pastries out of her licensed commercial at-home kitchen in Ann Arbor; most noted for her macarons (not to be confused with macaroons). While in her kitchen, Cecilia had us try something.

They were small, rice krispie-esque things. They also could be confused for the rocks in the bottom of aquariums. She had two pink ones, a white one, and a dark purple one. The pink ones were rose and lilac, the white jasmine, and the purple, violet. Turns out, they were crystallized flowers; LITERAL FLOWERS! She put one of them in a glass of water and IT EXPANDED INTO A FLOWER! She scattered a few on the counter and I was eating them like it was no one's business. The violet was my FAVORITE. I can't even explain what it tasted like, but it was so good. The other ones tasted like the smell of whatever flower they were. I bet my stomach looks like The Secret Garden right now. It's probably blossoming as I type this.

We talked about life and Cecilia explained her outlook and I was captivated. I was captivated by how strong, empowering, and how modest she was. She's exceptional at what she does, she's kind, and she cares about her clients and her product. She was so hospitable too. She showed us the art in her house (which she has an eclectic mix of) and showed me some art she's done herself (and she's not bad either). She asked Alicia and I if we would like to stay for tea; though I'd never had tea, we graciously accepted and Cecilia led us to her tea room.

As you may recall, I've been hoping for a tea party since THIS post. My dream became a reality today. The tea room was this lovely, quaint room that had flowers and giant windows; you can see it in the photos. We sat down and she brought out a tea pot with nice illustrations on it, saucers that had indents for your fun cups, and TINY spoons. Incredible! I was so excited! I kept lifting my pinkie in a dignified sort of way. Then, we dug into our macarons.

Today was a big day for me because I tried new things. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am PICKY. I was nervous about one of the macarons because it was white and covered with green tea powder. When Cecilia had us smell the green tea in the kitchen, I thought it smelled like seaweed or aquariums; it definitely smelled aquatic. The other two, violet (a beautiful, pastel purple) and milk chocolate with orange (a sort of orange creamsicle color), I would be fine with. I tried the green tea one first. The taste and texture of macarons is hard to describe. If you've never had one, try one. These pastries are huge in France. It's almost like a cookie, but not quite. The green tea one wasn't bad, but it was different. I then tried the orange and chocolate and it was incredible. The flavor was so BOLD and I saved the violet for last because I knew if i liked the flower treats, I would love the macaron (and I did). They're very light, but with lots of texture and flavors and they are delicious.

We spoke to Cecilia for sometime about French culture, food, dining, schooling, and etiquette. She said in France, it's about the flavor more so than the presentation and I feel that's where we, as Americans, are flawed. We focus more on the appearance than the quality and flavor. I have to applaud Cecilia's french flair and background that she brings here and imbibes into her pastries. I was on cloud 9. I'm counting this tea party as an unknown early birthday gift (since my birthday is in 11 DAYS)! We stayed for awhile, but after tea and sampling, we said goodbye.

I'm happy because I like meeting new people, experiencing new things, and learning. If anyone is interested in doing a class or wants to make a trip out to get some pastries, let me know. Here's some photos in the tea room:

Motivation.

I'm taking a break for today. My sleep is fixed. Meh. I wanted to share this awesome illustrated link about what motivates us. Maybe you've already seen it. I hadn't. I know it's 10 minutes, but it's a guy drawing on a board so it's fun to watch. Enjoy!