Blogger Friends! Bday Post + Drawing a Day

It's my birthday today! I'm back in San Francisco since Sunday and finally feel more or less recovered from my ten day trip to Europe. I was jetlagged, friends, jetlagged indeed!

I didnt do as much drawing as I intended while on vacation, mainly because meal time was the only time we ever stopped moving. The rest of the time was walk walk walk walk walk walk , bike bike, walk, fly, ferry ferry fly. Also, eat eat eat eat eat eat eat eat.

I'm 29 now. I'll post pics of my trip after I've edited down 1000+ photos and I'll resume my drawing a day project. I miss my Europe friends but it's good to be back too.

Ischia - View of Mountain

Ischia - View of Sea

A European Vacation

I'm off to England and Italy for the next ten days so most likely no posts until I get back on the 28th. Bye bye for now!

Drawing a Day, Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Drawing with pencil is pleasing to my noodle

"Casandra's Plants at Night"

Drawing a Day: Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Full disclosure: Tuesday was a busy day and i actually forgot to make a drawing. to make up for it, i made a drawing of something that happened on tuesday instead. i ate this crabby here. he was yummy.

"Crabby"

I Watch Movies

I watch a lot of movies, I must admit.

Some I've seen over the past few weeks:

DOCUMENTARIES:
The Business of Being Born
A doc about birthing practices in the U.S. it focuses a lot on midwifery and how this country no longer really uses midwives. the film goes over the history of childbirth and it's many practices: the use of medicines, painkillers, different contraptions, etc throughout the ages. you see about 5-8 actual births taking place in a home birthing environment. "reach down, grab your baby!" RICKY LAKE made this movie. how unexpected!

Every Little Step
This tells the story of the making of the original musical "A chorus line" and the casting of it's current run on broadway. fascinating! you get to see beautiful bodies, dancers, movement, and the making of a broadway play. i must see chorus line next!

Jonestown: The Life and Death of People' Temple
Jim Jones started a radical "religion" based on love, diversity, community, and acceptance in the 1960s but drugs and power and let's face it, a lot of actual insanity, drove Jones to prompt the biggest mass suicide on record. a heartbreaking story that i previously knew nothing about.

American Teen
chronicles the lives of 5 teens in the midwest in their senior year. at the start, it seemed like this movie was going nowhere fast but in the end, the filmakers really crafted some excellent unexpected stories for most of the 5 teens. i cried. i was also a little drunk.

DRAMA:
The Damned United
The true story of England's greatest futbol manager. a great story and great performances. see it if you love soccer like i do

Ghost Writer
Polanski's latest movie. A political thriller starring Ewan McGregor. I was entertained.

Bronson
A very unusual movie about England's most famous prisoner. see it please

A Life Less Ordinary
This was on my original list but let's be honest, i really wasnt paying attention to it. however, i did notice it was one of Cameron Diaz's performances i actually enjoyed

Moon
A mix of a lot of great sci-fi tales with an expert performance by Sam Rockwell whom i adore. worth seeing!


Ok. Sometimes I watch TV too.
The InBetweeners >> watch this ! !

Drawing a Day: Monday, March 16, 2010

I gots to go to the art supply store cuz I'm kinda over the highlighter!

"Mineola in a plastic bag"

Drawing a Day: Sunday, March 16, 2010

I wish I hadn't made these lips purple.

"Real World Marathon"

Drawing a Day: Saturday, March 13, 2010

View from Above

Drawing a Day: Friday, March 13, 2010

I like stamps and I own a lot of them, lots of stamp pads too.

"Baby, the stars will shine bright"

"Specs"

Mother

There really havent been any movies out in a while that i've wanted to see in the theaters. "Mother" comes out today. I wish it was playing in SF. Hopefully, it will come here soon.

It will stop raining

it's been raining all day. i should record the sound and play it for you to hear. it's loud! and i'm feeling melancholy. dont know if it's the rain or too mushhh time with my thoughts or not enough sleep, but it is what it is. i wish i was going to be on a mountain this weekend, snow falling all around, instead of working. still, less than a week until my european vacation. let's hope it isnt raining there!

Drawing a Day: March 11, 2010

This is another drawing based on a documentary I watched. Oh my! The doc is "Every Little Step". It's about dancers and the making of the broadway musical "A Chorus Line". A great story indeed.

"Cassie!"

Drawing a Day: Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Jump Rope!

Bird on Stick

Drawing a Day: Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

I'm at work today so I'm able to scan in the drawings from the last three days.

I made the drawing below while watching the documentary "American Teen". This is really a great documentary about teenage life with a lot of surprises. I cried my little eyes out!

"Slap on the wrist"

RIP Farmbox, especially you, Kiwi. RIP

Alex and I are canceling our farmbox after today because we've just been so darn unhappy with the quality of the produce this winter. looks like the box that came today is the best we've gotten in months though. note the asparagus and cauliflower. ah well. not enough to save this sinking shit (typo and it stays, credit micheal K.) ! until may, when we start getting Shooting Star CSA. http://www.shootingstarcsa.com

Another Windy Run Around Stow Lake

Japantown

My friend Dawn told me about some good fresh ramen at the supermarket in Japantown so i headed over there after work yesterday. i found i much prefer riding my bike home the long way that takes me through Japantown. there is so much more to look at, so many more turns and sites than when i take my usual route down Market street. i plan to do it more often

Drawing a Day: Monday, March 9, 2010

1. 4pm espresso @ blue bottle

2. coffee drinker (in window)

miso soup

a few years ago, i visited my sister dana when she was living in tokyo. she taught me how to make miso soup while i was there. im so thankful she did because it's so easy to make from scratch and so jummy!

It Hailed Today

it hailed today! it poured down buckets of tiny ice rocks. i rode my bike in it and took a long run. i saw bison in the park. theyve been away but now theyre back. tough run, yes it was. soccer in 1.5 hrs.

Drawing a Day: Sunday, March 8, 2010

banana + calculator

Let the Right One In

Tonight Im watching one of my favorite movies, Let the Right One In. I thought I would share two movie posters I made for this film in a class last year in honor of the occassion. If you haven't seen this swedish vampire film, see it!

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

This is the first book I've read this year. Quality. With a capital Q

Project: One drawing a day

It should be easy to make one drawing a day so it's officially a project which I will be archiving here in this blog. Until I buy a scanner, I will probably post these in batches when I am at work. I haven't been drawing on a regular basis so bare with me as these sketches will hopefully improve

Arizmendi Bakery bench
March 5, 2010

Mochi in the window_01
March 6, 2010

Mochi in the window_02
March 6, 2010

Roland watching "a life less ordinary"
March 6, 2010

Day off >> de young, amish quilts, arizmendi, one drawing a day

I had the day off yesterday so I decided to go to the De Young to see the Amish quilt exhibit there. I haven't been to a museum in a long time! It's always an inspiration to go to any museum for though. This exhibit was particularly inspiring. The Amish quilts were so beautiful, vibrant, colorful, skillful, intricate and simple all at once. I snuck a couple of pictures with my iphone. There is also just something moving about being surrounded by paintings. It was a nice tour and walk. I'm trying to make better use of my D40.