i kid not

If it isn't Nutella calling my name, it's a BLT with a side of Tang...

that nutty nutella

I can say with some certainty that this is one of the most random [at at the same time hilarious] emails I've received in some time :

SUBJECT : This made me think of you!

"Hey Suzanne! Hope everything is going well for you!  I happened across this scene in a bathroom today and couldn't resist sharing it with you!"

They say Nutella goes with EVERYTHING.  What they DON'T say is that Nutella should go EVERYWHERE...especially a public restroom.  

Nevertheless, thanks for thinking of me Chey!

let there be light

Thanks for checking in. I'm sorry for the lack of posts. Contrary to popular belief, I haven't lost the battle to Nutella; I'm just running a little low on energy...as is the rest of my household. I look forward to being back up [and drawing] soon.

hazelnut update

I'm not lying about Nutella calling my name. Check out comment #8 under this post.

need i say more?

I will. I will.

do you ever have this thought?

And don't worry, if we've hung out lately...this isn't about you! It's about me :)

monday's mantra

Here's my healthy mantra for the day. What's yours?

studying scale at starbucks and salsaritas

Last week I asked my first year students to sketch 5 interior environments with people.  The results of the exercise were mixed, with many focusing more on individual portraits and less on the space.  The reason for the assignment is to understand the importance people play in making spaces active and the sense of scale they provide to a drawing.  To better explain this in coming weeks, I set out to complete the assignment for myself via stops at Starbucks and Salsaritas.

form over function

I'm loving the look of the Night and Day Convertible Sofa by Urban Outfitters.  It's clean lines are perrrrfect.  Unfortunately, the reviews aren't quite as stellar.  

Dear Mr. Manufacturer...why, oh why, do you tease us this way?

one of these days i will draw again

But in the meantime, I hope you'll be content with some inspiration via my office. I feel very lucky to not only love what I do for a living, but also the spot within which I get to do it.  Truly a good place to come to work.

: alien computer, looks cute, crashes on command :

: beauty school photo = great conversation starter.  and no, i'm not pictured in it :

: display prototype for The Salvation Army Select...which I need to tell you about... :

: creativity, writing, drawing...and a gift in the corner from a student :

: a portal created by students, inspired by the great wall of china :

: in case you didn't know, i'm a collector :)...read more about the 'stuff' here :

: a bit of the portal puddles here [never anticipated typing that statement] :

: edgar's city of wonder and happiness : 

Thanks for sharing in my world.  Hope one day you'll stop by during office hours.

putting one foot in front of the other

Please forgive the lack of activity around here this week...I've been a little under the weather. So much so that I'm pulling out this drawing from the beginning of the semester. The gladiator sandals have since been traded in for galoshes...which, I might add, are much, much easier to draw.

touched

This is all I've been able to think about for the last three days. All I've thought about.

photo by Stephanie Nielson

With this comes heightened resolve to :
: nurture relationships with those I care for and who care for me :

: live in the moment, finding beauty in small things :
: focus energy on doing what I love and what has meaning :

If you do nothing else today, please watch this video.

i'll take the color combo please

Remember this?

Well I think you'll agree that the bathroom of our school's library was ahead of its time as heather gray and yellow are popping up EVERYWHERE this season. Denise sent me a link to this blog post with a collection of other 'current' yellow and gray bathrooms. I particularly love this one from Southern Living:

more intense concentration!

This time in a sea of black and white. Isn't it wonderful?

Many thanks to Mithi, whose work at the London Met inspired this intensive pattern making experience.

up for debate

Perhaps it goes back to hours I spent as an undergraduate in a printmaking studio, but I really enjoy 'offsetting' illustrations when rendering them in photoshop. Like with my good friend, Blind Contour (have you met?), I find the resulting 'imperfections' beautiful. But, I wonder if it is the same for you... Which leads me to the question : What rendering style resonates the most with you?

Option A : in the lines (above)?
Option B : outside the lines [offset] (below)?
Option C : doesn't make a hill of beans difference...quit your rambling Suzanne!

switching subjects

We're currently on the look-out for one, perhaps two, large pendant fixtures for our living room. And, of course, like any good mid-century enthusiast, we LOVE George Nelson's Saucer Bubble Pendant. But we'd also like to step out of the box [and back into our price range] a little.

I ADORE David Trubridge's Floral Hanging Lamp, [have you seen the light patterns created from this beauty? GORGEOUS!!!]. Unfortunately, Edgar is not a fan of exposed light bulbs...

which also knocks out Moooi's Random Pendant...rats.

So, any suggestions? We're open to all shapes, just not all sizes (the bigger the better). We're also particularly interested in supporting up and coming designers...

Update : check out these nifty suggestions via nifty readers...

Jax suggested the Sustainable Chandelier by Julianne's Atelier. Made from plastic cups. Wowzer!

And then another suggestion of the Ikea PS Maskros. I love it via the internet, but I'm curious about how it looks in person. Have you seen it?

Keep 'em coming!

in the trenches

This is what intense concentration looks like.

As a teacher, I live for intense concentration! ...and active listening. I LOOOOOVE active listening. I wonder if it's unrealistic to expect both?!? A girl can dream.

P.S. Please accept this sincere thank you for your many lovely comments as of late. Unfortunately, I haven't been the best about following up with each of you individually as I should, but I want to let you know your words brighten my day.

camera collection : take one

The first in a little series I've been working on since...oh, July.  My favorite illustrations are all of either cameras or typewriters.  I've decided it's time I try my hand out at both.  I'm thinking about 10 of these little jewels, repeated, could make a pretty nifty wallpaper pattern...  Let's see if I can get there.

let's face it, I have a chair addiction

As I mentioned last week, I've been reluctant to show you photos of the new place as we've yet to really get started getting started settling in. However, I'm going to make an exception for one reason and one reason only.



I'm so SO SO SOOOOO excited about the three molded plywood chairs I picked up this past weekend at the Liberty Antiques Festival that I simply can't keep them to myself. Gorgeous. Designed by George Mulhauser (who, I learned via a little internet research, is also thought to have played a large role in the creation of the Coconut Chair), the three chairs are perfect for the three of us in the little breakfast nook-to-be of our kitchen.

What's not so perfect? The bright red walls and black and white tile floor they're surrounded by. I get a headache from the contrast every time I cook...or wait, is that just the cooking?!?

mondays are better with coffee

or so I've heard...it's not really my thing.
Whatever your drink of choice, here's hoping your Monday is off to a caffeinated start!

out of the mouth of my husband

Introducing a new blog installment : Emails from Edgar, in which my significant other constantly solidifies his conviction that I'm part bobble-head.

Ahem...'If you and Chuck Norris were to get married, you'd probably look like this."

image via a goooorgeous wedding at Design Sponge : dolls by goosegrease : thanks for the links Grace Anna!

Who does this?!?!  

See my other look-a-likes courtesy of my dear husband (NOT Chuck Norris) here, as well as a custom portrait here.

pad in progress

I've received sweet notes from a few of you asking when I'm going to show some photos of our new pad.  I would love to...and will...but right now home improvements are progressing at a snails pace (translation : we still have not one frame on a wall).  What I do have, however, are these little doodles in which I've daydreamed about things coming together.  As you can see, my dreams involve parties, with lots of odd-looking figures in dark suits.

working backwards

Recently, I had my students to complete a self-reflection in which I asked 'what is one skill you would like to walk away from the semester with?'  One of the best answers I received was 'to draw like Candice Olson of Divine Design'.  Wow...me too!  Of the many designers making a career on television, Candice stands out in her ability to represent design ideas on paper through incredible hand renderings.  This, in my opinion, makes her the real deal.

Below is a demonstration I gave students, based off a drawing method featured at the end of Divine Design, where a space is rendered from a photograph.   In the assignment that grew from this demo, I encouraged students to draw one space several times, experimenting with color combinations to see what works and what does not.

:::::one:::::

For this exercise, we'll work backwards.  I'm beginning with an image from a magazine, but you can work from a photo or digital model of any space you would like to see 'updated'.

:::::two:::::

The first step is easy.  Place a sheet of translucent paper over your image and trace what you see.  Don't worry about having rigidly straight lines.  Exactness is not the goal, but rather expression.  You'll notice, especially around the painting hanging on the wall, my lines extend beyond the boundaries of what I'm tracing.  This aids in the crispness of the drawing.  Feel free to change elements of the room at this point.  There is no reason you can't make your own design decisions.  Go ahead, add some tchotchkes!

:::::three:::::

Once finished with this step, I add some thicker lines using a wider tipped pen.  I choose to add these thicker lines to surfaces and edges where I assume shadows will be.  I've identified these areas based on the assumption that light is coming in through the window.  However, this is where a photo reference can help.

:::::four:::::

I then begin applying color with a Chartpak AD marker.  I work quickly as the marker dries fast on the trace paper.  It also helps maintain the loose look I'm working towards.  

:::::five:::::

Say what?!?  As this drawing was serving as a color study in my interior design class I'm bold with the color, attempting it to use combinations in unexpected [and often unsatisfactory] ways.  But why not?  It's just a drawing...

:::::six:::::

I like to embrace the process that goes along with this type of drawing.  As a result, I test out the markers along the side of the rendering, with the intention to leave these trials in my finished presentation.  I also joke with students about my unruly hand which can't help but leave marks all around the outside of the image.

:::::seven:::::

With the base colors down, it is time to add some shadow.  Because of the nature of the paper and markers, if I were to try to add shadows on the front of the paper, the strokes would become diluted.  Instead, I flip the paper over, adding dark areas to the backside which while shine through to the front.

:::::eight:::::

The result is a loose and quick vignette.  This one took about 15 minutes from start to finish.  A great way to present ideas in a hurry, this drawings can be further enhanced (and toned down a notch...or two) in Photoshop.

Find this helpful?  If so, please share the link with you friends!

See a past, tighter marker tutorial here.

keyless entry

I wish I could claim to 'have it all together'...but as hard as I try, I simply don't.  Take today, I remembered my office keys (which I normally forget) and forgot my phone at home instead.  And since I've recently 'gone digital'...forgetting my phone also means forgetting my calendar.  Oh, for goodness sakes...

i've said it before

...and I'll say it again. Rainy days make wish I was a dog...

...at home
...curled up
...with no place to go.

in summary

i dig wonkiness

Which is fortunate, as my sketchbook is filled with it.

the wheels on the bike go round and round

If you feel a sense of déjà vu, it's for a reason. We've been here before. I think this proves that a bicycle can provide a variety of workouts.

across the tracks

This is the view from the 3rd floor of the building I work in. I've wanted to draw this scene, with all it's complications, for a while now and finally had the opportunity. Do you see my little car? This is the spot from which I drew yesterday's post. It's all coming together...before long you can park for me!

backward and forward

In retrospect, I'm not sure how 'super' this parking spot really is.  A couple of days after completing this sketch, I parked in a neighboring space, only to have someone hit my car and run... Whaaaawhaaaa.

its me, margaret

Helloooooooo! Are you still out there????

Thank you so much for your patience over the last couple of weeks. I'm happy to report that we've officially moved in: though I still can't find the cord that connects the scanner to the computer or the shower curtain for the guest bath or...you get the idea. I guess a more accurate description of our current status is that everything is under the roof, but where under the roof is up for question.

Regardless, we are SO happy and looking forward to a long weekend of house work. Did I just say that?

But, for today, since I'm sans-scanner, I thought I'd post a few things that are hanging out on my desktop waiting to go in their proper folders. Let me assure you, there is no rhyme or reason to this ensemble:

: a family tree for a friend's grandparents' 50th anniversary :

: wedding snacks : photo by Jen Yuson :

: leftover signage from the virtual open house :

: an unfinished family portrait with the working title 'if we were muppets' :

: and once again, that funny picture of me banging my head against the table :

So random...and so much more of it to come...

august and everything after

A little update...just in case you were wondering.


Inspired by the incredibly fun Arty Velarde (who I might add, also inspired me to sketch more regularly in the first place!)

on the move again

I'll be taking a little break from blogging the next couple of weeks as we move to our new home and classes resume. Look for things to kick back into gear here following Labor Day. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer! As always, thanks for visiting!

hola!

Thanks for staying tuned! Here's a glimpse of where I've been hiding..

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico...or Paradise, if you prefer.


How is this for a view?

We stayed at the Riu Palace, a resort which overlooks the southernmost point of the Baja Peninsula. It was pretty incredible...

as was the time spent drawing at the pool.

The only bad part of this vacation was leaving...

and trying to get back in the swing of things today.

sweet!

Taking a little anniversary vacay! Be back soon...