Hey! It's 2011 and I'm doing stuff...

Happy New Year, all!! I'm back from my week and a half in Maryland and Missouri to visit family for the holidays. Felt like I was gone 2 months. Time moves differently outside NYC. Fun to see everyone but I'm so glad to be in my own house among my stuff and my precious furbaby Loki.


Sooooo happy. She purred so loud when we got home we could hear her across the room.

So yeah, my New Year's resolution for 2011 is to take the same amount of energy I expended in 2010 on extroversion and focus on some introversion. While 2010 was a big art/business/public persona year, I think 2011 is going to be a very personal/ introspective year for me. More looking inward to myself, taking 'me' time, focusing on the creation and experimentation of art than just getting it out there. I definitely need to get back on track with some drawing for me. Been stretching myself too thin this 2nd half of the year with all the conventions and my dayjob and just crazy extra curricular projects. I need to get on some drawing for me time hardcore. I look at this blog and it's all pictures from cons and parties the past 6 months, no art! Same with my FB fan page, that poor, neglected thing! Who knows, maybe I'll even get to writing something this year. (Whoa now...)

To flex my creative muscles, I've been taking on a few new projects that are pretty much just for me to dick around with.

One, being The 365 Project, which is when you take and post 1 photo per day for an entire year.



The other being a collaboration with my friend Ida's company Bitchcraft Apparel, of hand decorated lipstick/stash cases featuring my artwork. Each black or brocade case will be unique with sequin trim around both the image on top and the mirror inside, they are big enough to hold 2 lipstick tubes- or something a little more illict maybe? ~__^ They will be available for $20 each at various locations, including my etsy store and convention tables, Girls Drawin Girls' etsy store and convention tables and 9th Life in Baltimore Maryland.






Other than that though I'm working on the last of my commissions before I take the year off and work on some more personal pieces, and I'm also working on a submission to Udon's Mega man tribute book that I'm not allowed to show. (Boo!) No telling if I'll actually make it into the book or not, but if I have a chance to I'm definitely taking it. My submission is going to be a Big Daddy Roth style Tron Bonne in her robot from Marvel Vs Capcom 2.

Sketches and Taking a break from commissions in 2011

Hey all! Just wanna make an announcement that I'm not taking on any new commissions this coming year. I need to have some 'draw for me' time. I feel like I've been in the same level of competence for the past couple years and to get better I really need time to experiment. If I already talked to you about a commish then I'll still do that. But no new ones. I need to get back into sketching hardcore, and there's only so many hours in a day. Seeing as how my 2011 is already going to consist of my first out-of-state convention in 7 years, putting together a 2nd artbook, planning at least 2 engagement parties, getting married, a solo art show in Brooklyn and configuring some sort of career path, I'd say my plate's already a bit full to begin with. @__@;;

Some sketches:



Varla (Tura Satana) from Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!



I also did a sketch of my 'wedding ensemble' for my upcoming wedding to Phil Balsman on Dia de los Muertos next year in Las Vegas. (He proposed on my 30th birthday.)
The dress is going to be from Vivien of Holloway, corset from Louise Black and hair inspired by Patricia Day of the Horrorpops.

Dr. Sketchy's presents: The Factory!

So on Saturday 11/13 Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School had a special blowout session at the Brooklyn speakeasy The Red Lotus Room that was themed after Andy Warhol's Factory.


My inspiration for the night

NYC BFF Christy and I, always eager to dress up cute, attended as Warhol print versions of Liz Taylor and Marilyn Monroe. My surrogate little brother and tattooist Paul even came up from Maryland with his girlfriend Chelsea just for the party. Good times were had by all!


Liz and Marilyn scoping out the scene


After a couple drinks channeling Norma Jean got a little too easy...






With my lil brudder Paul

With the rest of the Sketchy's crew

I'm on Funny or Die!!!!

So yeah, remember when I got to meet and get my picture with Pee-Wee a month ago when he did that Foursquare promo?

Well, the VIDEO of his adventures around NYC is up on FunnyorDie.com and you can see a certain bespectacled punker girl reduced to utter speechlessness at 2:58! Like really, my hands were shaking and I thought I might burst into tears.

Pee-wee's Foursquare Day! from Pee-wee Herman

And just to show you how much I LOOOOOVE Pee-Wee, here's a couple pics from last year's Halloween when my fiance Phil and I dressed up as Miss Yvonne and Capn' Carl. BEFORE I EVEN KNEW HE WAS MAKING HIS BIG COMEBACK!

It's Cramp-us!!!

Live in NYC? Like The Cramps? Down with Krampus? Dig the ta-ta's? Come out to Cramp-Us on Dec 5th!



Facebook event page here!!

Did up a quick flyer for my sword-swallowing friend The Lady Aye for a burlesque show she's producing called Cramp-Us, which is a glorious marrage of The Cramps, Krampus and burlesque. This is the 3rd installment of this show, I saw the first one last December at the old Slipper Room, then missed the 2nd one that also featured my art on the flyer due to it being all the way down in Coney on Thursday. But THIS time it's in Manhattan on a Sunday and I am SO not gonna miss it!! So excited to get to do another flyer, I really do love doing promo for shows I can really get behind.

Aftermath: KingCon Brooklyn 2010

KingCon Brooklyn was this past weekend, and also marks the end of my big convention year for 2010!


Me at my table on Saturday- rocking my new Louise Black corset!

Another 2 day con (thank goodness- 3 day cons kill me...) I worked at my table and sold all day Saturday. Sunday I sold the first half of the day then took part modeling in a special mini Dr Sketchy's session and afterwards spoke in my first panel ever! Excitement!


I also met legendary X-Men write Chris Claremont! He created Kitty Pryde!! He was impressed by my tattoo! I was also super duper nervous to talk to him.



I was also part of a video made by The Brooklyn Cowboy who asked around the con What makes Brooklyn awesome?


Go ahead and pretend my feathers ain't luxurious...

Sunday afternoon I got to model for Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School, a bi-monthly cabaret life drawing session and worldwide phenomenon I usually attend as a guest artist with my friend Christy. I've been attending Dr. Sketchy's for about 2 years now and have become friends with Sketchy's founder Molly Crabapple, who I practically squealed with glee at via email when she asked me if I would like to wear the showgirl outfit I wore to NYCC to the KingCon Sketchy's session as a model. I was ALL ABOUT IT! I even made a little playlist just for the occasion!




NYC BFF Christy got some great shots from the session (which you can see above on the flickr slideshow) and I had a GREAT TIME modeling! I even got to be in the Dr. Sketchy BLOG!!! XD I hope to have more opportunities to model for life drawing sessions (of the non-nude variety) as I have a TON of crazy outfits and costumes I could utilize. Just sayin'. ;)

After the Sketchy's session, I got to take part in my first ever panel discussion for 'Hips, Lips and Pencil Tips: Sexualization of Women in Comics from a Feminist Viewpoint'. Thought it'd be funny to keep my showgirl costume on, as it was a main part of my talking points regarding my own experiences in the comics medium.


L to R: Moderator Rachel Kramer Bussel, Jennifer Hayden, myself, Laura Lee Gulledge and Valerie D'Orazio

It was a really great panel, I almost wished it had been recorded. Everyone had really interesting perspectives and stories to share about how their sexuality has come into play as a comic book artist.

What I talked about:

~How when I was 12 I was looking for porn but found comics. My story of discovering my first comic while hunting for my dad's vintage Playboys/Penthouse Forums that my brother had gotten ahold of. While searching under my brother's bed I came across 2 comics: Uncanny X-Men #236 and #243, which started me on my lifetime obsession of comics, and Wolverine being naked.


Better than porn.

~Being my own 'booth babe'- Utilizing my past as a cosplay girl as well as my costume/dressup obsession as a tool to grab people's interest in my table/artwork at conventions with choice of dress (what I call my 'con drag'), using sales techniques from when I was a tv salesperson (yet another male-dominated industry I fell into) such as standing 90% of the time, eye contact with customers and starting up conversations with total strangers. Putting on the 'Paigey' persona at conventions which is basically just a friendlier, more outgoing and energetic version of myself than say, when I am at home in my sweatpants actually creating the artwork I hock at conventions.

~Alot of my pinup artwork has helped me embrace my own sexuality with more confidence, especially as I myself have become more 'womanly' in my proportions over the years. And since I've moved to NYC I've gained an exposure to and ultimately a fascination with burlesque and it's history, which has served as an amazing resource of inspiration not only for my artwork but to myself as well as that is a community which is accepting of women in so many shapes, sizes and colors.

I'm sure there was other stuff I went on about, as I tend to ramble when put on the spot, but I'm very excited to see what 2011 has in store for me convention-wise.

Gearing up for King Con Brooklyn!!!

Check it out! MY NAME's on the poster!!! Sweeet!!!

So this upcoming weekend is my final convention appearance for the year- King Con Brooklyn on Saturday November 6th and Sunday November 7th at the Brooklyn Lyceum!

Saturday I will have my usual Paigey merch for sale at my table- including prints, artbooks, buttons, magnets, toys and jewelry.

Sunday however, is actually the first time I will have direct involvement in events for a convention-

3:30pm: DR. SKETCHY'S ANTI-ART SCHOOL KING CON EDITION (bring your own drawing supplies): Dr. Sketchy's is what happens when Cabaret meets Art School. Artists draw glamorous underground performers and compete for prizes. In our KingCon special edition, pinup artist Paige Pumphrey poses as a MiniComics Showgirl, with Syd Bernstein hosting.

VERY EXCITED! Been going to Dr. Sketchy's for about 2 years now and I am beyond honored that I get to be counted amongst the plethora of gorgeous women who've modeled for Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School over the years! I've had a little experience as a life drawing model before and know it is VERY HARD WORK, so I hope to do it justice!

6:30pm: HIPS, LIPS, & PENCIL TIPS: The Sexual Female as Feminist Focal Point a conversation with female artists Paige Pumphrey, Laura Lee Gullidge, Jennifer Hayden; moderated by writer Rachel Kramer Bussel.

THIS SHOULD BE FUN!! I've never taken part in a panel and speaking in front of alot of people makes me nervous, and I have a sneaking suspicion I'll be playing the Devil's Advocate on the whole idea of the sexualization of women so if anything maybe I'll just keep my showgirl costume from Sketchy's on and fully embrace my role.

You can see the rest of the schedule here!