Sara and I like stories about people. How did we get to Jillian Tamaki? I remember rummaging the internet looking at Sam Weber’s website. It was my first time looking at his work and I had been introduced to him via stories that Sara would relay to me. Sam Weber is a well-known illustrator and happened to guest teach a class that she was taking at the time. The only things that I can recall about him now was his self deprecating humor and mentions of his wife. So, wife! As I look through Mr. Weber’s site I see mention of a Jillian Tamaki and then it was a dot, dot, dot, —-jump—jump—jump– CONNECT! This is the wifey! She’s an illustrator too! Wahoooo.
And I was really blown away by her work. Jeez, if there’s anything that gets me, it’s artist couples.
There’s something about her markmaking. When I can sense the repetitious lines of pencil or pen, the pull in a brush mark, the wash of ink, or the rub of graphite, it fills me up like a good meal. Her work is a mix of digital work and hand work and hey, I say that’s great. Work with it all, or even just some, just make it work for you.
Jillian Tamaki has a sketchblog and I appreciate that it’s mostly just for her. Comments were never enabled; she just wanted a place to post process and sketch work daily. She has a snarky sense of humor. I do enjoy it. Her humor also has a perfect outlet in comics. It’s the combination of humor fitted to the right context and the ability to tell a story that makes it work.
Jillian Tamaki has a graphic novel out called Skim. I would highly recommend it. Or if you live in the vicinity of Sara Barnes you can ask to borrow it. Just kidding. I kid, I kid. So long!
Having never been a big tea drinker, I would always decline when my boyfriend offered me a cup of tea in the morning. Having come from a family of avid tea drinkers, he’s been drinking it for most of his life. Eventually he got the better of me and I broke down and tried a cup (after having been prepared correctly*). Since then, I’ve been hooked on black teas.
During my lunch break today, I walked to one of the nearest cafes and bought a cup of tea. I immediately noticed the beautiful design of the tea bags – from Harney and Sons. The design is very elegant and visually stunning – clean, yet not boring. I love patterns, and I think the packaging makes excellent use of a pattern to brand the tea, but not overwhelm the viewer.
Does nice design make something taste better than it already is? I’d wager so.
* Black tea with a bit of (whole) milk and a few spoonfuls of sugar
As you might have read, I’m going to be applying to an MFA program in the future. I wanted time to work on my portfolio and to create a new body of work to apply with.
For my senior thesis, I illustrated short stories based on Aimee Bender’s book The Girl in the Flammable Skirt. I loved reading the book and enjoyed illustrating the stories even more. Her writing lends itself well to the type of images that I like to make.
I was reminded of Aimee Bender recently after a friend from college (who helped me with my thesis) sent me part of Aimee’s writing that had appeared in the Washington Post. I had forgetten how much I enjoyed reading the prose, so I promptly ordered An Invisible Sign of My Own, a novel. I started the book and thought it’d be perfect for me to work with on my porfolio. The novel has a certain whimsy to it, but also deals with issues such as cancer, death and loss in a quietly heart-breaking way.
So, that’s what I did this past week. I’ve been reading to try and finish this book. I’m excited to start working on images and really delving into the text.
Upon searching for this novel, I learned that the book is actually being made into a movie. With Jessica Alba. BARF. If there is one Hollywood actress I dislike, it’s her. I think she makes terrible films. I am saddened.
Luke Best is an illustrator I’ve been looking at for awhile. I love his application of media and shape design. I find it so very interesting. His blog also showcase his sketches, which show insight to his creative process.
Luke is also represented by the Heart Agency (London-based) which is also worth checking out.
Last was a lazy week in art-making! This weekend continued it. I went to happy hour on Friday and then out later that night; I spent part of Saturday doing a favor for someone (not post-worthy), and then Sunday I slept half the day away, went to a clothing swap (where I picked up a couple of neato items of clothing), and played Taboo via the Random Taboo Cards website.
Since I have very little to show for myself and these past couple of days, I will post something that might be of interest – my last.fm. I like stats and I like tracking things. Last.fm does this for me and I can see what my friends are listening to as well. I’ve had this thing since 2005 and have almost listened to 50,000 tracks. Neko Case is the top, of course:
Here is what I listened to last week, which isn’t terribly different from my overall list:
And Lady Gaga, has anyone listened to her new single, Bad Romance? (What am I saying? Of course you have!) If you haven’t, watch the video. It’s incredible. Beautiful and crazy. I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Lady Gaga.
Here’s an artist I’ve been following for quite some time:
Mike Bertino
Mike Bertino is an illustrator from Los Angeles (although I think he might be living in Portland now, but I’m not completely sure about that). I started following his work many years ago (as he was graduating from college) and instantly fell in love with his work. He has some great imagery – I really love his visual language. He also successfully blends a lot of different ideas and characters together in one epic scene, something I struggle to do in my own art.
It’s been a while since I have looked at his work, and he’s changed his colors a bit – they are a little more neon, a little brighter than a couple of years ago.
Check out his website here.
Before I begin, I am an allergy sufferer. My nickname is snufalufagus because of my constant stuffy nose (especially upon waking up). This past fall was absolute torture for me. Winter, while providing some relief, is not much better.
I’m tired of having to constantly blow my nose. I am thinking of turning to a neti pot. It’s a cross between Aladdin’s lamp and a tea pot. You pour salt-water into your nasal passages and it’s suppose to help alieveate your sinus pain, throat ailments, etc.
Has anyone tried this? I am becoming desperate.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Live Now is a project that is centered around the idea of “living now”. It was started by artist/illustrator/graphic designer Eric Smith. He was diagnosed with cancer and changed the way he viewed the world. To express this, he started Live Now, which is a collection of artists and illustrators making work dedicated to this idea. They have gallery shows and posters for sale showcasing their work. It includes so great artists, including Mike Perry and Skinny Ships, Richard Perez. Check out some of the work (individual artists do not have their names on each page of the site):
I know today is the day I post my progress on work, but I have little to show for myself this week. I could feed you excuses, but I won’t bore you with the details of why I don’t really have any in-progress work to show. All I can do is promise to show you all something great next week!
My birthday was in September. I turned 24. Usually my even-numbered birthdays aren’t that great. I wasn’t expecting much from 24, but it turned out to be pretty great. My dearest friend Steph sent me a great birthday gift that included this great book. An Awesome Book, if you will, by Dallas Clayton.
An Awesome Book, despite its wonder illustrations, is also a book with a good cause. It’s apart of Awesome World Foundation, which is a non-profit organization to promote child literacy in the US and worldwide. For every one book sold, one book is delivered directly to shelters, schools, hospitals, etc.
I love the careful lines and imaginative illustrations.
The detail in the book is great- something to really spend some time looking at. It’s a book that’s both fun for kids will interest adults as well. When that can be achieved, I think you have a really successful book.
This last weekend was extremely low-key… and I was completely okay with it. I really didn’t do much on Friday or Saturday night, which more often than not tends to be a rare thing. Friday night plans changed at the last-minute, and by the time things were finalized, it was 34 degrees out and I had a sickly boyfriend on my hands. I opted to stay indoors under my covers and watch In Treatment. Has anyone seen this show? It’s incredible. Talk about intense. It’s 30 minutes of dialogue while two (or three) characters sit on a couch and discuss their issues.
Saturday and Sunday were both pretty sedate. Sunday was gorgeous out (70 degrees!). Took a walk down the Avenue for breakfast and later bought a cookie the size of my head. I went to yoga that evening (after not having gone in over two months) and boy, is that rough. So very painful for my unstretched legs and arms. I often feel like I don’t belong in a yoga class because I’m unable to adequately touch my toes.
My only photos from this weekend:
Ophelia looking stoic yet blocking the drama of In Treatment. Peter sleeping in my cloud-bed.
Now, for some artwork:
Part of a piece I am working on for some friends. It’s going to be apart of a piece to give his brother and sister in-law. While this still needs some cleaning up, the basic gist of the figure is there.
Still playing around with this. I am currently finishing up a book, and giving myself time to play around with this at the same time. If you read my blog last week, you’ll know I posted this last Wednesday with a background. I will probably add that back in at some point.
