Sweet Sunday: Lolita Prints! [09-30-2012]

Sweet Sunday!

Hello, little bunnies! Hope you're having a good weekend! Today is more of a discussion for you guys. I'm a new Loli but there is one thing I've noticed. I tend to like prints that involve stars, horses/unicorns and food. Even more of the accessories I tend to get have at least one of these elements. Maybe it's just my passions from my childhood when I was really into My Little Pony and the cute chubby stars from the Mario games. Whatever it is, I'm glad I am into the Lolita fashion because I can still love all of these things and wear them too! What are your favorite prints? Lolita or not.

Cuddles & Kisses,

Kieli ~♥

What's In The Box Wednesdays: Sugar Junkie! [ 09-26-2012 ]

（＾▽＾）／What's In the Box Wednesdays＼（＾▽＾）

Hello, dear bunnies! Taking a day from work is definitely helpful for my rest and to get awesome posts like these done! Inside the box today are items from a very sweet designer and shop owner of ♥ Sugar Junkie ♥ - Pajamie! If you're into sweet pastels and beautiful crochet work, then this is definitely a place you should shop at.

Before I show you what I got, check out the cute packaging! For those of you that follow her Twitter or Instagram, you'll know she had this great adventure of painting the walls of a room like candy stripes (like in the photo above). It made me smile that she chose these designs.

The first item of the batch is this really cute Strawberry Heart Brooch! It came in a cute little baggie with tiny confetti (which I kept!). It's a pin made of wood and the paints are pastel versions of pink, green and yellow for the seeds and rests on a secured pin.

And what's a Lolita without her Candy Bracelet? What I like about this bracelet from Sugar Junkie is that it's not your regular bracelet where it's just made with stretchy jewelry wire. This one is actually made like a bracelet and stranded on little wire eye pins. Doing it this way can lead to a lot of fun ideas with these bracelets and more importantly, they last a lot longer!

This next piece is definitely my favorite. It's another bracelet but it's actually made to look like a sweet Lollipop. The bracelet itself is a delicate strand of faux pearls that lead down to the cutest piece of candy I've ever seen (too bad you can't eat it!). It's a soft pink star-shaped lollipop that has glitter and star-shaped confetti inside. It sits on a real lollipop stick and has a pretty light blue bow tied around it. I LOVE it.

The final piece of this sugary package is another yummy brooch. It's actually a crochet cookie! Chocolate chip to be exact - My favorite! It even has "chocolate chips" which actually appear to either be clay or plastic. Either way, they're very realistic and it takes a lot for me to not eat it when I wear it! It has a cute multi-colored backing with the pin secured on that.

I have to say that this is definitely one of the most fun packages I have gotten. The packaging reminds me so much of the shop owner and I can easily make the connection. Everything was neatly placed in their own colorful container. Presentation even before I got to the items gets a great score! Each item is beautifully crafted (and they're all in different mediums which shows she has a lot of skills in different areas). And even her business cards are fun. The colors, the fonts chosen - everything connects and is thought out. I am very happy with the experience.

Thank you so much, Pajamie! You definitely live up to the title "Sugar Junkie".

Until next time~

Cuddles & Kisses,

~ Kieli ~

Summer to Fall - I'm Not Feeling Well At All [09-25-2012]

Image courtesy of Blekko

I hope everyone is doing well and not getting sick. Sadly, I got allergies from cleaning and I guess because of that, my body couldn't fend off the germs so it eventually turned into a cold. I took off today from work but I might need one more day. I did manage to get my blog post ready for tomorrow though. Stay healthy, everyone!

Cuddles & Kisses,

~ Kieli ~

Sailor Moon Renewed My Love for Anime [ 09-24-2012 ]

Wow, it really feels like it's been forever since I posted! But no worries - I am still alive! Just been dealing with being borderline sick and having horrible allergies. But I am going to take a day to rest tomorrow and also work on my upcoming "What's In the Box Wednesday". Not too long ago, I made a nice order for me and my boyfriend from Circle Red. It was just as GE Animation had finally announced that their ♥ Sailor Moon Carillion Necklace ♥ (which sadly does not open but it's a very nice necklace to wear). I didn't want to waste a good opportunity so I had my boyfriend add to the order. For him, we ordered The Legend of Zelda and Transformers belt buckles and the Trigun Wolfwood necklace. For myself, I got the Sailor Moon necklace and the Fairy Tail Happy bag! Not a bad haul, right?

Cuddles & Kisses,

~ Kieli ~

Sweet Sunday: Gingermelon Patterns [ 09-16-2012 ]

SweetSunday!

 

Hi bunnies! Sorry today's post is a little late but I've been busy cleaning and rearranging my room to give my own little bunnies more play space!It's still in progress but I had to quit for the day because it's so late. Anyhoo, as you all know I was working really hard for a couple of months on a baby shower gift for my boss. The picture above is the finished gift! What do you think?

I've never made dolls before but the pattern packet I bought from Shelly worked out really well for me. Shelly owns the Etsy shop ♥ Gingermelon ♥. If you're like me and wanted to try to make dolls but too scared to try - make sure to check out Shelly's shop. She gives you very easy to follow instructions and she even gives her own recommendations on materials. It's all thanks to her that I was able to do this for my boss (who LOVED the dolls!).Thank you so much, Shelly! I'll definitely be buying more patterns in the future!

Until Next Time~

Cuddles & Kisses,

~ Kieli ~

Sweet Sunday: The Art of Jean Calderone [ 09-09-2012 ]

Good Morning lil bunnies! It's time for today's Sweet Sunday! The treat for today is an awesome interview with a very dear friend of mine and amazing artist - Jean Calderone! She also worked with me on selecting a few pieces to show you today! (Prepare for an image-heavy post heeee....) 

There is a mixture of her fanart pieces and original pieces - You can find out more information on each piece by going to her DeviantArt page or clicking the image above!

1) Who are you and what do you do? What is your background?

My name is Jean Calderone. I'm a comic artist and I draw comics ;) Currently, I live in Brooklyn, New York with my family and pet turtle. I graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2011 with a BFA in Cartooning.

 

2) Why do you do what you do?

I think of myself as a storyteller, like a modern-day version of those from ancient times when myths were passed down to explain natural phenomena and our place in the world. Comics are just my medium for storytelling. I have read so many great comic stories that have inspired me, and I wish to tell one that will inspire someone else. It's a way we can connect with one another.

3) What themes do you pursue?

I noticed one reoccurring theme that pops up in the characters of my work deals with the internal struggle of trying to do what is right, and the balance between what one wants to do and what one has to do. It's not so easy to do the right thing, we all make mistakes and have to live with the consequences. 

 

4) When making art, do you do research? If so, what are the steps you take?

Yes. Drawing comics involves a lot of research, not just for the technical drawing, but for stories as well. I look for a lot of reference pictures either from the internet, or actually make a trip to the New York Library Picture Collection to browse for reference pictures there. Subjects can vary from.. just about anything. Although I mostly look for fashion aesthetic and environment references. And depending on the story, there would be a lot of information researching. If you're doing a period comic you would have to learn up as much as you can and be accurate to a specific time period in fashion, environment, culture, speech, and generally people's way of life from that time. Or if you're writing about a specific type of profession character, like a doctor, better study up on what doctor's do. Library and internet.. they are your best friends. 
 

 
5) How do you work?

I start out with the story concept or idea. Just get all my thoughts down, write or scribble notes, research, etc. When everything is fleshed out, or just enough for me to work on, I write out the script. My script includes not only dialogue but also a general description of my initial idea for how I envision the layout of each panel on the page. This makes it easier for the next step in drawing the rough sketch for each page. From the rough sketch, or thumbnail, I go ahead to the pencil, and finally, ink the page. Depending on the comic it may or may not involve coloring. During each stage, changes and corrections are made as needed. I mostly work traditionally by hand, with some final digital editing. Although I'm starting to consider moving more of the work to be done digitally. 

 

6) What do you like about your work? What do you dislike about your work?

Hm, I guess I like my character expressions and really capturing all their moods and emotions. I don't like how I'm struggling a bit with consistency within my drawings, and I wish I had much cleaner lines, maybe if I wasn't so heavy handed... Haha in general there's just always room for improvement. 

 

7) Describe a real-life situation that inspired you?

Probably one of the most inspiring moments of my life that led me to becoming a cartoon artist was meeting my cartooning teacher from the School of Visual Arts' Precollege Program (who later on became my teacher again when I went to that school for college). I have always drawn comics for as long as I can remember, but growing up, everyone else besides my sisters and friends saw comics as something childish or just a hobby. I don't think I've fully considered entering the comics field seriously until my mother enrolled me in a pre-college class for cartooning. My teacher at the time (shout out to Keith Mayerson!) was the first adult I have met personally who spoke about comics with loving passion and maturity, and was the first adult to support me to continue to draw comics. I didn't even know those kind of people existed! (Adults actually taking comics serious? Blasphemy! Haha) I think if I had never met him, I probably wouldn't be where I am now. 

8) What role does the artist have in society?

The artist observes the world around him or her, then produces a commentary through his or her work. As summarized by one of my favorite quotes from the book, My Name is Asher Lev, “As an artist you are responsible to no one and to nothing, except to yourself and to the truth as you see it. [...] An artist is responsible to his art. Anything else is propaganda."

9) Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?

It could be, especially when those who are not involved with art do not understand what you do or why you do it. But that's why it's also crucial to have positive people who support what you do, especially in my field where we draw inspiration from other people. Make an effort to keep in touch with friends and don't be a hermit. Also, keep a positive attitude. 

10) What do you dislike about the art world?

I don't like the placing of a hierarchy in art that classifies one type of more value than the other. Especially when I get a lot of “Comics isn't art.” There's a lot of snobbery that goes around with Fine Art vs. Commercial Art. Although to be honest, I've seen it go both ways. There are fine artists who think comics have no value whatsoever, and then there are comic artists who think that there's no need to study from classical works of great artists that came before their time. Needless to say, I think both notions are rather ridiculous.

I also really don't like when people pit Western Comics (Marvel/DC) against Eastern Comics (Manga). Both have their pros and cons as with anything else. And I love both actually. Well, I'll like any comic if it's good.

11) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Keep going. Don't stop, don't quit. Work hard. And don't be afraid to try new thing. 

And for all you lucky readers, here is a sneak peek at one of her recent works~

Thanks so much, Jean for letting me interview you! If anyone wants to check out more of Jean's art, please be sure to check out her Deviant Art site at: ♥ Elf Chuchu Art ♥!

Until Next Time~

Cuddles & Kisses,

~ Kieli ~

All images are created by Jean so DO NOT TAKE THEM! If you have questions or comments, please contact Jean on her site!