Snow Day.

So the Snowpocalypse will commence once again, in part 3, this Monday.

In addition to our 30"+ of snow, we will have, well... more.  I  actually went outside today, and probably got more exercise than I have in the past 5 weeks.  Please enjoy the video, because I know I did. (Despite being the second time my 5' 3" friend pretended to be a giant, you can hear me laughing the whole time.  In fact, I was practically crying)

:)

and yes,

we're practically adults.

Shel Silverstein

So most people wouldn't recognize the date, May 10, 1999, but it's important to me for two reasons.
Number one, it was my seventh birthday.
Number two, it was the day Shel Silverstein was found dead.
For my birthday, I received his book, Falling Up. I've read and reread it so many times, that the binding is broken, the dust jacket ripped, and the pages taped in. His poems are short and amusing, always holding hidden truths. Each poem is illustrated by him, and sometimes are necessary to understand the poem itself. Falling Up is 170+ pages of pure joy, and at the end, Silverstein writes:

The end of the book -
No use to look

for any more, my dear,
'cause if you try finding
some more in the binding,
you may just...disappear

               bye-bye

                     S.S.

So sure, he kind of looks like Sylar from "Heroes", but he is one of my most important inspirations.  Among my favorite of his books are Falling Up (of course), The Giving Tree, and Where the Sidewalk Ends.  His book A Light in the Attic was dedicated to his daughter, Shanna, who died when she was 11.

     Shel Silverstein did it all, he was a playwright, cartoonist, poet, songwriter and he wrote short stories.  The Giving Tree  is my absolute favorite of his works.  It is about a boy and a tree that provides him with whatever he needs as he grows older.  Eventually the tree is cut down, and the little boy is an old man.  The last thing the tree gives the man is a place to rest his tired bones.  I'm not the only one so touched by this story, either. (See tattoo to the right. By the way, I'd like to marry that boy).

"I have nothing left to give you." The boy replies, " I do not need much now, just a quiet place to sit and rest." The tree then says, "Good! A tree stump is a great place to do just that! Come boy, sit down and be happy." The boy obliged and the tree was happy.

Shel has even inspired me in my own works.  A friend asked me to illustrate her book for her creative writing class, Oh Where, Oh Where is My Underwear?  I decided to develop my own cartoon, inspired by Silverstein's work, to create her character. (see left)

Pretty much, the moral is, I love Shel Silverstein.  He is my #1 Illustrator Inspiration.  Among others are Maurice Sendak (Boy in the Night Kitchen, Where the Wild Things Are), Rachel Isadora (Willaby) and Paul O. Zelinsky (Rumpelstiltskin).  


I just found out I've been accepted the sixth and last art school I've applied to, and I can't wait to explore the possibilities when majoring in Fine Arts/Illustration!

And I'm definitely bringing Falling Up to college, wherever that may be :D

Charlie Brown

I was watching the Charlie Brown Valentine's movie today on TV, and it was probably the most hilarious thing I've seen lately. Did you ever notice how he has to narrate everything? For example, while lying in his bed late at night, "I think tomorrow I'll right out and tell that little red hair girl that I love her. And then I'll give her a big hug. And then I'll bungee jump from the moon."
BUT Schroeder is my absolute favorite. If falling in love with cartoons was normal, I'd have to choose Schroeder. [along with Aladdin, Dmitri (Anastasia) and Shang (Mulan)] He's so quiet and brooding. Every time Lucy so much as talks to him, he shuts her down. He's always calm and always has something thoughtful and intelligent to say (when he speaks). Charlie Brown is his bff and Charlie is the one who actually introduced him to the toy piano (which sometimes sounds like a toy piano, and sometimes sounds like a grand piano) He's the catcher on the baseball team, and is very touchy on who is allowed to lean on his piano. And the way he plays the piano! I actually own the cd of his greatest pieces. Beethoven is his #1 hero, like Lang Lang is mine: "The only time Schroeder accepted a gift from Lucy was when she gave him a sketch of Beethoven--she was then shocked to find he already had a gigantic wall-size portrait of Beethoven hanging in his room."
Yes.
I know, it's a cartoon.
But still...

I love him.

Pages of the book

So here are two of my favorite pages from the book I was illustrating. It was a book of poetry my mother wrote in high school. Each page is 8.5"x8.5" and is done in ink and gouache. The text was added via Photoshop. There are 11 poems and 16 pages. It took me approximately 3 weeks total to complete.

As of late...

Right now there's a legit blizzard outside.
I just finished the illustrations for the book I was illustrating,
submitted them, and bought the book!
No, but for real.
We probably have 40+ inches of snow,
snow drifts, low visibility, unclear roads...and cabin fever.
Oh yeah, and I'm currently unemployed.
My place of work was evicted over the weekend.
Superbowl XLIV was Sunday, Colts vs. Saints.
Saints won.
Drew Brees was great.
Commercials were decent.
I spilled chili all over myself at our neighbor's SB party.
fun times.

...at least I made a snow bear named Sam.