gettin' back into it

After the very long break I took from sewing, I have finally returned to it. 

I was sort of surprised by myself when I randomly got a craving to do it. I've been into sustainable living all year; local and organic stuff, handmade stuff. etc. This sort of just fit right in. Also, I was inspired when I heard about the slow fashion movement.(Read about it here) For Valentines day my mom got me the Wiksten dress/tank pattern, and some linen, and I got started right away. 

It was an adventure for me to make this after a few years of not touching the sewing machine, and I learned quite a bit. When I sewed before, I always just made my own patterns, and avoided all difficult neck bindings, or seams that were anything more complicated than just sewing one piece of fabric to another. Making this dress, I followed a pattern, and learned how to do bias binding, and french seams! Oh, and adding a pocket in a more professional way too. I'm so happy with how it turned out, and I want to make more clothes soon. I forgot how much I enjoyed sewing.

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!

Made The Cut!!

before

after

Feeling 22 inches lighter. And boy does it feel good! I didn't pay 50 bucks to get my hair cut this time, like most people do. Instead, I handed my mom a pair of scissors, and the whole thing was done in about 10 minutes. When it is that easy to do something yourself (or have your mom do it) then why go out, pay, and waste time?! I think I am dedicating 2016 to a year of do-it-yourself-ness. 

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. 

Introducing.....He Grew, She Drew

My brother and I have been talking about doing a collaboration project since last summer, and we finally jumped on it and got it started. The project is a blog that combines his gardening skills and projects with my art. I am not much of a film maker, but this short video explains more about what He Grew, She Drew is about.  

I still have changes to make to the website to make it more visually appealing, but I wanted to post about it as soon as I could!

If the video isn't enough explanation, or you don't feel like watching a video, this page can tell you more.
Thanks for reading!
-India

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 :)