Maria Anne

Black Bean Love

2012-01-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

You might remember a few months back when I was worried about my cat, Zoey. She had a freckle in her eye that I was concerned about and I took her to an eye specialist. Everything checked out okay, and I was relieved, because I was reading way too many bad things on the internet. Yesterday I took her back in for a checkup, and it turns out my worst fears are confirmed. The freckle in her eye is now raised, which means she most likely has cancer. The only option is to remove her eye.
It's silly how upset a person can get about an animal, but she is truly like my family. I think pets are so special and important. The surgery is going to cost a lot of money, but I will do whatever it takes to make sure my little buddy can live a long, happy life.

I am a little upset because when I took her in for her first checkup 6 months ago, I could see with my own eyes that her freckle was raised inside of her eye. The doctor used a special lamp to look into her eye and said the freckle was flat. Yesterday, she used the same lamp and said the freckle was now raised, and then took pictures of Zoey's eye with her phone. I looked at the pictures and it looked exactly like what I have been seeing for the past year. It makes me a little unsure if this doctor was being truthful with me the first time around. So frustrating. I hope everything works out okay. Guess it's time to start researching cute eye patches!

Handmade Jewels

2012-01-17T16:01:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been getting more into jewelry. I was never really the type of girl to pile on the accessories, but there's something I really love about these pieces. They're dainty but still a little bit tough, and I love the handmade, quirky look that these pieces have.

1/Hexagon ring at Catbird NYC // 2/ Arielle studs at Catbird NYC // 3/Sunset Rocks studs by uppermetalclass // 4/ Baby Skull earrings by Michelle Chang

2012-01-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

Call me immature, call me silly, but whatever you do, call me in Orlando, because that's where I'll be in 3 weeks! I'm going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and it's going to be great. Harry Potter will always hold a special place in my heart. Also, this was on my To-Do list for 2012. Win-win!

3 cheers, grab a Butterbeer!

Pinterest Picks

2012-01-12T09:25:00.000-08:00

A few things I'm crushing on from Pinterest this week...

1//Maricor-Maricar hand embroidered mongrams / 2//thief & bandit tassel keychain / 3//New Kid Dreamcore boots / 4//Royal Albert Polka rose mug / 5// Rifle Paper Co. SweetheartsValentines Day Card

30 x 30

2012-01-11T16:05:00.000-08:00

I'm pleased to announce I will be participating in this year's 30x30 show at the Ann Arbor Art Center this year at the end of March! This show invites 30 artists to participate, and the goal is to make one piece of art a day for 30 days. At the show, each piece will sell for $40- half the proceeds go towards raising money for kid's art programs. It's a win-win!

I hope to see everyone there! Apparently, this show gets tons of traffic- usually there's a line out the door to get in! I'm very excited to expose my work to a wider venue. Cheers!

Yearly Goals

2012-01-04T18:29:00.000-08:00

One of my goals for this year is to make more. Whether I'm painting, drawing, designing, or sewing, I want to make things. I want to take advantage of my talent, my time, and of course, my lovely designing machine, otherwise known as my trusty computer.

12 in 2012

2012-01-01T10:31:00.000-08:00

This is the year the world is supposed to end.

When I was in college, there was a brief period of time when I was obsessed with this conspiracy. I read way too much about it and got pretty freaked out. The obsession has passed, but sometimes I still wonder what would happen if it turns out to be true. What if we only have 12 more months to live our lives before it's all over?

Obviously, I hope it's not true, and I'm sure it's not. But, still. Food for thought.

So, this year, I've decided I'm going to try and live my life like the world really is going to end. What if this really is all the time we have left? Am I going to spend it sitting around doing nothing? It's time to start challenging myself to live like there really is no tomorrow. Because you never know, maybe there won't be.

I came up with a plan: Create 12 goals, representing one for each month of the year. Some of these goals are on-going, so they can't be truly crossed off until next December 31. I plan on crossing off at least one goal per month, and I will be sharing my journey on this blog.

12 in 2012:

1. Take a cooking class. I'd really like to either take a couple's cooking class or take a calligraphy class. Which leads to my next goal...

2. Learn calligraphy. It's a really big thing nowadays to have this talent, which lends itself beautifully to stationery and wedding invitations, which is my next goal...

3. Gain more freelance work. I'm already starting to have freelance work come in, and with friends starting to get engaged, I've already got some prospective work on the horizon. This is really what I want to do full-time, eventually, so I'm excited to get things started. This will be a goal I'll definitely be able to fulfill, and I can't wait!

4. Move. I've really enjoyed my time in Ann Arbor, but it's time to move on. I'd like a change of scenery, and to finally get away from my neighbor who practices dance routines above my head at 2AM and makes the whole room shake. See ya.

5. Update my blog on a regular basis. There are so many inspiring blogs I follow. There are so many successful, independent women who have managed to make their blog a giant part of their career, and have been able to make it their full-time job. It's a dream of mine to someday make it to that level. If all those talented ladies can do it, there's no reason why I can't do it too. Plus, many of them seem to have photographer boyfriends helping with their photos. Win!

6. Open an Etsy shop. I created an etsy account probably 4 years ago, and I still haven't set up a shop. Now's finally the time.

7. Make art again. After all, I'll need something to sell in my shop! It's been a long struggle to draw and paint ever since starting my design job right after graduation. There's no more excuses. I need to start drawing again.

8. Go on a road trip to the West Coast. It's been hard to get away, not having enough vacation time to do all the things I want to do. And with most of my friends on the East Coast, I end up going to the same places every summer. But I've always wanted to take the trip out west. I was 2 years old the last time I went, so obviously it doesn't even count. I want this year to be the year!

9. Make more things with my hands. I've been really inspired by all the DIY fashion blogs I've come across in the past few months. It would be nice to make something myself rather than buy something crappy from the mall that everybody else has.

10. Make a real website. Right now, this blog is really the only online portfolio that I have. Time to change it up!

11. Try new foods. I've been a vegetarian for the past 2 and a half years. This year, I'm going to not be so hard on myself about it. It's become sort of a game to me- if I eat a piece of chicken I feel like I failed the game. It shouldn't be like that! Everything in moderation. Maybe I'll even try seafood.

12. Never allow myself to be bored. Most of the time, I come home from work and sit on the couch, not knowing what to do with myself (and not really wanting to do anything.) As the saying goes, only boring people get bored. Time to start living!

It feels really good to have concrete goals that are within my reach. Some of these will be easy, others will be a challenge. 2011 was really a pretty slow year for me. This is going to be my year!

Holly Jolly Holiday

2011-12-23T07:31:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays! I hope everyone stays safe, warm, and happy this Christmas!

2011 Freshy Blended Ornament Swap

2011-12-08T05:21:00.001-08:00

About a month and a half ago, the annual Freshly Blended Holiday Ornament Swap was announced.

I also participated last year, where I made lovely little branch terrariums out of teeny tiny potion bottles.

I love getting mail, so participating in this event is like getting extra presents on Christmas. I'll make sure to take photos of all the ornaments I receive from around the country (and maybe a few from around the world) very soon!

My ornaments are made from hand-cut birch from the forests of Northern Michigan, and hand painted with acrylic. I liked the way these turned out so much, I kept one for myself!

Happy Holidays!

Guess It's Christmastime

2011-11-30T17:53:00.001-08:00

I admit, I've been listening to the *NSYNC Christmas Album on repeat.
Ain't no shame! It's exactly what I need to get into the holiday spirit...there's nothing like listening to my favorite 5th grade band to send me into a middle school-induced stupor of memories.

I spent the evening putting up cheerful Christmas decor around my little apartment. Of course, putting up the tree wouldn't be complete without Zoey immediately lodging herself deep in its bowels. I give it less than 24 hours before she knocks it over for the first time...of many times. There's not much you can do about it, I guess. Might as well get over it and drink some more hot cocoa with plenty of whipped cream.

I am participating in the Freshly Blended Ornament Swap again this year...hosted by fellow friend and designer Alisa! I need to step it up and get started on those this weekend...

Stay posted to see what I came up with for my ornaments next week!

xoxo

Summer, where have you gone?

2011-10-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's almost Halloween. It seems like summer was just 5 minutes ago.
I guess it always seems to be that way. It happens every year, yet every time it's still a surprise how quickly time passes. I mean, Christmas is in 2 months, people. What???

This is a picture my boyfriend took this summer in Empire Bluffs. We went to my favorite place on the Northern shore of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, Otter Creek. The beach is beautiful and rarely crowded, which I find amazing since it's such a beautiful beach. Oh well, I'll take it!

I'm already dreaming of next summer...

Too Funny.

2011-10-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

I received a lovely Halloween card in the mail from my Grandparents the other day.
Imagine my surprise when I opened it up to see a fuzzy kitten giving me the finger!

Needless to say, I don't think my grandma realized what was going on when she bought this card.
Thanks, Grandma! I'm saving this one for the long haul!

October Desktop Calendar!

2011-09-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

Happy October!

I can't believe it's already October. Time FLIES. Summer has already been gone for awhile. Currently it's freezing outside and it sounds like a hurricane out there. I'm trying to stay nice and cozy inside!

To celebrate the start of October, I made a desktop calendar for you to download! The size shown here is 1920 x 1080. There's more sizes after the jump!

1024 x 768

1280 x 1024

1600 x 900

Renegade Chicago 2011

2011-09-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

This was the first year I made it out to Chicago for the Renegade Craft Fair. I dragged my sisters along (willingly, of course) and it was more than I could have hoped for.

Not only was every booth better and more inspiring than the next, but it was also a giant collective of artists and designers I've been admiring for the past few years, all in one place! Almost every booth I came across, I recognized designs that I have bookmarked as a favorite on my computer.

My favorite purchase (and I admit, one of my only purchases) was this lovely print from little things studio.

It was really hard to pick out what I wanted to buy, because I wanted everything. No joke.

There were 300 vendors, so by the time we were done looking at everyone's stuff, it was so crowded you couldn't even move. Anything you wanted to go back and look at again, good luck! It was a mad house. I knew this would happen, so I guess I can't be too disappointed. Perhaps I'll just have to go back for their holiday market!

We spent the morning in Oak Park, touring through the neighborhood and seeing all of the houses designed by Mr. Frank Lloyd Wright. It was so beautiful and inspiring!

It's been a few years since I last visited, but it's definitely on my radar. Chicago, I've got my eyes on you!

Introducing....

2011-08-31T04:36:00.000-07:00

Black Bean Paper Co!

I am in the process of developing work for a stationery line that I will be selling on etsy. I plan on working with screen printing in the future, which is what I had planned for this line.

Which is your favorite?

Coming up roses

2011-08-09T14:32:00.000-07:00

Something I really dislike about my apartment is the tiny, dark kitchen. It's tucked in the back of my place, with no windows to lighten things up.
Plus, the countertops are salmon colored formica. Salmon, guys. It's just not okay.

Anyway, I was getting tired of feeling so gross about my kitchen, so I dedided to liven things up!
I went downtown and picked up some super cute cheerful paper by Caroline Gardner at Hollander's and got down to business!

I wasn't very technical with my application... I only had white masking tape lying around so I just rolled up litle bits of that and stuck it around
the edges of my cabinets, then cut the paper to size and smoothed it down.

I personally think it looks so much cuter and cheery now. It's not a permanent fix, but for a total of $11 it's not bad!

Life is a Daring Adventure

2011-08-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

Hellen Keller was a smart lady.

Sometimes I have a hard time living by this quote.
It's too easy to get sucked into every-day boring routines,
and it's important to break out of that.

This illustration is actually from when I was still in college,
but I liked it so much I wanted to bring it back into the daylight,
so I hand-lettered this quote and added it in.

What adventure did you live today?

Puppy love

2011-08-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

There's a new project I'm working on that I'm quite excited about.
It involves some of my favorite things, including this guy.

You'll have to stay tuned to find out where this little man ends up!

Bounty

2011-07-28T14:02:00.000-07:00

Lately it seems I've been eating zucchini morning, noon, and night.

With the garden in full swing and the heat wave we've been experiencing, I've got zucchini coming out of my ears! Last night I picked a squash that was roughly the same size as my cat, no joke.

So naturally I stuffed this bad boy and ate the whole thing.

Well, maybe just half. But since it was 4 lbs to begin with, that was probably too much.

New Design

2011-07-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

I figured since I've been too busy to make work to post on my blog, maybe re-designing it would get me in the mood to start doing stuff again!

Here's to a future of new work.

Simple.

2011-06-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

Since finishing college and becoming vegetarian, I've gotten more interested in cooking. Jillian bought me a great cookbook for my birthday and I tried a recipe the other day.

I used spinach, greens, a balsamic and olive oil dressing, toasted almonds, strawberries, and shaved parmesan.

Maybe if a design career doesn't pan out, I can start a food blog. It's crazy how there are so many blogs out there, how that whole industry sort of blew up overnight in the past couple years. Working in this studio, I have been exposed to a huge number of design, food and lifestyle blogs. It's a bit overwhelming, and it looks like so much work keeping one up, finding sponsors, building a readership...a whole business in itself. I wonder if I could ever build a blog up to be as successful as the hundreds of well-known blogs in my RSS feed. The thing is, it's definitely a full-time job to a lot of those people.

Oy. It will all come together someday.

Worried.

2011-04-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

I noticed a freckle in my cat's eye about 6 months ago. I didn't go to the vet until this weekend to have it checked out, because I started researching on the internet, which freaked me out.
They really couldn't tell me much, because they're not trained specifically for ophthalmology, so I'm being referred to a specialist.

Basically, this freckle in her eye could be cancer. Especially if the freckle is raised and dimensional, it's a malignant growth, called Iris Melanoma. Zoey's freckle is definitely dimensional.

At this point, I can't say 100% that she's got cancer, but I've got a flair for the dramatic, so I'm just going to assume it's so. I'm taking her in to be checked as soon as I can, and I know it's going to be expensive. Worst case, she'll be a one-eyed cat in the future.

My poor bean. She is still just a baby :(

Tea Time

2011-02-19T10:19:00.000-08:00

There's nothing quite like spending Saturday afternoons sipping on tea and eating a delicious pink cupcake. Especially when you've got pretty plate perfect for a cupcake.

I found this plate and rose tin at a place called Treasure Mart in downtown Ann Arbor. The tin is perfect for storing my tea bags.

They have rooms stacked with items just like these. I've only been there once because there's too many things I'd buy with nowhere to put them. It's overwhelming to be in there, and probably not a good place to go if you're looking for something specific. I probably overlooked tons of things because after awhile your eyes start to glaze over.

Now I really want to go to Treasure Mart...

Flea Market, Part 2

2011-01-28T05:54:00.000-08:00

Check out my post over at the Colorbök blog for more stuff about my Flea Market line!
Here's a little peek at a layout I made of my boo and I using the product!

Plugging away...

2011-01-08T08:46:00.000-08:00

The Boutique Collection that I've been working on at Colorbök is finally about to be unveiled at Jo-Anns Fabric and Craft Stores!

The collection is called Flea Market and it was so fun to work on because I really connected to the whole Flea Market theme and aesthetic. I am proud to take ownership over this collection, I think it's a good first step in building my new portfolio.

Below is one of my favorite designs from the collection, which will be included in a block of patterned papers.

More to come soon!

2011-01-08T08:37:00.000-08:00

This year I participated in my first Ornament Swap hosted by the FreshlyBlended blog. I got a list of 9 other people who I would be making ornaments for, and they would send me an ornament in return. There were a few from the East Coast, a few from the West Coast, and one from Germany...sadly, I never received the ornament from Germany. I guess I was kind of expecting it, but still a bit disappointing, I admit!

I liked the idea of doing a terrarium ornament (terrariums are super popular right now and I think they are great) but I am kind of low on extra money and thought making a large ornament would cost a lot to ship 9 times over.

So I found these teeny tiny medicine bottles from a seller on etsy. They are about an inch tall and tiny tiny tiny. I cut off tiny sprigs from an evergreen bush and painted them white and sprinkled glitter on them. The finishing touch, not pictured here, was some striped baker's twine hanging from the cork.

Danny took this lovely picture. I hope they are all happy in their new homes!

Freelance work

2010-09-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

I've finally done my first freelance illustration assignment (finally, a year after graduation.. but who's counting?)

I think I mentioned before the publication is Metro Parent and the article is about kids not fitting in when they move and start over at a new school.

I think if I keep doing freelance, I may have to buy a new computer. My poor little 4 year old macbook is getting old :(

Welcome Home

2010-08-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

Work has been very busy for me so I have had absolutely no time to do my own art...work is good though, I am going to have my first full line of products out in stores in January. I am proud of this because not only is this my first "collection", but it's a big program and I love the art! It's a vintage inspired, flea market look. I can't wait to share what I've done with everybody!

However, despite being busy at work and lacking in my own personal work, I did recently get my first freelance illustration job which I am very excited for. More to come on that later.

I have been updating my apartment a lot and trying to make it feel like "home." You might remember seeing this post over a year ago. I thought it was so cozy back then, but that might be because prior to that, I was living with a bare bed and a camping chair in the living room and that was basically it.

Now, things are looking WAY cozier. I've put a lot of work into my apartment, spanning over the past year. Here's my home now:

In Memoriam

2010-05-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

I have not updated in months, I know, and honestly I don't think anyone noticed anyway, but that's beside the point of course.

This past Monday, my very close friend and former college roommate Micaela lost her mother suddenly and unexpectedly, only a handful of days after losing her grandmother as well. I have had Mickey and her family on my mind constantly for the past week. My heart breaks for her and her family and the only meager consolation I can give is knowing that she raised an amazing, strong, and kind family. Without a doubt, she left this world too soon.

Mickey has asked a group of her closest friends to do a portrait of her mother, and collage the results at her viewing tomorrow. This is my contribution.

I love you Mickey.

Drawing experiments!

2010-02-24T18:23:00.000-08:00

Just playing with some of my new brush-tipped pens I bought at Blick's this weekend!

This girl was inspired by a 60's school girl I found on sexy-peopleblog.com, but

she ended up looking more like Velma from Scooby Doo.

Let's Save Michigan- FINALIST!

2010-02-23T09:15:00.000-08:00

I made it in the finalists!
PLEASE go here and vote for me, and get other people to vote too! You can vote once a day until March 15th. I am really into winning this prize money, it's much needed right now.

A bunch of other people from CCS got in, including Mike Burdick, Nikki Desautelle, Molly Jacques, Joel Grothaus, Tony Devito, and Don Kilpatrick. (There may be others but I haven't had time to dig through them all). All of our posters will be exhibited in the lobby of the Fisher Building for the next couple weeks, I hope to go check it out in person!Congrats guys! And good luck!

Teacups Please!

2010-02-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

On the way to Dick Blick's today, Danny and I saw an estate sale and stopped by really quick. He bought me two bone china teacups from England! They were a dollar each. So pretty! Here is a picture of one of them. The other is pink with golden star shapes painted on them.

I finally used my gift certificate to Blick's that I got from the Society of Illustrators as a gift for being in the competition last year. I have been wanting to use it forever! I bought 4 different kinds of brush pens, a detailing paintbrush, some mod podge, 2 pads of bristol board, and some ink. I also saw they carry the face paint I use, which used to only be available online! Now I know where to go when I need to buy more. Exciting!

I made this.

2010-02-18T17:55:00.000-08:00

This is the first product I designed at Colorbök to be produced and sold. It's a scrapbook page kit. It just came out in Joann Fabrics this week. I haven't gone to see it in person, but maybe this weekend!

Let's Save Michigan

2010-02-15T06:13:00.000-08:00

Fellow illustrator Mike Burdick gave me a heads up awhile back about a poster contest the DIA was hosting for the organization, "Let's Save Michigan." He suggested I submit a poster I had done for a class assignment last year that was under almost the same specifications as this contest. The only difference this time was, I had to use the phrase "Let's Save Michigan" in the design.
I'm glad I decided to re-work my old poster, which the more I look at it, the more I wanted to fix it and make the presentation a little neater. I had hand drawn the elements in the original design (it was part of the assignment to use both traditional and digital techniques.) In the revised design I re-built all of my shapes in Illustrator to make everything crisp and nice.

The old design said, "Support Local Business, Shop Resale."
I think the phrasing on the new design makes a little more sense so I'm glad that worked out.

Valentines Day

2010-02-05T13:51:00.000-08:00

I did a Valentine's Day desktop background screen saver for work. I got to make whatever I wanted so I decided to draw a bunch of cupcakes and tarts. I think fancy cupcakes are the best things ever. Especially lemon buttercream cupcakes. If being an illustrator doesn't work out, I'll probably go into the cupcake decorating industry.

Check it out here and maybe even download it if you want.

"Mo-o-o-om, not in front of the guys!"

2010-02-04T19:42:00.000-08:00

Paul was rocking the guyliner before it even had a name.

Hiatus Breaks

2010-01-31T10:41:00.000-08:00

It has been way too long since I posted last. I have been very busy at work, but that's still not much of an excuse!

I'm getting back in the game soon. Watch out!

Puggy under the Mistletoe

2009-12-05T14:58:00.000-08:00

He's just beggin' for a kiss.

Lil' Piglet

2009-11-17T09:56:00.001-08:00

I want to start working on an alternate portfolio more geared towards the field I am currently working in. I love cute children's characters and animals and there are tons of ways to illustrate this in the surface pattern and paper craft industry. I also can't help but be inspired by all the animals my best friend Jillian Evelyn is always coming up with.

If pigs could fly they would be really cute like this guy.

GAGA

2009-11-13T07:17:00.000-08:00

Hallway Show submission week 2. Lady Gaga- I really only know who she is by name. I've never heard her music or anything else- I guess living without cable TV and a strong internet connection has really cut me off from the world. I feel so behind on what's going on. Although I've never really followed pop culture too closely anyway...
Anyway. Here's Lady Gaga. I drew this in my sketchbook and colored it in photoshop. I am trying to make more images that aren't drawn separately and then pieced together later, like I usually do. I have to start working on figuring out my image and composition right off the bat instead of drawing each element and moving things around over and over. Although that isn't really too much of a bad thing, it's just my process.
Still. Something to work on as a challenge for myself.

Pugs in Space

2009-11-06T13:15:00.000-08:00

My best friend Jillian requested that we make each other artwork for each of our respective work spaces. Specifically she asked me to make some pugs in space. So, here are some pugs floating in space. I think they really like it out there.

Sketch

2009-11-06T12:12:00.000-08:00

I rarely have time to use my sketchbook nowadays ( I know, that's really no excuse). But here's a tiny doodle I did yesterday.

This weekend I hope to finally use my $50 gift card to Dick Blick that I received with the return of my artwork from the Society of Illustrators. Thanks, Society! It's time for a new sketchbook and some brush pens.

Danny Baby.

2009-11-04T08:08:00.000-08:00

Last year my friends and I started this weekly show called "the Hallway Show". Each week someone would pick a pop culture icon and everyone would submit their interpretation of the figure. We didn't have actual gallery space to hang these shows, so we started taping them to the wall outside one of the classrooms. It started to catch on big time and by the end of the year we had enough images to compile a whole book about it. My friends Nikki Desautelle and Matt DeBeul put together a book on Lulu that you can purchase here.

Well, lo and behold, Chelsea Kirchoff decided it was about time to start an internet version of this collective effort, since we are all now graduated and can't go back to old times.

It's the Hallway Show, and it's great. So, for good time's sake,

1. Make a Danny

2. Tape it up.

Now, if only we could all find a way to virtually meet at Circa Saloon or Cass Cafe...

Ninja Power

2009-11-03T05:57:00.000-08:00

Halloween was great. Danny and I were ninjas. And with none of that store bought stuff. We made our costumes from scratch. Like true ninjas. We are resourceful and wise. Also making an appearance is Billy Mays, Dorothy, Mr. Ray, a zombie and a scarecrow.

Dress up

2009-10-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

Halloween is my favorite time of year. I love dressing up and more importantly, seeing everyone else's costumes.

My design team dressed up as the Rockford Peaches baseball team from the movie "A League of Their Own." This was one of my favorite movies growing up so it was a lot of fun to dress up as the team.

Here's documentation of the day's events on my company's blog!

Finished!

2009-10-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

For the past 2 weeks or so I've been involved in a sort of secret "test-it-out" project with a few other illustrators and Robert Zimmerman, the guy who created Drawger.com and Illoz.com. He put together a site for students and recent grads (that's me) called Ohger and it finally launched to the public this weekend! You can see my portion of the site here:
http:/ohger.com/mariafilar

Basically, it's a student/grad version of Drawger and it's going to be used for art directors to take a look at what the newer up and coming illustrators fresh out of school are up to, and hopefully some jobs will come out of this whole thing. I'm really excited and honored to be chosen as a founding member!

Also, I finished my skate deck for the good wood show in Philly next weekend. I'm crossing my fingers that I don't get sick before then- I've had the sniffles the past few days. I'm drinking lots of tea in the meantime.

The deck:

Mail Goodies

2009-10-06T10:08:00.000-07:00

Besides the expected netflix movie (I'm hooked!) once or twice a week, it's not very often I receive things in the mail.

Yesterday I walked up to my mailbox and found not only my latest movie (Hocus Pocus, if you were wondering!) but a halloween card and a package!! Jillian sent the book and it's perfect! Just the sort of thing I would love to have in my growing book collection. There are hundreds of photos in this book dating back to the 1800's, including shots of all the famous gangsters and criminals- Capone and Dillinger to name a few.

The card is from Caitlin, the illustration is just my style, and no, it is not too early to be getting halloween cards!! At the end of the week when it's finally time to turn over my skate deck to the gallery, I can start working on Halloween cards to send.

This month I plan on watching nothing but all the Halloween movies I remember growing up. Tonight is Hocus Pocus and next on the list is The Addams Family. I am having trouble putting together a longer list, but I know there are tons more. Please leave suggestions!

2009-09-28T17:01:00.000-07:00

This is my baby cat, Zoey. She is a little psycho cat. She hasn't actually eaten any mice or dead fish, but a cat can dream.

Fall

2009-09-28T13:53:00.001-07:00

In celebration of fall I made a special new Header for my blog! I love autumn. And squirrels.

Good Wood

2009-09-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

Fellow CCS alum Andrew Davis is putting together his 3rd installment of "Good Wood", an art show involving skate decks as the canvas of choice. All decks will be auctioned towards a charitable organization. I just signed up to be a part of this and I am really excited. The past 2 shows have been in Detroit and Brooklyn, and this one is slated for October 17th in Philadelphia. I am hoping/planning to make it out there for the opening.

Here's a link to more information about the show:

http://awwsweet.blogspot.com/2009/09/good-wood-x-stay-true-x-philly.html

Sneak Peek

2009-09-08T13:54:00.001-07:00

I have slowly been working on a new Mugshot illustration.

Unfortunately, I only have access to the Adobe programs at work, and I only have time to work on it during lunch or after hours. Also, I need a new Wacom tablet badly, which is making things move along even slower.

Nevertheless, here's some progress:

Custom Converses

2009-08-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

I painted these high tops for my best friend Caitlin. She's really into peacocks and she told me to just go for it. I wanted each side of the shoe to be different and I didn't really plan it out. I think they turned out pretty well for a first time endeavor!

Before:

After

Kitty Gym

2009-08-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend and I spent the evening yesterday designing and building a nifty cat jungle gym/scratching post. We did it from scratch! All we needed were some 2 x 4's, a hand saw, an electric drill, some carpet and some nails. And of course a lot of hard work! I won't lie, he did most of it... but I still helped a little!

Photo courtesy of Daniel Ribar

Waiting

2009-08-19T06:39:00.001-07:00

I've managed to reach the end of my sketchbook even though I rarely use it. Most of the pages are filled with crude doodles and words, nothing really worth showing. This is an actual drawing though, kind of.

I really like making ink shapes and drawing over them with pen. It's pretty fun. I made this drawing when I was waiting for stuff to print out at work (shhh!)

I am starting up a new mugshot piece. This time it's going to be done all in paint because I don't have the Adobe programs on my computer anymore. Hopefully I will have something to show soon.

New Beginnings

2009-08-09T07:24:00.000-07:00

I have finally recovered my lost camera charger so I was able to take a few shots of my new apartment. I still have a lot to do, a lot of things to buy. But it's well on its way to looking like a home and not a prison cell! So that's exciting.
The inside of my apartment is basically an Ikea display case. I'm okay with this.

Living area/kitchen

Bedroom:

My workspace:

Bathroom:

PS. My walls are still looking very bare. So if anyone wants to do an art trade/collab, I'd really be into it.

Housewarming party maybe?

Sad Bear

2009-08-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been sort of a sad bear. I made this illustration for someone special, it will be waiting for him upon his return home from his trip to the wilderness of the upper peninsula.

Illustrator & Photoshop.

Lack

2009-06-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

So, it's been awhile since I've updated.
I don't have any personal work to show.
Since I started at Colorbok I've been doing artwork 8 hours a day and I get burnt out.
I am going to start using my sketchbook again though, and when I go home next weekend I am bringing back my scanner.
Then it's gonna be serious business!!
Using Adobe Illustrator all day really makes me excited to paint again. I am itching to use my gouache.

A real artwork update soon, I promise!!!

I'm hired!

2009-05-12T13:24:00.001-07:00

Graduation is in 2 days, but in the meantime...I got a design internship at Colorbok, a paper/stationary company based out of Dexter, MI (near Ann Arbor).
Here's an example of some stuff they sell:

A lot of their merchandise is created specially for Target, Michaels, JoAnns, etc.

I'm excited to be a real grown up and have a real job.

Boozy Susie

2009-04-29T13:04:00.001-07:00

This is my final piece for my tradigital class. I'd like to produce more illustrations and create a whole series. Right now that's all riding on whether or not my computer gets fixed. It kind of broke...

I've got a one-way ticket...

2009-04-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

Senior year ends next week. Stress is everywhere. Putting together my senior wall may be a mini catastrophe.
Nikki mentioned the next few weeks being nothing but a trip to Criesville USA.
Then I put together this postcard really quick.

That 70's Show- In real life.

2009-04-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

Here's what I've been working on for senior studio. I snagged my parent's old yearbooks and scanned some of the best (read: funniest) pictures of the bunch. Then I drew them and colored them. I'm trying to eventually make a full page spread of illustrations. Here's a sneak peek. There's my mom, and my dad. Plus a really cool guy. Guess which one's my dad.

Mittens inspired by...mittens

2009-04-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

We had to make a Christmas card for the Detroit Lions. The last thing on my mind right now is Christmas!
But anyway I painted some mittens with gouache. I wish the blue ones were real because I would wear them.

You BELONG here.

2009-04-03T09:59:00.000-07:00

Finally finished the shopping bag design. It's printing as we speak!!!
I don't know when they are judging, or announcing the winners. But I am NERVOUS!

Trashy Ladies

2009-03-31T11:44:00.001-07:00

Here's a drawing of the trash pile that's accumulating in our kitchen.
Okay, technically it's a pile of recyclables. But still, for the sake of it.
Ink on paper, colored digitally. A quick assignment for my tradigital class.

Children's Book Society

2009-03-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention that my work was selected to be printed on the Children's Book Society's 10th Annual Exhibition postcard mailers.
Pretty cool!

Here's a low quality photo of me being goofy.

The Zoo

2009-03-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

Alright, so the zoo project is officially over. We had a 4 day turnaround for this project. I have to say I'm pretty impressed with everyone's work considering the intense time restriction.

Working digitally is really a lifesaver in these types of situations. Most of my work nowadays is linework done in either a waterbrush pen or black prismacolor, then colored in Photoshop.

Next Friday I am doing face painting at my school's annual "Century Ball" Dance/Party. This year's theme is Cirque du Soleil. Thanks to Mickey for getting me the job.

Yearbook

2009-03-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile, sorry.
I've taken a bit of a break. I went to NYC last weekend and it was great. I went to a lot of art museums and galleries and I loved it. I also visited the Society of Illustrators and it was great to see all of my favorite illustrators hanging in one space altogether. I'm getting excited and nervous to know that my work will be hanging up in there in a few months.
Anyway here's the last thing I turned into senior studio:

School portraits

2009-02-19T15:12:00.000-08:00

I love gouache. And I love terrible school portraits that I find on the internet. Put the two together and what do you get?
These.

The Red Door

2009-02-19T15:11:00.000-08:00

This one's for you, Caitlin!

Society

2009-02-17T17:47:00.001-08:00

I just found out I got 2 pieces accepted into the Society of Illustrators Student Exhibition in NYC!
I still can't believe it.

Make a Steve, Tape it up.

2009-02-17T08:10:00.001-08:00

This week's hallway show is of our teacher, Steve Schudlich.
It's gonna be a good one.

Princess and the Pea

2009-02-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

For my children's book class we had to illustrate a classic children's story. I really love the elegance of children's book illustrations from the late 1800's and decided to go a little more traditional with this one.
Black india ink and watercolor on board.

These people have bad vision, just like me.

2009-02-03T07:54:00.000-08:00

Crossin' my fingers.

2009-01-31T08:58:00.001-08:00

My 2 newest pieces. Received a lot of great feedback. The colors are much more saturated in person, I should've tweaked with them a little more when I saved the JPGs. I submitted them for jury at the Society of Illustrators Annual Student Show. I really really really really really really really REALLY want to get in. I Hope all goes well.

Oh Michael.

2009-01-27T13:22:00.000-08:00

This week's hallway show is Michael Moore. Here's my Michael.

Paint

2009-01-24T12:32:00.000-08:00

I was fooling around with paint and experimented with rendering the face in a style that I'm not used to. I tried blocking the colors in more than blending them. I love blending. But I think this looks cool.

everything is funnier when there's a toilet paper roll stuck on something's head.

2009-01-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

Here are some painting/drawings I did last night for a fundraiser show that's coming up next Thursday. They make no sense and there's no meaning behind them, and that's why they're' so ridiculous and great. I love the hedgehog.

portraits and mullets and more

2009-01-13T13:50:00.000-08:00

the mullet drawings are from a site called http://sexypeople-blog.com

bunches of cheesy studio portraits from the past. so good.

Communist arrests

2008-12-23T13:49:00.000-08:00

I am steadily approaching the halfway point of my sketchbook. This is exciting!
I am thinking, for Steve's class (I know I'm not officially in the class but I plan on sitting in) I am going to make my book about these portraits.

PS. The "communist!" drawing of the guy in the hat/pencil mustache: he reminds me of someone. He reminds me of Tan Chipmunk at the party who told me my lips looked good with frosting on them. Ahahahaha. If he had that mustache, they would be the exact same person. So great. So creepy.

Caught red-handed!!!

2008-12-19T16:49:00.001-08:00

More from the "Least Wanted" Flickr photo set.

What I've been up to

2008-12-17T08:27:00.000-08:00

We have a month off school during Christmas break so my friend Michael Burdick proposed the idea that we all fill one sketchbook during this month and document it in a blog. Good idea, Mike. So far I am keeping up with it rather well. Most of my pages are filled with old criminal mugshots from a flickr group I stumbled across a few weeks back, called "Least Wanted." Most of these people are everyday people brought into the police station for silly little misdemeanors and the like, which makes for some great mugshots. I have yet to draw a particular woman, but just a heads up she's going to be great. (Hint..she's still got curlers in her hair!)

To see what the rest of my friends are up to on this little holiday sketchbook experiment, check out the blog:
http://holidaysketchbook.blogspot.com

New Paintings!

2008-12-11T16:59:00.000-08:00

Here's some new paintings I've done. The first painting is a pirate I did for Chuck's class. The second painting was supposed to be more of a Mother Nature-like figure but it ended up looking more like the Jolly Green Giant's sister or something. I still think it turned out pretty well- the texture of the wood is much more apparent in real life.

Come to Noel Night!

2008-12-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow night is a big holiday event at my school and the rest of the midtown Detroit area. In my school specifically, there is a huge art sale happening in the Walter B. Ford Building, and I am going to be participating for the first time. I'll be selling a few original art prints, some holiday greeting cards, and best of all, face painting!! I'm sharing a table with Jillian, where she has some really neat stuff to sell too. We'll be on the second floor, right near the elevators. Please come support!

Besides what's going on our campus, this event is spread out through the entire midtown district. There's Christmas carolers, carriage rides, and all sorts of stuff happening near the DIA.

It's from 5pm-9:30pm at 201 east kirby St. Detroit, MI.

Please come check it out! And get your face painted while you're at it!

Here's some of the designs I've made for my look book:

Medusa

2008-12-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

Small assignment for a class. We got to do whatever we want. I decided pretty randomly to do a portrait of Medusa.

Acrylic glazes on wood

Website!

2008-11-13T18:37:00.000-08:00

My website is finally up and running (to a point).

There's only one image up so far but it's exciting to know that I'll actually be able to have it fully running in the near future.

Save it to your bookmarks!

www.mfilar.com

cats cats cats

2008-11-13T18:07:00.000-08:00

Lately the newest fun thing around here is the magical fabulous fun marker transfer method. It's an easy way to transfer laser-jet images onto paper. I use it to transfer all of my images onto the final surface but it's fun to play around and do fun little things with too. So I made a new cat print for the hallway show using this transfer method. They're pretty fat and ridiculous and great.

Teacats!

2008-11-12T10:32:00.000-08:00

The photo dept. has adopted a similar hallway show type setup, but it's not limited to photography so I will be participating in these as well. This week's theme is, as you can see, cats.

Ink, watercolor and gouache on paper

Lil' Waaaayne

2008-11-10T18:00:00.000-08:00

The weekly hallway show is still in full swing. Last week was Nosferatu, but my piece for that was very very slapdash. I'm going to make a better one soon because Nosferatu is awesome and he needs to be made up to his full potential. This week Matt DeBeul picked our subject, Lil' Wayne. Here's my interpretation. It's done with black india ink, brown india ink, and white gouache on recycled paper.

MJ

2008-10-28T15:47:00.001-07:00

My friends in illustration have been having weekly shows in the department hallway. Everyone gets a turn to pick the week's subject, and for my turn I picked Michael Jackson. Here's my painting I did. It's acrylic on cardboard. This show produced some really great pieces!! I find my work comes out better (although not always!) when I don't have much time to think about it. I really like the idea of spontaneous art.

Melting Girl.

2008-10-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

My newest piece for senior studio. India ink and acrylic on gray board.

Ink girls.

2008-10-13T20:49:00.001-07:00

Here's a piece I did for senior studio.

It's ink and acrylic on colored paper.

I am still trying to find out what I want to do best, so most of the work that I'll be doing this semester is going to be mainly experimental.

The elements

2008-09-23T05:59:00.000-07:00

Senior year means we must choose a stricter area of concentration to focus our body of work. I have chosen fashion and lifestyle illustration, which was the most natural choice. My first project was to create a set of illustrations that could be used on package design for a beauty product, set to the theme of the natural elements- earth, water, wind, and fire. I finished the assignment on time but there are things that I was not happy with, so I am re-working a lot of it. By the end of semester, I want to have a full mock-up of the products made, complete with the package design/typography aspect.

Here are examples of water and earth:

Wahh

2008-08-14T07:03:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted in over a month! Awful.

I promise to have updates soon.

The Forbidden Forest!!

2008-07-09T20:05:00.001-07:00

The other day my friend and I were mountain biking on one of the trails at Stoney Creek and found this really weird spot off to the side where the trees were planted perfectly straight to form an aisle and there was a creepy stone table at the very end. Like a sacrificial altar! It's great. Like straight out of a movie. Behind the altar were very old stone steps that formed a wall around a big piece of property. Probably an old house used to stand there. The whole thing was very mysterious and peaceful and eerie.

Christmas in July Part 2

2008-07-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

I decided to take a different approach to my Noel Night cards. Here is the first finished one. I think to complete the set I'm also going to make additional cards with an individual gift on each.

Christmas in July

2008-06-29T07:40:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted any of my real art lately, just face painting stuff. So here's a sample of what I'm starting to get together for my table at Noel Night this year. I plan on doing face painting and also selling some Christmas themed paper goods. Santa is my first experiment. There's still much tweaking to be done with just this guy! I have so much more to do. Getting a head start now is probably the only way I'll ever have it done in time for December.

I'm not sure if I'm going to stick with using Illustrator or try using some gouache. I don't have too much experience with character development, I tend to draw things realistically. So this is a good challenge for me.

Face Paint

2008-06-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

So I'm advertising as a face painter for my summer side job. Last summer, I worked at Cedar Point during Labor Day Weekend as a face painter and realized it was something I enjoyed doing that I could work with more this summer. I've been advertising on Craigslist and have gotten a good amount of responses. I finally have some examples of my work to show potential clients, so hopefully this will help business a little more.

Here's a few:

New painting!

2008-06-17T21:15:00.001-07:00

(unfinished)

I can't seem to get enough of painting pretty faces.

This time I'm experimenting on a new surface- plexiglass.

I painted the face on the front, and the orange background was painted from behind. Next I want to put the painting up against different found patterns and backgrounds. It's versatile in that way, you can change the painting just by placing something different behind the glass.

David Downton

2008-06-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

David Downton is amazing. He did the cover for "100 Years of Fashion Illustration" (which I've wanted to get my hands on for a couple years... I should really get on that).

I'm so inspired right now.

This is the sort of thing that makes me certain that I'm meant for fashion illustration. I love it so much.

Mod Squad

2008-05-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

Here's the photoshop montage I did for class awhile back. It just sold at the student show!