The Life Pursuit: San Smith

Photo update: 6% DOKIDOKI Fashion show in LA!

So a couple of weeks ago, my friend Michelle mentioned on twitter that her party planning company Bubble Punch was helping host a contest for 6% DokiDoki's upcoming fashion show in LA, and that four winners would be selected to model their clothes as well as receive some 6% Dokidoki items! I love that brand's style, and I jokingly replied that I'd totally enter if I lived in the area... 

Well after several tweets back and forth of friends encouraging me to enter anyways, I actually gave it some real thought. I realized I had a ton of unused Delta skymiles, and could technically fly out there for free and stay with Michelle! I went ahead and bought a plane ticket in hopes that I win, and I figure if I don't I'll just visit with Michelle and check out the event with everyone else :) Either way, I'm sure it will be a blast and hopefully wont be too hard on my wallet!

In order to enter, I had to send them a head shot, full body shot, my age and measurements along with a personal statement on why I'd like to model for 6% Dokidoki. I've never modeled before, so I didn't have headshots on hand... I ended up having my boyfriend Chris help me with the photos and I decided to try taking shots with my hair down and up. For variety, I sent in one of each (headshot: hair down, full body shot: hair up!)... more pictures behind the "read more" link!

Scott Pilgrim vs ATL! Vol 6 release party - part 1

Man oh man... I'm finally coming down from my Scott Pilgrim high. Last week was intense! Its about to pick up again due to an advance movie screening, so I figured I should probably go ahead and blog part 1 of all of this. (Yes, there are several more event posts - if you don't like Scott Pilgrim I apologize in advance!)

If you haven't heard, last Tuesday was Criminal Record's "Scott Pilgrim vs Atlanta" party! It was to celebrate the final volume of Scott Pilgrim. For those who don't live in Atlanta, Criminal Records is one of the coolest local shops specializing in CDs, records, comics, collectibles and tons of other awesome stuff... located in the heart of Little 5 points and a great place to catch indie band shows! (I highly recommend stopping in if you are ever visiting Atlanta!) 

A couple months ago my friend Lillian who works at Criminal Records and came up with the idea of throwing a Scott Pilgrim book release party and invited me to join the planning committee. There were 6 of us working on this (and sometimes our spouses) - each with different task to tackle. I worked on some of the graphics and display concepts! (You can see more of that further into the post.) There was a lot of work up until the day of the event, and even some nights with hardly any sleep - but it was so worth it! We ended up selling out on all copies of Volume 6, had an amazing photobooth and video game set up - plus we were able to give out advance screening tickets! And there is another event on the way after the screening!! Scott Pilgrim fans in Atlanta are really lucking out! :)

Me and Lillian duking it out before the party starts!

One of the things Lillian and I were super pumped about was dressing up as Knives and Ramona. Lillian put some red highlights in her hair a few days before the event and pulled together an outfit - it all turned out really cool! I think she is going to make Knives' scarf at some point too. As for my Ramona outfit: I have been working slowly on acquiring items for a Ramona Flowers costume since last October, but I never really finished... I ended up putting almost all of those items together for the party though! Unfortunately it was a little lackluster because I was focusing more on the party than myself. I made a subspace purse and a mallet for my outfit - but the mallet wasn't ready in time for the party. Booo! I also thought it was neat that I didn't have to wear Ramona's star ring since I already had a tattoo there... I'll be taking better photos of my complete costume in a few days for Part 2 of my Scott Pilgrim posts. (Part 2 will be about making your own Ramona Flower's costume, and will also have links to buy the extra subspace purses I've made!) Here is me before I ran out the door for the party:

Photo update!

I've taken a ton of photos over the past two and half weeks, and I thought it might be fun to share some of them while giving you a little life update! 

Above is a super delicious soy cappuccino from one of my favorite brunch places, Stone Soup! I went with Chris the other morning before he had a track racing tournament. I was kinda cranky night before because I had just touched up my pink dye and it came out too dark - so the cappuccino was a nice way to start the morning on a cheery note. I love giant cups of coffee!

It's Scott Pilgrim time! Parties, links and more

Alright guys! If you are a Scott Pilgrim fan, then you are probably feeling pretty excited like I am about tomorrow... and if you live in Atlanta and haven't heard about the Criminal Records' Scott Pilgrim vs Atlanta party - then you are in for a treat!!

Scott Pilgrim vs. Atlanta Party

Date /Time: July 20th from 5pm to 9pm

Location: Criminal Records  |  1154-A Euclid Avenue NE  |  Atlanta, GA 30307

Check out this snippet from the press release for the party:

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. CRIMINAL RECORDS THIS TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2010!

ATLANTA -- The highly anticipated finale of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series will be released on Tuesday, July 20, and Criminal Records is hosting a party to celebrate the book, Scott Pilgrim Vol. 6: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour, and the upcoming film adaptation, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

From 5 to 9pm next Tuesday, Criminal Records will transform into a subspace portal, where comic book fans are invited to dress up for a costume contest, to pose in a Scott Pilgrim-themed photo booth, and to participate in a video game tournament (disclaimer: electrical equipment may become unstable in subspace). There will also be giveaways and, of course, delicious cake to complete the party atmosphere.

           

I'll be there helping out all day and enjoying the festivities. So if you live in Atlanta - please come check out our party and say hello! There is also a domain dedicated to all things Scott Pilgrim vs Atlanta where we will upload the photos taken at the party :) http://scottpilgrimvsatl.com/

I'm so pumped! I'm planning on dressing up too - nothing too crazy but I'll give you a little hint about my outfit's theme...

And to keep in the spirit of the excitement, here are a few Scott Pilgrim-y links:

• Looking for your own local Scott Pilgrim release party? Oni Press released a list of comic shops that are celebrating! Check it out and see if your local comic shop is listed. 


• San Diego Comic Con is sure to be filled with Scott Pilgrim goodies. (So jealous of all of you who are going!) For those of us not attending, here is a peek at some of the new merchandise. I really want the snowy limited edition poster.


• And speaking of the limited edition posters - artist Hellen Jo posted on her blog yesterday about the Crash & the Boys poster she illustrated for SDCC's limited release! It is pretty awesome - exactly how I picture the band. 


• Want to make a Ramona Flower's subspace purse for your local release party, but don't know how to sew? Check out Kayla Kromer's flickr post on how to make a no-sew Ramona bag! 

Taken in April - Me looking jet laggy and wearing my WonderCon Scott Pilgrim shirt!

           

Well thats it for now - as I find more stuff through out the week I'll save it to share with you guys. Tuesday will probably be a little quiet around here since I'll be at the event all day... I'll be closing out the give away post that morning and later in the evening I'll pick a winner to announce on Wednesday! 

After that I'll probably hide out in the above Scott Pilgrim shirt, drink lots of tea and relax with the final book. It has been a lot of hard work helping out on the Scott Pilgrim vs. Atlanta party, but I'm so excited to be a part of it tomorrow!

Mini tour of my office!

Earlier today I was trying to snap a photo of my current nail polish for twitter... and I ended up doing a tiny video of my office in the process! It occurred to me that it has been ages since the last time I took photos of my working area (Last time was in 2008!) so it might be fun to share the video plus show photos explaining whats in my office.

For those who don't know, I work from home as a freelance illustrator - so I try to keep my office somewhat neat and filled with lots of inspirational things... however my office is kinda small which can make it a challenge! I have so many things in storage that I'd love to hang up or display on shelves, but until we have a larger house someday that stuff has to stay boxed so I can use my space for working, equipment storage and resources. (Someday I hope to have enough space to have a huge shelf for all my collectibles!! ;D A gal can dream.)

See below for an explanation of all the things in the video:

And a little explanation on my desk

My work area has to meet a lot of needs - I not only sketch on paper at it, but I also draw digitally on my Cintiq 21ux and use my iMac for design. On top of all of that, I have a pretty small space to work with! It took me about a year to figure out a setup I liked - but at the moment it is this: I use my Cintiq as the main monitor and the iMac as a secondary display to check colors against the Cintiq or hold other windows. The keyboard is on a usb extension cord and wraps around the back of the Cintiq with the mouse connected to it's side. When I'm typing I push the Cintiq to the back of the desk and pull the keyboard in front like pictured above. When I'm drawing, I move the Cintiq to the edge of the desk and the keyboard to the left so I can reach it if I need to... 

I'm sure I'll move things again before the year is over - but for now I really like this set up! You can see a picture below of what it looks like when I have the Cintiq moved forward to draw on. It's not the most glamorous photo - no make up and working on a hot summer evening - but you get the idea!

Do you have an office or work area in your home? Do you like to keep it neat and decorated, or is it a place for creative messes and bursts of inspiration? (I try to find a balance between the two!)