cruising

Hairhoppers, Q. Cassetti, 2012, pen and inkIts been heads down on this presentation I am working on. Delighted with the process and the solutions. I have a few more things and then it will be ready to be shown (I hope tomorrow). I did a little font shopping (something I havent done forever and forever. I forgot how fun that is—and found some fonts that jive with my illustration style and speaks to handmade a bit more than the corporate fonts that I use in the publication work I do. I have been taking these fonts out for a testdrive and am delighted. My heart leaps a bit. I find the fusion of my graphics and my illustration coming together with these projects which is really making my brain work. I know its all good as it is all coming way to easy.

Interestingly, I am finding that I am loving creating these happy brands…things more consumery,more upscale and I wonder how I can do more.

Another cool thing that I have been paying attention to is Pinterest. Pinterest is a visual social networking site that one can “pin” images to virtual boards (or files). One of my new friends used this site to create a clip sheet of what she likes/loves for a project we are working on. And just for that, I thought, wow…this is a cool tool I can take beyond the icing recipes and girlie girl cred that this site has. So, in that spirit, I have launched into pinning…and find that it has far, far more value than Tumblr for me. It is a teaching tool to teach myself, to be a place to reflect on what is hitting me -so I am getting a bit more coming back to me than other social sites. I have posted some illustrations and find a great place to keep my reference materials. I find the posting of new content is far more interesting than repinning/reposting others content. If you want to see what I am pinning, you can follow me here>>

Oh! I got some stickers back from the Sticker Guy. If you would like me to send you a set, send me or post your snail mail address and I will pop them in the mail to you with my compliments! Tattoos on the way.

noodles

Hairhopper,Q. Cassetti, 2012, pen and ink.I am sniffling and choking and coughing. Not pleasant in the least bit. Its nice that I can sit up here in my princess tower and drink cups of Gypsy cold care and hope that the phone is on the quiet side today. It was just that.

It must be “Get Free Design Services” Day somewhere. They are beating on my door this week and I am starting to say no. If I offer up the design/illustration, that is one thing…however if it comes artdirected and with a deadline…forget it. Lessons from my theatre project. I have to have happiness around this work in order for it to be worth it. 20 hrs on a free, art directed illustration is not how I want to spend my down time for a few weeks. 

Rob is back from the city today. Alex has another day of play practice. I have two roasting chickens in the oven for dinner and then for the bones tomorrow. We need to open the boneyard. We have eaten all the stock this week with our larger than usual lunch crowd (lots of construction happening with the kitchen and interior steps. electricians, painting and sawsalls). Yesterday I made a big ginger, garlic, carrot, potato and one turnip soup (with my stock). Every drop consumed. Today was celeriac, onion, potato, garlic soup (and my stock). Almost daily, an entire loaf of bread is consumed with sandwiches. So we are back to the big feed. Hello winter share from the CSA. We are going full bore into rooty soups.

Finished the delightful Hardboiled Wonderland book. Cannot recommend it enough. Just started the Hunger Games, recommended by a zillion people though the premise did not seem to be as good as the book is developing. Yay!

Theatre tonight

Hairhopper, Q. Cassetti, 2012, pen and inkIt feels like a teensy fever with a bad head cold. Not enjoying this in the least bit. I am wheezing and fluid. Yuck to the tenth degree. But nothing, not even the extreme desire to sleep will keep me from the freak show on television tonight, better than the Kardashians, better than any estrogen fueled bridal screamfest, better than towers of candycolored cupcakes or the lathered up spewing of the Fox News nuts—-will be  Newt Fest tonight on NBC. The cast of characters today, will be all hyped up and ready to get Newt and get Willard the Mitt—from their infidelities to their extreme wealth just promises to be a true 3 or four ring circus.

I am planning lots of hot tea for my throat, sharp non-photo blue pencils at my elbow and the needle point Optiflow (from Staples) to keep me amused. Alex will be doing the theatre thing…so I am solo for this activity…so drawing and pet cuddling will be in order for this political theater. I hope they play the music with the patriotic bells (only for the election related stuff and the Olympics do we get this treat).

Here is the Hairhopper body of work for now>> I am always kind of stunned when the incoming graduate students worry about their thesis so much as a body of work (only 6 images max) proves to be such a hurtle. I have been working on this grouping since January 8— and have another few weeks on it…before I either go to another thing, or start massaging these drawings by adding color/tone to see where they could go. Of the current group, there is at least 8 that could be culled out for a body of work that could be a thesis….Maybe I should be doing more writing around these bodies of work so as to truly process the thinking and where my head is as I do this. Right now, I am doing this as I am loving the line…and interestingly, hair is a universal too…so there are plenty of heads, hair, and fanasy around that which keeps it amusing.

I had a wonderful, energizing meeting with another pair of young farmers— learning quite a bit from them about local resources, their philosophy and raison d’etre and talk about what sets them apart. More on them soon. Lets just say, I am charged up.