A Questionable Dictator And Some Fame

I made my way to the front page of Reddit!

This is my most recent mural, Kim Jong Il Milking A Cow

Located at Astoria Bier & Cheese, Astoria, NY

It turns out I had no idea how to milk a cow, or what kinds of outfits Kim Jong Il wears.
After watching many videos of farmers milking cows and revisiting
Kim Jong Il Looking At Things, I felt ready and qualified to
juxtapose the two together.  Voila!

And by the way, if you want some of the best gourmet beer and cheese around,

 head on over to Astoria Bier & Cheese

Astoria Bier & Cheese, 34-14 Broadway, Astoria,  NY  11106

Happy Holidays!

Caryn

Commission:  Painting Spock The Dog for Amanda Ray

About a month ago, Amanda Ray emailed me and asked if I could paint a portrait of her newly

adopted pet Spock.  Of course, when I saw a picture of him, there was no question....yes!

 

Since Amanda lives in Durham, NC, and I live in Brooklyn, NY we
had to figure out the best way for me to create an accurate portrait, 
how to frame it, and then ship it to her safely.  In coming up with the design,
Amanda decided that her pup should be wearing a clown hat and clown collar
(which I wholeheartedly agree!) and, after a few sketches, 

I had the idea drawn up and was ready to go!

 

The Original Drawing

Since I am such a chalk-aholic, I really only had two surface options in which

                   to create the painting - chalk on paper, or chalk on wood.  Drawing on

wood gives such a rustic feel that we both decided I should go that route.

So, I went to sawing!

(yes, I need an electric saw)

sawing

serious sawing

I used charcoal to sketch, then chalk for the final layers.

Check out the step by step process!

charcoal on wood

Adding color

  

Adding fur texture

Adding spots!

The Finished Product!

Thanks for having me paint your pup Amanda!  

I think he likes it :)

A Book About Wine

It's true:  I love wine so much that I decided to make a book about it.

And it goes like this:

  Title:

15 Wines That Will Change Your Life

Purpose:

To create a wine guide introducing the fellow wine lover to some unique yet accessible wines that are not your everyday wine. A new grape varietal to try with dinner, as an aperitif, or on its own.

The Process:  

Researching 15 unique wines, creating drawings of maps, food pairings, and other little illustrations in pen/marker, and making them all digital

materials:  crayola markers

  paper

pen

ink

                  analog to digital brain conversion device (not sold in stores)

          wacom cintiq 

          book binding board

       cloth

       glue

         scissors

         patience

        wine

                 

When I was coming up with book ideas, I made an early decision that I wanted to make a wine guide; some sort of introduction to new and unique wines to pair with food.  Rather often I find myself in the grocery store with a food craving, will finagle something delicious, yet get stumped on the wine choice and wind up with the same old boring wine that I always get.  Well, not anymore!  This book, aptly named 15 Wines That Will Change Your Life (thank you Issy for the title!), is a short version of suggestions of not-so-common, quality wines to properly pair with your cuisine.

MAKING THE BOOK

I started collecting information, hunting down both unique and accessible wines.  Bear in mind, the reason I wanted to do this book is because I wanted to give myself excuses to draw all things related to wine.  Part of the wine varietal selection process involved finding clever subject matter to illustrate.
Please note the wine spill on the notes to the right:

Look at this hog's mess ..... I love it!  There is nothing like being submerged in the scribbly scratch paper phase to figure out what the hell you are actually doing.

 

 

Next I made a storyboard....

 (pardon the nun salt shaker)

I made two storyboards to be exact

Gotta get it right!

I wanted the layout to be similar on each page, writing out every single

detail, only so I could break my own rules on the final copy

Each page contained wine notes:  which region the grape is

from, fun facts, aromas, flavors, and food pairings.

Once I gathered all the information I could handle I went on a drawing frenzy

 

Red hot chili peppers

 Mussels, Shrimp, Lobster

I could draw sea creatures all day!

 

 The Pear Experiment

I was running out of time and had forgotten my markers, so this

pear was a digital experiment! Made 100% digitally:

I'd eat it!

 

Sausages/Hanging Meats

 Asparagai

Steaming cups of coffee

At Last:

The Final Product! 

Here are some select pages from the final copy:

enjoy!

 

 

Cheers!

SHOE PROJECT

My latest project involves drawing on a gleaming white pair of converse high tops!

(kid size 6)

This cool project was handed to me by my pal Tyrone. This is my third pair of

shoes I have gotten the opportunity to draw on for him, and I hope there will be more

to come!

This particular shoe request is for a six-year old girl who loves princesses, castles, dolls,

and the color pink on everything.

Here are some in-progress snapshots!

 

(the castle before color)

the princess!

 

the castle and princess with color added

Stay tuned for the shoe finale!

 

Modern Love

On a recent trip to Providence, Rhode Island, I began selling my art prints
and postcards in a boutique named "Modern Love:"

This eye-catching store sells eclectic jewelry, fine handmade clothing, hip shoes, handbags, knick knacks, and now, my art!  I couldn't be more honored!

 Here's what I'll be featuring in the store:

 Postcards

 

and prints!

If you're ever in the neighborhood, drop by:

Modern Love

220 Westminster Street

Providence, RI  02903

or check out the online boutique:

Modern Love

(I'll be in the online store soon so check back often!)

 

-Caryn