ROBE IS NOT KIMONO.
How hard is it to tag things correctly? Very very hard, apparently.

My main Etsy shop desperately needs updating, but thats always a lot, and I’m more interested in what I’m working on that has zero to do with selling until the entire thing is complete. Still, I keep coming across pockets of dead stock that could be listed, sold, then not in my house.

5 vinyl stickers going clockwise: a cat skull surrounded by coloured poppies, a skeletal kelpie, kitten star!, burrowing owl up to no good, death’s head hawk moth with a cat skull on its back.

Nothing like someone ordering from my etsy shop piperewan.etsy.com to remind me: oh yeah, I made stickers! The kelpie is going to Norway!

My secret trick is to shape things when I hang them to dry. Like fluffing a skirt to get the wrinkles out and pulling its hem flat, or shaping the collar. Works well enough for me to be presentable to my clients.

The beginning phase of inking in a drawing after the composition is worked out in pencil and the hard ink outlines are laid down, so begins the fill. This has the outline of the sea, a night full of stars and little ghost fires floating above the water. You can see a lot of the white of the paper; which will be largely blacked in in the coming weeks.

The night sky takes forever, but I’m going for a particular effect. I’ve tried to shortcut, but I can’t get the effect without the layers of ink. Here is the beginning of the first pass; which is done with a 0.05 Copic Multiliner. The 2nd and 3rd are with a 0.1, then 0.2, then shading with all 3.

Next week I’ll be drowning in a sea of prom dresses.

My mind is working overtime trying to figure out how not to leave the house for the rest of my weekend. There are necessary errands that can be put off by doing them before and after work on Tuesday, but that will be cruel to future me.

It would be super fun to designer/tailor Hua Cheng’s wardrobe, but he’d probably be a nightmare to work for. I mostly refused to do menswear, because it is complicated and boring. I’d make an exception in this case..

The only time I ever iron anything is when I’m sewing it and pressing out the seams. After that it’s done being ironed forever.

Dang. That’s twice the size of my monstera’s leaves! Not five minutes ago, I was sitting on the floor absentmindedly petting its leaves.

My brown almost black Burmese mix cat rolled into her head in the chin rub position.

Today we are 8.

Also f*ck AI, and all the people crying to “democratise art.” You are ignorant and lazy.

The amount of time spent learning and practicing and practicing and practicing isn’t appreciated well enough. We deserve to be paid handsomely for our work, but there is still a little ick to being patronised. However, I will physically fight you if you tell me I should do it for love, not money.

Every art museum special exhibition that is entirely one person’s collection gives me feelings. All of the things I do (custom clothes, visual art, bring a classically trained musician) basically require patronage.

Study art books or draw?

Went to see the David Hockney exhibit at the Portland Art Museum, and left with a book about Hokusai. I have a membership now; which means I can go whenever, and I don’t have to make an entire day of it.

Now I’m going to have to learn to draw dragon/sea serpents. I’m guessing it will be easier than learning to draw rain. I’m starting to get pretty good at drawing fog.

I just learned that tigers and dragons control the weather.

A photo of my hand holding open a double page of a Hokusai wood block depicting a haunted house containing indescribable yokai inhabiting a house.

Japanese haunted houses are no joke.

Still reeling from yesterday.

It has never in all the years of my awareness of your existence occurred to me to question that.

once again the fashion industry imposes impossible beauty standards upon women

Amen.

I grew up going here; it’s close to my childhood home. Both of my parents worked here at different points in time. Now, it’s a fascinating liminal space; over the last several years the stores have been winking out one by one. In my dreams, the land of the dead is an abandoned shopping mall.

Mmmm, maybe I’ll only post the rejected pieces..

A 6” diameter ink drawing circle on an 8 x 8 hot press watercolour block with a black cat artist on the open ocean. In the background is a starry night sky with a half moon and a luna moth.

The 30+ hour piece in question. Not sure this will be included in the finished group. I already have 2 rejected 12 x 16 works. So yes, forever.

I’m doing two sizes for this: 12 x 16 and 8 x 8. I made the mistake of timing an 8 x 8 piece, and it took 30 hours. So by slow, I mean ssssllllllooooooooowwwww.

I’ve been refusing to post works from this project. It will at least be a show, but hopefully a graphic novel. I might start posting some of it here where no one will see it. The idea of posting it on IG makes me feel physically ill.

Hey, the fact you are actively working on it is a huge feat. I know it’s a useless thing for me to say, but don’t be so hard on yourself. These things always take longer than you want them to, but it will happen.

Looking longingly at my latest piece I started. I wonder if I can manage to finish it before summer. At this rate, my next art opening will be on 2030. It’ll be really great though..

I’m exhausted; the bridesmaid’s dresses and client correspondence beat me into submission. I just need to survive chaos Friday. Next week I get to sew all the prom dresses. I might not survive. Please send tacos.