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Daily illustrations, thoughts, and discoveries of an aspiring Children's book author and illustrator.
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First of all, I feel the need to apologize to anyone who has looked at my blog within the past few months. I've been trying to organize and separate my personal and artist accounts. I have been using my personal gmail to write this blog. I thought it would make more sense if I was using my artist gmail account. So, I moved all of my images from one account to the other. I had no idea that if I deleted the images from my google account that it would delete them from the blog as well. So, instead of writing new posts, I've been going back to the blogs, reading them and finding the images that I once had. I am nowhere close to being done :(
But I am still making art! I recently finished my largest commission. It was another portrait commission. This time there were 18 people in it. Because the painting was a surprise, my friend had to give me photos of everyone in small groups. I took all of the photos into Photoshop and did some editing so I could arrange them in a good composition.
Once we agreed on an arrangement that my friend liked the best, I began working on the outline.
I used Derwent Inktense Pencils for this artwork. I love the vibrancy of the colors. I especially love that is dries like an ink, so I am able to work in multiple layers without worrying about lifting previous layers. With 18 people there were a variety of skin tones to match. I began playing with various colors creating a skin tone chart.
Beginning skin tones always terrifies me. I think it is because it doesn't look anything like the person at first and it takes a few layers for the face to begin to resemble the person.
Each face took me around 2 hours to complete and they were about 2 inches in size.
There were a few faces that I had trouble with. I had to "erase" them and start all over. Mr. Clean magic erasers are amazing and are not just good for cleaning around the house. They are great at removing the intense color. It won't remove all of it and depending on the color you first used determines what staining may occur. You can see the color stain left on the 2 faces in the middle.
But in the end the painting turned out wonderful.
It was an intense commission, but I enjoyed working on it. I liked the challenges that were presented along the way. I like drawing and painting portraits. There is a fear (a good kind) that comes with it. Will it look like the person? Or will it be a disaster? I like that it is such a different style from my Mizzles. It helps my skills stay fresh and prevents me from becoming board with my work.
As I do every year, I created another Mizzle golf club cover for my friend McEvoy. Another to add to his collection. I know I've said this in a previous post, but I really do look forward to making this every year. It challenges me. It forces me to create in the boundaries right out of my comfort zone.
This year he wanted Colombo.
I used my usual materials, but I experimented with using faux fur for the hair. It is a messy material to work with when having to cut it into pieces, but it worked perfectly for the hair styles I was recreating this year with the TLC Mizzles.
I've had requests for next year's theme. A few possibilities are: Star Wars, The Beatles, famous scientist, famous literary artists, and Tim Burton characters. We'll see what creations will happen next year!
Every year our school does a school-wide fundraiser for TLC (True Lasting Connections), which is a non-profit organization that provides a variety of health and medical services for families in the community who are in need of help. This organization runs solely on donations and grants. It is a great organization and it feels great to participate in this fundraiser knowing the money will be going towards helping my students and their families.
A few years ago, I began auctioning my Mizzles to help raise money for this organization. Each year, the Mizzles have become more elaborate in size, shape, and costume. Last year, I created a superhero series. They were fun characters who had useless superpowers. This year the Mizzles are impersonating historical figures.
From left to right: Amelia Earhart Mizzle, Mahatma Gandhi Mizzle, Adolf Hitler Mizzle, Albert Einstein Mizzle, Abraham Lincoln Mizzle, Cleopatra Mizzle, and Queen Elizabeth I Mizzle.
Each Mizzle and their costume was sewn by hand. They were a lot of work, but so much fun to make.
2015 so far has been the year of the portrait commissions. It actually began last November, but it seems to continue its theme. I was asked to do a second portrait painting for my workout partner's mother. He loved the painting I did for his wife's Christmas present.
He wanted to do something similar for his mother's birthday. And here it is:
I prepped a 20x16 canvas with watercolor ground. I used Koi watercolor for the background, which was an interesting experience. I'm still an amateur with the watercolor ground and I guess it takes longer to absorb the watercolor into it. I discovered this a few hours after I painted the background with a few washes of blue. I thought it was dry, but every time I moved the painting I would find blue all over my arms and legs.
For the mother and the dog, I used Derwent Inktense pencils. I was working from 2 different photos so I included a few in-progress shots showing the originals I was working from.
In order for me to figure out proportions and placement, I had to use Photoshop to put the two images together.
My workout partner and his wife loved the finished painting a lot! So much, that he wants me to do a third portrait painting!!!
Even though 2014 had some horrible moments, there was one thing that saved me... Art with Friends.
There were new friends, who I shared fun moments brainstorming Mizzle ideas. Some were "adult" Mizzle ideas, which were fun to draw because they pushed me past my comfort zone.
These were a few sketches that I played with for the Lucky Seven art show I participated in.
These small watercolor paintings came about from a fun conversation that began with stripes. Somehow stripes turned into a neon Mizzle safari, where Larry rode a neon blue zebra. After I created the first painting, my friend came up with idea that the Mizzles needed to hang out with elephants.
But my favorite thing has been my monthly paint and wine nights. Last August, I turned my garage into my art studio. Each month I come up with a theme and find paintings by a variety of artists that fit that them. Then, we create our own versions of them. Sometimes we create a nice replica. And sometimes... well... we don't. The fun thing is that my friend, Jenn, and I are the only trained artists that are there. The remainder of the group is made up of friends who just love art... and at the very best, trust that I will help fix their painting if things go wrong. We all look forward to this night. Here are some photos provided by friends of some of these nights:
Definitely my favorite night each month! I think this has been the most healing time of my life... sharing my love of painting with a great group of people, who have been supportive in every aspect of my life... new friends and old friends sharing art, food, wine... and tons of laughs!
2014 was a horrible year for me. It ended just as it had begun. I found myself not really in a giving or "holiday" mood. I'm told it is understandable considering the year I've had, but it felt wrong.
I tried to get into the spirit a little with a few sketches, but they didn't really help.
One thing that was a good distraction was the commission I obtained. My workout partner had seen my Frida Self portrait in the members art show at the Huntington Beach Art Center. He originally wanted me to do a Mizzle painting for his office, but then he decided he wanted me to do a painting as a Christmas present for his wife. I absolutely adore his wife, and was thrilled to do this for him. It was one of my favorite projects to work on.
I used this as an opportunity to try out watercolor ground. I had read about it, but never used it before. I painted on a thick layer of watercolor ground onto a 16x20 canvas and allowed it to dry for 72 hours. I used my Derwent Inktense Watercolor pencils to create this painting. I was surprised how the watercolor ground felt like watercolor paper when it was dry. It was very easy to work with. It's a little expensive for my taste. I think for this size I'd prefer to work with watercolor board, but I felt for this gift it needed to be on a canvas.
I also created a painting for my mom, which was a difficult decision. I almost didn't do it because I wasn't sure if I should. I create a drawing or painting of a family member every year for my mom. After talking it out with my little sister, we decided I should go for it. It was a painful, yet rewarding experience. I decided to do a painting of my mom and dad about to kiss. I won't lie. I cried every time I worked on it. But, it was something worth going through.
I think the look on my mom's face when she saw it was the best. And my little sister loved it too.
I'm hoping 2015 turns out to better year all around. So far it hasn't disappointed. There is a possibility of more portrait commissions in the works. *Fingers crossed*
At the beginning of the school year, I was inspired to put Mizzles in famous paintings. I am calling this series "recreations." It all began with Frida Self portrait I did last year.
I thought it would be fun to create more using colored pencil. Of course, I don't want to derail my original goals or projects, but sometimes you need another project to alternate between. It helps prevent boredom.
So, I decided I would begin with sketches. This way I could see if it would be a successful piece for the Mizzles to recreate.
Can you identify these famous paintings?
Not all of these will make the final cut into a colorized version, but they have been fun to sketch out.
Here are a few that I turned into color versions:
I'm hoping to get about 10 color versions done by the end of the year, but we'll see how that goes. :)
What paintings would you like to see the Mizzles recreate?
Like every person who saw the movie Tangled probably loved the lantern scene. And if they didn't, they really should! :) It is beautiful. I have seen photos of lantern festivals and have always wanted to participate in one. So, when I received an email telling me about the Rise Festival, I was elated. I immediately thought this would be a perfect thing for my mom, younger sister, and myself to do together as a family; to help us heal after losing dad.
I don't think any of us knew what to expect. Or had any idea of the emotional impact this event would have. We were given 2 lanterns each and a marker to decorate them with. The point of this event was to reflect on one's hopes, dreams, goals, or to send thoughts and messages to loved ones who have passed.
The atmosphere was relaxing, serene, and unbelievably beautiful. We sat on the dry lake bed watching rainbows appear in the distance, and the sun setting over the mountains. We sat on yoga mats (provided for us) and we decorated our lanterns. Then we waited. We eagerly waited to light our torches and begin releasing the lamps. And the wait was definitely worth it!
It took a while for the lanterns to fill with hot air, which made everyone anxious. But releasing the lantern and watch it rise into the sky with all of the other lanterns was amazing. It felt like whatever was weighing you down left with the lantern. And I felt overwhelmed by the beauty of it all as the lanterns became fireflies in the night sky. I'll be honest. It made me cry. It made my mom cry.
The very last lantern my mom said "Let's all write a message to dad."
And each of us wrote our "hello's", "love you", and "we miss you." Then my sister and my mom lit the lantern and released it. The looks on their faces as it rose into the air was magical and made the night so much more amazing than I could have ever imagined it.
To help get me back on track, I created this triptych for an upcoming show with the Downey Arts Coalition. This piece is called Mizzles Creating the Seed of Life. The seed of life is a symbol created with 7 circles.
Event: Lucky Number Seven - Opening Art Show for the “Seven and Counting” A Night at the Opera
When: Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014
Where: Downey Civic Theatre, 8435 Firestone Blvd., Downey, CA 90241
Art Exhibit: 6:30 p.m.
Concert : 8:00 p.m.
The exhibit can be viewed by patrons of The Downey Civic Theatre during business hours through
October 28, 2014.
And if you missed a chance to see Mizzle Self Portrait at the OC fair, then here is your second chance! It will be part of The Artist Council Inaugural Exhibition running from October 10th- November 8th at the Huntington Beach Art Center,
The Art Center is located at 538 Main St, Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Opening reception is on October 10th 7-9PM
By:
Nadia Roldan,
on 9/14/2014
Blog:
Mizzle Adventures
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I love it when conversations happen with different people at different times and a theme emerges. I think these themes become apparent during times when we need them most. This week the theme of strength has become a popular topic.
The obvious strength conversation has been with my best friend Lydia, who has been working out with me at the gym. I've been doing the weightlifting program since May... I think. And it has been amazing to find out what I am capable of doing. Lydia has begun doing the dumb bell classes with me, where she, too, has discovered her own strength. We have both enjoyed watching our bodies transform and become stronger. We get so excited when we see muscle developing and we talk about our favorite trainer, Anthony, all of the time. We love the other trainers, too. We just seem to spend more time with Anthony, and he always pushes us. Some mornings, when I'm feeling overwhelmed by the amount of weight or the amount of reps per set, he will tell me "I believe in you, Nadia, even if you don't believe in you." I like hearing that because it reminds me that a lot of the time we are stronger than we think. And he is always right about how much weight I can handle during the workout! I have had to learn to trust my trainers, but they have also had to learn to trust me in knowing how my body feels.
To think that this was me a year ago! (I'm on the far left)
And now I do this! And it completely blows my mind that I do these things!
But I love it because I feel so badass when I lift the heavy weights... especially doing the hip-thrusts. A few days ago, I hip-thrusted my heaviest weight, which was 295lbs!!! Craziness I tell you!
It is a great feeling to feel physically strong.
I've been thinking about some of the other exercise adventures I've had and one that I loved the most was yoga. I miss it, but don't really have the time for it. Two years ago, Lydia and I went to a yoga retreat where we did some really cool partner yoga.
I wonder how much easier would it be for us now that we are stronger??? We might have to try to recreate this photo!
The other strength conversation I found myself having this week with another friend was about emotional strength. We were talking about how frustrated I am with life... more like how impatient I've been. I feel like I've had some pretty big challenges or obstacles in life that were not or have not been easy to deal with. Losing my dad continues to be this surreal experience. There are good days, but mostly there are *huge sigh* alright days. I don't quite feel like myself and just feel very blah. And it is frustrating to feel sensitive and vulnerable constantly. The impatient part of me wants the grieving to be done with already, but I know it isn't that easy. Most people have told me that I most likely won't feel normal for about a year, and even after that, when I'm feeling good, they said I'll randomly be hit with sadness. I'm not looking forward to it. I just want to be happy. It just makes me wonder what exactly do the higher powers to be have in store for me where I need to be emotionally strong? But in my conversation of emotional strength I did point out that perhaps this whole experience was to teach me how to allow others take care of me and to allow my vulnerability to be seen while holding on to my independence... or it's to re-teach me patience.
Strength is an interesting concept to think about. Everyone is strong in some way or another. I've always hated when people tell me that I'll be fine because I'm a strong person. The worst time was a year ago when a person who knew me from high school told me that it was ridiculous that I was depressed when we received news about my dad's tumors. He told me that I have always been such a strong person that I shouldn't allow this to bother me. I think that is when I began to realize that true strength isn't necessarily dealing with problems by yourself, but true strength was allowing yourself to open up to being vulnerable. It takes more strength to reveal the truth than it does to shield yourself.
By:
Nadia Luv Roldan,
on 9/1/2014
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This summer has been the worst summer of my life. Losing my dad has been this unbelievably painful experience that has left me feeling empty, stuck, and lost. But even in all of tragedy, I've probably learned the most this summer.
Things I learned or realized this summer (not in any order of importance):
1- I haven't been as active of an artist this year as I have been the past few years. I think having my art in the Orange County Creatives Gallery in Laguna Beach threw me off a bit. It is a great honor to have my work there and I feel like it is a goal of any OC artist to get work in a gallery in Laguna Beach. But I haven't been challenged to keep doing more art the way art walks do. I haven't massed produced Mizzles or create a series of mizzle paintings for a show in a long time. To remedy this, I began making more Mizzles this week. I even bought a massive amount of polyester fiber for motivation!
2- I lost sight of my goals. I used to be extremely active as an artist attending illustrator meetings and art association meetings every month. But at the moment, I can't remember the last time I attended either of those meetings. Partly, I've been doing color runs with friends, which happen to fall on the same days as my illustrator meetings. Also, I was spending time with my dad. I don't think this was bad at all. But I feel stuck now. And I've realized that some of these meetings are going to continue to be put on hold thanks to a work conference I have to attend the next few months. I'll just have to focus on other areas until my schedule clears up.
I did manage to get a few things done this summer:
A few sketches to keep me sane during a conference I went to.
A drawing for my dad
And I created a "Nap time" Series for my friend, who is expecting twins!!!! I created a Mizzle Mobile, and some onsies.
And I played with paint
3- Painting makes me happy even if the painting turns out bad. Sometimes it is just about the act of painting. My best friends and I began going to a few Paint & Vino Events, where an instructor guides a room full of people to paint one image. We have had a lot of fun doing these. Most people would think that it would be boring for someone who is already an artist, but it was nice not having to think during the process.
For a while, I had wanted to use my garage as a studio. I couldn't do this until recently... long story I'd rather not get in to. But the important part is that I FINALLY turned my half of the garage into my painting studio. After doing a few of the Painting & Vino classes, we agreed that we could do something like that ourselves. So, I had a group of friends over to celebrate the conversion of my garage to studio with our own paint and wine night. It was so much fun! I was really proud of my non-artist friends. And we already have a theme for the month of September!
4- I am blessed to have amazing neighbors! They have all been a great support group helping me, listening to me, checking in with me at some point, and giving me many hugs! I love listening to their stories! And they have such great personalities! I am always smiling or laughing when I'm hanging out with them.
5- I discovered that the best and most important family is the one you choose! Don't get me wrong. I love some of my blood relatives and they know who they are. But the family I chose (Lydia, Reena, Jenn, Tracy, Peter... my workout family-Alex, Anthony, Cade, Leslie, Sonny, Lisa)... turned out to be the ones who helped me through this difficult time when family failed to come through. Even my mom's friends were a better family. I don't think I've had a chance to tell my friends, but I am unbelievably grateful for all of them...including the ones I haven't mentioned directly in this post. This is odd to say, but everything seemed to go so smoothly because of them. And I continue to get through each tough day with their help.
This photo is missing Reena, but she is the one who took the photo... so I feel like she is there in spirit!
And thank you to everyone who sent me text messages and photos of my art at the OC Fair! I didn't get a chance to go myself, but it cheered me up to receive photos like this one:
6- When life takes something away, it gives something back to you just when you need it. It is a very surreal feeling to have someone important taken from your life and everything around you remains the same. Life continues as if nothing has changed. Then coming to realizations that may have never crossed your mind like how much you miss hearing their voice. For some reason, I haven't been receiving any of my voicemails. Yesterday, a bunch of voicemails turned up on my phone going back to April. I was really sad at the thought of never hearing my dad and then there was a message from my dad on my birthday. I immediately researched how to save it as an mp3 file, so I can have it forever! Life, also, introduced me to new people this summer. I'm not sure what roles they will play in my life, but they were small moments of absolute joy this summer during a painful time.
7- Sometimes you just need to hit the reset button!
I know it looks like I've done a lot this summer. In a way, I have. But it just hasn't felt the same. I feel like a lot of this was just me going through the motions trying to feel like my normal self. In all honesty, I have felt lost this summer. I feel like I got stuck somewhere in life without realizing it. The last time I felt stuck in life I moved to Huntington Beach, which was the greatest decision I ever made. This time moving is not going to be the answer. This stuck feeling is something a bit deeper emotionally. I have to figure out what that is exactly, but I do know if I learned anything from my dad, it was to always dream and to keep moving forward. So, for the time being I'm just going to hit the reset button and place my focus back on some original goals. I feel like this week has been very productive! I worked on pages for my book, made mizzles, and began working on a few ideas for upcoming shows. I've also decided I want to get back to my daily drawings.
Life has an interesting way of giving you exactly what you need. I have always had lots of friends, but never a group of friends who spent a lot of time doing things together. Also, in the past, I've had more guy friends than female friends. That has seemed to have changed. Life has decided to put my two best friends and me closer together, which means a lot more activities together. We are so used to seeing each other every four months, but now we get to see each other almost weekly. It's been healing to have them around more in life... and I think its safe to say that statement is true for all of us.
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| It's crazy to think we've know each other for 20 years! |
This year our group has been growing with more strong, passionate, goal-oriented females, which has added to the great dynamic and support system we have. In the past, participating in the color runs, and any other fun 5k, was just something Lydia and I would do. This year was the first time we had a group of people joining us. I have to say this was the BEST color run so far.
As you can see, we had a successful color run. We immediately went to In n Out afterwards and had protein style burgers. There was blue everywhere. And our showers looked like smurf crime scenes. Hopefully, we can out do ourselves at the June 21st Color Run!
About 4 years ago, my friend asked if I could make one of the Mizzles as a golf club cover. I was a little hesitant because I wouldn't be able to stuff it, but I liked the challenge. What began as one cover turned into many. Each year I have made him a new cover. And each year, I create a new master piece that I fall in love with. As a result, I have named this collection of golf club covers "The McEvoy Collection," after my friend.
Where do I start?
It usually begins with a theme or idea he's been thinking about or we brainstorm a few things either from jokes amongst our group. Then I begin to build from there. The first few have had their errors. And over the years, he has helped me figure out solutions to make them better than before.
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| #1 |
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| #2 and 3 |
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| #5 |
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| #4 |
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| #6 |
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| #7 |
#8 is not pictured.
They have been so much fun to create. They each have had such great personalities. This year I was given the theme Elvis. This makes my 9th Mizzle Golf Club Cover. I feel that Elvis Mizzle is one of my best creations. It was really hard to part with him.
Before Elvis made it to his new home, he spent some time at the beach in the sun.
I'm looking forward to the next year's theme. It will be a challenge to out do myself next year.
In January, my best friends and I went to see The Complete Frida Kahlo exhibit in San Diego (which is now extended to June 8th!) It is an exhibit which shows 123 replicas of her work in the exact sizes and style. I have to warn you. It is a lot of art to look at. I spent almost 4 hours there. I love Frida Kahlo's work because she freely and openly told the world about her life and pain through her art. Her portraits hold so much meaning and heart. I left there absolutely overwhelmed and inspired. But I didn't know how to take what I saw and incorporate it into my own art. That is when my best friend, Lydia, gave me the idea to do a series of self-portraits in the same style and poses of Frida, and replace her pets with my Mizzles. I loved this idea.
It kind of worked out for me that my Intermediate/ Advanced Students were about to begin a colored pencil self-portrait. This was the perfect opportunity for me to create this artwork while creating an example for my students. It has been a few years since I've created anything in colored pencil. I forgot how much I love to blend and burnish.
I took it to my Huntington Beach Art League meeting and entered it into the drawing category. I am happy to report that it received an Honorable Mention.
Instead of posting all of the progression photos I took, I thought it might be nice to watch them in a video slide show. The song is called Beautiful Things by Gungor. It is one of my favorite songs at the moment.
This has definitely been one of my most favorite projects. I already have an idea of my next portrait, but it will have to wait a bit. I have to get back to working on my book.
Every year my school does a school-wide fundraiser called Pennies for TLC. TLC, True Lasting Connections, is an organization who provides medical, dental, clothes, etc. to families in our community who are in need. For the past 5 years, I have been making a batch of Mizzles to auction off for this cause. I usually make about 10-14 Mizzles for this event, but this year there will only be 7. With Mizzles selling at the Orange County Creatives Gallery and an upcoming art show in about 3 weeks, I seem to be on constant Mizzle making mode.
Since I limited the amount I made for the TLC auction, I decided to go all out. Sometimes I add costumes to one or two, but this year... I gave them ALL costumes. This year's theme: Mizzle Superheroes! Yes, you heard right. So, let me introduce to you the Mizzle for TLC:
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| Poe/ The Book Worm |
By Day Name: Poe
Poe is a poet and a romantic at heart. He spends his days whittling away time by writing poetry of all kinds: free verse, haikus, sonnets, you name it. He has even mastered iambic pentameter. Here is a haiku he wrote just last week about something that greatly inspires him:
Sandwiches taste good
I like mine with bananas
Please go make me one
When he’s not writing poetry he enjoys going to Costco in search of awesome samples.
By night
Name: The Book Worm
The Book Worm is always looking for criminals of the biggest kind: ones who don’t read. When no one’s looking he replaces peoples’ phones and other electronic devices with books. This has caused many, many problems, however, nobody can call the police because you can’t call the police with a book. Even though a lot of problems have arisen because of this, some good has come from it. There has been an increase in reading and Harry Potter fan clubs. However, the Hunger Games fan club has been getting out of hand with their reenactments…
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| Arble/ Imagine Wagon |
By day
Name: Arble
Arble is a daydreamer. She always has her head in the clouds. People often mistake this as anti-social, but she really does enjoy having company over. When she does have people over she treats them to tea and cookies. Sadly, her usual company includes her two imaginary friends Herald the Llama and Roger the Capybara. She does love their company, however Herald and Roger never really get along. They always argue whether or not carrots can really make your skin orange. Herald thinks it can but Roger disagrees. One time Herald ate carrots until he was sick just to prove his point… neither of them realized that they both had fur so it would be hard to tell if it made their skin orange.
By night
Name: Imagine Wagon Imagine Wagon is more of a team name since it consists of Arble, Roger, and Herald (don’t tell anyone though, it’s a secret). They always try helping out with anything they can: getting a cat out of a tree, bank robbery, or a local dine-and-dash. Usually, in the middle of helping out, Roger and Herald will find something to argue about and Arble tries to break it up… The problem with this is that only Arble can see them. So not only does the crime go unresolved, but people are left confused.
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| Lena/ Candy Commander |
By day Name: Lena
Lena has this huge thing for sweets. Lollipops, chocolate, sugar-coated grasshoppers, and even jawbreakers! She even tries making her own candy. So far her flavors include: Very Cherry, Poppin’ Bubblegum, and Awesome Avocado… honestly though, they all taste like mashed potatoes. Whenever she has time she enjoys sitting down and reading picture books to nearby guinea pigs. She reads The Hungry Hungry Caterpillar every Tuesday as requested by popular demand.
By night
Name: Candy Commander Anyone in need of candy? The Candy Commander is here to help! She always looks for people in need of candy: the mayor, a child, or just your average everyday Joe… but not Nelson… average everyday Nelsons don’t get candy except if the Candy Commander is feeling generous. Anyways, she will give candy to anyone she feels is in need of a little happiness. The only downside is, once she gives the person candy she realizes how much she loves candy and snatches it right back from them and gives them something she won’t miss; like a stalk of celery.
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| Garrett/ El Malentendido |
By day
Name: Garrett
Garret is a superhero movie fanatic. However, he found out he enjoys them more when he watches them in Spanish. This is probably because he only knows a few words in Spanish (or as he likes to say “Es-pon-yool”) giving him room to improvise the rest of the words. This makes a much more interesting plot. In his spare time he enjoys going to cafes and drawing the people around him as muppets.
By night
Name: El Malentendido
Whenever a Spanish-English translator is needed, El Malentendido is there in a flash! He comes ready with his broken Spanish and good intentions. He has been the cause of 7 injuries, 4 divorces, and 9.36 allergic reactions just by mistaking the phrase “I need help” with “I need waffles”. This is probably because “ayuda” and “waffle” are so similar; it could happen to anyone, right? The cops have been after him for half a year, but the mask and cape always throw them off.
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| Romeo/ The Super Amazing Prince of Awesome |
By day Name: Romeo
Romeo lives up to his name. He is definitely a romantic. Long walks in the park, serenades, and cheesy pick-up lines. Even if this is so, his cat, Nana, is his main priority. This doesn’t stop him from trying with the ladies though… for some odd reason he’s attracted to dog people; it doesn’t usually work after the first date… or first thirty minutes to be honest. This doesn’t bring him down, actually, his ego is pretty high to the point of narcissism. His Facebook page is full of selfies. On the weekends he enjoys seeing how many Skittles he can fit in different containers. He’s also not bad at badminton.
By night
Name: The Super Amazing Prince of Awesome The Super Amazing Prince of Awesome is always in search of a damsel in distress. Whenever he hears a (female) cry for help he’s there to help! No matter the problem he always starts the rescuing with an acoustic serenade of songs ranging from Come on Get Higher by Matt Nathanson to Enter Sandman by Metallica. He usually gets really into them, then gets distracted by a nearby reflection of himself and starts serenading the reflection. This is both unattractive and counterproductive. Once he realizes he hasn’t saved the damsel, the damsel has already been saved by a more humble man.  |
| Daryl/ Dangerous Danger |
By day Name: Daryl
Daryl is extremely optimistic. He sees the good in everyone and everything. He’s very supportive of his friends and is humble about his own accomplishments. He makes sure to take each failure as a learning experience. On the rare occasion he does get a little flustered he does yoga while listening to Metallica; it calms him. He also enjoys adding syrup to his pizza.
By night
Name: Dangerous Danger Dangerous Danger is always on the prowl for criminals. He searches high and low to find people up to no good. No criminal can escape his clutches! However, Dangerous Danger has a bad habit of finding the good in everyone. Because of this, instead of turning them into the police, he engages the villain in an invigorating conversation about pizza, exchanges e-mails, and sets them free. This doesn’t really help the crime rate, but on the Brightside, now Dangerous Danger has 4 pizza dates coming up… he’s going to be in costume of course.
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| Sammi/ Sammy |
By day Name: Sammi Sammi is a balloon enthusiast. She loves making balloon animals. So far she’s mastered how to make snakes, caterpillars, eels, and sticks. At the moment she’s trying to get down how to make a worm. This is the most challenging because you have to get the expression just right. When she’s not making balloon animals she enjoys catching snails, naming them, painting their shells, and then releasing them back into the wild. She hopes that they’ll remember her and come to visit for tea and (salt-free) crackers sometime.
By night
Name: Sammy (with a “y”) Whenever somebody is in a bad mood Sammy is there with a balloon and a smile. When someone is in despair she makes one of her balloon animals for them. However, because of her lack of variety this usually adds to their depression causing a craving for chocolate and chick-flicks. Even though the rate of overall sadness has gone up, the number of swashbuckling pirates has decreased… whether or not these two statistics are related is still being studied. And I need to give credit to a very important person. When it comes to my Mizzles, sometimes I'm under a time crunch and need an assistant who helps me name and give each Mizzle a small story. Her name is Kimberly Vance. She has given these Mizzles their unique stories. She is definitely my Mizzle hero and I would be lost without her!
At the beginning of the school year, students were watching me work on the "Rock Concert."
They really loved how I was taking the scrapbook paper and creating layers. Since they were showing such a huge interest in my technique, I thought it might be fun to create a lesson where they worked in the same style. My students are illustrating a Greek or Roman myth. They seem to like the assignment, but are having a little bit of trouble understanding the layering concept. So, I decided to make another version of the owl painting, but to work in the steps that my students will be working in. This meant working in a planed approach, which is not my usual habit. Also, I knew I was going to be doing a live demo painting at the
Orange County Creatives Gallery, so this piece worked as a great sample for my students and a great in progress piece to finish at the gallery.
Normally, I collage the background and scenery first. Then add the characters.
Here I began by drawing the entire scene onto tracing paper. Then I traced my lines with marker (I used orange, but it doesn't matter.)
Then I used graphite to cover the marker lines on the back of the tracing paper. I did this so I could transfer parts of my drawing to the scrapbooking papers.
I began by working from the background to the foreground, which is my sky and ground. The scrapbooking paper comes in 12x12, so when working on larger paper you need to be careful about where you place the line created by two pieces of paper. I tell my students not to put it in the center, but to put it off towards the side and to try to place it where other parts of your art work will cover it. In this case, I will have a tree and Larry mizzle covering most of the line.
Then I added the road. Even though my characters are covering parts of the road in my drawing, I cut it out of the paper whole. This adds to creating depth with the natural layering of the paper.
When collaging, you have to be careful about the colors and textures you choose. I had a few choices that I liked for the bark of the trees.
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option 1: a wood textured paper
with a light and dark green |
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Option 2: a lighter version of the ground
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| Option 4: a greenish brown |
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| Option 3: cream colored texture |
I really liked option 3 because later I will be adding shadows and details with watercolor. I felt if I went with a darker paper, the trees might be too dark for the painting.
I traced the drawing over the chosen papers and began cutting them out. Here are photos of the trees and characters drawn and then cut out.
The squirrel is drawn behind the tree, so I drew it whole and cut it out. I cut slits on the sides of the arm and tail so it could snuggly wrap around the tree.
Normally when I glue the pieces together I use a heavy book to apply pressure and bond the papers together.
But at my painting demo, I used a brayer to flatten and apply pressure to each individual piece.
Once all of the pieces are glued down, then I begin painting with watercolor.
I didn't get to finish the painting at the painting demo, but I've been working on it this week. It's almost done.
Here are some photos Orange County Creatives took of my painting demo at the gallery last Sunday. Life-size Larry came with me. My best friend, Lydia, made him his wonderful bathing suit!
As an artist it is really important to showcase your work as often as possible. For the past 2 years, I've been showing my work at one night events every few months. Last December, I displayed my work at the Santa Ana Art walk with Orange County Creatives. I never know what to expect. Each event is so different from the other because of various factors like weather, combination of artists showing, the personalities of the friends and family who come to show their support for those artists, etc. This last event was not my best one, but it was still beneficial. A woman had seen my work at this art walk and loved my mixed media work. She has commissioned me to create a mixed media piece for her that included a forest, my characters, and owls.
I immediately began researching images of various owls trying to find "the right one" to become friends with the Mizzles. But I ran into a problem... I loved them all. As I began doing various sketches of owls, I began wondering why I haven't drawn owls before. I mean, my mom absolutely loves owls and for some reason I have never created any owl themed art work for her. That is about to change. 2013 welcomed the Mermizzles. 2014 looks like it is going to be year of the owl, although, it might still be too early to determine this year's theme.
Here are a few of the sketches I did of owls:
So, back to the commission... I fell in love with a few of the owls I drew and decided to include them into the mixed media piece. I've had a lot of fun putting this together. Here are a few pictures of it in progress. Usually, when I begin a mixed media pieces I create a background first with layers of scrapbooking paper. At this point, I don't usually have a plan. I like the feeling I have as I allow the art work to happen and grow on its own. The downside to this "organic" way of creating is that all of the scenes always have a simple horizon line; there is no linear perspective. Once my background is ready, I lay tracing paper over it and being drawing in my characters. The characters are then transferred to a watercolor paper, where I begin to paint them. Sometimes I wait until they are glued to the art work before I paint them, but I tend to run into the problem of glue drying on the surface and creating these white spots as I paint. I always think I'm being extra careful, but I always manage to get the glue on the surface.
Here is the final result:
I took it to the
Huntington Beach Art League meeting last week and entered it into the mixed media category. It won an honorable mention.
I loved working on this painting that I began working on a second version before this one was complete. I'll be talking about the process of the new painting in my next post.
"My hope is to leave the world better by my having been there." -Jim Henson
This quote has always been one of my favorites. It is something I'd like to think that I've been successful at maintaining; living a life that makes the world (even if it is my tiny, small part) a much better place. I try to be someone who is caring, kind, respectful, dependable, and loyal. I try my best to be a friend that will always be there when I'm needed. I try to be the big sister, and loving daughter who is willing to go out of her way to make things easier for her loved ones. I try to be giving and help those in need. I'm currently working on the forgiving part... none of us are perfect.
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Part of the drawing I did this week.
Final is below |
I think my ultimate goal in life is to do what I can to make sure the people who are in my life know that I cared about them.
Earlier this week, I learned that one of my students passed away. He was in a tragic car accident. Sadly, this student kept to himself. He didn't talk to any of the other students in class, and barely spoke to me. My last memory of him was our conversation before winter break about using that time to get caught up on assignments he fell behind on. He seemed optimistic and thanked me before he left. I didn't really know much about him. Regardless of that fact, I was still saddened by the news. I thought I was ready to deal with the reactions of the students when we returned from our break, but I was wrong.
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| Close-up of part of the drawing below |
Monday was our first day back from winter break. It was the first school day of 2014. Students came in to class full of energy and stories. Teachers were asked to read a script to relay information to the students about the tragedy and to provide support if they needed it. But I was completely shocked when my class wasn't phased by the news. They picked up their previous conversations as if I had not made an announcement at all. Not what I was expecting. I think I was even more shocked later that day when the class he was in didn't mention anything about the announcement. I honestly think they are unaware he was in that class. I'm sure they didn't even know his name. This seemed to depress me. It just felt so wrong to me that there was no reaction.
I spoke with my friend and colleague and she told me that a lot of her students talked about him and remembered him. She saw the reaction I had thought I'd see. It made me feel a little better knowing there were some people on campus who missed him.
But this whole experience made me think about what we leave behind. The only important things we leave behind are the memories of who we were to others. What kind of memories will you leave behind? How will you be remembered?
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." -Maya Angelou
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| I couldn't really shake the feeling and I ended up putting this together. |
I know I'm stating the obvious, but last Friday was December 27th. It was a very busy day for me. I spent some time with my mom, had lunch with an old high school friend, and got to watch a former student marry the love of her life. The day had no significance to me until I was at the wedding. It's events like that, along with the end of the year approaching, which makes us reflect on our life. I began thinking about the year when the date dawned on me. December 27th, 2012 was a horrible day for me. My father had his first chemo treatment and it was during the procedure the doctors discovered what we were truly facing. It wasn't a single tumor we were fighting against, but multiple, tiny tumors. As a family, we were not ready to hear the news that we were told. Up until that moment, everyone was extremely optimistic. It was so hard for me to hold it together; to be the rock for everyone else. I think I was barely grasping at any hope that was left to hold on to. So, 2013 began with feelings of sadness and heartache...and a desperation for hope. I can't exactly tell you when all of that began to change. I think each one of us found a way to accept the situation. The year progressed and I came to a point where I had to make some choices; moving, exercising, etc. All of the choices I've mentioned in previous posts have led to how I felt December 27th, 2013. But here I was at this wedding and I felt amazingly happy. The wedding was unlike an other I've attended. I mean, every wedding is really nice and you can see how much everyone loves each other, but this wedding was different. When you walked into the church, you could feel the love and support from everyone for everyone. It was unusual, but very uplifting. The ceremony was light-hearted and emotional, and the whole time I kept thinking "This is so Christy!" She was a stunning bride! To think she was once my art club president painting murals around campus with me. She had already amazed me when she was a student, but I am in awe of the woman she has become. I was honored she invited me to share this day with her. I can't wait to see where things take her next.
That whole day really got to me. I began realizing the huge difference from last year and this year. And I began to appreciate even more the life I have made for myself, along with all of the people who are in it.
As an artist, I did a show with RawArtists and began showing my work at the Santa Ana art walk with Orange County Creatives. I never know where my art is going to take me, but I've been pleasantly surprised. To think this all began a few years ago because I started an etsy account just to get rid of the paintings stacking up in the corner of my room. I didn't have a real intention of showing my work. It kind of just happened. Then doing one night showcases, which led to showing at the art walk. Now, I am beginning 2014 showing my work at the Orange County Creatives Gallery in Laguna Beach! I can't wait to see where this will lead.
I know everyone is reflecting and coming up with resolutions for the new year, but I'm truly grateful. I'm glad 2013 is ending on a very positive and light-hearted note. It is a nice change of pace for me. As for resolutions, I refuse to come up with "resolutions." I think that term makes things doomed to automatically fail. I do have goals for myself, but these have been on going goals. I am 30 pounds from my goal weight. I am positive that with my trainer Alex at the
Transformation Center, and his team I'll definitely be able to get there. I've already lost 20 pounds with his help, so the next 30 should be do-able. I'd like to do this by my birthday, but I don't want the pressure of that. I feel like I'll set myself up for failure. But I know I'll get there. I'm pretty determined and Alex has been really good at keeping me challenged during the workouts. He never lets me get away with being lazy. Another goal is to self publish my children's book. The plan is to do my research on various self publishing companies and see what is going to work best for me, but to fix up and begin illustrating my pages at the same time. This way when I'm ready I have everything done and ready to go. And my last goal is to learn how to let go the anger, resentment and hurt feelings I have towards my half siblings. It's not a good feeling. I'm not one to react this way. It is just more apparent now because of my dad's health. And I can't deal with it directly as I would like to because it would upset my dad a lot. His health and positive state of mind are extremely important to me, so I'm going to find an alternative way to deal with it. Maybe this will lead to a new art series??? I mean, artists do make their best work when they are heartbroken, hurt, or depressed, right? It takes some kind of tragedy for an artist to grow. The Mizzles came to being around a tough time in life and look at where that has taken me.
We'll just have to wait and see. 2013 goodbye! Thank you for challenging me and teaching me all I needed to learn this year. 2014, let's see what you have in store for me. I think I'm ready for it!
Thank you to everyone who participated in my all ages coloring contest! Here are our winners:
Ages 5-11:
Jade was our winner! Jade will be receiving a Mizzle Doll and a Print!
Honorable mentions go to Tulsi and Madilyn. Both will be receiving a Mizzle Doll.
Ages 12-17:
Ivan and Erin were our winners! They will be receiving a Mizzle Doll and a print.
Ages 18 +:
And Vanessa is our winner! She will be receiving a Mizzle Doll and a print.
Again, thank you so much for participating!
2013 has been full of ups and downs like every year, but this one seemed to have the greatest of transitions than in years passed. The year began with this need to hold on to hope, then transitioned to a need to stop and take time to breathe; and then moved on to a need for change. I think this year I grew the most as a person. I've learned to stop, take a deep breath, and let go. I've learned that I am of no use to anyone if I don't take the time to take care of myself. I've learned that even though I'm a valuable part of my family that they are fully capable of handling tough situations on their own. And I've learned that it is okay to put me first. Since July, I've been busy accomplishing some small goals that I have been making excuses for not completing in the past few years. Moving helped me with this. It took me just far enough away from what I used as excuses. Now I have only myself to blame if I don't accomplish anything.
In July, I began running again and had signed up for the Surf City 10k as a goal to accomplish. I've run many 5k's with my best friend and I have run one 8k. I figured a 10k would be a good goal for me. It has been a long while since I had seriously run, so training wasn't quite as easy, but I loved it. I made it a goal to run a certain distance (2-4 miles) and then I would take my running shoes off and walk home in the water. Walking home was my treat for completing my task. I would collect shells, watch the birds run from the water, watch the surfers catch waves, and take in the beauty of living by the beach. I had fulfilled a lifelong dream of living by the beach.
As the summer began to wind down, I figured it was time to reclaim my body and lose some weight. In the past 5 years, I've done fitness kickboxing, running, hiking, yoga, and boot camp, but I never did them to lose weight. I participated in those activities to be active, to relieve stress, and to feel good. Plus, I really loved the environment I was in and the people who were there with me. But, it was time to change that state of mind. I stumbled across the Transformation Center. It's a boot camp like I did before, but this place does more light weight training. I signed up for the 6 week weight loss challenge. It was tough at first. I had cravings for things I never really ate like Red Vines. But by week 3 those cravings disappeared. I'm surprised how easy it is to say no to a lot of foods that are not healthy. I still struggle with saying no to Dr.Pepper. I just love it too much, but have managed to keep away from it. Luckily, I love drinking various green teas. At the end of the 6 week weight loss challenge, I didn't lose 20lbs, but I did lose 15. I've slimmed down and am developing muscle tone where I had none before. It has been such a great experience. And I'm still working towards losing more weight. It isn't going to happen overnight, but I am thrilled to see the small changes along the way.
Oh, and the 10k... well, I did better than I had anticipated. When I began my training at the Transformation Center, I found that I was too tired to go running and had stopped. I didn't run the entire 6 weeks before the race. My 10k was the last weekend of my weight loss challenge, but I felt I was in decent enough shape to do the race. My only goal was to finish it. Luckily, my co-worker/ high school friend decided at the last minute to join me. She bought us fairy wings and headbands to wear. Plus, one of my neighbors rode his bike alongside us to keep us company on the run. The race was a lot of fun. I was extremely sore for a few days. I don't think I'll be doing another 10k any time soon. I think I'll just stick to my 5k fun runs. But I am glad that I was able to finish it.
The great thing about exercising is how feelings of accomplishment transfer to other parts of your life. I was able to accomplish another goal I had been avoiding... I finally finished my dummy book. It isn't the best, but I finished it. The story has altered A LOT from the very first version I began writing. Now that I have that finished, I have another story I need to make a dummy book for. And I've decided my goal for 2014 is to look into self-publishing; just another step in my journey.
I ended 2013 showing my art with Orange County Creatives Gallery at their Santa Ana location in the Santora building. I like showing my art because it keeps me accountable for continuing to make new art and to not give up on my own dreams. Plus, it is such a great feeling to watch the expressions of strangers as they first experience the world of the Mizzles. I will not just be ending 2013 with Orange County Creatives, but I will begin 2014 with them as well. This time I will be in their new Laguna Beach gallery! I'm excited about this opportunity. I have no idea where it will take me next, but so far the adventure looks positive.
I'm a little late in posting this, but at the beginning of November I ran the Electric Run with my best friend. We weren't quite sure what to expect. We have always enjoyed the participating in the Color Run. A 5k + tons of messy color = An artist's dream come true. So, a 5k + glow in the dark everything = To our surprise, it was absolutely MAGICAL!!! It was invigorating and inspiring.
This was my favorite part:
When I saw it I immediately thought "This is where the Mizzles live." It was unbelievably serene! I could have stayed there for hours! It took us over an hour to finish the 3.1 miles and not because we are slow... because we took our precious time walking and taking in the color, light, and magic.
I cannot wait for the next one! This was far more fun than the color run...but I'll continue to participate in those as well.
If you missed it, I'm holding my 2nd coloring contest. Here are the details: Color the image and take a photo of it. Email to [email protected] and include the name and age of the artist. One entry per person, please. All entries must be received by Friday, December 13th, 2013.
Winners will be notified by email and announced on my blog by December 17th, 2013.
Award Categories:
Ages 4 and under
Ages 5-11
Ages 12-17
Ages 18 and older
Here are the possible Mizzles you can win:
Or you can win one of the following prints:
Have fun coloring!
It's that time of year again!
I'm holding my 2nd All Ages Coloring Contest!
This year there is only one image to color. Take a photo of your coloring page and email entries to [email protected]. One entry per person, please. In the email, include the name and age of the artist. All entries must be received by Friday, December 13th, 2013. Only one entry per person!
Winners will be notified by email and announced on my blog, www.mizzleadventures.blogspot.com by December 17, 2013th.
Award categories:
Ages 4 and under
Ages 5-11
Ages 12-17
Ages 18 and older
Winners of each category will win a Mizzle doll or a Mizzle print!
There is a link at www.mizzleadventures.com/contests.html You should be able to right click and save the images to your computer. If you want the document, email me at [email protected] and I will reply to you with the image.
Happy coloring!
I haven't done this in a long while, but I decided to do a daily drawing. Today, I began to introduce Dia de los Muerto,s or Day of the Dead, to my beginning students. As we were watching a video about the culture, food, and ceremony, I began to image (of course!) what the Mizzles might look like, or what they might be doing for Day of the Dead. So, here is Stargazer and Molly putting Marigolds around my grandma's tombstone.
I think I want to add another Mizzle to the background. I have to create a color version.
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