It lives!

It's easily been pretty much over two months since I've posted… Sorry about that. Let me give you a recap of most of those two months:

I was either
A) Sick
B) Freaking out
or
C) Crying.

Perhaps I'm exaggerating. But I'll tell you what, being (woefully) unemployed has very few advantages, not the least of which is roaming around theoretically with lots of time on your hands, but spending it looking for work. As I've figured out being friendly, energetic and cheerful, then being sent home rejected and crying does nothing… I decided it's time to man up, pull myself back together and figure this thing out. Somehow. Um.

Now.
It was my 22nd(woah.) birthday! Annie's birthday is just a few days from mine, so we had a joint birthday party. I think my favorite gift was my two plants, Herbert and Bertie.

We held it at "Dolls on the Mount"- A tearoom just outside Melbourne. Annie did a nice, in-depth report here.

There was also a legendary Melbourne Cosplay meet. I'm trying to get myself used to photographs, but I don't think I'll ever get the hang of it. Since I had to leave my cosplays behind and can't afford any new ones, I cobbled together some kind of bizarre Mori-outfit for the shoot with my antlers.

There were also fancy events I attended in which I somehow look like a derpy cheshire cat (according to my mom.) Thanks to Sam over at Reclog for all of these photos! She's incredible.

In the wake of the tragedy in Japan, Annay and I trekked out in cosplay and normal-clothes to raise money for the Red Cross. It was freezing, which is probably what got me sick in the first place.

Since I've been pounding the pavement (when I haven't been puking), looking for work, it's left me suspiciously unable to draw much, but I've kept up my practicing!, I promise!
I find I either like very noodly, spindly shapes on figures, or cute, chubby fat ones. What does it meaaaan.And, here's an art piece I did for the cool guys over at All Star Comics Melbourne. They wanted some girlier designs, but not lose the edge and careful design they have for the whole brand.



Alright, everyone take care! I'm out!

Pre-AWA Art Dump

Here's a mini art-dump, as I've been plowing along making AWA things.

A kind of mori-ish girl. IDK. I kind of wanted to do some Showa-era illustrations.

Fairykei counterpart! She's cute but kind of vapid... I'll probably redraw her!

The Haute Couture Ladies of Avatar. I'm pleased with this, but it took an INORDINATE AMOUNT OF TIME TO DO, seriously WTF.

Here's what everyone's wearing, BTW!
Toph: Alexander McQueen RTW Spring 2009
Katara: Elie Saab (Collection escapes me ATM)
Azula: Elie Saab Couture Fall 2010
Suki: Valentino Couture Spring 2009
Ty-lee: Betsey Johnson TW Fall 2008
Mei: Alexander McQueen RTW Fall 2008
And, for whatever reason, I cannot remember who Yue's wearing. I want to say it's either Saab or Valentino. Could be wrong.

Robins as Birds on a Wire! I kvetched a lot before I figured out how I wanted to do this... And otherthanTim'semblembeingonthewrongside I'm really pleased with it. IDK.

Naturally I had to do one for the fandom of my heart, etc. I made very few prints of this, obviously, since, really, who will buy these. Pretty much nobody. Also the end of the scarf looks like a hand wiggling its fingers at Miharu in a dastardly manner. ROFL.

Also, a bazillion style-centric chibis. We weren't allowed to do fandoms, so I did these.
I made two Gaga chibis as stickers. IDK. If I can't use em, I'll put them away.I made Fairy Kei bows, too.(This was in progress. I added some pearls and such, too.)

In other news, we got a kitty!

After a summer of denying it, my Dad caved when this handsome boy came slouching up to our door. We dutifully returned him to his owners... But three weeks later, he reappeared! We knew we were supposed to keep him. He's friendly and affectionate, and a real charmer. He's also super-athletic and active, which my parents are still getting used to! I'm glad I'll be leaving him to take care of my mom while I'm gone. His name is Jack, and he's named after the character in Mom's book right now. (Jack Buchannan, Jack's namesake, has an identical cat in the book, named Charbon, for "Charcoal" in French.)

And... Speaking of. I'll be leaving for Melbourne roughly January 25! Since I graduate, mom and I decided it was stupid of me to hang around the US for no reason, so right after the holidays, I'll fire like going out of a cannon. I don't know how long it'll be till I get internet after that... It's surreal to think about. But I'm also very excited.

I don't know if it's just fear for the really hard classes, my last quarter, being so very close to Magna Cum Laude, or simply fear of social life or something. I just want to stay here and work.

I've hammered out a Senior Project I'm excited about. A Steampunk Mahou Shoujo story about an Indian girl in the 1900 Parisian World's Fair. It involves mechanized transformation sequences and enchanted glasses. I'm scared to take the Childrens' Book class, and I am thoroughly convinced I'm going to have my rear-end passed to me by the Illustration Department. And then there's Math.

I think what'll bridge the gap between Social fears and School fears is basically vowing myself as an Art Nun. To only focus on my artwork and my projects, to devote my time only to classes, and making a powerful Senior Project that can speak for itself. I made the decision to leave my Lolita and my Dolls at home while I work on my last quarter. (Odette and Sylvana are going with me- one as a model for AWA and one as a muse, but they'll be more or less out of the picture, and Laksha and the boys are staying home. No, they're not very happy about it either, ROFL!) I brought a bit of felting should I absolutely break down and want to play with fabric, and embroidery floss, if I want to embroider, but my major is SEQA and I should devote my time to making comics. When I get out of school I can play with fabric, but it isn't wise right now with everything else going on.

Here's to surviving and thriving through another quarter at SCAD!
XOXO
~Lilly

Post-New York City Art Pile!

Now that I've been home a while and have had time to plow and pick through my NYC sketchbooks and things, here's a long-overdue art pile!

Looked at waaaay too much "Madonna and Child"-esque art. Not that I mind.Her eyes were based on sculptural sketches by Lee Bontecou at the MoMA.

The theme of my paper for Art History was the "Memento Mori."
When I was trying to explain what I meant, I drew this for my class.
Also, high five I am morbid.

One of my sketches from the front row of "A Little Night Music."

A cute creepy girl. I wanted to devise a pet for her, so I asked what kind of pet she should have.
Among the suggestions were: a lemur, a snake, and a chupacabra.
A bit of Sailor Moon doodling. The bigger drawing is a sketch for one of my AA prints of the three Serenity princesses/queens/etc brushing hair and tying odango.

I also had to create a four-page comic. This was inked and inkwashed, then printed on brown paper, with white charcoal for highlight, then added selective color digitally. (That sounds an awful lot more complicated than it actually is!)

This is Page One! Read the rest over here on my DA.

Alrighty, kidlets. Till next time!
XOXOX
~Lilly

Secret Gardens

Phew, hello, hello!

It's been a week since Editor's Day, and things have been erupting all around here! Particularly the plantlife!

One of the nice things about living in Savannah (besides dodging bullets and speeding trolleys), is that the roads are lined with these beautiful bushes of pink and white flowers. In the late afternoon, when the sun hits just so, it's absolutely gorgeous. I managed to sneak out in all the hubbub to take some shots.
Savannah is just full of these little secret gardens. I find them particularly inspiring; I had always wanted a secret garden when I was younger.

I think all of us have 'secret gardens' of some kind. Mine's my room, I think. Somewhere quiet that I can work creatively in. Which is pretty lame, because there's nothing secret about it! But when I eventually wrangle a place of my own, I'll have a little cove of wisteria. As soon as I find somewhere I know I'm gonna stay for enough years to let the wisteria grow!

So, let's have some artwork, huh?

Debut!

Hello!

Welcome to Pink Like Me. This is my professional art blog, where I'll share my art and my aesthetic with the world. While I have a personal journal, I don't want to bore all of you with all of my nonsense! So, instead, I hope to offer you pretty things, not only to look at, but to read, too!

The name Pink Like Me emerged shortly after I got my first set of business cards. As I would pass them out to anyone who would look at me long enough (and feel like a real artist!), people would always say "It's pink!" Almost 90% of my life, I have at least some article of pink on my body. So I would say "It's pink like me!" The phrase stuck.

Pink is an extremely powerful color. It can be dainty and feminine, it can be hot and strong. Above all, it isn't a shy color. Pink is pink is pink. I hope as a person, I can be Pink, too!

Here's to Pink Like Me, and I hope there are tons of pretty art to follow!


XOXOXO
~Lilly