My Red-Headed Sister

Since it's nearly St. Patrick's Day, I thought it'd be a good time to post this picture I made for my dear sister, Neal (also known as Haley.) With her milky skin and auburn hair, she shows off our family's Irish roots way better than I do. In this picture she's holding a red panda. The red panda - or "fire fox" or "cat bear" - is her favorite animal. She'd love one for a pet, but wouldn't you know it: they're wild and endangered. Darn. This picture was meant to give my sister the next best thing to a real, live red panda: a totally tame cartoon one that matches her hair!

Tea and Strumpets

The idea came from a mispronunciation of "tea and crumpets" by my good friend Darcy Galvan (this picture was a present for her.) I like the idea of strumpets unwinding after a busy day of strumpeteering by having a tea party. I figure if this was a burlesque show, the girls would all have tea-inspired names: Jasmine, Camomile, Chai, Oolong (that's Oolong there in the back of the picture.)

Now if only there was a market for Mother's Day burlesque...

Ring in the new year... with beer!

Hello friends. If you're anything like me, you like to toast to New Year's happiness with a nice cold beer. And if you're anything like my friend, Corrie (for whom I made this picture) you live in the wilds of Yosemite. I'm not sure exactly what Corrie's life is like out there in scenic Yosemite, but I hope it's something like this:

Now I know we can't all ring in the New Year on a mountaintop with an epic ursine friend. But we should all aspire to such heights. Happy New Year.

Merry Christmas from the Neals

Merry Christmas everyone! Here's my finished art for the family Christmas card. It's a mite better than the Pokemon-style one I hacked out in Crayola pencils when I was thirteen. This time I'm using Prismacolor pencils, so it's bound to be classy, right? Honestly, though, I love my Prismacolors, even if they do break every time I sharpen them. They just give me so much control and are so creamy and vibrant on the paper. Well, here's me and the fam. Merry Christmas - a little early - from my family to yours.

What the Dickens

Happy Christmas, everyone! I thought I'd kick off December with some sketches from the Dickens Fair. Twas a festive gala, with men in top hats, ladies in full skirts, and everyone in the mood for Christmasy fun.

Cheerful strumpets at Mad Sal's dockside alehouse

A musical performance at Mad Sal's

Couldn't make out the words over the din of the crowd,

but it looked like a fun song

A reveler at Fezziwig's Christmas party

How I longed for a pretty dress to waltz in,

not that the lack thereof kept me from waltzing my heart out

A special dance performance at Fezziwig's

A sprightly Irish dancer

These dapper gents treated us to an Irish softshoe number

 and the Highland Fling, respectively

A tiny girl sparring with her father at the sporting club

Easily the most adorable fencing lesson ever

An onlooker at Fezziwig's Christmas party

More men ought to wear tails; they make even the most

 average gent look very spiffy indeed

A darling girl in a spectacularly full skirt

What the sketch doesn't capture is that she had

 sparkles woven into her hair, in tiny braids and ringlets

Just for the Faun of It

I've been drawing fauns lately. No particular reason, except that I enjoy drawing the big, fluffy legs and dainty little hooves. That, and I've had a crush on Mr. Tumnus since I was six, so I guess somewhere deep down inside I wish I was a faun.

Back to Basics

I've been making art for a long time now. Well, proportionately long. I decided to devote myself to the study of art at age fourteen (because I wanted to work for Disney, and they all seemed to be really good at drawing.) I just turned twenty-seven, and have been feeling a bit drained lately. I've been focusing on production art and self-promotion, and as important as that stuff is, the practice of drawing is important, too. I've decided it's time to refresh my commitment to basic "good habit" drawing excercises, to practice intentionally, as I did when I was first learning to draw. So it's off to the coffeehouse and the zoo with sketchbook in hand!

Watercolors at Porto's Bakery in Burbank. The waiters started to give me dirty looks the third time I got up for another free cup of water.

Drama students putting on makeup. The assignment was "Trans-gender Makeup," so the girls were giving the guys eyeliner-application tips.

People waiting in line at Porto's. The apple strudel is worth the wait.

Hefty gals are fun to draw!

I've been trying to push my shapes lately. This lady had such fun hair.

Performers in the aisles at Cirque du Soleil's Iris.

Zoetrope skirt: why didn't I think of that?

More Cirque performers and their dutiful security guard.

Sleepy red pandas at the Sacramento zoo.

Mmm... giraffes love to nibble on wooden posts!

More from the Sacramento zoo. Giraffes are weird.