r&b baby

The past few weeks have been kind of (very) rough for me. Now is just one of those times where nothing seems to be going right. I haven't woken up with the same excitement about life that I used to. 

Luckily, there is one good thing that happened recently. The Weeknd released a new album and it's fantastic. I listened to the whole thing at least 4 times today. 

This year has been shitty for a lot of reasons, but a good year for r&b. Blood Orange, Frank Ocean, Chance the Rapper, Drake, The Weeknd, Rihanna, and freaking Beyoncé all released albums this year! 

Here's a playlist of some of my favorite r&b tunes (though not all are from this year). Check it out!

                                           

I Still Exist!!

Just maybe not on my blog. Or on He Grew, She Drew. But I am attempting to make a comeback! School is over, so I really have no excuse for not blogging. Summer break is finally here for me, and I'm so excited about it. I have an endless list of things to do, and this is the first summer in two years that I am not moving, so hopefully I can actually get some things done. So far, I have been! I painted these mushrooms, which you can find for sale on my Etsy (my shop is Ophiblu!) I also still have Shop Local tees up there too, and I will continue to add art as I make it. 

                       

So, if you are still coming around to my blog every once in a while, thank you! Enjoy this watercolor painting I did, and then go outside because it's summer! 

Absence

I have not kept up with my blog lately. I have, however, been keeping up with my Snapchat and Instagram (@ophiblu) but I've neglected this place! I am hoping to return soon though. Tonight my family and I are leaving for New York City, and when I get back I will (hopefully) have lots to share. But in the meantime, this is a little watercolor and pen illustration from a few days ago.

wildflower insides

 

I've recently been in somewhat of an artists block, and not really able to figure out my style. So, what sometimes helps me, when that's happening, is to just paint something I already know, and like to paint. I started painting some lungs, not really sure where it would take me, and next I added flowers. Then came the torso anatomy with plants, a bunny, a bird, until I had a whole garden of illustrations growing. I am really excited about how this series turned out. They've sort of directed me where I want to go for now.
And by the way, happy spring! Hope you're all having a great week.

Dreeem

It is almost March, which makes me very sad inside. That's because in March last year, I met Perfume Genius. If you don't know of him, he's a shy musician, with the most powerful, yet emotional, songs. The night I met him may have been the best night of my life, or one of them. So, whenever I think about it being March, that's what comes to my head. But anyway, this is a painting I recently did of Perfume Genius, (or Mike Hadreas) in watercolor and gouache.  

sam, you have a beautiful body

Trying to get back into watercolor portraits. This is my most recent one; an illustration of one of my favorite TV characters of all time. Sam Weir, from Freaks and Geeks. 

live simply

I wish that it was easier and more common for people to shop locally. I wish that everyone could have a garden in their yard, and be able to be somewhat self sustainable. I wish that all eggs came from chickens who live happily, and not in cages. I think that in the future, in order for the Earth to easily house the abundance of humans living on it, we will have to go back to a simpler way of life. Materialism has to decrease. People will need to walk more, rather than drive. Everyone should provide more for themselves. I only wish it could start now. 

That is why this year I am starting to get into the Slow Fashion movement, and have gotten back into making my own clothes. I also am planning on helping my brother in the garden this spring! Both of which I will try to keep you updated on. 

Also, I was thinking of maybe making this into a t-shirt design in the future. Would anyone be interested? 

What I've Been Listening To Lately

foxygen, in watercolor and gouache.

With parallel styles to The Velvet Underground , and hints of Violent Femmes, Mac Demarco, and the Kinks, Foxygen is too good to come from this generation. Sam France and Jonathan Rado come together so perfectly, and I can't get enough of them. So many bands make good music, but it all sounds the same. Take Tame Impala for example. I love them, but I can only listen for about half an hour before all of their songs mesh together in my head. Foxygen, on the other hand, has so much variation in each song, you can't really get bored. 

If you're into lofi music like this, I definitely recommend Foxygen. Start with "San Francisco," which is their most well know, and then check out "Middle School Dances," which is my personal favorite. 

making art for money?!

 Last week I was asked to create multiple different pieces of art to help advertise a contest. It was my first commission, and I still can't really believe it happened. Art is something I do for fun, something I've done since I was little, something I grew up on. But now it is also something I got paid to do. These are all of the pieces I did as part of the commissions. I enjoyed doing it, despite the short deadline. And I am open to any other commissions people may have for me.

a quick apology

Hi everyone! I just want to say sorry for my lack of activity on this blog lately, and on He Grew, She Drew. I have a lot to share on here, and will be posting more soon. Right now I am in the middle of my first commission (!!!) and that (along with school) has been my main priority. Above is one of the pieces for the commission.

Well, I better get back to work. Thanks for reading!

Mushroom pattern #1

Hey! So I found this piece that I forgot to post on here! It is mushrooms, done in watercolor and watercolor markers. Currently I am taking a quick break from watercolors and painting in general. I'm just not feeling it. But I am sewing again, and I will be posting about that soon (unless everything I make is a total failure!) and hoping for the best.

Thanks for reading!

Winter Kicking In

Winter in the Woodlands - done with watercolor

It finally has started to really feel like winter, and I did a little winter themed illustration. I am not really sure at the moment where my artistic style is going, but I do know I am very into painting plants, mushrooms and animals. This is just a bunch on one piece of paper. I hope everyone is enjoying this snowy weekend and staying warm! xoxo

-India 

Animation Trial

With a four day weekend, I decided to embark upon a few new projects, one of them being paper animation. This was my first outcome, and I was actually quite pleased with it, despite the fact that a I put in a few hours of work, only to get a few seconds of video. But that goes for most creative things. Anyway, I have more to come!

The song is "Same Time" by Tom Rosenthal, who is my new musical obsession. If you have a chance, check him out. He's all I've listened to for the past 48 hours. 

Early one mornin' the sun was shinin'

Last night my parents and I had a quick yet important talk about Bob Dylan, and my growing interest in his music. Ever since I grew out of JB and 1D and ventured into real music, I've dipped my toes into Bob Dylan's music here and there, liking a few classics, but never going deeper. But recently I've gone knee deep, and I'm eager to go deeper. I knew it was inevitable eventually, that I'd be a big Dylan fan. Maybe it's because of the tall stack of Bob Dylan CDs in the closet, that have been listened to so many times by my parents, or the fact that I've gone through a phase of listening to pretty much every artist who'd fall in that same category. 

So, anyway, I didn't want to jump into Dylan without a little guidance from someone who knows what they are talking about, and my parents, especially my mom, are the ultimate masters. They told me a bunch of the songs they favored, and debated over his best albums. I then went to bed, and when I woke up, my mom had compiled a playlist for me of all her favorite songs. 

I spent a majority of the day laying in the sun, drinking tea, doodling, and listening to that mix. These two illustrations in my sketchbook are what came out of it.

Not resolutions, just hopes

Happy New Year Everyone! 

Yesterday, which was January first, my family and I did something on that list! We went for a big New Years hike. Six miles on the AT. It was great, and afterwards I did a little illustration in my journal about it. 

I have lots of hopes for this year, and many things I want to do and accomplish but those are not to be confused with resolutions, which I have none. Resolutions are ridiculous. You should't have to wait for a day of the year to resolve your life. If you want to start doing something, or quit doing something, then go ahead.

I compiled an unorganized list of things I would like from 2016; things that would make it better than 2015. 

Also I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has kept up with my blog, read my rants, looked at my art, and therefore been part of my life for the past year.
xoxo, -India

And P.S. I have an exciting project with my brother that I can't wait to share with you! So come back soon :)

Quote of the month

So here's a new thing I want to start doing on my blog: monthly quotes. Also, this is a page I did in my new sketchbook, which I am so far keeping up with. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and don't forget to let your flowers grow. 

Rushed Illustration Volume 1

As the title clearly states , I didn't put a whole lot of time into making this little illustration, but it helped me remember the right things to bring. Tomorrow I am leaving for St. Louis to stay with some awesome friends, and I can't wait. I've never been to St. Louis, so that makes it even more exciting. 

This illustration includes a couple of the things I'll be jamming into my Kanken backpack five minutes before we leave, since I tore everything out to make sure that my earbuds were in there, which they were. Well, that's my prediction for how tomorrow morning will go, anyway. I'm bringing my camera, and hopefully I'll actually use it! I'll be sure to upload what photos I do take on here, and maybe a person or two will actually see them, or maybe that will just keep them from taking up space on my camera.

Wow, it's 9:34 PM, I need to go to bed by ten so I can get up early, I still have packing to do, my room is a mess, my hair really needs brushed, I need to do some yoga, and it's the worst blogging time ever, so naturally I'm feeling really chatty and in the mood to blog. Of course!

The drive to St. Louis is 9 hours (!!!) and I'm guessing the first 4.5 will be fun-I'll draw, doodle, knit, listen to an audio book, watch a movie, jam out to Mac Demarco, but then for the other 4.5, I'll be screaming to get out of the car and stretch. Still, I'm excited. Traveling makes me so happy, and I'm pretty sure I haven't been somewhere far and new since November, when I went to California. 

I was expecting to write one cheesy sentence like "Sorry I haven't blogged, my life's so hectic, I will try to in the future!" but I think this is better. 

So if you just read all of that-which I am not expecting many people too-then here, this is for you. I apologize for the lameness of that link, and if you see me in real life then I'll give you a real one. 

Well, I guess I should probably finish packing and everything. Happy July everyone :)

-India 

Wallflowers

Happy Summer Solstice! These are a couple of summery-vibe drawings/paintings I've done lately.

To see all of my art in one place, go to my art tumblr. It's just getting started, so there isn't a ton there yet, but there's more to come!

Blood, Cassete Tapes, and Aging

Today is Sunday, June 7th. These are two watercolor paintings I did today, and they are my favorites out all of my most recent work.

 I haven't done a personal diary-style post in a while, mainly just quick posts so that I can say that I've blogged, when really I never put a whole lot of effort into them. 

My birthday is exactly one month away, and I'll be turning 14. I haven't really decided how I feel about that yet. Of course, I'm excited. Making a list of what I want, and giving it to my parents, and the anticipation of the gifts, and the cake and everything is always fun when you're young. But the idea of being 14 is something I haven't figured out. 

13 is a fun age, while also a simultaneously terrible age. Finally being able to call yourself a teenager is great, but then all of the hormones and expected responsibilities tied in make it less great. People have always told me that I'm mature for my age, and I started to figure that out at a young age, especially when I would rather hang out with my mom's friends than my own. I'm still that way, and I've made more older friends in the past year who wouldn't realize that I was only 13 until something about age or grade came up and I told them. They're always surprised, which is cool, but then I always feel kind of young admitting that I'm only 13. So in a way, 14 is good, because when that does happen, it sounds a lot better than 13, at least in my opinion. But 14 is such an in-limbo kind of age. I'll be back at the bottom of the totem pole in school, but more likely to get that "what a teenager" look from adults. But while I've been writing this post, I've sort of realized that age is just a number, decided by humans, so that we are able to identify how much time we have spent on Earth. In the long run, it's not a big deal, unless we make it a big deal, which I am. My mom and I were talking about that earlier today, how everything could be a big deal if we make it, or it could mean nothing at all, if we let it. Sometimes that can be hard to grasp, and getting caught up in little things, such as what it's like to be 14, can be easier. 

Here's a random work of advice: blogging with a cone of mango sorbet in one hand is really difficult, and I wouldn't recommend it. 

I'm going to dedicate this year of being 14 (even though it hasn't even started) to becoming a better artist. 

Girls, Plants, and Food

 

There is not enough time in the day. At least not during the week, when all I want to do is make art but I have to go to school and then do homework and chores and everything. I'm counting down the days (21!) until school is out, and my middle school carrier is officially over. I am looking forward to spending most of my days drawing, sketching, doodling, painting, and hopefully blogging too.
A couple of days ago I found out that my parents own a scanner, and I've been taking advantage of that a lot.
These are some doodles/drawings (I'm not sure what to call them) I've done recently. Some of them I did while watching the 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet for the second time, which is an absolutely amazing movie, and others I did while listening to Patti Smith, Sonic Youth, or Mac Demarco. Those are my most frequently played lately. I haven't been super active on this blog for the past couple of weeks, but I have been updating my Tumblr a lot (check it out here) and I'm planning on starting a new one entirely for my art, once I have enough to post.
In the near future I will post a new 8tracks playlist on here with my favorite songs at the moment.

Until next time...