This are my drawing blargh

Valkyrie Edit

2011-12-20T17:26:00.001-08:00

That's a little less awkward.

Valkyries, A Crest, & An Edit

2011-12-07T15:52:00.000-08:00

I decided that as the content of my minifolios changes, so should the cover. I whipped this up in a couple of days, but I'm not super excited about the valkyrie to the far left. She gave me trouble and I might end up editing her in a couple of days when I have fresh eyes. Otherwise this was a blast to do! Whee!

A coat of arms! When I was looking up heraldic symbols for this, I came across one in particular that charmed me. The "allocamelus", or "ass-camel, is a mythical beast with the head of a donkey and the body of a camel. It represents patience and persistence, which is something I've been trying to apply to my everyday life lately, and especially derby!

And lastly, I did some edits to the bottom of the castle piece because it looked as if the ground just dropped away into null space. Now there are feet of mountains to anchor it a bit more!

Enjoy it while you can...

2011-11-23T13:13:00.000-08:00

You know what the fun part about making a sandcastle is? SMASHING IT. Bad things are coming to this castle, man.

You are a hero!

2011-11-16T15:36:00.001-08:00

girl kngt!

2011-11-11T13:09:00.001-08:00

New cards are coming!

Art Dump!

2011-10-12T04:05:00.000-07:00

Yarr, I posted this to the wrong blog at first! I was tired. Anyway, here's mah stuff!
A commission for a first wedding anniversary! What an awesome (and attractive!) couple.
A thank-you card for our travel team coach, for kicking our asses and getting us through a difficult season.
... I like dragons.

It's dangerous to go alone

2011-07-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

Take this fake moustache.

Magical and mystical

2011-07-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

OK, so... I'm trying to practice doing environments these days. I'm not super great at them... It just doesn't seem to come naturally. But hey, neither did roller skating, right? I'm hoping maybe the more I do this stuff, the better I'll get.

All the stuff

2011-06-22T10:21:00.001-07:00

Where've I been? Working! And working out. Here's a sampling of some of the stuff I've been up to.

Annie M***F*ing Warbucks

2011-03-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

Annie could hang. Annie knows what it's like to escape from a shitty group home and live on the streets with no one but a stray dog as company. She escaped a trio of rotten apples scheming to exploit her for money and then kill her ginger ass. The term "Great Depression" meant nothing to this tiny badass as she stared down all adversity with a smile on her freckled little face. If any redhead could round out the group of Sucker Punch girls, it's Annie.

Argh

2011-03-04T14:53:00.000-08:00

Photoshop crashed on me four times within the space of a half hour while I was finishing this, even after rebooting and with no other applications open. What gives? Curse you, CS3! You are so buggy!

More environments!

2011-03-01T10:24:00.000-08:00

Woop woop, 3-point perspective is my FAVORITE.

Fun Time

2011-02-18T15:07:00.000-08:00

Playing around with environments, whee! There is a context for this, I promise.

Rollerleirauh

2011-02-09T11:28:00.000-08:00

So this is my entry for the roller derby fairy tale show... It's a derivative of "Allerleirauh", also known as "Tattercoats" or "All Kinds of Fur", a folk tale recorded and retold by the Brothers Grimm. Rollerleirauh is a beautiful jammer princess escaping the ball in her boutfit that sparkles like the stars, wearing the fur mantle made from all the different kinds of animals that live in the forest as a disguise.

The actual story of Allerleirauh is kind of icky, because she marries her father. Ew!

ALSO: I'm kind of hoping that this is the last roller derby-themed piece for a while. People will start to think I can't draw anything else!

PS: It's cold.

2011-02-02T17:53:00.001-08:00

In progress!

2011-02-02T17:51:00.001-08:00

Here is a piece for a roller derby/fairy tale-themed show in February. Coloring soon... Better haul balls!

PRD Season Schedule Poster!

2011-01-21T09:47:00.001-08:00

It's that time again... Time to make the season schedule poster for Providence Roller Derby. I know I already ventured into antiquity with the gladiator-themed poster, but Atlas is from Greek mythology, so it's different. Right? Also I incorporated the Zodiac as kind of a joke about the uproar over the "new" Zodiac sign, Ophiuchus. Or whatever. The version I'm posting here is edited because the real and true poster will have much less girl and much more space so we can fit in the dates and stuff. Let me tell you, coming back to the computer to make art is awesome. I feel like I can finally relax and let the mistakes happen.

And then...

2010-12-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

A picture of my awesome ladyfriend flipping like a dang ninja! Which she can just about do in real life at this point!

The Zombies never stop

2010-12-27T15:19:00.001-08:00

A commission for a derby friend! She and her gentleman friend met at the Zombie Pub Crawl a year ago and each of them didn't find out what the other looked like without zombie make-up until the next day! So cute!

Lupo's project, part 3: George Harrison

2010-12-03T12:27:00.000-08:00

With apologies to Hans Edelmann.

Lupo's project, part two!

2010-11-15T08:21:00.000-08:00

Next up was Ronnie James Dio, lead singer of various metal bands including Black Sabbath, Rainbow, and DIO. I love Dio for the bands that he influenced and the genre he helped create. Rock on in Valhalla, Dio. Or the Elysian Fields. Wherever it is that heroes go. Details:

Distortion from the digital camera is regrettable, but there was no place in my house that I could stand the portraits up to take a good photo. They are roughly 8 feet tall. NEXT: George Harrison!

No, really, what are you doing in the basement?

2010-11-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

For the past month and a half I've been hiding out in my basement, not posting any new work, skipping practices, talking to a volleyball, etc. but I assure you it's all in the name of art. A fellow artist (http://www.mylesdunigan.com/) and I are working on large-scale memorial portraits of musical icons for Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, Providence's landmark nightclub and music venue. One of the club's hallmarks is its collection of memorial portraits, all life-sized and displayed throughout.

My first was James Brown, the godfather of soul and hardest-working man in show business. Detail shots:

A Badass Dragon and a Badass... Singer

2010-10-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

Sneak peeks!!!

Market Research!

2010-10-04T07:37:00.001-07:00

Okay, so: Which t-shirt would you wear, if you were a male roller derby player or fan of men's derby?

And here's what I wish I wore every day.

It's that time of the year again...

2010-09-22T08:22:00.001-07:00

Interim!

2010-08-06T10:08:00.000-07:00

I am between giant freelance projects right now and have been filling up my time with private commissions, plus my super top secret project. Here's a few commissions:
And here is a picture I drew of me feeling sorry for myself because I broke my collarbone and can't skate:

Western Regionals WIP part 2!

2010-07-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

Western Regionals poster WIP

2010-07-08T16:50:00.001-07:00

Or should I say... W(H)IP? Har har har! I kill me.

Western Regionals poster sketch!

2010-06-23T13:33:00.001-07:00

Still in the rough phases, but in the right direction. You know... counter-clockwise.

Space 242 show! Updates! Zoinks!

2010-06-10T06:26:00.000-07:00

HEEEEY, FRIENDS! Sorry I've been all MIA lately. It's like the month of May never happened! Well, anyway, I've been doing some fun stuff for various clients lately. Fun stuff like this:

This stuff is for the Sacred City Rollergirls, who are hosting the WFTDA Western Regional Tournament. I'm doing the logo, poster, and additional tournament art. Woohoo! I hope I get samples of stuff, or at least pictures. I like to know what my work looks like in the real world.

Next up is some more Beyonder art- I ganked the combat & powers chapters before the other artists could, so I got all the fun stuff. Am I a butthole? Probably. But at least I'm a butthole who got the cool assignment.

And THEN, 3 of my pieces were accepted to Space 242's juried show, Good vs. Eeeeevil: Superheroes vs. Villains Smackdown. Alas, I'll be in Feasterville, PA on opening night, but if you feel like impersonating me, you can totally go to Boston on June 24th and do it.

Whoosh.

What Is It Rollergirl Month or Something?

2010-04-30T05:19:00.000-07:00

This is a tattoo design for my beloved manfriend... sans background, of course. That color halftone would be such a headache to try and ink! Anyway, it is as of now for his use only. If I get permission, she may be a new card.

And then this one was a commission from a teammate for her daughter's birthday party invitations. The request? A roller skating ballerina. So, in other words, everything I wish I could be.

I swear to you that I will start posting art that is not roller derby-themed soon.

Interstitial: Thrillist and Tom Jones

2010-04-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

So today I get an email telling me I have been reviewed on Thrillist! I had not heard of Thrillist before and I'm still not entirely sure what it is, but the review was awesome. Plus I've gotten a bunch more favorites on the Etsy store since the article went up, so that's always good!

http://www.thrillist.com/boston/rhoda-perdition

In other news I am trying as hard as I can to get my Old Money Honeys to adopt "She's A Lady" as our intro song... However it seems I'm fighting a losing battle against Ludacris & Rilo Kiley. What the hell? These kids today and their hippity-hop!

Motif Season Kick-Off

2010-04-23T05:05:00.000-07:00

Motif Magazine is doing its annual feature on Providence Roller Derby, complete with interviews of each home team captain and predictions on the season's wins and losses. This year the cover illustration slot goes to me! Kudos, me.

Sunday Sunday Sunday!

2010-04-16T09:18:00.001-07:00

Big game Sunday... I probably won't be playing very much as it's my first bout with the travel team, but hey, it's experience. I'm having flashbacks to three seasons ago when you were only guaranteed 3 jams per period for home games. Boy howdy, I only played the bare minimum those days. Here's hoping we win!

Where Have I Been?

2010-04-07T13:35:00.000-07:00

Gosh, it's been a month since my last post, just about! Well, time for a big giant update! Artwise, things are a little slow- I am in between freelance assignments right now but cooking up some exciting stuff. I have been teaching after school classes in cartooning for Providence middle schoolers, and we just finished up our winter session. In three weeks, the spring classes will start, and I can't wait. While it's nice to have a break, the time I spend with my students is something I look forward to every day. I have been applying for more teaching jobs, hoping to add a few classes to my schedule. More and more I've been thinking about going back to school for art education. I love making comics, and I love teaching, and I would really like to do both throughout my life.
The roller derby season is upon us again- I've been added to the Riveters, our all-star travel team, after a lot of training and pep talks from my beloved manfriend. I play my first bout with them against the London Rollergirls on April 18th. At this point in my derby career, I have developed my hard skills as much as I can, but my biggest obstacle to being a full-fledged travel team competitor remains in my own mind. I have been considering hypnotism... Maybe someone can brainwash me into thinking that I am the greatest rollergirl that ever lived. In the meantime, however, I'm struggling to feel as if I'm good enough to play at this level.

A few months ago, I did some freelance work for a media company in California that creates all of the merchandise, branding, and web presence of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association. The first of these projects to come out is this cool patch! I did the vector graphic of the speed skate, which was then incorporated into the design and mass produced all fancy-like. They sent me some free samples, which arrived recently. They look great!

That derby comic I submitted a while back is about to be published in Jam! Tales from the Roller Derby, due out from Oni Press in June. The other contributors are really talented, and the editors at Oni have been very nice. I'm super excited that Oni, which published all my favorite comics in high school, is the first to publish my work.

Shortly afterwards, in July, the comic on which I collaborated with writer Cheri Couillard will be published in Zombie Bomb! volume 2, edited and conceived of by Adam Miller and Rich Woodall and produced by Terminal Press. This series is a labor of love for Adam and Rich, and they've been doing a great job promoting the hell out of it. It will officially debut at San Diego Comic Con.

PRD Season Schedule 2010

2010-02-28T14:11:00.000-08:00

This is the art so far for the season schedule poster... I had to make it even bigger this year because of the response from last year's poster. Superheroes are kind of our theme for 2010, so I was like, hey, let's put in some lazers and a Yugo too. Man, this was fun. Now I just have to organize the text... Uh-oh.

Cats Who Swim Finished

2010-02-09T20:12:00.000-08:00

Dealt with the null space on the bottom. My mom says this looks like an MMA-style t-shirt. I wish that someday we could have a derby t-shirt industry that makes shirts as cool as the ones in the fighting world.

Card #4!

2010-02-06T13:40:00.001-08:00

I liked it so I went and put some rings on it...

Man Love

2010-02-04T09:02:00.000-08:00

Card number three is a shout out to men's derby... Which is awesome.

Card 2!

2010-02-03T09:59:00.000-08:00

The second in my Valentine's Day card making festival... It is now up on my Etsy store if anyone would like to own one! Eventually I will have a series of five super roller heroes that will sell as a set. For now there are three. Super Roller Girl number one is by far the best seller on my site, so I figure if there are more options, perhaps people will buy them too. Plus also it's fun to make variations on a theme.

New Card!

2010-02-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

So, Valentine's Day is coming up, and to celebrate it, I will try and have a new card up every day this week at my store. Here is today's offering... A super rollergirl in blue! http://rhodaperdition.etsy.com

Baby Brooke Says Hi!

2010-01-22T15:15:00.001-08:00

A birth announcement for my sister Erica, who just had her first baby a couple of weeks ago... Possibly the cutest baby ever!

Ergh Argh

2010-01-15T13:57:00.001-08:00

Sample page from the comic I illustrated for writer Cheri Couillard... Soon to be appearing in Zombie Bomb 2 this spring! Wheee! Maybe someday I will see my work in physical form... I've done t-shirts, posters, some covers, some RPG stuff, and some comics, but I swear to God other than two Weekly Dig covers, I have never held a printed version of my illustrations in my hands. Ever.

EDIT: Psych, I forgot about Providence Roller Derby merch and promotional materials. Other than that, though... Y'know... Ain't seen it.

Merry Stupid Christmas!

2009-12-25T11:40:00.000-08:00

This was my gift to my beloved man friend for Christmas... But watch out, because we've already started to make up a fantasy backstory to go along with it! Hope everyone has a sweet holiday.

End-of-Season Captain Cards!

2009-12-04T13:50:00.000-08:00

For my captains, because they're cool.

Prog shot: Cats Who Swim

2009-12-02T13:38:00.000-08:00

Working on it... Makes me feel a little less chilly, anyway.

Bridezilla

2009-12-01T14:09:00.000-08:00

A card for a friend who is getting married... It's actually not indicative of her character at all, but she requested to be portrayed as a giant maneater/destroyer. I had fun doing it!

Happy 100th Post, ME!

2009-11-09T11:06:00.000-08:00

More cards!

2009-10-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

A new roller derby-themed card... For the rollerfolk. Maybe soon I will add some men's derby items... Would dudes love a "derby boy" t-shirt, card, or poster?

And now you can seriously get an ALL THE CARDS package through my Etsy store... I might hate you a little if you buy one because it means a buttload of work for me, but what the heck.

http://rhodaperdition.etsy.com

Corey Gets His Wish

2009-10-21T12:58:00.001-07:00

My Etsy store is up! Now you can buy cards if you want to! Or don't buy cards if you don't want to! BUT AT LEAST THERE ARE OPTIONS!!!

http://rhodaperdition.etsy.com

Cards!

2009-10-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

Braaaiiins.... Booooooze.....

2009-09-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

Things I Do For Me!

2009-09-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

I just finished this as a personal piece for my portfolio. I've sort of got a break between jobs, so I'm taking the time to weed out pieces I don't like and create new ones to replace them. I've got another fancy portfolio piece on the way, but it'll probably be another week or so before I finish.

I'm a whore!

2009-09-03T13:24:00.001-07:00

I'm launching a campaign to enter every contest or call for entries that I possibly can. It's part of the grand scheme to become a real illustrator instead of someone who hides away and draws like some kind of hermit monk. Above is my entry for the Buy Art Providence button campaign- Every time you buy a handmade item from a particpating retailer in Providence during the holiday season, you get a cool button that says "I BUY ART". So every year Buy Art Providence picks five button designs to produce and distribute. This year I'd like to be one of the five!

Also, and update: That WFTDA t-shirt design didn't get picked. Oh, well! I will just have to produce and sell the shirt for personal gain now.

Welcoming Committee

2009-08-15T09:19:00.001-07:00

Holy Matrimony, Batman!

2009-08-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

A wedding portrait commission from one of my derby pals... She's tying the knot this week. Congrats, Rose!

Poppa Chester's proud of you.

2009-07-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

Championship bout flyer! Text goes on the right side, but I don't have all the info yet, so I'm not going to get all involved with graphic design just yet. I'm just psyched about the Cheeto-colored tigers... It's rare I get to do something THAT orange.

WFTDA T-shirt Entry!

2009-07-11T16:13:00.000-07:00

So, the Women's Flat Track Derby Association is holding a design competition for a new t-shirt to add to their merch arsenal for the 2009 tournament season- Regionals are in September, and nationals a month or two after that. I knocked out a design and submitted it, and hopefully it'll be up for the vote next week! If that's the case I'll be posting the link shortly. Woot!

Stitch and Bitch!

2009-07-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

At Waste Not Want Not! Y'all come!

Shameless Promotion

2009-07-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

So, my friend London and her army of do-gooders have just procured a retail space for their charity shop project, Waste Not Want Not! All this month they are hosting special events and workshops on selected evenings, one of which is a weekly haggle-fest with local folk hero Violet... Waste Not Want Not is located at:

232 Westminster Street
Providence, RI 02903

I'll be posting other flyers for WNWN as I complete them. I realize that my lack of posts lately could be construed as a dry spell for art-making, but I've been so busy, I swear! It's just that most of my projects can't be posted on the interweb just yet. Boo!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

Honor thy father... or ELSE, SUCKA!!!

Show Me the Money.

2009-05-31T11:35:00.000-07:00

Today my new team, the old Money Honeys, goes up against my old team, the Mob Squad, in our first home bout of the season. Hot damn, dude. I hope I don't get skate-raped for being a turncoat!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

Mr. T pities the fool don't treat his momma right. I, for one, agree with him.

Birthdays, Friends in Need

2009-05-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't posted in a while. I've been away most weekends due to roller derby events, and working on other projects during the week. More about this stuff in a future post. I would really like a slow period. Still, I found some time to make a couple of greeting cards- Some friends are going through tough times, and another had a birthday recently. So, hang in there, friends, and happy birthday!

Seasonal Paper Doll?

2009-04-14T05:37:00.001-07:00

I am stressed and sad.

Happy Birthday, Whip Tease!

2009-04-09T09:59:00.001-07:00

Sketchy New Haven!

2009-04-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was nuts! It included a laundry blitz and a whirlwind tour of Connecticut, both courtesy of my man Jeff. Saturday he announced a bout for Pioneer Valley Roller Derby in Enfield- possibly the world's worst derby venue ad most definitely the coldest. I'm sure the Alaskan roller derby thinks to heat the rink.

The next evening he emceed New Haven's first Dr. Sketchy session, organized and produced by the lovely Polly Sonic (http://pollysonic.com/). It was far more heavily attended than Polly thought it would be. The energy was great, and I got some pretty good sketches out of it. I even managed to make an earnest effort the whole way through, unlike the last time I mixed drinking and drawing. You know... The time when I discovered the next morning eight solid pages of poorly executed vaginas. Ha. Anyway, good times had by all!

"Grandma" is Accepted!

2009-04-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

SOOO... Back in January Oni Press and WFTDA (Women's Flat Track Derby Association) put out a call for entries for a roller derby comic anthology, intending to pair written stories from WFTDA members (rollergirls, coaches, refs, announcers, managers, etc) with Oni Press artists. I submitted a script, but since I'd always wanted to make a roller derby comic, I took the script and furiously illustrated a 9-page comic just in time to make the deadline. I just found out my story will be included in the book, though in what incarnation I'm not sure. Will they use my comic pages, or will they use just the script? Whatever happens, I'm just really excited they liked my story and super jazzed that Providence Roller Derby will be represented.

(But I seriously hope they use my art. If not, I'll be kind of sad because all the PRD cameos I put in the draft will be wasted!)

Red, White, BLUE, Hello!

2009-03-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

I decided today I know much less about Adobe programs than I thought. I may need to take another class or two. Hopefully this will be good enough for the screen printers! Sigh. I'm an okay artist, but a terrible designer. I think I'm getting dumber as time goes by.

Ancient Rome... It's Not Like Home!!!

2009-03-19T18:20:00.001-07:00

Season schedule- Text yet to be added. Whew. Painted that shit in two and a half hours. I haul ass when I have to.

Derby 2009

2009-03-10T13:53:00.001-07:00

OK, so- Above is my submission for the 2009 season schedule poster. I have since figured out with the help of a friend or two that Roman numerals, while cool-looking and theme-appropriate, will look like gibberish to most people. I have to say at first glance, I'd think it was weird too. The other issue is that instead of four bouts like in my design, there are eight. Would it look the same if there were eight diagonal comet tails attached to the PRD logo? Could you even read them? Ugh. Graphic design is hard.

The next is my proposal for a new Riveters logo. Personally I would keep the old logo- I'm not saying that because I did it... In fact, most of the stuff I did from 2004-05 in terms of branding and logos for PRD are kind of embarrassingly rough. What I really mean is that consistency is the key to establishing an identity. I think that changing the logos every couple of years or so does nothing to establish branding but in fact does the opposite. We'll look like a league that's amorphous and has not only an identity crisis but a high turnover rate. Dukes posted something on the forum a while back to the effect of: Keeping the original logos acknowledges that PRD was here before us and will be here after we're gone. While it's true that an organization is defined by the people who comprise it, I think she's right. As a founding member I'd like to think that the growing pains, difficulties, heartache, and hard work we went through to establish ourselves left a legacy for future skaters. The aesthetic should reflect this also.

Anyway, If I had to do a new logo, the sketch above is the direction in which I'd take it. Once more I've given the Riveters a logo without a single roller skate on it. Partly it's because these logos are almost always used in the context of roller derby and are recognized by the derby world at large and don't need a pin-up girl on skates to drive the point home. I don't want our league to be represented by another pin-up girl on skates. Riveters helped the war efforts by working in munitions and airplane manufactories. That is why the original logo has smokestacks and an airplane. The woman represented in my sketch is not a sex symbol- She's a worker and she made those goddamn planes. My grandmother was a riveter for a short period of time during the war and I'm pretty sure she didn't do it for the outfit.

I'm Not Above It

2009-03-07T14:36:00.001-08:00

My Favorite Holiday

2009-02-14T11:11:00.000-08:00

Go out there and get some action, superstars! And celebrate those you love.

Sappy Birthday!

2009-02-07T20:11:00.001-08:00

I go syruping in my thong ALLLL THE TIME.

Back on the Boat

2009-02-07T19:53:00.001-08:00

I started working on the boat again this past week. Mike is working on refitting the holds with some sweet carpentry and Cap'n James is readying the old tub for her haul-out next month. I'm helping out a little with some of that but mostly I'm doing bosun's duties... a.k.a. fiddling with string.
At first it was hard to recognize the ship. She's all shrinkwrapped like she was last year, but this time the masts are gone so I can't see her from the bridge anymore. I actually panicked walking across on my first day back because I thought maybe she was at another dock across town or something. James and Mike think it looks like a kid's clubhouse right now and when Heather mentioned she might stop by, James scrawled a message on the door. I guess I'm officially a woman now, because if I were still a girl I don't think they'd let me in.
Working under the winter cover is pretty durn cold. I dress for work in sooper dooper insulated coveralls that make me feel as if I should be blasting off into space or rolling around in a snowbank like that kid in "A Christmas Story". No workwear company makes these for women so I've got the smallest men's size they can make. Apparently "short" covers men from 5'0"-5'7". James and I totally have matching outfits now, but he looks way better in his suit than I do. Asshole.
...
No, wait, I mean thanks for giving me my job back, James. You're a kind master!

"Grandma" Preview

2009-01-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

Whew. So. That's done. I swear I've had Europe's "The Final Countdown" on continuous play in my head for the past few weeks as I've been furiously drawing and inking my roller derby short. My only day off was this past Saturday when I skated with Connecticut Rollergirls as a guest player in their recent expo bout. It was a welcome break to actually skate with cool girls in a bout rather than draw cool girls skating in a bout.
Tomorrow I have to finally leave my house ("Sunlight, hisss! It burns!") to scan and mail the pages with super duper Fed Ex quickness. I think I might still have time for a nap.

Also-- Considering the amount of snot that escapes my nostrils on a regular basis during practice, would it be imprudent to practice with a head cold? Just wondering.

Nanananana ROOSTER!!!

2009-01-10T08:38:00.000-08:00

The Doom Song

2009-01-08T19:53:00.001-08:00

So, Sarah Doom, the founder of Providence Roller Derby and my first derby mentor, is moving away from Boston to new frontiers. She's also retiring from derby for the time being, so I made this as a keepsake gift from PRD.
I learned a valuable lesson by doing this, and it is: Everything looks better in a frame. Why haven't I figured this out sooner??

Slap-Happy

2009-01-08T05:37:00.000-08:00

Advice to men: Don't buy cards that poke fun at a lady's age.

Cue Up The Training Montage!

2009-01-06T10:14:00.000-08:00

I've spent too long being a mediocre derby girl. My goal this year is to be at every single practice and train harder between practices. I refuse to be second string material! From here on in my whole life is a training montage.

Small Sketches... last of 2008!

2009-01-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

What, oh what have I been doing with my life this past month? Well, I went down to St. Croix like I said I would, but ended up coming back to Providence five months and one week earlier than the six months for which I signed on. Long story short, it didn't work out, and I'm glad to be home. Now it's back to the drawing board, dry land, and the derby track. I will sail again, just not on that particular boat.

Stay tuned for a new 10-page mini comic!

I'll miss you, buddy.

2008-11-22T14:17:00.001-08:00

Almost but not quite 20 is a pretty impressive run.

Fun with Black & White

2008-11-13T12:19:00.000-08:00

Up first is Corey's tattoo design, a stylization of the Manchester Street Power Station and its iconic smokestacks, nicknamed "the sentinels" by our friend Melissa. I feel it's important to tell you that it was drawn from life, not photographed and run through a filter. Corey parked his car illegally so that I'd have a good view to draw!

Then there is the cleaned-up Mob Squad logo. Before I knew anything about inking or Photoshop, I drew a logo for my fledgling roller derby team, which, to my embarrassment, is still reproduced on t-shirts, stickers, and all kinds of promotional materials for Providence Roller Derby. I got sick of looking at it! It was so ugly! I redrew the whole thing, so now it's the same, but slightly better drawn and much much cleaner. Fuhgettaboutit!

Futures and Sutures at Bargain Prices

2008-11-10T20:31:00.000-08:00

My kingdom for a nice big Epson scanner! This one took me a long time.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T15:09:00.001-07:00

I have a witchy witch picture in the works, but right now it's time to enjoy the holiday!

Satisfaction is a Mere Bug in my Hand and a Gritty Pearl on my Knee

2008-10-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've had a case of severe inebriation. Overall I don't really enjoy the feeling of being "duh-runk"... Still, though, it only takes two pints for my speech to get all kinds of mixed up.
Spoonerism is a speech trend where folks will switch letters (or sometimes even whole words!) within a phrase or sentence- mostly by accident, or sometimes as a joke. It was made famous by an Oxford professor named William Archibald Spooner, who apparently couldn't help but do it all the time. I do this sometimes when I'm tired or full of beer. Over the past few years (or maybe it's my whole life?!) I've noticed that even when I'm not tired at all, I have a diminished faculty for speech. Maybe, as some folks are uncoordinated and trip over their own feet, I just have a clumsy tongue and palate? All I know is it sucks when you try to tell a joke, and the punch line comes out, "Yarr! It's knivin' me druts!"

HOLY BALLS

2008-10-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

My eyes hurt a little. How about yours? Also, all I can think of today is Lynda Barry at her lecture yesterday bellowing, "HOLY BALLS; HOLY BALLS." Not a bad thing, really. Not at all.

Small Sketches, Large News

2008-09-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

Pawtucket City Hall.

A cat wrestler, plus notes from a meeting.

So, then, I've got a new job coming up, whereupon I'll spend 6 months working on a schooner out of St. Croix. I'm flying down on November 24th and sailing back sometime toward the end of May, so I've got a little less than 2 months to make as much arts as possible. I'm trying to feel like this:
...But I'm actually feeling more like this:

I Just Wanna Wrap You In My Tentacles

2008-09-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

Here we go with another thank-you card. I almost got an anchor tattoo like that once. Thank goodness I went with another design, or I'd just be another Providence hipster with an anchor tattoo!

Jacket Makeover, part 2: Attack of the Bedazzler!

2008-09-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

Front-side embellishment... Rev. Al had only a few guidelines for the design and one of them was that crosses had to be incorporated somewhere. He is, after all, a man of God.
Back design after lettering and rhinestones were added. I didn't feel the need to use a lot of rhinestones for the back of the jacket, as it's pretty complicated already.

Details.

For the front, I be-gemmed the lapels and crosses. Here I used less restraint. Given that the front design is simpler than the back, I didn't want it to seem like an afterthought. I'm kind of excited about the end result. I've never really done anything like this before, so it was a scary experience. Y'know, new and untested frontiers an' all. I think maybe I will take Lauren's suggestion and decorate a pair of skates next!

Jacket Makeover, part 1

2008-09-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the roller derby season, I was commissioned by one of our two announcers, the Rev. Al Mighty, to overhaul a jacket and "derby that fucker out"- Which is to say, make it loud and embellished so as to be seen from a distance, say, at a championship bout. (SHAMELESS PLUG: The championship is on September 19th! Go to www.providencerollerderby.com to find out more!)

Anyway, here is the sketch I'm using:

All outlined out and ready to start painting!

Gray and white go on smoothly; neons not so much.

Color is added... plus sparkly gold puff paint! Thank you, Wal-Mart, and thank you, Cranston.

Adding in the lightning. I mixed the flourescent orange with white so it'd be easier to lay in. Plus being lighter and less saturated, it wouldn't compete so much with the rest.

End of day 1. Still to come: Lettering, studs and rhinestones, plus clouds and lightning for the front of the jacket.

My room is a mess!

My New Favorite Card

2008-09-05T10:35:00.001-07:00

...with apologies to AC/DC. Also, my mom came over and saw the file open before I'd super-imposed the kid and thought "NERDY DEEDS" was the title of my to-do list.

Choking Hazard

2008-08-31T08:44:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorites from the series I just finished.

I'M FREEEEEEE!!!

2008-08-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

61+ illustrations in a month... I'm DONE, man! There may be some edits here and there, but essentially the crunch is OVER. Now I can work out for like 3 hours straight on my off days... Or cook real food other than yogurt and granola, or finally crack those accordion songbooks I bought 4 months ago, or see my friends (if I still have any at this point), or see a movie, or ride horses, or EVEN MAKE SOME ARTS.

EEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

Charlie Foxtrot

2008-08-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

Life feels a little like this at the moment!

Give Me A Fast Ship, For I Intend To Have Sex..tants.

2008-08-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

Small sketching from a trip to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. The museum's had stuff added on since the last time I was there, which was disorienting- but a good trip nonetheless. I learned something new about John Paul Jones- naval hero during the Revolution and former captain of the sloop on which I sailed as an awkward 14-year-old- He's totally a looker. Who knew?

Also: DON'T PAY FOR WITCH LESSONS. I've never been to magic class, but I'm pretty sure you won't be able to fly on a broomstick. Plus, how would you be evaluated? "Ashley's astral projection seems to have improved in past weeks- or at least that's what it looks like. I mean, I don't know where she's going, but her physical presence looks pretty spaced out. So like, wherever she is, she's not here. I think." What was it P. T. Barnum said? "There's a sucker born every minute."

They Call Me "Beastmaster"

2008-08-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

Actually, they don't call me that at all. This is a fun little aside in beginning stages. I'm still figuring out my colors. I know I've joked before about Lisa Frank neons, but when I drew this, I really wanted it to leave an acidic aftertaste. "Ahhh, my eyes!" Y'know, like that. Progress on this might be very very slow given my work schedule.

More work should have happened

2008-08-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a nice trip to Vermont- My dad and I took a road trip to visit my aunt Val at her home/studio in Burlington. She has a bunch of cool projects going on and a studio space that'd make any artist intensely covetous. I went to a skate park near her house to try some ramps on my roller skates, but nothing they had was under four feet high, so I tried a few,

got intimidated by the skateboarders, and took off down the bike path feeling like a total idiot. I later redeemed myself by skating up a very tall, steep hill. The moral of the story was, "Stick to your own kind."

Sunday we all hopped in the car and went to Aunt Val's gentleman-friend's house in Milton. Frank is lucky enough to live right on Lake Champlain, so we could watch the rainstorms travel across the lake before they hit us. All in all it was a relaxing weekend- Except for the part where I was furiously drawing a million robots. I'll sleep when I'm dead!

Oh, oh- AND I'm now a licensed driver!

Stand By To Stand By to Stand By

2008-07-30T14:35:00.001-07:00

Many doings afoot... There is an illustration project, inspections by the US Coast Guard, my driving test (take 3), a trip to Vermont, and a persistent case of hiccups. BUT as busy as I am, I get to feel like a winner right now because yesterday I handled the foresail peak halyard by myself! SHAZAM!

Roller Derby Ref Thanks

2008-07-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

A reworking of the original Spanks Thanks for Providence Roller Derby's dedicated referees and coaching staff- They put up with angry sweaty girls four nights a week and they do it all on skates! Let's give 'em a hand.