Drag Portrait #6: Carla Rossi!

Carla Rossi

gouache on 300 lb. coldpress arches, 6"x8"

© Amanda Russel, 2013

A New Year!

I haven't been keeping this blog as up-to-date as I should be!

2013 has rolled around, and I'm still working on the drag portraits and stickers, which I've been more regularly posting progress shots of over on my facebook art page.

I have otherwise been occupying my time working on the illustrations for a children's book, which will be published first in e-book format once it is completed.

The book is about bunnies and the first draft of the text and illustrations together should be done around mid-March!

 Amanda Russel © 2012 - 2013

Keep checking my etsy store for new stickers as they are made, and in the near future, prints will also be available! Three designs of stickers are currently available. Here is the fourth design, the next batch that will be available:

 Amanda Russel © 2012

I was also a vendor in early February at Wild Hearts, a collection of local craftspeople and artists held at Crush (more info on the venue: here). 

There will be another gathering of vendors at the same place on Sunday, March the 3rd from 1-7 PM. 

 Details to come shortly: 

-Showing my thesis paintings and book, "Wake Up," in Chicago, through an awesome organization called Backbones (check 'em out here on their official website). The organization is currently in the works of organizing a show, featuring the art of a small handful of folks from all over the world who are living with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). 

-Prints: sizes, pricing, availability. 

Stay tuned!
Amanda 

Etsy store finally launched!

Here's the link!
The first sticker is printed and ready to sell. Soon it will also be available for purchase via Jinkx's website, jinkxmonsoon.com. Hoorah!

Sticker batch #1 is here!

Here they are! Sticker#1 in my series, the incomparable Jinkx Monsoon! She recently launched a brand-new website, jinkxmonsoon.com, which I highly recommend checking out, as it's got some of her best pictures and videos.

Please be patient while we set up shop, but I will most definitely be updating on how to purchase these online when everything is ready.

Drag Portrait #2 Complete!

"Sabel Scities," 6"x8", gouache on 300 lb. coldpress arches

© Amanda Russel, 2012

 

Coming soon will be some peeks of the bunny illustrations I am working on, as well as information about how the Jinkx Monsoon stickers can be purchased once they are made. The design and layout of the stickers is in its final stages. As soon as they are available for purchase, I will update both here and on my facebook fan page with information on where and how they can be purchased! 

Cover Art

My longtime friend Matthew Heller's self-titled album comes out February the 7th! 

Cover artwork by yours truly!

 

Check out his music: http://matthewheller.bandcamp.com/

Winter Break

It's a few days after xmas, and I've been enjoying winter break and taking some time to create artwork for loved ones for the holidays, as well as taking much-needed downtime. I've been getting back in the habit of doing my arm exercises for physical therapy and am already feeling better because of them. 

About a week and a half ago I moved out of the house I have rented a room in for the past three-and-a-half years, which made me very sad as I loved my Sellwood neighborhood, but my housemates needed the space for the arrival of their new baby, Charlie, who will be born any day now. I am gifting them some gouache pieces on wood for Charlie's room, which will be circus/animal-themed:

I have found a new apartment to live in with a roommate, and hopefully we will move in within the next few weeks. It's in SE Portland and I'm so so so glad we found an accessible place in the area of town we both wanted. And it's along two major bus lines and near two grocery stores.

Until then I am thankfully able to crash at my parents' house for a few weeks, until the apartment is ready (they are completely refurbishing it so when we move in it will be a completely brand-new interior).  It's a ways out which is frustrating as I am not near a bus and therefore dependent on others for transportation, but I also needed the downtime.


School starts back up the 17th, and I will have four classes: thesis and thesis writing, then two small independent studies that I was granted special permission to do (usually the limit is one per student per semester).

Healthwise I seem to be pretty stable and have successfully tapered completely off of Prednisone, so my body can function somewhat normally again. Although it saved my life, Prednisone is a terrible drug and not only does it have lots of icky side effects, it's really wreaks havoc on the body. I feel much better knowing I am putting one less chemical into my body on a daily basis. 

I take down my show at Palio on the 31st, and I have sold eight paintings in all so far. I received notice that someone bought all four of my Day of the Dead paintings, and I couldn't be happier about it. I've been saving up some money and plan to purchase a Wacom tablet within the next few days. I can do so many things with my art with a tablet and I'm totally excited to start experimenting more with one.


Until next time,
Amanda

Show!

("Michelle Bachman", gouache, 9"x12", 2011 © Amanda Russel)

 

School's been going as well as it can be. Besides constantly plugging along on my thesis so I can propose during the first week of December, I've been getting to do some fun stuff like this Michelle Bachmann portrait (an exercise in anthropomorphism for my Illustration Painting Techniques class.)

I have my first solo show coming up! I am very excited about it. It will be the evening (around seven, though the exact time is not yet nailed down) at Palio Dessert and Espresso House, 1996 SE Ladd in Portland. I will mostly be hanging new gouache pieces, but will also include some less recent, smaller ink pieces. Everything will be for sale, so come on by!

Classes and Finished "Daisies" Still

(© 2011 Amanda Russel)

(Untitled; 18"x24", gouache on canvas)

In other news, classes start tomorrow. I'm taking 13 credits this fall and then 6 in the spring, bringing my undergrad career and thesis year to a close.