Working On It

Hello world. I am a bad keeper-upper as you can see. I write checks with my mouth which my hands cannot cash. All the while I haven't been blogging, I haven't really been creating, except for a series of doodles my friend Maggie and I have been making based on office jargon. They are pretty hilarious in my opinion, but I am dedicated to keeping my blog classy so I will not post them here. Furthermore, I am in the middle of cleaning the bathroom but thought I would take a quick procrastinatory (word?) break and make a note that I am still alive and fully intend to return to art-making. Perhaps today after I finish these chores. I am in the market for a new book of nude figures so if anyone can suggest a good one, I would appreciate it.

Some of my More Recent Cards

Cards Pt. 2

Postcards!

I am addicted to making crafty postcards and I will be selling them in my Etsy shop in packs of 5 and 10 as soon as I have enough to go around. Some I like more than others and obviously as I go on my collection is growing. Ferrari thinks they are stupid and a waste of time but I really don't care. I have a mailing list longer than I really want and I expect less than half of these people will mail anything back but I really just like making them! My stamp collection is getting some much-needed use and my creative brain is getting itself some exercise while my painting is in its stage of "don't touch me, I'm ugly!" Right now my cards are in packs with themes. So far the themes are "Classy," "Wild Side," and "Whimsy" with upcoming collections entitled "Fresh Ink," and "Orient".

Fatty's Revenge, Seraphim and Stiff Little Girl

Today's doodles are a would-be me shedding my fat suit (if only), a little girl at a water cooler (who obviously needs Tinman's oil can), the sketch for one of my new angels and the transferred drawing on canvasboard. The wings don't quite show in the final picture, but they are there. I will be making this piece in oil and have since fixed the hand on the left. Even though I made it too big I am keeping it. I might thin out the bell of the trumpet. I am hoping to make this piece part of a tryptic where the other two paintings are half of a group of angels.

PTown

Things I need for tomorrow's trip to P-Town. We will be staying in a big camper with Mustang Mary for a couple nights after we go out to various clubs and bars. By day hopefully we will see Maggie Vespa and get some sun. Maybe some rainbowy gifts. The following list is pretty standard:

1. bathing suit
2. beach towel and bath towel
3. blankets
4. pillows
5. cute outfit for Diva's :-/
6. medicine
7. toiletries
8. Ferrari
9. flip flops and heels
10. big yellow duffle bag
11. snacks?

Rusty!

Obviously, I need practice with anatomy and perspective! I have a bad habit of drawing stick-skinny women and when I try to layer on some thickness they get all disproportionate. Here are my doodles from this morning. Yes, I am ashamed of myself. I am drawing from my head worse than before college. I don't want to be that person who always needs a photo reference, so I am going to practice practice practice. Hopefully I find a life-drawing class that doesn't conflict with my schedule or cost an arm and a leg.

Morning Doodling

Ferrari sleeps like a kitschy angel.

Fatty

Fatty Fatty 2x4 can't fit through the kitchen door! I have gained about 20 lbs in about 3 months according to my most recent doctor's visit. Here are some gross blubbery figure studies. Hopefully I drop the weight by Halloween so I don't look heinous in my purple spandex Wonder Twin costume. I would hate to make Mr. Bucci look bad and I want to win best costume!

Lists

I came across this one blog which was set up all in lists. I thought it was brilliant, so I'm going to be a biter.

What I need to get through a night at Appeal:

1. Two cans of Red Bull
2. A top or dress with ample cleavage
3. My cell phone's calculator because the cash registers were made in the 1900's
4. A go-to drink for patrons who can't decide what they want in under a minute
5. A quick way out of an uncomfortable situation
6. The DJ's phone number for texting requests and demands
7. My non-slip ballet slipper Crocs.
8. My bright orange Jagermeister bottle opener
9. The strength to deal with fools
10. Witnesses to the sexual harassment from my boss.
11. Fingernails long enough to pop open a can but not so long that they will break
12. Fresh breath
13. Doe eyes and killer smile to ward off overly serious conversation

Shaking the dust off?

I've picked up a painting I never finished from senior year at UHart. The assignment was to design a poster minus the text for a chili contest. My idea was to have flaming ladies dancing on a tongue. This marks the first day I met Ferrari and had her model for me that same afternoon. The colored pencil doodle is Stanley from The Office, the one I didn't have ready for my last post.

Catching Up

Here are some recent sketches. The first two are character development for a painting I want to do of biblical angels. No one ever paints angels the way they are depicted in the Bible, with six wings and four faces. I have been planning this painting for a long time now, collecting reference of environments and body parts. The more I develop the more I will post about the biblical portrayal of specifically Seraphim. The poopy looking sketch is a little still life I made at the beach with Mr. Bucci. The one with the excited face was from the other day when I bought some new pens. (I spoiled myself). The last two are characters from The Office and I seem to be missing one, which is Stanley. I apologize for the crumby resolution, I don't have a scanner at the moment, so the pictures were all taken with my Blackberry Curve.

LAUNCHED

I've finally completed my Christmas present to myself, which was my Etsy shop. I launched it about three weeks ago and I have been very pleased with my sales so far. I hope they can keep up and more importantly I hope I can keep up with them! I have a lot more creatures which have been lovingly referred to as "little guys" to post, I just have to get the ol' ball rolling. Next will be a little stop-motion movie like the ones I made when I was little, but I have to first aquire a camera. I bought a Sony Webbie, and while it is compact and adorable, it is hardly useful for what I need. THEN I LOST THE CORD I NEED TO UPLOAD ITS CONTENTS. Fool.

What else is new? I got  Blackberry Curve yesterday and so far so good. I'm still getting used to the keypad and navigating around its tiny world.

Oh, I completed a commission for a bluegrass album cover, and I'm working on a dreaded pet portrait in oil.

I've been burning through money like wildfire through Southern California and I'm pleased to say I have some good things to show for it for a change- some Spectrum books and other Illustration books, art supplies I actually use and needed, grown-up stuff like a car and all the fun stuff that comes with that... and a small amplifier to practice my beatbox skills. No one is perfect.

Click Here or Here or There to visit my new shop at www.ninaberetta.etsy.com

The name Nina Beretta is what I've decided would be my roller derby nickname. For those of you who don't know, it's a name for a gun and roller derby chicks have clever and violent nicknames. Please see the 2009 film Whip It for a reference.

I've Actually Been Productive

This first one has since been repaired and attached to a little platform. If you look closely, the left foot is broken from taking a nasty spill on photoshoot day. It now also has some fluffy black hair and a spruced up makeup job. I can't rotate the image because I am too lazy. Yes, that makes "can't" appropriate.

These one-of-a-kind originals will all be available for purchase in the future, after I take some decent photos and detach from them emotionally.

I love to mix my media.


My mother thought this one was hilarious... it's the only one I showed her with a serious undertone. Based on the idea of not knowing why the caged bird sings, the body is a little sterling silver birdcage with a tiny bird inside. I realize it looks like a racist image, but bear in mind these are all the same color when in process, and I let them form organically. In other words, I wasn't aiming for race of any sort (yes I know Maya Angelou is a black woman and she wrote I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings) let alone the derogatory "sambo" image. I leave that to Michael Ray Charles.

The cellphone camera didn't want to capture this one without washing out the facial details.

My friend named this one Boris. I don't see any reason to call it anything else... except the dress.
Due for a paint touch-up.
Pants are never necessary.

Nina Lately

I haven't updated in months and months. Here are some of the pieces I've created since then, and a doodle. This first little creature isn't very photogenic, the light washed out the green and pink pattern in its skin, and the gloss on the eyes and mouth. Considering the fact that it's wearing a little flapper dress I suppose I'll add some hair and call her a female... 

My version of mass production. I like to keep each piece one-of-a-kind at all costs.
This lil' guy has a hand puppet that torments him. This one is probably the most autobiographical piece I've made yet. Like all of my creatures it just formed organically, with no planning. The hand puppet was the result of my trying to counterbalance his big head. IN the end, I consider it a little analogy for me causing my own problems as well as giving them more consideration than they deserve. I can't make this text non- linky. 

Senorita
Ferrari in bed, on the computer