greenbeanbaby art

monday- wedding invitations

this post is proof that i haven't been playing video games all day and night [although if you look at my xbox blog, it would seem that i'm lying].... a few months back, a customer requested custom wedding images for her upcoming wedding...

the illustration itself was created in cut paper, with the golden gate bridge as her background... then it was scanned in, type added, and sent off to the printers... UPS shipped the final product to the house [not without a giant fiasco though], and they were BEAUTIFUL!!

since my work is known for its handmade qualities [or at least, i'd like to think it's known for that], i wanted to add a 3d element to the flat print... 250 flowers were punched out... 250 lil pieces of 3d tape was added onto the back... and 250 little red insides were added onto the flower with a teeny glue gun [the red part not shown]

several alfred hitchcock episodes later, those 250 little flowers were added onto the 250 wedding images.... and i must say, they look wonderful, although you can hardly tell by this photo [which was taken with a broken camera] i cannot wait to see them assembled, which the customer will do...

in a few hours, i will be playing on my xbox rewatching heroes season 1 and 2 and working on another commissioned piece... after those are done, work for my upcoming venture will be the main focus [and don't worry, you will see soon enough!]

happy monday!

happy mother's day

to all you mother's out there... may you had an awesome day!

mine is being filled with video games, paper buying, and a WEE bit of cleaning... you see, my friend from new york is coming to stay with us for a week... so mother's day has been extended until friday for moi :

and she's back...

hello all!

it's been over a month... i've debated on whether to continue this blog or to start a new one once my [2yr old under construction] website goes up... as you can see, i'm going to work on this one for now...

i have a few good news to share... i've been working on a ton of illustrations and you can see them all for sale here...

also, i'd like to thank tamar for interviewing me and putting it up on her blog, which you can read here...

lastly, my isabella turns two tomorrow... after the weekend, i'll share photos and moments of the party with you all... there is so much to be said but i'll keep this brief! i hope you are all doing well and may you all have a fantastic weekend

16 things about me...

1. i spent 4hrs reorganizing my flickr sets into collections because of my need to organize
2. i pull my hair when i'm frustrated and/or upset, often leaving my hair afro'd out
3. i pluck my eyebrows, and have been since i was 12
4. i don't watch scary movies
5. i don't like to dust, and will not do it as often as i was raised to do
6. i was never much of a procrastinator until after i had 2 kids
7. i don't ever want to experience labor again
8. i'm overwhelmed with all the moving and things on my to-do list
9. i hate doing dishes but i hate seeing dishes in the sink even more so i always do the dishes
10. when i was 5, i hated my snowsuit... and jogging pants... and flip flops
11. i bought a brand new coat 3yrs ago [always bought thrifted ones in college]... then i lost it...
12. i'd like a few more tattooes and perhaps a teeny nose piercing... but wonder if i'm too old for the piercing
13. i don't like unfinished things, including games... if i find out that i missed something [in a game], i'll either quit or restart over... and over... and over...
14. in one day, i can watch i love lucy, battlestar galactica, the office, avatar, hellboy, and then end the night off with killing zombies or racing my pinatas... can we say versatile?
15. ramel and i play the "what if we had a million dollars" game... i'll tell him the bills we'd pay, who'd we give money to, what we'd buy, where'd we go... after this talk, i feel good because we have a plan... then i remember, its only a game and i'm dismayed
16. last but certainly not least, i love my husband, son and daughter very very much, as well as my mom, papi, sister, bro-in-law, and niece...

the final five...

no, we aren't talking abut cylons here... although, if you remember, i'm a newbie/wanna be sci-fi geek so that means talk of cylons and finding earth... its funny because the first time i heard about battlestar galactica was when jim was pretending to be dwight [in the office]... and he says "bears... beets... battlestar galactica..." something like that... now, i'm in the same league as dwight?! scary and yet, humorous... enough of that though....

i finished all 5 illustrations for my friend andrea's cousin.... you can see the other 3 in the previous post.... it took several months to complete for various reasons... i wanted to make sure that they were completed before the move.... i'll have new projects to complete come february, so 2008 projects HAVE to be finished...

there is still one more illustration to do tonight [for another customer], after i blog... and then there is more packing... friday night, my mom and dad came over to the new place... we ripped out some pretty gross and smelly carpet.... it was some hefty work that literally required elbow grease... it was WORTH IT! the house smells better, looks better, and there is no worries of kids rolling around on nasty carpet and getting zillions of ring worms... tomorrow we paint the place and get some electricity issues hashed out... after that, i'll be [gently] scrubbing hardwood floors...

after the move, there are some new illustration ventures to pursue... i'm looking into other avenues aside from the etsy shop... my 2008 goal was to be published, and while i was, i'd like to get PAID this time... so with new opportunities, it looks like a little less usage of copyrighted patterned papers [a whole other blog post] but perhaps more publicity!

what are your goals for this year??

sci-fi geek?

can you believe it?! greenbeanbaby has finally scanned in a few of the illustrations completed... still more artwork to finish up but i'm getting there... and we can thank digital snowmen for lending [or is it borrowing?] us battlestar galactica season three.... the season finale had me on the edge of my seat.... the final 5 cylons- who'da thought?! [ i mean, i guessed 2 of them prior to the clues but you know, it was a shocker!!!] oh indeed, i've become a sci-fi geek although we can admit that i'm more of a wanna-be... a bit of eureka, smallville, x-files, the ORIGINAL star trek, and some battlestar will make a greenbeanbaby geekified....

perhaps my enjoyment of sci-fi goodness is related to all the video gaming as of late... or maybe its related to the fact i like comic books? think about it... most comic book fans [speaking sterotypically of course] tend to also love star trek.... and they also seem to be the ones who love every aspect of gaming.... in my head, i imagine the kid with coke bottle glasses going to comic book events one day, then dressing up as spock for a convention the next day... and i've even wished that they made the star trek dress available NOT for halloween... i'd sport it- does that make me weird?! either way, i've been a long time fan of cartoons based on comic books [i do not like the format of comics- too cluttery to read].... and after being married to ramel, video gaming has become an obsession... and watching an array of sci-fi goodness has us falling asleep and dreaming about cylons and achievements...

anyhow, i was the girl who loved math and dreaded any science classes... i was the girl [in high school] who didn't read mary shelley's frankenstein but based my entire book report on the boris karloff movie... after i read it in college, i realized the book was great and the old movie was WAY OFF from the original book.... i was and still am the girl who cannot understand molecules... or any form of chemistry... i'm the one who has to watch star wars 5x over to get what is going on and figure out who is who... so we can't really say i'm a sci-fi geek [or at least, i'm not the traditional sci fi fanatic]... guess i'm just a geek....

what about you??? what are you???

an interview with greenbeanbaby [by ellia]

ellia: what have you been doing with your time, now that you have an xbox?!

greenbeanbaby: um, working... hard... super duper hard...

ellia: really? on what?

greenbeanbaby: wait a minute, is this an interview or is this an interrogation?

ellia: wow, someone is snippy... so i take it you haven't been working on art?!

greenbeanbaby: i have.... but i've been working on getting a few achievements in gears of war 2

ellia: ah... you've been putting your xbox to use, eh?!

greenbeanbaby: yes... very much so... but in all honesty, i HAVE been working on alot of art... just not as much as i hoped...

ellia: what sort of stuff [artwise] is on your list?!

greenbeanbaby: christmas goodies for the shop... sketches for a friend [which will turn into 5 illustrations], a scrapbook, a few more custom orders... my list is very jam-packed but sadly, my energy doesn't match and i must make it so...

ellia: do you have plenty of coffee?!

greenbeanbaby: yes, when the kids aren't begging for a sip

ellia: speaking of the kids, how are they?!

greenbeanbaby: great and full of spunk... diego has been enjoying my new xbox AND my new chair... my mom gave me a christmas present early and it's a round pink awesomely soft chair...

ellia: nice!!! and isabella?

greenbeanbaby: she's been a sweetie but she has also been very um- TOO full of spunk...

ellia: how so? or should i not ask?!

greenbeanbaby: one minute she is all smiles and the next minute she is throwing a major tantrum... she cries so loud and hard that she ends up puking, leaving me disgusted, frustrated, and with another load of laundry to do...

ellia: wow, that sounds gross... is she 2 yet?!

greenbeanbaby: no, but she's acting like it... and then after a moment in the crib [where she honestly prefers] she is fine and dandy... but this happens about 3x a day...

ellia: it's gonna be quite the winter, eh?!

greenbeanbaby: indeed... that's probably why i'm not as full of energy like i'd wish for...

ellia: is there anything that you are working on the most?!

greenbeanbaby: well, the sketches for a friend were being completed fairly fast but i've had to make the scrapbook a priority

ellia: any reason?!

greenbeanbaby: yes... it's a very hard project to work on- emotionally.. it's a pro-bono piece for a family who's little boy has terminal cancer...  he may not make it to christmas and i want to make sure the family gets the book in time... my heart goes out to the family... you can read about carter here

ellia: last question, why are most of your pictures on this post blurry or off color?

greenbeanbaby: i was in a rush... i'll scan some of the products this week and also announce the etsy shop opening date...

ellia: awesome!! it was swell talking with you, greenbeanbaby

greenbeanbaby: it was swell talking with you too ellia!

gears of war 2

yes, i'm gonna be getttin' my gamin' on tonight and tomorrow... we got the game the minute it came out [midnight] and played horde mode... can we say, hot diggity dog?!

so have a wonderful weekend... we will ;)

ps. this illustration took only an hour... inspiration from such a gorey but awesome game

friday's post

yes, there is finally artwork to show, although the process has been slow... all this paper buying and organizing hasn't given me much groove to work on art... why is that?! either way, i DID manage to make a couple pieces..... the above illustration is a custom order of two cousins in their wonderoos having fun....

this second piece is also of them... the word "friends" is all cut out of paper and completed during the last episode of season 1 of eureka [my new favorite show]... i scanned this piece in before i glued down the little heart in between their hands... the arms are a little long but i hope the customer likes it...

aren't these illustrations the cutest?! this is a spread from the abc book illustrated by stephanie fizer... i should order a copy for the kids but for now, they can LOOK at mine ;) i can't wait to order a lil charm for isabella- stephanie's artwork is always such an inspiration... and now, she has a bazillion things in her shop from stationary to stickers to prints... her new winter themed packs are darling!!!

and on one last note, the diary that fantazya organized together finally arrived! i ordered it as soon as it came out and was completely happy to see everyone's beautiful pages... you can order your own copy here... it's worth every penny...

well i know this was short but i've got some sketching to finish up... so have a fantastic weekend everyone!!!

shots, starbucks, and a chance to win...

is this picture blurry?? perhaps, it was due to a bit of tylenol p.m. medicine kicking in, as i used the camera... and the only reason i took the tylenol was because i got a tetnis shot that day... sure, i promised the doctor to stay away from rusty needles and rusted x-acto blades... and i tried to get out of the office before the nurse came in with the needle, but i wasn't fast like the flash.... the needle itself didn't hurt, but a few hours later, the pain kicked in... and i was left with a sore arm for the entire weekend...

still, it didn't prevent me from working on art or buying paper [yes, i bought two stacks of paper in ode to my courage in getting a shot... wait until i get another tattoo, i am gonna have a shopping spree- hehe] the first girl [with the hat and coat] only took one hour to create, from sketch to finale... the above illustration took four hours tops with all the interruptions and complications with paper choosing...

the other day, i needed some time away from the kids... yes, they are wonderful and loving [and loud and bouncy] but every person needs to get away from the confines of their home and see the world... or just go to a coffee shop... i grabbed a big stack of paper, my mini glue glun, an x-acto blade, and my cutting mat and headed to the starbuck's only two blocks away... you know, sometimes i wonder if people freak out with me using a blade in public and plugging in a hot glue gun... would that freak you out???

anyhow, i made all those lil ladies right there at starbucks... i still have two more styles to make plus get them onto a background.... that is the hard part- picking a background from all these stacks of paper... i mean, within the last month, i managed to buy over 500 sheets of paper [12 by 12 inches]... don't worry, a tree won't go to waste here!!!! still, that is an awful lot of paper... it gives me plenty of choices to pick from but it also makes it more time consuming as i have SO MUCH to choose from [i am NOT complaining]

but this whole paper obsession makes me wonder, how much 12x12" paper DO i have???? it's all about guesstimating and rounding and using some sort of formula involving volume versus height and width... maybe... you've seen my stacks, right??? you want to guess??

if you can guess how much paper i have [according to my rough guesstimate as i don't plan on counting EACH sheet, mind you!!], you could win this lil scrapbook... you have until friday, OCTOBER 10 to come up with an integer... the person who guesses most accurately will be contacted via email... so be sure to leave your email addy along with a comment and a guess of your number....

happy guessing!!!!