Board and Studio

Dear old love

2011-04-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

Yet another reason why I should be giving all my money NPR. My new favorite podcast, Pop Culture Happy Hour hits all the spots on my comedy must haves. It's a little snarky, giddy funny, with enough cultural references thrown in, known and unknown alike, to keep me curious and get my brain working.

You know I like something when I keep a notebook by headphones to jot down all the new things I want to listen to, see and read.

And I love this one.

http://dearoldlove.tumblr.com/

Readers write in with snippets of memories and thoughts about their dear old loves. Some are hilarious and some are heart breaking.
Nostalgia is a very dangerous thing and a wonderful source of inspiration. I walked away from the sentences I wrote of with a smile of my face, albeit a slightly melancholy one.

Here they are-

"I'm really annoyed that you made my great "what might have been story", into a "Well, everybody was right. He was a weird jerk" story."

"I was smitten with you. Almost as smitten as I was with your house that I was mentally redecorating . You would've loved the new carpets."

"I miss the guy I imagined you were."

"After all these years, you made me laugh more then anyone. I'm ready for someone else to do that please."

underwear

2011-03-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

I miss underwear that comes in packs. I miss the times where your largest choices consisted of black, white, or the never skin tone appropriate for me, nude. Instead I spent 1 hour in American Eagle picking out 7 pairs for 25. Because let's face it, the days where I thought pack underwear were ok have long gone never to come back ( thank god for my dating life's sake). But lobster underroos? Who could say no?

Around My French Table

2011-03-07T18:14:00.001-08:00

When the whole Julia Child craze started a few year ago ( "Oh, my God! Meryl Streep is playing her!!!") I made a point of reading The Art of French Cooking, volumes 1 AND 2. I found it fascinating, impressive in detail and ...completely devoid of appeal to to my everyday life. Cream sauces galore, offal crazy, and really, who makes their own puff pastry?
My refrigerator has maybe one stick of butter in it and a shocking lack of cream, very Julia unfriendly. But I knew there was something about french cuisine that was for me.
Dorie Greenspan's "Around My French Table" is that slice of french cooking I can dig into. More french country, less pressed duck with cream sauce. It sat on my coffee table for weeks, racking up library fines, while I was unable to give it up. One 40% borders coupon later ( bankruptcy has it's upside) and it's mine! What shall I make first?

more wild horses

2011-02-27T14:59:00.000-08:00

and wild horses

2011-02-26T15:53:00.001-08:00

Creating to create

2011-02-26T14:07:00.000-08:00

Disturbing

2011-01-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

Why flavored? And what is making that flavor? Is it like an extract? Like Vanilla except... meat? I am this much closer to vegetarianism.... Ok, I'm not....but I want to believe that I could be.

Fat Cats Revenge

2011-01-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

This is Luna.

I didn't take out the red eyes because it seems more in tune with her personality. Firstly, I am not a cat person. They make me sneeze, and thus I don't like them. But through the years I've developed a soft spot for this cat. Mostly because of Luna's slow fall from grace.

In the beginning there was Luna and Brian. Brian found Luna behind a dumpster at Cornell. A teeny tiny kitten that through Brian's love and complete lack of knowledge of feline nutrition, became the behemoth you see above. And then Brian met my sister, Marissa, who nixed the Friskies, or as the vet put it "kitty potato chips", and promptly put Luna on a diet. Luna's health may have improved but not her place in Brian's heart. 2 years later came The Rabbit, which is actually a mediumish puppy named Hailey. She hops like a rabbits, eats Luna's rationed food, and knocked her down one more notch in the family hierarchy.

And then the lowest blow of all... this past November my niece Lily was born. And with that Luna is officially the lowest man on the totem pole. I've always had a place in my heart for the underdog/cat. And so I decided to commemorate Luna's crabbiness, skulking, and all around large self in my brother-in-laws Christmas gift this year.

It's a little Mucha, it's a little Shepard Fairey, and it's a whole lot of Luna. Cafe Press! Who knew? Mounted canvas and some pretty spot on color production. Plus thanks to Groupon, a good deal! 100 dollars for a 16x20 canvas seems a little steep to me.

My brother in law with his first baby. Long may Fat Cat rule.

Revision to the red door

2009-03-04T19:29:00.001-08:00

I wasn't too pleased with the version I did of this piece in a previous post. And since this was another barter piece I wanted it to be something that I would be proud to sell.

I will barter you my taxes for two chickens

2009-03-03T14:15:00.000-08:00

Or a portrait of your grandchildren. My sisters father in law generously offered to do my taxes this year. As a little thank you I drew this picture of his grand-girls.

Playing around

2009-02-25T14:40:00.000-08:00

What?! An illustration not based around a figure? Unheard of! I wrote that and then realized only one is not based on a figure. Eh. I'm trying.

Pourquoi Pas? - A Journal of Fashion Illustration

2009-02-19T16:35:00.000-08:00

If I had roughly 60 dollars right now to spare, I would be buying Issue 2 of Pourquoi Pas?, a magazine devoted purely to fashion illustration published in the UK. I love the idea that there is a magazine that illustrates its subjects, such as Dita Von Teese, with a series of illustrations rather the a glitzy airbrushed photo shoot. It gives me hope. My college had this crotchety weasel of an agent come in to review our portfolios senior year. Mine went something like " Your book illustrations suck. ( true. I'll give him that) But your fashion illustrations are great... To bad fashion illustration is dead!". Nice guy. I thought he was wrong then and I still do.

What I think it's TIME for

2009-02-12T18:46:00.000-08:00

I'm a cheater this week. I wanted to enter Illustration Friday and get a Valentines illustration done too. Here is what I think it's time for this Valentines. Better then flowers and chocolates.

"25 things about me" why won't you leave me alone?

2009-02-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

As we all know, Facebook's "25 things about me" is sweeping us all with an infectious rate.
It hits all the trigger points which are-

1) Being a time waster. Don't we need more of those in our lives.
2) A reason for introspection. What topic do we all love more the ourselves?
and 3) What do we love even more then ourselves?
Telling other people about ourselves of course!

I've read a bunch of 25s ( see reason #1) and they range from fun and light
to the really, really personal.
I like to think mine was that happy medium between
"My favorite food is Thai" and "My last blood test revealed that....".
But regardless, "25" inspired a new piece I plan on continuing.
My #7 was- " My mother doomed me to dorky interests. You think the woman that cringed at the pictures of herself with an accordion would know better."
It got me thinking off all the interests I inherited from Mom. She never told me about any of them growing up, I just happened to fall into them on my own.
Well, not the subject of this first piece. This first one is all her!
Her parents decided that she would play the accordion. I can't believe even in 1962 it was remotely cool thing to do. In turn, she repaid them by sentencing me to,
wait for it... the church organ.
Hearing me play the theme song from Cheers must not have been a treat for her so in that I had my revenge. Luckily for all of us, musical talent and I have manage to avoid each other to this day. My stint at the organ was brief but, oh does the memory of it live on...
in countless jokes told by friends.

New Prints

2009-02-08T07:18:00.000-08:00

My favorite part of any "corporate" job I've had has definitely been print design. I remember my friend Lara and I sitting in a Starbucks years ago during our lunch break. I had told my new job I knew how to do full repeats in Illustrator. At that time I barely could use illustrator in general! Best way to learn, something new fast? Shear panic. By the end of that lunch mapped out on napkins, I learned how to do repeats.

I'm working on a new collection of prints. Here are two I did yesterday.

Part 1

2009-02-03T19:18:00.001-08:00

Research, research, research

2009-02-03T17:25:00.000-08:00

I can research a project to death. Before I know it, it's been 4 hours on the computer or in a library. I needed picture of 80s clothing for children for a new piece. And boy did I get some. I actually love the reinterpretation of 80s fashion that are out right now, the bright colors, the bold prints. And I forget that it sooooooooo was not like that. This is what I remember. Eek.
I totally remember rocking the "collegiate" matching sweat pants look. And the zip up neon number? Oh, yeah. I believe I had a summer spent in those. Thank god there aren't any photos.

Need a St. Pats T-Shirt?

2009-01-29T16:42:00.000-08:00

buy unique gifts at Zazzle

For all your St. Patrick's Day needs. Why not a t-shirt designed by moi, as my childhood roll model Miss Piggy would say? More in the works.

It's most wonderful time of the year....

2009-01-27T14:31:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that I am preparing for St. Pats day already! I also can't believe that this will be my fourth annual St. Pats day brunch. I just finished the illustration for this years invite. Let the count down begin to the one day a year I drink a Guinness.

True Blood Montage

2009-01-26T08:24:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just have to leave a piece alone. I forgot that I can tweak something to death. I'm pretty happy with the end result.

True Blood- Sketch Phase

2009-01-21T18:53:00.000-08:00

So I now have a website....which I haven't told anyone about yet. But I will soon! This is besides the point. While building the site I had plenty of time to repeatedly look at my portfolio and noticed some blaring holes. The list being as long as my arm. At the top of the list is MEN. I have two in my whole portfolio. Yeah. Not good.
Another hole I want fill is my pop culture illustration void. I like pop culture. I have a few pieces from the past but my caricature of Helena Bonham Carter holding puppets of Kenneth Brannagh and Tim Burton is more then a little dated at this point.
Oh and just for the hell of it I decided to throw in my past nemesis- the montage.
Here are my beginning sketches for my MONTAGE, involving LOTS OF MEN, and my newest POP CULTURE obsession, True Blood.
Oh and please allow me to geek out for a moment. I really wanted to do a Charlaine Harris book version of this but I thought sticking with the TV show would be more relevant. Thus Eric and Pam get put in the background. Which stinks because my portrait of Alexander Skarsgard came out pretty damn good.

By the way, Stephen Moyer... Really hard to draw! There's this whithered quality to his face that is driving me nuts trying to capture.

trying to embrace my natural inclinations

2009-01-14T13:10:00.000-08:00

I've spent most of my artistic career fighting against my natural inclinations. Art teachers can be wonderful people in your life but they can knock you off your path too. I've spent years trying to be a "serious illustrator" my teachers loved. Norman Rockwell! NC Wyatt! Leynedecker! I don't know what I thought that meant but all I did was doubt every thing I did. I was starting to annoy myself. This week I spent kicking my own butt trying to figure out what I like and don't. My friends cat totally awed me last night. One, because I truly dislike cats ( if you make me sneeze, I don't like you) and two, because of his personality. As he looked down at my from his throne/ top of the refrigerator, he glared right into my eyes and crossed his legs. Thats it. I was sold.
The whole Alice thing is a little tired for me but you have to start somewhere. And this is the first piece this week where I think I might be getting somewhere.

And the finished product...

2008-12-26T20:01:00.001-08:00

Pleased as punch with this one. I rediscovered "shading". It's amazing what we carry with us from our teachers. The bad as well as the good. The fact that I barely ever create values with pencil. It's a left over from my high school art teacher turning down her nose at my natural style of drawing. Never too late for some teenage rebellion! I'm looking forward to exploring it.

Christmas Card

2008-12-19T16:45:00.000-08:00

I should just start calling this my Holiday Drawing Blog. Here's the new one in progress.

My version of giving back

2008-12-09T17:03:00.000-08:00

Looking back, I think one thing that my year lacked was enough volunteerism. The economy took a dive, my concentration on pounding the pavement to compensate doubled and giving back to my community suffered.

I hope to be able to find a better balance in 09 ( yikes! 09 already).
But in the mean time I volunteered to do the program for my church, Our Lady of Grace in Hoboken, Christmas pageant. I have fond memories of my starring role as unnamed head angel at my childhood parish back in RI...and not so fond memories of being passed over as Mary not one but TWO years in a row.
I guess that's what happens when your mothers not in charge of the show.
I joke, I joke! Sort off. :)

Here's the program cover in progress.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T06:43:00.001-08:00

Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving everyone. Enjoy this recipe from the New York Times I fudged with to make a little more user friendly. For those of us that do not have time to make our own puff pastry.

Studies in Light and Dark

2008-11-13T19:58:00.001-08:00

Just playing around with photoshop filters. The bottom version has the watercolor filter on it... which I found dorkily funny since I did the piece in watercolors. Ah, well. You had to be there.

Ode to lighting

2008-11-07T10:25:00.001-08:00

These are some inspiration art from Pixars Ratatouille by way of a fan site http://www.theartofpixar.com
Some artists have a natural knack of dramatic lighting...and I am so not one of them. I definitely want to work on some lighting pieces in the future, in my own Erica style.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T10:32:00.000-07:00

Funny how illustrations just take a life of their own. This is the final product of the comp from below. What's the same you ask? The color scheme. That's about it!

The background came out so well that I decided to add trees in the back instead of stars. I wanted to include my recipe for pumpkin bread which made me ditch the pumpkins. The witch just didn't look right and thus bats were added!

If you want the final recipe card just drop me a line and I would be glad to send it to you. Hope you have a happy Halloween!

Halloween Card... thinking it through

2008-10-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

I know what the line work is...that's never the problem. But the color? Ugh! My drawing style is naturally so tight. I always want to get more life into it. And I especially would like to get some dramatic lighting. Just trying to think it through with some marker mock ups. We'll see what happens.

Illustration Friday

2008-10-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

My first submission to illustration fridays. In the process of builing my web site I realized that I really need new work! The theme this week was strings. A flapper dress is the first thing that popped into my head.... I am very shopping deprived right now. <>

2008-04-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

My very nice and very photogenic room mate has been nice enough to model for my soon to be up and running Etsy store. This scarf is one of a few vintage items I'll have in the store. I'm currently developing my jewelry line. I thought three years of designing costume jewelry would get the design bug out of my system. Apparently not. More to come!

2008-04-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

Spring fever has definitely struck. Most days I'm stuck in the house doing work so enjoying the weather is out for now. I would plant some flowers but I don't even have the option of a flower box in my fourth floor walk up so that's out. And I could indulge in the exhilaration of a spring fling but I'm not seeing any viable options these days so that is completely and might I add, damn annoyingly, out. But who needs a spring fling when you have spring vegetables like artichokes! OK, awkward bridge to a new subject. Spring time vegetables are exciting though. Buh-bye root vegetable and winter starchiness, hello crisp greenness. I thought I would share my easy stuffed artichoke recipe.

Here is what you will need-
1 onion diced
1/2 a red pepper diced
1 lemon ( juice and zest)
1 medium baguette cut into 1" cubes ( day old is great, if not a fresh one is fine)
1 egg
1/2 cup grated peccerino romano
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt
pepper
2 artichokes

Everyone seems to be fearful of using and preparing fresh artichokes
but once you get the hang of it, you're going to be an artichoke preparing fiend. Here's a link to show you the basics.
After you have trimmed and de-choked chokes, put them in a pan of boiling salted water. Make sure the pan is large enough that the artichokes are fully submerged in the water. You can throw and a sliced lemon if you like but it's not necessary. Let artichokes
boil for 30 minutes.
Take artichokes gently out of pan and let cool.
While cooling, saute diced onion in olive in large saute pan until soft. Then add diced pepper, salt and pepper to taste and red pepper flakes. Cook until soft. Remove pan from heat and let cool. Add diced bread, pecerino romano, juice and zest of the lemon and egg. Combine all thoroughly and gently. Salt and pepper to taste again.
Take the artichokes that you have set aside and using a spoon, gently stuff the center on the artichokes with the stuffing.
Place artichokes in oven safe dish. Drizzle top with addition olive oil or cheese ( optional). Place in preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.
As Julia Child would say, bon appetit!
Or as another favorite chef would say, bun eppeteet!

2008-04-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

I'm developing quiet a few new projects right now PLUS trying to rediscover my "artistic voice" what ever that means. Above is me taking a sketch and developing it in photoshop. I keep reminding myself it's an experiment and not everythings a masterpices. My old comic book loving self is fighting with my need for things to look spontaneous. This really isn't doing it for me. But it's an experiment and not everythings a masterpices...she repeats to herself over and over and over.

2008-04-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

It's a little dated but here are some of the pictures from my fun day in Boston with my good friends Ira and Shannon. We spent the day roaming Boston. The Isabella Stewart Gardner museum was amazing as always. But totally overwhelming! Ira was way more patient then Shannon and I. We were all about chatting on the benches overlooking the beautiful courtyard. If you're in Boston check it out. It right by the MFA. Afterwards we roamed around Harvard Square, got the best hot chocolate and pretended to shop with my imaginary money. We capped the night with Ethiopian food ( I always love checking one more nationalities food off my list).

BUT on the walk home we ran in to one of my Boston must go to places! The Porter Exchange is a mini mall of all Japanese restaurants and stores. As you walk through this maze you never know what you'll find. The have ramen shops, sushi bars, bubble teas and sweet shops. I love it.
Almost as much as I love foreign grocery stores!!! Above are some of our favorite finds.

Ever wonder how chic Asian boys roaming around NY get those straight out of an anime flick hair? Well see above. And they really are straight out of anime flick. No real models!! Actual anime illustrations! That's more faith then I think I could put drawing.

Ira's favorite was the freeze dried Japanese "Vermont curry"...because he's from Vermont and pretty sure that they don't have freeze dried curry there.

And the best is last. Not because of the picture but because of what that little hair product bottle says on it. "Mandom" is apparently for all your "man" hair needs. But ever better is what it says below that-

"Everyone loves a lover. Every one loves Mandom. Man o'man that's a Mandom!"

Uhm... what? Makes no sense what so ever. Did we laugh until I cried? You betcha.

The cherry on the cake? It was Anime Con in Boston that weekend. The whole mall was flooded with anime geeks in all their costumes glory. And yes. I did go a little link crazy with this post.

2008-04-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

My friends Jess and Jana are taking their love of cupcakes to a new level. The Cupcakery is their new venture specializing in creative and delicious cupcakes. And I think they are going to do marvelously. Above is the new logo I created for them and a picture of the girls during the first day of recipe testing. I gladly played guinea pig in ultimate show down between butter based versus shortening based batter. The winner? For looks shortening, for taste butter. And back the drawing board they went. I'll be working on illustration for their website too so check back for some more sweets inspired art.

2008-03-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

The second in the portrait series ( woo-hoo, actually following through ). Totally inspired by Tinsley Mortimer, but just the hair. Should be interesting...

2008-03-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

I am a magazine fanatic. My dream is a to have filing cabinet to catalog all my finds. Sad? Yes. But when you live in small space having the room for the "luxury" of a filing cabinet is a rarity. Hey, no judgements! Some people have shoes I have...shoes and filing cabinets. But one of the perks of working in the fashion industry is I HAVE to read magazines. And then hoard them until they are years out of date and filled with dust. But before that point, I do something I find completely satisfying. Before I dare even read the magazine I go thought it page by page throwing out everything I don't need. Really awful perfume sample, the 27 magazine subscription forms in any given issue, what ever "look at me aren't I gorgeous, I've put myself in my own ad again" Tom Form campaign that happens to be plaguing us that season. It cuts the issue in half, down my 3/4 Th's if you get Vogue on the right month. Easier to transport and easier to concentrate on the important stuff. Like whatever luxury item I will be trying to find my own way to rip off at the thrift store that month.

Clamato

2008-03-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

Oh, I know. You're stunned. That can does say Beer and Clamato on it. In case anyone was wondering Clamato is Bloody Mary Mix and clam juice. Tasty.
When I was out in California visiting my sister and future brother-in-law I spotted this gem in their grocery store. I used my years of fashion retailing experience to take this covert picture. Really, once you've been thrown out of one store the fear is gone!
Wo-hoo! I still think I might be afraid of this though.

2008-03-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

Board and Studio is where it all begins, or at least it does for me. 4 years of art school and one TOTALLY disjointed portfolio later I asked one of my friends "where is my style?!".
Norman Rockwell had realistic quirky americana, George Petty had his sassy Petty girls, and Peter De Seve... well, Peter De Seve is just freaking awesome ( as demonstrated by those few months senior year shamelessly trying to rip off his style). My friend looked at me and said "it's not that you don't have good influences it's that you try to do them all at the same time!". Sure enough, looking at the bulletin board above my studio desk was a mess of influences, recipes, project ideas, & a picture of the most perfect Frye Boots ( I have still yet to buy).

Let's see if we can sort out some of those ideas here.

Above: First in a series of paintings (?hopefully?) "Gingham & Yellow".