Loving Portlandia...

Just a quick post about the new show Portlandia on IFC.  It is a pretty silly show that kinda nails it in my experience with the current San Francisco/Portland art/craft/handmade scene. I suppose we all need to laugh at ourselves a bit...so check it out.

So thank you Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein for the laughs and the insight. Love this clip...but it won't stop me from putting birds on my stuff. It is an addiction that can't be stopped. WaaaHaaHaHa!

Almost February?

Damn...time moves fast. I'm drawing a lot of little portraits tonight. Here is a beautiful Albumen print from Julia Margaret Cameron from 1870 that is helping me set my mood.  It is amazing how much this picture speaks to me. The sitter seems very deep into thought, so deep into thought she doesn't realize her weird little bird is on the loose. What is that by the way? A chicken? I don't know but it just doesn't look right.

"Our May" by Julia Margaret Cameron

Anyway, I'm going to very busy for the next few weeks. But I will try to do my usual amount posts.  I'm trying to get all my work together for my website. Woo Hoo! My friend Kathleen is gonna help put the whole thing together in when she get back from showing her animation at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Here's to having lovely talented friends, and a fancy new website soon.

And, lets hope I don't get picked for Jury Duty next week. It will ruin all my plans for being super productive. These things always seem to have perfect timing don't they?  Yep.

On strength...

I have to admit, sometimes I feel that doing this art thing is just so impossible...I hate it when I feel this way.  It is just so damn depressing. I really just want to curl up in bed while my career miraculously gets itself straightened out. And yep, I know that this is not my reality.

So what do you do? This depression thing just can not be.  I know that I need to stay positive and just push on through. And I have to grow a little everyday and stay strong if I want to see my dreams become real.  I must just keep going today and everyday. Ignore my fears and anxieties and keep pushing forward. That is the key even when you feel you can't go any further. You must. And remember to take those baby steps...

I love this picture of Anais, does anyone know who took it?

Sometimes just getting out of my own head for a few minutes helps. Take the pressure off and try to read something that makes you feel good.  Here are a few inspirational quotes from the lovely Anais Nin that might help:

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage."

"I believe one writes because one has to create a world in which one can live." 

"Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death." 

Well, it feels good to get that out. Sometimes writing it down really does make you look at life differently.  I am a firm believer that journaling saves lives...

So, I better get moving. Maybe go out and enjoy the sunshine and have a nice cup of tea. Or maybe I just might do some drawing. Yes...that seems about right.


What do you do when you get the blues?

New work...Fennec Fox

Here is a brand new illustration.

I call it, "Fennec Fox follows Fannie Freckles" ...Is she stealing foxes or saving them? That is the question...I'm calling the fox the hero in this piece. Will he be reunited with his family? Let's hope so.  It is done watercolor and gouache. I hope you like it...

Favorite Places & Spaces

This weekend was beautiful in San Francisco.  I went out and enjoyed the warm sunshine with a beautiful walk around the Haight. If you are like me and haven't been there for a while, there are just so many cool unique shops there now. I love it. One of my favorite places is Mystery Mister. It is filled with the coolest antiques and oddities. I dream of my house looking like this shop one day. Here is a peek at some the fabulousness...

Say hello to Mr. Bobcat.

A nice dress for a spring stroll.

nesting birds

the ornateness of a cash register

cowboys & alligators

beautiful blues

golden butterfly

mink wrap & feather hat

butterflies, bats and a tiny cabinet of curiosities

So definitely...stop on by. They are always getting amazing new/old things in. I'm sure you will be delighted as I was to check this place out. And please say "Hello" to Rochelle for me.



Mystery Mister 
1506 Haight Street
(between Ashbury St & Clayton St)
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 552-4226

Writing letters

I've been thinking a lot about lettering lately. I am currently working on an illustrated alphabet series with a little bit of letters here a little bit of snarky animals there. I'm currently working on getting the animals just right but what about the alphabet itself? I've never really done a alphabet before. There is so many lettering inspirations around me everyday (I'm married to a sign painter, so I'm not kidding here). So my question is, where will I go with this? Simple or super detailed? Quiet or loud? Huge or very, very tiny...I'm not sure yet but I've been having fun doing my research.

Here are some of the type artists that are turning me on right now:

Here is a few from Jessica Hische. I really love wonderfully illustrated type, she is such an inspiration for me...Check out here website for much more.

Buttermilk Font by Jessica Hische

Mother Nature Daddy by Jessica Hische

Amazing Alphabet by Jessica Hische

I love Seb Lester's work too. His lettering has such movement and style. There is so much beauty in each of his swirls...Check out more on his website.

London Rocks by Seb Lester

Keep it Simple by Seb Lester

Stars by Seb Lester

Here is a few from Tauba Auerbach. I love her work, it seems almost alive, like it's still growing and organic. It is amazing that it is all hand drawn. Wanna see more? Check out her website. I will note that she started out as a sign painter for my husbands shop and it has been amazing watching her career grow. If you ever get the opportunity to look at her work up close, do it. It will amaze you.

The Letter F by Tauba Auerbach

Yes and No and or Yes and No by Tauba Auerbach

The letter I by Tauba Auerbach

What are you favorite artists that work with typography? What do you love about them? Do think they get enough respect in the art world or are they still considered just designers? Any thoughts?

Learning Letterpress

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I sure did. I spent my Saturday at the San Francisco Center for the Book learning how to do a letterpress print on a vintage Vandercook printer.  Perhaps I'm a big nerd but I had so much fun. I love learning new things. We learned everything from setting our type, loading it onto the printer, choosing the design, getting the paper ready and how to work the machine. I can feel my printers muscles already forming.

I chose the 18 point Stymie bold font. It was simple but strong and went really well with the limericks we printed. Here is a bit of the rundown of the class.

 A Limerick to letterpress.

This is what the metal type looks like piece by piece.

Here is my block of type ready to print.

Printing blocks stabilized on the press.

Overview with inked printing rollers.

Side view of letterpress printer, isn't it pretty?

Final of first limerick(oops...you really need to watch the spacing)

I had better luck with my second limerick...

All in all, a very successful day. I would highly recommend taking the class to anyone. My instructor was Maia de Raat of Dandylion Press. She was excellent and it was a really fun class. What great way to spend a Saturday. I'm really looking forward to Letterpress 2 and whatever myriad of classes after that.

words of wisdom

As the first week of the new year comes to a close and we are all filled with many resolutions and plans I thought I'd share a few words...

via Paper Art Orginals

via Melody Ross

via enhabiten

Have a wonderful weekend Everybody!

The January 2011 Meetup is here!

I will admit December kind of sucked as far as productivity. My husband and I took a trip back east for Thanksgiving for couple of weeks and we came back and got sick. And Christmas happened, well let's just say I am very happy the holidays are over and I can get back to work.

I learned something really important(and a bit obvious I suppose) over the last month. It is that I can't do everything myself. I was trying to build a portfolio website and driving myself crazy. I soon realized I really have no idea what I was doing.  So I decided, through a few tears,  I am hiring a friend to help with all the coding and getting the website to run smoothly. What a relief.  It feels so good to let some of the pressure off  of thinking I have to be an expert in everything...

2011 resolution? Finding Strength in Myself...via this

So,  what is in store for January?

1. Finally get the mini-book done.  The paintings are 99% done. I just need to photograph them and get them to work  in the book. 
2. Rework text for mini-book and rework book layout in Adobe InDesign.
3. Work on prints to sell on Etsy.
4. Create an Etsy page.
5. Create banner and logo for website.
6. Finish new portfolio pieces and revamp some favorites.
7. Perfect wording for website copy.
8. I'm taking my first Letterpress Class at San Francisco Center for the Book.
9. Keep improving blog, finding my voice and show more of my artwork.
10. Get my work published in at least one blog/website a month.
11. Mediate/Exercise/Walk daily!!!!
12. Continue volunteering at SFCB.
13. Take more pictures.
14. Get out in nature at least once a month.
15. Learn to use my time more wisely.
16. Illustration Friday!
17. Get website up and running....
18. Start working on my own stories again. 
19. Find new income streams and implement them.

What a great way to start off the new year. Yay! I hope you are all are also in a happy work mode. I feel really positive about 2011. I think it will be the year that everything comes together.

What about you? Are you feeling awesome about 2011? What are your biggest challenges for the year?

What is the Meetup thing, you ask? It is a group of creatives that encourage each other each month to make and complete their goals. Join us...it is an amazing to watch the progress of others and yourself...
Contact Liz for more info here.