Hip-ley's Believe it or not!

Today was very frustrating to say the least. My shoes hurt my feet, I ruined my favorite shirt by splashing oil based ink on it, missed a bus, and spent six hours on printing and have nothing to show for it even though the drawing lovely. So to try and turn the day around I did a digital mock up that slightly resembles what I had in mind when I stepped into the studio most optimistically. This project was meant to be fun!! I really have to fight the urge to combine my school work with my "professional" or illustration practice. These classes are skill classes and they should go better as long as I focus only on learning the techniques, not the end product. How can a ruined piece of paper create such emotional crisis?!

Though I wish monoprinting was coming a little easier to me, my digital art work sometimes takes on a lot of the characteristics of an original print. Often I merge all the layers to prevent myself from going back after a few different versions have been made. Which is similar to "striking" a plate once an edition is done. That way the complete freedom of the computer program can be utilized but then made special by willingly closing the chapter on that image. One could even go further and completely delete the original file but that seems a bit rash, at least for a clutter-bug like me. 

Barrier Boy

Finish of that painting I posted progress on awhile back. I now understand why some painters never take photos of their work, it totally changes it! Like in this painting the crystal bits change when you move and actually photographing something shiny without making it just come out as a giant white blotch is near impossible. Plus all the colors were dimmed and look muddy :(. Any tips on how to photograph a painting? Am a bit frustrated by how sloppy it became, but overall this here lonely scandinavian boy feels like a giant step in the right direction. 

L'update: Birthday and School

Birthday pictures by Salena.

I just had my birthday last week and though I was turning 21 I somehow threw a shindig that closely resembled that of the basement scene in 13 Going on Thirty haha. The intent was to host a ghetto Tea Party for bastards where we dressed fancy and drank a noxoius pink concoction of booze and lemonade. Instead wierd cliques formed and old grudges were held tightly too and beyond the first three friends who came nobody even dressed up or seemed to help make it fun. When I offered people "tea" in my mother's assortment of beautiful cups she lent me all I recieved in return were judging stares as if they were humoring a small child or worse, there was some mutant fetus growing out of my forehead. When conversation lulled all eyes turned to me, as if I were supposed to put on a show, tap dance for them, who knows! The party was never meant to be extravagant but who would have thought that within a group of friends I'd still feel like a freak. 

There were some moments that were nice though, the panic at gettind dressed with my friends Candie and Salena, where because I had modified my dress with safety pins Salena had to rescue me from its clutches. Playing with balloons, Pretty in Pink playing while showering, falling asleep to Breakfast at Tiffany's, hanging hello kitty streamers, frosting cupcakes and sneaking tastes. There were so many tiny happenings that made it all worth while and I'm thankful to the friends who did come through for me.

Seattle has hit its long grey faze but I'm seeking solace in bright colored textiles, cups of peppermint mochas and super novas. University life is truly lovely and for the first time in a long time I'm content. Everyday I'm surrounded by beautiful architecture and the buzz of thousands of students humming with knowledge. It's a tiny utopia fo sho.

This new quarter brings hours upon hours in the printing studios with breaks in between attending astronomy lectures. Am really digging the printing teachers and curriculum because they ask us to draw a lot and basically work in whatever direction we want. For the last week of drawings I started doing quick ink portraits which came out lovely. Theres a fluidity in brush and ink that really aids in understanding shapes. I just have to be careful to continue to hold myself to a higher standard in my classes. It would be a shame to fall behind my illustration peers just because I switched to a state school. 

My schedule feels odd though. Mornings are spend realizing how tiny and insignificant we are in the universe and then within 10 minutes the focus switches to how important even the smallest marks on an 8 by 10 linolium block can be. Isn't life goofy?  

protection