Quasar

Tooth and Relevance

2011-11-20T15:31:00.000-08:00

So- today I got to cracking again with Sam Shepard's Tooth of Crime and just trying to work all the kinks out as it goes in conjunction with The Bacchae. Tooth is not the easiest to understand; the jargon Sam uses in this post-apocalyptic musical alternative reality where Rock Stars declare "turf" and battle each other with song is rather in tune with or akin to the patter that Joss Whedon used in Firefly- kind of back-alley gangs slang if you get my drift. So a few re-readings go a long way, to understand what's both being said and left UNsaid and what is being alluded to. I've read numerous articles on Tooth and tried to decipher the musical reality in order to create the visual one.

One thing I read that I kind of disagree with is that, when it came out, everyone said Tooth of Crime was a show "about fame" and how it destroys the famous and causes them to become deluded. I highly disagree. To ME, Tooth cannot be about anything but RELEVANCE and becoming irrelevant in society as art forms grow, change and morph to fit the needs of the society they are in. As I cross towards my 26th birthday and find that I have more in common with other people my age or older, I find myself greeting new demons of questioning the relevance of myself as an artist and storyteller, and identifying that fear in Hoss. I also find myself recognizing the face of the younger generation in Crow, but also realizing that Hoss and Crow are constructs towards a greater truth.

I read this article about the dying art of film yesterday and it really fed into this aforementioned reflection. Though I agree that the way this author talks makes it sound as if the film industry is in far more dire circumstances than reality would have you believe, I do mourn the passing of the "old" way of doing things in the arts. I don't think it's just nostalgia- the old things WERE better. They were thought about with more depth and worked out through hours of labored imagining, uninterrupted by a multitude of technological distractions and the laborer without a sense of urgent ADHD that prevails throughout most of society nowadays.

Yup. So why is it that we don't want to preserve the "better" old ways of doing things? One cannot argue that the "blues" of the Hoss generation technically trumps the "Crows" of todays' musicians who pick and scavenge the cords of musicians past in order to pick their bones clean. One cannot argue that "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" is a better film than "G-Farce" (the hamster movie in 3D). Why don't we want things to be "better"?

Maybe we're all too distracted. Great art comes from allowing oneself to be "bored" and listen to the muses. You really can't hear the muses over text-messaging.

Just a thought... Until next time...

<3 J

The Fifth Re-purpose

2011-11-18T17:24:00.000-08:00

And I will keep re-purposing this blog until it contains a theme and a title that makes me consistently want to write. As of right now, it does.

I kept thinking about This Article yesterday and the implications of the right brain understanding something that it can't reveal through the left brain.

Then I started thinking about TM and non-traditional (but are there really any traditional?) methods of locating creative inspiration and utilizing it to its' full potential.

The heart of the matter is that I think a lot like Lynch and tend to "get" his stuff. His stuff being the stuff you're not supposed to get. So I'm wondering- how can that be? And to attempt to communicate this understanding completely fails- playing into the "competing voices" in the brain.

It is possible that the right brain's understanding can be called "subconscious" understanding and I have studied under those who aim to make their subconscious understanding their primary means of existing and using information. However, when one has to communicate using only subconscious understanding, there of course will be failure of communication, since the right brain is not intended towards communication.

But my theory is that because I've heard the compositions of Angelo Badalamenti since I was VERY young, that I somehow subconsciously "understood" the way that Lynch tells stories. When I go to try to create or communicate using my own story-telling capabilities, I use my subconscious more than most and end up making decisions I do not consciously understand. However, they will, as Lynch puts it, knock one "out of your seat" with their "rightness" as far as decision-making goes. To put it into better understanding, for example; I was designing "Antigone" and I didn't need to "think" in the typical sense of rationalizing visual information towards something that would communicate to an audience. I saw a picture of a cliff and I said "YES" and it knocked me out of my seat. I said yes to a few other things as well, and put them into a composition and it almost made me cry. Whenever I show someone the image of this design, I get extremely polarized, powerful responses- 85% of them completely positive.

That is the "rightness" that cannot be understood to communicate it through the left side of the brain.

Back to TM or Transcendental Meditation, which Lynch is of course a big support of (to put it lightly). Lynch has a talent for making subconscious choices that cannot, using left-sided reasoning- create any semblance of a linear storytelling or meaning, but seem "right" to the viewer. I believe that practicing TM can help the creative individual experience this feeling of subconscious "rightness" in their creativity- consistently! And aim to make a study and practice of said meditation for my own goals as a designer (AND moreso, as a person).

My goal is to perpetually fall out of my seat.

Alice of the Magic World

2011-10-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

www.jetsetta.com/travel/alice-of-magic-world-tokyo

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1RUipx/jetsetta.com/travel/alice-of-magic-world-tokyo/

Propping- Not Being in Charge

2011-10-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

So hey there bloggers! (if anyone reads this). I was thinking it might do some good to say what I've been up to here at Two River. It's been a very valuable learning experience so far, and I expect it to continue.

One of the hardest things for me to do when I first came here was to take a step back and not always have to be running everything. After being in the designer seat for so long, I functioned automatically with the knowledge that instant decisions were expected of me and that if I didn't know the answer, I had to create one on the spot. Whatever I didn't know at the moment would have to be something I learned quickly.

Coming here and finally being the Assistant- where I'm not EXPECTED to be the final word on anything- was quite a shock to the system. I still have to hold myself back quite a bit to keep from being overzealous. I know it's not ideal, but I respect the people I work for too much to want to make them feel like I'm running them over. Not that I don't give my opinion or change into a leadership role when needed- I'm ALWAYS fighting myself to try to not take over. But opinions do come out every which way and 9 out of 10 times they are helpful and appreciated.

It's a good step in getting me to chill out a little. My counselor once said to me that I have a problem with trying to race through life without taking a moment to stop and enjoy the things that really matter, and I believed her, but didn't internalize what that means for me and what I should do about it. Until now... when I'm really suddenly honest to goodness trying to really figure out why I feel I have to be racing all the time. It's a "race" in a way in theatre- a race against time and a race against apathy. But it can really drive ya crazy if you buy into all the hoopla.

So the newest thing I want to do is really take the time and try to concentrate on every task as I'm doing it and nothing else- very zen. I've lost some of that zen quality with work. I would really like it back- not only for spiritual purposes but practical ones as well. That mindframe really seems to expand the clock...

Anyways must get going!

<3 J

Holidays Approacheth!

2011-10-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

Wish List:

And I'm already getting into the holiday spirit!

How to Ghetto-Refinish Furniture

2011-10-14T20:05:00.001-07:00

This week I had an experience unique and informative to any painter, prop person or home-decorator.
Ghetto-Refinishing. To share in this experience first you need

A) A piece of furniture you have no business refinishing. Best if covered in a slick, somewhat reflective outer seal. Preferably from Ikea.

B) Oil-based wood finish. Must be purely oil-based and not polyurithane with oil polymers. Makes the dry time longer.

C) Damp, cold drying space.

D) Not enough time.

E) A drastic finish requirement, like go from honey to dark walnut in the least amount of steps possible.

F) Spray matte acrlyic.

G) Lemon pledge.

H) Three days.

So assemble your (in this case) side table from Ikea with almost plastic-feeling finish. Make sure it is actual wood though and not some kind of laminate finish. With gloved fingers and a throw-away chip brush, please proceed to lay on a thick gooey mess of dark-walnut stain onto your slick honey-colored surface. Pray to the gods that the color will eventually take and not roll off the sides. Take a rag and wipe off as much as you can without rubbing off the color altogether. Keep rubbing it off, spreading the layer of oil thinner and thinner with your chip brush in the direction of the grain. Keep doing this. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Notice drips and repeat. Come back an hour later, find more drips and repeat.

Put fan on surface. Put oversized fan on surface. Come back an hour later and find wood chips and human hair embedded in surface and the finish too tacky to remove said pieces. Curse and leave it until tomorrow.

Next Morning: Stil tacky. Gross. Rub rag over surface in direction of grain until faux dry. Around 12pm add second layer of black walnut. Repeat steps from first day. Realize that the damp air will not let it dry under any circumstance and move table carefully (probably up an elevator and through a narrow hallway) to a room where you can climate control everything and keep the air dry. Put two fans on it and stink up the room. Wait until tomorrow.

3rd Morning: ALMOST dry......... but Still tacky. Curse words. What to do???

Ta-da!!! Spray matte finish to the rescue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seal in all the tacky gross oil parts by pretending they don't really exist.

Except... what is that chalky residue???

Whip out the LEMON PLEDGE ::sparkle sparkle:: and proceed to polish the matte finish.

ANNNDDD.... it's dry and shiny! Yayy!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, no one touch it for like... 5 hours. K thxneverdoingthatagainbye!

~~~~~~~~~~~I just realized that by this point, you might be asking yourself "How do I AVOID a ghetto refinishing experience?" SO glad you asked! Although I encourage everyone who works in theatre to fudge up as much as possible, A few friendly tips can help these sorts of exacerbating headaches.

A) Know the end goal of your piece of furniture BEFORE your purchase. Or in any case, the director's, designer's or other head honcho's end goal. Sometimes this is impossible. Some people like to feel the way the wind is blowing in the morning in order to make a decision about furniture. Some people like the Meisner approach and want to see the furniture become the Horse of a Different Color before going back to the original shade. One can never tell.

B) Purchase a piece close to your end goal desired result. One coat to make something more red or more tan is much easier/faster to do than three.

C) Purchase a piece of furniture with unfinished wood. Choose your own Adventure!!!!

D) Strip the furniture before refinishing! Which gives you TWO roads in the wood to walk down: Stripping and Sanding. And like the journey through the River of the Dead, you must sacrifice a part of your body in order to make it to the end of the road- either your lungs or your hands. Using a wood stripper, the more potent the chemical, the more likely you are to feel the burn in your lungs (but that paint sure do run right off!) The more "organic" and safe versions will take forever but you can practicaly bathe in the stuff (Jessica Moretti does not endorse this. Please follow the instructions on your bottle).

If you sand, you'll end up rotating between radial sanders and square hand sanders, getting really into it, praying to the Sanding gods and chanting their names under your breath as your hand starts feeling a less-than-pleasant buzzing that doesn't really leave after you're done. Beware of White Hand- a condition that destroys the muscles in your hand due to too much sanding. I'm not joking.

Either one of these techniques will be quite successful! But if you choose either one, you will probably need 5 days to complete the process with the staining just FYI.

E) If, like me, you were stopped at every step of the way from making a healthier furniture choice, the best thing you can do is get the piece into a warm, dry area. Having a dehumidifier is a really great trick, if you can move the piece into a small, dry room.

Other than that... good luck!

-J

Ironic

2011-08-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

How the one thing that you are trying to escape ends up being your one refuge. I'm talking about design. You want to get away, to stop working so hard and then turn around and feel purposeless. So you try to keep busy, read, write, and suddenly you're picking up a script and reading it with analysis in the back of your mind.

It's a sick, sick problem. Workaholism...

Went to the beach today and tried to relax and somehow mind wanders to work. Also missing John a bit and really jones-ing for a trip to the Adirondaks with him. There's nothing like New York mountains. Like my good friend Brooke says, while the North Carolina mountains are folksy and mysterious, the New England mountains are the stuff fairytales come from # BeautyandtheBeast.

Altogether, life is very pleasant in Red Bank. I can see getting very settled here but I know in my heart of hearts that I'm going to be wandering for a bit longer. Still debating New York in my heart. Something about the island makes me very claustrophobic. It's a little pressure cooker and sometimes I think we're all insane for wanting to live there, for in nature it is not really natural for humans to want to live caked on top of one another and packed in like sausages. I guess it's exciting. A spectrum of colors, flavors, smells and sights that don't really cross the general populace that you get inundated with on a daily basis.

Just wondering if I want to be inundated?

What draws me the most is the presence of Art there and the expectations of great works. I like that. I like people having high expectations and standards, to expect to be blown away, to want to forget where they are and be submerged in a Story for a while.

Is that all pretentious? I have to wonder- Are we merely pawns in a great scam that is Theatre? Does it suck away your substance and spit out something wonderful but leave you hallow on the inside?

I don't know.

These are questions to be experienced...

Anyhow. I should really read The Bacchae and The Tooth of Crime.

Still a little depressed about Game of Thrones, episode 9. Was trying to solve problems for the Starks in my dreams last night. Funny how a tv show can suck you in like that. I almost forgot that Tyrion Lannister must really be a dwarf in real life; he ceased to exist outside of the show for me. That's good storytelling.

Okay!

Away...
<3

Sigh No More, Ladies, Sigh No More

2011-07-29T12:09:00.000-07:00

Can I just tell you how much I LOVE Much Ado About Nothing? And it's not just Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson- it's how the Bard twists a phrase so delightfully, how all of the characters are transparent in a way that is neither annoying or cliche, how I really believe it has REALLY fantastic insights on love that I can get behind and have experienced in some way or another.

I'm trying to throw together some research and a breakdown for this show; it's going into a minuscule little space again. But I'm in the process of moving and every time I start to think about lighting fixtures, I look in the kitchen and realize I haven't yet wrapped my glassware.

Sigh.

Rachel

2011-07-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

A painting I did. 18" X 24" Acrylic

Pair this

2011-07-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

http://msdrjeangrey.deviantart.com/#/ds7flj

with this

I want to live here!!!!

2011-07-28T07:51:00.000-07:00

2011-07-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

I kind of want to go put LSD in the eggs now...

2011-03-10T13:26:00.001-08:00

Just watched Men Who Stare At Goats... Can I just say how close to my life this movie is right now?

There's always this war with friends and neighbors about whether there is such thing as "fate" and "intuition" and "energy" and whether these things have any power in "reality". I say they do. I say that the transference of energy is the singular most important thing that can happen in our waking lives.

We as artists transfer energy into our projects. Our "chi" or "force" if you will connects with that of the Greater Universe and drives our masterpieces towards fulfillment. I'm tired of self-help and New Age books that try to express this and explain it to the layman. It's in The Artists' Way, it's in The Celestine Prophecy, but most importantly it's in our faith and it's in the experiences I've been having since November. I've gotten to the point where I don't need to "learn" about these connections any longer because I see them all the time in my waking life. It's an assumed reality for Gen. X and Gen. Y.

But as an artist- these connections need to be sought out. Clarity within the self and a flow of energy from greater forces to our projects promises Success on a grand scale. Success beyond making a dollar, but Success in reaching out towards other minds in order to kindle them- to change them for the better good of mankind.

That may be the True drive of the artist.

It may also be this:

"Like you, I strive to write character driven stories tinged with mystery. I enjoy the idea of suggested fantasy -- of exploring in adventure or tragedy various manifestations of the seemingly impossible. To me, mystery is an integral part of life. I don't want to ignore that in my work. I want to embrace it and pursue it and use elements of the strange and terrifying, the magical and the unexplained, to create dialogue between the story and the audience about the human experience.

I am fascinated by the idea that we shape our lives, through struggle and experience and intent. That what we're given isn't all we have to have. That it is the prerogative of the human race to change, ourselves and the world around us. That idea never ceases to inspire me. I like writing stories that explore that concept -- tales that recognize the darker parts of life, and also celebrate that people overcome them. "

Written to me from a friend- and the words might just as well have been taken from my own mouth.

That is a reason for art, if there ever was one.

So, Hai!

2011-03-09T21:02:00.000-08:00

Hello there world! I have ONCE AGAIN re-purposed this blog. I've learned over recent times that I have a pretty big and opinionated mouth. That being said, I need to put it to some good use and simultaneously document this next year, which will prove to be a very challenging and eventful one.

I am a Scenic Designer, freshly out of school (since last May) and having been part of a Fellowship until this point, someone who has never had to figure it out. Meaning life. Meaning supporting oneself as an artist.

During this next year, I aim to do so and figure out

A) Why art is necessary and why I shouldn't go get a desk job in some law office and shuffle papers for the rest of my life, even if there IS a 401 K and it would mean I don't have to eat macaroni and cheese and tuna fish for the rest of my life

B) What the secret is for success as a freelancer.

C) What makes me the most fulfilled.

These are big questions and I don't expect any easy or quick answers.

But I'm interested ALSO in discussing my world views and opinions about Life, as it seems in general that I don't follow the mass order of things. I'm very open to criticism and often seek it out, because I am empirical and like to weigh my options :).

So here goes another adventure into the blogging world. Hope to keep it going this time!

Until tomorrow,

Adieu!

Three Things That Will Make You Smile

2010-08-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

Ever felt tired and bogged down by all of the negativity in today's news stories? Well here are three that are guaranteed to come out feeling like maybe, just maybe, the world isn't a completely craptastic place.

1) Have you heard about the two young men who were switched at birth? Instead of their families suing the hospital over the mistake or being otherwise upset by the discovery, they have decided to live together in Brazil and work on a farm together so that their sons can enjoy being with both their birth families as well as their biological families. Some say this situation has worked out this way only because they live in Brazil; Americans would be far too greedy to overlook a chance to complain and get reimbursement.

2) How about the modern-life nautical Swiss Family Robinson? Okay, they didn't exactly get shipwrecked, but the family chose to spend the last 7 years sailing around the globe with their three children in order to develop a stronger familial bond. Must be great to be a millionaire and decide to sell all of your property to value the simple things :). (I actually really like that idea a lot!)

3) And how about my friend Mr. Justin Kates, a photographer who's rather well-known now-a-days for being an expert at taking amazing shots of chicks with fangs. His new (rather hawt in that sort of disturbing way) book featured on the True Blood blog is called Sanguis Vitam Est- The Blood That is Life, and is not only an amazing find for anyone who's ever been entranced by blood-suckers or gothic art, but a lovely fundraiser for The Choroideremia Research Foundation. (N.B.! Choroideremia is a disease which affects the peripheral vision and ultimately results in blindness; Kates' grandfather suffers from the disease).

ps! N.B. means "nota bene" or good note, according to my 7th grade math teacher, Mr. Anderson, who was by far my most favoritest math teacher to date. He loved to get up on the table with a puppet and teach us the a song with the following lyrics- "Change the sign of the subtrahend and follow the rules of addition AGAIN!" Somehow, we respected him for this.

Anyways, hope these cheered you up or at least found you intrigued!

I can has???

2010-08-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

Yes! You can has a blog that is not as boringly employed as before!!

I will start by sharing what has been described as an existential musical spoofing the Mario Bros., which kicked ass and took names at the recent D.C. Fringe Festival at the Warehouse theatre. The question "What if our lives are in the hands of some 5-year-old who is just playing a game?" has never seemed so relevant.

Definitely check out the songs and video clips on the multimedia page, which include titles such as "Player Number 2", "Warp Pipe," and "Game Over." Budding musical theatre prodigies Marshall Pailet and Drew Fornarola (ages 23 from Yale and 26 from Princeton respectively) are responsible for this "bright as a pack of skittles, loopy as a Looney Tunes cartoon" rip-roaring good time in geek-dom (as remarked by reviewer Gary McMillan).

Back to something not as exciting but definitely as important... ME!

In other words... yes you might've noticed that I am relocated in grand ol Alexandria VA! I'm here to embark on my Scenic Design Fellowship with the Kennedy Center, beginning after Labor Day and running through next May! I'm too terrified/ excited for further comment on this. In the mean time, I am making and saving $$$ and engaging in some geekery concerning websites, blogs, Vectorworks, Sketchup and painting with a tablet.

At least those are the goals. Other than that, I plan to start using this blog to promote friends in the arts, as well as current events or observations that I just enjoy and feel should get more promotion.

On that note, expect about five more posts by the end of today.

Be Still My Heart!!!

2010-01-31T15:16:00.000-08:00

http://www.abandonedamerica.org/

I plan to get countless inspirations from here...

Avatar is

2009-12-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

AMAZING.

Very exciting and inspiring to me as a designer. Furthermore exciting because I'm currently involved in a FILM project at UNCSA- a western called Bloodline. Fellow comrade in arms John Bowhers and I will be undertaking the co-production design. Basically this involves renovating this awesome cabin in the woods to look circa 1890. I will be sure to post more and tell you about it as it goes, but here's a sneak peak:

Medea

2009-09-03T20:38:00.001-07:00

My idea for this Medea is that Medea is actually sort of a voodoo priestess who practices some undefined form of witchcraft. Not only is she upset about the whole Jason business, but she is tired of having to deal with all these white people who don't understand her culture...

Jason is a Creeper...

With the flash on so you can see everything....

Antigone

2009-09-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

My inspiration for this version of Antigone came from a picture of these limestone columns on cliff against a stormy sky. I kind of liked them being at the foot (literally) of this huge statue, which, in my mind, was the Goddess of Justice with her head having fallen off due to the severity of the preceding war.

In a real, dream production, I would love there to be actual rain on stage and a storm in progress throughout the entire show. The storm would have ebbs and flows as it does in nature that would echo the dramatic moments of the play. When Antigone is giving her last lament, there would be the uneasy calm before the storm, and as soon as she is dragged away there would be thunder and lightening and all hell breaking loose.

Basically, I have a trend in my designs of being tied to nature and the environment having a personality that interacts with the drama, as if some mystical higher force is making itself known.

This here be the model...

Shut UP Creon!

And later today you'll get Medea...

stuffz

2009-08-14T11:39:00.001-07:00

Today I got Vectorworks 2009 in the mail and YESTERDAY I got my Genius G-Pen 450 tablet so I'm about to have some good ol Scene Design FUN.

The tablet I got for under $50 via Amazon and the Vectorworks was free because I'm a student. Plus I'm just really getting into making sure I have all my bases covered. It's great to be a good hand-drafter- I don't think I'm half bad. I ain't no Howard Jones but I ain't too horrible either. I do think that I should be up with the industry standards and have some means of transporting Computer-drafted material when I end up working away from the director/ TD.

And I am going to play around with copying the techniques of several professional designers as far as rendering goes. Bill, the Costume Design teacher, was teaching the costumers to figure out their own rendering technique by first forcing them to copy renderings by famous designers. What happens as you do such as thing is that your mind begins to figure out the way these designers THINK. And after you've copied a few people, you go to do your own thing and you make it something completely different.

So I would like to do a Franco-inspired rendering as well as a Jose.

I know it' going to be very time consuming and especially difficult- it takes a little less time to draw a person than it does to get the perspective on a scenic rendering. At least for me.

Then my other project idea is to create a model piece from my book on building better model scenery.

And my OTHER other project of course is to read as many of the shows we're doing next year as possible in order to prepare for whatever they might give me.

I pretty much have my work cut out for me.

Israel Darling

2009-07-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

Is a new slightly "Arcade Fire"-ish indie band from Greensboro NC and the band of a friend of a friend of my sister...

Israel Darling

Please go support them and give them a listen!!!

In other news, I cannot upload anything interesting because I don't have a scanner in my access... YET. But I have designed several more tattoo ideas for myself. I might be having this tattoo before the end of the summer ::fingers crossed:. But it's basically a Phoenix curled around itself in a swirl and will be approx. 1'' X 1 1/2'' big.

I've re-downloaded Sketchup. I had deleted it with the idea that it was a "lesser" tool to have in my repertoire. I think that is, in fact, a silly notion to begin with. Even the "silliest" tools will at some point prove valuable. The last time I used it, I hadn't even learned to be moderately proficient at Photoshop or Vectorworks yet. Trying it out now, it's like riding a bike.

I think it's a good tool to have for getting the idea of a space and creating the basis for a rendering. I have an idea that I would like to use it to get perspective right as a shortcut through drop-point perspective. You could use the Sketchup drawing (printed out in scale) as a skeleton for a rendering, transfer the lines onto your watercolor paper and paint on top of it.

I know there is a lot of value in knowing how to do drop-point perspective. But in the interest of time, sometimes these shortcuts are valuable.

Anyway, I promise many more things when I'm actually back in Winston!!! For now, I leave you with good music. <3 <3 <3

-moretti

yeay for columns!

2009-07-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy the line of columns and the field behind where we live... especially at night when they get lit up! But I think every other UVA student is sick of them from what I've heard...

So!

2009-07-11T05:19:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize for not being a very good blogger this week. The fact is, there hasn't been any work I've wanted to post. We haven't done anything really "pretty" or super artistic... or at least nothing that I've been head on. Mostly a lot of fast stuff. So I will wait until we have some awesome Little Shop drops done. Next week is going to be killer- I will be doing some overnights (possibly 2pm to 2am if we need it) and otherwise rocking face ;).

But yes I will get on this.. I have some photos and many obsessions to post.... but g2g to work for the meantime.

ciao ciao ciao!

Overview of projects at Heritage

2009-07-05T13:37:00.000-07:00

The following photos take you from my most recent projects to the oldest ones. Lately I've been doing a TON of woodgraining for Moonlight and Magnolias and On Golden Pond.

Here is the transluscency again- after we've added some more leaves. Now it looks a little less graphic and a tad more true to the actual screen still.
Here is the OLIVER! set as complete. I painted on various aspects of the set...
My first project being the columns. As you can see, the designer was taking the set in a very painterly/ collage sort of direction. The columns are actually 3 D but not round. Funny enough, they now look almost completely 2 dimensional! It's kind of weird but cool.
Here is the SR Apron wall that I basically charged... (Virginia is doing some touch-ups on the windows :) ).
Here it is in process... This was one of the fastest things I've ever done. As you can see, I am still working on the fence in this picture which is just supposed to be this simple raught iron thing. Well... I didn't cartoon it at all because we had no time. So I just lined it by eying where it was supposed to go.... It only had one little wave in the middle where it got about a half inch too tall but it stayed pretty vertical and was therefore good enough.
That's it for paint stuff for a little while I think! Back to working on the website...

A link and such

2009-07-04T20:47:00.001-07:00

Here is the other link I met to include before: Beautiful Decay

I have a ton of Oliver! photos to post as well as a more finished drop photo on the way.

I've been working on revamping my regular design website but it's going to be slow - don't think it will get done until I'm back in Winston where I have regular access to my scanner. But so far I've had fun making exciting roll-over images...

They are pretty random but I'm doing some designs for each page that they lead to that incorporate these themes... I hope I can figure out how to make them functional! I think I have a lot of reading to do about how to take a background image and make aspects of the image become links. I have an idea but I can see that getting complicated...

Anywho that's a lot of tech talk. If I have more pretties, I will show...

<3 Jess

Artsy Fartsy

2009-07-04T05:40:00.001-07:00

Click!!!!

Dan Olson

Clickity Click click...

Art Forum

and commmon...

Bowie Art

mwahahaha

2009-06-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

Transluscent Drop Process

2009-06-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

My first transluscency!!! I mean the first one that I've charged... the first DROP that I've charged... EVER. I'm pretty happy with it considering
A) We cartooned and painted it in four days.
B) For 90% of it, it was just me and one other girl.
C) Everyone else on the paint deck is less experienced with me in knowledge about transluscencies (their words, not mine).
D) I'm doing this on a PAINT FRAME for God's sakes... which I've never worked on before this summer.
E) We had to be FAST- barely any time for planning.

So all in all I'm pretty proud and pleased and I guess I'm not as scared of charging as I used to be. There are a lot of problems I have with the drop because it is NOT really true to the picture in some senses... but in theatre, the 2 of 3 rule applies (money, speed and quality... you can have it fast and look good but it'll be expensive... you can have it cheap and fast but it'll look crappy, etc.)

Mostly I'm going to have to ignore the fact that we had to just OPAQUE as fast as possible without leaving some spaces for leaves to have light shine through... and some of the clouds are not as detailed. Fortunately, the designer wanted it fuzzy. So we have some allowance for lost of detail.

Anyway, I'm glad to have had this experience and I believe I will put it in my portfolio... all we have to see now is how it looks with backlight!! ::fingers crossed:: But it shouldn't be too bad because it's just tree and the sky... the ground row is going to be sketchy (the landscape) because I'm not certain of the density of the pigment used and it was really hard to do tests in the time given. If worst comes to worst, we can opaque it in the space.

Anyways, off to shop! <3

HP the musical

2009-06-22T20:52:00.000-07:00

Just supportin U of M!!! I mean it's hysterical anyway...

The Pierces

2009-06-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

This singing duo of sisters has definitely got me dancing around to their "Sticks and Stones". The video is a little creeper but just sit back, enjoy and ignore their over-acting...

First Paint Charge Project!

2009-06-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

So I'm actually heading up my first real drop ever at Heritage Rep. Fortunately for me, it's going to be a BEAUTIFUL movie still from Gone with the Wind for "Moonlight and Magnolias". I've decided to document the process as it moves through each stage.

Here are pictures of the pictures my charge received:

I'm really excited! The big challenge is that this is my first time working on a drop on a paint frame, so all of the spray work is going to be tricky if we don't want drips. However, I'm mad stoked and know it can be done...

A place for imaginings

2008-12-19T18:38:00.000-08:00

Hello! I hope to fill this place with sketches and ideas very soon...