Mucha Tattoos, Painting Progress & Art Shows

After gabbing with my dear friend and muse, Sara Wilkins, last night on the phone I was finally prepared to tackle the tattoos portion of my portrait of her. They are based on the Alfonse Mucha painting "Moët & Chandon - Dry Impérial."

Original Tattoo Sketch. Click to enlarge.

I sketched it out days ago, re-drew it to clean it up, reverse traced a backwards copy on my light table, and then transferred it onto the painting by placing the graphite side of the illustration on my canvas and rubbing the back with a pencil. Cheap, easy transfer method since I don't have a projector. 


Then I mixed a tattoo color out of my mixed skin tone I saved, black, and green. I was going for a semi faded tattoo color. Then it was just trying to keep my shaky hands steady to outline the tattoo. Why is it that there is NEVER a small enough brush? I need a liner brush that is medium length with like two bristle hairs. Then maybe I could get the fine detail I need! Somebody needs to get on this. 


In other BIG news, I will be headlining an art show in Downtown Santa Ana Arts District this upcoming September! I'll keep you posted on more details as I get them. I'm going to be showing mostly these portraits. I want to try to get two more wrapped up for it. I want to paint a bearded man really badly. And a surf rat. I've got a few friends in the queue to do, so we shall see what happens! I'm thinking I won't be getting much work done till after the playoffs. Gotta cheer my Lakers on to victory. Playoffs, baby!


Progress shots of the tattoo painting below. 


-Amy
Listening to: Of Monsters And Men

Stacey Rozich, Kobe Bryant's Chiseled Cheekbones & How I Became an Insta-Whore

Quick Update:

• Found a place in Orange County that sells gouache paints finally. Aaron Bros on Newport Blvd. Can't wait to test those babies out. I can only hope to achieve an end product as epic as Stacey Rozich, whose work inspired me to try this medium out in the first place (see above). (Finders fee to Chris Steblay.) She is am-ahhhhzing. (Any "Happy Endings" fans out there? I want Penny to be my friend so bad.)

• I've decided that my next painting will be a portrait of the NBA's leading scorer, and forever reigning MVP in my heart, Kobe Bryant! Is he not the most handsome man in the NBA, not to mention one of the greatest to play the game eva'. But that last part is a given. Everyone knows he's got game, but how many take note of his perfectly chiseled cheek bones? Not enough, I tell you. As a tried and true Lakers fan, I plan to pay homage to both his beauty and his braun. It will be a lovely addition to my growing portrait wall. 

• Somehow I managed to accumulate 735 followers on instagram (shameless plug: @amyhoodlum) merely by posting pictures of my outfits. And now I am a monster. A monster who's only goal is to make it to the popular page. Seriously, it's an addiction! I'm not the only one. I have many a friend yearning for the honor (it ain't gonna happen Zach Hendrix). Someone call Dr. Phil. I got a record 102 likes on my pic today and yet STILL did not make it! What does a girl have to do? Anywho, here are some of my ensembles from the past few days. I'll get you Popular Page. *Sinister Laugh* 

Skirt: F21, Top: Old Navy, Hat: UO

Pants: Mossimo, Top: H&M, Leopard Heels: Steve Madden, Bracelet: H&M, Watch: Nixon, Bag: Moda Viajando.

- Amy

Listening to: "That Is What Makes Us Girls" by Lana Del Rey

New Hoodzpah Logos, Submarine & Dune

[Fig. 1: New Hoodzpah logo and stamp!]

Some Recents In The Life of Amy Hood:

• Recently watched Submarine and it was pretty hilarious. It also had a great soundtrack written by Alex Turner, frontman for the Arctic Monkeys and The Last Shadow Puppets. It's a somber - but not depressing - soundtrack that perfectly fits the film.

• Recently designed a fun new alternate logo for Hoodzpah. It's got a vintage, classic feel, like it was made by an 1800's letterpress shop. We got stamps made and the whole shebang [Fig. 1]. Stamps are so much fun. And they look so legit. Best $25 bucks I ever spent to get those two bad boys.

[Fig 2: Kyle McLaughlin in DUNE, directed by David Lynch]

• Recently rewatched Dune. Or the first half. I've realized that I'm at that point in my life where I don't trust any of the judgements or opinions that I formed when I was in highschool or younger. Things I used to hate I now rather enjoy, and even love. For a free wheelin youngster, I was pretty uptight back in the day and pretty narrow minded on what was good/entertaining/interesting/important/cool. So I decided to revisit Dune after a friend brought up the fact that he watches it daily. My first go around I thought it was boring and cheesy. It was a mystery as complex as dark matter as to why people thought it was a "cult classic." Upon revisiting, I get it now. Maybe because between age 15 and now I discovered David Lynch's other cult classic Twin Peaks, one of my favorite shows. Maybe because Dune features a younger Agent Cooper (I love that man). Who knows. But I get it now.

[Fig 3: Bloomers: V Generation; Heels: Aldo; Sweater: Mossimo at Target; Necklace: F21; Smile: Courtesy of my mama.]

• Recently wore bloomers in public. And it was awesome. [Fig. 3]

• Recently woke up early enough to see the sun rise.

• Recently redesigned my blog! As you see it now! Simpler... sleeker... Golder.

• Recently discovered this gem:

Dressember Week 2, Scandal & Fraulein Maria

The second week of Dressember, was full of some fun ones. Scandal broke out of the jean shirt outfit, but there was a spaghetti strap black number underneath for warmth. Reports were filed and an investigation ensued, but my name was eventually cleared and I was exonerated of all charges. I even had the Dressember creator take a peek for proof! No cheatin' here ladies and gents. Pure dedication. The photos are from instagram, so they're fun but a little pixelated. The crowd pleaser in this week was the Swedish schoolgirl/missing cast member from The Sound of Music (a.k.a. the yellow dress with the knee highs and the wide brimmed hat).  Click on any of the pics to enlarge.

I am so excited to wear pants. Heck, I'm so excited to just be able to wear whatever I want. 

- Amy

Listening to: "I Am 16 Going On 17" from The Sound of Music

Newport Beach, Linocuts & High Fidelity

[ No Kooks Allowed in Newport Beach. ]

Life has been all kinds of crazy of recent. But the good kind of crazy. Like Jack Black crazy. [Side Note: I recently watched High Fidelity again and that movie is so hilarious. What surprises me most is how it is still so relevant. I know so many Rob Gordons, Barrys and Dicks (literally and metaphorically on that last one).][Side Side Note: My friend Eric told me I use the word "hilarious" more than anyone he knows. I'm starting to think he was right. I gotta start using a thesaurus.] Back to my main point: life being crazy. The first reason things are gettin' busy is that I'm moving at the end of the month!

Moving is going to be great. Right now we live smack dab in the middle of suburban hell. Every day is seriously a nightmare. I know I sound dramatic, but our neighbors are retired prudes with nothing better to do than creepily spy on us from their windows and yards or call "the association" on us for not adhering to one of its plethora of ridiculous rules. Besides that we are 30 minutes from the beach however you swing it. This is just not acceptable to me. All you landlocked readers are rolling your eyes right now, but once you've lived walking distance to the beach, nothing else will do! Aside from those two reasons, the house we live in right now leaks like a sieve. And we just ain't gonna take it no more. (Cue Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It".) So we're heading to greener pastures - or rather sandy pastures. The sandy pastures of Newport Beach if I can help it. We looked at a few houses today on The Peninsula and one in Laguna. I'm rooting for the one on Bay Dr where we are one block from the bay and two blocks from the beach and walking distance from all the Balboa Bars I can take. Now THAT is living the dream.  I am going to be one fat, happy, blondie - although I'm hoping the increased usage of my bike will counteract the "fat" part a bit. The only thing I will miss are the two conveniently located In-N-Outs by my house now. I guess this is what they meant when they said "it ain't easy bein' sleezy."
 
The second reason for all the chaos and mayhem going on right now is that Hoodzpah has had a recent flooding of new jobs and projects. I love starting a slew of new jobs at once. It forces me to get organized and really hunker down: Plans are made, lists are checked off, and great design inevitably ensues. Speaking of design... check out the linocut I recently made. This project was a part of the artist collective I'm a part of with my friends Luke, Brandon, Julie, Leon, Kat and Jen called The Populous. The site is coming soon and you'll get to see our final prints then!

- Amy
Listening to: "It's Hard To Get Around The Wind" by Alex Turner

Shakas, Tattoo Illustrations, & My Adventures As An Amateur Surfer

[ Shaka X-mas Illustration. ©Amy Hood ]

I've been doing a lot of sketching lately for various projects. It's been fun dusting off the old pen and pad! Here's one I really want to rework and smooth the wrinkles on. It's a rough sketch for a Holiday Guide Jen and I are designing for LOCALE magazine. We were trying to think of clever ideas to depict just how unique Christmas in SoCal is since it's sunny and people are surfing instead of scraping ice off their frozen windshields. After watching the Billabong Pro Tahiti all this week, I thought it might be fun to draw a hand throwing up a shaka with tattoos spelling out our title. 

By the way, working while watching LIVE surf competitions is great. I've always been intrigued by surfing. I grew up in "Surf City" Huntington Beach (well there's a debate on that isn't there?) as well as San Clemente, so a lot of my dear friends take part in the pasttime frequently -  and to much enjoyment. I even got thrown into the industry a tiny bit through a friend who brought me on for design work on a couple projects for some action-sports-centric companies. But I was always very confused on it all still: The names of the moves, the lingo, where to go, how to do it, how it's judged professionally. It was all shrouded in a thick cloud of mystery.

I learned all the rules and nooks and crannies of basketball by listening to commentators call the game and now I plan to do the same for surfing. After listening to some of the LIVE webcasts for this years World Tour I'm finally starting to get my footing. Not literally of course. I got my surfboard out of the garage the other day and took it down to Riviera Beach in San Clemente with my friend (and great surfer) Katie Hanten; I can hardly say I had my footing out there that day, but it was the first of many trips. Watching the Billabong Pro Tahiti may help though. After watching the likes of Josh Kerr, Jeremy Flores, Kelly Slater and Owen Wright tear it up  at "Chopes" (what they call Teahupoo apparently - see I'm picking up the lingo too!), not to mention the mini-clips in dedication to the late great Andy Irons and his fearlessness AND the crazy tow-in session (woah), maybe inspiration will strike out in the water for me next time and it'll all just click. Even if it doesn't, I'm gonna keep on trying because it just looks like a blast and even though I'm terrible, I'm already having so much fun just being out there. The only downside: I feel like I may be growing pectorals. From all the paddling. I really don't want pectorals.

- Amy
Listening to: "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid Soundtrack. Disney music is really good to work to actually! 

Painting Sabatoge, DIY Earrings, & Special Agent Dale Cooper

 

[ Fig. 1: Foreground: Yours truly in my snazzy new DIY earrings (plus new sweater via Old Navy - I know, who'd of thunk?). Background: The painting with the dreaded halo as it stands now. ]

I've been on a Netflix spree of recent. I got tired of listening to music while I was painting so I started watching television shows. I re-watched all of "Twin Peaks" [see Fig. 2], which if you haven't seen your life is not complete. It's suspenseful, funny, and just plain weird. Well, it's David Lynch. So there you go. Next I'm conquering "Damages." Which looks really gnarly. Glenn Close is terrifying just to look at.

 

[ Fig. 2: Agent Dale Cooper (left) with Sheriff Harry Truman (right) of Twin Peaks. I have an unexplainable crush on Agent Coop. You will too, be you man or woman. Don't believe me? It's on Netflix Instant Watch. Just do it. ]

My painting is SO close to being done. A slight wrench was thrown into the machine when I ruined the halo [See Fig. 1]. I made it too small. I couldn't find anything bigger than the saucepan lid in my kitchen to use as a circular guide, and I thought it would be big enough, but alas it was not. I'll figure it out. I just had to walk away from it and cool my jets before I did something compulsive that I would later regret. 

 [ Fig. 3: Dangly, feather earrings. ]

So instead of painting last night, I got crafty and made some earrings. I used to have these great black feather earrings, but I left them somewhere. I wish I could remember where that somewhere was. So I decided to make some new ones. I bought feathers, silver chain, and ear hooks, and busted out my pliars and clippers. It only took about 30 minutes - if that. And voila - long, daingly, fun earrings [See Fig. 1 & 3]. I need my own show on HGTV.

- Amy

Listening to: Middle Brother's "Blue Eyes"

Glamor Shots, New Pretty Things, & Shameless Shout Outs

Just as I had given up hope in my search for a pleated, sheer, maxi skirt (remember my post a few days ago?)- there it was. At Pretty In Pink Boutique in Costa Mesa, CA. I'd like to take this moment to thank Locale Magazine for assigning Jen and I the story that led us to Pretty In Pink because it is now hovering around the top of my list of places that I would love to call "my closet." They had so many cute shirts, dresses, shorts and earrings, it was all I had not to buy half the store. But what I did buy was the below gorgeous grey skirt and turquoise blue top. Both of which I will lovingly wear through the rest of summer and fall. All you ladies, check out Pretty In Pink. They have a monthly "Ladies Night" where you get 25% off anything in the store. Yeah. I'm following them on facebook now so I don't miss the next one. It's a down economy here. Plus they are right next door to one of my other favorite shops, Dee Lux, which carries new and used items for the best prices (not to mention an impressive and eclectic selection of the best sunglasses). And now a few glamor shots in my pretty new things.

- Amy
Listening to: Jimmy Durante's "As Time Goes By"

 

Avett Brothers, David Mayfield Parade, & Slots Baby

[ Avett Brothers @Pechanga Casino 7/23/11 ] 

Saw The Avett Brothers this weekend at Pechanga Casino and Resort and haven't been able to get over it yet. They were so amazing live. It was funny though: they are such a boot-stomping, get-down-and-have-a-good-time band, but the audience was the most mild group of people ever. Only the floor seats stood during their set (we were in the nosebleeds where NO ONE stood) and I could count on one hand the number of people that were movin', shakin' and dancin'. They were all too busy recording the show on their iPhones to move I suppose. But that's ok cause me and Jen and some random guy did enough dancing for everyone that night. I wore my lucky boots and stomped my Kentucky-bred heart out. Don't worry, we went to the back of the bleachers so as not to disrupt the Debbie Downers sitting behind us. That was mean. I'm sorry. But how do you sit during such a raucous concert! I had to move my feet. Man they are talented, handsome devils. At one point my twin sis, Jen, turned to me and said, "what's the banjo player's name again?" I said, "Scott Avett. But what's the other one's name again?" She said, "Who cares." Ohhhh Jen. She's got it bad for Scott Avett. All I know is he's a damn fine painter, wailer and banjo picker.

[ Post Avett Brothers slots action at the casino. ]

The David Mayfield Parade opened and they were a blast to watch. Lead singer (you guessed it) David Mayfield played the guitar upside down and with his feet and he was on fire with the corny jokes. The violinist and bass player were two foxy ladies who knew how to get down. Made me want to pick up my fiddle again and give her a go.


Anyways as much of a hoedown as it was (it reminded me of playing with my Uncle Owen's bluegrass band at the family reunions in Bowling Green, KY), they have some beautifuly sweet and somber songs. Those really moved me. Probably because I'm in a heightened emotional state currently, but I wasn't the only one. Three songs in particular had everyone in the venue weeping like lil' babies: "The Ballad of Love and Hate", "November Blue" (one of my personal favorites - the version on their Live: Vol. 2 album, not the original - trust me), and an epic cover of Springsteen's "I'm On Fire" (dare I say that I liked it better than the original?). At least I can thank the iPhone recorders at the show for filming this cover so I can share it here with you lovely folks. Below are videos of "I'm On Fire" from the show and a live version of "November Blue." And now back to work. My lovely friend Lauren Gillmore hired Hoodzpah to design a new logo for her photography company LA Creative Studio. It's been so much fun to work on!


- Amy

Barber Shops, Meeting Rockstars, & Wearing Sunglasses At Night

INSPIRATION OF THE DAY: Fast Eddie's Barber Shop


This brand identity is by designer Richard Arthur Stewart for Fast Eddie's Barber Shop. I wish I created this logo/brand identity. It's soooo delicious. If I were a man I would definitely go to a barber shop and get my mustache trimmed and my hair pomade-d. Preferably at this barber shop. I found this great logo/identity while doing research for a new logo project I'm working on. 

I should get back to it because I've got a BBQ with Sweet later. That's right, you heard me, Sweet [See Fig. 1]. The very band that brought you "Ballroom Blitz." Jen and I met them on an airport shuttle on our way home from LAX this week. We had flown out to participate in our BFF's wedding (shout out to you Liz Logsdon - errr - Stevenson!). Not only did we meet Sweet on our travels, we also met LA DJ Skrillex [See Fig. 2]. He was so pleasant and nice and he's quite the DJ. He's worked with the likes of Deadmau5 and Lady Gaga. He started talking to us because he thought we were in a band and on our way to the same music festival as he was (greatest mistaken identity ever). Now that I think of it, Sweet also thought we were in a band. It was probably because we were wearing sunglasses at night and leather jackets. We were working on zero hours of sleep after an 11 hour flight delay, so give us a break. Having said that though, I've got to start wearing sunglasses indoors and at night more often now! Anyways, it was quite the adventure between the wedding and all the rockstar sightings. So good day to you good folks. Have a great Sunday fun day!

[ Fig. 1: Sweet back in the day.]

[Fig. 2: Skrillex]

- Amy

Listening to: Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz"

My last few days in photos, How Kentuckians Are Hipster By Default, and Adventures in OC

I've been insanely busy of recent. Thus the neglect of this blog. So here is an update of my life in iPhone pics. The last few days consisted of photoshoots with Penelope Spheeris (director of Black Sheep and Wayne's World) to promote her new film at the Newport Beach Film Fest (it's called Balls To The Wall and it looks hilarious), adventures at the Balboa Fun Zone, some amazing patty melts with Kyle Lightner and Jennifer Hood at Eat Chow's in Newport (this part included some heavy banter with Eat Chow owner Eric about ass-kickin' surfers, hardcore, and documentaries), cooking lessons with the lovely Caroline Landon, and then the longest day of work EVER today which was only survived thanks to the hour long sun bath I took at lunch. 

[ I went to Urban Outfitters to find something glittery to wear to the Billabong XXL Awards this Friday. No glitter was to be found, but I did find out that apparently being from Kentucky is now "hipster". I guess that makes me a hipster by defualt. Crap. ]

[After a long day of photoshoots at the Lido and the Balboa Fun Zone for a project Jen and I are working on, we met up with our friend Caroline Tuesday night and made dinner. It was DELECTABLE. Lemon Zest Shrimp Linquini. Or something along those lines.]

[Lunch time tanning sessions at the local park today.]

This was fun; A bit boring but fun. I'll have to document more of the interesting adventures in my life and do this again, but BETTER!

Tomorrow I'm dying my hair. Ombre baby. Roots on purpose. Who'd of thunk?

- Amy
Listening to: Neil Young's "Old Man"

Middle Brother, Making Stone Cold Steve Austin Cry, & More Hilarious Dopplegangers

[ Fig. 1: Middle Brother. Left to Right: John McCauley, Taylor Goldsmith, and Matt Vasquez. ]

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AMY HOOD: Middle Brother at Detroit Bar

My sister and I headed up to the Detroit Bar to catch Middle Brother [fig. 1] last night. It was AWESOME. It's a supergroup of small rock/folk/indie bands. When I say supergroup, think Monsters of Folk (yay!), not Them Crooked Vultures (yawn). And like MOF, this band is made up of a plethora of amazing singers joining forces, sometimes taking the lead, other times taking turns backing each other, and at best breaking into three part gritty harmonies that would make even Stone Cold Steve Austin tear up (or at the very least make him want to join a folksy rock band).

[ Fig. 2: Johnny Corndawg. © cjfoeckler ]

Middle Brother is made up of Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes (yay!), Matt Vasquez of Delta Spirit (double yay!), John McCauley of Deer Tick (Yeah 3x! [cue Chris Brown]), and on special occasion the hilarious musician/leatherworker Johnny Corndawg [fig. 2]. And I can't forget the drummer, Griffin Goldsmith of Dawes [fig. 3], who's game face rivaled any Billy Idol scowl. I like the way Rolling Stone described them as a whole: "This singer-songwriter summit... is an alt-country round robin, with raw harmonies and punk-rock sentiment as unforgiving as a prison shiv." Couldn't have said it better myself.

[ Fig. 3: Griffin Goldsmith. ©Jack Edinger ]

The album is really good. Seeing them live was even better. Which is almost always the case with a good rock n' roll band; They've got that energy, that stage presence, they love the live performance and they love the crowds. All of which seems to be very rare in pretty much all the bands today. Most of the bands I've seen recently either seem like they'd rather be surrounded by hot chicks in a hotel bar somewhere, or they are seriously lacking in talent without their production magic. 


I also discovered a new act thanks to the show (which is one of my favorite parts about going to shows). The opening act was a guy named Jonny Corndawg and not only can he sing a country/rock/rockabilly song, he is one of the fines leatherworkers you've ever seen this side of the Mississippi. I'm pretty sure every member of Middle Brother was wearing a finely crafted leather belt with his initials in it courtesy of Jonny. Last night, despite suffering from a bleeding ear and horrible amp feedback, he won the hearts and minds of the Detroit Bar masses. You can see him below featured in the song "Middle Brother." Also check out his song at the bottom or google "Trash Day." 

[ Middle Brother © Brandon Tauszik ]

[ Bickering just like loving siblings. ]

And to close this blog out with a bang:

And I've said it for years now, but how much does my dear old friend Sean Murphy look like Matt Vasquez!? I think a DNA test is in order because they may be twins seperated at birth. Don't believe me from this photo [below]? Visit Sean at Kaylani's in San Clemente and see for yourself. 

Here are some tunes for you. 

-Amy

Listening to: Middle Brother's "Wilderness" 

Modern Myth Logos, Zombie Mania Sweeps The Nation, & 2 A.M. Design Playlists

[Click to enlarge.]

Here is a fun project I've been working on for my friend Kc. He has a production company called Modern Myth Productions and, among a slew of other things, they do a really popular podcast on zombies called "We're Alive". You gotta check it out. It's sweeping the nation faster than swine-flu hysteria. I like to think of him as a modern day Orson Welles, keeping audio drama alive and well. 

He asked me to design a logo for the company and the above designs were my first round of mockups. I really liked the "M"s on A1-A4. I also liked the simplicity of the first few options in B.  C1 and C2 may be my favorites though. They look straight out of a Russian propaganda campaign or a vintage horror poster. We all agreed that the "M"s in C3 will be a fun alternate text based logo to use. I only included type in some of them because I was mainly focusing on the graphics, so that part of it all is a little rough. We're still working on more options right now for the final logo. I am giddier than Perez Hilton over a new Lady Gaga song to see what we come up with! 

With all this freelance design I'm doing I've been putting in long hours and staying up till the wee hours of the morning. At that point, music is the only thing that keeps you going. Me and my friend Chris (who is a fine videographer I might add) recently trekked up to Orange for a licorice pizza (a.k.a. vinyl records) hunt. My friend Beatrice (who is a fellow blogger and fashion designer) had told me about a place with some epic deals across the street from Mr. C's records on Glassell street off the circle. She was SO right. Me and Chris dug through stacks and stacks of albums and it took all of my self control not to blow my paycheck. 5 records, 1 faux fur coat, and $70 later, we left the antique shop, mission accomplished. Here's some of what I got:

There's nothing like designing with the crackling of a great record playing in the background.

- Amy

Listening to: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's "The Line" 

(best hidden track ever at the end.)