Overdue bloggins #1

Hi! I guess it is cool to get on the internet once in a while, instead of just that crappy version of phone-facebook for your most-likely-the-first-prototype-ever-of-that-one-phone-with-a-slidey-out-keyboard. {Hey. It has a camera that only takes pictures! Technology is pretty crazy these days, kids. I mean, back when I was your age....}

ANYWAYS, before I get too nostalgic, here's a very, VERY crappy amazing graphic novel I made for a history project. I mean, really, my artistic greatness just doesn't get better than this seven page splendor. I have a lot that should probably be kept track of on this "web log", but instead of helping you keep tabs on my life, I usually end up watching The X-Files alone while my dog loses respect for me.

And now, without further adue, I present to you, my darlings, The Slightly Macabre Adventures of Ezekiel the Lowly Immigrant Boy!

Click to zoom, bro.


-Lexi

Take Care.

Self.

Loose ends tying a noose in the back of my mind

I will stop loving Beck when I am living with One Foot In The Grave.

Watercolor, Photoshop.

-Lex

This is not a Halloween costume.

This is RILL LYFE.

Practicing the olde-timey photo-shoppe skills. Matching the color took forever, but I'm quite content with the outcome. I like to look at it as if I had no prior knowledge of creating it.

"Hey. Jimmy Stewardt is caressing my face. Cool."

-Lex

Strezzed

I draw myself a lot.

I need to work on stuff for my booth at Summerfest,

But seeing as I have no ambition,

and really like drawing cartoons of myself,

That hasn't quite happened yet.

Oh, Bother.

-Lex

The Can Jam.

I was recently asked to do the promotional posters for an upcoming Utah Food Bank benefit concert. Are you ready for a post about my artiztick procezz? Here goes.... starting with the original pen sketch.
Levels adjustment and a bit of erasing.
Added some textures after coloring faceless man and his gee-tar {west side story reference... anyone? Bueller?}
Below is my favorite stage of the process... I loved the outcome of the completed digital painting.... I wish I could have kept it that way before adding the text!

And finally....Woo!! Weeks of hard work finally completed! It feels dang good too, kids. Come if you are in the area!!!

-Lex

Congratulations to humiliations.

Today was my first experience group-driving with the instructor for Driver's education.

Now, I know what you are thinking. Driver's ed? It sucked, right? But you all survived and haven't actually put anyone under cardiac arrest with your driving abilities, correct?

Well, that's what I thought too. As long as I don't kill anyone and pay close attention to my sexist, controlling and ultimately terrifying driving instructor, then I will live and get my license and everything will be all right. Wrong. That was definitely the wrong thing to be thinking, seeing the events that shortly followed.

I arrive at 7:00 a.m., only to find that my driving group had been whittled down to me and one other girl. In a car. With said instructor. And I was the one who was first to drive. I should have taken the fact that I didn't know where the car adjustment lever was as a bad sign, {it was actually button controlled electronically. WHAT IS THIS TECHNOLOGY?!?!} but I continued to remain calm and suck up as much as possible, all while not showing my vulnerability.

Ten minutes or so into driving, I was hit by the pressure. I took the turns too slow! I wasn't braking! Slowly, the instructor started to raise his voice more and more over the most petty mistakes: "THREE FOOT AIR CUSHION AND IDENTIFY THE RIGHT-OF-WAY!! How can you not understand that, girl?!?! What kind of stupid excuse is that?!" and many other insults followed, escalating to the point where he was literally yelling at me and I was bawling. I had talked to my dear friend Nicky the week before about it, and she told me an experience that she had with the same instructor in which she was also near-crying, and she just kept telling herself that she could not let this man win.

Today, he won. I showed my vulnerability and he used it to completely crush my defensive wall. He made me pull over and get in the back seat. I honestly have never felt as completely worthless and humiliated as I did today. Luckily, the girl in my group was very sweet and tried to awkwardly tell me that I did a good job. It didn't work, but I tried to remain nice.

Then, when sitting in the back seat, I could not gain my composure. I was so embarrassed and I felt so stupid, and all I could do was pray that I would stop crying.

I have to drive again tomorrow morning. And you know what I'm going to do? Show absolutely no emotion. I'm not going to suck up to him. I don't care anymore. I'm just going in and sit there and listen for instructions and not show any emotion. No more crying again. I'll show him that to me he means nothing, and he can't bring me down again. No sir. {Ironically, that "don't bring me down... BRUCE..." song was playing on the radio while I was having an emotional break down!}

also, this experience is another big red stamp in the "I hate men" book. Needless to say, he is not helping improve his gender's case.

And, since I don't like not including art in my posts, here's a recent self-cartoon on the tablet!

Have fun today, kids. Meanwhile, I'll go roll up into the fetal position in the corner.

-Lex

Danger Button

Local band, Danger Button, recently asked me if I would design a logo/ t-shirts for them. Here's what I came up with, though I'm still working on a few others until they settle on one they like the best.

The logo pre-scanning and photoshop is below. Nothing but pen and pencil.
The logo post levels adjustment, lens flare, a few touch-ups on the tablet, and a bit of coloring.

Now here's the logo post levels, lens flare, coloring, and filter.

{To be completely honest, I really have no idea what I'm doing or how to properly use photoshop.}

{SOMEDAY I WILL BE PRO... JUST YOU WAIT.}

-Lex

My feelings towards Girls' Camp...

I hate Girls' Camp. My mother {as of yesterday morning} is forcing me to go this year. That means tomorrow. So, I had a little fun and drew on my camp list. Here's a close-up of the picture I drew of my attempted suicide.
Just look at that entry wound! Ka-chow! And now, the photo-shopped version.

I dig the lack of detail. You know what else I dig? My brain. Which, in this picture, is becoming decapitated.

Have a good week, kids. And enjoy this song and music video. {PS: I LOVE VIMEO}

Sea Change "Little One" from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

-Lex

NOTE: I DO NOT hate my leaders, especially the ever-wonderful Wendy and Karla, but I hate the idea of camp and camp itself.

11. Hope

Pen and Photo-shoppe.... and an emaciated man.

-Lex.

10. Heather's logo.

After months of hard work followed by months of laziness, I finally finished my lovely cousin's logo for the dessert parlor she's opening. Kudos to strep throat for making all of this possible.

My art website should be finished soon. I can't wait! {Except I obviously can because I have to.}
-Lexi

7. Cartoon Self-Portrait and the weekend.

This pretty much describes how I feel lately. Tired. stressed, and my hair is not nearly mullet-y enough yet for my liking. But I do like my Quakie skirt which I actually really wish I owned.

This weekend I saw The Pianist edited on TV. I do not feel like a film has changed my life so completely since I saw Hotel Rwanda, which is kind of saying a lot. The music, the cinematography, the fact that Adrien Brody was in it, everything. I want to marry that film. Not even kidding. Hopefully I can find an edited copy on amazon or something so I can own it because honestly, I can't imagine the horrors that life will {would?} be if I don't have that movie in my personal collection. Every night I would go to my bookshelf where I keep my movies and I would stroke it and fall asleep with it in my arms.

When you take Adrien Brody and put him in a holocaust film, sweet, sweet miracles happen. I can't even describe it. The emotion that he protrays is so realistic and so raw you just want to immerse yourself in it. The funny thing with movies is even though you know it isn't real, they can take you and put you into the position where you are completely hypnotized by it, almost to the point where you feel you are living every triumph, every bit of anguish, yourself. Not many actors can make you literally believe their role and character is real. Adrien has that rare talent of realism, even in its hollow, agonizing form.

I am so in love with it. I'm really awful with words. I'm totally not doing it justice.

Also, don't mind this crappy youtube video. It also does not do the best scene in the movie justice. Look at him! As a jew!!! With a beard!!

UGH! ADRIEN!!
-Lexi