12.24.2008

ride it!

Working on my illustration portfolio:


12.16.2008

we're moving out tonight

...which means starting tomorrow, I will be homeless for the foreseeable future.

I hate packing god I hate it so much.

12.10.2008

odd things from around my house

Giant praying mantis right outside the front door-


De-crowned stalk of broccoli-


Inadvertently buying color-matched foods at the grocery store-

my front yard at sunset

Carpet of insanely yellow leaves.


Electric blue sky.


Shadow of a leaf.


About to fall.


Bright red berries.


Yeah, that bright.

12.06.2008

today's project: botanical drawings

These sketches were inspired by some Japanese Ikebana photographs. Quite happy with the understated compositions.
They are most likely not becoming permanent design ideas for Cosmonaut (unless there is outcry to the contrary) not because I don't like them, but because I think this kind of imagery is overdone; I see it on t-shirts and other screenprinted goods all the time.
I personally am more excited about using these kinds of concepts for tattoo designs; I think it is more innovative in terms of layout. I can especially see lots of possibilities for non-black-outline based tattooing that may resemble woodblock prints a la the background branch in the second drawing. (Yes, for those of you not in the know, I seriously would like to learn how to be a tattoo artist.)


12.05.2008

little drawings I call widges

Not sure why, it's just the word that popped into my head when I started. They were originally meant for a sprawling project which was a conceptual self-portrait in mix-tape form, including viewer/listener participation through personal emotional cartography. Yes, it's bizarre and complicated, and probably won't ever be completed.
Anyhow, the artwork portion was meant to include at least 25 more of these little archetypes, almost like the characters in a tarot deck. I like them so much that it seemed a shame to keep them hidden on my computer for some unknown future date when I get the project done.

The Carried Pet:

The Executive:


The Tree:


The Mannequin:


The Trophy:

11.30.2008

thanksgiving weekend moments

Erik and I unexpectedly spent Thanksgiving at our friend Stacey's house in San Diego. It was a 7 hour drive from Sedona, that we decided to make at noon on Thursday. Hooray for spontaneity!

My favorite things of the weekend were A) Stacey's apartment, which was full of cute furnitures, beautiful flowers, and other lovely objects:



(I used to dislike the all-white apartments I encountered in San Francisco, yearning for the ability to paint or otherwise add a splash of color. However, now that I've lived in beige-walled timeshare hell, I would kill for the crisp white rooms and cute architectural details of a home like Stacey's!)





and B) the opportunity to frolic in the Pacific Ocean!




Sea Cone!



Happy Thanksgiving!

11.25.2008

Patrick Leger


Enjoy some amazing illustrations by Patrick Leger. They are so beautiful it almost makes my teeth hurt. In a good way.

today's project: wallet!


I get a queasy kind of feeling when I see a pile of thread from incorrect seams I've ripped out and it appears to be the same mass as an entire spool.

In other words, I'm trying to figure out how my sewing machine works again and making tiny baby steps in progress. The biggest problem is not that I don't know how to work it; it's that I'm using industrial felt, which is very unpredictable when I sew on it. And also, trying to incorporate reclaimed mens suiting material, which is woven and unravels like mad sauce :(

So after lots of frustration trying to make a rather complicated bi-fold wallet with credit card pockets, I decided to make a non-folding pouch/card sleeve. This got rid of the need to wrangle the suiting, stop fraying edges, fold seams under and press, etc.

Here is the result, made from 1/8 inch thick felt, silkscreened with red ink:


Back view (card slots):


Pocket for money:


Voila!


I am mostly happy with it because it uses the natural properties of the felt. That is, I can cut slits in it for cards and such and it is A. sturdy enough to handle being sliced nearly in half and B. won't unravel or fray.


I don't know that I've ever seen a wallet that didn't fold at least in half, if not thirds. Which makes me worry that no one will think it's a practical design. It is definitely minimalist; it can only hold some cash and 3-4 cards. But it's nice and low profile in my pocket. There is a small piece of hidden structure sewn on the inside that keeps the upper card from sliding all the way in. Otherwise, it's just a piece of felt, folded and sewn.

After troubleshooting is over, I am definitely making some for my Etsy shop. I have a few different designs to print on them that will work great.

And I'm still brainstorming other wallet design ideas, and will post if they pan out.

11.22.2008

most amazing scroll-down evar

This is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. For the time when the Craigslist post is gone, I'll summarize: Hi, I am selling my car! The body is in nearly mint condition! I want $1000 dollars for it!

And these are a sampling of the photos included:


Hmm, okay, looks pretty good...


It's maybe a little dirty...


Oh, the seat has a small tear...


OMG WTF!

11.20.2008

politics according to ffffound



And for good measure, a birdie illustration by Alice Stevenson:

11.19.2008

Why I Love San Francisco

OK, the trip was crazy fun. I became too absorbed by the good times to post. But here are just a few reasons I love it there: