Self Portrait

I just recently finished up this self portrait for my college application portfolio.

Laugh Lines

This is a project I finished recently. It's drawn by writing "haha"s over and over again.

And now for something completely different.

I never post about anything non art-related, so I thought I would for a change. Here's Milo, a (real!) guinea pig.

Wood Nymph

This is possibly still a work in progress. I can't decide when it's finished.

It's watercolor, colored pencil, gold paint pen, and white acrylic paint on wood.

Approximately 18 inches across.

I'll upload a better picture once I've made up my mind about this. meanwhile, comments? suggestions?

a WIP

Here's a detail snapshot of my latest work in progress. Mysterious indeed.

Leaf Dragon

This little friend is now available on Etsy here!

Also, we're so close to the 100 mark on the facebook page. If you haven't already, please do like the page so I can host that giveaway as promised.

Giveaway!

I'm planning a giveaway to be announced once the facebook page reaches 100 likes. Do your part! 

Scratchboard Kitty

I've been wanting to post this scratchboard that I did a while ago.

Also, I've been neglecting this blog something awful. I think I must fix that.

Dragons Through the Ages

At left is a picture of a dragon I sculpted in 2010. If you've been a long time reader of my blog, you might remember it. And at right is a picture of a dragon I just finished today. There are many things about it I'm dissatisfied with, but looking at the comparison I feel slightly better. Because, no matter how steep my expectations seem now, someday I'll look back at them and think, "I remember when I thought that was a challenge."

Hedgehog Sculpture - finished!

Here's the newest addition to the Etsy shop. Be sure to check out the listing here.

Coming up next - dragons! I've been wanting to start on sculpting some of those wonderful creatures for some time now, so that's how this week is going to pan out. I'll be sure to post some work in progress updates.

The World's Smallest Hedgehog

I sculpted this hedgehog the other day and got a kick out of taking some pictures with the sunflowers I've been enjoying by my studio area. Today I made a base for it with tiny toadstools and some rather interesting fake moss that I concocted. I'll share that with you soon.

Unicorn Necklace

I forgot to share with you all this unicorn necklace I made for a friend a while back. I might make more like this for the Etsy shop if anyone is interested.

New Etsy Additions

I just finished listing this whimsical green eggs and ham jewelry set and detailed guitar earrings on Etsy. The pictures link to the listings.

no longer lonely and sad...

...is the Etsy shop! I just finished listing all the things I've been working on for a couple of weeks now. Take a look here!

Of Etsy and Miniature Stags

I finished this 1:12 scale stag and snapped a few pictures a moment ago. I'm so excited to list this, among other little things, on Saturday.

Soon to Etsy

Coming soon to Etsy: these miniature guinea pigs. They're 1:12 scale, so that's about 3/4 of an inch to each pig.

Just a quick note to point something out. See that bar on the right side of the blog that says "Etsy Selfish Kitty" at the top? This is an Etsy widget that links to the shop and will display a few of my listings once they're up. So, whenever you happen to swing by the blog you can also feel all in the loop about what's up in the world of Etsy.
I've been working on some really exciting things to list soon! Keep checking in!

Exciting News

I'm going to re-open the Etsy shop sometime in the next couple weeks, including marvelous little oddities like this dinosaur necklace. Stay tuned for more updates.

Seneca Crane

I bet you thought I was done posting Hunger Games sketches, right? Wrong!

I won't be blogging this weekend, so I'll try to make up for the next couple missing posts ASAP.

Gale

And finally, Gale. This one probably turned out the best of my Hunger Games sketches, which is kinda sad considering I spent the least amount of time on it.

Could become a series...?

Another quick Hunger Games sketch, Peeta this time. It kind of looks like him?

Yeah I don't know about this one.

I'm definitely considering doing a set of Katniss, Peeta and Gale portraits to put in the Etsy shop.

Katniss

Here's a super quick sketch of Katniss Everdeen sporting some of the laziest hair I've ever scribbled. I'm thinking I should do a real drawing of her soon. It's been a while since I did a bigger project in graphite pencil.

The Smallest Apple

I'm working on designing some miniatures to stock the Etsy shop. It's been way too long since I've put anything there. I'll probably have some apples like this, some jewelry type things, some guinea pigs, and a few surprises if I'm productive about it.

Sketching Sketchily

Today I tucked my sketchbook under my arm and walked to a neighboring house that owns horses. I figured I'd nonchalantly whip up some sketches and peel off like I totally wasn't creeping on their property, but then the horses wouldn't stop moving, and it was hot out, and there were bugs on my legs, and I ended up leaving with a couple sad little scribbles like this.

Ah, well.

I realize I have some posts to make up for... so... yeah... I'll make up for those.

I totally forgot to post yesterday. Fail. For today, here are a couple random things from my sketchbook. Sometime in the near future I will post twice to make up for missing yesterday.

Making Friends With Cernit

I experimented a bit with Cernit clay today. This is the clay "sketch" I fiddled around with. (About 1 1/4" height.)

So far Cernit feels a lot like FIMO, but even firmer. This lends it well to texturing skin without fear of smashing carefully sculpted details. Both brands cure with a similar sheen and translucency, but the Cernit is a little pinker. I find that makes it fleshier looking when cured.

Easter's Post

Here's the post I never got around to yesterday. I made a baby dragon out of an egg. Because I'm incapable of dyeing Easter eggs like a normal person.

I'm boring today. Seriously, seriously boring. I went to hobby lobby and got some eraser pencils, which are awesome, but I didn't do anything cool with them yet.

I'll try to make up for this terrible excuse for a post soon...

A beautiful day for some sketching

Here are a couple of sketches I did today. A rose and a peony bud from our yard. It was rather windy out, which complicated matters somewhat when the flowers tried to make a break for it, but some of the sketches still turned out to look alright.

Making Things More Pinteresting

I didn't have time for the creativity today, so I'm going to be lame and post a link instead. Are any of you on Pinterest? Because here's a board featuring some of my top favorite sculptors, doll artists, and miniaturists.

What's this?

Two posts in one day? My generosity is overwhelming.

Anywho, here's a guinea pig. I'm experimenting with applying fur to a sculpture, and this is the first test. Rather appropriate that my subject is a guinea pig, eh? ehhh?

I have no friends.

See all the white tufts blanketing the background? That's what my whole work space looks like right now. Pardon me while I go pull my hair out.

Self Portrait

Charcoal and white chalk pastel. Is soon to be burned before my mother can hang it somewhere in the house.

Commencing 30 days of posting!

That's right. 30 days of posting. Every day. From now to May 3rd. Get your party hats on, people.

Meanwhile, have some dolphins.

I drew these guys in pastel chalks a few weeks ago and never got around to posting, but please enjoy them now. My first work in pastels other than weird little sketches that never shaped up.

I drew this a few weeks ago as a wedding gift for my cousin and his beautiful new wife. The scan didn't turn out to look so great, but at least you get to see.

Box.

Everyone, I'm about to undertake a hugely elaborate project that I may regret.

It begins with a box.

Stay tuned.

Just some stuff

Here are a couple sketches I did on Tuesday. Maybe one of these days we'll get a scanner that actually works and I won't have to try to photograph my drawings...

Five million points to anyone who can guess who the guy is.

Also, I think I'm feeling a thirty days of posting challenge coming on. You feeling it?

New Year, New Inspiration

I haven't been making a lot of art lately - not just because of my hectic life, but because I've been experiencing kind of a creative lull. I feel like everything I produce is inadequate. I might feel good about it at first, but then I'll see something someone else did and feel like shoving all my art supplies in the garbage can.

I had myself convinced that this was because I'm just not as talented as I thought I was, but then I saw this quote and (as cliched as this might seem) it really, REALLY kicked me in the butt to muscle through.

If you haven't already applied the "too long; didn't read" principle to this post, I challenge you to kick aside whatever it is in your head that's stopping you from being creative right now.

Cheers!

p.s. I'M BACK! Prepare yourselves for copious amounts of blogging.

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through."
― Ira Glass