Long Time, No See

Okay, so it's been a while. I think it'll be okay, though, since no one seems to ever read this blog. I don't mind. I didn't do it for you. So since my last post, I've learned I've a gummi bear growing in my tummy. I find it exciting and terrifying all at the same time. I've promised myself I wouldn't start drawing only cutesy baby things. I don't think that will be a problem. In saying that, I dug up this little doodle to remind me to not repeat past sins...When I was little and would visit my grandmother, she would take me to her hairstylist, who would instantly clip my hair shorter, and give me a perm. What did I know? I thought it was "fancy" to go to a stylist. As a result, I perpetually was confused for a boy in many, many school districts. Ah, well. If I screw anything up for my gummi bear, I can always go with this: It Builds Character...

Lock and Load

Somewhere, my husband is running through the woods, hiding, hunting, and doing his best not to get smacked around. It's inevitable, of course, but it's all good training. I miss a lot of things about the army. Some of my favorite times were spent running in the woods, ambushing the enemy, or getting eaten by mosquitoes in a shelter half. There were times when I was dirty and sweaty, in full gear, and loving every minute of it. I loved playing army. I miss it...but at least now I get to live vicariously through him. I hope he knows I'm thinking of him while he's out there...

Through the Rear Window

This is a new style I'm trying out, after my recent purchase of a natural fibers-filled sketchbook, their dark pages begging to me to try something new. I start with my regular ballpoint pen sketch, then take a white mess of acrylics to highlight, and sometimes darken the darks with black washes. Not extremely difficult, but fun nonetheless.

On a side note, I can say that even after watching hours of YouTube videos on digital painting, I'm fairly confident that some of what I do I could replicate digitally in Photoshop. But the heart's just not there. I know. I've tried. For me, nothing replaces the feel of ballpoint pen on paper. It's like my love/hate relationship with digital books. The idea is fantastic...but for me, nothing beats turning an actual page.

"My Cow Is Not Pretty, But It's Pretty To Me"

This is a closeup of my portrait of David Lynch. I featured it on my illustration website at micaangela.com because I needed to get some portraiture in my portfolio. I wanted to paint someone with an interesting face, and although many people come to mind, David Lynch's face was always fascinating to me. He always seems to look simultaneously terrified, exhausted, deep in thought, and tickled pink. I think I made him look a little too angry, though. He seems like quite a strange dude, but it works for me. I used to be glued to Twin Peaks--it was the first series I actually followed. So I loved painting his face! Some faces are just so fun to paint; their faces are like roadmaps...Tom Waits, Steve Buscemi, Orson Welles, and Leonard Cohen come to mind. Neat faces...Neat. Big fan.

The Iceman Cometh

This is a celebratory post, in honor of my best friend and sweetheart, Matthew. I married him a hundred years ago, and love him immensely. Today he learned that he's been accepted to flight school! He was one of only 50-odd people selected out of over 200 applicants, and yet I think somewhere in his head he believes they made a mistake. I, however, have seen him in action as an NCO in the army, and the dude's GOT it, whether he knows it or not. Hopefully, this school will make clear to him the great potential that everyone else already sees.

So there it is. A budding pilot-to-be; a dream he's been aiming for for ages. And along with the changes in lifestyle, location, and career, this means many exciting new twists and turns in the coming year, for both of us. I'm very proud of him!

...This also means I'm going to have to rent "Top Gun" again, as my "Maverick" references are very limited. Congratulations, babe!