Dressember Week 1, Skeletons on Motorbikes, & The Lumineers

Dressember is in full swing! And up until today the weather has been kind to my bare legs. Today, however, it's pouring rain and freezing, but I won't give into tights until absolutely necessary. Nothing like a little skin in the winter. Below is a recap of the first week of Dressember. I'm trying to mix things up even though I'm pretty much working with the exact same dresses I wore last year (see those here), so it's been fun and challenging to make old things look new and exciting. Click on the photos to enlarge. If you want to see more Dressember, just log into Instagram and search the hashtag #dressember. It's trending, baby.  


I've also been doing a lot of illustrating and painting for Hoodzpah clients recently. Above is a piece I whipped up the other night just for fun. It's a skeleton riding a vintage Norton. I realllllly wanted to keep it because I loved how it turned out, but my talented friend and fellow designer Allan Gungormez made me an offer I couldn't refuse for it. I'm going to try to get screenprints made of it however. First we have to make sure there's a high enough demand for them since screenprinting is kind of pricey. I used india ink and an ink brush for this illustration and I love the effect it had. I want to start using this more often. I'm going to try to get some work in on my portrait of Sara this weekend too! I want to have that finished before the new year. Blah, blah, blah, blah-blah-blah blah. I'm even boring myself now, so with that I'll say adieu! 


- Amy
Listening to: "Hey Ho" by The Lumineers. I've had them on loop for about a week now.






P.S. How about that snow last night in Orange County? The month I leave Lake Forest it SNOWS there. Figures. 

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

LA Art Shows, Scott Pommier, and Stacie B. London

I really want to go to this show. It's called Shutter Speed and it's being put on by The Selvedge Yard (one of my all time favorite blogs) and is featuring some rad photos by Scott Pommier, an amazing photographer. It's going to be here in LA, so I really have to try to make it out; leave my Orange County bubble for a night and enjoy our neighbor to the north, L.A. The show will also feature biker babe Stacie B. London. Stacie is an exhibition production coordinator at MOCA in LA where I saw the Dennis Hopper photo exhibit, "Double Standard", earlier this year. She is also the founder of East Side Moto Babes, an all girls moto club. I want to be in a biker club so bad. Cycle Zombies, East Side Moto, The Outlaws, whoever! Maybe I can pull a Hunter S. Thompson/Danny Lyon and just travel around with them and document their vagabond ways seeing as I can't ride a motorcycle. Hopefully someone will let me ride bitch.


SHUTTER SPEED 
Saturday March 26th, 7-11pm
@Secret Service LA
710 Santa Fe Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90021


To get you pumped, here are some of Scott's great photos. You can find more at his website here.

- Amy
Listening to: Social Distortion's "Don't Take Me For Granted"

Inspiration of the Day: Nolan Hall, More Cheesy Metaphors, & A Little Richard Hawley

[ ©Nolan Hall ]

INSPIRATION OF THE DAY: Nolan Hall

Nolan Hall is one of my favorite photographers. He's up there with Kyle Lightner. And like Mr. Lightner, he has an innate ability to capture that Southern California joie de vivre within a 35 mm frame like Jim Croce captured time in a bottle.  Cheesy metaphor. Forgive me. Especially when speaking of such bad ass, gritty photos as these. 

I have yet to meet the man in person, but via social media I've come to know this kid, and I'm pretty sure he might be omnipotent. Nolan Hall is everywhere and knows everyone. The former member of the Japanese Motors photographs famous surfers, skaters, musicians, models and more; He works with the likes of Vans and RVCA; I even found him amidst the pages of my Spin Magazine one time in a two page spread photo with Modest Mouse (see Fig. 1: He's the very tall gentleman in the Captain's hat). Hat's off to you Mr. Hall. You're clearly doin' things right. Check out some of my favorite photos by the OC native below, and don't forget to head over to his blog to further stimulate your eyeballs.

-Amy

Listening to: Richard Hawley's "Tonight The Streets Are Ours"

[ Fig. 1: Nolan Hall in my Spin Magazine with Modest Mouse. Livin' the dream, Nolan. Livin' the dream.]

[ Alex Kopps and boards. ©Nolan Hall ]

[ Alex Knost (former singer of Japanese Motors). ©Nolan Hall ]

[ Black Lips. ©Nolan Hall ]

[ Christian Fletcher. ©Nolan Hall ]

[ CJ Nelson. ©Nolan Hall ]

[The Fuck Yeah Fest. ©Nolan Hall ]

[ Keegan Sauder. ©Nolan Hall ]

[ Matt Archibald. ©Nolan Hall ]

[ Austin Stephens. ©Nolan Hall ]

[ Tyler Warren. ©Nolan Hall ]

Constellation Tattoos: The Bear, My Current Muse: Marianne Faithfull, & Cat Fights with Kate Moss

Here is the second installment of my poster series/study on constellations for use as tattoos (available now on Etsy!). I want to get a tattoo of a constellation, but I want to make up my own, so I am sketching out my ideas which you guys will then vote on to decide which I will get! The first poster was of a reindeer. Which turned out pretty rad. Items I'd still like to try are a classic car, a motorcycle, a banjo or some other hillbilly instrument, and a jackalope. I think the jackalope is going to turn out amazing. I also really liked the gun constellation I drew in my John Wayne illustration. It's equal parts dainty and tough - like a sexy woman drinking a whiskey straight up. Vote for which of the above you like best. Like I said, We'll pick the best option from each poster and then have a final death match between those winners to see which I should get inked on!

Which Bear Constellation Tattoo do you like best? From top to bottom:

The First The Second The Third The Fourth

[ Marianne Faithfull in The Girl on a Motorcycle. ]

CURRENT MUSE: Marianne Faithfull

Speaking of dainty and tough, I present to you my current muse: Marianne Faithfull. Particularly Marianne Faithfull in The Girl on a Motorcycle directed by Jack Cardiff. Wearing a fur coat on a bike? She's my hero.

Marianne was equally as cool in real life however. Here are a few reasons why:

• She's the daughter of a baroness and a WWII spy.
• The first time f*** was used in a movie was by her in I'll Never Forget What's'isname.
• She was Mick Jagger's special lady. It's said that some of the lyrics in "Wild Horses" are about her and Mick's breakup.
• Went through some crazy ups and downs going from being a member of rock royalty to having a serious drug problem which left her homeless on the streets in SOHO.
• Not only has she collaborated with the Stones, she recently collaborated with Beck, Billy Corgan, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey, Rufus Wainwright, and Lou Reed. 
• She made an album of covers called Easy Come Easy Go which included her version of songs by Morrissey, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Decemberists, Billie Holiday, and Dolly Parton. Great taste, Marianne.
• She's gnarly. She recently called Kate Moss a "vampire who stole my style." If you've seen her these days, that's a terrifying threat. The drugs didn't do her well. I love Kate Moss and don't think style is any one's to own, but it's kind of rad that ole' Marianne's still got some bite in her nonetheless.

Happy Friday people!

- Amy

Listening to: Beirut's "After The Curtain"

Tristan Ellis, Cycle Zombies, and Other Rad Sketches

Inspiration of the Day: Tristan Ellis.

He's the creative entity behind the Cycle Zombies tee on my wish list. He's got some really rad drawings and sketches. These are some of my favorites. Check out his blog here.

- Amy
Listening To: The Deadly Syndrome's "Eucalyptus"