The 2010 Survey

I don't usually do this here, but my good friend at 52 Faces did it, and I want to be like her. :)

1. What is your occupation right now?
English tutor. I mainly work with ESL students.
2. What color are your socks right now?
White
3. What are you listening to right now?
I'm watching Persepolis; a beautiful film. Lately, I've been listening to a lot of Irish inspired rock and folk music
4. What was the last thing that you ate?
Oddly enough, I also had mango salsa. And tortilla chips :3
5. Can you drive a stick shift?
No
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone:
Uhhh...probably the folks
7. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Of course! She's so nice.
8 . How old are you today?
22; I can hardly believe it
9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?
Uh...fencing, when I can catch it
10. What is your favorite drink?
Chocolate milk, hands down
11. Have you ever dyed your hair?
I used to highlight it red in high school; nowadays, I've been growing out to donate
12. Favorite food?
I gave up meat in mid July. As a vegetarian, I love aloo gobi and naan! Broccoli was, is, and always will be a favorite of mine.
13. What is the last movie you watched?
TMNT. I liked it, for what it was
14. Favorite day of the year?
Any day I don't have school and can fence
15. How do you vent anger?
Hm, getting beat up is always good; laughing can solve any anger problem
16. What was your favorite toy as a Child?
I really loved my stuffed animals; I've had Blizzard (white wolf) since I was 9. I still have my security blanket (Kiki); I've had him my entire life. I still have stuffed animals: Zander (pink puppy), Killer Rabbit (from Monty Python and the Holy Grail), Jackie (Jack Skelington), Rory (Rorschach doll), and Oz (wolf cub)
17. What is your favorite season?
I like 'em all
18. Cherries or Blueberries?
Cherries
18. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back?
Like, in general? Yeah
19. Who is the most likely to respond?
?
20. Who is least likely to respond?
N/A
21. Living arrangements?
Crapshack apartment with my good friend and roomie Corrie
22. When was the last time you cried?
Sunday night; talking to my mother is the hardest thing I've ever done. It usually doesn't end well
23. What is on the floor of your closet?
Boxes and bags
24. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are tagging/sending this to?
No one, I guess
25. What did you do last night?
Watch movies and fall asleep. I know, I know; I need to slow down
26. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?
Garden burger, please
27. What are you most afraid of?
Not being able to move on
28. What is your favorite kind of dog?
Big, fuzzy, drooly fellas! My dream, once I graduate, is to get a puppy. I tend to gravitate towards the livestock guarding breeds. Newfie pup, here I come!
29. Favorite day of the week?
Nowadays, it's Friday. No class means I can make the trip home and fence! :D
30. Diamonds or Pearls?
Diamonds
31. What is your favorite flower?
Hm...I really like African daisies. Poppies. Tulips. Magnolias. Fire lilies. Anything, really; flowers are so beautiful
32. What is your favorite blog to read and why?
Ah, there are many. Ecoillustration is a good one. I'm also particularly fond of thriftshophorrors and A Dog A Day. Ecoillustration is run by my former classmate Romina (she's graduated now); the art is beautiful and she tells you, the viewer, how to make green art projects. Hers always look beautiful, I have no idea how they would look if I tried. Thriftshophorros is always fun; definitely good for a laugh. A Dog A Day is about one of my favorite subjects and it is, literally, updated every day because Mr. JT is crazy. He's one of my former teachers and has been a big help and inspiration to me

Take care.

16 months...

I'm a little surprised that this has gone as far as it has. I usually stop working on personal pieces when school is in session. Well, school be damned, because here's Almost Done Austin.

Take care.

I need direction to perfection...

So help me out, yeah? What do you think?

This one abandons the textbook approach. I think I want to introduce hand drawn and cut out elements to these, but I would have to actually draw or cut something. This is good for a jumping off point.

This time, the lovely text comes from this essay.

Take care.

Mock up...

This is a sort of "sketch" for my senior thesis. I want to do pieces about creativity in the brain; innovation as a physiological process. My instructors seem to understand what I want to communicate, but they have trouble visualizing it. I made this as a sort of example.

I don't plan on making all the images like textbook formats, but I do want to use photomanipulations and concrete research. The text in this image comes from this lovely essay.

What do you think?

Take care.

Saving throw...

As you know by now, dear reader, I have a lot of trouble with digital painting. But, I wanted to do more with this. As I said earlier, it doesn't look a whole lot like him. However, as a dear friend told me, it captures a certain amount of his spirit and personality.

I find that I often have trouble with likeness. I like to think a lot of artists do. Technical skills take me only so far, but at some point, I think the drawing becomes alive in a certain way. I can't draw a picture that looks exactly like someone, especially if I have an emotional connection to that someone. Maybe I don't want to draw just their face?

I don't know.

Take care.

Inkinkinkinkink...

This is the first time I've inked a drawing like this, so it looks kind of...not too sharp in some places, but overall I like the look. I'll get better. Give me time.

Take care.

Hello, my ghost...

Behold! The stone, it gleams like gold.
Austin. I'm not super satisfied with this; it resembles him, certainly, but I don't know that it really looks like him. This sketch was interesting. It felt like it took on a life of its own early on; I don't think I was ever in total control of it. Turned out more cartoon-y than Zac's. I like to think it wanted to be that way.


I'm an owl on the sill in the evening.
My son. The reference for this sketch was an old photo; he was sleeping in the car (leaning against the window) on the way to a fencing tournament, so I caught him at a rare strange expression-free moment. It's a beautiful photo. The sketch isn't too bad either.

Check out their misdeeds here.

Back from vacation.

Take care.