Thanks everyone for attending the Open House on Saturday! 
For those interested, here some classes that are still available...
#1005A/B - Introduction To Head Drawing A and B
Instructor: Mario Hernandez
Saturday, 10am-1pm
This course is an excellent opportunity for students to learn the craft of head drawing. It will provide each student with the necessary understanding and experience to draw the human head with authority. Each session will consist of a lecture or demonstration that will guide students step-by-step through the process of drawing from a live model. The traditional elements of life drawing will be emphasized including the structure and planes of the head, the values of light and shadow, edges, portrait composition and drawing techniques. The course will also include exercises and assignments aimed to help students greatly hone their portrait drawing skills.
#1002A/B- Head and Figure Drawing with the Reilly Method A and B
Instructor: Israel Martinez
Wednesday, 10am-1pm
This is an introductory figure and head drawing class, concentrating on the methods of Frank Reilly. You may see a broader explanation of Frank Reilly’s methods here . Using 6 simple lines as the starting point for drawing the figure, Israel Martinez will instruct and demonstrate how to simply draw a figure that is solid and proportional, having weight and balance. Your drawing will improve drastically and will have economy of line. The class will warm-up by drawing 5-minute poses, followed by instructor demonstration, and then 20 minute poses that will teach you to block-in structure quickly.
#2380A/B - Alla Prima Head/Figure Painting A and B
Instructor: Ignat Ignatov
Friday, 10am-4pm
This course will consist of painting demonstrations and lectures covering the important elements of painting such as value, color and edges, as well as composition and design. This class will also cover the limited palette and the amazing advantages that it offers. Each week the artists will paint from life a different model using the Alla Prima (wet into wet technique) and will receive individual instruction and critiques. The goal is to advance your skills in the direct painting method while applying the fundamentals to achieve a solid understanding of painting the human form in various light conditions and settings.
#2367A/B - Figure Painting A and B
Instructor: Joseph Todorovitch
Wednesday, 12pm-6pm
We will paint the figure from life and discuss choices for setting up the pose, composition, color harmony, lighting, pacing, and bringing the painting to a decent level of resolve. We'll also discuss the language of describing paint in order to better understand our mixtures. Joseph will explain his approach and demonstrate by painting along and illustrating his ideas about the approach. Pose lengths will vary from single days to multiple days. Previous drawing experience is highly recommended.
#1122 - Sketching the Figure (Quick Pose/Head/Figure Construction)
Instructor: Sergio Sanchez
Tuesday, 7pm-10pm
The student will receive study in drawing the head and figure, using quick-sketch and longer pose study of the figure and head. This is a broad overview of the many aspects of drawing the figure.
To view our whole schedule of classes, go to www.laafa.org/sessions/calendar . Or feel free to call us at, 818.708.9232. The Winter Quarter starts January 11th!
Things are fine.
In Texas right now. Galveston Island to be exact, at the moment actually. Spending some time with my father.
Can't really find a decent internet connection anywhere.
And I hate the fact that Houston doesn't want you to walk anywhere.
The only thing I can think about right now is the fact that I was peer pressured (by Ben J.) into eating dog food. Trying it, tasting it. Not feasting on it.
It didn't really taste like anything. Just bad and bland.
Dogs should have more flavorful food, I think.
Here's a shot from the photo shoot we had for my winter 2009 look book:
Haven't really been having any QT (quality time) with it since I got here.
Be good!
x
c
I have been reordering my vocabulary a bit to deal with winter - I used to think everything "died back" in the wintertime, at least my plants, flowers, etc... This used to make me sad, and I'd start feeling that way around fall, which made the impending winter come on with a complete sense of doom.
Now, we call this "dormancy" - I've had the opportunity to collect a lot of seeds and watch many things reseed themselves, and I constantly remind myself that the ground is sleeping, our sheet mulches are creating, and soon, I'll get to watch the joy of seedlings becoming plants that eventually produce foods and flowers all over again.
In the meantime, it's cold outside and I've joined Netflix (find me there as Dori.mondon if you'd like to be friends) and I'm doing a lot of knitting and baking and wondering why and how it is that I haven't already packed on the pounds.
On that note, I've written a free pattern for a lace-stitch scarf. You can download it by clicking this link. It's a superquick, chunky knit on size 11 needles.
And, although I can't provide for any Christmas gifts, I'm now offering sets of two and sets of four handknit washcloths of my own pattern designs. These sets are available for purchase in my Etsy shop. And as I mentioned, while I can't provide for the holidays, these do make excellent gifts! I hope to team up with a neighbor who makes the best soap ever and start selling combined kits soon.
While I'm all talking about knitting, here's a pair of Saartje's Bootees that I whipped up for a friend - I was at her aunt's house the day before her surprise baby shower, but I had to leave that evening, so I left these behind for her to find. How cute are these things? My mothering thing is only now starting to kick in a bit, and, well, these are, ya know... Cute. and Inspiring. This little pattern is HUGELY popular - and many folks have come up with alternate ways to knit these. Do a google search!
Well, I guess that's really it for now - I have quite a huge bit of knitting to finish for the holidays, as well as a lot of sheet mulching to finish so that I have some good soil in new flower beds for the spring. We intend to rock the farmer's market really early this year, too, and have started our first greenhouse. Pictures next time I'm on the internet. And, you'll get to see pictures of our new dog, too. Our last male dog got really sick and died three months after we adopted him. it was heartbreaking, but we're the kinds of folks who communicate with "the dead" and we asked him to send us a new one - we need a good huntin' dog around our parts to keep the wildlife out of the crops. Sadly, our female, though she can run about twenty-five miles an hour (no joke) is useless when it comes to this. She'd much rather be trying to sleep in our bed. So, all of a sudden, here comes a woman with a half-heeler, half-australian shepherd she has to find a home for. Our home it is. We're looking forward to him moving in sometime in the next couple of weeks.
Have a happy holiday season and really, try not to stress about it too much - it's supposed to be fun, ya know? I'm sure I'm leaving out quite a bit since I'm not here that often, but so it goes. That's how it is when you live in a rural area without the internet at home... I hope that changes soon though, I really do!
#1010 - Beginning Figure Drawing
Instructor: Alex Alvarado
Sunday, 10am-1pm
This course is an introduction to the fundamental principals of sketching and drawing the human figure. Topics covered will include: Gesture drawing and the study of body movements and kinetics, the basic geometry of the human figure, the general proportions of the human head and figure, value studies and basic rendering technique. This class will start off with short 5-min poses and gradually advance to 2 1/2 hour poses.
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT: Enroll by December 19th and get $25 off
#1001 - Basic Drawing Fundamentals
Instructor: Eric Pedersen
Saturday, 10am-1pm
This course introduces the fundamentals of drawing. How to hold a charcoal pencil, simple shapes, volumes, c-curves, s-curves, straights, edges, 4-value system, thumbnails, introductory composition, light sources, core shadows, reflective lights, are all covered in this course. This is an excellent course for students with little to no formal drawing training at all, or those wanting a refresher course in the basics.
#2223 - The Verdaccio Approach to Painting
Instructor: Brianna Lee
Wednesday, 7pm-10pm 
In this course students will focus on drawing the subject accurately, learn to transfer the drawing and how to prepare the Verdaccio under-painting for the final stages of glazing. Glazing can give luminous effects that cannot be achieved by direct painting. It is especially good for painting the translucent and luminous qualities of human flesh. This course is great for those who are new to painting because it begins with the drawing stage and introduces painting in a very methodical and simplified manner. This class is also suitable for intermediate to advanced students who are interested in learning how the Renaissance masters painted and how to make a painting glow. The course will consist of two 5 week paintings, one still-life and one portrait.
#2380B - Alla Prima Head/Figure Painting A and B
Instructor: Ignat Ignatov
Friday, 10am-4pm 
This course will consist of painting demonstrations and lectures covering the important elements of painting such as value, color and edges, as well as composition and design. This class will also cover the limited palette and the amazing advantages that it offers. Each week the artists will paint from life a different model using the Alla Prima (wet into wet technique) and will receive individual instruction and critiques. The goal is to advance your skills in the direct painting method while applying the fundamentals to achieve a solid understanding of painting the human form in various light conditions and settings.
#2800B - Alla Prima Impressionist Painting A and B
Instructor: Vadim Zang
Monday, 10am-4pm
This painting course will emphasize tonal construction of the figure, the light and shadow relationship, and science of color. Vadim Zang will explain limited palette technique, giving demonstrations to help the student in applying tonal knowledge to paint.Students will then progress on to full color, with control of paint application. Individual critiques and instruction will guide the student.
#2367A - Figure Painting A and B
Instructor: Joseph Todorovitch
Wednesday, 12pm-3pm 
We will paint the figure from life and discuss choices for setting up the pose, composition, color harmony, lighting, pacing, and bringing the painting to a decent level of resolve. We'll also discuss the language of describing paint in order to better understand our mixtures. Joseph will explain his approach and demonstrate by painting along and illustrating his ideas about the approach. Pose lengths will vary from single days to multiple days. Previous drawing experience is highly recommended.
The Winter Quarter starts January 4th. If you are interested in taking any of these classes, call 818.708.9232! To view a list of all our other classes, visit our website at www.laafa.org/sessions/calendar
Reminder: Open house Sat. Dec. 19th from 11am-4pm!
This s just a quick entry, I feel like I've drained myself a bit on here recently and I don't want to write too much today. So this is really just to show you how much work went into this picture. It started off with me finding the Edwardian butterfly box on ebay late one night back in August. I often sit and type in random words and see what ebay comes up with, I can never find interesting things being too specific, so I usually use this 'lucky dip' approach and it sometimes comes up with treasures like the box. Originally we were going to shoot Katie holding the box on the day of the 'bookpit' picture... and then we ran out of time. It then dragged on and on, and every time Katie came over for a new picture, we never managed to do this character. Finally on the last day of shooting back in September, we ran out of time again and decided that we would meet In October once we'd all had a rest to take this last shot. Typically though the more time I was allowed to think about it, the bigger the idea became, and by the 4th of October, the 'box' picture had morphed into a 'giant hair, white witch' picture :)
Elbie turned up at my house with her suitcase full of make-up and hair extensions, and we spent the next 5 hours creating the screen of hair. We took an old picture frame and covered it with chicken wire. We then started weaving hair extensions and ivy I had collected from the woods through the framework. It was far more dfficult than we expected and took so much longer than planned. We tried to stick the hair and nothing would hold it, so we had to hand tie it with string, elastic bands and in some places actually sew the hair to the different layers we had created underneath it. Once Katie arrived, Elbie did her make-up and attached a couple of wig pieces to her natural hair, and then we spent another hour or more attaching Katies hair to the screen. It was the most preparation we had done for any of the photos... it took over 6 hours to get ready, and then 15 minutes to take the picture ! But as always it was worth it, and poor Katie was so patient. It was a pretty bizarre sight having this giant white witch sitting in my living room....... but after a summer of this kind of thing, it was strangely familiar too :) !
So here are the pictures of us making the gaint hair !! -
I know that things have sounded very sad recently, and I can't hide it when I feel that way. This week has been one of the hardest I can remember since losing her last year. I've been off work and rattling around the house, trying to rest and pull myself together. I've ignored my phone and gone into myself like I always do, and I feel terrible because I know so many people are just trying to help, but its my answer to everything.... hide.. hide.... hide. BUT this isnt about sad things, today I just wanted to remember a good time, one of the simplest and best days I've had in ages. Today I went back to my favourite place ...... the woods. Well, 'new woods' to be exact. I've begun researching for the new Wonderland pictures, and as always its the forests I return to. I have no idea why I am so calmed, and so relieved when I am there,.... but standing in the broken sunlight, climbing over stumps and jumping on fallen branches...... splashing in the mud, and just closing my eyes and breathing that air.... Its like washing my face in happiness. I am me, I feel free, suddenly everything is ok again, and I can focus on new ideas, instead of all the negatives I constantly drag around in my head.
So this is just for keeps ... basic snaps of magical places I found today (the tunnel above is my fav). While the rest of the world was battling through the streets Christmas shopping, I was knee deep in sludgy mud, with an enormous smile.
This felt good..... this felt real ............... this is all I need.......................
Nostalgic moments since Andrea G. said she's coming to visit in January:
Andrea and I (as NAZIRECTIONS) playing in Portland at Reed College.
In retrospect, it really was just drunken noise.
Later that same night I remember falling on my face (not because I was drunk) because I jumped from the top of a staircase (because I was drunk) and waking up with a fat lip. I deserved it.
In other news, last night Ben and I were interviewed (videotaped) and photographed by these young local filmmakers wanting to talk to young designers (I think---it all happened so fast). There were all these cameras positioned around me and people looking at me while I worked. It wasn't unpleasant, just unusual.
Anyway, one of the questions they asked me was if I had any advice for someone just starting out (as if I'm not).
Well, first of all, I had all my words together and basically said that you need to have a plan and goals in mind. And that you need to stay focused and keep good records. You need to know where your money is going! OKAY.
And then I finished it off by messing up my words...
Instead of saying "you need to hang in there", I said: "You need to stick it in."
I guess I was trying to say, "You need to stick with it."
I don't know. But it keeps playing over and over in my head.
I'm not really embarrassed. I just keep thinking how dumb I was. Dumb!
In OTHER news, we shoot our look books on Sunday, which is cool.
We're both really (very) busy with getting samples ready for this AND getting holiday orders out. I leave for Texas on December 16th. So, the last day to order anything from Cubist Literature until 2010 is December 13th!
SELF PORTRAIT THURSDAY!
12.10.09
2. Paying others to do my laundry.
3. Waking up alone.
4. Wearing several pairs of thermal underwear, none of them my size.
5. "Creepshow" and "Heavenly Creatures".
This weekend was devoted to the loft bed that has been sitting in pieces around the bedroom and apartment. We've been sleeping on a mattress on the floor in an unfinished loft bed frame for about two or more months now. Quite the eyesore. I thought we would have gotten around to fixing up our bed a lot sooner than we had, but when you work a lot, many things suffer. Beds, social life, hygiene, sleep schedule, etc.
The bed was a whole lot of drama we just didn't want to deal with, I guess.
It was given to us. It's from Ikea, but Ikea doesn't make this design anymore.
And as luck would have it, we lost some important hardware that Ikea ALSO doesn't make anymore.
(We found that out halfway through constructing the bed, which is why we were sleeping in a frame.)
Anyway, we figured out another way to make things work.
And here you go:
I don't like being up that high.
The plus side is that we will be making the space underneath a little lounge area, which will be good.
I'll let you know what it looks like in three months.
Nowadays I find myself hesitate before writing the truth down ….. but I can’t change what this is. Like taking the photos… this is me, my soul, my heart, the things I want to remember… come what may. Tonight the highs of the magazine seem washed away by my loss of her yet again. Its raining… it hasn’t stopped for what feels like days, and my heart is drowning in this swirl of memories.
I had to come home from work early again …. some days there is no hope, I am still so weak at times. Wonderland has become so much more than a project… maybe its my alternative world, somehow it comforts me, these storybook lands… these characters. I sometimes just sit and look at the colours and the scenes, and wish myself there again… some of those were the happiest days I have had since her death. Tonight I walked home in the rain… hands in pockets, hood up ……headphones blocking out the real world. Grey shapes pass, slide, splash my shoes, cold air against my sore skin… antibiotics fill my system… music fills my ears. I dream of new pictures…. beautiful creatures, colours… magical woods and distant star lit snow. Where would I be without my camera? It used to be a therapy… now it is a doorway to an enchanted place, where I am me, truly me. At night I see everything so clearly, I dream in hyper reality… the forests are damp under my feet, I see paper mache moons, a pale girl trapped in a snow globe…. Katie in the velvet circus costume I’m making for her….. dancing. Its like the pictures are already made, just waiting to be set free with the click of a shutter. This is making no sense….. but I’m beyond caring, I will remember this, and why I needed to write it down. I don’t know where it will end…. any of it, the pictures, the stories… all I know is that there is a sea of it inside me right now… raging, raging, raging. I want to push harder… make things bigger, embrace it, step away from the conventional…. This is where I can lose my physical self, and be free of this broken shell…and she is there with me…. always… I can feel it……… I can feel it.
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