"It only goes to show, that though life's pleasures are few...

I have a week off of classes, which is filled with working ridiculous amounts of hours at my part-time job back home, knitting, working on commissions, planning out my next moves, and of course enjoying good ol' Utica with my friends and crazy Italian-American family.

So I figured, hey, lets blog on the only morning I have off from work! haha

This week I plan on knitting a couple new hats to post on RetroSorrento, and finally figure out my website. I'm actually really excited to be attacking Dreamweaver, it's a lot of fun, but I know I can go overboard.

So here are some of the things that finished up my last fall semester at RIT:


This is the final image for my hot sauce label for my illustrative design course. I loved the way it looked on the bottle (image coming soon, as my professor has the bottle), although I'd like to go back in and define some of the illustration a little more for a portfolio piece.



This, also for my Illustrative Design class, is my magazine layout. I really like the way this one turned out, especially printed. It was a real pain to scan the illustration though.

And finally...



These are horrible images, but they are all I have and the only proof I have that I've finished this piece, since I'm 2.5 hours away from it. The bottom background is a bit warmer, a deeper red-blue, but I think you can get the drift. I absolutely love this, and it feels so good to have a piece I'm proud of after struggleing with what I wanted to show for so long.

I guess that's it.

Peace.

Regina Spektor

About 80% finished:

Mountain Hop anyone?

Still some work in progress, but it's coming along nicely:

Soul Kitchen.

So this may be more for my own sanity, but here are some work in progress shots of Mr. Plant (which is, by the way a 4'x2' piece, and it feels SO good to paint this big again.):



I did some color comps before starting the piece, I might scan some of them and post them. The background is going to be a deep blue/teal color. I'm excited for that part!

Also, here is another caricature I'm going to be painting this week, Regina Spektor:


And because this post is not nearly as colorful as I'd like, here's my knitting (which is going much better and almost finished!!):

Whole Lotta Love...

Robert plant sketch, for a HUGE painting:

Wine.

So, for my Wines of the World course, I made a label for a Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc:



Obviously I was inspired by some poster art!

Moonshadows.

Some things I'm working on:

This is a portrait for my anatomical figure drawing course that I will be painting. Currently it's charcoal on gessoed illustration board, but I'll be doing oil paint washes over the top of it. I think I'll be taking work in progress shots for this, since it's a new technique I'm trying out.


Hunter S. Thompson, at about 98% complete, I have some nitpicking I'd like to do.



And finally, Mr. Clapton, pretty much finished. I decided not to hold back on my color choices for htis one. I also painted it a little bigger on just a gessoed board instead of canvas. It was a nice change of pace and I'm decently happy with the outcome. Could use some adjustments ot the jacket. We'll see.

Designs.

Also, Mr. Clapton is on the board and ready to paint this afternoon, and I will have a good scan of Hunter today too I hope.

"Her name is Aphrodite and she rides a crimson shell..."

Hello.

I figured I'd update with some sketches from pieces I'm working on/working out to a final stage, mostly because it makes me feel better about life.

First off, I'm still trying to get this Jack White portrait down:


It's looking better, I still have to work on the hands and a few things on the guitar, but his face looks a little better I think. It's been a frustrating battle with this piece, but there has to be one or two of these in the mix.

Next, Hunter S. Thompson:


This should be done later tonight, and hopefully I can find a way to get a good scan of it before I have to give it up. I'm really happy with this one. Maybe because of all that yellow.

Some sketches for a painting of Eric Clapton:




These are in order based on development, which means I'll probably be going with something closer to the the last sketch for a composition. His face is just basic shapes right now, but this will help me when I get to the canvas.

I've discovered that painting a caricature is about a thousand times harder than drawing one, which I did not think was going to be the case at all. Either way, after these sketches I'm super determined to get the hang of it. I think I'll be looking more Phil Burke's way this time (check out his Warhol piece, love. love. love.) and be listening to a whole lot of Cream. I need to get more colorful, freer, and cleaner. I've been fighting with what I love lately, when I really should be fighting with other things, or just keepin' the peace.

Keeping this Rock-blues theme:


For my illustrative design class I'm designing a hot sauce bottle label. "Crossroads Hot Sauce" is my concept, with a devilish, southern blues mystery about it. Lots of antique looking designs around the middle drawing and possibly some old wallpaper in the darker areas. This is going to be a lot of fun! I plan on doing it in a gouache and colored pencil technique, like I did with my Sleepy Hollow pieces last year.

And just a random sketch I like:


Off to work.

Love.

Sorrento.

The current WIP...

So I've been obsessive compulsive about this for a bit longer than two weeks...



Needs a lot of work on the hands and general details... but I'm going to keep on keepin' on.

"All they got inside is vacancy!"

Just some things:

These were part of my first illustration in RIT's Reporter Magazine:




My latest colored pencil caricature, Hunter S. Thompson:




And a hip bone, from my anatomical figure drawing class. I just kind of liked it:



Love all around,

Sorrento.

Gushing after a whole lot of coffee...

This is definitely not something I usually do, but I really feel the need to (granted, it's 12:34 AM, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.).

I just got back from seeing the film It Might Get Loud.

So.

Utterly.

Fantastic.




I could go on for hours about this, but I won't. Granted, I know very little about the details of music, but I think I can safely say I know a lot about emotion.

I'll just say that it was amazing to see three different perspectives on what rock music is, was, and could be. Three totally different interpretations of the soul.

Jimmy Page, the God of guitar, talking about his early beginnings, his bow, the Yardbirds, Stairway. Even as someone as old as my grandparents, he can still rock that guitar (oh, why did you have to age!!).

Seeing the way the Edge (U2, in case you were wondering) works with his guitar and sound alterations was fantastic, especially because they are so different than any other band that popped out of the 80's.

I especially enjoyed Jack White (possibly because I'm working on a portrait/caricature of him right now), who seems to be a collector of the old. It's nice to see an appreciation for things that may be considered useless throw-aways. He puts old recording devices, pianos, guitars and an array of broken and altered instruments to good use. How inspiring to hear someone say that they like things that are broken, so they can battle with them, and push them to the next level.

So the neck on your guitar is bent, or in my case my paintbrush might be a little stiff, you make it work, and you make it work for you. You find where your soul lies and you run with it, and you don't let anyone take you away from that.

"I heard George Harrison say the Beatles used to go to see Blackpool lights. What is that? A different place all together? I'm in the right place at the wrong time? That's how I feel every day." - Jack White III

Signing off- Love you all.

Sorrento

The right place at the wrong time.

Some new artwork!

Illustrated Logo:



Caricature of Bob Dylan:


I'm kind of unhappy with the outcome of this, I would like to re-do it eventually. In my opinion I just didn't grab the emotion I wanted... but that's for another day.

Also, some knitting:


FINALLY got this pattern down...

"Inch your way through dead dreams to another land..."

I'm very grateful to the Grateful Dead for a Box of Rain.

So I've been knitting this kerchief:


I'm using this fantastic sock yarn by Red Heart. Super soft and super colorful. Apparently if you knit with circular needles the end product is striped!

Also, crocheting a scarf for Tony:


Really did not think I could get this effect without knitting, found a pattern on Ravelry (which, if you're a knitter, is a great community).

For class this semester I've decided to create some pieces somewhere in between portraits and caricatures. Ideally I'd like to focus on my favorite musicians, since I am greatly influenced by them. And, I figure, I have to really love what I'm doing.


Rough sketch of Mr. Dylan:


And another for Hunter S. Thompson:


Rough sketches, still in the early development stage, but I'm still super excited, so I had to gush.

Dear Ithaca, you are gorges.

So, a few weeks ago, I went camping with my fellow artists in Ithaca, NY.

I had never been there, and honestly, didn't expect it to be nearly as beautiful as I find the Adirondacks to be.

So here's a few highlights of our hike to Lucifer Falls. The photos will probably turn into paintings at some point, when life calms down.







That's my friend John, who likes to Pandalope, in this last picture.


Lastly, just so everyone knows: Bob Dylan is genius.

"It's alright, ma, it's life and life only..."

Some new etsy uploads...





I've been reading On the Road by Jack Kerouac and listening to a lot of Bob Dylan. There has not been a lot of me time in the last few weeks. School starts soon and I want to get back into the groove.

Looking back on the discussion in New York about drawing/creating what you know: what do I know and what does anyone else know, for that matter? Nothing, but everything we need to. Simple. I know octopus', clouds, lakes, old buildings, love (and what it could be), color, hats, patterns, psychedelic music, The Beatles, food, camping, sunglasses, twirls and swirls, clutter, Filmore posters, hairdos, fashion, needlework, etc., etc., etc.

"I'm not aware of too many things, I know what I know, if you know what I mean..."

This all came from stumbling upon some old photos:



I <3 the ADK. It's so depressing summer is over, maybe I can squeeze in one last trip.

Knitting hippie.

I've been feeling super productive last couple days, uploaded some new stuff to my etsy (link over on the right side of the page!).

Coasters:





And some other fun stuff: