Monday, December 8, 2014

You are what you eat: Infographic



Here is a food-based infographic I made while I was in college. I gotta say, my eating habits really haven't changed....

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Making A Scholar's Cosplay PT 1: Scholar's Hat and Medals [EDITED]

Alvic Libretto of Excalibur aka Libra Fitzkhione Photo © LINK
EDIT: 3/2/17 - I created the costume pictured above for someone I was dating who attended the Las Vegas FFXIV Fan Fest in 2014. We are longer together, but since I am proud of the work I did, here is how I made a few of the costume pieces. Sadly, due to personal reasons, I never finished uploading the rest of the steps for the costume tutorial. 

I've mentioned this before, but my ex-boyfriend attended the FFXIV Realm Reborn Fan Fest in Vegas in October, and although I did not attend with him, I created his cosplay for the event. He entered the costume contest (which was pretty awesome) but he did not end up placing.

I figured I'd post a bit about the costume and the costume making process I went through. So today I have a few photos of the medals on the coat and the scholar's cap.

Monday, October 13, 2014

Sorry for the lack of posts lately

Cutest (and fluffiest) scholar ever!
I know every blogger says this, but things have been really crazy for me lately.

Costumes, podcasts, and pumpkins under the cut!

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Precious Ambergris!


I love this show. Although I am still not sure who my favorite character is. I think I love Tina and Louise equally. I'm not sure if this is against inktober rules, but I ended up coloring her in with some pencils I had. I just couldn't resist, coloring is my favorite part!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Uhhhhhggg Inktober 2 & 3


My next two doodles for inktober. Tina Belcher from Bob's Burgers in my style and my attempt at the show's style.

The art for this show really bothered me when it first aired and I avoided it because their chins (or lack there of) drove me nuts! Nowm I absolutely love it! Although last night's premiere was a bit on the meh-side, I absolutely love this show. (Then again I tend to dislike Gene-heavy episodes.) Next time, LOUISE!


It Doubled in size Overnight!


Holy crap!
This little pumpkin seedling doubled in size overnight! It's already outgrown it's tiny plastic Target pot, so I'll be picking up a larger one (and a bit of fertilizer) on my way home from work tomorrow. Other than growing my own green onions for cooking, it's been a LONG time since I've grown anything, so this seems like it's growing super fast. Is this normal?

I wonder how easy it would be to grown other veggies indoors during the winter. It seems like an interesting idea, but for now I don't have the room for an indoor or outdoor garden. Gah, I'm a plant mommy! I hope this little guy doesn't droop overnight, I'll get it a new pot ASAP.


Monday, October 6, 2014

Accidentally Growing Pumpkins?


So there's this mini-aisle at Target that's filled with the most random silly stuff. (I'm sure a lot of you Target go-ers know what I'm talking about.) I think of it as the $5.00 and under stocking stuffer and gift aisle, but it has little themed items year round, so it isn't holiday exclusive. I'm addicted to that random aisle.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Inktober - October 6th


I decided to jump into Inktober (late, but better late than never), so here's my first little drawing. It's a little Halloween themed doodle on a scrap of paper, about 3" x 4.75. "I decided to be festive and doodle a little cat with some cliche witch-y items.

It was fun to doodle a little something. I hope I'm able to keep this up for the rest of the month!
(Also today is my birthday. I'm officially one year older. I tend to freak out and get really depressed on my birthday, but so far I am handling this year really well.)

Wow, I said "little" a record number of times in this post...


Friday, October 3, 2014

Sign Designs from my Day Job!

This one was my favorite


Working as a graphic designer in a print shop isn't very glamorous, I rarely get the chance to be creative, so when I get a bit of freedom, I like to have a bit of fun with it. I got the chance to make a few lawn signs for the business, and here's what I came up with.

Possessed Monitor hosting a RAVE!


WARNING: Video contains flashing lights and general spookiness

My monitor randomly decided to be festive and host a rave while I attempted to work tonight.



Tuesday, September 23, 2014

My (long overdue) Sticker Video!


Posting this a little later than I had originally planned, Otakon 2014 was over a month ago, but I hope this is informative and helpful for those of you looking to order stickers for your own shops or conventions.

Stickers in this video were ordered from:

♥ StickerYou- http://www.stickeryou.com/
♥ PSPrint- http://www.psprint.com/

Sailor Moon Stickers from this video are available in:

♥ My Etsy Shop: http://goo.gl/b53uo3
♥ My Store Envy: http://goo.gl/hIZKru

Monday, September 15, 2014

We Seek The Holy Grail!


Thank goodness, my back is finally getting back to normal. The funny thing is that I hurt myself stopping my fall down the stairs, and the actual fall didn't leave a mark on me. (I should have just fallen and taken my chances.)

Now that my shoulder is feeling better and my back is getting limber again, I'm back to uploading more items from Otakon to my Etsy and new Store Envy! I'm hoping to add something new each day this week, so we'll see if I can keep that up! (I have plenty to list, I just need to get around to actually photographing it and writing everything up.)

Today I added my magical Talisman Stickers to both shops.

Out of the three stickers, I think the Space Sword was my favorite to make.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Supa-Moon!


Sorry for the lack of original content. I'm trying to find a better balance between my current schedule, it isn't perfect yet, but it'll get there.

Right now I'm still listing items over on my new Store Envy shop, and adding stuff from Otakon to my etsy, so between that, my normal job, and Sometimes Foodie...I barely sleep. While I am usually used to running on little to no sleep, I recently fell down the stairs like the graceful unicorn that I am, so on top of everything else, my back is tender and sore. (I walk around like a little grandma.)

My back is already starting to feel better (I fell on Sunday morning so I've had some time to heal.) But I haven't learned my lesson, I'm still up late every night, and last night I was able to get a shot of the recent super moon when the clouds in my area finally parted. It isn't the best shot, and I only have the one zoom lens, but I'm pretty happy with it.

Hopefully I'll have some new content to post here soon!

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Outer Scout Wand Stickers & Drowning in REAL LIFE

Outer Scout Wand Stickers now available in my etsy shop~!

First let me say that the outer wands are now available in my etsy shop, so please go check them out!

Okay, now time for my to ramble, rant, and panic. (Although not too much since I have so much to do I can't devote too much time to this ;_;) There are also more photos under the cut!!

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Happy Birthday to my sister Amanda!


Happy Birthday to my sister Amanda, AKA PookNero & PookiePixels


Check out her accounts for comics and pixel based art!

(That’s a photo of our cat Lily at the top, she’s super sweet and adorable, plus she’ just so happens to be deaf. She sleeps next to my sister every night and even has her own pillow on Amanda's bed.)

Sunday, August 17, 2014

In the name of the moon...I am so disorganized!

Sailor Muerte Stickers now available in my etsy shop~!

It's only been a week since I've come home from Otakon and I am still unpacking! I haven't had a moment to rest all week and things have been really hectic, but thankfully they should be back to normal starting tomorrow.

I'll get back into my normal posting routine with my blogs and settle back into my 9-5 job as a graphic designer. (I am actually looking forward to the daily routine.)

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

The Reaper was right. What I value most is ME!


Shiki was the hardest poster for me to make so far. In game she is so bubbly and friendly, but I decided to go with a more somber (and slightly depressing) quote of her's.

I waxed and waned over making the REAL Shiki, but I wasn't sure that fans would prefer the real her over the in-game her. (Which is really sad to say.) I might make a real Shiki after I finish up my Neku, but for now I think this poster will stay as-is.

Either way, It took a lot of tweaking but I am really happy with the finished poster. (Even if it's sad.)

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Finished Rhyme and Beat Prints and How I made Them


Okay so the vlog post for my Otakon 2014 experience should be up by the end of this week, I apologize in advance if I looks like a zombie, but I am fairly certain I got the con-plague.

I never got the chance to post about the rest of the prints I made for Otakon, I was way too busy being a one-woman sweat shop, so here are some progress shots and finished photos from my Rhyme and Beat posters. (Rhyme ended up selling out on the last day of the con but she'll be available on etsy soon.)

These little cards are 2.5" x 3.5" and I did the sketches with a mechanical pencil

First, both posters started out as little sketched ATCS (artist trading cards) that I made for orders in my etsy shop. I photographed each rough sketch before shipping it out, so I used those as a guide for the finished posters.

I thought her expression was too blank, time to add some personality.

From there I took the photograph, enlarged it, and plopped it into illustrator. Then, on a new layer, I started inking the sketch. A vectored style perfectly matches the art for the game. It's chunky, imperfect, and very graphic. As I inked I modified the sketch and tweaked things here and there to make everything look a bit more polished and refined. (These ATC sketches were really quick ones to thank buyers in my shop. So they needed a lot of tweaking.)

My layers got a little messy, so I was trying to find a way to get the chain to work the way I wanted it to.

Once the line art was completed I would start laying down flat colors and add very basic shading.


That's all! Then I saved the files, added the captions, and rushed them to the printer in time for the con. I wish I had planned the series out a bit more, I feel like way too many of the characters are facing left, but I am still quite happy with the outcome.


Monday, August 11, 2014

Mini stickers and a (upcoming) vlog post?


These are the adorable mini sticker sheets I had printed up for Otakon's Artist Alley last week. They'll soon be available in my etsy shop!

I plan on filming a little youtube vlog post about Otakon and my experience, so hopefully I can post that later this week!

Sunday, August 10, 2014

I'm back from Otakon 2014!

I ended up running out of this design by day 2 of the con.

Oh man, I just got home from Otakon in Baltimore! Selling in the artist alley was pretty hectic and a lot of work, but I got to meet tons of new and interesting people, have lovely conversations, and rub elbows with awesome artists. (Plus I still got to attend my favorite panel ever, Voice actors after dark. If you attend Otakon and haven’t gone yet, it’s a must!)
I had planned on updating from the con but the reception in the basement (where the artist alley is located) was awful, and the free hotel wifi was nonexistent. (With over 30,000 internet-addicted anime nerds like me at the con, free wifi just didn’t stand a chance.)

I’ll be posting Otakon and art updates here as well as my art tumblr, and all of the items from the con will be available in my etsy shop later this month.

For now, I need a shower, some cuddles from my dog, and a nap in a real people bed.

See you all tomorrow! (And Hello to any of you awesome con goers I got to meet this weekend! I hope you all got home safe and sound.)

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

*gasp* More Stickers?


Welp, yesterday I came to the realization that this is my last full week to create things for my table in Otakon's Artist Alley, and I am freaking out. There's still so much I want to make and do, plus I still need to reconfigure my entire display and table set up.

I may or may not be an utter wreck... (but if I am, I'm very good at hiding it. Notreally.Ihaven'twashedmyhairinforever.)

I've been really happy with the quality of my larger vinyl stickers (Don't worry video review is coming soon), and they've already been selling really well in my etsy shop, so I ordered some more!

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Broken Phones and Carnival Themed Posters



Welp, my phone's touchscreen magically broke so I am phone-less for the next few days. I still get all my messages, alerts, and alarms, but I can't access any of them. Apparently the connector that holds the touchscreen mechanism to the circuit board broke off and the entire phone needs to be replaced. My new phone should arrive in a day or two, but I decided to go cold turkey n the meantime.

It mainly stinks because I use it to take photos while I'm at work.

Lately I've been working on these 12"x18" posters for a Church's Bible Camp that is using a carnival theme. It's been a lot of fun. Check out more posters under the cut.

Monday, July 21, 2014

First sticker is now on etsy!



Although it's just one, it's available! I'll have more up very soon, but I am super happy with the quality of these stickers.

More photos under the cut!

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Both of my sticker orders arrived!


Oh man, I couldn't be happier with these stickers. I'm going to make a video post about these two sticker companies sometime next week. Hopefully the review and information will be helpful for those of you looking to order stickers for cons and etsy shops.



Saturday, July 19, 2014

Menus always make me hungry

More things I get to do at work. A new Jamaican restaurant just opened up in our area and they needed a menu, so this is what I came up with.

To keep costs down the menu is 8.5" x 11", single sided, and it currently has no bleed. If the menu ever expands it might need to be double sided, but for now one side works well.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

We seek the grail!


All three pieces are complete, I don't think I'll make the grail for Otakon, but I do want to make something to represent Chibi Usa, maybe Luna P? Or maybe her little heart wand...not too sure.

If you look through my older posts you can see that the mirror has changed a little bit. I think it still needs some tweaking before I print them up.


Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Work-Work (Stuff I do at my 9-5 job)


Being a graphic designer at a print shop means that the majority of my day is spent remaking or reworking preexisting business cards.

This is one for a fancy bridal shop. I feel like my design is an improvement, but we'll see how the client feels about it tomorrow.


Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Gotta Represent My Favorite Scouts!

Neptune and Uranus are my favorite scouts ever. They are badass, sophisticated and sarcastic. I had to represent them in sticker form for Otakon, but their transformation wands are so....bulky. Instead, I decided to go with their weapons, I will be making Pluto's next, and maybe I'll make the Holy Grail in the near future, but this way I'll have most of the Outer scouts represents for Otakon this year.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Wegaroons! Flavored Macarons from Wegman's Bakery (Part 2)

Macaron 6-pack- Wegman's: Cherry Hill, NJ

I took a ton of photos today and I'll be writing a bunch of posts tomorrow so that the posting schedule will be back on track starting today!

Okay, let's finish off these macarons!

Otakon Artist Alley Map Announced!


I was just asked about my placement in artist alley yesterday and I just got the email today!

If you're attending this year's Otakon in Baltimore be sure to stop by my table to say hi! I'm really excited to be selling at Otakon's Artist Alley again, and I'm thinking about applying for more cons in the future. Any suggestions?

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Outer Scout Weapons WIP

Why do the outer scouts have such lame transformation wands? Since I really hate how their wands look, but they are my favorite scouts, I have to represent them somehow. So, I decided to make Uranus and Neptune's weapons instead. I might make Pluto and Saturn after Otakon, but their weapons are too complicated and long for me to turn into stickers right now.

Sorry, I thought you were cheese...

Charlotte pin is all done and available in my etsy shop!

Charlotte's crazy snake-like form is my favorite! I've mentioned this before, but I like the multi-colored eyes remind me of Sid & Marty Krofft . It's creepy, but cute, and there is this psychedelic drug-trippy quality to the witch scenes that reminds of the Krofft's old live action puppet shows.


Saturday, July 12, 2014

The Stickers Finally Arrived!

I ordered stickers from two different companies to see how the quality and services compare, so once I get my second order of stickers from my other source I plan on making a video comparing the two.

For now I am really happy with the first batch that arrived.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Stuff I do at work

I don't just make Sailor Moon Stuff ya' know..
A local Rock & Roll Memorabilia and Merchandiser wanted a new shirt for their employees and customers, so these are a few options I whipped up for them at work today.

They ended up going with a variation of the first shirt in the top row, with white ink on a purple shirt, but I preferred the 3rd shirt on the top row. (With a bit of tweaking of course.) I thought that design would look really cute distressed on a baseball style tee. (Where the sleeves are colored but the body is white.)

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Star Power Makeup!


After file errors, and a lightning storm knocking out my power, I finally finished these transformation wands. I'll be making them into stickers later this week!

Also, the star wands are the cutest wands. The crystal uniforms are better, but the transformation wands look so chunky and silly. I might make them at one point, since I want to make Uranus and Neptune's especially, but the star wands look so much cooler.

Monday, July 7, 2014

Progress! Sort of...




So I started making the inner scouts' crystal transformation wands, and just as I finished Mars' when the program crashed. I had been periodically saving, so I wasn't too worried, but when I opened the file up it seems to have been backlogged somehow. All of the work that appeared says it was last saved on the 3rd, and I have saved and closed the file since then, so I'm not sure what happened.

I was able to finish Mars' wand, but only as a flat un-editable JPEG. See the finished work and my thoughts on the new Sailor Moon Crystal series under the cut.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Let the countdown begin!

Although I am worried that the 3D animation and lazy shading will leave me disappointed, I’m still excited! (Transparent.)

Monday, June 30, 2014

Pumpkin King!



So, along with the Sailor Moon buttons I am posting this week, I also have watercolor Nightmare Before Christmas Buttons!

Keep an eye out for my favorites, Lock, Shock and Barrel!


Friday, June 27, 2014

More Sailor Moon Buttons COMING SOON

New button designs will be available next week.

Oh man, the new Sailor Moon is almost here! To be honest, I'm a little more anxious than I am excited. The new look is supposed to be more like the manga, which I have read and still have several copies of, but it just doesn't look right. Sailor Moon's head is freaking HUGE and the shading used for the series looks lazy.

I'm still re-watching the original Anime series in anticipation of the new series, but I am trying not to get my hopes up.


Tuesday, June 24, 2014

This is why I need more than 4 hours of sleep in a night...

Pooping in fields by moonlight,
Eating breadcrumbs by daylight,

Laying eggs in her nest at night,
She is the one named Sailor Goose.

etsyfacebookdeviantartsometimes foodieInstagram

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Done!


One down, four more to go! (Or was it 5?) I'm a bit rusty on my Sailor Moon weapons. I've been re-watching the entire series with my friends and we're currently in the end of the Sailor Moon R arc, so my it'll take a while for me to get through the rest of the series and remember all her weapons.

After this is the mid-length scepter with a heart on it, then the chalice, the sword, and her final scepter/staff...I think. I better double check.

These aren't the official stickers, these are just print outs from my ink jet to see if I like the sizing. Right now they are roughly 4" x 1.5", and I like it's size in relation to my transformation brooch button. I am debating on whether of not I'll make all the weapons this size, or have them sizes relative to their weapon size, but her sword and staff are really long...so even though the perfectionist in me wants to make them all relative, I think that would be too large for a sticker.

Another progress shot under the cut!

Sailor Sticker Weapons WIP


I received my sticker samples from the company I plan on ordering from, and the clear ones just weren't up to snuff. I plan on ordering white vinyl ones from that company, but I am on the look out for a clear sticker producer that has what I'm looking for.

In the meantime, what good is buying stickers for Otakon when I have no designs? I started working on this one tonight. Check out an earlier WIP shot under the cut.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Stickers!

I freaking love Bob's Burgers

I have been working at a print shop for a few months now, which is really awesome for an independant artist. I can look into all kinds of printing and promotional products on my break to get ideas for upcoming cons and shop items. 

Recently I have been looking into stickers, and the options seem pretty neat. I can do white vinyl, clear, and even bumper stickers!

I'll be working on some designs this week to hopefully print up for Otakon's 2014 Artist Alley. 

I'm thinking a few original characters, maybe the tardis I made for my cupcake print last year, and some sailor moon weapons. I might even make a sticker scissor blade. (I just finished up Kill la Kill with my boyfriend earlier this month.) 

Hopefully I can brain storm more ideas and get this all done and printed before August. 

So much to do, so little time! 

♥ etsy ♥ facebook ♥ deviantart ♥ sometimes foodie ♥ Instagram 

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Monday, June 16, 2014

Sorry, I thought you were cheese...


Working on some more button designs for Otakon, of course I have to have my favorite witch of sweets represented! To be honest this is my favorite form of Charlotte. The design reminds me of Sid and Marty Krofft.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Giant Orders and Packaging.

So many pendants...
Now that my giant order was finished and shipped out this week, I can finally post about it!

Monday, June 9, 2014

Almost done my giant order!

From my Instagram Account
It's been a long time since I've made such a bulk etsy order, and this is the first time it's been so detailed, but it's helping me get back into artsy shape.

The order was for a bunch of pendants with custom names on the backside, and piping all those tiny letters has been great practice. (I won't show them since they are custom and possibly private, but they replace the "To: Stinkbrain" on the backsides of 16 of the pendants.)

I think I'll make another bulk batch once this order is shipped out to refill my store and prepare for Otakon's 2014 Artist Alley. As of right now all my pre-made cookies are wiped out.

For now, I finally get to go shower, write my Sometimes Foodie review for tomorrow, and then sleep. My day job has been really busy due to one of the printers breaking, and I have a lot of jobs backed up, so it's been keeping me on my toes and eating up a lot of my sanity. (It's only Monday! I can't lose all my will power yet!) Now that the printer is fixed I can try to catch up and regain my sanity so I can focus on making my own designs at home.

Okay, enough rambling for now. I gotta get my butt showered so I can write up my review and get to bed. I have to head into work earlier than usual tomorrow to play catch up with the printer.


Sunday, June 8, 2014

Tiny (Rage Inducing) Sprinkles Are COMPLETE!

Photo from my Instagram Account
I hate making these itty bitty sprinkles. They are hand made polymer clay nonpareil-style sprinkles that I make and cover in a luster dust to create a golden/iridescent sheen. I use them for all my You're my hero cookies, and they are a huge pain in my butt.

Admittedly candy-style sprinkles (the long tube-like ones) would be insanely easier to make in large batches, but it just doesn't have the same effect.

I make each one of these little things by hand so, until I find a better way, this is how they will be made from now until forever.

On a clumsy/frustrating note, I did what most crafters dread. I knocked over my container of these onto shag carpeting. After I cussed up a storm that would put any sailor to shame, I turned on my photo lights and sat on the floor picking each one up. Thankfully I got most of them back, but I am STILL mad that I did that.

Nothing sucks more than sitting there for hours hand making itty bitty clay sprinkles and then accidentally dumping them all over the floor. Have any of you ever done that? (Please tell me I'm not alone...and clumsy.)