Gloomy Weather

The weather has been so cold and crummy, it's hard not to have some of that gloominess rub off.

Here's a sketch I made in Central Park a couple of weeks ago using the Alice in Wonderland statue:

Also, I got my picture taken and featured on College Fashionista:

 

I was Kidnapped by Lesbian Pirates from Outer Space

I've been reading the hilarious webcomic, I was Kidnapped by Lesbian Pirates from Outer Space by Megan Rose Gedris. It's sooo good. I made a little fanart sketch!

Simmering In a Pot of Stew

Like a salty jacuzzi.

    I thought I should write about something that has been on my mind:

       Since I was very little, I've had stories and projects in my head and none of these have been completed, most not even started. The project that has progressed the farthest is Queen Indeed, but now that is being majorly overhauled with character and plot changes. But instead of feeling down about it I find that there is an organic sense to this process of producing a big work like a story and graphic novel. As an artist, and even as a maturing person in general, I feel like I'm simmering in a pot of stew full of ideas, experiences, and flavors; the more it cooks the better it tastes. I halted Queen Indeed because I felt like it was incomplete and fractured; it was really frustrating to figure what it was missing. So I put it back into the stew to simmer some more. Four years later, a lot has changed in the world of Queen Indeed. It has more subtlety and honesty.
       Now, my current problem is intellectualising this natural 'stewing' process by deliberately trying to squeeze ideas that may not belong in them to counteract subconscious biases. I have become aware of many racial, gender, sexual, and class-related issues these past few years (for example, I have begn to try to consider the complex nature of the relationship between Queen Isabel and her lady-in-waiting, whom is a goose girl from the lower classes. How does this disparity in experience affect their friendship?) After becoming aware of all these differences, and of even my own privileges, I have a fear that any unchecked biases and stereotypes that I may still have will creep inside these projects and degrade their intended quality. And by constantly trying to question all of my motives for character and plot changes, I have lost a sense of precious spontaneity, and ultimately stifled what inspiration can bestow. It's less fun to work on these projects, I suppose.
      I'm guessing that this deliberate thinking that I've adopted too will change. I mean, I went from not thinking at all about my work to being overly sensitive to it.
       I'm sure I will eventually hit a balance, because even though I do want to become a smarter critic of our world and its history, I need those creative juices to make it work.
      Back to that pot of stew I go.

Class Notes

While watching The Return of Martin Guerre.

Sex Show Piece

Last night was Montclair State University's The Sex Show gallery opening, which featured awesome artwork from the university's many illustrators with the theme of sex. 

My piece was concerned with the effects of sexual repression:

Oh those Victorians and their naughty euphemisms...

The mentioning of sex, albeit indirectly, was too much and they all sort of freak out from their repressed sexual urges. 

Call me a prude but I was a bit shocked to read about Victorian euphemisms. "Tipping the Velvet" I'm familiar with because of Sarah Waters's amazing Victorian-themed novel, but some like a "beast with two backs" or "dog's rig," make one ponder a little too long about how they might be connected to sex. And some are on the verge of gross, like an "ever throbbing doodle" which refers to male genitalia. Doodle? Throbbing? Seriously?

In terms of the piece itself, I didn't have a lot of time to plan it all out. I wish the last two panels were larger and that I could have used a better font than comic sans, so if I have the opportunity to go over my protfolio I'd like to go back and fix these things.  Below is my quick sketch before I started the drawing the final piece:

NYC Trips

This week I've been travelling to New York City multiple times and now I'm really exhausted! It's hard to believe people commute to that city every day...

On Thursday night I had the opportunity to visit the Modern Love opening at the New York Times, which featured the illustrators Brian Rea and Christopher Silas Neal.

This is Murray Tinkelman right after his lecture on the history of illustration, which was fascinating and at times really funny. I got to ask him about his opinion on foreign styles like anime and manga being embraced here in the U.S. and, refreshingly, his response was quite thoughtful.

Here are photos I at my parent's house in Northwest NJ during the freak storm right before Halloween:

New Haircut

I cut it myself to save money.

A Mori Girl