Slumdog

Slumdog Millionaire is the movie of the year in my books. My fingers are crossed for it tonight...Let's hope "it is written".

Here's a detail for good measure...

Creative Quarterly 13 & Altpick Awards

Three of my author portraits (Poe, Twain, and Kafka) are in the current issue of Creative Quarterly. This is their first issue to include professional work. Also, I can't believe I forgot to post about it, but this series also was given 2nd place in the Altpick awards popular vote.

Sketch Night

I went to sketch night at the Society tonight with my friends Monika and Chad. It was a really fun night, to say the least. I'm hoping to keep going to these as often as I can.

A-Squared

I just got back in tonight from visiting my sister in Ann Arbor. While I was staying with her, I realized that one of the figure drawings hanging in her living room is from the first night I ever drew with ink.In 2005, I was in my first semester of the graduate program at FIT, in the drawing class designed and taught by Melanie Reim (one of my all-time favorite people). That class was a time of tremendous growth for all of us, and that night in particular, something clicked inside me. Melanie handed out cups of ink and bamboo pens and gave us no other option for materials. It's something I doubt I ever would have tried left to my own devices, and that push was something I desperately needed. Drawing from life changed over from this nerve-wracking, labored activity into something natural and fluid that just felt so right. I'll always be grateful for Melanie's influence (which continues to this day).
The drawing above is from the same night, and it was my very first ink drawing. On the left of the page, I was trying to get the feel for how the pen worked.


Ann Arbor was beautiful -- snow-covered and completely charming. I always enjoy visiting there, and this trip was no exception. I also have to say, it's kind of great to have a little sister who asks for your drawings to hang on her walls.