Jeanine Henderson—Love Potion No. 9

Sorry to "cheat" tonight, but very little time between the office & freelance work! This is part of a personal project I started over the weekend—an illustrated cocktail recipe for "Love Potion No 9" ( a delicious concoction of ice cream, strawberries and vodka—yum!) Something I'd been thinking about for a promotional piece around Valentine's Day, but only getting the time to get into now. Since it's fits with the blog theme, figured it was fair game to share :)

Alice Stanne - For the Love of Books

One of my greatest loves is books. Beautiful, real, paper and bindings books. I love reading them, smelling them, owning them. If I shop for something I really don't need more of, it's books. I drew the spines of a few of my favorite books I read repeatedly while I was growing up.

From left to right: Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, Froggie Went A'Courting illustrated by Chris Conover, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, This Is For You by Rob Ryan, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, One Times One (1 x 1) by E.E.Cummings and Sailing Alone Around the Room by Billy Collins.

Marc Scheff - Anything, but that

My values and integrity. I am a pretty flexible guy, but it will take a lot more than love to make me change thosef.

Challenge #10 for Tuesday Feb. 26th

Our 10th Challenge  comes courtesy of Kristina Carroll

 The subject is:  "Love Song Shuffle".  Put your entire music playlist on shuffle. The first love song that you hear is the inspiration for your next piece.

Jeffrey Alan Love - Moby Dick

"And this is what ye have shipped for, men! to chase that white whale on both sides of land, and over all sides of earth, till he spouts black blood and rolls fin out."

Scott Murphy - Freeform Sunday

Here's a quick sketch of a character i'm working on for a painting.

Scott Murphy - I'd Do Anything For Love But I Won't Do That

Sorry, a crazy weekend put me off a day!

I'd do anything for love, but I won't have my wife executed in order to get with another woman.

Narciso Espiritu - Power Rangers

I used to love Power Rangers as a kid growing up in the 90s. Sometimes I still do.

Just some quick helmets. Trying to catch up.

Narciso Espiritu - I'd Do Anything for Love, But I Won't Do That

I think I wouldn't lie to myself or to another person about liking them/ loving them just because.

I mean, if you're not ready, you're not ready. I feel like it's wrong to take advantage of that.

Kristina Carroll - Freestyle Sunday

I got home in time to catch the tail end of the Oscars, so I tried to do a little "life" sketching.

I thought they were a bit puny, so here are a couple more random sketchbook pages:

Chris O'Neill - I would do anything for love....

....But I won't shave my beard or put on a polo shirt. I look about 8 years old without facial hair.

- CHRIS

Narciso Espiritu - Odd Couple

Has anyone else watched House of Cards on Netflix? The American version? Don't you love Kevin Spacey and Kate Mara? 

Narciso Espiritu - Mating Ritual

Was helping out a friend on Friday night. Banged it out in my sketchbook.

Sarah Gay - I would do anything for love...but I won't do that...

I would do anything for love...But I won't hangout with bros in a sports bar.

Carly Janine Mazur - Freestyle Sunday

Working on a painting for a Sandy Hook benefit that is very appropriately cut into the shape of a heart :)

Chris O'Neill - Mating Ritual

I just realized that I inadvertently drew the EXACT OPPOSITE of the "mating ritual" that Sarah's image represents. Weird!

On a side note, since I went to the Art Institute of Boston literally two blocks from Fenway, this piece was kind of cathartic for me....

- CHRIS

Tim Paul - Free-form Sunday

Sir Porpingjeybell and Constable Humperton of Scotland Yard.

A little character design for Sunday. 

Jeanine Henderson—Freestyle Sunday Funday

I spent all day at a super fun letterpress workshop. I haven't done letterpress for a few years, so it was awesome to get reacquainted with it! Mostly was an introductory/experimental workshop—so just played around with type, and this is one of the outcomes. Cannot wait to get back in there to print some real projects!

Sarah Gay - Mating Rituals

Nuff said.

Scott Brundage- Freestyle Sundays

Some colored inks and acrylic. Seeing how colorful I can make something without getting too garish.

Jeffrey Alan Love - Musashi

Eiji Yoshikawa's book "Musashi" may be my favorite book of all time - it's not only an epic adventure story, but in many ways a manual on how to live a worthwhile life.  On Sundays I often take a few minutes to reset and think about what I will spend my time on in the coming week, and the lessons I learned from "Musashi" often help guide my thoughts.

Carly Janine Mazur - I Would Do Anything for Love

Buuuuuuut I won't do that...

Ricardo Lopez Ortiz- Anything for Love, But I Won't Do That!

I would NEVER!

Scott Brundage- Anything for love, but I won't do that.

I won't say it happens in every relationship, but it happens in many.*


*Bonnie has never asked me for "help" along these lines. 

Kristina Carroll - I would do anything for Love

But I won't go on murdering people with a machete...

Scott and I finally watched 7 Psychopaths this weekend- which I thoroughly enjoyed. It had some of my favorite people in it: Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, and Tom Waits. Tom played, surprise, one of the psychopaths but sort of a psycho with a heart of gold. {SPOILERS}  He met his wife at her rescue from a serial killer and they decided to become serial killers of other serial killers. Eventually though, it started getting to him and he let her go off alone, which he immediately regretted and spent all his time after searching for her. The rabbit is a keepsake from their last "date" with the Zodiac killer.

Basically it's Tom Waits, in a suit, walking around with a rabbit the whole time. It's perfect.

Tim Paul - Won't Do That

For me, the limits are matching running suits. Or any matching outfits that some couples tend to like.

Sarah Gay - Odd Couples

Sorry this is so very late!

A very busy week has just ended, I am back on the horse :)

One of my starving-artist-fat-kid-food favorites.

Jeanine Henderson—I would do anything for love...

...but I won't do that!

Nothing against tattoos, but I would never get anyone's face permanently drawn on my body! Haha

The full-time design gig was totally creatively draining this week, so missed a few posts and felt great to get back to drawing & have some fun with a little ink and guache tonight.

Cynthia Sheppard - But I Won't Do That

Saturday Challenge: I'll do anything for love, but I won't...

...give up my career, or stop being an artist. Some people I love have discouraged me or tried to get me to give up that dream, but let it be known: if I succeed or don't succeed at this job, it's going to be on my terms.

Jeffrey Alan Love - Zeus & Athena

Today's theme "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" reminded me of the birth of Athena.  Zeus swallowed her mother after having sex with her because it had been prophesied that any of her offspring would be more powerful than the father.  It was too late, though, for soon Athena sprang from his skull, fully grown.  I'd do a lot for love, but cannibalism and giving birth through my skull aren't going to happen.

Kristina Carroll - Ophelia

I'm fascinated with characters who are driven to extremes by love. Like Medea, Ophelia has been misused, though exactly how is never explicitly mentioned. To me, she was always meant to represent the very fragile and most human elements in Hamlet. Between ghosts and murder and incest, how does one lovesick girl compete? We connect with that simple desire in the face of evil and the tragic results of what happens to innocence in  madness. I see the death of Ophelia as the point of no return for the other characters.

I really want to do something more with this I was playing around with the shapes of flowers and thinking of orchids when developing the overall shape.

Alice Stanne - Mating Ritual

Why go through all those crazy displays to prove your strength and agility when you can just tweet at your girl...

Carly Janine Mazur - Red Hot Love

Had some extra paint on the palette and decided to fingerpaint and scumble a little.

Scott Murphy - Metal Love

Heading out to a concert tonight, so here's a quick sketch of one of my favorite metal musicians, Abbath from the black metal band, Immortal. As I mentioned before, I love all (well, most) music. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't listen to music every moment of the day. It's also great to live in New York city where you can go out and find a great concert on almost any night of the week.

Marc Scheff - Mating Ritual

I admit a fascination with the visceral. Underneath all the flowers and poetry, there are mechanics. Muscles, tendons, saliva, nerve endings, unpretty things that hold up the curtains of our lives' theatre. Underneath, the oil of olay and botox and implants, or the natural beauties with faces the color of Spring afternoons, stately gentlemen, or good-time charlies. Underneath. I wonder what we are reaching for, when so often it's nothing, just us.

acrylic and pen on paper

Tim Paul - Mating Rituals

Oh the ritual of the first date, where we compare ourselves to see if we are a match!

Challenge #9 for Saturday Feb. 23rd

Our 9th Challenge  comes courtesy of Marc Scheff

 The subject is:  "I would do anything for love, but I won't do that."

Jeffrey Alan Love - Dredd

I watched Dredd the other night and loved it.  How many other directors/writers would have had him take off his helmet?  How many actors would have insisted in their contract that their face had to be shown?  I had no idea what Karl Urban looked like until a friend told me he was that one guy in Lord of the Rings.  And if anyone else had made the film they would have had Anderson and Dredd kiss, and added about ten to fifteen minutes at the end to "wrap things up".  It lived up to my expectations while also confounding them and I love when a movie can do that to me.

Carly Janine Mazur - Mating Rituals

I was at work all day, and hadn't much to do considering the kids are on February break. I then spent a good while rooting through my supplies and using a set of alphabet stamps I had found, individually coloring and stamping each letter. Originally this was to be the background for something, but I love how this looks by itself. It shall remain the mating call of typographers and graphic designers.

Scott Murphy - Mating Ritual

Well, this didn't turn out as well as I had hoped, but in any a case I always thought peacocks had a pretty sweet mating ritual. My grandfather used to bring us to a farm when we were younger and they had peacocks. I remember them being some of the most amazing sights when they had their full plumage on view. so anyhow, this is my tired lame attempt.