She Sure is {Life Drawing} Blushing Nudes

Hibiscus tea ink and graphite:

She Sure is {Vocal} Think Pink

The soap box I'm usually standing on here at She Sure is Sketchy is one that screams 'DRAW EVERY DAY' or "BE HAPPY - DO IT FOR YOUR ART". Today I want to show you something of a different color.

A few weeks ago I got a scathing email from a friend that went on and on about the commercialization of cancer, there was so much pontification on Pinkification that this letter needed three long and drawn out paragraphs. I read it thrice and slam dunked it into my little trash icon.

The thing is, I'm currently developing a line for a particular brand who's kind of in to the pink thing... It's been a long time coming and here's why I want to talk about it. When I began developing it, it was beyond sweet. Any of you here on a regular basis know that I like things cute, kind, cuddly. As I write this to you I'm decked out to the nines in girly girl clothes, and sitting twelve inches from a plush fuzzball inspired by a swooning pet store scene in the Harry Potter films. Here's the deal though, I put pencil to paper and I did a ton of work on this line, and then I thought of a friend I had in college

In the Summer of 2003 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. That year I watched her transition from someone cute and innocent to a blinding orb of fierce unbridled power. She shaved her head. She bought combat boots. She took to wearing short skirts and saying what she thought. She had the face of an angel, but I never knew it because I'd always been blinded by her mane of hair. She became the strongest version of herself, and when it was done, and her hair came back, she always rocked a curled pink ribbon.

Thoughts of her made me change the entire direction this line was going. It's brash and its bold and when it's done I'll be proud of it. So that's my 2cents.

You Say You Want a Revolution

Guess what??!!? 

 I finally remembered I am an illustrator. 

Sorry, loves -- It's been a while.

Tonight, my intern extraordinaire and I indulged in some good old fashioned life drawing, that's right -- Revolutionary War style. 

There was maybe not a horse. I don't quite recall.

 OK. Fine. There was no horse. However, how could anyone with any integrity waste this 'happened on an ottoman' pose on anything without reigns?? 

 

 

 

The Society of Illustrators provided the light, the glitter, the flocked feathers, the electric live music, the bar, and the gorgeous powder-wigged models who slowly but surely stripped from their 1775 finery down to their diamond pasties at the evening's end. 

However, I provided your total raging jealousy with the power of description.
(I assure you it was better than it sounds).

A New York Minute

I would like to keep a journal, but I don't. Instead I now bullet point my life in NYC dot by little dot. Here's this week on the grid.
Disclaimer/Warning this post contains mustaches and nudity (incidentally if you are uncomfortable with either you should scale back the blogs that you read by people who live in Brooklyn)

•  I took a day off from job-job (running out of these) to join my European Fam Bam at the Bronx Zoo! 

• I realized that when it comes to one of my most vain personal goals, a manicure is the difference between sex kitten stems and tiny  finger nail crescent nubs
• I subsequently returned to Amy at Court Street Nails for a manicure. Now I'm ready to shake hands and get biz done again
• I rediscovered this go-to of my youth
  <--------------------------------------
   I had to search high and low at multiple establishments before I found these. I thought it was for naught. Fifteen minutes in to the pore process I remembered how it used to be before I lived above a spa and became a NYC version of myself. I once loved this approach to clean skin. I loved it the way I once adored fifty cent tacos, Troll Doll earrings and Kriss Kross. The entire experience was very montage-y to me. To cap it off...
• I shed a lone tear for the time lost without this once true friend (also because tearing these things off hurt like a mother)
• I had two of my favorite friends over for a lovely gab session about long term goals. I'm going through a personal renaissance these days. It is wildly reassuring to have friends to share the things nearest and dearest to your heart
• I watched my very favorite cartoon {Phineas and Ferb} with a new friend (I'm trying to fill the gaping hole left by the Duchess' exodus J/K J/K) for just the right amount of time (read: hours).
•  I listened to a hell of a lot of Adele, and I'm not just saying that because it rhymes
• I started reading 'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett. 
• I subsequently and accidentally have started to slip into speaking like Aibileen. She is my favorite. 
• I done gone buy the greatest baby shower gift you ever saw. I can't tell you what 'cause baby mama done read my blog, but I can tell you where, one of my favorite NYC paper shops, and that is here: Papel
• I lost a pound and a half
• I was conned into going to see 'Friends with Benefits' with platonic but sneaky friend Mike. That movie is porn - If it were less porn-y and more story I would have liked it very much. As it was I am embarassed to admit that I liked it anyway.
• I supported a friend and attended a class on chastity. Pretty sweet weekend combo, eh?
• I was propositioned by the cutest cab driver I ever did see. He makes $1200 dollars a week and wanted me to know he could take care good-good of me. Somehow this was not at all creepy, just hilarious.
• I hung out with good friends until 4am in a backyard garden snuggled in Bed Stuy where brownies were noshed, plans were landscaped and guts were spilled. It was very Breakfast Club.
• I was a goddess in the kitchen and proved it at a tiny impromptu dinner party in a friend's kitchen only using the things he had on hand. My skills sported marinated pork chops and veggies roasted in a lemon/garlic rub.It was delicious. While the food was absolutely divine, it didn't quite compare with
• The steak and eggs I brunched on at Prime Meats
• I loved my standing acupuncture appointment more than most this week
• I laughed until I cried over a friend who snapped at me to chide 'eyes up here, Amber' when I became momentarily catatonic staring at his power tie
• I got very serious about scheduling everything down on my google calendar
• I also started using the Pomodoro technique. I'm going to blog about it next week for sho. So mark those google calendars
• I scheduled walks and outside time into my normal breakneck work schedule.
• On one such walk in my beloved Brooklyn I happened upon this:
  
• I promised a friend that she could have my new-to-me torn 9x10 autographed Burt Reynolds glossy
• I fretted and regretted that choice
• My roommate Kayleigh and I again discussed what the apartment wants when it comes to our lives that run parallel. Kind of spookly, kind of magical
• I took a plethora of late-late-late night phone calls
• I got overly frustrated by a bad cell connection with a witty friend who lives out in coyote town USA
•  I realized the bouquet of late-late-late night calls contribute to the things that keep me on a 4-5 hour a night sleep schedule. I'm ditching that ish. To prove it...
• I set this week's major goal which starts today and is this: I'm not taking phone calls after 11pm. My Hawaii/West coast connections are going to balk 
• I ate at Chipotle. This might not seem of note to you, but it was a beautiful experience, and I'd like to remember it.
• I recommitted to She Sure is Sketchy's regular posting schedule, didn't you love how breezy things were here in the month of June? I know you did. You said so.
• I sent personal snail mail x4
• I opened a new business bank account to save my dollars for my top secret.
• I managed to work myself all the way to the beginning of the last season of Ugly Betty on netflix streaming. Finishing the series is going to break my heart in two all over again
• I anticipated the breaking of my heart as caused by the all too near future end of Ugly Betty
• I solicited you for other great series I need to watch... tell me in the comments.

That's my week, the long and the short of it. I liked it. 
What did you do this week that you L-O-V-E-D?

Girls! Girls! Girls!

"Friday night and I need a fight
My motorcycle markers, watercolors and a switchblade knife
Handful of grease pencils in my hair feels right"
--motley crew and me

This was my eleventh year sitting court side at Pratt's Annual Draw-A-Thon.
Friday night found me sprinting through Clinton Hill towards Pratt, my fortress of solitude. At this point in my life 12 hours of straight life drawing is about as exciting as Christmas.

Sandra and I have this all-nighter down to a science at this point. Even though it was a "Friday Friday" there was none of this "which seat should I take" crap. We stake. We know the best angles, and the best way to accommodate a night of sitting, standing, aching, breaking. We come like we mean business. We openly resent anyone with less noble intentions, kid with the cowardly lion hair cut, you know I am talking to you. Here are my favorites on white paper.
They're all 30sec-2 minute sketches in Tomboy marker.

This one wouldn't have been a favorite. There's a lot of ish going on in spots, but look at that hand and look at those legs. Yep. Nailed it.

Any of the fun and long drawn out forms happened between 4 and 6 am. They all made my favorites cut. Apparently, when the exhaustion sets in and the giggles kick off I go all Giacometti-- in a sexy way.

After looking at 12 hours worth of 30second to 5 minute drawings, this is my favorite:

I like this one because this girl actually started to fall this pose was so unweighted. I think the drawing captures her off center.

I'll show you some on Kraft later in the week.
I drew some guys too, but you should know now, none of the boys made the cut. You know how I feel about drawing the naked male form.