I took my kids to the playground and decided to draw this... Then a song came into my head...

A good friend is thinking of opening a coffee house that offers indigenous products like chocolate. I did these sketches for her logo... If you can't tell, a pile of coffee beans and a cacao pod...



A friend who owns a wine shop just turned 45. His name starts with a B... Now he has his very own wine! Might not be the most original idea but at least it's not a bottle of pink champagne...

It's been a looooooong time! So sorry. But much has happened. I am closing my store of 4.5 years and ready to get a real job.

I've decided to simply post a slew of sketches I've done without official blog posts. I hope you enjoy... Oh, and if you hear of any jobs let me know. :)

bowl

I suck!!! Seriously... My boyfriend and I went to a 40th birthday party at Brooklyn Bowl last weekend (I bet you thought this was headed in an entirely different direction). We showed up fashionably late (well maybe a little more than fashionably) and had to make up for lost time so we had to bowl about 6 sets in a row. Well I didn't hit one pin!!! I had more success with the sketch I drew at the kids birthday party I was at earlier that day (also at Brooklyn Bowl)... That's right... Two parties at the same place, on the same day with very different vibes...

After the bowling embarrassment we hung around and watched the burlesque show that was happening... It was...okay... At least it was more fun than a Real Estate seminar... But the real fun started when we visited my cousin at the bagel shop she works at. We hung out till 4am and ended the night laughing with a mouth full of poppy seeds! It was a perfect night in Brooklyn...

SITdown

I need someone to scream this at me sometimes. My ex-husband used to say that I have 2 speeds; fast and sleeping. Of all the crap he said, he was right on about that one and damn it, I need to SIT MY ASS DOWN. The subway is as good a place as any...

light

I was sitting at the Tea Lounge in Park Slope one day, like a good yuppie, and noticed how nicely the bad lighting hides all the grossness of that place. I'm not saying the food is bad or that the coffee sucks, but it sure isn't the cleanest place. It does, however, have some cool lamps like this one. It was nice to sketch, which made my stay on the stained couch easier to deal with.

forest fire

So I was walking around Prospect Park this summer and stumbled upon this fire hydrant (or johnny pump as we say in old school bklyn). It was along one of the trails. Of course the first thing to come to my mind was the Dead Kennedys song Forest Fire. So Here is a little clip of the song just for your enjoyment. Don't get any ideas though...

ENERGY

I never drank coffee until I had kids and now I don't know how I would handle life without it. Actually I've recently become addicted to chai, the super sweet kind in a box. How comforting it is when I feel my heart rate go up a few notches and I start to talk super fast. Actually right now I am typing this like a speed demon because I just had a big ole' cup of it. Will I ever be able to end my addiction? Will I ever be able to function without it? Should I care?

drink me

My family is the ultimate in reusing things. This jug was brought to my aunt's house about 10 years ago from my father. He said he loved this apple juice and wanted everyone to try it. Not only that, check out the bottle it comes in? My dad was really in love with the Martinelli apple juice bottles and now his sister was falling for them too. Well she fell hard because she kept the damn bottle for 10 years! I have to admit, I love them too. They are simple and really do make you think of an apple with the leaves at the top. The lemon/lime-aid my aunt made was pretty damn good too. My father, a true granola wanna-be hippie, would have loved the reuse this bottle has gotten and the would have enjoyed the sweet juice that had a few sprigs of mint to spice it up. You go Aunt Joy!

lake

More Smallwood fun! Can you tell I like the Catskills? Although this looks more like the Hamptons with the madras pattern on the word lake...

trail

I really didn't like this when I first penned it in. I thought I went too heavy on the 'trail', but I realize that the trail I was drawing was actually that heavy. It was a black tar trail on the edge of Atlantic Higlands, NJ, along the water. The sky was blue and yellow and the willow swayed in the wind. As I look at it now I see that I did capture some bit of the essence of that man-made trail. As beautiful as the view from the trail is, the actual road is just that... A road... BORING! And you know what??? My word 'trail' is kind of boring too... I guess I did an okay job after all...

smallwood

So I'm reliving the good times of my summer through these sketches. I was lounging on the beach of Smallwood Lake in the Catskills, looking across the lake at this log cabin. I have to say that I love me a log cabin. It was fun to draw this because of all the textures. Some people really like my more architectural stuff. This is for you guys. Enjoy!

3 wheels

I drew this at my mother's house and she said, "It's nice, but the proportions are all wrong." And you wonder why I didn't draw when I was a kid? Never-the-less, I like this sketch and isn't that what really matters for something that comes from your heart?

fridge

I spent a bunch of time with my mom this summer. One place was their cabin in the Catskills (a sketch of that is coming soon). It has the best vintage fridge and I had to draw it. Although this is not the most elaborate of things, the art deco shapes are irresistible. Check out the handle. It is so sturdy and make a big click when you open it. How could you not love that?

Thirst

So I was sitting in the waiting room at the doctors office and I was so bored and so thirsty. Then I saw it... The water fountain! The perfect thing to draw. I can't really say I like this sketch too much, but it did help the time go by. Now if only I have enough pee for that damn cup.....

Sugar

I drew this one day when I was at the famous Tom's Restaurant. If you haven't been there I suggest you do. But don't go on Sunday because they are closed.

I used to have a serious sugar addiction. I'm talking hiding boxes of brown sugar under my bed. It was gross! Now I barely eat sugar, but when I do I can seriously go off. I ate a pint of ice cream the other night in about 5 minutes. I don't know what it is, but when that sweetness hits my tongue I can't slow down. I need to stop talking about this because I'm ready to close the store so I can get a Twix bar...

fan

Everyone needs a fan. This is my mother's. It sucks....

Atlantic Highlands NJ

Since I have no time to update and think of funny things I will just post a bunch of my recent sketches. I hope you enjoy and don't get too mad at me.

This is a super cool house in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. I wasn't sure if the 'Atlantic Highlands, NJ' at the top of the sketch gave it away.

OUTSiDE

I love being outside! I've always had a problem with this. It's probably one of the reasons I got kicked out of 8th grade, I just didn't want to be inside. I think I played hookie more days that I actually showed up. But enough of my rough neck youth, let's talk about sunshine and how it makes people smile!

I worked an event at Habana Outpost when I sketched this umbrella. I can't deny that I really think that place is cool. But I always think about that part of me left over from my younger days that says anything cool really sucks. I almost tried to force myself to think it sucked, but I just can't. I invite everyone I know there and I will support them in any way I can. Good job you cool ass, open-air, funky eaterie with a truck parked smack dab in the middle. I love it!

My other favorite part of being outside in the sun is getting brown. Now there are some people that feel simply because I am a little olive in complexion I don't have all of those skin problems that uber white folks have. GET OVER IT! I burn like a mutha (see, I'm trying not to curse after the comment by anonymous)! Pass me the spf 50 and, lucky for me, I'll still get some color but I wont burn.

Now get your ass outside and enjoy the sun already!

CLEAN

I'm constantly on the search for quarters. Sometimes I feel like a junkie going to the bodega across the street from my apartment begging for a dollar or two worth of quarters. My hand starts shaking as I put my bills on the counter asking for the beloved silver round objects that complete me. I feel obliged to buy some shitty candy that I, of course, eat it in a second. If my kids are with me I have to hold off on the candy and get something on the healthy side, which sucks because you know I just want a 100 Grand Bar or a bag of Swedish Fish. But there I go with a bizarre shaped bag of peanuts and rains just so my kids don't OD on sugar. And believe me they can.

My other gripe with doing laundry is separating clothes. I've decided to just fuck it and throw it all into one machine on cold! I save so much money that way. Put all the dirty clothes into the oversize machine and pay less than using 2 small ones.

But what about detergent? My ex had such sensitive skin I had to make sure to only use completely granola, all natural products. After we split up he came by to pick up the kids with red blotches all over and I knew immediately that he was using the wrong detergent. How pathetic is that???