The Everything Project

it's a work in progress - it will probably take me the rest of the week to finish it off - but it's a good start.

And I wouldn't want you to wait an entire week for a new post, now would I?

Now go think up a clever name for these "object portraits".

Yes, that means you.

bright yellow and blue! Yes, yes, I know you've seen this before - but I PAINTED this one. Which explains the glare at the bottom. I need a better camera. Or at least better lighting.

Kinda sketchy, kinda painty - I like it. Now I need a name for these kinds of paintings - I've been calling them "object portraits" but that doesn't seem quite right.

Go on. Think of something.

I used to collect owls as a kid (long story). This was probably one of the first ones I got - it was made by my oldest brother, I'm guessing when he was about 14 years old - I would have been about 6. It's carved or cast (or both) out of plaster, and painted with poster paints.

It reminds me of a Miyazaki character.

not that you can see a huge difference between the two pictures - I need a better way to take photos of my painting. THis one was taken with J's camera, the other one by my phone, and they're both lost a great deal in translation.

Take my word for it - it's a lovely painting.

We aren't going to talk about any resolutions concerning this blog. But hey, something new! This isn't finished yet - it needs a final glaze over the boots, then some highlights, then the edges need to be finished off. It's an actual painting (captured with my cellphone) - oil on canvas - I've been working on it for about two days now.

I really like how things turn out when I take more time with them.

There's a metaphor in there somewhere.

And my mother is laughing at me.

W. and J. both think these boots are ugly. They're right - but they are also very comfortable. So there.

This isn't a finished drawing - I'm going to play around with it a bit more and see what I come up with. But I can't spend too much time on it.

I need the boots back.

Yep. it's a buddha - AND it's a piggy bank!

Although, quite frankly, it's looking a little demonic.


Perhaps an unconcious commentary on the world-wide fiscal situation.

I can't believe I haven't drawn this guy before - after all, that's what he exists for. A little wooden art mannequin, bought at Pearl Paint in NYC in 1993. I tried to keep it simple, but it still took close to 2 hours.

Maybe I should just resign myself to slow sketching.

With mittens.

I actually made this ornament - which makes me wonder - should I start a whole new category of "Things I own that I made"? Or, since I've made them, should I bother drawing them at all, since I've already created them? It all seems very existential, which to me indicates that I should go drink some eggnog. With rum.

A new technique with the cintiq, as well - more pastel-y (you art majors out there tell me what the official term is - I don't know). I like it at the moment - I'll have to try it again. It came together rather quickly, too - it only took me about half an hour, which is at least twice as fast as the other ornaments.

Or maybe I was just thinking about the eggnog.

or mutton. Hard to tell, really. Little tiny painted wood ornament, with an, ahem, sheepish expression.

I'll stop now.

These things always seem a little lopsided - I think it's because I'm drawing something that's only 8 inches from my face (that's where the hook is... oh, don't ask).

Still, the colors and reflections turned out well. I just need to learn how to draw a circle without a compass.

So I thought I would draw a Christmas ornament. Perhaps I should draw one a day until Dec 25?

Or maybe not. I can see that driving me crazy. I didn't spend a lot of time on this one - I wanted to keep it sketchy, but I don't think it's sketchy enough. Perhaps I'll draw another one to see if it turns out better.

But not30 of them. I'm not a masochist.

M. and JT. suggested that I re-install photoshop elements to see if that got rid on my constant crashing problem.

It didn't.

@$%&.

anyway, I started this one again, with a slightly different approach.

Can you guess what it is yet?

... because the @#%&ing mac keeps crashing. Anyway, this will probably end up like my sneakers - done over two or three posts. Check back on Tuesday for more - hopefully by then you'll be able to tell what it is.

Wanna guess?

It took me a whole week to upload an image (a Christmas Nutcracker decoration, in case you were wondering). I eventually had to do it from work. What's up with that?

But, hey, it wasn't an entire week of failed uploads. I now have a store on Cafe Press - some of the drawings here are on consumer items. Which, if I bought them, I would have to draw - and then I would add that drawing to another item on Cafe Press... like an infinity mirror shot, only drawn.

Who knows, maybe I could create an artist statement out of it and get a gallery show.

You know I'm thinking about it.

I will try uploading from work tomorrow. This is getting silly.

I just can't seem to load any images to blogger right now. I have no idea what's wrong. I'm working on it!

in the shape of a deer. file under v. odd

yep, a screen monkey. It's a little stuffed animal that you can use to clean your computer screen, which is infinitly cuter than, say, a box of kleenexes.

I got him at Chapters with some of my birthday money - thanks Mom and Dad!