Okay, So Here it Goes

For the most part, I usually try to keep my personal life, well--personal.  But every now and then, events rear their head, whether they be ugly or not, and kind of take over my life.  So, this post won't be art-related, but mostly Christina-related.

*FYI, I'm writing this post mostly so other women who are going through what I'm going through can find this blog and know that they are not alone.  

This point in time is a bittersweet one.  No, there have been no personal or family tragedies, per se, but life hasn't exactly been as blissful as is usually expected when you are--EXPECTING.  Yes, I am 11 weeks pregnant which is the very "sweet" part.  We're so excited to be bringing our nearly 3 year old boy a sibling to stride and leap through life with.  We will be a complete family unit of four--okay six, if you count the dogs.

Now here's where the "bitter" part comes in.  Just as with my first pregnancy, I am experiencing a disease called Hyperemesis Gravidarum.  Yes, it sounds "grave" and it can be if not treated, but what it really boils down to is that I have an extreme version of morning sickness. Yuck.  Yuck to the 5 millionth degree.  Yuck to the power of infinity...

Hyperemesis is a disease that only 2-3% of pregnant women get, and is marked by severe nausea 24 hours a day and a lot of weight loss in a short period of time due to vomiting many, many times a day.  This of course leads to dehydration, which can lead to a bunch of other dangerous body reactions if left untreated.  I, myself, lost about 8 pounds in just over a week, and that's a significant amount for someone with a naturally small frame.  In a matter of only a few weeks, I had to be admitted for 3-day stays in the hospital a couple of times.  It renders you pretty much useless as by the time you've been diagnosed with the disease (if you manage to have a doctor who is aware of the existence of the disease to begin with), as your muscles and fat have already been burned by your body for energy which has technically gone into starvation mode.  Oh, and I forgot to mention the fact that many women (including myself), cannot eat or drink much of anything. I, for example, couldn't even keep down 3 or 4 sips of water without it coming back up.

So, now that the messy details are out of the way, we can move forward with how I'm progressing and what avenues I'm taking to feel better!

I originally thought I 'd be able to journal my progress from the beginning, but the severity of my case is just now starting to lift, so now 11 weeks in, I am finally able to sit on the couch with my laptop without getting nauseated by just the glow of the screen!  Small steps, small steps.  

I'll explain my methods to dealing with this madness in the next post.  So if you are visiting my blog looking for art-related stuff, you know you can skip my next post.

This is a good time for a break.  Time to change my I.V. before I start the next post...

Ciao!

Frog and Pig Finished

This has been pretty much finished for a while now, but I'm just getting around to posting it. I still feel like there's something missing though. Actually, it feels like there's a lot missing. But, there are a few things that I really like about it and will channel those things into the next painting. This is what happens when I don't have a very stable drawing or idea to base an illustration on. I was kind of flying by the seat of my pants on this one with a "not very focused" idea. So in retrospect, there's not a whole lot of substance here. This is only a portfolio piece and not for a client, but my next piece will definitely be fleshed out a whole lot better. I've been looking at a ton of visual development artists from the animation world and am dying to get some more drama into my pieces, but I'm always afraid to push values and points-of-view too far (even though I know that's what I really need to do). Maybe I'll do some "master studies" to get more of a feel of how they accomplish so much drama and atmosphere in their work.

Here is Lou Romano's work...an absolute incredible artist who has all the elements which make intriguing art perfectly wrapped up in each piece (lighting, atmosphere, tension, composition, drama, camera angle, color, value, etc.).

Well, on to the next painting which I will try to make a bit more Romano-like...

In other news, I attended the lovely OC Illustrators schmooze this morning and got pretty inspired by my fellow artists' work. It's always motivating to get together with like-minded people and spend some time talking shop.

I Never Have Been Much of a Journaler...But I Had to Blog About This!

Every day small adventures come and go and every day I think, "ooh. I should blog about this".  But life carries on in it's tidal wave fashion, and blog updating gets sloshed around in the undertow.

I've known for quite some time now that I am not the journaling type. So why do I constantly question myself as to why I never update my blog?  Over the years I've been given many a journal.  Each one I managed to sporadically fill to, oh, the third page or so.  I guess there's no hope for this until I set an appointment to update my blog on a regular basis on my iCal.  Three alarms will be needed to light a fire under my bum for blog updating.  I do realize it should be part of my marketing strategy, so iCal, here I come.

I do have some great news to share since I've last posted: I have an agent!  I am now represented by The Bright Agency--a really cool agency based in London.  I'm super excited about this opportunity and curious to see what illustration life has in store for me around the bend!

On that note, it's time for me to get moving on my illustration work and get some sketching done!

Here is something I'm working on at the moment.  Still have to finish up the background and add the final details to the piggy and frog:

Illustration Friday: Rambunctious

No doubt this guy has been rambunctious today.  This is a crop from a project I just completed about "The Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe".  Click for a larger image.  

Some Good News and Other Fun Stuff...

About a year and a half ago, I became involved with a book project for the group Kids Konnected. It is an amazing support group for kids whose parents have or have had cancer. Previously known as Komen's Kids, it was founded by a 11 year old boy who found himself feeling alone as he dealt with his mom's battle with cancer. Everything about the organization is truly inspiring and I really suggest a visit to the website for any child or teen who might be going through a similar time in their life. There are now chapters of this group all around the U.S. where kids can get together and share their feelings with one another.

So more about the book: it's titled "Moxie" and is a picture book that helps to educate young children on dealing with the difficult subject matter of cancer from a child's perspective. It is educational, but is not at all "scary". Here is a summary as taken from the Cancer Connected website where the book can also be found:

"Moxie, a blue racoon, lives up to her name in this story about facing difficulty with spirit and courage. She also sees this in her friends, Kelly and Jon, who are learning how to do the same through the bond of having a parent with cancer. There’s also a journal within the book that was “written” by Jon when he found out his mother had cancer. His insights and examples provide an easier way to explain cancer, as written from a childs point-of-view."

The printed book has finally come to fruition and is available for purchase at the Kids Konnected site and at the Cancer Connected site, with $5 dollars of every book purchased going to the Kids Konnected organization.

Here are a couple pages from the book:


In other news, on Saturday I headed south for a "schmooze session" with my O.C. Illustrator buddies at the studio of (soon-to-be famous) Marilyn Scott-Waters. It's always fun to get out of the house and hang out with fellow illustrators--I always leave feeling inspired and ready to paint! Everyone in the group is at a different level in their career and it's fun to hear about the exciting projects that everyone is working on.
After our schmooze, we took a field trip to the *AWESOME* bookshoppe A Whale of a Tale. I had never been there before, but had heard lots of good things about it. Everything I heard about it was true--it's a cozy shop with tons of really cool kids books and a friendly and very knowledgeable staff. They also have a really cool bunch of authors and illustrators come through to speak and sign books, which is always a fun thing to experience. Saturday, one of my all-time favorite illustrators, David Shannon was there! He did a great presentation for the packed house of young 'uns and I even got to meet him (even if just for a minute) while he signed three books for my little one. I decided a year or so ago that I would start a signed book collection for Wind Up Toy and now his collection is up to about thirty signed books. He's a bit too young to handle them on his own now, but hopefully he'll appreciate them when he's a bit older!

Also, check out the lovely illustrator, Yuyi Morales' blog and Senor Calavera's new website for some really cool stuff!

I know this is an illustration blog, but...Kidney Stones are EEEEVILLLL!

I am interrupting this illustration blog to bring you a public service announcement.

You know, I was thinking today.  You see I had a lot of time for it: my husband is out working a 72-hour shift, and Wind Up Toy is at his grandparents house.  Oh, and as for myself-- I'm sitting on my bed, trying to recover from having a kidney stone laser-blasted into oblivion (hopefully).

 

Anyhow, I was thinking that maybe from time to time I could throw in some posts that aren't just illustration related.  So here goes the public service announcement for y'all:

If kidney stones run in your family and you haven't yet had the lovely experience of one rip-roaring through your innards, bringing you the most intense, vomit-inducing pain you've ever experienced in your life, you better be drinking plenty of water to keep them at away.  Far, far away. 

And just to get this info straight, no, I am not a middle-aged, beer-bellied man.  So, it can happen to anyone.

No joke.

This is the third one I've had this year, and this time it took me out for, oh, five days now.  They suck, they are excruciating, and they are EEEEVILLLLL!  

Illustration Friday: Routine

Everyone needs a bedtime routine--milk and cookies and a good book...