That Doodle She Does Do

Ask any of my former bosses and they will tell you- I am a doodler.  I doodle during meetings.  Believe it or not, it helps me stay focused- some of my best notes from college are absolutely covered in relevant doodles (my art history notes were especially good for that).  Anyway, I had a business meeting today, and thus did some doodles... which I then cut out and taped into my sketch book:

As you can see, I was revisiting my character from yesterday, and also trying my hand at the male version of the garb.  I'm not particularly satisfied with it, so I'm sure there will be more iterations in the future.  What's nice is that the more I doodle of them, the more their culture (and eventually stories) take shape in my brain... (which is how I can be pretty sure that, among their people, the adult males shave their heads, which is part of what's so wrong with that doodle...)

This evening I started laying down colors on yesterday's picture, but it's going to take several more hours to get to a point even resembling "finished".  Still, it's exciting to see what's in my brain start to appear on the screen.

Costume Design

You may have noticed that, for the most part, I am not what one might call a "fussy" illustrator.  I like simple, clean lines, and so that is how I draw.  But every once in a while I get an urge to do a lot of tiny details, and when that happens it leads to incidents like me passing on going inside Westminster Abbey in favor of drawing its outsides.

Also this happens:

She doesn't have a name yet, but that mark on her brow means she's married.

(I very much look forward to laying in the color on this one, because you guys- it's going to be so cool.)

The inspiration for this little doodle, by the way, came from the manga I was reading today, called A Bride's Story, by Kaoru Mori.  The artwork is some of the most gorgeous I've ever encountered.  That woman draws sheep like nobody's business, I tell you what, and the costumes the people are wearing in the comic made me say to myself, "Hmm, Self- normally we draw our characters in very simple things like slip dresses or maybe jeans and a t-shirt.  What if we were to try our hand at something more elaborate?"  What if, indeed...

Games With Girls

(a transcribed conversation with Nathan, on the topic of me once again dominating at a game of Scattegories)

"Man, don't play word games with Jenny, that's all I'm sayin'."
"Is that what you've learned?"
"Maybe games of strength are in order."

(It's true that all the men in my life can totally own me physically.  Super annoying.)

Young Heroine

Once upon a time I started a story that I called Blue Menagerie.  I got stuck on it, so it's sort of been languishing in my brain for two years, but it's still there- and I still think about it, and the characters.  One such character is the protagonist, Salome Thoris (aka Sallie), and she makes appearances in my sketch books from time to time.  This drawing of her is actually based on a photograph of my niece Quail, but since Quail is growing up to look an awful lot like Sallie, it works out pretty well:

(I will come back to this story eventually.  Probably just rewrite the whole thing...)

Eating Habits

(this is me with wet hair, in case you were wondering)

Tool or Toy?

When Nathan and I got home this afternoon we found that our littlest cat, Krumpet (aka Krumps) had left us a present...

Not as disgusting as originally feared.

On Levels of Commitment

I was listening to an interview today, by Terry Gross of Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen (of Portlandia fame- amongst other projects), and the subject of tattoos came up, which in turn led to Terry asking whether or not they'd ever met anyone with a tattoo of, well them.  And Carrie had, and when Terry asked her what that was like, she said this:

"It's one of those things, because of course the reaction is to be flattered, do you know what I mean?  It's like you just think, 'That is a level of commitment that I've never made to anyone.  And you've made that to me, and we're strangers.'  So there's a real disconnect there.  And you are grateful, but also a little weirded out, I will say.  And you're thinking, "Wow, that picture of me.  That version of me.'  You want to just slowly update it.  You're like, 'Oh gosh, you got the hair wrong.'  Just go in there and take a little pen and change it."

Now, as a person with tattoos (no famous people, sorry), and as an artist, and as a highly self-involved individual who spends way too much time philosophizing to myself, this got me thinking about... me.  And my level of commitment to things- specifically myself- and the "version[s] of me".  Which led to an idea, which led to a sketch, which led to this...

Underneath My Skin

...which will, in turn, lead to a better version of that.  Eventually.

I mean, there's just so much to unpack here... I get excited just thinking about the symbolism of self and self-perception, of what we choose to permanently mark ourselves with- and what we don't.  The list goes on and on, and if I get into it right now I won't get to bed, and so I'm just going to have to cut it short and say: discuss amongst yourselves.  (even if, like me, that means amongst your Selves)