Spring has sprung

There will not be a single YouTube video in this post! Impressive, huh?

Winter semester is over (thank goodness!) and I have since moved on to the much nicer, prettier, and less stressful spring term. I absolutely love BYU in the spring. All of those people who leave Provo in the middle of April probably have no idea that our wintry campus is actually capable of attaining beauty, which is kind of a shame, because if they could only stay a few weeks longer... BAM! Flowers! Beauty! Most of the blossoms are finally starting to fall off the trees now, but for a while there the whole campus smelled like perfume... except for right in front of the administration building, where they planted those smelly trees whose blossoms smell like dog food. Why do people plant those, anyway?

My Italy trip is fast approaching, which is also exciting. For a couple months during the winter it was hard to get excited, because it seemed so far away, and all I could think about was that I was really going to miss Chris, and it hadn't really sunk in yet that I was actually going... but something about sending in my last tuition payment and figuring out everything from luggage to confusing Italian train schedules has made it finally sink in that I'm actually going, and I'm excited! For me, half of the fun is in the planning, and I'm having the time of my life figuring out weekend trips to Venice, Rome, Switzerland, and Paris. My apartment in Florence also comes with a kitchen, so I'm picking out all of the most promising recipes from my copy of Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking to make while I'm there. And... well, I'd rather not say how many times I've listened to the Italy section of Eat, Pray, Love. Let's just say it's a lot. And that I know where I'm buying my pizza in Naples now.

I guess I'll end this post by posting some sketches? I've always had trouble motivating myself to keep a sketchbook, so I'm taking a Sketchbook class this term, and my teacher suggested that I buy a smaller sketchbook, which is apparently exactly what I needed. It's not so hard to fill the page on a small sketchbook, so you feel like you're able to actually finish a drawing. Plus, drawing so small has made me realize how much I love making tiny, postcard-sized ink drawings. Who knew?

Miss Independent

Just something that made me laugh on the worst week of the semester. You tell 'em, girl.

The tragedy of first position

I might be a little late to the game since this video already has over 1.5 million views, but this is pretty much the cutest thing ever and I had to post it. Poor girl--ballet is hard!

Sketch-a-Day #2/3

Alternate title: Weekends don't count.

So I have been sketching on the computer everyday, but I haven't really had much to show for it, since I've been working more on larger projects than on quick little sketches like that first one. Still, I was thinking about it today whilst drawing, and I realized that if I didn't post something soon, I was going to look like a total lame-o who can't stick to a goal for more than a single day. So, here's a work-in-progress picture. I probably won't post everything I draw while doing this (because I'm pretty sure I'm going to make a lot of crappy artwork during the learning process, and who wants that plastered all over the internet?), but here's something. Maybe it'll be finished someday--but then again, maybe not. We'll see.

Green hair is cool. Also, why do all of my girls have these enormous eyes all of a sudden?

Sketch-a-Day #1

Alternate title: My what big eyes you have!

So sometimes people do this sketch-a-day type thing? And I thought I might jump on the bandwagon? Maybe? Anyway, I started doodling on Photoshop today and thought that if I really wanted to improve, I should maybe try to make this a semi-regular thing. So here's sketch number one, which I did in about 30 minutes.

Kinda rough, but I guess that's why they call it a sketch.

Anyway, it seems like this is something that should keep happening, so hopefully it will.

Procrastination Queen

I am the queen of procrastination. For instance, take this picture:

Imagine that less than 24 hours ago, this picture was composed of mere outlines--no charcoal whatsoever. Also imagine that this paper was 30" x 40". It took me all night long and then some, but I managed to finish it on time, and now I'm ready for some much needed sleep. I'd like to say I'll never do something this crazy again, but... well, I know myself too well :P

Something awesome

Alright, so I've got some big news. First, some clues:

1. What is Firenze, aside from a really awesome centaur on Harry Potter?
2. Where was the birthplace of the Renaissance?
3. Where does this guy hang out?

Well, let me tell you--Firenze is the Italian name for the city of Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance is usually considered to be Florence, and David likes to hang out in the Galleria dell'Accademia in FLORENCE! I bought the plane ticket on Wednesday, so I guess it's official--I'm going to Florence, Italy this summer to attend a summer program at the Florence Academy of Art. I'll be staying in Florence (obviously), but I plan on using the weekends to explore places like Rome and Venice, and to chow down some pizza in Naples. Seriously, I am soooo excited about this! And y'all are welcome to visit me there if you want ;)