Saints & Sinners Show in Baltimore on 8/6

Hey Maryland/DC fans!! I'll be returning to my home state for a solo art show at Saints & Sinners Tattoo on Friday August 6th from 6-9, then probably getting drunk somewhere in Fells Point with a bunch of friends I don't see enough!

I will have original art for sale! I will also have prints, artbooks, jewelry, magnets, buttons and coveted MISS MARY JANE toys available for purchase! Please come out and buy them! ^__^

In other news, been VERY busy lately. Summer in NYC has hit full-tilt. Schedules are being booked. I got shit planned for the rest of the year. In the next 5 months I'll be doing 2 art shows (NYC and Baltimore) and 4 conventions (SPXpo, Baltimore Comic Con, New York Comic Con and King Con Brooklyn). Thusly, commissions are closed until at least the end of the year. (I'll be making a few small exceptions, but otherwise, sorry.) I'll be focusing on more 'personal' work, including stuff I will have available for purchase as prints later on. I really want to get into more fan art type stuff, especially with so many of my favorite comic book titles becoming movies and tv shows. I've also got an idea for a pretty involved project that I want to start at the end of the year that if I'm able to pull off will be really, REALLY cool, and will involve alot of other awesome artists as well.

VS Project Live: The Bracket's Pre-Game Artists Interviews

Pre-game artists interviews for The VS Project Live: The Bracket art competition I took part in has just come out. Khary Randolph, Nikki Cook, Emilio Lopez and myself were interviewed outside Local 269 before the competition and asked a couple questions about ourselves n' stuff.



Like, wow. Like, I was so, like, nervous. OMG! Ha ha, yeah, I say 'like' entirely too much. My mom and grandma get on my case about it all the time. I'm much more eloquent typing than speaking.



But yeah, I'm actually just about wrapped filming on another video project with my pal Tameeka, who shoots and edits video. She came over the last 2 weekends to shoot me drawing her portrait and to interview me for a little mini-documentary on yours truly. Or as my boyfriend Phil has dubbed it: 'Ego Stroke: The Movie'. I don't know what he's talking about, these sort of things don't give me a swollen head or anything. ;D Heh....
But yeah, that'll be coming together soon. SUPER excited. You can check out Tameeka's other video projects on her bloggity right here.

I also put together the first of what I hope are many, many more *burlesque flyers*. The super-awesome, sword-swallowing, fire-breathing Lady Aye has put together a show called "Cramp-Us", that mixes The Cramps, Krampus and burlesque into one crazy, spanky, paganistic fest of sexiness and boobies and insanity. I actually went to the first installment of this show back in December and it was awesome, and now they're doing a 'sequel' show as part of Coney Island's Christmas in July.



I'm really, REALLY hoping to do more flyers for burlesque shows in the future. Much like roller derby, burlesque is a subculture I'd love to get into, but with how demanding my schedule already is producing art, and how if I'm gonna do something I'm gonna completely immerse myself in it and do it 200%, there isn't enough of me or time in the day to properly do either proper, so I'll try and be a part of the community in my own *special* way, by doing artwork and posters and flyers. I'd much rather my contribution to such a culture be something that I'll do well, like drawing, then something I'd probably do terribly, like dancing or competing. ;P Hell, I'm trying to get into something as simple as hula hooping and I barely have the time to devote to that.

Girls Drawin Girls 1st NYC Show!

Just letting you know I'll be curating Girls Drawin Girl's first ever East Coast group art show which is is happening Thursday July 8th in NYC at Niagara Bar from 9pm to 1am in the East Village with help from the Antagonist Art Movement.

ONE NIGHT ONLY!

There will be merch for sale; including prints, tshirts, buttons, stickers, jewelry, artbooks, etc.

"Cute Girls with T & A"
(Talent & Ambition)

About Girls Drawin Girls: (copypasta'd from the GDG website)
Girls Drawin Girls was founded in 2006 by Simpsons veteran Melody Severns and storyboard artist Anne Walker as a way to showcase women artists working in the male-dominated industry of animation. Together, they felt it was time for these talented women to demonstrate their creative abilities and artistic interpretations of female sexuality by re-defining the art of the pin-up.

Since it’s conception, the group has published two volumes of pin-up art and grown to over 80 active members, who individually, have worked professionally in various entertainment industries, from production design, film and television animation, to comic and graphic design.

The group provides collaborative projects for its artists (such as book collections, group art shows, and opportunities to participate in charity art events such as the Pasadena Chalk Festival), in addition to promoting each member's individual artistic endeavors through cross-promotion and marketing prints, original artwork and other art-related merchandise.

I didn't make the team. :/

Bad news, buckaroos. Looks like I won't be counted among New York Comic Con's Artist Alley this year. Finally after 6 months of waiting, delays and anticipation June 1st rolled around and I was told... NOTHING. Cuz no one from NYCC sent me anything. Meanwhile I'm reading tweets and status updates from friends and peers on their acceptance and rejection from Artist Alley. So finally after a day of watching my inbox in agony (and got help you if I got an email from you- I cursed out way too many random emails about sales and reminders) I finally emailed the NYCC folks to ask where my notification email was right before I went to bed. And the next morning after I got up and got to my desk at my day job, I finally had seen that it came through as a reply to my inquiry.... and it was the ever-so-awesome 'we regret to inform you...' So yeah. I had to EMAIL them to find out I was rejected. How shitty. So yeah, the rejection letter made mention of other options, including something about a small press area. I emailed to find out more about this, and recieved a price list. So yeah, the 'small press option' is a 6' by 8' square of unfurnished concrete on the con floor. No tables. No chairs. For NINE HUNDRED DOLLARS. Ugh, so yeah. That's not happening. Maybe if NYCC had gotten their shit together a little sooner and had told me I wouldn't have an Artist Alley table I could've maybe gotten some of my friends together, maybe even organized a big group table. But on top of everything else I've got going on between now and then I can't do something like that in such a small amount of time. So yeah. Oye. Apparently Reed Expo subscribes to the same silly school of thought many people uninvolved in comics seem to have- THAT WE MAKE ALOT OF MONEY. Unfortunately that's not the case, especially for people who could consider themselves 'small press'. Either way, I'm ok with this. Sure I was initially a bit miffed but I'll make it work. I kinda wish I knew exactly what kind of criteria it was that that didn't let me make the cut, whether it was that I still hve yet to be published-published or that my name happened to be on the wrong spot of the dartboard. I still think it's kind of suspicious that there seems to be alot of New York artists shut out of Artist Alley tho, could it be that they're favoring out of state people because they have deals with the hotels in the area? Hrm.
Anyways, I *will* be at New York Comic Con this October, but I'll be hoofing it. In a cigarette girl costume. With a tray of merch. Originally if everything had gone smoothly I would be at the table and my best friend Fenny would be wearing a cigarette girl costume and walking around the con for me handing out promo stuff. But now it looks like we both will. I'm still figuring out exactly what we'll be carrying and how we'll be selling larger items like my Miss Mary Jane toys. Which oh yeah- I finally got!!! (Yay!!) I still also have tables secured at Baltimore Comic Con, SPXpo and King Con Brooklyn.
But yeah- like I said, GOOD NEWS! Miss Mary Jane shipped last week and everyone got theirs!
Including me and my 10- one to keep and 9 to hock at conventions. I already sold 2, so if you see me with one at my table you sould snatch it up! I actually wish I had gotten more of them to sell for myself. I have a feeling these are gonna go rather quickly once my convention rounds start up in August.




Doesn't she look AWESOME? The skin turned out a little more neon than I had expected but overall I think she looks pretty great. I'm trying to rally to get her restocked, and if at all possible do another colorway. This also has worked up my appetite for MORE PAIGEY TOYS. If you get a chance PLEASE VOTE for my rollergirl Laika Phenomenon (you see what I did there?)


Click here to get taken to her voting page!




Laika Phenomenon is up for voting at PatchTogether.com!
Please click the pic to register and vote for her!


Also!! Be sure to check out my interview with Girls Drawin' Girls for their weekly Artist Spotlight!!


"It also helps me get in touch with my inner minx. "

Girls Drawin' Girls Volume 3: Sugar & Spice

From the Girls Drawin Girls blog:

Have you been anxiously awaiting our third volume of pin-up art? Do you want to be one of the first on your block to own a copy, in addition to an EXCLUSIVE pre-sale only print?
PRE-ORDER your copy of Vol III now and pay only $20 (instead of $25), and receive a SPECIAL EDITION print featuring Chef Gigi by our own talented Anand Duncan! Print is only available to the first 100 pre-orders, and will all be individually numbered!
"Girls Drawin Girls Volume III: Sugar and Spice"Featuring our esteemed ladies with T&A (Talent & Ambition), as they return to satisfy your sweet tooth with a third volume of collected pin-up art. Come spoil your appetite with more than two dozen interpretations of your favorite desserts***!
$20 pre-order special! Free domestic shipping!(Prints and books will ship July 7, 2010)



Click here to be taken to the GDG store!!!


***Including my Tiramisu girl!!!

Aftermath: The VS Project

So yeah, wow. I'm still in a bit of recovery from how crazy Saturday's VS Project: The Bracket went. It was kind of insane! Oh yeah and HOLY CRAP I WON!!


My piece: King Kong and Statue of Liberty

The contest went like this: 4 artists (me, Khary Randolph, Nikki Cook and Emilio Lopez- all heavy hitters) in 3 rounds comprising of 45 minutes to draw from scratch a picture that was NYC-inspired and contained at least 1 landmark.



You also had to allow space in your piece for a 'wild card' element that would be voted in by the audience out of 5 choices pertaining to the NYC theme. Photographic reference was allowed, but no previous drawing or 'sketch notes' allowed. 1st round was sketching everything out then a 20 minutes break for artists.


My friends brought a sign- they never cease to amaze me with their awesomeness.

At the beginning of the second round the wild card element was announced, being a NYC taxi cab (out of the possible choices of a pizza, subway token, subway car and taxi). The 2nd round you had to draw out the new element, all the while still working on the original concept as well.



It required an insane amount of time management. There wasn't alot of time to be wasted figuring stuff out, you just had to do it.



At the end of the second round came the first eliminations. Two artist would get booted and two would continue onto the final round. Nikki and I made it to the finals, where we finished out the final 45 minutes head to head.


Foxy Boxing for comic books

To deal with the insane amount of stress I *pounded* 6 beers and a vodka shot over the duration of the match, so yeah by the time I was announced as the winner, I was rather inebriated, which added to my shock and amazement. That and I've never won anything before, EVER.




Slideshow of pictures from the event:



For those who couldn't make it on Saturday to the VS Project, you can still vote on the NYC-themed piece you dig the most for a limited amount of time! Click here to be taken to the voting page!

Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who was involved in and who came out for the Vs Project, it was an amazing and exilarating day! Much love to Ukr8 for getting it all together, and to my fellow artists Khary, Emilio and Nikki! Much love and respect to all 3 of you- you guys kick so much ass and do beautiful work! To be included in a competition with such an amazing collection of talent is very awe-inspiring to me. Like I said at the beginning of the event, as an unpublished artist who has just started on her path to being a professional this has been an amazing experience. That a mere 5 years ago I was living in my folks basement and working a dead-end mall job, I wouldn't have ever dared to dream of taking part in something like this, let alone end up winning. Holy crap.

::Exasperated Sigh::

So yeah. If I have my way, I am never doing what I've done to myself these past few weeks again. Double-stacking projects, weird experimental shit, insanely tight deadlines, my inability to tell people 'No.'. Yeah, hopefully. I mean sure, it's nice to be busy. But when I'm doing all that and have a full time day job it gets to be a bit too much at times. It can lead to be getting a little... TENSE.

Much like this:



LOL- I've always identified with that bit, even as a kid.

But anyways, enough whining! Onto the art n' stuff. :D

Finished the bout poster for Charm City Roller Girl's upcoming June bout, that's an homage to Savage She-Hulk #1's cover by John Buscema. Rather happy with how it turned out. It was fun to get back into doing comic covers, this time with added 'special effects' of pages to add to the validity of it being a comic cover.



Also some progress on the bodycast of Rachel Kramer Bussel for Fancy Sexy Me's launch party next week at Shag.




Almost done! Gotta do a couple more little filler tats, spray it down with a matte enamel and Gorilla glue the pasties on.

Then it gets to be presented at the Punk Rock Peepshow at Shag next Friday May 14th. I'll be coming out for it, maybe I'll see you there?



ALSO! TOMORROW! I'm doing this tomorrow!! I'm COMPETING!! HOLY CRAP I'M NERVOUS!



Check out all the info here!