moving right along

So I made it through my week of 7.75 hour shifts! The last two days, Wednesday and Thursday, I wasn't nearly as tired when I got home, which restores my faith that I will be able to continue my artistic endeavors and work a lot at the same time. I am very happy about this! Especially since it was very nice to make as much money as I did this week :)

I am getting better at my job. I made my first unsupervised drink on Thursday! I was so proud of myself! It was an iced latte and I did it just right! (I know because after the customer walked away I checked the instructions and I was correct) So next week is a repeat of the same hours, and I am looking forward to making more drinks and then coming home to work on my art projects and maybe get some more prints up for sale on my Etsy store (www.strangeladypress.etsy.com)

Thursday after work I got another tattoo! I will post pictures a.s.a.p. but for now I'll just tell you that it's another Pokemon (Milotic), and it's on the same arm as the other color pieces. It looks so amazing! It's on my inner forearm/left wrist... for some reason that spot, for me, hurts so much more than my bicep tattoo did. This new one was pretty painful, and it bled a lot more. BUT when I washed it afterward, it hurt less than it normally does. It's also healing pretty fast. The scab doesn't hurt too bad anymore, and it's only a couple of days old. I'm hoping it only takes a couple of weeks to heal instead of a full month like Brunhilda and Shiva/Shakti.

So, I'm sad that my prints in my Etsy shop aren't selling. I don't know if it's because sales on Etsy are always slow for new sellers, or if it's something that I'm doing. I've been thinking that perhaps the fact people have to sign up for an Etsy account to buy might have something to do with it?
Would you not buy something if you had to create an account to do so?
I'm just thinking that maybe I should have another avenue for selling my work online, just in case.

I have a scarf to put up but haven't gotten a chance to take photos of it yet. Mostly because I've been working a lot and then I get lazy when at home.

Well anyway I think I'm going to go snuggle up with The Boyfriend, because he has work tomorrow and I should make the most of what time we have together tonight.

first 8 hour shift

So today I worked almost an 8-hour shift. In the past I've worked 4 hours in a day, but today is the beginning of my new schedule at work, which for the next three weeks (and likely beyond that) is Monday-Thursday 8am to 4:20pm.

I. Am. So. Tired.

It's not so much that I am tired, but my feet and my eyes and my speech.

I want to be able to draw when I get home from work. I will try later. I hope that I can. I also wanted to start taking bellydance classes once a week after my shift. I am thinking that once I get used to working long hours, it won't be too bad.

I still absolutely love my job, I just have to get used to being super focused and busy for a huge length of time :)

Cheers!

connected, connected... protected, protected....

EGADS! I have that stupid Barbie friends commercial song stuck in my head... it's some movie about Barbie and her friend, and naturally they made dolls to buy along with the movie. They have singing heart necklaces or something to that effect. The song drives me MAD and yet always manages to get lodged in my skull.
Not cool. Not cool.

So anyway, it's Monday and I've had a very productive day. I worked for a long while on a commission I am doing for a wonderful gentlemen (and friend of mine). It is a piece set in space, so today I spent roughly 3 hours simply coloring the background... pure, flat black. Why did this take me so long, you ask? Because I'm working with colored pencils and it's really dang hard to color large spaces a flat color! But I took my time and I think I succeeded quite thoroughly. So now I just have to color the moon-ground, the stars/swirling galaxies that bisect the space background, the space cadet, and the alien babe and this commission is done! I am very excited for how it is turning out. I hope to finish it either tomorrow (if I work all day) or Wednesday (if I work half-days both days).

Yesterday was my second day of work and my first day in the cafe. Let me tell you, I LOVE working in the cafe! All of the people are super nice, I was busy all day so the time went by at a very pleasant pace...
I learned how to make coffee (regular), decaf coffee, hot tea, iced tea, and how to heat up various food items. I also bussed tables, served tiny scone samples, and practiced a bit on the register.
I still have a LOT to learn... I saw the other trainee steam milk but I didn't get a chance to try it, and I still need to learn how to make the crazy coffee drinks like lattes and whatnot. But I feel like I'm going at a good pace and probably within a month or so I'll be doing well. At least I hope so!

I work again on Wednesday and Thursday, and next week I have 31 hours! Wow! I feel like they mistakenly gave me all those hours because I am new, but I am excited and I do hope that they meant to, because I love going to work and if I really do have 31 hours next week then that is a great chance for me to learn so much more!

What else...
SO! Since I am now getting some pay checks I feel like it's a great time to get a new tattoo! The guy in charge of my training, Patrick, commented on my ink and said he wants to get one (as soon as he figures out what he wants)... which I think means having tattoos at B&N is okay. I have been wearing short sleeves lately so my manager must have noticed, but since she hasn't said anything, I think it's probably fine. So my new one will be another Pokemon, Milotic... who in the Pokemon universe is the most beautiful Pokemon, but it evolves from a really ugly one. Which I like. Also it says in the sticker book I have (I know, I'm a nerd) that Milotic can calm even the most violent tempers. So I am excited about her joining my tattoo family!
I'm also planning two more, which I will most likely get in January or February if I'm still making good money. Those will be a secret until closer to the time. I like sitting on tattoo ideas until I'm very very sure.

I just started readin "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte, and it's very good! I also want to start reading a second book in a series by James Patterson...the Maximum Ride series. I usually don't read two books at one time but I have to have the receipt for my books if I bring them into the break room at work. Wuthering Heights is from the library so I can bring that one, but Maximum Ride has to stay home. So I figure it's as good a time as any to read two at once!

Well I am going to go do some knitting and then read!
Cheers!

first day of work

I had my first day of work yesterday and it was amazing.

working girl

So! I forgot to mention where I am working now!

I am a Cafe girl at Barnes and Noble! (Which I think also means I technically work for Starbucks, since both logos are on my apron...?) Tomorrow is my first day on the job, so I'll be doing my training. I get to learn to be a cashier, barista, and a support person (that's the person who busses tables and keeps everything clean and readily stocked)... since in one day of work one person will do all three.
It seems very challenging and fast-paced but also very fun. I am looking forward to it! I just hope I don't totally suck... haha.

I bought work clothes today... three pairs of black pants, two black button-up collared shirts, no-slip restaurant-approved shoes, and a watch (because breaks are scheduled at very specific times so I have to watch the clock a lot).

My shift tomorrow is from 8:45am-1:00pm. I am happy about having the morning/day shifts because I'll be able to come home and have time to draw without interrupting art-time to go to work. I'd rather work daytime than nighttime, so I'm glad they need a day-girl :)

I am very happy that I got this job. It will allow me to remain creative without sapping my art-juices on other people's projects. I feel really gung-ho! I am so excited!!

:)
Cheers!

love love love

I love love love my job!
Orientation was today and I have the best feeling about this...!

posting sketches on a full belly

I just ate a massive burrito--yum!

Anyway here are some sketches of a deep-water mermaid I did. They are a little small on the screen so just click it and it will be bigger!

She has various glowing orbs coming off of her with which to lure fishies---like an angler.

Close-up on her upper half. I want her to be mostly fish though, so even the skin that is "human" will be somewhat scaly and fish-looking (or that's the plan anyway).

No fishie! Don't go towards the light!

I also just got a commission today and it is going to be AWESOME! It's one of those ones I've always wanted...in which the commissioner tells me "this is what I want, here's the reason behind it, do whatever looks good." I am so STOKED! It's due at the end of November so I'll have time to really rock it.

I start work tomorrow! I have to go to bed a lot earlier than normal because orientation starts at 7am... but that's okay, I really don't mind. I'll just take a nap later tomorrow!

Cheers!

some sketches and two finished pieces

Hello!
I have recently realized that I suuuuck at drawing men! So I've been practicing lately in my sketchbook. I decided in this process that it's easier to draw ugly male creatures at first then to try and draw a typical human guy. A sort of round-a-bout way of learning, but whatever gets me to my destination! So here are some sketches:

Some sort of fat ogre guy.

Another ogre.

Satan. With a huge chin.

A monster with a silly look on his face.

Some guy that sort of resembles Solid Snake.

I also completed TWO pieces this week! One on Tuesday, the other today! I am on a roll! I start work on Saturday so I figured this is my last week where I KNOW I'll time to work... thus I want to get as much done as possible.

Anyway, I did this one today and I've been referring to it as "Patience is a Virtue"... because I realized that it would take quite a while of standing still to get such a web on one's braids!
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it... but I guess I like it.

I did this one yesterday (Tuesday). It's from a drawing I did a while ago... I believe in June or July. But I finally got around to painting it! I painted it all in one go, and I am quite happy with how it turned out. The little spot on her shoulder is rouge, same as one her cheeks :)


I have been having trouble getting my images into a digital format. My scanner is too small for most of my work, but the spiderweb-braid girl is rather tiny... so I tried scanning it but the colors were all washed out. I think I'll try again tomorrow and see if using Levels in Photo Shop sorts it out. If not, then I'm stuck. Ugh. The images I got for my Etsy prints were taken with a crazy expensive camera my brother has (and he took the images). I don't want to have to do that every time I make a piece. Oi.

In other news, things are quite excellent! Still no Etsy sales, but apparently it is very common for things to take a long while on that site. So I'm not worried...yet!