while the iron's hot

Lana joins the list of ladies-in-progress.

...something like this sketch I did last weekend

but with fishes and things.

These larger watercolors take a bit longer and I seem to let them stew longer. Having a few going at a time keeps me working while some are simmering in my brain.




Things to finish in September.

Sketchbook Weekend

I started doodling in my sketchbook on Friday evening, sitting alone at the Beetle Bar, with a hard-week's-earned Revolution Wit.











I stopped doodling in my sketchbook at 3am this morning, sitting with two other sketchbook-doodlers on a couch, and sipping a delicous bloody mary.

It's a living.
or
"School Nights" are for sissies.

xoxox

keepin on

A much-needed 3-day road-trip & fishing vacation


Home again and back to work. When I'm too tired to work, I work in the sketchbook.


The sudden brief crisp in the air makes me drag out piles of books and yarn and schedules for life-drawing classes. I've been working hard all summer, but everything seems to move smoother in the cooler weather. We had to wear sweaters all weekend up north, and pumpkins were for sale on the side of the road.

WHAT

Not a whole lot to show you, internets, tho' I have been wicked busy on all fronts,

A lot of day-jobbing, driving, and other miscelaneous tasks that don't translate well into blog-updates or instagram.

First off

My Marceline "Shades of Red" painting is now available at OhNo!Doom (on the previously mentioned Preview List for today, online in the show and in the gallery for sale tomorrow).

And!

There are 12 (and only 12) prints available - they're lovely! Printed on thick quality watercolor paper and a nice standard 11" x 17".
These are the first prints I've ever had of anything, so I'm pleased as punch about them.


Besides all the ON!D stuff, I've been working on finishing this painting

Which I'm hoping to put a solid dent in on Sunday.
I've also started a small watercolor sketchbook

mainly to screw around with and enjoy my new watercolors. I've been using a terribly old and terribly terrible set of Van Gogh's for the last couple years. I finally (with the help of some birthday Blick gift cards) went out last weekend and got myself a right proper set of Holbeins. Wow. So, more on that in the coming weeks :)

Alright. I gotta hit the highway and get back to work - I might post some teaser hanging-the-show pics for Adventure Time tonight so check the ON!D instagram - @ohnodoom.

And as always, swing by tomorrow night if you're in the Chicagoland area! There's going to be a lot of artists in attendance and a lot of sweet tunes and treats.
OhNo!Doom gallery
1800 N Milwaukee
Chicago!

xoxox

Shades of Red

Hey guys!

Here she is! Marceline the Vampire Queen sayin' hello in my painting
"Shades of Red"

She'll be on display and available at Adventure Time - A Tribute Show
The show opens at OhNo!Doom in 1 week! Saturday August 11th, 6pm - 10pm.

There will also be a limited number of prints available. Join the preview list RIGHT HERE if you're into that, and also to get a first look at all the totally radical artwork that has been sent in for this show!

Shmowzow Dude!

Mossery

I'll just say it, Instagram has made me lazy.

I can just point and shoot and upload and call it a day. Which is fantastic because lemme tellya, there is a lot of crap going on right now that keeps me away from this laptop. The only things I want to see this machine for are visual references for painting, pandora rockin', and google-chatting my ladies.

So, Instagram, I appreciate the convenience, but I also feel disconnected from writing, emails, blogging, so on.

Partly, this is all going to explain why it's taken me so long to give a big shout-out check-out (and thank-you) to one of my favorite ladies out there


This Sussex-born Wales-living lady makes lovely music, entertaining bloggery, pretty photographs, and downright adorable babies. Make yourself a cup of tea and head on over to read her blog, Mossery: a collection of mosses. She recently did a re-post of one of my favorite entries, which has one of my favorite sentences in it:
"I've been sitting on my computer at my parents house for a week endlessly and cleanly extracting sunflower seeds from their black shells with my teeth, a technique I finally perfected whilst spinning through the Gobi Desert almost two weeks ago."
Love it.
She also recently did a post featuring my work, right here, which was so sweet I got a bit weepy.
So thank you lady! I love your work as well.
xoxox

I'm going to try to focus on writing actual words and sentences here more often. Like I said, I've been disconnected from writing in general, because of so many things. We'll see how it goes.
Meanwhile, you should totally follow me on Instagram --> @melissasuestanley