"The Window Forrest"

Please play a puzzle

2011-11-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

Please play this puzzle with my artwork. It is quite fun. I used to have this on my website but now I am trying to tiddy it up to make it look like more of an online gallery :)

Mobile

2011-10-07T07:34:00.001-07:00

I am testing blogging from my itouch, hi!!

Honey & Clover

2011-08-24T21:58:00.001-07:00

I finished watching the anime Honey & Clover. I cried a lot. OMG.

Not "musicaltree" anymore ?

2011-08-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

Today, without much forewarning, I changed my website name to audreschantz.webs.com
For a while I had had "Musicaltree" for everything, but that name is more of a username and not the name I want to be known by as I start to share my artwork and publish books. I also changed my twitter account- which is also art related. It is scary I think. But I want a more profession presence to show publishers and galleries. I have dedicated my art website and twitter account to my art career and the same is somewhat true here. Everything else is still musicaltree. As there may be other people who use "musicaltree" as their name, you will always know that I use the same profile picture on all my sites. So if you don't see the cute girl in the corner, then don't assume its me. This is another reason I changed my website and twitter : I don't want to be confused with anyone else and my artwork has nothing to do with the term "musicaltree"- it has more to do with drawing kittens and girls and such.......
*******************************
UPDATE: I changed back to musicaltree for my webs.com site. What I am going to do is to buy a custom domain name and attach it to my site that way both it AND the musicaltree URL/link will work. I get to keep them both and not loose anyone on the way! This will probably happen at the end of September.

Etsy Etsy Etsy

2011-08-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

I put my etsy shop on vacation again..... The visibility for my stuff is not there. Also, I am more of a fine artist or designer than a crafter- except when I make presents. Heck, I get more pleasure out of giving my stuff away or sharing images of what I do than selling. An exception would be a craft fair, such things are fun when can interact with people. Again, I do not know why. In the coming months I am going to be taking part in exhibitions and sending my illustration stuff to publishers, so if you are reading my blog stay tuned here, twitter, and my website. That is what I will focus on. I wonder if I should sell prints on Redbubble? I have heard that it is better than etsy for fine art and such, but web markets are saturated if they are well known and nigh-invisible if they are not. Sigh......

Paper Doll Collage Kittens Need Good Home

2011-08-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

These are some of the Paper doll, collage, mixed media kittens I have made. They are all originals, and need good loving homes ;) They would make good paper dolls, wall decorations, or cards. Please recommend them to anyone who loves kitties.

Re-opening etsy shop with kittens and paper dolls

2011-08-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

I spent all of Friday scanning and tweeking every completed book I have drawn. I have to admit that I love making these books; but etsy doesn't seem like the place for them. I intend to start sending tear-sheets to children's book publishers this next week. When I look at Kitty Crayons and Pusheens, I think to myself how much I have neglected sharing my art these last three years since graduation... I am glad to have a nice website and gallery, I also realize I want to blog more. Speaking of etsy, there are two books I am thinking of selling on there as printable pdf files. One is a "How to make a Dress" coloring book. The other is a Paper doll book with 40 outfits. Please enjoy these samples.

Even more kitten cuteness

2011-08-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone likes kitties. Kittybblove from etsy makes crayons shaped like kitties. KITTY CRAYONS!!!!! They are very cute and come in, like, 21 colors. She is currently selling off her current stock to make way for new kitty crayons made of soy and beeswax. Actually, the best place to go is her website http://kittybabylove.com This is where you find the most variety. I ordered some yesterday and can't wait for them to arrive!

New Bike

2011-08-05T07:19:00.000-07:00

A used handcycle in need of TLC: $$$
Fabric, Cushion inserts, etc. from Hancock Fabricks: $15
A bunch of reflective stickers from Worldsbestbikestickers : $5
A cute cat bike lock from ToysRus: $7.99
A cool reflective safety flag in peacock blue from Purple Sky Flags: $ 28.95
A floral printed bell w/ built in compass from amazon.com: $4.99
Apple shaped reflector from yabettasupadont on etsy: $25.00

The feel of the wind whipping through my hair: priceless

Hiya!

2011-07-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

Hello there, just wanted everyone to know that I am planning some graphic novels and I am also planning on doing more gallery shows in this next year :) Anyways I hope everyone will feel free to comment and tell me what ya think ;)

I dislike tumblr but I LOVE the PUSHEEN

2011-07-21T07:36:00.001-07:00

I joined tumblr but I don't like it... I had trouble uploading my photos; I couldn't get my posted links to work on my tumblr blog even though I did it through their system (add custom link option, etc); I had trouble posting/sharing content from other sites that didn't have an automatic "share on tumblr" button. Therefore, I don't think I will use it that much since I love this blog and since I already have a twitter account for sharing (and EVERY site has a "share on twitter" button!). GRRRRRRR I also logged back into my livejournal account and found it ti be even more confusing to navigate....sigh*

Aways , I have recently fallen in love with a webcomic cat called Pusheen. Pusheen is sooooo cute and plump, and I LOVE the animated gifs that the artist, Claire, draws, and the cartoons are cute too, love her &Andrew's sense of humor.
Please look at this link http://everyday-cute.tumblr.com/ and see her Tumblr blog and old comics page links- both are soooooooooooo awesome. You can even see a shop link and buy pusheen jewelry, tees, and plush.

I am uploading the free wallpaper background pic as an example of her cuteness above..
Epic Cuteness!

Pray for Japan

2011-03-14T09:43:00.001-07:00

I've been really worried about japan. Luckily, I have been able to find information saying that some of the japanese people I know are ok, including several H!P groups such as morning musume and C-ute. I have not heard from my college friend Yuka, and I am hoping she will update her facebook page and let everyone know she is ok. I'm sure more information will surface after things stabilize but no one really knows what to think. Even from the other side of the earth, it is terrifying to watch. I have a lot of contacts in Japan and people I care about!

eLouai's Candybar 5 FullBody Girl Doll Maker

2010-11-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

eLouai's Candybar 5 FullBody Girl Doll Maker

2010-10-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

I can not believe it has been so long between postings. I will try to swing back into being artsy again. Recent News: I'm going to start grad school in the spring for a degree in Humanities/Aesthetics. :)

SCBWI

2010-07-03T20:48:00.000-07:00

I finally joined "The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators". After hearing soooo many references about it, I figured that it would be a helpful step. I was pleased to learn that, even though the monthly "regional" meeting is somewhat far away, there are many "critique" groups around the metroplex which seem just perfect for me.

The past few months have been a bit busy. I got a position as an Adjunct Developmental Writing Professor at a community college near me. It has really been a new experience, but I feel that I have had great success with my students over the last couple of semesters. I have been looking at graduate schools but nothing seems to fit right for what I desire. I am quite happy in the developmental department, and I like my supervisors a lot. I am still actively drawing though I did take an etsy break as my stuff is more fine art and conceptual than crafty.
Mostly I guess I will just visit the critique groups and prepare some packets for some magazines and publishing houses and/or agents.

I enjoyed my gallery involvement with The Fort Worth Community Art Center, and I will probably do the "9x12" show again next year. "Mail Me Art" is publishing a book and I will be in it (Yeah!) This will be very cool for me - I wish that the "Sketchbook Project" would do the same thing! All in all, I think I did ok. From now on I think I will only do small group shows where the content and quality of the work is somewhat like my own.... ;)

Gulf of Mexico

2010-07-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry for all the creatures in the Gulf of Mexico.

Summer in Texas

2010-05-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

So my first semester teaching went well and I know that I have been neglecting my blog... Therefore, I thought it would be a nice thing to talk about Summer in Texas. Because, boy is it hot here! TX has like 5 months of summer and I am not a hot weather person.

Here is the advice I have for surviving summer in Texas.

1. Air conditioning- soooo important, have it in your house and in your car. This is the most important thing you can have down here. Many people die each year of heat stroke because they didn't take this advice. Air conditioning makes it livable down here period.

2. Ok so you have somewhere to escape the heat, What else can you do? Second on my list is POCICLES- yes anytype of frozen desert, snack or beverage, ice cream, fruit pop, sherbert, whatever. I survive this season by stocking up on fruit juice popcicles- I like popsicles because they help you cool your body down and they add a bit of joy to life. They are also easier to just grab and go plus, it is easier to monitor how many you eat per day and, if you choose a company that makes them with natural ingredients and fruit juice- it is healthy too- heck, you can even buy reusable plastic molds and make your own all summer long :)

3. Clothing needs to be paid attention too as well. For guys- just make sure you choose fabrics that breath, shorts are ok too and flip flops can be your best friend- My boyfriend in highschool wore flip flops in the winter as well come to think of it..... haha
Now for girls !
This is where I can really give some advice, in addition to all the strappy sandal styles-girls have a bit more in the way of choices than boys do but in Texas you will probably end up preferring the shorter things and dresses. I like asian fashion, so I like short shorts which can look nice under an appropriate long top. However, it works best if your frame is "long and lanky" which can be the case even if you are short. If your legs are not long and lanky this approach can make you look top-heavy. I myself prefer a more balanced look by wearing skirts and dresses. I have a modest collection of summer dresses and flowy skirts. The skirts are good to put under ones shirts and blouses and the dresses are good for low maintenance effortless outfitting. Also a maxi dress is always a must have if you feel uncomfortable showing your legs off as many people do. Maxi dresses look good on every body type, and they are more sophisticated and mature looking. You may have to look around to find one but Ross always has a few and the internet abounds if you know your size :)
All of this translates into keeping cooler in your clothes...

5. WATER ....Drink water and keep hydrated- I have to put this in even though I feel it's a no-brainer. Also if you do spend any time outside let it be in the pools or the sprinklers. Kids especially love this and a bathing suit is a must for the season.....

6. Sun-Glasses- you would need these down here, sometimes it is so bright that I can hardly see and I'm squinting the whole day- no good.

7. I will tack on sun- screen too because they say you should always have some. Now, in Texas you will probably NOT want to bask in the sun. You can choose makeup that has spf in it, though I think you may want to wear lighter makeup in this season...... Try for a light non-gressy sunscreen and I do believe that several makeup companies make good ones.

8. Reading- if you have more free time than usual during the summer you may feel bored but there are indoor things you can do! You can watch movies, or surf the web but you don't want to do that all day everyday all summer long!!! I recommend reading as a laid back way to relax on a hot day. Finding a good book or series of books can translate into hours of time lost in another world in a way movies just cant.

9. When it is hot - what to do with your HAIR? Some of you may have long hair and may always like to wear it down however, in hot areas like Texas in the summer- this is not best. Nothing makes you hotter than having hair on your neck and it only takes about 10 minutes before I end up putting even the cutest hairdo UP. I would say that having a collection of hair ties, hairbands and hair clips will do the trick ... cute updos abound and the current flower clip trend looks even cuter in the summer.
On a side note- one should also invest in a body spray on some light fruity or citrus-y or clean fragrance a body spray is a good way to cool off-stay away from musky and warm scents as it often makes one feel a tad warmer..... however this may be a personal preference.

10. Well, what else?

Some thoughts

2010-03-05T08:05:00.000-08:00

I have been making some adjustments... As you can see I took down my etsy and zazzle badges. I still have a profile on each site but Etsy will now be for custom requests only, Zazzle will be accessed by a link on my website. I want to focus more on making art and keeping the value of my work unique. I don't want to mass produce it, or get into advertising it....... I just want to draw and blog..... I want to take part in specialized events and meet people who like my art, I want to take part in solo and group shows rather than open calls for art...because I have seen that open shows lack the quality and "theme" that I would like........ I got a player from a show I was in and on the flyer was a drawing that looked like a character from beevus and buthead and I said to myself... "Ok this is not what I am wanting...this is just participation for participation sake..... no value, no filtering, no expectations.... No more.." More group shows are curated, so I need to look at artists like me-where do they exhibit? -Then I need to send THOSE galleries my postcard mailers and emails. Then they will know who I am..... In the mean time, I have to go and draw more and post more.....

2010-02-27T16:50:00.000-08:00

Its been a while, and that is because I have been doing a lot of work for my job. Its nice but not a lot of time for art..... I have to get motivated again though :) Honestly, I am not sure what I want to do with my arteork, or how I want to share it :( I am lowbrow in one sense but NOT in the domintant lowbrow trend of "slightly disturbing". I am naive art but I have an art degree.... I am neo anime/manga/otaku art and yet my style is VERY different at the same time......

I was think of sending resumes to art agents or something...... Then I could have a variety of projects.....
I don't know if etsy is for me...I think people who sell on there have offline following and anyways the ones who do good are the suppliers and jewelry makers.
It would be nice to be a part of a group art show... or do an interview with a magazine BUT the most important thing is to draw and keep drawing and making pretty new designs and then to put them here and on art sharing sites and just enjoy art....

Today, because I feel like it

2010-01-28T20:52:00.000-08:00

"Pride can stand a thousand trials
The strong will never fall
But watching stars without you my soul cried
Heaving heart is full of pain
Oh, oh, the aching
Cause, I'm kissing you oh
I'm kissing you oh
Touch me deep, pure and true gift to me forever
Cause, I'm kissing you
Oh, I'm kissing you, oh
Where are you now?
Where are you now?
Cause, I'm kissing you
I'm kissing you, oh "

~Des'ree Kissing You

Anyhow

2010-01-23T11:19:00.000-08:00

plush like

Plushyou! blog has all kinds of interesting articles.
Dog is by Lemmikkiapina

I want to get some magazines now.....

Classes and such

2010-01-09T17:40:00.000-08:00

So I am all signed up for this semester's classes. I graduated school a few years ago after double majoring in English AND Studio Art......Yet I have taken a class here and there ever since. Lets see...I've taken Storyboarding, Intro to Computer Graphics, Maya Modeling & Rendereing I, Basic Animation -Flash, and History of Animation/Tradition Animation, ..................all to add to what I already learned in my traditional Studio Art Classes. Now, this semester, I will take Digital Art I and Illustration Techniques I.......I'm not sure what new things I will learn in the Illustration class since, technically, I already DO Illustration, but I am excited to maybe experiment a bit and hopefully meet some new people with similar interests!

Something else I also want to do is to start sending my portfolio to Publishing Houses and Illustration Agencies......
I also want to do some more gallery shows, and I want to participate in very unique ones, a strict theme, or a curated group show, preferably next to artists along the same style/type/subject matter as myself.....

last sketchbook and thoughts of today

2010-01-02T20:41:00.000-08:00

Well my last sketchbook was done and sent off a few days ago now. It was with the theme " And Suddenly..." As I had little time I went ahead and did the last half of the book in colage form. with much use of glue and scissors :)

As for my thoughts. "One should not have to try to hard to chase after one's friends, true friends meet you and interact, you are not ignored by them or tolerated by them but enjoyed. One must abide by this and without looking back."

Inspiration and horses

2009-12-30T15:34:00.000-08:00

Well, I stumbled across the world of breyer horses on Youtube of all places. I used to play with model horses as a child and it seems that many young girls nowadays like them as well....only these kids have the notion to make little films of their storylines and such. Cute. Alas I don't have money to buy breyer horses, however that was not gonna stop me- I felt inspired- and I got out the scissors, prismacolors and cardstock and made roughly 20 horses. Here we see the mares and foals huddled together as the stallions fight.... needs a background I know but I only meant to show off my horse making skills :)

Merry Christmas! kitten card

2009-12-24T11:55:00.000-08:00

Gallery Updates

2009-12-21T20:52:00.001-08:00

Well Climate gallery posted some photos of the exhibition "der Zeit of Drawing" and I finally found a photo with mine in it(top row on the right-hand wall), which makes me feel much better, here is the link to the picture
Also my family went with me to see the "9x12" show in Ft. Worth and photographed me next to 2 of my pieces, we couldn't get a picture with the 3rd one "Cowgirl and Kitten" because......It has been sold! How exciting for me, I hope it has a very happy home and that whoever bought it enjoys it a lot! :D

Christmas Time

2009-12-20T13:44:00.000-08:00

Well Merry Christmas! I have some fun things planned for this week :) anyways. I got this movie "The Flight Before Christmas" and I love it, saw part of it on tv....interesting story and beautiful animation-made in Finland about a little reindeer fathered by one of santa's reindeer, who journeys to the north pole to meet his dad (suprise, you have a son!) along the way he comes to realize that real family are the ones who love you and have always been there for you, its quite a different style than the Disney/Pixar movies and I enjoyed it a lot! :)

Also I got me a party pack of lip smackers in the coca cola flavors..... I've always liked the soda pop flavors the best :)
Coca Cola always seems Christmas-y.

Yeah!

Mary

2009-12-16T07:33:00.000-08:00

I just learned that Mary Travers passed away. She was part on one of my favorite bands {Peter Paul and Mary} so I shall post some of my favorite music videos of her. These three stayed together as a group from 1960-2009.....a lifetime.....

Mail me art update

2009-12-14T17:10:00.000-08:00

Well my bunny for November got there ok here is the link
and I made an envelope put of patterned paper and drew on it for this December one :)

kitten flash movie

2009-12-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

My first flash class is over and I made a short animation for my final. "A kitten becomes jealous and annoyed when its human girl acquires a boyfriend."....Please enjoy!

news and another sketchbook

2009-12-07T18:54:00.000-08:00

Anyways I got a email from Climate Gallery saying the opening for "der Zeit of Drawing" went well. I am gonna try to see if my cousins up in NY can visit the gallery and see my work..kind of check everything out for me.....In other art news I finished my 3rd sketchbook for the sketchbook project "Past Present and Future"and will send it tomorrow. I also have to go to Ft.Worth to see the 9x12 show......

Thanksgiving :)

2009-11-26T11:56:00.000-08:00

Finnished watching the parade! waiting to take off to my grandma's house and realizing I just got paid....must not get to excited ;) I probably won't go shopping on friday......Well other than a perfume here a necklace there I don't know what I'd spend money on ..... I need to make a budget and stick to it and save money for the month I dont get paid ( I work for a college). But I am glad not to worry about it to much :)

2009-11-25T09:01:00.000-08:00

sigh................

2009-11-25T08:36:00.000-08:00

I have to find new friends , because the ones I got in high school and junior college are not acting like my friends......

November Mail Me Art

2009-11-17T08:02:00.000-08:00

This little guy is on his way to England for the "Mail Me Art" Project for November. I hope he will have a good trip :)

So now I like dangle-y earrings ? :)

2009-11-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

Lately I have taken a liking to earrings..... I don't know why.... Perhaps it is because of the variety of unique ideas that I see.

It's always fun to be wearing a bit of art! I am especially developing a liking for "dangly" earrings even though I did not like them growing up...... You will note that my taste is very eclectic and eccentric though, and here are some from etsy that I especially like (and now own). These range from dichroic glass in fiery lavender and sky blue, to playful paper dolls reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. I also love the current floral trends as well as anything that reminds me of ice cream....because who doesn't! ;)

So, here are the featured earrings- all found on etsy.com in the following shops.
The paper doll ones are by munieca
The ice cream ones are by ajillionpieces
The flower ones are by smilingsoul2
The dichroic glass ones are by myfusedglass

Yeah! Mail me art made it safely -October

2009-11-11T20:46:00.000-08:00

I Finally got to see that my October submission got to the UK alright. It is inspiring and I will be making another package to hopefully ship out this weekend :)
See me in the October Gallery of the Project http://mailmeart.com/going-postal/gallery/mail-me-art-two/?album=1&gallery=11
hint: mine is right in the middle of the second to last row.

2009-11-11T09:35:00.000-08:00

yesterday I thought "why not take some strides towards being a professional artist" So I studied my " general career-advise" books again (Children's Writers and Illustrators Market, and Artists and Graphic Designers Market). I decided on 2 things
SCBWI and Artdealineslist. The membership to the 1st is $75 for a year. No thanks until I am making more.... Artdealineslist was $24 to subscribe for a year and I HAVE enjoyed the gallery shows I've been in so far. What I got was to be redirected to a blog which I guess is updated with lists. Did I have to pay to see that blog? I did a google search for the blog, found nothing other than the other page that one goes to to subscribe. But couldn't I find it now I have the URL? How do they know its me, or is it just that I know where to find it now? Do I get more than in the "free" email subscription version? Plus, dont read the guys blog blog. He seems like a little, sarcastic , sort of dirty man. Nothing is wrong with being sarcastic but when one posts a letter from a subscriber/proscective subscriber, with ones sarcastic responses interjected, thats a bit to cheeky for someone like me who just PAID to be redirected to a ........blog..........

So my Assessment is that we will see, though I can't really tell if I HAVE actually been bamboozled or not......... yeah we (everyone who listened to anything online or in print) all just paid for a freaking link......grrrrrr!!!!! Oh well..............

9x12 show

2009-11-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

These then are the 3 pieces I sent for the 9x12 Exhibition at the Fort Worth Community Art Center.
"Little Circus Kitten 2"
"A cowgirl and her Kitten"
and "Mandy"

All of these will be for sale at the Exhibition :)
they are 9x12" and done in prismacolor. The colors are richer than on the monitor and I did cover each with a coat of glossy acrylic spray after I scanned them in. It really gives a nice shine and enrichens the colors up.

Hawaiian theme gift basket

2009-11-04T08:17:00.000-08:00

These are some ideas for a Hawaiian themed gift basket for a girl.
1. Pacifica solid (or spray) Perfumes in Waikiki Pikake or Hawaiian Ruby Guava
2. Tickets to see the movie "Princess Kualani" (aka. title "Barbarian Princess") staring the beautiful and refined Q'orianka Kilcher
3. a Fabric lei or , for a modern twist, a flower hair clip (from Claires or anywhere else that sells them)
4. a cd by Isreal Kamakawiwo'ole, his rendition of "Over the rainbow" is amazing!

lovely dolls

2009-11-04T07:53:00.000-08:00

I have found a lot of pretty ball and joint doll photos. I think maybe these kinds are the only ones I find pretty. There are a lot of different facial features that I have seen. I like the cute sweet versions.

Scketchbook Project scetchbooks 1 and 2

2009-10-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

These are some scans from two of the illustrated sketchbooks that I am doing for Art House Coops "Sketchbook Project" for their Brooklyn International Art Library, set to open in 2010.

The first one is "It's not easy being green" in which a kitten has developed a passion for "painting" , much to the dismay of her human who just wants her to stay clean! , hilarity ensues.
Note: I will be adding some color to this one, but I wanted to scan the drawings in first just in case.

The theme of this bottom one is "The Elephant in the Room", I explored the theme of elephants and did finally get a mini-story involving a circus elephant and a acrobat girl .

:)

2009-10-24T11:52:00.001-07:00

I'm just testing how different styles of posting will look,
this is a flyer for my first gallery show that I was in.

It was a dual show and very fun :)

My Maya Bunny

2009-10-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

Kawaii, no? Look at my first maya project. I did a journal, lollypop and a plush bunny. Here are some jpegs of it. I have not learned animation yet, just rendering and texturing but it is a lot. A very big program. I really like the cute bunny, its my favorite :)

Ah, Memories........

2009-10-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

I love Tania Raymonde as Cynthia in Malcolm in the Middle... She's so cute. I was soooo this girl at that age. Very nerdy, though I was much shyer but just as persistent and - the hair, I would do all kinds of funky updo's with mine, from princess leia hair buns to briads all over ......sometimes both at once. and the "please be my friend" party invitations (see clip) .........cracks me up...yep.......................................

hahahaha

2009-10-22T19:51:00.001-07:00

Finnaly? Well this one I like the kitten on......

2009-10-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

What shall my future background be?

2009-10-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

I drew this tonight but it does not look right. It looked ok when I tried it but I think I shall try another design that touches more on "window forrest" theme.......

a konno pic and a wish for mail

2009-10-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

must post this cute pic of Konno Asami, my favorite celebrity. she's so sweet ^^

Also I was thinking..... I wish I could suscribe to something that sent me art and gifts and surprises each month. I love getting things in my mailbox. I want to get flyers for artist shows, and art galleries, poems, candy, free samples, stickers, magazines, postcards.......

Trouble is that most places now do their promotions via email.
hmmmmmm..... Its not as fun as real mail at all ...wwaaaaaa!!!!!

new look

2009-10-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

I changed my template again :) Even though I had a super background *ahem.... one could not read anything and I thought "it looks cool but I can't really read the words, I keep starring at the background..." So I cropped the pic and now have it as my header background, and I have a new template that I like..... very stretchy....
so until I have time to draw an amazing blog background that wont drown out all of the stuff ON my blog I might just use this look :) hope everyone likes it.

Drawings for the Drawing Show

2009-10-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

Ok so here are some of the drawings I have been working on to consider fo the drawing show @climate gallery ....... You have no idea how hard these were to upload, I scanned them in emailed them to myself then opened the email and tryed to upload but my files had gotten "corrupted" but I could still upload them on flickr so I had to upload them to flickr then download them from flickr and then I could get them off my desktop, finally! did I metion I love flickr now? Anyways i will probably have to clean them up and maybe ink them or something......... but I actually really like leaving my drawings in black and white.

myspace???

2009-10-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

Why do I dislike myspace? why cant I get into it? Maybe it is because of the fact that if you use it for personal use then all there is to to on there is stare at the same friend pages day after day.....which really don't change.... it is fun to add/view bands and artists and stuff and view their wall spam, but I don't need to be ON myspace to do that. It is cumbersome to find anything on myspace between all those adds. I don't buy the jazz about it being a good networking site......It is hard to even find where the common interest groups are......

One writer on readwriteweb sums my feelings up..."MySpace's core nature is to express yourself into a void and hope people come to visit your page and check it out."

Exciting news (as you can see)

2009-10-08T18:17:00.000-07:00

As you can seee......I finally finnally finally figured out how to change my background to a picture.......I used to think that there was no way I could really ser my blog to look unique but I finnaly learned how to tweak my html :) :) So happy. Right now I have a wallpaper from a japanese teeny-bopper first love type drama. It goes nicely with my Robert Frost quote though its a little distracting. I had toooo much trouble trying to get one of my own works from flickr though I think I will draw something special, just for this blog and scan it in. !!!! :)

2009-10-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

hmmmm......I think I like blogs better than twitter. I like being about to see the photos and such all together on the page, sort of like a magazine. I guess twitter is good for making announcements and networking maybe but....its sort of boring.

2009-10-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I jumped on that twitter bandwagon....not because I envision myself writing down my random thoughts and doings at any/every moment of the day, but rather, a LOT of people, bands,artists and such seem to be using it and I was curious about them I suppose... www.twitter.com/musicaltree
Does it matter? I don't know yet.

Also, I have my links on my website. I wonder which ones I ought to have up....I don't think I need to have the flickr one because I'm bad at uploading to that...and my website already has an art gallery people can look at and my blog has photos and art they can look at.... I might delete that link just like my myspace, because..... what is the point if you have already found my website? I mean its just the same stuff all over again right?

artist stuff

2009-10-03T20:59:00.000-07:00

I updated my website ( www.musicaltree.webs.com ) with the tour dates for the sketchbook Project and the Drawing Exhibition I am going to be in. More Events/Shows to follow. Please go if you are in those cities and tell me how it was. (can't afford to travel with my art, can't mail myself :)
I feel sort of like a musician, putting in all of these dates and places where people can come see some originals of my art, like bands go on tour too, ya know?.......

P.S. (the link is not working because blogger is being buggy and keeps putting extra stuff at the begining of the URL, so just type the website URL address in your browser:)

happy cat

2009-09-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

now that I have successfully written the longest most annoyed "window forrest" post ever I will give a soothing image of "happy cat", let "happy cat" make you happy.

amigurumi by megipupu http://www.flickr.com/photos/megipupu/2898626294/

art world politics?

2009-09-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

So I've been reading up on the art world and visiting professional art blogs. and I have realized a few things. I find so much out there about people discussing what is "art" and what is "not". I find both sides to be ludicrous. One person says that you have to be represented by a "legitimate" gallery-however those galleries only represent you if they can sell your work and pretty much make a profit from it- so its all about the money, and the illusion is that this prestige means that the art is "good" , who's to judge? Then we have the folks (along the same lines) that bash what they call "vanity galleries" these are galleries that make you pay to exhibit your work in them. The "prestigious" galleries "look down" on them- apparently. ( I suppose artists are supposed to take that as a horrific thing?, lol.) Then you have another sect that spins extremely philosophical discourses on how there is no real art anymore, and even takes this so far as to make their own snobby judgments (usually based on age or on method) of what "good" and "bad" art is. Sometimes these are just stereotyping art school graduates from movies, or declaring that art has no meaning anymore, accusing all artist of being vain, "you haven't suffered enough or cut of an ear, etc. etc."

I find them all to be missing the point in the same exact way. Art is art and all art is priceless, therefore monetary value (or philosophical value) is bestowed or debunked by the viewer. SO the prestigious galleries that are supposed to make one "legitimate" are only "legitimate" if you are one of that circle and/or believe that philosophy- or if you are going the route of selling expensively only to the "upper crust" "art collector".
As far as those who bash vanity galleries, I suppose if you are trying to climb into the elitist circle, then you might have a problem- because those who side with the elitists may look down on you. However, I would like to think that artists would rather work with people open minded enough to at least look at their art before rejecting them . My advice: If you want to have a vanity, and you can afford to -do it and just don't tell the elites, if they are that snobby they wont show up anyways and who's to know? In the meantime everyone else will probably love getting to mingle and enjoy your work.
To the last example, the Philosophical one- just as subjective and biased as the "elitist", they are gonna miss out on enjoying the art and the artists. p.s. - I like my ears :D

finally I appreciated the thoughts expressed by Joyce Fournier in her response (titled "Everyone pays a fee") to an art gallery thread , talking about how the current system often shames artists out of being independent (and out of exhibiting in venues other that elite, selective galleries), I also appreciated Joy Enelman's response to the thread as well
"... many artists do not necessarily want to sell, but wish to communicate their ideas visually to an audience and listen to the comments about the work. Not all artists 'have to sell' and the idea of making art (only) for the sake of 'selling' is in itself a travesty.

Art is first about communication and to communicate, the artist needs a venue. Who pays? Does it matter whether it is the artist, the gallery, the government? Isn't it more important that the artist gets a chance to show, discuss, talk about and share his/her vision?

What is this modern mentality of 'money first, second and third'?

Where is the art for art's sake?"

mail art

2009-09-21T12:18:00.001-07:00

This is my first piece of mail art that is traveling to the UK right now, for the "mail me art 2" gallery show/project. I hope it arrives there ok :)

I also entered/submitted for entrance into, a call for art from Climate gallery in NYC, it is taking drawings for an upcoming exhibition on drawing which is cool.

koo and poppet cuteness

2009-09-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

when I found this I just had to blog it: This girls shop is called "koo and poppet" and she makes such cute, simple, cute plushies.

her blog is http://www.kooandpoppet.blogspot.com/

2009-09-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I am filling out some paperwork and they want my ethnicity. I'm not black or asian so they give me this choice : Non-white hispanic, or non- hispanic white. what???? If I'm half white and half puerto rican, which one am I? lol.
anyways, I'm adding "morning musume", from japan, and "the bee-gees" to my fav bands. morning is so kawaii and the girls are very sweet, more like a group of friends. and the bee-gees,well, they are from the 70s,they sing in a key even I cant hit and, they make me laugh but I like them.

2009-09-19T19:05:00.000-07:00

The balloon festival was great and I even saw a few balloons land close by. P.S. Taylor Swift wins points with me for not physically kicking that guy off the stage, because I probably would've, sheesh........

baloons

2009-09-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend is Plano's biannual balloon festival. Which means balloon watching and chasing for me :)

organizing

2009-09-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

The other day I decided to organize my clothing drawers by color I had my blues and purples in one drawer, my reds, corals, pinks and browns in another, and my whites, grays and blacks in another. I learn something : I have almost nothing in green, orange or yellow. I dont like yellow on myself, orange is a rare find anyways and if its to yellowish I dont like it, the same with green. Still it was surprising. I do have accesories with those colors though. :o
This is a nice photo from Oh Joy! blog.......
I like the makeshift closet, somehow it reminds me of a ship

new website

2009-09-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

Well today I went to webs,com and built myself my first non-blog website. It is for my art and has sections for : about me, my resume, photo gallery/art portfolio, video gallery, Links, store/shop, projects, etc.
So now I have something more professional looking than my old blog. Everything in one place.

www.musicaltree.webs.com

so I'll keep that for my art and still use my blog for announcements and inspiration :)

scketchbook 2

2009-09-11T13:37:00.000-07:00

I signed up for another sketchbook and got "it's not easy being green" this time, as my theme. I want to have several sketchbooks submitted. It is so exciting!!!!

Also: I found another thing to get involved with. It is a UK based project called "Mail Me Art" and it focuses on mail art!!!!!! It is 6-8 months long and you send this gallery the art, each month a winner gets a prize, at the end there will be an exhibition of all the art, and a photobook published of it!!!!!!!
Link: http://mailmeart.com/going-postal/submit-mail-art/

Scketchbook project

2009-09-07T08:13:00.000-07:00

Well I got my sketchbook from Art House Coop and I am sooooooooooo excited. At first I was upset because my randomly generated theme was "ahhh! monster!" and ......you know? I know the disturbed directions that that can be taken.... So I email and asked for a new one. They were very obliging and told me they'd switched me to "elephant in the room" which is much more neutral and such. So I can work with this. I'm getting excited now. I used to whatch "Babar" alllll the time and I think maybe I will try doing a storybook of some sort. and using several mediums ( ink, paint , etc.) I'm also thinking of maybe getting another sketchbook, if that is allowed. being under 2 themes would be fun!!

here's a link to Art House Coop http://www.arthousecoop.com/

Did I mention the collection of sketchbooks will go on tour and also become part of a library?! :)

2009-09-06T07:49:00.000-07:00

I put my Etsy Shop on vacation today. I felt I needed to. The fact is, I was not selling anything, and I did not have a wide array of products. I felt that I was beginning think about making stuff so that it might sell rather than just making art for arts sake or for myself. I didn't like that. So I decided to shut it down for a bit while I focus on just making art to share and such. I think I will still keep zazzle, though no one goes there either , but its different I suppose because all I'm doing is putting my images on stuff there. With etsy I had frustration with my pictures, the stuff was handmade so there was more of a sense of failure when things didn't sell, I think. More of a sense that I was laboring to make something personal just to get money. And the prolonged disappointment of not being noticed. And the more I did that the more I felt a loss in value in what I was making.
Of course I will still take custom orders through etsy, If anyone ever wants a custom order.

some bands i like

2009-09-05T21:10:00.001-07:00

ome of my favorite bands :)
The first 2 are eisley, like them because they are very whimsy and imaginative, then there is a fine frenzy, she is down to earth and artsy,
Peter paul and mary are passionate and thoughtful and deep, vienna teng is wonderful with piano melodies, be good tanyas are perfect in thier imperfect harmonizing.........thats all for now :)

2009-08-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

Moved my bro into his dorm at UNT (north tx) and it looks so fun! soooooooooooo many people and cute guys too. Everyone looked friendly. Makes me wish I had gone to a big school. Maybe I would've made more college friends and Maybe and boyfriend or two ;)
Seriously though, And his ROOM, it is in the new dorms and he has his own room with a sink and mirror. He shares a bathroom and kitchen with another guy and it comes with a fridge and microwave. If I had had such things when I went! A whole private kitchen. Nice. Maybe I should go to grad school there eh? Anyhow SCAD is out of my list due to the spread of its campus/area/massive crime rate. I know from experience that I wouldn't like being in a bad(ghetto) dangerous area. And I don't want to go to the deep south. They already have enough problems ;)
Calarts is still in the running but doubtful as it is in an expensive area, only 1,400-ish students is smaller than the school I went to and I know it was hard to fit in, even if they ARE other "art kids". I just dont knnnnoooowwww........!

2009-08-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

I went to see Julie&Julia today. I drove 15 minutes to the Movies 14 in Myckenny Because they have thier daytime price at$ 3.25, this means I can go to the movies again (the other movie theaters are $7-10!!!!)
Makes me want to write a blog........Oops I do write one :) Well I wish I had readers but I think that the difference now from when that woman's story happened is that now everyone has a blog. Maybe also -blogger does seem more isolating cause you can't really search for blogger blogs through blogger. I guess I could add this blog to my technoratti ( or whatever) account, and I could pay to be part of delightful blogs but I don't want to spend the money for the 2nd option right now :)

Anyhow it would be nice if I had a few followers, or if people linked to me but I'm ok for now.

Anyways- ART- I've been doing animations with Painter a little. I like Painter ^^

I think if my blog had a theme it would be "Cute stuff on the internet that I like"....

2009-08-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

OH! and Also I did some artsy artsy stuff today. I submited some digital images to Storyopolis Art Gallery in Dallas, and signed up for "The Sketchbook Project" through Art House Coop...They will send me a moleskin, I will draw in moleskin and then all the moleskins from everyone involved will go on tour ^^!!!!!!

lovely eyeshadows

2009-08-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

I went and splurged on make-up today.....I saw all these reviews online for Coastal Scents 88 palettes and bought myself the matte one and the shimmer one.....actually over ebay its not that expensive. I (as an artist and a girl) am excited to play arround with these colors!!!!!!!

2009-08-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

Well I( played around with templates today but I didn't like any of the other blogger ones and I don't want to download a strange file from another site.. so.....I guess I like the parchment paper look even compared to a white background or color....hmmmm dont like the color choices

2009-08-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

I shall make a list. It shall be a good list and I shall follow it and I will be for fun, not to make money not to compete but to enter and enjoy the art world and share my stuff:

Here it is:

1. Make connections with other artists and people online - I think it would be nice to not just observe but to start INTERACTING with the others for a change.

2. Start submitting things to calls for artists from galleries, shows, magazines and websites (at least 5 a month)- I want to start showing and sharing my stuff for arts sake, even if I take it slow I want to start touching others lives in a new way through my art by sending it out to be seen and enjoyed....Have to find nice galleries that have similar tastes to my stuff, Maybe magazines and websites/web amgazines are like galleries too?
3. ?

2009-08-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

Well, its me again, thinking and thinking about what I want to do as far as the artworld goes. What kind of an artistic route am I drawn too. I have looked at the stuff on etsy, and zazzle, artfire-ect.
I have browsed deviantart and sheezy etc. I have looked at peoples blogs, online mags, etc.

My self assessment: you may have noticed that I have NOT added much to my etsy store, there are many reasons,#1 I don't have much stuff ready other than art- no machines for making buttons and mirrors, #2 I feel bad selling my originals.....I feel worse and odd selling prints ONLINE unless they are framed or something special 'cause if an image is on the net couldn't they just click view, print and do it themselves for free? #3 Really tight finances right now and selling online means buying material making stuff, photographing and postin' it and then waiting and it seemed not many people saw my stuff even when I did have lots up there, then you get frustrated.....

BUT REALLY I like sharing my stuff, love having art profiles on art sharing sites/art community sites, I like zazzle of all the selling sites I'm on because they produce the products and they are good quality and I must admit they have made money off me- buying my own stuff ;) I mean
who doesn't like a button or Postage Stamp with their art on it! however, i must admit that it's obscure and no one ever finds me there. I also wonder if my art might be more precious and valueable by not doing that...even so I only have 3 main pieces that I have put onto zazzle stuff so I am ok ;)

If I sold anything else It would be a limited quantity, that people could look through, at an art fair, maybe even a drawn-while-you-wait feature, with me and a pad of paper, prismacolors and a line of people with personalized requests!!!!! SWEET!!

So maybe I should focus more on gallery showings (show off) and such?

2009-08-03T08:02:00.000-07:00

I want to get away from making art to "sell" for a while and I was thinking.....Galleries! Maybe answer some calls for artists just for the fun of it. then I can collect the publicity flyers and put them up here like other artists like scarrletcat do .....
Examples art the photo's The one with the brown parchment look is from my one and only gallery showing...allison is a photographer and I appreciated the name she chose for us because it went with my content a bit more, since her stuff is more abstract :)

2009-07-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

Wellllllll......I do like art sharring sites in moderation, more to collect favoritesthan anything else
Deviantart is the biggest, I have an account and some favorites there and I joined sheezyart today and it is much smaller, has less options and I cant figure out how to upload!!!!!!!!
I don't know I think maybe da has more stuff and whatnot but it is nice to see other people's stuff. da does seem to have more styles maybe? note: safest way to search is with a filter for the mature stuff and to go through the favorites of your favorites : [

Flickr is safe but not much artwork, all photography pretty much.
tried GFX but it was way to dark...........

2009-07-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

So i been surfing again with my free time and I found a cute jello recipe at http://chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com/2009/03/petite-watermelons.html

also check out http://www.jarsofcute.com/
it is a blog about cute stuff :)

2009-07-05T22:09:00.001-07:00

In other words I'm trying to get a full time job in something, <<<<,
Also THINKING about grad school in, say, animation ('cause studio art doesn't need a MFA cause like what can you do with that but become a professor?.....Or maybe just for the experience and creativity.....but for me grad school is toooo expensive to be a hobby)

So the Grad school Animation Schools are:
1. Calarts
2. Savannah School of Art and Design
3. Rochester Institute of Technology

2009-07-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

Whilst thinking about my future I thought I'd blog on ************Gilmore Girls !!!! Me and my sister have been watching it for a long time. In fact we have 5 out of 7 seasons. We didnt like season 6 (too much melodrama and characters acting 180 degrees off character and rory changing into a High maintence, wealthy boys's pining girlfriend, but hey) 5 is mixed feelings - fine middle, though the jess thing is annoying and the end is terrible- so we have seasons 1-4, and 7.

2009-06-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

I was thinking that I get inspiration to draw from many things. A lot of times when I see artwork on Deviantart or photos on Flickr it gives me drawing ideas. those two are the big ones. Sometimes a blog will have something inspirational. I blog a lot of my inspiration here. Mangas are also inspirational, especially if the art is cute, also stuffed animals, etsy. .....etc......

So that is it for now.

2009-06-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

some pics from the newest few zines I've made.....they always amaze me after I'm done. i realized I love browsing flickr photos some are so dream-like...I like artwork to but you have to sift more to find the good ones. i like nice perfumes and my bangs and eyeliner.... ;)

kitten birthday

2009-05-27T20:26:00.001-07:00

2009-05-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

So I was bored today and decided to place with cartoon doll makers....there are a lot of sites that have these so I am documenting my favorites along with some of the ones I've made as well as some URLs of the sites:
http://elouai.com/ (Best)
http://www.pixelbee.com/
http://www.dollzmania.com

one thing to know is that any of the sites are fine, it just depends on what doll you want candybar dolls are my fav (see 2 example) because you can design their faces down to the eyebrows, they have a LOT of elaborate clothing choices, after you design your doll, use it in your profile, gallery, whatever! :)
I think candybar dolls are the best ^^
I like elouai the best

2009-05-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

Found this photo, a little girl gave this to her grandma for mothers day, a box with four animals drawings in it . Such a cute idea huh? ^^

2009-05-12T21:04:00.000-07:00

Romeo and Juliet vids:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E74W5PjophA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6P2dfLkfKc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GNh_ptPelA

2009-05-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

as far as perfume goes, I finnaly found some I did like. this was from the "pacifica" brand. I really like fruit scents. these were my 2 favorites....I got the guava one and will probably get the mango one sometime as well.....very organic and natural smelling, love it!

2009-05-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

So my cousin Alicia had her baby and my cousin Lorraine finally posted pictures today. I'm so excited so I -of course- am doing a post on the baby. I chose y photos with the family in them too since i love them all!!! Wish I could be up there to fuss over the new baby with them.
Photo 1 mommy Alicia and Sophia
photo 2 Alicia, Matt(daddy) and Sophia
photo 3 (aunt ;) Lorraine and Sophia
photo4 (aunt) Lorraine and Sophia again

2009-04-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

Today at work (writting center) I talked to the another tutor, Rita, she was telling me about how she is hoping to get a summer job................ on a fishing boat in alaska! How cool is that, what a n adventurous spirit she must be, she is real artsy/bohemian so it figures she would have something interesting to do :)
In other news , I have bid on a tin of Prismacolored colored Pencils, they are ridiculously expensive in the stores but, they are supposed to be really really good. Soft saturated with pigment, and, thus, less likely to be tedious to use like normal colored pencils....I figured I had to find something better than that and markers/crayons which dont have quite as clean of an effect...

2009-04-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

My friend Lauren got married today, and my friend Suzanne got married last week......so i thought I would tribute weddings by posting some bride themed pics

2009-04-21T20:08:00.001-07:00

Hi all! I am trying to find a good coconut body spray as i love coconut! so I have ordered a spray off etsy , I hope it is good ....
here are some other leads I have for coconut spray:

Coconut eau de toilette by Yves Rocher
Demeter’s Coconut demeterfragrance.com
LaVanila Vanilla-Coconut
The Body shop's Coconut Perfume oil
Lavera "vanilla and coconut"
the fragrance factory "coconut"
bath and body works (online) "creamy coconut" and "exotic coconut"

I think I will have to give one or two of these a try, especially if I dont end up liking the brand I got, but I hope I will!!!
note to self: Coconut eau de toilette by Yves Rocher, LaVanila Vanilla-Coconut, and
The Body shop's Coconut Perfume oil are my best bets out of these.......I think...........

Kawaii Rilakkuma

2009-04-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

balancing for a sad post is a post about cute rilakkuma, cute cute cute! My most favorite stuffed bears. :)

sad

2009-04-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking how the Olsen twins are the only american celebrities that have cute factor, however,though they try to ruin it and it seems as though mk has jumped off the deep end lately, and I hope that we are not witnessing a tragedy in the making.......

.......... and then I think about poor Judy Garland.......

manga reading

2009-04-18T15:24:00.000-07:00

Nagareboshi Manga is one of my favorite sites for manga, they scan lesser known shojo manga that are not being translated and sold outside japan, and they translate it into English, I like it because the stories are cute shojo..... on that note, Manga fox and One manga are the best places to go to read manga....... Manga Fox is the best because you can subscribe to your favorite series via rrs

2009-04-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I wanted to blog, but I did not know what to blog about so I thought I'd blog a slideshow of my flickr favorites :) I didn't want to post it as one of the permanent elements (see side bar and bottom) because this blog already has so many photos. it would over-photo-ize my blog, a blog with writing and photos and then a slideshow of those same photos.....seemed repetative. Anyways!

Decorated eggs and Easter, of course!

2009-04-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! Here are some nice examples of Ukrainian Easter egg painting.......

2009-04-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

this girls stuff is tooo cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(click link above)

Check out these cute kitties she did, I ordered a cell phone charm of the pink one! ^^

2009-03-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

"Soon" My Favorite Song from Thumbelina..........Hope........

Lovely Classic Pooh

2009-03-25T14:39:00.001-07:00

These are some classic pooh pics from "Woo's wonder world of pooh" I like it.