.figure drawings.

I went to the Illustration Academy live drawing event last night. It's been probably 12 years since I've worked with a live model, and I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it. These are all my 20 minute pieces. I'm gonna need some better paper for the next time.

.studio move.

Back in November, I approached my Mister about switching out studio spaces. I've been in the much larger basement space pretty much since we moved into the house - going on 7 years now - and he's been in one of the much smaller first floor spare bedrooms. 

Originally, this worked out really great for me, because all of that extra space was perfect for setting up as a dance studio, and as I was dancing more plus teaching regularly, these things all made sense.

In the last year I've been dancing a lot less, purposefully not teaching at all, and in general loathe to be in a dark cold windowless basement.  Taj on the other hand, likes dark and cold and windowless, and has turned the basement garage into a painting space anyhow, plus garage basement game nights; and the real crux of it - he's never been able to fit himself into that smaller studio anyhow.

For about a month now we've been working ont he change over - packing everything, moving one set of things, moving another set of things, removing that first set of things - we're getting closer to completion, but it's a process.

And as soon as that process is done, I'll having small perfume sample bottles back for sale in my etsy shop. But right now, it's such a mess, I'm barely aware of where all of those sample vials are.

But soon.

the monster at the bottom of the stairs. addendum

The other thing about having a dog, which I really didn't expect, is that in walking the dog you meet everyone in your neighborhood who also has a dog. And because they are dog people, they assume that in walking a dog that you too are a dog person.

And the first part of that - I've been taking walks - long walks - in my neighborhood for as long as we've lived there. And I've maybe gotten waves or nods ten times. Ever. Since I started walking Sherlock, I'm had conversations with more people than I know what to do with. And some of them more than once - because of the dog they recognize me, or at least him - and say words.
And it's unsettling. Suddenly not being faceless.

Also there's that dog person assumption - which I suppose it not totally unreasonable. Because why would you be walking a dog if you're not a dog person. But I'm not a dog person. And I'm convinced that someone, eventually, is going to figure this out.

And I don't know why I feel like there will be some kind of Dog People of Kansas City retaliation for posing as a Dog Person, but there it is.

Also, while the cat may not play with most any of the toys I buy him - at least he doesn't eat dirty Kleenex.

.the monster at the bottom of the stairs.

Meet Sherlock. The now almost 9 month old lab-hound mix puppy my Other and I adopted from Great Plains SPCA back in September. We hadn't intended on adopting a puppy - I was looking for a nice, calm, older, seasoned dog - but the Mister fell in love with this floppy face and I've brought so many cats home over the years I couldn't say no.

I refer to him as the Monster at the Bottom of the Stairs, because he's a puppy with all of that crazy puppy energy which I was totally unprepared for, and because he's not allowed up stairs for two reasons. He's still not fully potty trained, and that's where the cats lives now.

So this dog has taken over our lives.

And I've spent the last two days home with him, sick with some kind of bug that made it almost impossible to get off the couch, and it's not all bad because he's a very good nap buddy aside from peeing in his sleep sometimes. Because our new puppy is now a bed-wetter.

And our nice calm lives, which neither of us thought were very orderly, have become chaos revolving around a whirling land seal goat shark ball of chaos that eats rocks and bobby pins and wants to be friends with a cat that wants to murder him.

And we're both exhausted and nothing is getting done anymore.

So, that's fun.

.drawloween 16-31.

As I've just realized I never posted it...

The Astronaut and the Sea

The hubs and I worked on out first collaborative illustration project ever (that we ever finished I suppose) last month in order to put together super awesome pocket notebooks as holiday gifts for friends and family.

Naturally, we ordered way to many for friends and family, and so now the excess books are up for sale on my etsy site.

Despite the quantity showing on the site at any given point and time, we actually have about 150 extra of these gorgeous three packs up for adoption - unfortunately my brain can only handle so many packages to the post office on a given week so I'll be listing them in smaller batches; and I'll be sure to make a new listing with a different title when we get down to the final bunch.

Pictures below. Link above!