shussshhh shusshhh

Sooo...a good thing about moving to Ottawa, I finally got an "when we move to Ottawa present."

AWWW YEAHHHHH.

 

New tablet! 

My old one has a crack in it, is GROSS and the mouse double clicks randomly and doesn't scroll and it is OLD AS HELL and DYING. My new Intuos4 is like, too cool for school next to that 10 year old (at least) thing.

The new one makes a nice marker-like shusssshing sound when you draw. Plus it has programmable keys and all sorts of nibs and its all like black on black on black like Batman's tablet would be. Yes.......

So I am getting used to it. I have never drew things from scratch on my tablet, I scan in pencil drawings or inked stuff and go from there. Might change now.

Want to see some sneak peek stuff?

 

There.

These are works in progress, I am still working on colours and packing ideas and other parts of the projects. You know, just making crap up as I go along.Heh hehhhh.

Oh, and I asked Nathan to take a pic of my in my studio, you know, so I can be current and not be a liar with outdated profile pics on the internet. This is the BEST one!

There must be a deadly herp derp leak in this studio. hahaha.

I moved to Ottawa... It's a big deal.

 So, packing up my old studio (which I was not supposed to do, the movers were supposed to, but no way man!) was kind of sad. I am moving to Ottawa because of my partner being relocated in his government job. Ottawa is the capital of Canada for you non-canucks. But its smaller and more dull than Toronto.

The movers packed (and overpacked) everthing we owned, and we had to squat in our entirely packed house for a night and it was weird.

 Rocko the Cat did NOT like going in the car. Six hours of an insane, freaking out, panting little nightmare. He took it out on my by constantly gouging my flesh when i tried to wrestle him from under the gas pedal.

 We had to squat AGAIN because the movers were delayed a day. It wasn't bad actually, its like camping with a kitchen and no bugs.

Then they delivered all our furniture and we had about one billion too many boxes for our new smaller apartment. UGHHHH.

Rocko the Cat was in a constant state of terror for days. He won't eat or drink or walk normal (slinking around) and he hides constantly and I keep losing him and thinking he jumped out the window or flushed himself down the toilet.

 

We eventually get ourselves out from under the mountain of stuff we own for some reason, and are playing adult and putting things on shelves.

 My studio is a nice greyish pinky purple. I painted it before the landlord told us not to paint anything because it cost him so much money to paint the whole place beige. (Um, I cannot live in a beige house! CAN NOT.) We may have to fight to the death.

Ok, so now my "Woe is me, I am moving to Ottawa so I can't make bookmarks and stuffed dudes!" period is coming to an end. Back to work in my illicitly purple studio.

P.S.
-Ottawa is small.
-There are crickets and squirrels being noisy all day.
-Kids. Every person has a baby every 5 months here.
-I don't have cable anymore. SUCKS.
-Do people really put up paintings with those Command Adhesive things? NO ONE DOES THAT, LANDLORD. I need wall anchors for my heavy ass art.
-Oh yeah, back to work.

Farm

Visiting the Farm on Canada Day

We've decided its officially a friend tradition to visit this new little farm that my friends are working on building. On Canada Day, we go to meet the new animals and see the new projects. Its super fun, and also really heartwarming to see people living out dreams.

I took over 500 pictures, and most of them are horrible. I take so many because I know that in a year, this little farm will be different.

I made a Flickr gallery of some shots, and if you are interested in how a little farm is born and what it takes to get things going, Tracy's blog, Journey to Casimir is documenting it all.

Wish I would have eaten more roasted marshmallows. :-)

Getting stuff done.

Framed up two of my little paintings, listed 'em on Etsy.

Here is one...

Here is the other...

Annnnd...

Finally listed this little monster that has been laying low in my studio for quite some time. He is so sweet and innocent. Totally. Not evil at all! For some more pics, check out his listing...

Going to the Farm for Canada Day. I will not get a sunburn, I WILL NOT. I will cover myself head to toe in baby bunnies for protection.

Painty Party

Painting little doodles. Trying to remember how I ever painted anything before...I think I forgot how in the months since I have done any new work...

*dabble dabble*

blargh argh!

Good stuff:
-found non-hovel apartment in Ottawa. No raccoon skeletons!
-Its close to the booze store. Important. So, so important.
-"Adventure Time! Come on grab your friends..."
-Not a zombie.
-Have a date with fajitas, and we are going to make out, and its gonna be so great.

Bad Stuff:
-Canada Post strike is crampin' mah style.
-Its muggy. Flop.
-Food tastes too good.
-My cat is loosing his mind and thinks screaming is breathing. Hate his stupid-fat-idiot-cute-face...

R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant

Doors open Toronto is neat. Buildings around the city open their doors to the public and you can peek around and check out churches, historical landmarks and amazing architecture.

R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant was one of the places I went...Art Deco, yes please. Its one of those places you feel like its a joke that someone actually got to build a utilitarian building that is so interesting. Like, was no one paying attention and the architect slipped it under the door?

Went to Ottawa to check out neighbourhoods to live in. It was drizzly and crappy, I took no photos.

 It is pretty in Ottawa, like everyone always says when they are trying to make you like it. You can see the money spent on making it that way. Its crazy clean  and lots of adorable little 'hoods, with way more of a country sweetness, less McMansions blotting out the sun in older suburbs.

BUT I found myself worried it was missing the grit of Toronto, the downtown turns to adorable cottages in the blink of an eye! As far as I saw, its so much more white bread. Also, after living 10 years in Toronto, seeing and hearing so much French again is bizarre!

I am less worried about some things, and more worried about some things.

3am in Toronto

55,000 people went to UFC in Toronto, we tried to wait until the crowd cleared before heading home from our own UFC partything. It didn't work, and took forever, but I ate cookies when I got home and forgot all about bloody eyeballs.

Trust me...

I never lie.

Don't have to.

Come on down.

I have...

I have over 1000 pics on my iPhone already.













Spring is coming, finally, my hands are always cold.

BLOODY HELL

Shit changes. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, and sometimes you are just like...ummm, whut?

Sometimes you are moving to Ottawa.

Living in Toronto, in a hip as hell neighbourhood with hipsters hipping, its terrifying to think about moving to dull, boring, lame Ottawa. I know nothing about it because no one cares about it when you live in Toronto. All the footage we see is skating on the canal or people having calm and Canadian press conferences.

 But job offers getting turned down because you like to look at daddies with full sleeves at the grocery store is kind of a bad life plan right? RIGHT? 

Not moving until fall, so I have one last summer to do Toronto. Go to shows, eat Burrito Boyz and generally try not to think about how cold and safe and family friendly Ottawa is. As it gets closer the moving date, I am sure I will flip my shit. 

(Everyone says I will love it there, I say, you move there!)

Lived in Toronto for 10 years I guess, and I feel like I am a bit tired of certain life stuff, so it will be fresh and new, even if that new is dull. 

P.S. I am pretty sure no one has ever used that font for an Ottawa graphic. And never will again. Ever.

What was that?

I have taken to listening to screamingly loud music on my iPod while doing chores, which means I am constantly waiting to be murdered.

You can't hear anything with Beats smashed into your ears and some dude screaming about goatblood or whatever. There is always a freaky killer clown behind me or something, just know it.
Click here to see a bigger one if don't know how to work your internet machine.

What is with the comics? I have no idea.