Figure study-Too erotic?

Figure study
Originally uploaded by jr_goddesstlj

My husband thinks that this model's pose is too erotic. So...I'm not going to work on it anymore.

What do you think? Is this too much?

Bulbs painting

Bulbs painting
Originally uploaded by jr_goddesstlj

I'm trying to improve my painting skills. This is the second painting that I've produced in 24 hours. I guess I'm getting a little better at painting...but I still have such a long way to go. I also have to create a portfolio of my paintings in the next two weeks. Wish me luck!

I'm on Indiepublic!

Artists:Join!! Others: Come join in on the fun!

Life Drawing-seated nude

Life Drawing-seated nude
Originally uploaded by jr_goddesstlj

One of the better drawings I did in class...That prick still gave me a C-.

Study of Mayoree

Study of Mayoree
Originally uploaded by jr_goddesstlj

A study of my daughter, done in my new moleskine. I want to draw this in an 11 x 14 format.

10 Things To-Do in 2009

1.)Create more artwork. It doesn't have to be for sale, but in order to improve I MUST WORK.

2.)Turn a profit from my jewelry business and art business.

3.)Learn more about "the biz."

4.)Learn to be more patient and LESS judgemental.

5.)Set more realistic goals for myself.

6.)Become better at time management.

7.)Take better care of myself, and remember to take my meds.

8.)Shut down the computer, and work instead of looking at other peoples' work.

9.)Accept the fact that my Blackberry can NOT do everything for me...Even though it does ALOT.

10.)Network and market my businesses BETTER: Reach my target market.

Zippo Drawing

Illustration of my zippo lighter and a cigarette. Drawn in my moleskine using watercolor washes, Pigma brush pen, and Millenium zig pens (blue and black).

A White Christmas

I totally am not in the Christmas spirit right now. First of all, I've only had a total of 7 hours of sleep in the past 3 days. Second, it's been snowing since about 10 am, and HAS NOT STOPPED.
Oh, wait. It did stop...to sleet. Then it started snowing again. Third, the medicine that I'm taking for my UC makes me feel weird.

WARNING: Long-term use of this medication increases the risk of developing neoplasias (cancerous or noncancerous growths). Azathioprine can also cause blood disorders (e.g., leukopenia). Immediately notify your doctor if you develop unusual growths, easy bruising or bleeding, or signs of infection such as persistent sore throat or fever.

USES: Azathioprine is used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs and for cases of severe arthritis that do not respond to other therapies.

OTHER USES: This medication may also be used to treat ulcerative colitis and for other purposes as determined by your doctor.

HOW TO USE: Azathioprine tablets should be taken with food or milk to prevent stomach upset. Take this medication exactly as prescribed. Do not stop taking the medication without your doctor's approval.

SIDE EFFECTS: Nausea/vomiting, loss of appetite or diarrhea may occur. If these effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor promptly. Unlikely but report promptly: hair loss, unusual fatigue, stomach pain, joint or muscle pain, vision changes. Very unlikely but report promptly: yellowing of eyes or skin, darkened urine, unusual bleeding or bruising, unusual lumps or growths. In the unlikely event you have an allergic reaction to this drug, seek medical attention immediately. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include: rash, itching, swelling, dizziness, trouble breathing. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

YIKES!!

I need to call my doctor and ask her if it's supposed to make me feel this way. The meds are turning my urine an unpleasant shade of yellow...


My daughter is super excited about Christmas. She keeps telling us that Santa is going to bring her all types of toys. We put the christmas tree up tonight when I got home from work.

Mayoree and my husband did most of the work. They did a pretty good job. Now she's happy.

The best part about today was the little doodle that I finished at work. It's called "Evil Eye". I don't know what the hell to do with it, but at least I'm producing work.

Back to the drawing board...err, pad

I stayed up really late last night trying to come up with ideas for my artwork, and what to do with said art. How I could/would sell it, blah, blah blah. I want to be able to make prints and greeting cards. Maybe stationary sets...But it all seems so expensive. It takes money to make money. I would have to invest even MORE money into my business, and then wait to turn a profit. I still haven't made a profit from my jewelry business!! How could I start making art prints? How do people afford this stuff without going into debt?

Meltdown....

Ok, I'm back. This is the ATC/ACEO that I came up with. I'm neutral about it.

So, then I worked 8 hours at that hell hole that I call a job. Now I am completely exhausted and tapped of all creative juices. But I did get one of my orders shipped out. Yay. Now, I just have one other package to deliver.

Marie Antoinette ACEO

The second attempt at a decent Marie Antoinette portrait. I'm happy with this one. It's not perfect, but it's something.

During this snowy weekend I've had time to think about what I wanted to do: with my business and with my future. Becoming an artist is what I always wanted to do. I just never understood how I could make that dream a reality. Well, I've gotten older, and now I understand what I have to do. In order to become a professional artist I have to really work on the craft. I thought that by working towards my BFA the course work would help me...but that's just a small part of what I need to do. If I want to be an artist I have to work at it everyday. Period.

So, here I go.

Voices

This is my interpretation of the theme "Voices" from Illustration Friday. I'm not sure if I'm happy with it, but whatever. The theme did inspire me.

Some new art

Well, I've been busy busy busy since I finished this semester (a 3.5 GPA!!). I've been making lots of little ACEOs to amuse myself and keep my sanity.


"Marie". I used a painting of Marie Antoinette, and illustrated it. This one was lots of fun to make. Pen, ink, markers, watercolor. On watercolor paper.



I made this one today. You can tell I was bored. What can I say?! I was snowed in...





This is "The Empress". It's part of my tarot series. This is the first card of the major Arcana that I've done. I hope to do my own set, but I can't imagine how long that would take.

A Moment On The Lips necklace

A Moment On The Lips necklace
Originally uploaded by jr_goddesstlj

Currently for sale in my etsy shop. This pretzel charm is such a cutie. I wish I could eat it!

Chocolate cake pin

Chocolate cake pin
Originally uploaded by jr_goddesstlj

For sale in my etsy shop. I made this pin using polyer clay. It's still one of my favorites.

This pin/brooch makes a whimsical addition to your favorite peacoat. And the price is great, too!

Homer's Delight necklace

Homer's Delight necklace
Originally uploaded by jr_goddesstlj

This item is currently for sale in my etsy shop. It is a polymer clay charm. So cute and (looks) delicious!

The Past Few Months

I've been crazy busy for the past few months, but with my wedding done, and my finals completed (as of yesterday), I can finally do what I want to do.

Back in August I decided that I wanted to finish my fine arts degree. I was really excited about it, but now I see why I got so discouraged the first time around: the teachers. What is it about teaching art that makes these teachers such jerks? My Life Drawing professor was constantly tearing me down this past semester, and I still don't understand why. He even selected some of my work to hang in the school's gallery. Why did he pick on me so much? I understand that I am but a lowly mortal, and he is an art god (scoff). Anyway, I have the same teacher for Painting 2, and I'm not happy about. This time, I will make war with him.

About a month ago I started creating polymer clay jewelry, and it's a lot of fun! Pictures coming soon!

Frustrations

First, let me start with a list of things that I'm grateful for.

1)My part-time job. (This is how I'm funding my business). Also, it helps me remember why I would rather work for myself, but I won't go into that ;)

2)A family that supports my dream of being a professional artist.

3)My best friend for giving me the idea to start my own business.

4)Etsy and my Etsy friends for constantly encouraging me to continue (even when times are rough).

That's all I can think of right now.

I've been really discouraged by this new painting that I'm working on. It looked so good earlier, but now I have to start all over again. I won't complain too much because painting helped me relieve my frustration. I also realized how much better I am at painting! I was looking over my old paintings recently, and I asked myself "Why did I stop?" So, I decided to start again. Conclusion: Art is GOOD! It's therapeutic for me. This is one of my old paintings. I'm still pretty proud of it.



Last night I found a really cool artist on Etsy. You should check out his stuff. I have my eyes set on his ACEO's.

I also like his "Place Title Here" series.

Also, there is a shop on Etsy called Sagittarius Gallery. She paints with her palette knife, and her paintings are incredible. The colors are bright and pure. Visit her shop! Be sure to look at her profile to view her resume.


She's an inspiration to me.

About a month ago there was a discussion on etsy about how many people are actually making a living. The former CEO of Etsy, Rob Kalin, says that

"There are 200,000 sellers making their livings from Etsy,"

in this article.. Who are these people? Where can I meet them!? Of course his figure caused a lot of controversy on etsy. Go here to read the heated discussion.

Last, but not least, there is the matter of how much money I've made from my business. I've made 2 sales for a total of 24 dollars. I've been in business for about 3 months. SOOOO, that means I'm only making about .26 cents/day. That's pathetic! Why do I even bother?

New in my Etsy Shop

This update is long overdue, but here it is!

I started creating ACEO's and ATC's last week. It's very fun, and addictive. These two are from a series of 25 that I call "The JrGoddess Series".

JrGoddess. #1 of 25



JrGoddess with Glasses. #2 of 25





I've got more on the way, so be sure to check in.

I made some jewelry, too.

Cupids' Arrow bracelet. Brass wire with rose quartz stones


Nova Earrings. Glass beads, freshwater pearls and sterling silver earwires



Super Nova Earrings. Glass beads, freshwater pearls and 14k gold filled earwires.



Also, I finally made my second sale! I sold the gypsy woman earring again. I'm really happy about that.

Meme about me, and other things

I found this meme here, and decided to try it out.


1. Breakfast At Tiffany's, 2. great sushi lunch!, 3. Playing field, 4. Purple fingers, 5. Christian Bale, 6. Starbuckskeh, 7. Shibuya Crossing at Night, 8. coffee and chocolate mousse cake, 9. Eden Park Artist, 10. Making money, 11. A Peculiar Sort of Thing, 12. Mayoree, the Sleeping JrGoddess

The instructions to create the mosaic are:Type your answers to each of the questions below into Flickr Search .Using only the first page, pick an image.Copy and paste each of the URLs into the mosaic maker.
Questions:
What is your first name?
What is your favorite food?
What high school did you go to?
What is your favorite color?
Who is your celebrity crush?
Favorite drink?
Dream vacation?
Favorite dessert?
What do you want to be when you grow up?
What do you love most in life?
One word to describe you.
Your Flickr name.

My First Wire Wrapped Pendant

I'm so proud of myself! I finally made a wire wrapped pendant that didn't look hideous.


I wrapped the bail wrong, but I did figure out why it's wrong. It doesn't look too bad. I'm going to do a few more to make sure that I really understand what I'm doing now. Then, I'll do more experiments. I never knew that wire wrapping could be so frustrating. Thankfully, this pendant makes it all worth my time.

I wish that I knew what the stone is. I bought that stone years ago, and even then I didn't know what it was. I got it in a mixed bag of stones. If someone knows what the stone is please tell me! I would really appreciate it:)

No new success but plenty of failures

I've been working on new designs like crazy, but none of them turn out well. I've been experimenting with different wire wrapping techniques, and I just can't do it! Everything that I make turns out crappy or stupid looking. You would think that after two weeks of experimenting I'd have figured something out. Nope. Just crap.

For example, here's a picture of a wire wrapped ring I made last Saturday. It looks OK, but not something that I would sale.
Keeping it for myself.
I think that I could try the design one more time, but make some improvements on the design. Next time, I'll plan the wrapping first, and then execute the design. I usually jump in without thinking about what I'm doing.

I made another ring as well. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. It has an earthy, and organic look to it. Me and my boyfriend call it the 'borg' ring. It just looks kind of sci-fi, cyberpunk/steampunk.
I just don't know how to feel about it.


Last, there are these pearl and jade hoop earrings I made. I love them, but no one else does. I think they're so cute. I'm just going to keep them for myself.
I like the gold, white and purple together.

Cute, on me!


So, here's my list of failures. Feel free to share your own stories about failure. How did you finally get over it? I would love to hear them and get your advice!

"Twilight" is finally coming out!

I feel like such a kid, but I love this series! I can't believe that it comes out on December 12th. I'm going to force my boyfriend to come with me to the movies. We'll probably be surrounded by a sea of teenage girls, but I don't care. The actor casted for the role of Edward is HOT!



If you are a fan of the series you will love the jewelry that's inspired by it.



I'm off to read "New Moon"! I'm so glad that the new book comes out on Saturday. I'll have week to read the whole series.

Old Sketches

Lately, I've wanted to get back into drawing. Then I doubted myself. I asked, "Why should I start again? I wasn't good at it." I've started to reconsider that point...When I was attending art college I had one idea drilled into my head: You have to draw this way, or it isn't good. Now that I've grown older I see that art should be different, and not just following the current trend. Anyway, enjoy my trip back down memory lane :)

A page from my journal. I remember being so excited when I got my tongue pierced (I was 19). I couldn't keep my tongue in my mouth. Now, I've gotten over it. Pen, ink, graphite and watercolors.


I love cherries. Painted using acrylics.


Random girl portrait with watercolors. This is a page from an old journal.


Gourd sketch with color study.


A sketch of a glass bottle.

Journal Obsession

I am addicted to journals. I've been collecting journals of all types for the past 14 years. I don't like using spiral bound notebooks, but I have bought a few. My weak spot is bound journals. I would love to be able to buy just one from Kreativlink.

Dinner Rings To Turn Heads

Love this shop. Her designs are some of the more original creations that I've seen. Click the link to see all of her jewelry, and feel free to buy anything that you like. My favorite is the Sea Gypsy Dinner Ring.

Envious of her skills

Moleskine July 22 2008
Originally uploaded by Jennifer Mullin

Please go and check out her work. She's an extremely talented artist. I found her work, and I've been in love with it since then. Her art can be purchased here.

BehaveLittles makes a Condom Holder for Ladies!

I stumbled across this shop on etsy. All I can say is "I wish I had thought of it." Now, a woman doesn't have to feel embarrased about carrying condoms around; they can be concealed in those little carrying cases! The prices are about 3.50 apiece, so get one while you can.

"A Break in Flight" necklace

A Break in Flight
Originally uploaded by jr_goddesstlj

This little butterfly decided to rest it's wings amongst the flowers...

When I made this necklace my goal was to create something that would be perfect a woman's summer wardrobe. Here it is.

This necklace is my newest creation, and can be found on www.etsy.com, as always.

The chains are silver plated, and so is the toggle clasp. The beads are frosted glass flowers. So cute! The length of this necklace is 20 inches (minus the toggle clasp) and the pendant measures 1 1/4 in x 1 1/2 ( at the widest point).

My Sith Apprentice

My Sith Apprentice
Originally uploaded by jr_goddesstlj

Her father has her addicted to "Star Wars" and other geeky stuff. There goes her popularity.

The upside is that she'll be able to annihilate her bullies. They shall join her or die!

Indecision the necklace

Indecision the necklace
Originally uploaded by jr_goddesstlj

My latest creation. I love this necklace to death. I'm surprise that no one has bought it yet. Not a big deal. I may decide to keep this one for myself!

Love for a Local Artist: stOOpidgErL-Pretty Delicious

Pretty Delicious
Originally uploaded by stOOpidgErL

Her jewelry has been making me jealous ever since I joined Etsy. You should really check out her jewelry and artwork @ here.

I am inspired whenever I see her work.

ufo?

ufo?
Originally uploaded by mystiqueisland

A very talented photographer. Apparently aliens came to enjoy the carnival and left before sunset.

LOL.

Still a very nice photo. It makes me want to go to a carnival. These kinds of pics always make me nostalgic...