Oh, Rihanna, how clumsy you are.

I really couldn't get my day started today until I got this sketch out of my system. Here's the backstory...

Last night/early this morning I was knee deep in dreamland when I woke myself up with my own laughter. This hasn't ever happened to me before and it sure seemed to piss off Matt who was sleeping soundly before I went on a giggle-fit in my sleep. He kept asking me what was so funny and I was slightly embarrassed to tell the story of the not-so-funny dream I was having at the time. Well, it's short and simple.. and here goes. Rihanna had just won some television show (an American Idol type deal) but very apparently had cheated. She was going to celebrate by carrying on stage a huge tray of wine for everyone to toast with but on the way, hit the tray against a door frame and spilled its contents all over the place. Something about the expression on her face really got me.

Funny, right?

Didn't think so.

Here's my quick sketch...

Can I please get on with my day now?

Letterpress Lock Ups

Completely randomly today I realized that I still have pictures stored in my phone of some of the hand set type from two letterpress projects I did last year. Being that I recently posted the print of the poem 1983, this would be a great time to put those up as well!

This right here is the 6 point type I mentioned...

What a fiasco, although it was totally worth it.

And this could have been done much differently and saved me a ton of frustrating work (filling up all that dead space), but what's done is done. This was designed for an imaginary press, if we could choose any name we wanted that wasn't already registered. I chose Paper Avalanche Press and listed myself as a decorator of paper and letterpress printer extrordinaire. 

What fun!

Brotherly Love

This weekend I've been playing around with ideas for a new promo card, partly because I have to for class, but also because it's naturally just that time. I felt like reworking the two-headed elephant I drew in undergrad, every time I see it I feel like there's potential. If I had a little more time I would have painted it by hand, but life is life, what can I say? Maybe next time.. ?

Also I had a ton of fun with patterns and these are the two I chose for the back side...

 

I suppose that's all for now, mostly because I can't look at the computer anymore.

Painters and Poets

Really quickly while I eat dinner, I wanted to write about my trip last Thursday to the Tibor de Nagy Gallery to see the Painters & Poets show (724 5th Ave). It was oddly inspiring, being that I'm not a huge fan of poetry and all, but I genuinely enjoyed looking at Dwight Ripley's work...

 

and also this darling little piece by Joe Brainard and Frank O'Hara...

"I'm not really flying. I'm thinking."

...and of course much much more of which there are examples if you get over to the gallery's website. All in all it was a great show and it's up until March 5th. I highly recommend that you check it out!

Happy Valentine's Day!

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I drew this for Matty. Greatly inspired by thoughts of spring and being outdoors again, on a day that hit 60 degrees. How could today be any better?

lovelovelove!

1983

Last night I was looking through some old prints of mine and found this gem. I can't believe I forgot about it! Last fall when I was taking a letterpress class at MICA we were all challenged to write a poem using a particular list of words and have it printed by the end of the night (we also had some very lovely hand made paper donated to us for this particular class). This is what a few of my classmates and I pulled together...

And yes, just in case you were wondering, that most certainly is 6 point type. It made for an interesting night, but turned out well in the end. I miss letterpressing so much.. Vandercooks will always have a special place in my heart.

Burberry!

Last week a whole bunch of the girls in the MFAI program decided to get together and make a zine on fashion.. It was actually a total breath of fresh air to focus on something fun (in a different, carefree sort of way) for a bit. I ended up making a spread dedicated to all of my beloved Burberry items (because everybody knows I'm obsessed anyway)...

Really, the first thing on my to do list should have been "Make Money" because I can't even afford one of the things I drew, I'm just lucky enough to have received such wonderful gifts over the years.

Also, we're all so excited to make this a regular thing with fun, girly topics, so there certainly will be more to come.

Ostracon Exhibition

I can finally and officially say that the MFAI Ostracon book show is all hung and ready to go! Join us at the opening this coming Tuesday night, February 15th from 6-8 pm at the SVA Gallery, 209 East 23rd Street, NYC

Also check out the SVA MFA Illustration website for a preview of everybody's work. Enjoy!

Is this what you ordure(d)?

Now that this darling little pillow has been given to its rightful owner (I'm a little late on giving some Christmas gifts this year, not so unusual though, thinking back...) I can finally show it to the rest of the world! I made this for a good friend of mine who has a very unladylike sense of humor. Don't worry though, if I didn't have a personality to match then this pillow wouldn't exist. All I'm saying is that we're friends for a reason.

I've come to really enjoy embroidering over the past few years but I still feel like it's more of a hobby. I never was taught how to do it, just sort of picked it up from watching others and experimenting on my own. I hope to perfect my technique someday and make tons and tons of more embroideries!

Hangin' with Mr. Kuper

Last night in the MFAI department was a wonderful talk with Peter Kuper. Not halfway through, when the subject of his book about his stay in Oaxaca came up, did I realize that I'd seen him speak before at MICA! I really am such a bird brain sometimes. (the moral of the story: write these things down) Either way, Diario de Oaxaca charmed me as much last night as the first time I'd seen it.

..so, so lovely.

As I was flipping through the book I noticed a wordless comic titled Fight on the Beach and I do believe that everything about it is just perfect.. in every way. I went through hell trying to find it online and was about to give up when I decided to check one last place: Barnes and Noble see inside. After having to create an account and look through sixty something pages, after tons of searching that all proved fruitless, to my surprise, there it was staring back at me! So now here it is, for your viewing pleasure...

 Just please remember to check out peterkuper.com and show him some love. And that is all.