Hey! So my star wars cookies ended up in a slideshow on OC Weekly, and they linked to my website. So instead of having everyone look at non-cookie related stuff on my blog, I thought I’d throw up a slideshow of all the cookies I’ve made so far.
For anyone visiting from OC Weekly, I’m not a professional baker or cookie maker or anything - I just make them as gifts for friends, and they seem to like them so I just kept doing it.
After experiencing the monotonous, soul-sucking judicial process for a week by serving as a juror on a pointless civil trial, having the worst cold/illness I’ve had for a couple years (upper respiratory infection), feeling so behind on work yet also feeling too burnt out to work extra hours, and finally (and worst of all), my very sweet & kind grandfather passing away… I am ready for a new month.
I feel like I’ve learned some lessons, I’ve been hurt, I’ve been healed, and I’ve been rejuvenated to continue creating new things and having new experiences. It’s time to dive into my list with renewed conviction. In February I abandoned my sketchbook/journal a bit, but it’s about time we became reacquainted. I have another set of cookies that needs some icing and a grand reveal to its recipient (oooh, who could it be?). Spring is just starting to spring so it’s almost time to start getting outside again; gardening, bike rides, picnics, and general exploring. It’s time to start drawing more. And more. And more. And more. South by Southwest is coming up in a week and I need to make some new business cards. I have a lot to do and I feel excited to get to the doing.
Meanwhile, Todd has finished up a very special project that we just HTML-ified and put online last weekend. It’s a “what we did in 2009″ recap, but in super fun, design-y style. Check it out at Quackenblog.
Todd also just started a Tumblr blog tonight in which he shares some of his musical findings, of which he has quite a lot. And those findings are quite good. So that can be found here: candyhugs.tumblr.com
So, anyway, March: I like you so far. I feel a little more caught up with work, I feel inspired, SXSW is coming soon, and more good things are on the way, I can tell. So, thanks.
Posted 6 months, 3 weeks ago at 10:11 pm. 0 comments
As I mentioned in my last post, I was inspired by Andrea over at hula seventy to create my own list of things to do before I turn 30 years old (next January). Here’s her list for this year. And here’s mine.
I thought I would have it done by my birthday but I wanted to make sure I got it right, so I didn’t rush or pressure myself. I kept that mantra in mind as well as I wrote this list – no “draw something every day” or “write a blog post every week”. Those types of goals just make me feel stressed and I am more likely to give up on them if I miss a day or two or seven. I always think, since I screwed up that one time, I may as well just give up on the whole thing because I ruined the “streak”. I have already started my illustrated journal, and I’ve tried to be very forgiving of myself if I don’t draw or write anything for a week. If it’s been a while, I just pick it up when I get some time and keep going, and try to avoid the whole idea that I have failed if days and days have passed without any drawings. That just causes me to feel like I am “behind” and then I avoid the whole activity until I can muster up the motivation to do multiple days worth of drawings (crazy).
So I guess Number Zero on this list is “forgive yourself”. I think that’s a good one. Here are the rest, in no particular order of importance:
Design and print “real” business cards – backups for when I don’t have hand-made cards :)
Put up a portfolio website (for both web development and illustration)
Keep an illustrated journal/sketchbook
Go to life drawing sessions/classes
Animate a little something every month
Create an infographic (or an animated how-to or how-this-works)
Set up an “arts & crafts cabinet” to make pens, pencils, paper, glue, Xacto knives, sketchbooks, paints, etc. easily accessible upstairs (e.g. not in basement)
Fill a sketchbook with drawings from around Portland (landscapes, buildings, statues, etc)
Make a gardening/home improvement/travel blog with Todd, where we write about… life and stuff (not work)
On that note… create a “travel-log”-esque website for our 2009 Switzerland trip
Make a stuffed animal for Carter’s first birthday (my nephew)
Visit the Classical Chinese Gardens and drink tea
Explore Portland’s west hills, and see the Rose Garden, Japanese Gardens, and see Pittock Mansion
Posted 8 months, 1 week ago at 11:07 pm. 1 comment
I haven’t drawn anything for Illustration Friday for a few weeks. But that’s not to say I haven’t been drawing. I’m starting to get back into the habit of picking up my sketchbook and just doodling, instead of mindlessly sitting in front of my computer like I always seem to do in the evenings. I always read other blogs and check out artists’ websites, and feel amazed and inspired and a little intimidated. And then think “I should do something like that” but instead of actually doing it I read more blogs. You know, that old cycle.
I’ve also been reading various New Years’ resolution lists, and articles about how to achieve your resolutions, and strategies for getting started working your resolutions. But I haven’t made my own list. I think this year rather than make a few vague resolutions I’m going to make a list of ‘30 things to do before I’m 30′. I got the inspiration from this awesome blog: hula seventy. I found it through Ward Jenkins whom I follow on Twitter (hula seventy is his wife’s blog. They are both amazingly talented people with awesome blogs. ) I turn 29 in January, and I really like the idea of having your birthday be the start of your own personal New Year, and setting a specific list of goals to accomplish before your next birthday.
I haven’t officially started the list yet but I have a few ideas kicking around. One of the most important to me is doing something creative on a daily basis. I’m not sure if I want to start a daily sketch journal and hold myself to doing it EVERY day, or be a little looser and just make sure to make some doodles or write a haiku or knit or… whatever, every day. My ultimate, practical goal from doing this would be to get better and more confident with drawing, since I would love to eventually be doing illustration professionally. But I think knitting or writing or doing anything else creative would contribute to that confidence boost too, and I would just feel better about myself not spending too much time in front of the computer (which is what I do all day at work, I don’t need to do it at home, too).
So my only actual New Years’ resolution this year: Finish my “30 things by 30″ list before my birthday on January 22.
So speaking of doing something creative, here are some cookies I made for our neighbors. I’m in the process of making other sets of cookies with different themes for various friends and family members as well. They were all going to be Christmas presents, but most of them will have to be ‘Happy New Year’ and maybe even ‘Happy February’ cookies. These are my favorite so far, simpler is definitely better when you are working with royal icing as a medium. Some of my other cookie designs have been a little too elaborate (trying to get a likeness of existing characters from TV or movies, or trying to use semi-realistic shading and colors). But I’m learning a lot and getting better at figuring out the process. I still get icing and food coloring all over myself no matter what I do. It’s not pretty…
These fruits and vegetables are definitely not good for you, but they are pretty tasty!
Posted 9 months, 2 weeks ago at 10:26 pm. 0 comments
Apparently the theme for this (last) week’s illustration Friday was “Unbalanced” and not “breakthrough”. I’m still baffled as to how I came to the conclusion that it was Breakthrough. Maybe one too many Jubelales? Could be. I feel slightly embarrassed but only slightly more proud that I actually spent my time doing something creative instead of the alternative (playing Bejeweled on Todd’s iPod). Anyway, so it’s probably good I didn’t make the deadline this week. This week I’m fairly sure the topic is “music“. Though I think I will check again on Sunday, or some other evening when I haven’t had 3 microbrews.
Posted 9 months, 2 weeks ago at 12:13 am. 0 comments
Had this corny idea for ‘breakthrough’, and thought it worked better animated, rather than just showing the aftermath. Only had a couple nights to work on it so it’s pretty rough, but conveys the idea pretty well I think!
Once it’s finished processing, it’ll be on vimeo, too.
EDIT: Dang, I just missed the cut off for IF. :( Last few weeks I’ve been able to submit up to 30 min past midnight PST but this week they put up the new one earlier… That’s what I get for waiting ’til the last minute I guess. It’s just my Thurs. night tradition.
Posted 9 months, 3 weeks ago at 12:08 am. 6 comments
I was never a big fan of this band (I like some of Damon Albarn’s other projects, e.g. Gorillaz and The Good, the Bad and the Queen), but trying to think of something to draw for this week’s theme, “Blur,” they were all I could think about.
This is a homage to the video for their ‘one hit wonder’ song, Song 2, a.k.a. that “woohoo” song.
I actually started in pencil and ink this time, which was awesome. I’m definitely going to try and do more of that. Cleaned up and colored in Photoshop, but it wasn’t a great experience… next time I might just keep the whole thing on paper and do watercolors or something.
EDIT: Looks like at least one other IF’er had the same idea for Blur :)
Posted 10 months, 1 week ago at 12:03 am. 0 comments
Can you tell what’s on our minds these days? It’s too cold and rainy to be summer yet too warm to be snowboarding season. Just waiting out the days…
I wanted to get this all pretty with some colors and a background, but just ran out of time. I’m pretty happy with how the line work turned out though and wanted to get it up before the next IF topic rolls in. I definitely want to keep working on it though, this is one of my favorite drawings I’ve done recently!
Huddled up in bed, waiting for the rain to pass so I can take a shower (it's outside), trying to decide if we should go to Montreal or not.. 1 week ago
Mere minutes until vacation time! 16 days of sleeping, swimming, drawing, drinking, biking - not necessarily in that order #vermont #jb1 week ago
Trying to fool myself into thinking that because this chocolate chip cookie is vegan, it is actually very, very healthy. #jb2 weeks ago
@mike_marsh It was fun! Not sure I'd do it again though, like you said, clusterfuck :) Maybe if my parents want to do it next year I'd go... in reply to mike_marsh2 weeks ago
Bike is rideable again! Just a couple pinch flats. Just in time for it to sit in the garage for two weeks while I'm on vacation :) 2 weeks ago
Just hit the king of all potholes, now both my tires are flat :( 2 weeks ago
