Mondo Lounge-Las Vegas

Vegas baby! No unfortunately I am not going but Girls Drawin Girls will have a booth there, and I am going to have this brand new, exclusive print available at the Mondo Lounge in Las Vegas, this weekend, October 22-24. Clearly, this is something I'd really love to attend, but maybe next year! anyway, check out this new piece i did to be sold exclusively at the Mondo Lounge! if you find yourself in Vegas, you should go!

Things I Love Thursday

I'm back with another "things i love Thursday" post! preparing art and prints for NYCC and work kept me busy so i didn't get a chance to do this in a while, so here we go!

Bettie Page: (and the movie "The Notorious Bettie Page")
Obviously, I have much respect and admiration for the pin up queen herself, Bettie Page. She never considered herself an icon or a queen or any of the labels bestowed upon her, which might be one of the main reasons she is so appealing. She came alive in front of the camera, captivating her audience with her radiant smile. Looking at her pictures automatically puts a smile on my face, because she seems so genuinely happy in that moment. She led a very interesting life, sometimes difficult, but there was a sweetness and innocence and complete lack of self consciousness about her that has never quite been recaptured by anybody.

as for the movie, many people didn't seem to really like it, but I thought it was beautifully done. Many people say it didn't delve into who Bettie "really" was, but I think that is the whole point of Bettie Page. She was always a bit of a mystery, somebody who seemed to be happy and herself and really come to life in the presence of cameras. She had no agenda, she wasn't out to break down feminist barriers or change the world, that wasn't Bettie at all. I think the film captured that about her quite well. I also think Gretchen Mol did a fantastic job portraying Bettie. She captured her sweet, free spirited innocence really well, even though they don't really physically look alike. It was a pleasure to watch and different than your typical Hollywood biopic.
Bernie Dexter:
Next is Bernie Dexter, who is my number one muse! I know she got initially got attention because she looks like Bettie Page, but Bernie Dexter is in a category all her own. She has many of those sweet and innocent qualities that Bettie Page had, she comes alive and radiates in front of a camera just like Bettie. I love Bernies happy photos and use many of her pictures as reference and inspiration for my art. She has a beautiful face and figure but an even more beautiful spirit. Thank you Bernie Dexter for being a constant inspiration for me!

NYCC success!

NYCC was a lot of fun! pretty tiring but lots of fun. we ended up with a great corner booth after some mishaps with our original booth but it all worked out pretty well. Major props to the ladies at Girls Drawin Girls for making things happen and setting everything up. I also got to meet West Coast founding members, Melody Severns and Daisy Church which was really nice, and got to hang out with a few East Coast members. East Coast represent!
We had a lot of traffic at our booth, and many people interested in learning more about us. I also sold a number of my prints which made me very happy! We had a great variety of merchandise, and I think we were one of the most interesting booths there. NYCC was my first convention, and I really enjoyed it and look forward to more. Here's to next years NYCC! :)
here are some photos from that crazy weekend!

Me and Paigey!

Me with Erica Hesse, Paigey and Fenny!

action shot of the booth!

New Etsy shop and NYCC

Hey all! I have opened up my very own etsy shop! check it out!
I only have one item listed so far, but will be listing more!

also, don't forget to stop by NYCC and visit the girls drawin girls booth! we will be at booth 2479 so please stop by and say hi if you're going to be there! I will be there tomorrow and Sunday. I will have a few 8x10 prints for sale. I hope to see you there :)

New York Comic Con

That's right, Girls Drawin Girls is going to have a booth at New York City Comic Con next weekend, October 8-10 at the Jacob Javits center in NYC! Yours truly will be at the table representin and selling some 8x10 prints that won't be available anywhere else! So swing by Small Press Booth 2479 and say hi! There will be tons of awesome GDG merch available.
Hope to see you there!
Beautiful flyer courtesy the talented Paige Pumphrey

So Swanky- Mad Men

I recently completed a new drawing! I really love how popular the show mad men has become! Its a great show, and I am in love with the overall look of it, including the cast. Its probably the most perfectly cast show I have ever seen. They cut no corners in really making this show authentic. I particularly enjoy how popular Christina Hendricks, who plays Joan Holloway has become. She's not your typical size 2, 22 year old Hollywood starlet but she is still a success! I wanted to do a drawing of her as her character so here it is. My swanky tribute to mad men!

well razz my berries!

I wanted to write a post about a brand new blog called Razz My Berries retro cooking. It's my sisters blog and I did the design work!
She has a lovely and very substantial collection of old cook books and catalogs from the 1950s which she uses to make delicious desserts and meals. She decided to start a blog documenting her versions of the original recipes, and has a section for users to share their photos of the recipes too. It's a great site if you are looking for recipes from the 1950s that you know will work in today's world. Also a great resource if you don't have any old cook books of your own, as she posts the original recipes too!
check it out!

Things I love Thursday

So I saw this on a few blogs and have been looking for something to do other than post art, because sometimes I don't do art for a while and still want to keep my blog going. So I have decided to also do a Things I love Thursday! Let's hope I keep it going :)

First on my list is the movie Marie Antoinette, directed by Sophia Coppola. This is the most visually beautiful movie I have ever seen. It's feminine without being overly twee or girly. Everything from the costume and hair designs to the props, the way the french pastries are used and the color palette is just spot on. Some stills I took:

I was thrilled to find out that Laduree designed all of the pastries seen in the movie! I have long been obsessed with them since I had a macaron and I now dream of going back to Paris and having some French pastries there. I can safely say that this movie has had an impact on my work, especially in my Patisserie Francaise series.

Next on my list is the artwork of Mark Ryden. I had the pleasure of seeing "The Gay 90's Olde Tyme Art Show" in person at Paul Kasmin gallery in NYC and the work is stunning in person. I have always had an appreciation for oil painting, and love the way he paints. I love his color palette, his subject matter, everything. I am not an art critic so I don't really know what else to say except that his work really appeals to me. Here are some pieces from the show:

Snapfish designer

Some fun news!
I was approached by the lovely people at snapfish.com a few months back about partnering with them for a new service called Snapfish publisher. So I applied and was approved, and you can now see some of my designs here! Note, snapfish publisher hasn't officially launched yet, so you can see the designs, but can't buy them yet. I will update again when they are actually for sale! so check them out and stay tuned for more to come :)Also wanted to quickly mention my cafepress is also still open for pin up greeting cards and other goodies, which I hope to also be updating soon!
http://www.cafepress.com/mariartist

Mistress of the Dark

Hi all! Here is a new vector drawing I just completed, it is a portrait of the one and only Elvira Mistress of the Dark. This was a lot of fun to work on! Elvira is the perfect combination of sexy pin up, and hilarious kitch, and a character I remember from my youth.

Mistress of the Dark:

Adobe Illustrator CS4, August 2010