YAAF

December 3, 2009 at 10:56 PM · Filed under art, book, recommendation

I am beyond thrilled to tell you that that Lindsey Markel’s amazing zine/podcast, You Are Among Friends, is now a book. And I had the absolute pleasure of designing the cover art for it! The drawing doesn’t do the goodness of what’s inside justice, but I’m so pleased to have helped her on her way. YAAF is honest, practical advice for girls of every age, and a huge force of positivity. There are no cheers of “GIRL POWER!” here. This isn’t feminism-lite. What you’ll find is a frank yet comforting discussion of the seemingly taboo that never sounds icky or text book. It cheers you on without ever being cheesy. Please check it out. It’s available through lulu.com right HERE.

That said, you should probably also be adding Lindsey’s blog to your daily internet-browsin’ rituals because she only writes good stuff. Not just this book, but her whole EXISTENCE impresses and inspires me because she takes every opportunity to be excited about life, grateful for it, and writes about it in a way that just… makes you happy. lalalindsey.com. Trust me.

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Flight of Swans

November 26, 2009 at 3:58 PM · Filed under art, faire_du_shopping, fashion_illustration

Anthropologie always seems to have an “It” dress that makes me drool like an overexcited bulldog. Which is to say a lot. Last season it was the cranberry/white striped dress with navy sash. Now It’s the Flight-of-Swans from Twinkle by Wenlan. Look how purdy!:

It’s like wearing a birch tree! As I wish I lived in a birch forest (like, had my bed in the middle of one. Cottage not included), this is speakin’ all kinds of lovely things to me. Sadly, I haven’t the funds to fund such a splurge, so I just did a lot of staring. Staring lead to taking a crack at a fashion illustration. Here’s that:

You can find the full illustration here, if you like. I had fun doing the hair, but an impossible time deciding on colors. Plus she’s got dead eyes. In the end, I thought it worked much better cropped, anyway.

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more of my softer side

November 26, 2009 at 12:11 AM · Filed under art

That pregnant sister of mine has got me makin’ art things for Baby New Year (the baby is due on Dec. 31st, GET IT!?) and it’s got me exploring my softer side. Again. Not that I’m normally a badass, exactly, but’chu know what I mean, ‘ight? I oscillate between enjoying myself and wondering what I’ve become. Aw well. Ian Falconer created Olivia as an ode to his niece, so maybe this kid’ll work comparable illustration glory for me! If not, I’m betting I’ll like her anyway. Here’s just a smidgen of a detail from an image I’m making for her nursery, which I’ve made into an emblem for the wimpy, baby kissin’ center of my heart.

More to come when it, y’know, finished. In the meantime, happy Thanksgiving, my fellow Americans!

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Monnnday, Tuuuesday, THURSDAY, Wednesday…

November 19, 2009 at 7:07 PM · Filed under art, paperdoll

I’ve had many plans for many paper dolls in my life, internet. Some of the have been made, some of them have not. And some of them sat half finished for nearly a year… UNTIL NOW. Dun dun dun? Here’s my Wednesday Addams. She comes with: (1) Pair of day-of-the-week undercrackers and tubesocks, (1) black dress for every day wear, (1) trench coat and shades, (1) swim suit with goggles and snorkel, (1) black party dress, and accessories including a knife set and bottle of poison!


( Click for enlargement )

I like her scuba gear best.

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To quote Ernie, the sandwich guy, “ooooh, BABY!”

November 13, 2009 at 1:28 PM · Filed under art

In a few hours, I’ll be on my way to Michigan for my older sister Jessica’s baby shower, which is tomorrow morning in the Detroit Zoo’s butterfly house! Hopefully it can live up to the time we got early admittance to the zoo (and continental breakfast — though back then I didn’t even like orange juice OR coffee, no matter how much it was made to resemble milk. Back then continental breakfast was lost on me, truly) to watch a buncha tigers tear into a MEAT PINATA. Or the time we got to feed about twenty penguins RAW FISH by SHOVING IT DOWN THEIR GULLETS.

Clearly the Johnston sisters have had some good times with raw meat at the Detroit Zoo, and this should be no exception. Still, I’m hoping everything served tomorrow will be fully cooked.

Here’s the illustration I made for the front of the invite to baby Scarlett’s pre-life party, evidence of my softer side:

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brusha, brusha, brusha

October 8, 2009 at 6:15 PM · Filed under Uncategorized


Me and Ben, Acrylic on wood, 27.75″ x 12″

Something you don’t need to know about me: I can’t keep toothpaste in my mouth.

Something you don’t need to know about Ben: He has Wolverine hair after showering, and a stern face when brushing.

Also, I hate pastes that contain baking soda and we, therefore, cannot use the same tube. If you’re reading this Alex Moase, I owe you some toothpaste.

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Copic Christmas

September 30, 2009 at 10:22 PM · Filed under recommendation

For those of you that don’t know, Copic Sketch markers are just about the best thing that, if you let them, will ever happen to you. As a drawer/painter/maker-of-things, I thought Prismacolor markers were pretty life-altering (and they are), but they aren’t nearly as handy as one of these bad boys:

They’re a permanent fixture in my, heretofore questionably wittily titled “ARTsenal”. I’m hoping for a stockingful of special blacks this holiday season. Only 87 days to go! Let’s make it happen, Santa.

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Shhh… I found the Secret Garden

September 30, 2009 at 10:07 PM · Filed under art, proposed_book_cover

Oh hi, Internet. I’m real sorry for being such a rotten pen pal, but here’s a thing for you to look at with your eyeballs:


Shhh: I Found the Secret Garden, painted book cover in acrylic

Many moons ago I found it in my sweet angel heart to rescue this beat down ‘n battered hardcover edition of the Secret Garden from the damaged bin at work. I took it home, taped up the spine, and painted on my own cover. And I didn’t like it. So I let it sit. For months. Then, yesterday, I decided to give it another crack and I’m happier with these results, though the faint flower background is a little TOO faint in this scan, unfortunately. In person (in the FLESH) I think it’s nice ‘n subtle, though. I’ve got a comic strip back cover summary in mind for it as well, but I’m contemplating going digital for that.

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ekphrasis: CALL FOR ARTISTS!

July 22, 2009 at 9:51 PM · Filed under Uncategorized

One of the first things I did upon moving to the fine city of Chicago was to meet with a few of the very lovely, very talented, and ridiculously long-hour working people at Sideshow Theater. I got to read their latest play, Ekphrasis: From Cave Walls to Soup Cans, which is a smart, funny, warp-speed art history lesson written by E. Warren Perry Jr. and THEN I got to make a poster for it. Lucky me! But MORE importantly (at this moment, anyway), they also asked me to curate an art show to coincide with the play’s run. That means I needa find stuff to hang. And fast. So if you make art, or you know people who make art or who know people who know people who make art and would like to show it to lots of people and potentially sell it and make moola, you should tell them to READ THIS and E-MAIL ME. And if you don’t have any of that going for you, maybe you should just see this play.

Here’s the poster, the info, and my very heartfelt CALL FOR ARTISTS!


( click here for closer viewin’ )

Sideshow Theater is looking to showcase the work of LOCAL VISUAL ARTISTS, to hang in a gallery in conjunction with their latest play, “Ekphrais: From Cave Walls to Soup Cans” at the Viaduct Theater in Chicago. All artwork must be 2D, ready to hang, and shoud fit the theme of “art about art”, that is, art that plays with notions of art history, references known works, or somehow plays with the idea of genre. All interpretations, styles, genres and 2D mediums welcome! For more information about the play, visit ekphrasisplay.com.

Sideshow Theater is a nonprofit organization, and all profit from art sold goes directly to the artist. All of it. 100%. Artwork will be on display for the play’s entire run: August 9 – September 20, 2009. Shows are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 PM, and Sunday at 3 PM. The Viaduct Theater hosts more than these performances, though, which means your work will be on display during live musical performances and the many other events hosted there. While this ensures your work reaches a larger audience (!), it also puts it at greater risk. Please submit with this in mind as neither Sideshow nor Viaduct claim responsibility for your work, should you choose to have it included in the gallery.

Artists must be able to transport their work to (and from, if not sold) the ViaDuct theater. Art submissions must be received by August 1, and those selected must be able to deliver their art work by August 4th. To submit contact Nicole at nicoleslaw@gmail.com. In your e-mail include the following information:

  • Your name
  • Contact information
  • Title of piece(s)
  • Dimensions
  • Medium(s)
  • Indicate whether or not your piece is for sale, and if so include the price
  • MOST importantly: a photo of your image(s)
  • *Feel free to submit more than one work, but please no more than three.

WE WANT YO’ ART! REPOSTING IS APPRECIATED!

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heavy ’bout everything but my love.

July 16, 2009 at 11:45 PM · Filed under art, illustration_friday

I’ve been kept busy these past few weeks. Trips to exotic and far off places, like… Detroit. Eating angel wings to the point of nausea. And, oh, working on a poster for a local theater. So I’ll have that to show/promote soon. In the meantime, it’s just a quick ‘un, but here’s my submission for this week’s Illustration Friday theme: Hollow.

Pretty much reads like a diary entry from my 9-5 life this past month. If a diary were worth keeping. But it’s not. Which is the point.

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