I finished up the applique process on my Arthouse quilt this week, hurray! I'm right on schedule, if not a little ahead. I predict I will have finished the entire run of DS9 by the time I am through (thank you Netflix, for keeping me sane during this project).

Stage two will be the embroidery stage, which as a cartoonist, I see as "inking" the quilt. Here is a quick photoshop mockup of the project BEFORE embroidery - all the pieces are put into place, now I need to add the lines:

Here is a detail of one of my favorite panels:

I'm also already thinking about the fall. For the first time, I am living East enough to be on the East Austin Studio Tour map - so I am thinking about applying for that. It would be fun to show folks the process and the studio. Not sure when the applications for that open up, will have to keep my eyes out for it.

I find I don't sketch as much as I would like to - only when I've got an idea for a project I need to document. But, as most artists will tell you, sketching regularly is pretty important, keeps your chops up and your brain thinking visually.

This is one of the reasons I like Draw Something. It's got me sketching every day! Thought I'd share some of my favorites I've done:

Work on the Arthouse quilt continues. More posts as work is finished.

Do you know what squids like? Most squids are huge fans of the long-running British series "Doctor Who".

Here is a painting I just wrapped up of the 4th Doctor, Tom Baker.

Acyrlic on canvas, 20" X 24".

This was a gift for a friend of mine for many belated birthdays and for letting me borrow his Wii for several years. I started it back in January, but had a lot of problems with the face part of the painting, so it actually looked like this for awhile during my frustration period:

Looks like something that might actually happen in the show.

Thankfully, after MANY studies and work, I had a break through, and realized HOW I needed to do this. Here's an in progress shot:

I plan on having prints made, the odd size does not easily reduce down to a standard size....so it's going to take me awhile to puzzle that out. I foresee it being a hot seller at Comic Cons, so I certainly will have prints available for the Wizard World con in November.

In OTHER project news....

Funding finally came through for my ARTHOUSE piece, work on the quilt will begin TODAY! HURRAY!

The cutters loved me at the fabric store.

AND I rescued two 6' X 3' canvas stretchers from certain destruction (thanks to my friend Uncle Staple aka Chris Nicholas):

(first time using my luggage rack, I was kinda proud of myself). This means I can do some REALLY grand scale work. I'm currently researching which type of canvas is best (rolled VS blanket) and collecting the materials needed to stretch a canvas. I already know WHO wants to be painted on these, though. I'll give you a hint 1) a LOVELY lady from Doctor Who and 2) A LOVELY lady from Game of Thrones.

Stay tuned! Lots of projects in progress and I am so excited to be working on them!

- Kristin

 

 

I am currently doing a project as a mentor with Arthouse. The program will culminate with a gallery show in August, featuring all the work of the mentor/mentee pairs. I've been working hard on getting everything together. The piece will be two parts: the same work presented in two mediums - a standard comic panel and a quilt.

Here is the work progressing:

Inking the comic page.

Finished inks, coloring borders.

Using projector to scale comic up at a scale of 4.5.

Completed scale up - pattern for quilt.

Gouache on comic page.

The show will take place August 4th at Arthouse on Congress. Stay tuned for more progress. I'm looking forward to shopping for fabric!

Hello all!

I've been working hard on bringing new sea creatures to life, as well as the old etsy store. You now have TWO shops to choose from, each featuring different creatures.

If ETSY is your style, check out our store at http://www.squidfriends.etsy.com.

If Big Cartel suits your fancy, check us out here: http://squidfriends.bigcartel.com.

Both store are open for business! I'm working on more cuttlefish, as they seem to be the most popular. There's all sorts of fun new fabric to work with!

If you celebrate a holiday this weekend, may it be filled with joy. And if you don't, hope your day is equally as pleasant.

If you like cowboys, giraffes or the Day of the Dead, my, my....you need to check out the new cephalopods over in the BIG CARTEL store!

Also, I rebranded the old Etsy store, so I've added a few squids over there. A cupcake cuttlefish, a black and white cuttlefish, a maroon brocade squid and a Day of the Dead squid.

Spread these links around, friends!

Taylor Hart here in Austin, Texas featured Squid Friends on her blog! Nice to see the squids swimming around other places on the internet.

After an exhausting holiday season, the squids and I have been on a bit of a vacation. But the time has come to get back to work. There are some new cuttlefish on ye ole' sewing machine. There's also a few fan art projects I want to start.

This year I am doing another mentorship with Arthouse. The mentorship will culminate in group show at Arthouse in August. I'll be combining my comic art and fiber art for the piece. I'm working with a 15 year old girl, guiding her through the steps of a comic so she will have a piece to show. I'm excited to get to work on the project.

Hello 2012!

A big thanks to the Blue Genie Art Bazaar for another fantastic show. The cuttlefish did very well, in fact, I've only got one left.

I've reopened some listings in the store, take a browse! I'll be adding a few more squids hopefully very soon. I'll also be working on some cuttlefish as soon as the eyes I ordered get in.

I am looking forward to a new year. I have a new creature I want to try. I am going to be researching more brick and mortar stores as well as new cons/shows. I want Squid Friends to be bigger and better than ever before.

Things are going really well over at the Blue Genie Art Bazaar! I just dropped off 8 new cuttlefish Friday night. If you haven't gotten a chance to check it out, you still have a week! The show is open 10-10 every day, show closes at 6pm on the 24th.

Here are a few of the very new cuttlefish:

Happy Holidays everyone. I have lots of things planned for 2012, so stay tuned!

Hello all,

The online store is starting to lose inventory to the Blue Genie Art Bazaar. IF you are still looking for a gift at this time, please feel free to email me at squidfriends@gmail.com and I can email you a picture of the stock over there. While I cannot guarantee I can get it to you before the holidays, I will certainly try.

Happy Holidays to everyone!