Inside Kimmy's Mind

A glance, a look that whispers. You see my smile and one dances across your face in response.  Your hand seeks mine, such a simple act, a hand atop a hand. You bring mine to greet your lips which only adds to my smile. I hope to keep witnessing yours, and wish to add to it as well. 

Matt and I painted this past weekend. Normally I prefer watercolor, but we had purchased some woodblock canvases and painted them white a couple months back so we finally decided to paint them. I got an idea and wanted to work on layering the paint. Here is what I painted and it just made me want to write another cheesy poem. I painted this with a particular gushy moment in mind, several in fact. Every time I walk, or drive with Matt he will hold my hand and kiss it. It never fails and I melt every time he does this.

Ok, I gushed enough in this entry, I just really liked how this painting came out.  Do you like to paint, what’s your choice of medium? I’ve been curious about gouache, is it similar to watercolor? I hope you had a great weekend and that this week is even better.

Thanks for reading.

Portrait Revolution by Julia L. Kay

My favorite thing about art books, aside from making interesting reading material/making a drab coffee table all pretty, is the inspiration they ignite. Even though  I’m not actually an artist in the traditional sense of the word, I enjoy art and dabbling in it. And  I love the way this book showcases different styles and mediums. Making it easy to get inspired by all styles, yet also figuring out the style you might personally prefer.

For me it was definitely the watercolor medium. I love the way watercolor translate to paper and seeing the different techniques. Like with all art, there are so many you can try. It’s also interesting to see how, within each style, lines translate to form a full portrait. Or how the capture each person’s face.

I was excited for this book, but ultimately, I feel it might have been wasted on me. I didn’t test out any of the techniques myself,  so I can’t really speak of the tips and tricks this book goes over, but it did make me want to create in general.  The perfect inspiration for any artist, so this book made a great gift for my artist brother. He’s always in need of inspiration so I’m hoping this book was able to motivate him. Still, even though I didn’t keep it for very long, I still enjoyed being inspired by it and feeling my creative juices flowing.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

I have no idea if I did this project correctly, it was complicated, difficult and exhausting. But it was also really fun and I’m really proud of these photos.

The assignment called for creating a scene for the camera, using props, “actors”, costumes. ect. And then using line, texture, balance, light. ect. To capture a single scene and create a narrative in that single shot. I sort of did this last minute, but I started off by writing down ideas.  Now, we were doing things on a smaller scale so using toys or action figures as our “actors” was encouraged. I had trouble with my ideas in the beginning but after watching Amélie, I was brimming with them. However, I just couldn’t figure out how to bring them to life. Long story short, I decided to go with recreating fairy tales. As my actor, I decided to use a ball joint doll that artists use when sketching. I chose Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Rapunzel as my inspiration for transforming the ball joint doll. It was tedious and I crafted each outfit and yarn wig myself. I’m very pleased with the finished images and hope my teacher will be too.  So without further ado, here are my four constructed realities….

… continue reading this entry.

I want to start off this review by saying, This book is absolutely gorgeous! Camilla d’errico is an unbelievable artist.

Her twist on surrealism is just breathtaking. I love how she adds animals, food or even the look of elements to her paintings. The color of the cover just pops at you, which would make this book the perfect companion for any coffee table. The girls in in her paintings each have her signature pouty lips and textured hair. And she explains her techniques in such a way, you may not able to fully mimic but you may even discover your own technique in the process.

“You are born an original, so don’t die a copy.”- Camilla d’errico

 She offers the reader tips and answers questions you may have concerning tools and materials. Helpful for anyone aspiring to paint or anyone interested in the topic of painting. The book is broken into two parts and then into different chapters that concentrate on certain areas such as, sketching, blending, composition…ect. In my opinion this would better assist someone who has some beginners knowledge in drawing or painting. But don’t let that deter you from testing out her advice even with no arty knowledge.

I’m excited to share a review with you today.

I’m sure most of you are aware of the recent trend that are…”adult” coloring books. I’m not a fan of this term, being creative should be acceptable for all ages. Not all of us can express ourselves creatively, and these coloring books can give you a project without needing a time frame or an end product. You’re free to color and take your time, like you did when you were younger.

The Time Garden is a beautiful coloring book, on my version there is a beautifully drawn tree which is featured more throughout the book. The dust jacket has gold foiling on the title and so do some of the leaves that sprinkle the front of the book. Moving on to the inside, the actual cover has a field of stars surrounding a little girl,her face hidden. This page is also featured later on in the book, so you can have the thrill of coloring this page.

One thing I feel that sets this book apart from a few of the other coloring books out in the market is that there is a story that is connected to it.  A story that makes me think- Nutcracker meets Alice in Wonderland yet at the same time maintaining it’s own story. 

The pages are a nice weight, I’m using a mixture of color pencil and my Staedtler Triplus fine-liner to color in the pages. If you press too hard or go over an already colored section too many times with the fine-liner there may be bleeding on the other side. But you shouldn’t run into that problem, too often. The only reason I ran into it was because I didn’t like my color choice and went over it with another color. I have yet to try using watercolor, but since the paper isn’t  a certain type of texture, I wouldn’t recommend using that medium.  But ultimately it’s up to you. I don’t want to ruin the book by showing you each page, so at the bottom is a teaser flip through of it’s pages.

I also wanted to share what’s written on the back of the book, if this plus the gorgeous illustrations doesn’t make you fall in love with this book then I don’t know what will.

The Time Garden will sweep you away into a whimsical cuckoo clock-inspired world, created in intricate pen and ink by Korean artist Daria Song. Journey through the doors of the clock into its inky innerworkings to discover a magical land of clock gears, rooftops, starry skies, and giant flying owls-all ready for you to customize with whatever colors you can dream up. 

Cuckoo…cuckoo…cuckoo…

When the clock strikes midnight, you’ll wonder, was it all a dream?

I’ve enjoyed coloring in this book, and it’s been a nice way to clear my head and just spend a little time daydreaming. I think we often forget to take some time for ourselves. I chose this book for my first review because I wanted something crafty and fun. Keep your eyes open for the next one, let me know in the comments if you enjoy this or other coloring books. But it’s quite alright if you don’t.

Thanks for reading and commenting

Saturday was the 4th annual Star Wars Art Fest and I finally got the chance to attend. Last year my sisters and I were manning a table at a Pop Shop event so I wasn’t able to make it to the Star Wars event. The boyfriend had a ton of events that he wanted to go to this weekend. I just wanted to go to the Star Wars one but we went to the Dragon boat race. It was too hot so we didn’t stay very long, plus getting there was annoying and we only saw one race….sort of. And I let my annoyance get the better of me. I shouldn’t let things ruin my day, but sometimes I do and then I transform into a grumpy mess. However, when it does happen I do my best to snap out of it as quickly as I can. Once we finally made it to the Star Wars Fest, and after I got over parking. We went into the studio, which is a really cool building. I should have taken more pictures, but my cell battery has been wonky so I was only able to take a few pictures. I still want to save up for a good camera so I can change that. My main goal was to stop by Yamin’s table. I’ve mentioned his work several times, here, here and here, and wanted to see all of his Star Wars items. I was on the verge of either buying an R2D2 or Death Star necklace, he has a deal at events like these, one for $20 and two for $30. So I was trying to find something for Kat, but she’s not a huge Star Wars fan. Then I was hoping the boyfriend would find something he liked, but he’s not the biggest Star Wars fan either. I mean, they enjoy the movies, but that’s as far as it goes. But then he tells me to pick one, and points to the Death Star, and he picks one out for his roommate. He always treats me with gifts, so I’m working on doing something special for him. It’s just the coolest design, I don’t remember him having these the first time I was introduced to his work, so this design must be new. But while I was admiring his work, he came up to me and noticed my  AT-AT necklace that I’ve had for a year and so charmingly says, “I made that!” While pointing to my necklace. I reply with, I know! And then he notices the bf’s keychain hanging from his belt loop and says, “I made that too! It’s one of a kind, no one else has that. You’re one lucky guy.” Again, so freaking charming. He then goes into how great the material is, surprised by the fact that my necklace was a year old. I plan to order more custom orders in the future. We walked around for a bit, saw a bunch of great Star Wars art and then finished eating sandwiches in the car. Once we finally decided to leave, I decided to take him to one of my favorite bookstores. Kaboom. He looked for a bit an bought a few books. While I waited for him, I had a long conversation with the owner. So when we were getting ready to leave, we decided to give our Star Wars tickets to her since she complimented my necklace. The event was a two day thing, and we weren’t able to go back for Sunday so I’m hoping she used them.

It was a very eventful weekend, a nice way to let out some end-of-the-semester-stress. I have only one more final left and then I’ll be done with this semester. I don’t even want to think about what I still have to figure out before the month is over. I still have a bunch of crap I need to take care of before June. -.- Ahem….anyway, must remain positive.  That’s it for now…until next time.

Thanks for reading and commenting.

I’ve been stuck in front of my computer finishing up a presentation for class. Due to all the work I needed to get done,  I didn’t get to spend the weekend with the Boyfriend. But I did last and the weekend beforehand. He was supposed to meet my parents then, but the weather prevented it from happening. This was the second attempt and I’m not sure when we will  be able to reschedule. But since we didn’t go to my parent’s house, we decided to go out to lunch, made a trip to Half Price, and then grabbed some ice cream for dessert. :9

We went to a different Half Price thinking they’d have more of a selection. They did!!! I’m super excited about my discoveries, plus I’m excited to share them on the blog.

• Slog’s Dad by David Almond- The reason I purchased this one, it’s illustrated by Dave McKean!!! I love his art style, he’s magic personified. The story itself is magical yet dark and uplifting, the story and artwork just mesh so well together that I just absolutely love it. I always thought that Gaiman would be the only person I wanted paired with McKean’s art.  But boy was I wrong, McKean makes any story come to life, Almond has another book with McKean’s illustrations so I’ll be on the look out for that too. Along with McKean’s art books.

• The Unruly Alphabet by Aaron McKinney – I saw this book first, and I thought it had a McKean-esque feel to it. It’s has that grittiness to it and can be slightly disturbing in the best way possible. I know, I’m weird. But the cover immediately made me pick it up and read it and even after reading it I just had to buy it. It’s images are of the alphabet with weird personalities and alliteration. I’m fascinated by it and by McKinney, it must be  McK thing. XD

• Alien Isolation: Nostromo  Edition- I didn’t get this third item at Half Price, but I wanted to just add it in this entry. The last time  Kat and I did go home, was during Easter weekend and we found this at Hastings and couldn’t resist. I’ve been wanting to play this game since I saw the trailer. When Colonial Marines fell flat, even though I really enjoyed shooting Aliens, I was was really excited to see that there would be a new game. It’s definitely intense. Plus, I like the idea that Ripley’s daughter also faces a Xenomorph. Because of school, I haven’t been able to indulge in gaming. But I will soon once the semester is  over, what I have been able to play of the game has been difficult. I’ve screamed several times. That tense feeling you get when you’re excited and scared at the same time, it’s great.

I came home today after work to find someone parked in my spot. -.- I’m tired of this happening, I pay an extra 15 bucks a month to have a reserved parking spot in my complex. I’m not paying for someone else to park in my spot! I told myself that the next time someone parked in it, I would have them towed. With that being said, I called to have them towed. Kat and I went out to get something to eat and they said they would call but they never called me. Once we got home, the truck was gone but I have no way of knowing if it was towed or if they just left. Now I just keep looking over my shoulder, I just don’t want the punk to do do anything to my car. -.- For once I would just like to be a badass and not worry about what may happen, just be confident in my decision.

 That’s all for now….thanks for reading and commenting.

I’ve always wanted a travel size watercolor kit along with an aqua brush and ever since I saw this particular post over on Michelle’s blog, I’ve been on the hunt for supplies. This is part of her blog series that she calls Journal Diaries,  she features a guest artist and their journals in each post. Seaweedkisses has always inspired me, she’s one of my favorite bloggers. And the other day I stumbled upon the greatest little art store.

I was very bad yesterday, I spent so much money….but let’s just ignore that part and focus on the goodies. 😀

Decided to stop by this fabric store in midtown, I’ve gone in a few times but have always walked out empty handed. One reason being, I’m still a novice when it comes to sewing so I get really intimidated when I enter this store. But today I finally bought some pleather, that’s right pleather. And I haven’t tried to make anything with it…yet. But I’m already in the mood to work with real leather. Perhaps a bit too ambitious for me, but we shall see.  Anyway, so I bought a yard of that and some sturdy interfacing.

After hitting that store I made my way to the Houston Press office to pick up my first paycheck, have I mentioned how much better direct deposit is? -.- Well it is. But on my way to the office I noticed this art supply store, I’ve must have walked by this building a million times but have never really noticed what it was. To be honest, I thought it was abandoned and was excited to go and look around. Sitting on the counter was this chick, her head was shaved minus the top part that she pulled into a ponytail and it was this neon green color. She chewed on a pen when she talked to me and asked if I needed help finding anything. I was so overwhelmed with the store that the words aqua brush came out without me even realizing it. She showed me the different ones they had in stock. While I was looking over which one I wanted she asked me if I was looking for anything else, and again my voice just answered on its own. It was as if my brain were on autopilot, answering the neon girl’s questions while I examined the brushes.  She showed me the only travel watercolor kit they had and then returned to her position on the counter. After deciding which brush I wanted, there were multiple sizes and I have decided on buying more later, I looked at the watercolor kit. Luckily, she offered me a 20% student discount. Didn’t actually help too much though but I was still very grateful and I’m in love with the items I purchased. I painted a few pictures using the brush and my normal watercolors. I also have tube watercolor, I’ll pull those out when I’m home and use the pallets for when I’m out and about. Still painting my character with minty green hair, I think it’s a great color and would love to sport it myself…if only my job would let me. >.< I’m thinking of getting some extensions and just dying the ends of those and then use those as a compromise, I’ve never dyed my hair before so I don’t know how it will react to it.  Also, my drawings tend to come out with an awkward smile, almost as awkward as mine in real life. hehe

 Well, I’m off to paint some more, let me know some of the art brands you like to use. Also, if you’ve dyed before, did you notice a huge change in your hair? Until next time…

Thanks for reading and commenting.

Kat and I went to Half Price Books last week where I found this comic illustrated by Matthew Forsythe. I had several books in my hands that I had planned on buying, but after I found this one I put the others down. I’ve been looking to illustrators a lot lately, they are again very inspiring and I really wish I could express myself creatively through illustrating.

Doesn’t mean I won’t attempt it. >.< I’ve been doodling a lot for fun, but I find myself getting frustrated when a picture doesn’t come out as well as I had hoped. The photo is from the comic mentioned above, how adorable is the art style? The artist is a one of the head illustrators that works on Adventure Time. Here’s the synopsis according to the cover of the book:

After eating everything in sight, Voguchi is sent to the market where a chance encounter introduces her to Jinchalo-a mischievous shape shifter. He sets our hungry heroine on a strange adventure into the sky, leaving her home far behind.

A little girl who eats everything?! Totally made for me. Speaking of which, my place is definitely in need of some groceries. -.- I keep putting it off, I’ve been eating cream cheese on graham crackers for dinner. Hopefully on my trip to the Kroger’s I don’t have to deal with a shape shifter. 😛 The ending sort of confuses me, so if you’ve seen it, I’d love to hear your interpretation of the ending. There are no actual words so the entire book is made up of pictures and your interpretation.  Moving on to Anya’s Ghost. Vera Brosgol is wonderful, she worked on Coraline and Paranorman, I can definitely see similar art styles there.  This and her comic, “What were you raised by, wolves?” is a bit darker. Anya’s Ghost is about a Russian immigrant who is trying to fit in her American high school, she’s bullied a bit and tends to see life in a negative way. And one day, on her way home from school she falls down a hole where she isn’t alone. Frannerd recommended this novel in her vlog a couple weeks ago, and it seemed interesting so I had to go and pick myself up a copy. I’m glad I did. I’m really loving this limited color pallet, along with watercolor. I want to start buying more Copic Sketch markers, they give off a watercolor effect. But they’re pretty pricy so it might take a while for me to get a decent collection. Plus I want to be able to use them correctly and I don’t think I know how to at this point. Also, I’ve been loving these illustrated notebooks from Scout Books. This post totally turned into things I’m currently loving.

I haven’t been keeping up with my disposable camera challenge, but the month isn’t over yet so I will make sure to try and get some nice pictures. I’m excited not knowing how they’re gonna turn out. Thinking back, that’s what I loved about it when I used them on class field trips back in the day. XD Of course, we would always wait years until we got them developed. I don’t intend to wait that long with this one. Let me know if you’re attempting the challenge.  That’s all for now, until next time…

Thanks for reading and commenting.

I have been in a very artsy mood, all because of Frannerd! If you haven’t seen her vlogs or read her blog, then you are definitely missing out. Other illustrators I’ve been admiring are Mary Doodles and Courtney Wirth[it].

Fran’s simplistic style is fresh and just adorable, I wish I was an illustrator, but unfortunately I can’t just draw from my imagination. Mary’s style is like Grimm meats Tim Burton. Very sketchy but I love her use of watercolors. She does this one series where she doodles something without looking and then makes something out of that doodle. It’s amazing, and I wish I could attempt something like that. So I’ve decided to go and buy myself a sketch book, something small so I can take it on the go. I want to challenge myself and just doodle something every now and then. Like Fran, she doodles her daily tasks. I want to get in the habit of doing something like that and then move on to creating something out of a just lines and curves like Mary does. Courtney’s work is just beautiful, my favorite has to be these comic strips.The doodle above is something I made, after being inspired by Fran. In her latest vlog she mentions wanting to dye her hair pink, which I’m sure is the reason why she doodles herself with that hair color. So if I could dye my hair a bizarre color, it would be a minty green color. Very mermaidish. My doodle even has my awkward smile. It happened unintentionally, but hey that happens whenever I try to smile in pictures as well. So yay doodle me, for being somewhat accurate.

Other illustrations that I’ve been swooning over have been from games. Child of Light came out recently and it has a beautiful style that I have been enjoying. Also want to point out Don’t Starve and Bravely Default as well. I just recently purchased Bravely Default, I know, a bit late in the game but I can’t always purchase the new games when they are released. Bills to pay and whatnot. So I usually just admire from a far, or in the case of the 3Ds, play the demo. Which I did, and lucky too because it carried all of my street passes and that comes in handy for when I rebuild my village.  Loving it so far, Kat got Animal Crossing which seems like a less stressful game, and I’m sort of wishing I got that one too. But I can wait and perhaps find it somewhere cheaper/pre-owned. Of course, nintendo points are bonus if you purchase games new. -.- First world problems…I know. But anyway, so I’ve been in a major artsy mood, but have yet to figure out a way to get my art fix. Which is why I’m gonna try the doodle challenge. I don’t know if this will work out, I usually get discouraged when it comes to drawing/painting. And I turned the apartment upside down because I couldn’t find my small paint brushes. They will probably turn up when I’m not looking for them.

So, who are you artistically inspired by? Do share. And if you have any drawing/painting exercises to help improve my “skills” then I definitely want to know. Until next time….

Thanks for reading and commenting.