Oh yesssssssss.....

This is my life.
It is happy.
Need I say more?

Let's Hear It For The Boys!

I really used to hate drawing men.  And still to this day my sketchbook is about 75% women.  They are just more interesting to me!!  Most of the time they dress way cooler or do something weird with their hair.  Men were always just kinda blah looking.  Well I drew these guys today and I gotta say it was a lot of fun.  I GUESS boys are ok............

By the way tomorrow is my first day in my new studio space.  After months of gathering supplies and psyching myself up this is it!  Tomorrow I begin work on my short.

I could not be happier.

:)

I"ll tell ya what I want what I really really want!

I have found that throughout my life, life itself has given me clear indications of what choices to make.  Whether a big or small decision, whenever I thought I didn't have the answer, I found that in fact I did.  Sometimes its hard to listen to yourself and trust that your instincts have your best interests in mind.  A few years ago I found it much easier to listen to my head rather than my heart.  My head led me to making choices that were comfortable for me and offered little to no room for failure (and therefore little to no room for growth!).  This ultimately leads to a very melancholy type of life.  Not really the life I had intended on living.  I found myself unsure of how to dig myself out of the safe dull place I had put myself in.  Well I really have to attribute a book for showing me the way.  The Artists Way By Julie Cameron really changed the way I thought about a lot of things.  Be warned if you do decide to check it out - there is a spiritual element that you may or may not buy into.  But know that it wasn't that which changed things for me.  This book is basically a twelve week course on figuring out who you are an an artist.  Really it teaches you how to hear your own instincts because believe it or not, the answers are already there.  Now I'm happy and proud to say that it is easier to listen to my heart than my head, and my heart so far has taken me on a crazy unpredictable amazing ride!

Thats more like it.

:)

Look Forward

So as you all know my lovely job in NY wrapped a little while ago.  I had a heck of a time working on that project with such great and talented people.  Now that its over and I've left NY I've had a few people as me, "Are you sad that its done?  Does it suck that you had to leave NY?".  To that I say no and no!  Here's the thing: I've learned in order to move forward in any way you really can't look back.  If you don't let the old stuff go then you can't make room for the new stuff!  I am so freakin happy and grateful for the opportunity that I had, really there is nothing to be sad about.  It happened and it was awesome!!  Now onto the next amazing thing!
I moved to Vancouver!!!
This was in some ways one of the hardest and easiest decisions I've ever made.  More about it in the next blog post :)
(by the way my paint is still being shipped across Canada along with some other belongings, so the next few posts will be colourless)

Failures and Regrets

Guys, I've had a pretty incredible year.  Possibly one of the best years of my life so far.  It started off with me looking for work while trying to make a real go at my illustration and has now ended with the completion of an 8 month stop-mo animation contract that brought me from Toronto to Brooklyn.  I would not change a single thing about this year if I could.

Crazy Brooklyn Fashions!

I know I've been really sparse on the blog updates since I started working, but I hope you guys have still stuck around and I thank everyone who is still reading.  It was around this time last year that I started my blog, hoping to connect with a part of myself that I had been ignoring for a while.  The part that needs to draw and write to really feel successful.  Thankfully it worked, and then when I got my new contract and moved to Brooklyn I only really had a month or two where I was adjusting that I stopped drawing.  Although I haven't been posting them on my blog I have consistently drawn 5 times a week at least and have now filled two and a half sketchbooks since August.

Now that my project has wrapped I am looking forward to next year.  Just like last year I have no clue where this year will take me.  I have a firm sense of where I want to go and what I want to happen but you know what they say: Life happens while you're busy making plans.  I'm preparing for what I want to do but excited for all of the curveballs that I know are headed my way.

So why have I titled this entry "Failures and Regrets"?

Well those words used to be negative and hurtful to me.  But now they feel like old friends guiding me to make the right choices.  I love the concept of failure and regrets and here is why:

Failure:
Guys, I used to be really really really scared of failure.  It made me feel instantly uncomfortable and made me want to hide.  It is the one thing that I gave so much power to that it stopped me from trying certain things.  It stopped me from experimenting and questioning.  It kept me in my comfort zone like a cage.
Well guess what, if you do nothing new then nothing new happens.  Surprised?  I kinda was.
Anyways long story short I realized the only way to succeed is to embrace failure.  To try and to fail and then to show that failure to other people and not be controlled by it.  Cause I know that just because I fail at something one time or a hundred times doesn't mean I am always going to fail at it forever.  It also doesn't mean that I have to stop trying.  Every time I fail now I feel like I am really onto something.  And I am.  I have learned WAY more by failing then I ever did by doing something right the first time.
Failure is effing awesome.

Regrets:
This one is easy.  I used to have a really hard time making decisions.... Pro's and Con's lists that went on for days and friends and family that I pestered to help me make decisions.  I don't remember how I came to this realization but I have found the shortcut for all of my decision making.  I just ask myself "will you regret not doing this?" If the answer is yes then you better believe I DO IT!  Actual regrets suck, but knowing how bad it feels to regret something is priceless, as it will give you that extra push to make that decision that you are afraid to make.

So you see, going into 2012 having FINALLY figured all of this out, I'm pretty darned optimistic.

And expect the regular blog posts to return!  Once I get through this next transition (moving back to Canada!) I have made it a goal of mine to post regularly again, I'm hoping three times a week.  I really love the blogging community and look forward to being more involved with it again!

Hope everyone had a happy holiday and have a safe and happy NEW YEAR!!!!!

CTN and Vimeo

WHO GOING TO CTN?!!  I just finished packing and I thought I'd post my latest progress on my man before I head out and ignore him for a week or two.

I'd say at this point he's at the 50% way done mark.  I gotta say this has been one of the most satisfying things I've ever worked on.  Seeing photos of it is highlighting some part I need to work on still.  ALSO as you can see some of his armature is sticking up out of the back of his neck.  This was a total mistake and a lesson learned for me about building armatures.  I really didn't put too much thought into the armature cause I wanted to get on with the sculpting, but of course it ended up biting me in the end.  Can't wait to smooth him out and get into finer details.  

ALSO my vimeo link is now working.  I have my most recent demo up (which does not include what I have been working on for the past 6 months as I am still working on said project).  

Looking forward to tomorrow!  Some life drawing with my favorite model, then a few hours of sleep and then I'm on a plane!!  Hope to meet some of you bloggy people at CTN!

Progress!

Started roughing in the hands! Still have a long ways to go but here is my process so far.

Also I used my iPod to take this pic so sorry for the icky quality! Better pic to come soon.

It Begins!!

I have begun sculpting my character for my short.  Really there is nothing more satisfying then doing the exact thing you want to do.  And this was that thing.
I can't wait to work on this more!!!!

Still Kickin!!

Yes I still exist!  It looks like one blog post a month might be the type of schedule I can commit to while I work up a storm over here!  My work brought in this amazing life drawing model last week and we had a drawing/pizza party!!  The model even brought in this crazy pair of goat legs that her boyfriend constructed for a renaissance fair.  Basically the best way to spend time if you ask me.  

Since I last posted I began going into a coffee shop before work to draw every morning and I have FILLED an entire sketchbook!!! HURRAH!  It always gives me such a great sense of accomplishment when I do that.  

I also moved apartments and have a sweeeeeeeeet setup.  I have a bedroom AND a private office all to myself which I have now dubbed "the sculpting room".  THINGS ARE HAPPENING!!!!

Also I've been thinkin a lot about my short and have had quite a few revelations about it.  Might take things in a slightly different direction then when I first thought.  Open mindedness is fun.

ENJOY LIFE!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!

What is EVEN wrong with me?? I can't believe I haven't posted in so long!  For some reason I thought I had at least posted midway through August but when I went to post now I see that it was at the end of July. WHAT THE WHAT!  Apologies to myself for allowing this to happen and thanks to any of you who still take the time to stop by!
It is not that I haven't been drawing, its just that when I do draw I feel very uninspired.  Although that never stopped me from posting before so its no excuse.  Ah well, here's to the future!

ALSO I have finally worked out a way to keep myself drawing everyday no matter what.  So expect more frequent blog posts.

AND I am now working more aggressively than ever on my short.  I'm excited to share stuff but I haven't decided if I want to start a whole other blog for it or just keep it on this one.

Shout out to Versace for finally making me feel truly inspired!!!