Top 5 Tuesday: Dance in Your Underwear When No One is Looking

Hello Blog dears! My life has turned upside-down this past month! While I'm not quite ready to share the life-changing events, I will tell you that things have been amazing so far! I can confidently say that I am quite happy! I'm celebrating by sharing some things that I've been into lately:




1. Cookie Cutters! I want to get into making cute food and bento boxes. Cookie cutters are an easy way to transform normal food into fun food. You can use them for more than just cookies. I never thought to use them for other things like sandwiches, vegetables, fruit and cheese. I got interested in cute food when a few friends and I wandered around Brooklyn and found Whisk. Its a quirky shop that had lots of cooking gadgets. My friend Sarah G bought an adorable acorn cookie cutter. After our little field trip, I couldn't get cookie cutters out of my brain. I started researching and found a site called The Cookie Cutter Shop which sells hundreds of cookie cutter shapes!  I really like the safari animals collection (mostly for the giraffe!). If you decide to collect cookie cutters, don't forget to take proper care of them too. I found a helpful site that has cleaning and storage tips.

2. The IT Crowd is a British television show that was introduced to me by my very good pal seekatiedraw. To be honest, I don't think I know anyone else who loves to laugh more than her. I knew that this show was going to be good, really good! And by golly it exceeded my expectations! This show is about a bunch of nerds that work for a gigantic corporation. The corporation is so huge, that they were kind of forgotten about so office shenanigans ensue including the fact that they transformed their office into a dorm room.

The IT Crowed is comedy in its purest form: slapstick comedy, site gags, and nonsensical banter! I thought that it was starting to become a lost art! Its really difficult to find a modern television show that doesn't have pop culture references. The IT Crowd doesn't rely on current events to make it funny. With the addition of a very charming cast, this show is an absolute winner that I hope will become one of your favorites :) I know its mine! This show is so funny you might wet your pants haha! You've been warned!

3. Canimals! I think these critters are new because I haven't found them anywhere! I was wandering around a Korean market and they had tons of these adorable stuffed animals with dumb facial expressions! I have no idea where they are from, what they are for, or what it means, but I do know that I like what I see! And I hope you like them too. I found a cartoon of them invading a school.




The characters are so ridiculous! I love the little pug and the siamese cat!

4. One of my favorite places to get music is The Free Music Archive which I mentioned in a previous blog post. It deserves another mention because today I found the most amazing album! Its called Voy a Explotar. The best part is that the entire album is free to download! I'll put the link here. Its a soundtrack to a soon-to-be-released film. I have no idea what kind of film this is because I found the soundtrack first. I may have to seek out the movie because all of the tracks are amazing! The tracks jump from different genres including indie, dance, techno, rock, and some experimental tracks. This is a bit of an over-share, but I was dancing by myself in my underwear to some of the tracks. And I suggest you do it too. Its really fun! haha!

5. An Illustrated Life by Danny Gregory is what I am currently reading. I've been really interested in sketchbooks, concepts, and the artists' process after completing The Sketchbook Project. This is exactly what the book is about! Its a huge book that consists of scans of artists' sketchbooks. They range from casual doodlers to professionals illustrators. It includes one of my art heroes James Jean!

Its a fascinating, voyeuristic view into an artist's mind. As the pages unfold, you get a glimpse of how they think and what inspires them. In addition, they share intimate thoughts of their struggles with art and that they too feel intimidated by a blank page. Its pretty deep stuff! It definitely recommend it if you're an artist or writer. I promise that you'll learn something valuable :)

That's all I have for now. I do have lots of things to blog about and I do hope I find the time to be able to share more cool stuff :)

Have a great week everyone!

Top 5 Tuesday

Ladies and Gents! Tuesday is upon us once again and that means its time for a Top 5 Tuesday! This week I am sharing totally random slices of my life that I hope you'll enjoy :)

Top 5 Tuesday: The Planet We Live In

1. The Dark Age is how I would describe this past week. I actually wasn't sure if I would be able to deliver a Top 5 Tuesday this week because I was without the luxuries of the Modern Age. On April 1st, the Universe played a cruel April Fool's Day joke on me. Some ancient pipe exploded in my town and we were without clean drinking water for two days. I had to boil gallons of water all day to drink, wash my veggies, and for brushing my teeth. It put a lot of things into perspective. We take a lot of things for granted... like clean drinking water. I was without it for only two days, but the majority of the world doesn't have it so easy. Not having water was bad, but later in the day, I lost electricity too! And then the power outage burned out my router and I didn't have internet either! Here I am almost a week later. The water is pure, the lights are on, and the internet is back just in time for Top 5 Tuesday. In the time of my Dark Age, I found ways to entertain myself. I cooked some really great meals, read books for leisure, and hung out with some friends. It was liberating to be "unplugged". I'm thankful for having my things back and just a little more thoughtful for the things that I am lucky to have.



2. Life on Discovery Channel. If you have cable television what are you waiting for? Watch this show! Its breathtakingly amazing! I am a huge fan of Animal Planet's presentation of Planet Earth and was overjoyed that Discovery Channel is now offering a sister series. You'll be able to experience a new world from your living room! From the aliens of the deep sea, to action-packed adventures of predators chasing their prey, to the drama unleashing as the prey are running from predators! Or maybe you'd rather experience the miracle of birth or a tropical rainforest in bloom. I know for sure you'll learn something new. Even Neil Patrick Harris approves of this show. And who is to question NPH?



3. Pomegranates are my new favorite fruit. They are out of season right now, but I am still able to enjoy it in liquid form. If you've never seen a pomegranate, they sort of look like leathery apples with a flower blossom attached to it. Its really weird I know! But when you open it, its even more strange. Inside are hundreds of seeds that look like jewels. They're incased with a delicate, yet tough skin that contains very sweet, yet tart juice. Not only are they tasty, but quite good for you too. Pomegranates are a bit of challenge to eat, and plus the juice can stain your clothes. So please don't wear your favorite outfit if you're going to eat one of these.



4. Exquisite Corpse exhibition at the Robeson Gallery. Yesterday I took a day trip to my Alma Mater to see a fun show. If you're not familiar with the exquisite corpse, its a game that has been played by artists for possibly more than a hundred years. Its still quite popular today. There aren't a lot of rules. Typically, you start with one big piece of paper, then you fold it into three sections. The first artist draws the head, then folds the paper to pass it along to a second artist, who will draw the torso without looking at what the first artist created. Then it is passed to third artist, who is blind to what the previous artists have created, finishes the drawing by including the legs. Its a really fun collaboration that you should try :)



5. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World is the book I am currently reading. The name says it all! After vacationing in Curacao I've been bitten by the wanderlust bug. I really wish I could travel more, but for now I'll settle for reading about such places. I really can't compete with the low rate of "free" when there are so many wonderful books like this at my local library. I'm not even done reading this book and I highly recommend it! The author is witty and sarcastic, and his experiences in other countries don't leave you feeling excluded in those "you had to be there moments". The author, Eric Weiner is the real deal. He tells it as it is and you'll totally feel like you're roaming the Himalayas and the deserts of Dubai.

That was my week! I hope this week brings us all lots of sunshine :)

Techniques and Training

I really wish I could go back to school. College was some of the best years of my life. I loved the energy, meeting so many people, hanging out, and being an art nerd. I remember being so scared to leave because I felt like there was still more that I wanted to learn.

Times are tough right now and going back to school for a second degree or possibly grad school is always an option, but I know I can't afford it. Financial plights won't stop me from learning! I've wanted to do some really colorful illustration work using paints after watching Brian Stelfreeze do a live commission at this year's New York Comic Con. I couldn't get that scene out of my head. It was haunting me in a good way. I saw him paint Lucy Liu's character from the movie Kill Bill. And if I recall correctly, he did not have any references on him and the image looked exactly like her! He mentioned that he was able to do it because he studied her face a lot. She appears in his sketchbooks more than a couple of times because he found her face interesting. I guess Lucy Liu must be his muse.

Not only is he an amazing artist, but he's a really nice guy and a great teacher! All the while he was painting [he's super fast too!], he was having full conversations with everyone that said hello. Hey, he's a professional! He gave me some great advice and I took those words to heart. Ever since that day, I've been exploring different ways to approach art. My newest adventure is painting!


I picked up these two books at the library:


I've read my fair share of technique books and these are really good!

All About Techniques in Acrylics is a really good reference book. Its nice for beginners, but its not too watered down for people who have painted before.

The New Acrylics is exactly what the title says. It explores all the advances in acrylics. Have you ever gone to the art store and felt overwhelmed by all of that stuff on the shelves? This book tells you exactly what they are, how they are used, and the difference between all the different products. The photography inside is beautiful, actually, I might have to use the word "sensual". There is a section in the book where they explain the consistency of mediums through pictures of food. Paint is described as whipped cream, honey, and melted chocolate.

This is the first technique book that is actually written for the artist by an artist. It has all the technical talk, but also the encouraging warmth of a very good art professor. I renewed this book to keep it longer, but I might have to buy it someday!

I didn't exactly start with acrylics. I started with gouache instead. This is one of my mixed media experiments in my sketchbook:


It felt good to be painting again!

Here are some other pages in my sketchbook:

I like drawing creepy girls with sad eyes. They appear a lot in my sketchbooks. I find them interesting to draw. They're definitely inspired by Edward Gorey, Tim Burton, and Arthur Rackham's version of Alice in Wonderland.


I drew this a while ago, but I colored it yesterday with my markers. I'm pretty happy with the image except that I really really wish I didn't draw that pelican! It was the first thing that I put on the page and with [permanent] blue ball-point pen! I drew it because I saw it at Sea World. But now it sits on top of Rivers Cuomo's head for all of eternity.

Finished art:

Here's something I submitted for Illustration Friday. I don't think I shared it with you guys yet.
I posted it on my Deviant Art a while ago.

here's what the sketch looked like:


That's all that I have for now!
I hope I have more cool stuff to show you next week! <3

Metamorphosis

I didn't believe it when I first heard that a sketchbook can be used as a tool to discover things about yourself. I've been trying to reinvent the way I use my sketchbook to enhance my creative process. Its not an easy thing to do, so I needed some help. I love taking a peek at other people's sketchbooks. As if it holds the secret to coming up up with great ideas and the amazing power to be set free.

I was inspired by San Smith who was inspired by Gala Darling and since then I've been on the hunt by other positive artistic bloggers to stay inspired :)

I found this little gem when I was looking for info on sketchbooks. And boy was I amazed! The artists inside use so many different techniques and there are so many unique minds! I don't even know how to describe it... you'd just have to take a look for yourself if you get the chance.












I tried to reinvent my sketchbook back in January and I'm disappointed to announce that I haven't gotten too far since then. It got too difficult to keep up with that darn calendar that I set up. I decided that that's not how I wanted it to be. It was too constricting when I wanted to think freely. I picked up my sketchbook months later with another approach and I came up with this:


I know it looks negative... but this was a huge revelation for me. I realized how unhappy I was. And then I thought, what makes me happy and what can I do about it?


I needed something to look forward to! So I'm planning 2010! These are pretty vague, but the most important step was to figure out what I want. Now I just have to figure out how to get there and I'll be using my sketchbook to help me!

I've been doing a lot of thinking and I've finally figured out what I want to do. I can't reveal my super secret project yet. Its taking a lot of planning but I have a good feeling that my project will finally get me off the ground! And I can't explain it, but I also have this feeling that there is no room for failure. I really hope I can find success in it. Ah! I'm so excited!

Here's another random page from my sketchbook:

I've been trying out different techniques every week. This is when I was learning transfer techniques. Last week was watercolors. Next week I think I might continue on with the watercolors. Its really fun so far!

Here are a few other artists that I like to check out:
• Julianna Swaney
• Clever Nettle
• I don't know her name but her work is awesome!
• Skottie Young

Its only Monday... let's make it a great week!
<3 Sarah

Secret Identities is here!

Huzzah! The Anthology I participated in is finally available!!


Secret Identities!
(click to see it on Amazon)

It sure was a learning experience! Also a lot of sleepless nights, tears, and greasy food. I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was a lot of work but more fun than my day job. Hopefully this will be the first of many publications.

edit: The reviews are starting to come in. I was just told that I was mentioned in Comics Bulletin! Oh my! Click for source

My complimentary book came in the mail today and it came with a superhero mask!!
(I think its just a promotional item, I doubt that it comes with the book)

I like to read.

Hi All! Its been a while! I still owe a proper review of New York Comic Con!! Maybe sometime later this week... maybe.

Out of all of my New Year's Resolutions, there's only one that I've kept, "read more". I'm only counting the novels and non-fiction books, but I'm known to squeeze a few comics and graphic novels here and there.

(I hope amazon doesn't mind me "borrowing" a few images...)

I loved comics as a kid but I'm relatively new to the realm of super heroes. Growing up, comics meant strip comics from the newspaper. I loved titles like Calvin and Hobbes, Garfield, Marvin, The Far Side, and Peanuts. I had a very narrow view of what comics are. Only recently have I gotten into manga, superhero comics, web comics, and indie comics. I have a lot of catching up to do! So if you have any that you'd like to recommend, please do!

The library in my boyfriend's town has graphic novels! At first I was opposed to this notion... but thinking about it this way, if any piece of literature gets a person excited about reading, than why not? Also... collecting graphic novels starts getting expensive after a while. Its a nice way to weed out the ok ones so you can buy the ones you'd like to revisit.



BIRTHRIGHT - in one word WOW! I loved every moment of this. It was adapted out of the Smallville television series, which is very controversial for some. But, personally, I really like the series so the graphic novel was a very smooth read for me. I liked the way that they reconstructed Superman's background to more contemporary times. Pure Genius! I think what makes this prequel unique is that the minor characters were more robust. Clark's parents were given more of an active role that wasn't really shown before. For starters, it was hilarious that they made Clarks's mom so internet savvy! If you like Superman, you might like this story. Its different, so the only thing I could say about it before you read it is to keep an open mind.

Here's other things that caught my eye that I will read eventually:


Yes, I am a DC girl. I love Batman! The Flash! Superman!
I'm not that into Marvel, but I won't discriminate. If its a comic, than I'll probably read it. haha!

Right now, I'm in the middle of my first David Sedaris book. I'm thinking... why haven't I picked one up before?!! All of his novels have very attractive covers and witty descriptions. It might have been one of those things where I didn't want to read the same thing that everyone else was reading. Well anyway, this is very enjoyable so far and I think I'll have to pick up more Sedaris books.



Till next time!

-Sarah

Bennyville's BIG plans!

Hey All!

I'm having a fantastic week! Nothing particularly interesting happened, its just that I woke up one morning feeling GREAT. And then the next day after that was the same, and then the day after that! I think a lot had to do with seeing family over the holiday break and reading a fantastic book called "Paper Towns" by John Green. Check it out and you won't regret it!! In essence this adventure story is about friendship, love, and human nature. I'm glad I bought the book because I'm probably going to read it again. And if it ever becomes a movie, I'll watch it a thousand times. The cool part is that the book was printed with two versions of the cover! Which one will you choose?


(check it out on Amazon or other bookstores)

I actually have the other version because when I ordered it from Amazon, I didn't have a choice. But either way, both covers are fun and beautiful in their own way.

This fantastic mood brings me to my BIG PLANS! Since I have more time under my belt. This is what I'm going to be working on.

• Sexy, pin-up images for a book that my friends, Anthony Lofton and Ciro Romero, are compiling.
• Prepping for gallery shows with my friends. We don't have anything set in stone yet, but we're actively working on this right now.
• Mini comics for my art circle: 123Hush
• Upgrading my website. YESSS I know... I know... WAY overdue!

I seriously can't wait to dive into these projects. Its been a long time coming.