Moderate Sketchyness

Doodling

2011-04-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

Pen and ink.

Mmmmmm... ...pizza

2011-03-28T18:06:00.000-07:00

Inks on bristol board. Based off of a little quick sketch.

Drawings Next To More Drawings

2011-03-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

I decided to do a little drawing exercise playing with negative space. Basically what I was trying to do was fill up a whole page with drawings whose outlines are outlines for other drawings and have no background or negative space. I didn't get very far before getting tired. So this is what I have so far. I think I'll work on it bit by bit, kind of like putting a puzzle together. Maybe take a look every once in a while and see what I can see and add a little here and there. I'll post more as I fill up the page.

Taking A Break

2011-01-28T14:55:00.000-08:00

For the past two weeks I've been working on a short comic for a friend of mine. I won't be posting it on here because it's a gift and it's of a personal nature. Anyways, I was doing some inking for this comic earlier today and decided to take a short break. During this break I somehow decided that it would be a good idea to take all of the random photos from my web cam folder and make them into a slide show. Kind of a lame idea, i know. But, it took all of ten minutes and it's kind of neat I think. Don't think it will really mean anything to anyone else, but whatever. So, here it is in all of it's unedited glory!

A Self Portrait

2011-01-08T11:39:00.001-08:00

So I have been wanting to do a Photoshop self portrait in a similar style to this portrait I did of a friend's girlfriend. I've been at it for a while, but every time I start one I begin to hate it before I'm even half way done. Anyways, I finally sat down and made one that actually kind of looks like me. I'm not sure that I like it too much, but I think that's because after a while I get sick of looking at myself. I'd much rather draw cartoony pictures of myself. Anyways, you can see the final painting below. Let me know what you think.

Below are some of failures I was talking about before.

After finally finishing the realistic painting of myself I decided to color this little doodle, to make myself feel better. I actually think this one looks most like me.

Ink on Cardboard

2010-12-20T17:37:00.001-08:00

Two Quick Little Watercolors

2010-12-17T10:31:00.000-08:00

So, for my birthday I got a Blick gift card, so I decided to use it to finally put together a little portable watercolor kit. It includes a small pocket watercolor sketchbook, a small portable watercolor pallette with watercolors, a tiny brush, and a tiny bottle of water. I put all of the supplies in a ziplock bag with a couple of napkins and I'm ready to go.

I've only done two little ditties, but I thought I'd share them with you.

This one I painted while looking into the vanity mirror above the passenger seat of John's car on the way to my parent's house.

I did this one while drawing a bath.

Portrait

2010-11-30T18:17:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine commissioned me to do a portrait of his girlfriend for her birthday. I had to use a bunch of photographs as reference, because I never met her, but I think it turned out pretty good. My friend who commissioned me said it looks like her.

I used this as good photoshop painting practice.

A Quick Little Lip-sync

2010-11-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

Just a quick little straight ahead lip-sync I did for fun in Flash. The dialogue is from the movie Kick-Ass.

Diana

2010-11-11T09:58:00.001-08:00

At least that's what I'm calling her for now. Just a character I've been doodling.

My Costume

2010-10-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

I also made a Dr Facilier costume for myself. Don't know why I enjoy dressing up like dudes so much.

Noh! Face!

2010-10-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

Spent half of the day making a Noh Face costume for my boyfriend for Halloween. I think it turned out pretty decent.

Writing Drawing Bathing

2010-10-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

Doing a bit of Tub Journaling. Just an exercise to clear my head.

Even when I am relaxing I feel like I have to be mutitasking.

Three Heads Are

2010-10-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

A quick sketch of a three headed lady.

Goodbye Sketchy Magee 3

2010-09-16T07:09:00.000-07:00

Last week I finally finished filling up Sketchy Magee 3. And today I will give it the formal farewell it deserves. It took me a little over a year to fill it's 176 pages, which is a long time, but to be fair I also filled up one and a half moleskins while working in SM3. Anyways, enough making excuses let's get to the scribblings.

This book was especially cool to me because it chronicles my time from graduation,

to when I start interning at WMS gaming,

to when I become unemployed again.

But it's got other cool stuff too, like these drawings of me as a child, a teen, and now.

It's got can-can dancers!

Oooo, a sleeping lion.

Batman inspired art.

And this chick sticking her tongue.

Sketchy Magee 3 also has a bunch of drawings of naked chicks, but this is a family blog.

Oh who am I kidding! If yous guys really wanna see scribbles of naked chicks, here ya go.

ReMind Pinup Contest

2010-09-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

Jason Brubaker, currently working for Dreamworks, is working on his own personal graphic novel called ReMind. He started a really cool blog and posts finished pages of his comic along with advice on creating your own graphic novel. Anyways he started a contest where artists could draw their own versions of his characters and the winning piece will be featured in his printed graphic novel. He is also showcasing the entries on his blog. I don't know if I'll win because I'm up against some pretty talented people, but I think I think it's just cool to have my art on his blog. You can check out my piece below . You can check out ReMind the comic and more of Jason's work here.

A Quick Little Ditty From My Sketchbook

2010-09-09T13:28:00.001-07:00

A girl and her blob.

Making Blogspot Work For Me

2010-09-09T09:33:00.000-07:00

Ughhh. It seems like the older I get the worse I am at internetting. So, instead of trying to build a new portfolio website or try to figure out how to make one using some other hosting site, I've decided to just make the best of blogspot.

Over the past couple of months (off and on) I have been working on my portfolio website. I've been trying to make it more streamlined and easier to navigate. I have also been working hard to make it really represent me and my art. Anyways, It's still a work in progress and there are quite a few things that need updating, but I like the way it's shaping up, considering it is a blogspot. Let me know what you think.

ApearsonAnimation

I Also Drew This Today

2010-08-26T17:39:00.001-07:00

This Is What I Do When I Get A Day Off

2010-08-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

(Click pictures to see larger image... Not that you'd want to... They're really not that great.)

I'm Not Dead, I Swear!

2010-08-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

No time to talk, I have to hurry up and post this so I can get to bed. I have work early in the morning and I feel like I am always tired, which is why I haven't been posting as much. I'll try to post more often than once a month for now on. I promise promise.

Anyways, here is a doodle that I inked and painted. Enjoy.

Work, Work, Workity, Work Work Work!

2010-07-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

So, after five and a half months of unemployment and being rejected by every place I applied to or sent a resume to, I finally have a job. I started working at Target three weeks ago. I know what you are thinking, "But Andrea, that's not an art job!" Well, listen up kiddies, if you wanna make it in the real world some times you're gonna have to do stuff you don't particularly like. But the good new is, within two and a half weeks of sales floor training in a store that hasn't even opened yet, I've already been promoted to a comfy backroom job. Thing is the job is full time. I originally applied to Target for a part time job, but it is better pay and regular hours, so that's good. Also, I can use the monies. Anyways, hopefully I will be able to keep updating this thing and keep making arts. I actually have an idea for a short independent comic that I wanted to create, but more on that if I ever get around to starting it.

Alright. So the deal is, I don't wanna have two blog posts in a row with no images. So I decided to post some images of t-shirts that I made. If you have ever visited my portfolio site or read my resume you would have seen that I list "painting on t-shirts" as one of my hobbies. However, I have never posted any images of any of the t-shirts that I have made on my blog or anywhere on the internets... ...until now. I started making t-shirts after making one for an art project in high school. I really like doing it, because it is a chance to have whatever you want on a t-shirt. Also, they are great as gifts, because the person you give it to now has a one-of-a-kind, custom made t-shirt.

Anyways, it all started with this shirt. This is the Bruce Lee t-shirt I made in high school for an art project.

This is actually the back of the t-shirt.

This is the front of my Bruce Lee t-shirt.

This is the shirt that I get the most comments about when I wear it. I originally made it to wear to the midnight showing of the Simpson's Movie.

This is my t-shirt in a series of shirts that I made for the bridal party in my sister's wedding. Each bridesmaid had a shirt that said "Lee's Bachelorette Party" on the front and had their real name and nickname on the back. I am "the sister with the good personality". The bride, my sister, had a white t-shirt that said "It's My Bachelorette Party" on the front and had her name and the word "Bride" on the back.

Besides the t-shirts that I make for myself, I've made more t-shirts for my sister Lee than anyone else. This is one that I made for her birthday last year. Sorry it's a bit blurry. It's supposed to be her as a bee.

This is the most recent shirt that I have made. I made it for my sister for her birthday this year. The design was a special request by her.

Alright, that's all I feel like posting right now. Also, I don't have pictures of any of the other t-shirts I've painted on. Bye now.

Sydney Opera House Graphic Animation Competition

2010-06-28T07:24:00.000-07:00

So, for the past two weeks I have been working on my entry for the Sydney Opera House Graphic Animation Competition. My final piece is currently up on the website and the first round of voting has begun. My animatic is called "A Birthday To Remember" and you can rate it here: http://play.sydneyoperahouse.com/index.php/graphic/745.html

For more information on the contest and to view and rate the other submissions go here: http://www.graphic.sydneyoperahouse.com/

I hope you guys like my piece!

Wedding

2010-06-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine is getting married this weekend, so I decided to post some of the little things that I made for her.

This is the card I made her for her wedding shower. She loves Invader Zim.

And this is the invitation I made for her bachelorette party.

Sorry this is all I have for this week. I've been working on a super secret project that I don't really wanna show anybody yet. More on this next week. Bye now.

Rated M for Mature

2010-06-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

Trying To Find Inspiration

2010-06-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

Farewell Moleskin

2010-06-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

I have been so lazy this week. I kept thinking "I updated my blog twice last week, so I don't have to update it this week." Well, anyways, I've been meaning to post this for the past two weeks, so here it is. During the sketccrawl I finished up my moleskin sketchbook, so here is a dump of some of the sketches that I like that I haven't already posted.

Me during my last days at WMS.

Some chick.

What I did for the majority of the time that I was unemployed: sketch, eat, watch cartoons, sleep.

Some character I sketchied.

Some guy looking up.

A space girl character I have been working on.

Also, I forgot to mention last week that this sketch was the last sketch to be drawn in my moleskin. Gabe drew it on the very last page and I was all like "Oh noes! This is the last ever sketch; you drew on the last page!" But secretly I always have a hard time drawing on the last page of my sketchbook and up until about two years ago all of my sketchbooks would be full except the last couple pages. It's really weird, but I have always been afraid to finish them; it's like I don't want them to end. Well, whatever. That's the end of that moleskin. I actually bought a new moleskin despite the fact that I hate paying a lot of money for my sketchbooks. I just liked the last one so much! But, it turns out I bought the wrong kind and the pages are much thinner in my new one. It's not that big of a deal though, I just went to buy new pencils to use in it.

Also, just so you know, I have still been sketching in Sketchy Magee 3 every once in a while and he is almost full. So you have that to look forward to in the next couple weeks.

Space Rock

2010-05-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

Sketchcrawl!

2010-05-24T18:11:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I invited some people to come out to Millennium Park to have a sketchcrawl. As you can see we had a pretty decent turnout. We had tons of fun and drew lots of pictures. Below are a couple of sketches I did.

I mostly drew the people in our group because every time I tried to draw someone else they would disappear. Anyways, the above sketch is Gabe and Gari.

Al, Ernst, and some random guy with a mohawk.

Above is a piece of cardboard that everyone took turns drawing on.

And finally, this is the little sketch that Gabe drew in my book.

Linework

2010-05-21T20:51:00.001-07:00

I sketched this, then cleaned it up, then inked it. I'm not sure how I wanna color it yet. I just kinda like as is. I will color it though, just not tonight, because I'm tired. And probably not tomorrow because I'll be busy. Also, not Sunday, 'cause I'll be at my parents house. Next week sometime. Okay, bye now!

Cheshire Catbus?

2010-05-19T13:06:00.001-07:00

So, after doing the painting in my previous post, I came up with this strange idea to make the Cheshire Cat look like the Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro. So I did this little sketch below. I promise this is the last of the Alice in Wonderland fanart and Alice/Totoro fusion art. I have never even seen Alice in Wonderland! I just had this crazy idea; I don't know where it came from. Anyways, the setup is taken from a scene in My Neighbor Totoro where Catbus, Mei, and Satsuki are all sitting in a tree. A screenshot of the scene is pictured below my ridiculous sketch. Also, once again, this picture features me as Alice.

This screenshot and the characters in it belong to Studio Ghibli.

Sweet Dreams

2010-05-17T11:14:00.001-07:00

This is me as Alice sleeping on the Cheshire cat. He's so comfy. I think I'll go take a nap now.

Sketch

Inked

Final

The final was done with inks and watercolor with some touch-ups done in Photoshop.

Lastly, here is a little sneak peak into my messy workspace.

Beach!

2010-05-10T15:04:00.000-07:00

I can't wait for Chicago to warm up. I wanna go lay on the beach. Here's a little something I did while waiting for spring to turn into summer.

Also, notice that it has my name and the year at the bottom. My mother always told me to write my name and the date on every picture I draw and I almost always forget. I'm gonna try better to remember from now on. I promise, promise.

Anyways, enjoy!

It Started With a Sketch

2010-05-05T13:37:00.000-07:00

Original Sketch

Inked version

Messy Photoshop version

I Like It Rough

2010-04-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my art just doesn't seem like my art unless it's a little rough. I naturally gravitate toward art that is a little more gritty and loose and rough. So why have my more recent digital pieces been trying to be so tight? I've been trying to get a handle on some different styles lately, but I don't know why. It takes years to perfect a style. What I should be doing is working in the style that I like and that comes more naturally to me and just make it better and let it evolve on it's own. Also, I think that my last couple digital pieces have been trying a little too hard to compensate for the fact that I haven't been drawing and sketching as much lately.

This lady in the jellyfish dress below is a little rough, but she's more my style. Here's to trying a little harder and being a little truer to myself.

Oh, by the way, I got the idea for this piece by another Aya Takano watercolor of a girl dressed in a squid dress. The title of the piece is Squid Dress. I couldn't find that particular piece online to link to it, but if you have never seen Aya Takano's work before, I highly recommend you google her.

Nekked Ladies

2010-04-15T08:38:00.001-07:00

Last night I attended the Drawing Workshop for figure drawing. I haven't drawn from a live model in like a year and a half, so I decided to check it out and brush up on my figure drawing. The workshop was really good. It is 3 hours of speed drawing with poses ranging from 10 seconds to 25 minutes. The only problem is that it is 15 bucks a session, which isn't too bad, it's just that I'm kinda poor right now. It is well worth it though, just not every week. Below I posted some of my better drawings. Enjoy!

Horsey!

2010-04-13T11:25:00.001-07:00

Rough sketch-a-doodle of the horse.

The golden horse by itself.

The finished piece. I think this took a total of about five and a half hours. It is inspired by a tapestry I saw a a Thai place near where I live.

Hoppy April Fool's Easter etc.

2010-04-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

First my April Fool's joke.

So, for April fool's day I Photoshopped a tattoo of the word "Love" on my neck and posted it on Facebook. My whole family and several of my friends fell for it. Good times. Although, maybe a new tattoo wasn't a very shocking April fool's gag, since I have two tattoo's already. However, I personally think getting something very generic, like the word "Love" is a little too cheesy for me.

Also, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Easter!

Walkin' Sketches

2010-03-31T13:53:00.000-07:00

So, since the weather was so nice today, I went for a walk. I walked down Clark and browsed comics at Chicago Comics. Then headed east and walked along the lake. I stopped at Montrose beach for about an hour to rest my feet, draw some doodles, and do a little people watching. Amongst all of the badly drawn sketches I did dogs (which I won't post, because I am bad at drawing dogs), I did this little ditty of my feets and my shadow.

...Also this.

It's a Zebra

2010-03-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

That is all.

Photoshop Painting Practice

2010-03-11T13:51:00.000-08:00

I really hope to hate this piece one day. However, as I am still working on my Photoshop painting skills, I suppose it's not too bad.

This took about five hours in Photoshop which includes me hating the way I was shading about halfway through and starting all over again. This is a more realistic version of a character I have been working on for some time now.

Any critiques would be more than welcome.

The Evolution of Penélope

2010-02-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't done a caricature in a long time, but I recognize that it is a useful skill for illustration as well as animation. So I decided to try it out again. The subject: Penélope Cruz. I like Penélope Cruz, because she is really pretty, but she has an almost freakishly long neck. And for me that sort of made her memorable. Anyways, it took me a few sketches for me to get to one I liked. I could definitely use more practice, but I sort of like the way this turned out.

Moderate Sillyness

2010-02-15T13:07:00.000-08:00

So for some time now there have been two people that I have always wanted to dress up as. The first person is Batman. Since I was very young I wanted to be Batman for Halloween. Batman was my favorite hero and I always enjoyed watching the movies and cartoons. However, my family always sort of waited til the last minute to buy Halloween costumes and Batman costumes were quite expensive and were often sold out.

The second person is Groucho Marx. The obsession with Groucho Marx came a bit later, probably around the age of sixteen, when I saw A Night at the Opera for the first time. Groucho was immediately my favorite Marx brother; I really like his type of humor and wit (which may also explain my obsession with Woody Allen). And, despite the fact that I am female I was quite convinced that I would make a good Groucho Marx. However, for a long time my hair was too long to really pull off a decent Groucho.

Anyways, what I really want to say is, I finally did it! This past Halloween I made a homemade Batman costume, and just this past weekend I decided to go all out and dress up like Groucho Marx for a friend who was having a mustache themed birthday party (and really, who has a better mustache than Groucho).

So, without further ado, here are the wonderful pictures!

Special effects brought to you by John's default webcam photo booth thingy.

Notice the utility belt pouches are made out of construction paper.

The glasses aren't quite Groucho, but you get the picture. The glasses are actually Real 3-D with the lenses popped out.

Both costumes were homemade and thrown together with stuff I already had, for the most part. I painted that Batman logo on that grey t-shirt all by myself. The gloves were fun to make. They are just black rubber cleaning gloves and cardboard cut into triangles and painted black glued together. Oh, also, both costumes were worn with jeans, because I'm lazy, hence the waist up photos.

Lastly, and I'm not sure I should bring this up, but I noticed while writing this blog that the two people I have always wanted to dress up as are both men. I never wanted to dress up as Catwoman or Batgirl. I wonder why that is...

Watercolor Poetry

2010-01-26T11:15:00.000-08:00

A small watercolor piece I did based on a poem by my boyfriend.

A Quick Watercolor Sketch

2010-01-20T19:24:00.000-08:00

Run For Your Life

2010-01-14T20:14:00.000-08:00

Just a little thingy I doodled and played around with in photoshop.

Told You So!

2010-01-13T09:52:00.001-08:00

Blah Blah Sketchyness I've Been Up To and Such: Volume 3

2010-01-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

So here is some of the sketchyness I've been up to since being unemployed. I just finished my internship at WMS Gaming and am back on the job hunt. In between playing Modern Warfare 2 and prowling the want ads, I've been doodling and updating my portfolio. Below are some of the sketches I sketchied in the past two weeks. You may notice (but probably not) that some of these sketches have a slight yellowish tint to them. This is because I have have recently put Sketchy Magee 3, the big fat never ending dark red sketch book I was using before, aside and started working in a smaller, more portable, funner-to-draw-in moleskin. I received the moleskin as a gift for my birthday in November, right at the peak of my sketch drought this past fall. The moleskin really got me motivated to draw again because of the size and quality of the paper and mostly 'cause it was free so I didn't mind ruining its wonderfullness with my horrid scribblings. Okay, enough making up words. With out further ado, the sketchyness I've been up to volume 3.

John sleeping

Random drawings

Jesus?

The scribble that inspired the illustration.

The rough outline for a comic I am working on. The cleaned up version to be posted soon.

I hope this has been educational. I will see you soon. I promise, promise!

Jack in the box

2009-12-30T13:42:00.001-08:00

I promise promise that I will post more often (fingers crossed behind back).

Dancin Fool

2009-11-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

Something New

2009-10-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

I Wanna Be a Ponyo!

2009-08-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

Meow Meow Meow Meow

2009-08-13T19:36:00.001-07:00

and then...

2009-08-12T20:04:00.000-07:00

Random Sketchings

2009-08-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

Nothing To Blog About

2009-08-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

Ever since I started my internship I have not posted anything and I've been drawing less. So, to help myself to draw and post more, I decided to set up a series of small goals for myself. I will be coming up with little things to do, I will post those ideas on my blog (here) and then I will post the outcome once I have finished.

My first goal:
I'm gonna start off simple and loose. My first goal is to simply sketch for at least 30 minutes a day, for the rest of the week (until Friday) and post one or two of the ones I like best for each day.

I try and sketch everyday anyway, but sometimes it ends up just being on post-it notes at work and they are really just bored scriblin's. Without further ado...

You can tell I'm a bit rusty. More (hopefully better) sketches tomorrow.

Andrea's Got A New Tattoo

2009-06-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

So I just got a new tattoo. I'm pretty proud of it; I designed it myself. It is of a panda riding a turtle. I knew I wanted a tattoo on my shoulder blade for a while now, but just didn't know what to get. On Monday I was doodling in my sketchbook and this just came to me. It's my favorite animal (the panda) riding on top of my boyfriend, John's, favorite animal (the turtle). Then I sketched this out and inked it and I fell in love with it. I knew right away I wanted to get it, and I did, today.

Here is the preliminary drawing.

I thought about adding some color.

This is the final on my body.

I got the tattoo at the Tattoo Factory in Uptown. It was more than I wanted to pay for, but it came out good and the guy who did it was really cool.

Walking on Sunshine

2009-06-22T09:17:00.001-07:00

Just took one of my concept drawings and colored it. I'm still working on a finalized model sheet for her and a story to go along with it. I'll have more on that later. Enjoy!

Waiting

2009-06-13T08:55:00.001-07:00

So, I'm not quite unemployed, I have an internship, but it does not start until the end of the month. So, until then, I'm just waiting, and eating, and watching the Simpsons, and going for long walks in my new neighborhood, and reading Bleach. But mostly eating and watching the Simpsons.

Sketches That Could Become Something More

2009-05-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

These are just a few concept sketches I've been playing around with. I've been trying to come up with another story. More on that when I think of something.

Goodbye Sketchy-Magee 2

2009-05-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I've updated this. A lot has happened since then. The Off The Wall screening was a huge success; our film had an encore presentation. Now we are looking to submit it to some festivals, but there will be more on that later. Ummm, I graduated. That was exciting. I moved out of my old apartment and moved into a much smaller one with my boyfriend. I also recently finished up a short I was working on with a friend of mine, Joe Pajak. The short was for the Field Museum; I just helped him animate it. I got laid off my job for graduating. I've been looking for a new job and going crazy. Also I finally finished Sketchy-Magee 2. It took forever, but to be fair a lot of my drawing this semester was on animation paper for the various projects I was working on. Now I am rambling, like I often do. Without further ado, here are a few highlights from Sketchy-Magee 2.

Me hugging Ivan Brunetti

Special Guest drawings from coworkers

PostSecret I found in a book at the Borders on Randolph

GIRLS!

2009-05-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason I have the song Girls by the Beastie Boys stuck in my head.

Three more days 'til my screening and five more days 'til graduation!

Poster

2009-04-28T17:03:00.000-07:00

This is the poster that I designed for our class's short film Off The Wall. The poster can be seen live and in person on the fourth floor of 1104 S Wabash where Columbia's animation department is housed.

Aminals

2009-04-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

Woo! I'm finished with all the animation for my APS class. The screening for Off The Wall is on Friday May 15. Until the, take a look at some aminals.

Time To Get Down To Business

2009-04-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been updating as frequently as I would like. I've been so busy and worn out from school. I have been working on my portfolio though and applying for places and looking for places to apply to. Off The Wall is coming along beautifully. There are four more weeks left of school and the screening is on the 15th of May. I'm excited and nervous. I'm worried about finding a job and not being at school anymore. It's just all so nerve-racking.

By the way here is my business card design. I just sent them to print and will have them hopefully by the end of next week.

Enjoy!

Portfolio Blog

2009-04-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

My portfolio blog is now up! It still needs a little tweaking, but I have a new edit of my reel up and samples of my work. Check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks!

apearsonanimation.blogspot.com

By the way, I will still keep updating this blog with all sketchyness I'm up to.

Some Of The Sketchyness I've Been Up To: Volume 2

2009-03-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

Ugggghhh! I've been so busy with school the past couple of weeks that I've barely had time to draw for fun. Anyway, here are some of the crappy scribblings from my sketchbook from the past couple weeks.

Manatee!!!

Besides all the animation I've been doing, I'm also working on designing the poster for Off The Wall, and coming up with designs for my website and business card. More on that later though.

A Blackbird For Mr. Robbins

2009-02-18T15:16:00.000-08:00

Another page of scribblin's from my intro to poetry class. Today we were going over the poem "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" by Wallace Stevens and discussing the ways the poem uses metaphor.

I sure did learn a lot this week in class. For instance, did you know that very few foxes come out of eggs? Neither did I. Enjoy!

Scribblin' On Class Notes #1

2009-02-12T15:25:00.000-08:00

So you are probably wondering what I have been up to, at least that is what I assume since you are seeing this message. The answer is actually quite boring: school. Yup, told ya so. Anyways, to make this post less boring, I've decided to show you exactly what it is I have been learning in class via my class notes.

My intro to poetry class is twice a week for some reason, so I got lots of notes for that.

Unfortunately, this poem is not actually about a skunk.

Here is a page from my animal behavior class.

These are from my animation classes. Strangely I don't scribble as much during these.

Hope this was enjoyable!

The Andrea's New Hair

2009-02-03T14:58:00.001-08:00

JUICE!

2009-01-30T18:31:00.001-08:00

Why I love Chicago

2009-01-21T22:59:00.000-08:00

I have been feeling a little depressed lately, so yesterday I decided to go for a walk along the lakefront. I have not really walked around the city in a while because of the snow and cold weather. So, I have been cooped up in the apartment for the past couple weeks. Walking was so refreshing. Going for walks is really one of my favorite things to do and this particular walk reminded me why I love Chicago.

NUDIE PEOPLES!

2009-01-20T20:07:00.000-08:00

In The Year 2000

2009-01-13T19:31:00.000-08:00

Today I was rejected by Teach for America. It was a bit of a disappointment, but it is not the end of the world. Teach for America is something I really wanted to experience, but it is extremely competitive and I am not sure that an English tutoring animation student was what they were looking for. So what now? I have one semester left of school, and then I graduate with a film degree. My last few months of school will be spent really developing my portfolio and making connections. Ideally, I would like to get a job doing concept work or storyboards for live action film or animation, but I would also still like to teach and/or tutor. I would love to teach or tutor full time and then do freelance on the side.

I guess we will see what the future has in store for me.

Until then, enjoy the sketches of my new do, and a random penguin.
I'll most likely look more like this one, because I'm too lazy to do my hair.

Toot!

2009-01-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

Hair

2009-01-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

So, today I cut my hair. It was completely spontaneous, but I was ready for something new. My hair has been really long for as long as I can remember. I have only cut my hair once in my entire life: I was in high school and I only cut it to my shoulders. Today, I cut it all off, well, most of it. I cut about 13 inches off and donated it to Locks of Love. Here are some before pictures.

Here is the 13 inches of wonderfulness that I am donating.

And this is what's left.

This is the last drawing of me with my long fluffy hair. New drawing will come soon.

Painting

2009-01-09T13:53:00.001-08:00

This is a painting I did that was inspired by the Aya Takano book I've been looking at. Of course this is nothing compared to the beautiful work she does.

Acrylic, watercolor, and ink on paper.

Ice Skating

2009-01-08T12:45:00.001-08:00

The Curious Case of Invader Zim Fan Art

2008-12-31T00:44:00.001-08:00

I'm still not sure why I did these.

Zim, GIR, and Piggy (c) Jhonen Vasquez

Happy Holidays

2008-12-23T22:18:00.001-08:00

Here's a little something sure to fill you with holiday cheer!

The next couple of doodle-ma-jigs are from my little solitary sketch jam at Starbucks the other day.

Have a GREAT HOLIDAY!

WINTER BREAK!

2008-12-15T15:22:00.000-08:00

The fall semester has come to a close. Last Friday there was a screening for my animation production studio class. We got to show our story reel and concept art and get feedback. The finished product will be done in May. So, for those who were not able to go to the screening, here is a bit of the concept work I have been doing.

The story is about a young boy who makes shadow puppets that come to life.

Cartooning Final Project

2008-12-09T22:50:00.000-08:00

I decided to make my final project for cartooning a little more personal.

The Semester Is Almost Over

2008-12-07T21:25:00.000-08:00

I wish I had a nice warm bath to relax in. Unfortunately the bath in my apartment isn't the most appealing. I can't wait for Christmas vacation.

Relaxation

2008-11-30T23:36:00.001-08:00

Thank God for Thanksgiving break.

Farewell To Sketchy-Magee

2008-11-16T22:00:00.000-08:00

So, another sketchbook has come and gone. I was so intimidated when I first started working in it. All of the sketchbooks that I am used to are much thinner. I also have a bad habit of not filling sketchbooks all the way up, but I did it! I have filled the whole thing up. I am quite proud of myself. I started it on August 29th and finished it on November 11. Most of it is scribbles and homework, but there are a few gems here and there. So, without further ado, I would like to take a look back on the life of Sketchy-Magee.

Panda

Concept stuff

John in a pool

Don Hertzfeldt's autograph *

Banana

Bat boy!

* So I went to see Don Hertzfeldt show his new film "I Am So Proud Of You" here in Chicago. Afterward I got to say thanks and I asked him to doodle in my sketchbook, and he did a little something. My boyfriend, John, also got to meet him and he some how got him to sign a banana.

And here is a bad quality photograph of me pretending to squish Don between my fingers.

Comics of the UNEXPLAINED!

2008-11-06T21:19:00.000-08:00

More comics...

I'm not too pleased with the crappy computer font on the Fort comic, but I really don't feel like changing it at this point in time.

FREAKY OUTY!

2008-10-26T17:29:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to do something scary for Halloween. Enjoy!

Work, Work, Work!

2008-10-15T16:25:00.000-07:00

So I've been pretty busy lately. With work, school, and homework it has been quite difficult to have social life time, but somehow I've been managing to squeeze it in. I really need to cut out socializing altogether; it is making me exhausted. The other day I fell asleep at work for an hour and a half. I probably should not have admitted that. But it was a Saturday and hardly any of my students come in on Saturdays.

Anyways, lately Animation Production Studio has been monopolizing my sketchbook. It seems like everything coming from my pencil has been concept art, character designs, or storyboards. So that is part of the reason I haven’t been updating my blog. I’m not sure I have the okay to post my concept art yet. Today I just have a little doodle I did like two weeks ago. It is a rejected character. Really she was rejected because she is a girl, so I never really got to present her to the class. The drawing has nothing to do with the story or the characters, but she is pretty freakin’ cute.

Animation Reel

2008-09-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

So, here it is.

More animation soon.

Cartooning

2008-09-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

So, I suppose I should explain. I have this awesome cartooning class this semester. I am learning so much. I have never really gotten into drawing comics, even though it is very similar to doing storyboards. I signed up for this class thinking it was going to focus on drawing style, but it is really about sequential art and framing and posing and all of that good stuff that makes animation so great! So, I am actually quite glad that it was not what I expected. Anyway, this week’s assignment has to do with journal comics, but the focus is on the place instead of on a specific character’s life.

Here is one I did about the apartment in which I am living. I hope my roommates are not offended by it.
More comics soon. So, stay tuned...

Another Cartoon

2008-09-15T21:41:00.001-07:00

Suggestive

2008-09-15T20:09:00.001-07:00

Back To School

2008-09-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

This past week was my first week as a senior as well as my first week back working at the Columbia College Writing Center. It is going to be a busy semester. I'm taking Animation Production Studio I, the first half of a long class where the entire class works on producing an animated short. I'm also taking Intro to Computer Animation, Cartooning, and Early Asian History. Lots of work, but I'm up for it. I'll try to keep my blog updated, but I'm sure you can forgive me if I skip a week or two. To hold you over here are a couple of good ol' polar bears.

Stay tuned...

My Obsession With Pandas Has Finally Come Out

2008-08-30T07:28:00.000-07:00

I started a new sketchbook yesterday. It is big and intimidating, but I'm sure I'll tackle the beast before the semester is out. Oh yeah, school starts on Tuesday. I still don't have a solid pitch for APS, but I have been working on it (more on that later). So while you wait, here are some of the pandas I have been sketching and a random ladybug.
I'm sure there will be more pandas soon. So, stay tuned...

Developing...(5% complete)

2008-08-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

Story development is definitely one of my weaker attributes when it comes to animation. I start my animation production studio class in about a week and a half and I feel like my story idea is still too weak to pitch in class. When coming up with ideas for stories I have no clue where to start. I often come up with vague ideas and have a hard time polishing them into a decent story.

What I have so far…

The main character is a young boy who can travel between the three-dimensional real world and the two-dimensional world of graffiti art.

So really, it is a rough concept with no real story. I did a few sketches after doing research on different kinds of street art. Here they are.

Critique is encouraged!!!!

More pretty soon. So, stay tuned...

Some of the Sketchyness I've Been Up To

2008-08-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

Being the procrastinator I am, I haven't really been doing any of the stuff that I said I would be doing. So here is a bit of the sketchyness I have been up to instead.

More to come. So, stay tuned...

Vacation

2008-08-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

Some friends of mine and I went on a short camping trip this past weekend. It was a nice short vacation. I really did not have to think about much and I did not really draw either. I did escape for a minute, though, to do a quick sketch of our little tent. There were so many stars out; it was cool.

I colored this when I got home. I did not take my good pens camping out of fear that I would lose them.

It was a nice little escape. I am not sure exactly what I needed to escape from though. All I have done this summer is…

...tutor (This was one of my students, Devon. I drew him when he was not looking.),

...watch flapjack,

...and secretly sketch my roommates when they are not looking.

So my summer has been fairly uneventful, but fun. Since I do not have a job until school starts, I plan to buckle down and get some stuff done that I have been planning on doing. I need to finish animating the credits for a production 2 film, I need to develop the idea i came up with for my animation production class (concept stuff coming soon), and I need to finish my Teach for America application. So, stay tuned...

So, This is a blog...

2008-08-06T16:45:00.001-07:00

Today I start my blog. I suppose this is a long time coming. I have thought long and hard about whether I should even create a blog. Then I decided, “yes, yes I should”. The reason I am doing this is to show people what I can do, let them know what it is I want to achieve, and invite them to join me or just watch me screw everything up.

I am an animation student at Columbia College. In a year from now, I will be graduating and joining the real world. For a long time now, I have been working as an English tutor. I tutored during high school and then when I came to Columbia. Most recently, I worked at UIC tutoring for their Upward Bound summer program. Therefore, along with my dream of being an animator, I also want to continue being an English tutor and fighting adult illiteracy. I am passionate about this. After I graduate I hope to continue tutoring. I am currently applying for Teach for America. If I am accepted, I will spend two years teaching kids in an inner city school. Do not misconstrue the “Teach for America” thing for a substitute to being an animator. I plan to use my time outside of school to continue animating and drawing. My long-term dream is to create animated PSAs and do something meaningful with animation.

Oh yeah, about the blog… So, on this blog I plan to post my artwork and continue to update you on my journey into the real world. So, stay tuned…