Inside The Studio: August Already?

I would like to first and foremost thank everyone who came out to Celtic Fest back in June and extend my thanks to everyone who has come out to all my events so far this year. I greatly appreciate it and your support means the world to me.

 I do need to let everyone know that I have signed up for another show. I will be attending Soulfest's Fall Show in Kearney on September 26th.

I meant to post a blog shortly after Celtic Fest but a lot of changes at work happened rather quickly and burnt me up. I'm still not entirely sure how I managed to survive that weekend with how little sleep I got especially since after we finished Sunday evening. I had to immediately head back home in order to make it back so I could work my overnight shift. I was beyond drained and while I did make an attempted draft of this blog I just didn't have the mental bandwith to even consider working on it. I'd try and would just stare at my computer trying to figure out what to write for it be nothing but 'no thoughts, head empty'. But I am back at it finally, I have finally got to a point where I can focus and think!

When it comes to upcoming shows, so far it is just Soulfest on the calender for the rest of this year. I have been looking into a couple other events but so far I keep finding stuff being announced for days I'm unavailable or at wonky hours that wouldn't work well with work and the need for sleep. Sadly, I do still have to sleep at some point or my body does end up forcing me to stop.

I am happy to say that all of my stickers arrived in time for Celtic Fest and I've been able to get everything photographed so those new stickers and mimics are now live in my shop.

The mimics took far longer then anticipated this time around but then again I decided to try something a little different with a couple of them and that did slow me down. I have two that I added mushrooms onto and holy cow were they a pain in the butt to figure out how to do in a way that wouldn't result in them just snapping off immediately.

The first couple of attempts didn't work whatso ever and refused to stay standing or even on the base chest that I was using. Now, one of those has become probably my favorite of all the mimics I've made over the years. Everything from his sculpt, his little mushroom on his head, to his colors just make me so happy when I look at it.

The new mimics!

Though the one I did with it's tongue out is a close second but that one I stole his coloring from some pictures of toads I saw online while I was mindlessly scrolling trying to decide on how I wanted to paint him. I had so many ideas for sculpts I wanted to do but nothing for how to paint them once I did them.

I am also at the start of making some new painted wooden bookmarks. I currently have four of them sketched out and prepared for me to be able to start painting. I'll have a new cat one inspired by one of my family's cats, one will have a two headed snake, one is of the Undine Rising from the Fountain/Waters sculpture, and the final one is inspired by Crimson Peak.

At the start of August I was actually able to sit down and start painting the new bookmarks and started with the Crimson Peak inspired design and then on my next day off to sat down and at least got most of the snake design done. I'll need to go in and finish adding some small details on it after I post this blog. It's got a lot of small details and everytime I try and say something like that won't take me very long it always does so of course it's not done even though I was convinced it would be when I sat down to work on it.

Two of the upcoming bookmarks.

I want them done by Soulfest and as long as I don't get to distracted I'll be able to get them all done in a timely manner.

At the time of this blog I haven't started the cat or sculpture bookmark but they are going to be started soon. I just need to find enough time to get the paints out.

It has taken what feels like forever to work myself out of the absolute burnout I have felt since Celtic Fest. Thankfully I have been able to rest a little bit since then and have even took a fairly impromptu trip to the Denver Art Museum not long to long ago and got to spend most of the day surrounded so much incredible art. I forgot just how much of a creative boost going to art museums can be. It was very much needed and helped me come up with a piece that I am getting ready to start. Granted it was originally inspired by Project Hail Mary and now while I've been working on the sketches and coloring blocking it out.

It's going to be a larger painting then what I've been working on lately. I want to have enough space to get all the elements in it. It's probably one of the pieces that I have been most excited to work on lately. That movie and book have taken over my thoughts lately to the point my mom and sister have gotten stuck at times listening to me go off about them. Thank you both for listening to my random rants about this book and movie. I appreciate more then words can say. I think about it constantly and keep thing up projects I want to do with it eventually.

Hell, at the time of me writing this blog I have even done two set of nails inspired by it. The first set (top two) were inspired more heavily by some of the visuals of the movie. The thumbs had goldish spikes to represent Rocky's ship. The index was inspired by Tau Ceti when they're collect the astrophage. For the middle fingers I used some of Rocky's tattoos, his star map in particular. The ring fingers I just had to go with Petrova Line especially with how absolutely stunning it was when they did the scene with infrared light. And finally, for my pinkies I attempted to do aurora lights to finish it off. I didn't love the pinkies but I have never ever attempt to draw or paint auroras soooooo I am not going to be able to get that right the first time especially as on something as small as my pinkies! I'll take it as a win and I have learned what doesn't work for next time! At least that's how I'm taking going to look at it.

The second set are what I am actually currently wearing because I needed a quicker set for this time around. I had hunted and took a leap of faith that the color swatch I was seeing on the listing was right and thank goodness it was! I didn't want to fully let go of having a set based on Project Hail Mary just yet so when this magnetic cat eye came in and was exactly what I wanted it was a done deal. I can't get over just how closely it matches the gold on the cover and it makes me so happy. I know most people aren't going to think anything about it but I know it's for what has quickly become one of my favorite books I have read this year. Anyways, before I end up writing an entire book report and movie comparison, let's go on and finish up this blog.

Both sets of Project Hail Mary nails

I don't have any updates at this time on the coloring book other then I am still working away on it. I haven't gotten as far as I would have liked it's still slowly coming together. Hopefully I can get some more progress done on it soon now that I can finally working myself through the burn out I was dealing with.

Here's to working on moving forward. I've got so many things planned and can hardly wait to get them to a point I can genuienly share them with you. Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my ramblings and for your continued support. I know this blog was kind of all over the place.