In which I talk about some things and other things

I spent a good part of the weekend sitting around in my cupcake pajama shirt and underpants(matching cupcake pants are in Denver, ok, and God forbid I wear pants that don't match), watching the Neverending Story and drawing comics.

Drawing for me is often really, really frustrating. I'm perpetually stuck in that little kid phase where accurately rendering hands and feet and sometimes noses is "wiwee hawd" and my lazy self hates difficulties. Right now, though, my art mojo is at full strength, and it is at those times that drawing is *creepy Edward Cullen voice*: like a drug to me.

So, uhh, I guess the whole point of that exposition was to say that I have 3 out of 10 pages of my Denver travelogue complete (it's a miracle, right?!) and hopefully there will be 7 more + 10 Missoula pages in the near future.

While you're anxiously awaiting my debut publication.....here is some highly recommended literature to keep you occupied.


LONGVIEW by Maria Forde

Actually, everything by Maria Forde is pimp (River Phoenix triptych, anyone?), but this zine hits close to home seeing how I have spent many many days in a nursing home, visiting with my Grandma. 'Longview' is filled with pencil portraits of patients who live with the artist's grandma, along with some advice they give on livin' it up.

Old people are awesome.

Image from here.
Purchased from here.
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I don't know anything about Lisa Hanawalt, but she draws pictures of animals in hats and mooses shopping for corsets. Right up mah alley. The zine's called "I WANT YOU #2".

I want you, too, Lisa baby.

Available for purchase here.
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The graphic novels I love the most are the travelogues. Guy Delisle's wife is in Medecins Sans Frontieres, so he gets to go to cool, dangerous?, unwelcoming? locales and then he writes comics about his experiences. There's a book for Burma, one for Shenzhen, and one for Pyongyang.

I need.

Available for purchase here.
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FRENCH MILK by Lucy Knisley is another good'un. Well, actually I can't say that since I haven't read it. But it looks good! A few critics gave her crap for focusing too much on trivial things and her whiny self, but that is what Breezy wants! Breezy wants to hear about you going to the Parisian laundromat and you flirting with Parisian boys and you taking for granted the fantastic Parisian vacation that is continually eluding Breezy!

*Cough cough*.

Available for purchase here.

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And last but not least, THE WRONG PLACE by Brecht Evens.

It's in watercolor, and it looks classy.

Two characteristics I usually avoid.
In books and in men.
I don't know what a watercolor man looks like.

But artists I like like this book, so I feel obligated to at least listen to the cool people and give it a chance.

Available for purchase here.

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So there you have it. Give ol' Breezy your recommendations if you know of any other good art zines/comics/graphic novels - ESPECIALLY TRAVELOGUES! And remember - Christmas is right around the corner *WINK WINK*

Gertie

I am currently referring to my derelict couch as "Gertie". She will be formally christened when she is complete (after I ScotchGuard the crap out of her). I've spent almost $200 on supplies so far, but hopefully it will be worth it! Now all I need is a staple gun and I will be able to get cracking. Above is Gertie's pee-stained, poop-green tweed exterior. We ripped a big hole in her backside while we were squeezing her through the doorway. Hm. That sentence sounded a little wrong.
This is after I freaked out from the awful stench and scrapped everything except what is now called the "couch bones". And hey, guess what? It STILL smells(it's those darn springs). I've got a date tonight with a brillo pad and a can of Comet.

This is a crappy photo of the fabric I bought. I really wanted to use an Anna Maria Horner botanical print, but it was $16 a yard. The stuff I got at coughwalmartcough was $5 a yard (sorry, Anna Maria Horner). I'm going to use those strips of gingham for the piping, which will be a big pain in the butt to do, but oooooooh well.

Moan/Groan

I have been so productive lately [for once]! Here's what I've been up to:

- I finished/gave up on the Pattern Is Movement dress. I was so eager to have it done and be able to wear it that I skipped some important structural details and it is basically jerry-rigged with velcro and basting. But if I ever perform at the VMA's and need to make a quick costume change, this dress would be perfect.
- I made a pillowcase out of the Japanese strawberry fabric I ordered, and by golly, I will do my best to not drool all over it.
- I've been constructing little plush things out of my favorite poor-girl's fabric, felt. Mushrooms and cacti were my first experiments. Tommy requested a felt Ralph Lauren, complete with turtleneck, double breasted jacket, and pleated pants. I've made dolls before, but never with pleated pants, so we'll see how that goes.
- I've devised a crackpot art-in-the-community project which involves informing my fellow townspeople about interesting/obscure topics through the distribution of coloring book pages of my own design. The first installment will feature the movie "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai" starring Forrest Whitaker. So good.

Of course this blog post would be way better if there were pictures of all of these crazy projects, right? Sadly but truly, I lost my camera's USB cord somewhere in the move. I have no idea where it is, and there will be no original fo-tos until I can find it or get a new one. Uuuuuugh :(

IIIIIIIIIIIIIII Will Go Right Away

Last Sunday, Wiki, Daawuud and I went to the Box for the final show of Lincoln's annual indie music festival. There, we witnessed the wonder that is called Pattern Is Movement. "Gay lumberjacks!" I shrieked with glee as two rosy-cheeked men with beards and suspenders took the stage to barrage us with their phat beats and quasi-operatic vocals. Unfortunately, though, due to an assortment of factors including but not limited to unrequited love and.....unrequited love, we left soon after their set.

"Something better is just around the corner," Wiki[God bless 'er] was telling a blubbering me when, literally, around the corner(OK, not around the corner but down the street) came the Pattern Is Movement boys! After professing our love to them, we had a wonderful chat and found out that they are the nicest people EVER! Then Wiki told them that I had purchased one of their shirts and was planning on making a dress from it. They gave me some styling tips(yellow leggings, white shoes, face paint, what?) and told me that if it was awesome enough they would post a picture of it on their myspace. This will explain to my coworkers why I'm spending my lunch hour every day this week embroidering like a Cambodian sweatshop slave. I hope those guys' eyeballs fall out of their heads when they see themselves immortalized in thread and pink cotton jersey - hee! I'll post pictures as soon as I'm finished.