3 Is The Magic Number


Getting stuck on pieces is something I'm always going through. I think it has a lot to do with making a large quantity of work in a short period of time, the gears stop working and you have to oil up the machine. Something that helps me tremendously is going back to the basics, doing 3 color paintings and putting no limits on the materials you want to use. In this case, gouache, ink and pen. As long as It involves 3 colors. Seems weird, but it always works and gets me out of a bind. Working this way also starts to inspire me to make more limited color pieces and focus more on composition.

Birthdays at the Buscema house

Every year when our birthdays came around, we were always excited to see what our Gran'pa would come up with for us. That's because he would always (never missed a year!) draw us our birthday cards. It was by far the best present and something we always looked forward to getting. Here are two cards he had made me when I was in my teens:

At the time, I worked at a local bookstore...we would ALWAYS get customers (mostly on senior discount day) in the store trying to return books they had purchased eons ago!


If you know me, you know that I love my monsters dearly. You also probably know how what a pack-rat I am with my collectibles!

Meet...Easy Bake Bear!


Last night I was finally able to finish customizing my teddy trooper toy! He'll make his debut at Genuine Artikle's custom toy show, December 20th. I really underestimated how much time and patience these little toys require to customize.

I Scream, You Scream!

With the cold weather setting in, it's a lot easier to stay inside! That being said, there is a lot more time to put into projects and paintings. Lately I've really been trying to focus on writing (that's right, I said it...) and illustrating my own picture books. With so many ideas going on in my head at once, I feel by completing a rough outline and a bunch of character designs/concept drawings for now will prove to be helpful in the future. Above is one of my little sheets for a cute (and gross) monster story idea. Who would eat such horrific treats you ask? More sketches to come :)

Behold...

When my doorbell rang today I knew exactly who and what was here! It was UPS with a box of amazingness....


The Janome Hello Kitty sewing machine! Not only is it the perfect shade of sea foam green, it's light weight and easy to use (and not just for kids!). Recently I've gotten the itch to sew again. The machine I have is really nice but VERY heavy, cumbersome and a real pain to drag out of the closet and set up every time I want to use it. Not to mention tough to use. This little guy is lightweight and perfect for smaller sewing projects. The product reviews are ace and for the price, (and what the machine is capable of!) it's well worth it!