the nina~bird

2010-12-27T14:41:00.002-05:00

Then I discovered Google Reader and stopped visiting Blogger and never updated this anymore.

www.livejournal.com/~neiners

paiden.deviantart.com

filler!

2010-09-21T19:33:00.002-04:00

Updates soonish. Sitting surrounded by colored pencils and pups as I type.

2010-09-16T16:17:00.005-04:00

Just a liiiiiiittle bit more than the last post. After I took this, I got even further - and started in on some fun little details. I'm not going for photo-realistic (thank goodness, 'cause this would not cut it) ... I'd like it to be even more painterly though. Working too strictly from a photo in the beginning really screws me up. But! Baby steps.

Then I broke out the paint and canvas for the next one - man it's been a while. Wet paint, curse you, always testing my patience. Also, it's funny ... I hear Mr. Acri's voice every five minutes, when I'm painting. Yelling at me to stop and wait, because I'm muddying up the colors. Barking at me to back up, stop getting in so close to the canvas. I wish I was still in his class so I could know I'm moving towards improvement. Anyway-

Just a quick scribble

Looks more like the Ghost of Honey, not her Angel - love this stage though. Always afraid to push it further. Nina, this is like five minutes of paint. Five minutes does not a lively, colorful, detailed dog portrait make.

"What have you been working on?" "I've given in to my inspiration. Pet. Portaits."

2010-08-29T11:42:00.002-04:00

Yeah, yeah. I admit it - puppy portraiture seem to be the only kind of art that holds my interest anymore. And the puppies around me are my main (maybe only) source of inspiration. So here is what I've been working on:

Colored pencil of Sheila ~ an exercise in patience and, sorta, strictness. Usually I get all wacky with colored pencil, start throwing in ink and paint, and never spend enough time layering the color. This time I'm only using CP, soo that means I have a lot of layers still to go. Plus the right side of her face is definitely wonkY (why does this always happen? I try so hard to get a good, solid sketch, mirror-check it several times .. while not getting too stiff or overworked, just keeping it loose .. but these funky errors always hide themselves from my eyes until I've put some kind of color down. Probably another result of my artistic impatience [DONE DRAWING, WANNA COLOR!]).

This is typically how my CP drawings go - this already has ink pen outlines, gouache block-ins, marker under-layers. I like mixed media, I think it adds interest and keeps me from feeling too restrained, which always shows. It's more free - freer? This is Casey, my Uncle's great old Lab who passed away recently. Also seen here -

Quite a few years old now. Back when I wasn't so rusty, and I think it shows. It's fun, and I feel like you can see that I was not as self-conscious as I am now.

Soooooo sleepy.

2010-08-26T16:15:00.003-04:00

I grabbed a notebook to check out bus times that I had written down, so I could get the ~heck~ outta here, and opened up to this sticky note that had been tucked in the pages:

Hells yeah I am. How appropriate. BYE, WORK.

There is no time! Well, MAKE TIME!

2010-08-24T09:52:00.003-04:00

I have whined for 4+ years that I have no time to ~create~ like I used to. 'Like I used to' meaning everyday, usually all day. Yeah, a lot of stuff has changed since I was 16, and thank God for that. I am busier and have more responsibilities. Free time is scarce and moves fast. I always say, 'I'll find the time eventually. Art will come back to me.' But I haven't even been trying. It's no one's fault but my own that I only complete one painting a year.

I guess I am starting to really look at how I spend my time. I spend a lot of it thinking about how things used to be, or wondering how they will be soon (typical). I get a slice of me-time, alone in the apartment, and suddenly I'm desperately bored and calling everyone I know to go to lunch with me, even though I'm not hungry.

Not anymore! This weekend I grabbed and hung onto my free time and made shit happen. Getting started is always the hardest part and I still don't know why. It's like I have to gather up enough energy & motivation to kick-start, and then the rest just follows in momentum. I promise, promise to post new stuff here by the end of the week. Even WIPs. This is a promise to myself, obviously, because I have a great big entourage of two here. ;) But a promise is a promise! Pictures to follow!

2010-08-02T11:31:00.001-04:00

Casey in Progress

Roomie ~ such a pal.

oldies

2010-07-02T08:42:00.001-04:00

Found in a big drawing pad (labeled, of course, "written off" .. like all my art supplies pilfered from Blick) ... Both are from 2007, I think. Before my great adventure Westward.

2010-06-24T10:10:00.002-04:00

Thanksgiving Day

2009-11-26T22:53:00.008-05:00

hm, so a big 3 posts since I began this blog ... not what I'd consider productive. BUT, I am working on finding time/inspiration. Here is a giant compilation of my doodles from class (where I do most of [all of] my "work" these days):

also in the process of figuring how to the HELL to make a basic gallery website in Flash. wtf, it is so hard! also why have I never had to take a class on this stuff! edit: I learned a couple months later in a web design class that Flash is outdated and you should never, ever use it to build a site. Um, ok. Late to that one.

finals are upon us, and so obviously I'm writing here to put off writing a 10-page paper on management. Time to face the music. Bye.

2009-09-15T23:46:00.003-04:00

durpa durp, nothing new (yet) ... I'm drawing more but still not as much as I used to. better than nothing!!

2009-07-26T23:48:00.009-04:00

some drawings since my first post

Found this really old one in some papers- I have no idea when it's from.. at least 3 years ago.. not the most finished picture, but I think it captures Lark pretty well.

This is still not finished, so just posting part of it.. a story illustration.

I Have a Blog.

2009-07-05T13:15:00.007-04:00

Trying to find new ways to ~want~ to make "art" - maybe if I make a blog and follow people who are interesting and inspiring, i will draw pictures! Here's hopin.

Also I made a website!
So until I make something new and put it here, my other stuff is there.