She Sure is {Sketchy} You Drive Me Batty

 Life is exceptionally good these days, pinch me good. When Life is good, I draw birds.

This bird though. This bird made me mad. He was so not cool. However, he reminded me of a bat.

Then I drew a bat.

I liked that a lot better.

Then I drew some more bats.

 

With Surtex growing ever nearer (in the past this time of the year I typically feel as if I'm being chased by my personal version of  The Never Ending Story's Nothing). The end of March always finds me forcing my brain to think so production-y, so market-y, so trend-y.

In a cherished conference call last month, a client pushed Dr. Seuss out of the #1 most quotable things I auto-mantra to myself during 3am jam sessions. Here is what she said, "What I love best about these little guys, and actually everything you've shown us, is that your drawings are utterly disciplined but totally carefree.  I look at everything that you do and I think, "Let's march headlong in to recess".

So this April I am focusing on returning to what I love most about my work, and remembering that when it is good, I am trying -- when it is great, it just happens--that's when it feels like somersaults at the beach.

In summary, this post is about how birds become bats, and how Surtex is gonna rock this year.

It's Been Two Weeks

So I thought I'd say something.

Sometimes something just seems to precious to blog about until I've relived it a million times in my head.

I saw this
<--------------------
thanks to Brittany of Grief and High Delight fame and then repinned it on Pinterest (Where I live in my mind's eye). I thought, "Well that's pretty effing cool". It reminded me of Barbie and tween toys and playing with make-up before I used make-up to cover up the fact that I am no longer in the dawn of the particular digit duo I'm riding out.

Thus, on Halloween (and on the four days leading up to Halloween) I played with make-up and zippers. A few dry runs, like this year's annual pie bake-off... grr... and my annual volunteer gig at Gilda's club Halloween party taught me what I could love and what I did not love about my costume. I learned the best thing to tell people screaming "I LOVE your costume!!! WHAT IS IT??!".

"Oh. Me? I'm Eighties on the inside."  

 What I loved best about this costume was that on my way to its first unveiling at an amazing Friday night costume gala (3 days before Halloween -- Seriously people, why don't we just make Halloween the last Saturday of the month??) I was the only one dressed up.

There wasn't a single person on the street in a costume. No one. None. I had a zipper gash across my arm, one across my chest, one across my face. Make up and feathers exploded from the zipper wounds that slashed my body in to sections. I was ballgown clad and wearing Keds, gliding down Broadway.

 No one batted an eye. People just kept on walking and that is why "I <3 NYC" is so fracking  universal.  This seemingly simple experience reminded me why I will be a New Yorker until the day I die.

I have been a Misfits Fiend since the tenth grade. I even have the badge to prove it.

 On Halloween I did the thing that I wish I had known I would do ten years ago. Being a teenager would have been so much easier if my 'It's a Wonderful Life' fairy godfather angel would have swooped down during Marching Band practice and said. "Don't even worry about it kid. In ten years you'll have tickets to a Sold Out Misfit's show on All Hallow's Eve. Yeah. You're that cool."

On the night of I painted my face to the smashing sounds of  Horror Punk's Gods 'Halloween' and anticipated a delicious evening with skeletons and boys in leather jackets. It was so boss. I caught the parade in the Village, swung by a party in NoHo and then headed to Times Square - a place I'd normally rather be shot in than walk through. Oddly enough if you splash a ton of make-up on your face and have people running up to you asking if they can take their picture with you, Times Square is not so bad. 

Before long I was swinging my hair back and forth with a ton of dead heads to the melodic chords of Jerry Only. Some guy I met during the show gave me this poster. I was for once in my life caught without a sketchbook and he wanted to write his number down for me. He scrawled it on the back next to the copyright. I'm enjoying dating this kid because I know how much it hurt him to give me this. He loved this and he still parted with it because in that moment he liked me better. In a Sophie's Choice kind of way that makes him all the more endearing. Plus, let's be honest. Boy got taste. Is this not the coolest poster ever?
In nice news I got Jerry Only to sign it... after he signed my chest.... but that happens later....
WHAT? WHAT IS THAT YOU SAY FAIRY GODFATHER ANGEL??! 

I slowly made friends as I edged closer to the stage. I made a tremendous amount of show lead when a tall bouncer like boy in skull paint and a leather jacket grabbed me and yelled
"HOLY --- I've been watching you and you know all the effing words to this song!"
I screamed, "THAT'S WHY I AM HERE!"
He cupped his hand to his ear and hollered back "WHAT??!"
Gotta love a Misfit's show....

I thought i heard him yell whisper in to my ear "I'm getting you closer to the rail!"
But like that was going to happen.

Since I'm not built like a bouncer and have a natural tendency to swoon for Clark Kent way more than Superman.... I was not prepared to become a believer. Boy in skull paint made me reconsider my previously thought to be iron-clad taste in 90-pound-weaklings-who-know-how-to-rock-a-skinny-jean while he bowled Misfits fans out of my way like a Disney lumberjack. It wasn't long before I stood there, staring up in awe at the man himself. Jerry effing Only

um... yeah this is the view of the sex god from the underside of a skeleton pelvis.....yeah....OK. Moving on... We got to that part in a concert where the band is sweating. They want a break. They start slapping hands. If you've been against the rail at a show you know you might get to TOUCH their sopping wet hands and then live on that for like a week... It's not guaranteed, but if you get your hand out and up in the air you might get lucky.

When Jerry got to my outstretched hand he touched it. I swooned. He moved on. He came back. He gripped it.  What's that, Fairy Godfather??! What?? Then He (yes we're capitalizing that) didn't let go. He pulled on my arm.  "What is happening!?" I searched my memory and then recalled. I knew this...
I knew this sensation from years of not being able to haul my ass into a kayak unassisted. I was climbing the wall Neo-Style. I was being lifted up on stage. I closed my eyes. I tried to remember how to breathe. My hand brushed metal. I stood with His spike clad arm around me up on stage.

It was a heightened sensation I can only compare to the blessed few times I have been giving Morphine
(either the band or the drug -- I often fantasize about having these two together...)

Before depositing me back on the floor (only physically, I assure you I was mentally flying the rest of the evening) He said, "You stick around here, you hear?" Homonyms! The inventor of the Devil's LOCK used homonyms on me :) Then he licked my face and signed my chest.

Did I ask him to sign my chest?? Of course not. Someone gave him a Sharpie and he went to town. He was flourishing that Y before I realized what had happened. Apparently when you are a Rock God you can do stuff like that. I however didn't know it was an option.

I left the above photo's persona on the dance floor, where it was coaxed out of me by a set of groupies yelling.  "STOP BEING CUTE! THE MISFIT'S EFFING LEAD SINGER JUST SIGNED YOUR DAMN CHEST! YOU GOT TO BE ON STAGE! BE SEXY AND LOOK LIKE YOU DESERVED IT!!!"... Groupies are mean... This was one of the previous and unapproved of photos in this Times Square shoot.

I will be back to blogging as this girl...^  again later this week.
For now I bask in my on stage-sex goddess persona.
Let's go play some effing tunes.

Off With Their Heads!!!

Whaaaat issss thisss?

(You're supposed to say that part like the chef in 'The Little Mermaid'.)

After a particular bad run of lameness at last year's Hell-o-ween in Manhattan I decided to return to my roots this year.

I believe three Halloween things to be self-evident:

1. Dressing up is mandatory
2. Store bought costumes are lame in a bag
3. Funny, Glamorous or Smart always beat Gorey, unless it's Edward

If you know anything about me you're well aware of my Alice in Wonderland obsession.I was drumming my fingers against the table in my studio a few weeks trying to conceptualize this year's Halloween get-up when my eyes caught the vase of white roses on my windowsill.
Mike private joke - Fed Exed them to me a week or so prior to this bought of sketchiness. The first thing out of my mouth as I broke the seal on the box was, "Off with their heads!" Duh. I whipped out this fashion sketch in about ten minutes.
I called my personal seamstress/buddy ol' pal Emily of the Balcon'.Before I knew it we were combing the Fashion District looking for checkers and scarlet reds.
Emily put together the final touches on the gown - her dress making genius is mind blowing. She added the idea of transparent sleeves from elbow to wrist. We did a final fitting on all Hallow's Eve.
I spliced and wove an exhausted set of playing cards to fashion the collar I'd sketched. This dress was design on the fly and while the collar wasn't going to stay up and was a tad overkill - the cards made the perfect crown atop my head - only queens get to use 'atop'. I wanted to make sure I used it for this one royal post. My hair and face were done up courtesy of the Duchess of Justice. She's my personal make-up artist these days. I have always known how important it is to have friends, but in the last few years I've been awoken to how important it is to have talented friends. Haha.
Once I'd been primped and primed I hit the streets of New York and a few Halloween parties of magic and wonder and glitter, always glitter. I actually met a Mad Hatter - we have a date on Thursday. I took pictures with four different little girls dressed like Alice and held some lady's poor tabby. He'd been painted with purple and pink stripes. The costume was a smash and the perfect end to this year's Rock-tober.
Plus it rekindled my Louis Carroll Illustration frenzy.
Here's to genius, mine and others.

Kid's Play

I knocked these out today on the playground at Carroll Park.

Around 2:45 today I found myself watching a herd of five year olds as they were trained in the art of tricking and treating.

Sharing was not high on the list of things that interested this particular set. I overheard a particularly poofed princess say "Ohhhhhhhh the orange and the white triangles are called trick or treats!!" they were using candy corn to practice. It was all kinds of adorable.

Luke Skywalker's father said "I don't care what your mama said, Fruit snacks is healthy, they're made with real fruit." I wanted to cling to a dying battle station and yell "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo" instead I tossed the kid a granola bar.


This last one was inspired by the ever prolific Katy Rich - Her girls don't take Halloween lightly.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

My Creative Space

It seems like this will be the year of 100 costumes. My coworkers and I are all going as sick-o versions of the eight-year-old I animate. I'm doing this one up goth. Tonight I've got a seventies costume party and a gig in SoHo. Tomorrow we pull out the stops.

So here I am, cozied up with an iron and a ream of freezer paper:

"There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin."
-Linus Van Pelt

Meet Ralph-O-Lantern.


April and I decorated this slammin' but shiny pumpkin this week. I would have loved to cut his face open with a sharp serrated blade but getting his top off was hard enough. Ralph is the picture of modesty. Also it would seem he's made of wood. I've never met a pumpkin so hard to crack. This man is an island.

Trick or Treat to see more great creative space at Kirsty's Space.

listening to right this second: "Ashes & Wine" -- A Fine Frenzy

Make It Creepy

Make it crawly!Ten days and counting!
I had plans to expand this line, but after white on black, black on white and candy corn Halloween were explored I twiddled my thumbs. Maybe it was going to be something I came back to at Christmas. The life of a licensing artist is never easy. Then, while visiting my favorite baking cutie at Bakerella.com

I stumbled upon her mega inspiring Trixed out Treats.
photo by Bakerella

Is there anything that girl can't do?
She made me realize spiders are meant to be neon.

Download the 8.5x11" design paper fo' free for all those spookly last minute craft projects.
It's available until the witching hour on the 31st!
Find it at: Amber Ink. Make it Creepy - Bright Green
Coupon Code - "creeps"

P.totheS. - Wouldn't this make the cutest cupcake papers?! That just hit me now. I was thinking paper plates. As always designs features at She Sure is Sketchy are available for awesomesauce licensing at http://www.amberalvarez.com/
listening to right this second: "You Can't Hurry Love " -- Phil Collins

Frankie Stein

Frank always was abnormally tall for his age.See this illustration in carefully restored to its original full color at Watercolor Wednesday

listening to right this second: "Crazy" -- Gnarls Barkley

Bats Yo

That's right. Bats.

Pumpkin Carving, Drawing and Roasting

Yes, in that order.

I'm spending tonight in perfect NYC haunting mode. I'll be vamping it up on the Upper East and Upper West side. We're starting the night off at St. John the Divine, screening the Phantom of the Opera - old school style with a live creepy and ancient organ to spook up the silent film. Then I'm heading to a party/dance for the rest of the evening on the other side of Manhattan. Happy Haunting!

I got together with about ten friends last Monday for an evening of carving bliss.

Here's Emmett, my new version of Jack:

Here's one of the pages of new illustrations he inspired:

Party on!
Also, if you're in the market for the best pumpkin seeds you've ever tasted, here's my favorite pumpkin treat. I took a keg load of these bad boys into "job job" where they met with rave reviews, which isn't necessarily something I'm used to receiving for baked veggie guts. I'm sure they're best paired with Pale Ale. SIGH -- Here's to another year of sobriety!

Here it goes:

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds of Yumminess

1.Gut your pumpkin.
2. Don't wash the seeds - not only is it bad luck, it takes away some of the yumminess.
3. Remove the strings and the pulp and as much gooeyness as you can manage.
4. Crank your oven to 250 degrees.
5. Put them in an even layer on parchment paper in as many baking pans as it takes to get the job done.
6. Sprinkle fresh cracked sea salt on them and then toss them in the oven. Stir them every once in a while
7. Go be fabulous while they bake (I like trying on different Halloween wigs while they're in the oven). Doing a Halloween like activity only enhances their yumminess.
8. Bake 20 - 40 minutes or until they're a pretty color.
9. In a big bowl mix together 3 Tablespoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon ground cardamom. Stir it all up.
10. Take your fresh baked pumpkin seeds from the oven and add them to 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan on the stove.
11.Heat them up mixing them in the oil as you add 2 Tablespoons of sugar. Stir them all up for a minute or two, until the sugar dissolves and they start to caramelize.
12. Take them off the stove and add them to the bowl of spices.
13. Stir them up good.
14. Marvel at their yumminess.