Veronica H. { Illustration Blog }

Vineyard for Paper Pushers

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:14:00 +0000

new work on paper for 1988's PAPER PUSHERS show

available for purchase at ★ Gallery 1988 San Fransisco

December 11th 2009 - December 23rd 2009

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It's been unseasonably warm here in Massachusetts this week! It was nice to get out on a cool day with my new clear umbrella that I love so very, very much. I don't like black or any dark umbrella fabric colors - they make me feel claustrophobic. Instead of huddled inside a little tent, the clear plastic lets you feel like being part of the world again!

Wedding Gown Sketch

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:24:00 +0000

drawn on the back of a recycled envelope

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Lately my obsession with weddings has left me sketching all kinds of girlie things in my spare time. (Which is a really fun change of pace since my current graphic novel projects involve zombies, space pirates and ninjas!)

♥ Below are three dresses that I'm crazy about. If you have any opinions, I'd love to hear them!

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★ My favorite for the ceremony // It's delicate, flattering & really affordable

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★ My 2nd choice for the ceremony // I'm big into old movies, and the vintage feel really speaks to me

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★ My favorite for the reception // I love the sophisticated cream color & the lovely rosettes.

I originally wanted this for the ceremony, but would like to wear it more than once.

Dia de los Pescados

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:52:00 +0000

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Yuka and I went to the New England Aquarium this week, and naturally it was magical - the eels poking their faces out of giant coral, the glowing jelly fish, and of course, the Domo merch at the 7/11 around the corner! (The hunt is finally over for Homie Domo)

You know the ironic part? This time next year I'll be Mrs. Veronica Fish. *ba dum chhhh*

click MORE to read rest of the post below...

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Dia de los Muertos at Forest Hills Cemetery

Sorry it's difficult to see what's going on - still working on capturing night shots with my camera.

The procession to the altars was really lovely - there were kids singing, families holding lanterns and pictures of ancestors, and the people leading the ceremonies were wafting copal over everyone as they came in.

I'm looking D-SLR camera recommendations if anyone would like to share! I've been looking on the market for a long time, but I'd really like to find one to capture our wedding, honeymoon as well as professional reasons. (Taking good quality archival photos of paintings can be real pain with a crappy digital camera!)

Next post - sketches of lots of new projects!

Veruca Salt poster + Spider Babies

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:26:00 +0000

Vercua Salt rock poster // archival print // 12 x 18

3 prints available at Space 242 Boston Dec. 5th

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Original drawing // graphite + ink on Reeves // 9 x 12

Framed original available at Gallery 1988 San Fransisco Dec 5th '09 - Jan 5th '10

I was very excited when Gallery 1988 in San Fransisco asked me to send some works on paper to their upcoming PAPER PUSHERS show in December. Halloween season has me really moved me to do some drawings of bizarre cult film characters, but I didn't want to do something that was inextricably "Halloween-y" (Does that make sense?)

So it was time to do some inspiration-hunting!

While watching the super bizarre cult movie "Spider Baby", I was particularly struck by Jill Banner. Sadly, she didn't make many movies, as she was killed in a car accident at only 35. (and apparently was in a relationship with Marlon Brando!) She kind of became my muse, though I don't like to say that since "became my muse" sounds slightly pretentious.

She seems totally unaware of the camera while she's acting. The tangled hair and dirty nightgown make her deceptively ordinary but she's so pretty! Now, this is one messed up film - people seem to either love it or hate it. I adore it, even though it's kind of an acquired taste - and I really can't say why!

Jill Banner 1964

Tomorrow Yuka and I are going to celebrate All Soul's Day at the Forest Hill's Cemetery in Jamaica Plain. It's an amazing few acres of old trees and gothic architecture - and every year for Dia de los Muertos they throw a fun festival!

I'll report on how it goes this week - I'm not expecting to see my Uncle Lefty (may he rest in peace) but you never know!

Meat Puppets rock poster

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:51:00 +0000

finished poster // 12 x 18 // prints available at Boston's SPACE 242 Dec.1st

Andy and I are going to SPACE 242's Halloween illustration show + costume party, and then Harvard Scare! with some friends on Friday. We talked about lots of costume possibilities, like Green Hornet + Kato, Nancy Drew + Ned Nickerson, and (my personal fave) Hank + Dean Venture. I'm not sure why these great ideas fell through, we have a tendency to put off fun things in favor of working. It'll be nice to get out of the studio!

Your lovely calavera

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:20:00 +0000

As my last post was apple-overload, I thought I'd switch to lovely, lovely skulls.

Here is the latest drawing to be made in to rock poster #2.

Can you guess the band it's for? Probably a tough question since there isn't enough information yet. (But if you'd like a hint, there will be some white marionette strings added in then it's all done ... )

In my spare time I've been playing the über awesome GRIM FANDANGO - an amazingly crafted game by Lucas Arts. The design of the characters is just the cat's jammies, and if you can't find the game anywhere, I reccomend at least downloading the fantastic soundtrack - you won't regret it! ♫♪♫♪

a sampling of my favorite tracks

It's times like this I wish I had some Mexican heritage that would let me in on some awesome Dia des los Muertos celebrations! Andy and I have long collected Mexican art books and Oaxacan trinkets, so it was really fun for me to go to a specifically Day of the Dead store in Houston, TX last March.

the mantle in our living room

Skull patches from a store in NYC's Garment District.
These make me want to go to Dead People Academy.

Apple Rock Poster

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:00:00 +0000

I'm excited to be a part of SPACE 242's upcoming 90s ROCK show, in which artists are asked to recreate a concert poster from a real event. Below is the first of 3.

After scrubbing all that was left of 90s music OUT of my mind after high school (Hootie & the Blowfish, Dave Matthews Band), I realized I did still have a fondness for certain artists (Nirvana, Veruca Salt, the Meat Puppets, etc...)

Speaking of apples ...

hot cider + caramel mackintosh apples

It's cider season! We love hot apple cider, and we have it simmering on the stove pretty much all the time here at the apartment. It's been great since it's been amazingly cold in MA lately. (I'm getting horrible flashbacks to the 9 month winter last year)

I made this bow out of and old, apple-print sash for my Halloween costume.
(I'm not sure if I'll use it, we may go as Batman + Robin)

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♥ ♥ And a HUGE thank you to all the lovely happy engagement wishes last week! ♥ ♥

(Which happened in the Big Apple - har har)

♥ Engaged in NYC ♥

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:33:00 +0000

The Flatiron Building
our spot is now a lovely sitting area

I often wonder how personal I should make my illustration blog. Should moduslotus.com maintain an air of professionalism and only blog about new work and dedication to craft? Well, whatever! Let's not think too much!

Andy & I are engaged!

And I wanted to share that with you ♥

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Friday morning, Andy went to a meeting with some editors at Marvel while I spent a few hours with my great friend Misha.

Misha is one of my favorite people - one of her talents is being a master storyteller - she can begin with an anecdote and have you completely dying in a few minutes. We went to Saint Alps Tea House near St. Mark's for strawberry tea and tiny coconut cakes.

Hanging out in Manhattan with them always makes me nostalgic for my college days at School of Visual Arts - before loans and health insurance! We walked down St. Mark's to Toy Tokyo and then to Cozy's Diner.

After parting from Misha in Union Square, we went to Brooklyn to meet up with Liz Artinian and see Too Art 4 TV! an amazing gallery of illustration works done by people in the animation industry. So inspiring!

Liz took us back to Manhattan to visit Venture Industries. Okay, it's actually World Leader's Entertainment, the fab production studio behind Adult Swim's "The Venture Brothers". She is generous to a fault, and super cool. ★ Be sure to see the season premier of season 4 this Sunday!

Andy and I made our way back to the Flatiron building - the skinny, triangular building in the wedge where East 23rd St. becomes West and Broadway crosses Park. It's our spot. ♥

THE RED BOX : Back when we were dating, Andy and I lived in two different states - NY and MA, and we would meet at the red newspaper box in the little triangle median strip. Now, that area is completely torn up and paved over, and in it's place is a charming sitting area. We bought this print from Ikea, which just serendipitously HAD out red news box in the photo! Now it's above our bed.

After getting some hot apple cider and sugar waffles, we looked up at the Empire State Building together and he proposed! ♥

I said yes, and it's been a full 24 hours and I'm still pretty sure I'm about this thing! Haha, I kid.

TOY TOKYO // St. Mark's Place

Shopping with Misha on 3rd Ave

COZY'S FAMOUS // Waverly Place

Saint Alps Tea Room
on 2nd Ave with Misha

2 ART 4 TV
Erebuni Gallery, Brooklyn

The Chrysler // Grand Central Terminal

Suspiria

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:12:00 +0000

an homage to Dario

Have you seen Dario Argento's Suspiria? It's one of my favorite movies, simply because it's intensely colorful and artistically photographed. (And apparently it's going to be remade?...hmm)

Is it genius? No. Sometimes the plot makes no sense and characters are introduced randomly with little explanation, but the cinematography is gorgeous!

the remastered French trailer + international poster art

Jessica Harper, who was also in the Woody Allen movie "Stardust Memories", is one of those actresses that is just interesting to look at - with her large eyes, mature voice and tiny frame, is almost constantly in close-up. The dubbing is strange - since half the actors are German, another half Italian, and then just Jessica speaking English basically to herself.

Joan Bennett is in it too, which is interesting because I first saw her in the 1945 film ★ "Scarlet Street". If you haven't seen it, you should! She plays a prostitute that seeps her way into a man's life only to destroy him. Only now, in the 1970s she is much older but still speaks like a '40s actress who has to say her lines very loudly, since the sound recording was primitive when she was coming up in Hollywood.

Yes, I do love movies and yammering on about them .... anyway! Back to the studio!

I'll leave you with some fantastic music by DJ Shadow to get you ready for Halloween.

Fall Fashion '09 + 森ガール

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 03:48:00 +0000

Here is a recent spread I did for a new street fashion magazine, MASS LOOK BOOK; set to debut in 2010.

I love fashion illustration; not necessarily because I enjoy drawing pretty girls, but textures and patterns are really inspiring. I love the current trend of mori-girl 森ガール in Japan right now. Mori is Japanese for forest, meaning this is the type of girl who grows her own apples, wears a straw cloche hat with a daisy in it and probably raises foxes. Quelle romantique!

♫ I found some music for you to match the mood! ♪
Fuuraibou is Japanese for "wanderer"

Here are some reference points to mori-style,
featuring one of my favorite actresses, Aoi Yuu.

the Moon + the North End

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:43:00 +0000

sketchbook page

I used to sit outside on my front lawn when I was a kid and look at the moon.
Now, this area is grown in with lots of briar bushes, weeds and rabbit holes.
Those little lines are the top are telephone wires.

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THE NORTH END

I recently had a great time in the North End with Yuka. The North End is Boston's Little Italy, and I can't believe I hadn't visited before. The harbor is so lovely, especially in the autumn, and the flower boxes drip down the apartment windows.

I have fond memories of exploring Mullberry Street in Manhattan with my bff Misha, watching Yankee's games from an outdoor patio while eating manicotti. But there is something more intimate and old-world about the North End in Boston.
♥ And, Mike's Pastry is there! ♥

a gelatto place on every corner

Paul Revere's house. You can see his garden they've preserved since 1774!

I wake up chilly

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:21:00 +0000

24"x18" on matte stock paper

NES LOVE posters are almost gone in my Etsy store. I sold out of Bikes Are Fun this week, and there are only 3 NES prints left.
Mention this blog - www.moduslotus.com at check out, I'll refund your shipping!

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After barely getting over being crazy sick this weekend, Andy & I are participating in Scott McCloud's 24 Hour Comic Challenge. Why? I don't know - we're still stuffy and achy so this is probably a really bad idea.

But we did it last year in just over 11 hours so we're gonna give it another go (secret to success? Work on 6x9 pieces of Bristol board!) My comic from last year (This comic was really poorly executed, 1. I had taught for 6 hours before the challenge started and 2. I was highly emotional while doing it)

Sadly, we have to miss our friend Ansis's 33rd B-day bash in Jamaica Plain tonight. But trust me, it's better we spare the party people a head cold. Happy Birthday, Ansis! You are too cool for school

We are so psyched about fall - it's our favorite time of the year! We went to the beautiful Farmer's Daughter Farm + Green house in Auburn and got a lovely pumpkin.

Then we gave it a lobotamy and baked its brains into a delicious snack.

Space Converging

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:14:00 +0000

Space Converging // sumi-e ink, gouache + pen // 16"x16" watercolor paper

At our exhibition this June, I had a set up of six 16"x16" mixed media illustrations, some of which were my favorites from the whole show.

I used to be very attached to my work; not wanting to sell it, pricing it way too high and whatnot. It's different now - I'm happy that this above painting and only a few others are still around from the 65 new pieces I did for my section of the show. It's actually really nice having space in our studio back!

Before the show opened, the apartment was literally stacked end to end with frames - it was dangerous, haha. Maybe next time we'll rent a storage facility for a month.

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Speaking of space, My astronaut-silver Jack Purcells came yesterday! Despite being the correct size, they feel really big on me, but the thick sole and the inside cushion is so comfortable I can deal with shiny clown-feet.

Now that Andy and I are finally caught up with all of "the Office", I started getting into "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and really like it. We're also way behind on "Flight of the Concords" and "Lost" but there aren't enough hours in the day!

Konnichiwa Space Cat!

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:59:00 +0000

I updated my Etsy shop with some new stuff, including this small painting:

KONNICHIWA SPACE CAT

⇨ 4"x4" acrylic + ink painting on 1" gallery canvas
⇨ He gets lonely in his bubble, so please adopt him

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I absolutely adore kitschy Halloween stuff. I love this holiday just as much as Christmas!
As Andy and I get serious about moving to California, I can't help but get nostalgic for my favorite New England traditions. ♥ Apple cider and hermit cookies in the cold morning, watching the leaves change - this is the best place to welcome Autumn!

Will it be the same in CA or Portland, OR? Probably not.

But we'll be doing all kinds of Fall-y things to make the season last longer.

His & Hers

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Good-bye, Summer

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"Oh Snap!" Holga T Shirts ready

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:55:00 +0000

Andy, Adam and myself had a great time today set up at my little table on stART on the Street, a large outdoor art fair in Worcester, MA. Being my first time I kind of forgot about... oh ... THE SUN ✩ ... which slowly baked me like a delicious peppered haddock. But it was a great time and I really appreciated all my lovely patrons.

♥ And special thanks to all the fans of Zanzo Moxie that came up to say some nice things. Sometimes I'm not sure if anybody reads it - like maybe I'm just doing it to make myself laugh - so it was really encouraging! Thanks! ♥

The screen printed tees from my last post are really, for-real done, I wouldn't lie to you.
So here is the lovely Alexa modeling Women's S/M ...

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Continental US // $15 {FREE Shipping}

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International // $20 {FREE Shipping}

model: Alexa

THE 411 : Pre-shrunk %100 cotton // sizes : Women's S/M + Men's M/L

important : Iron shirt carefully before first washing

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Working late

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:10:00 +0000

✩ Lomo-tastic tees are done! ✩
Will be available for purchase this Monday, 9/21/09 !

I'll post most about it then, I need to find a friend to model one for me

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Midnight in my studio ...

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The tees were lots of fun to make - silk screening often takes a lot of trouble shooting for me during the process, and this was no exception. So if you like each shirt to have it's own personal idiosyncracies, you'll love these!

I was kind of ambitious deciding to do a freaking 4 COLOR SEPARATION on my first tee run - SHEESH. But hey! Love to learn! There are 10 all together - 5 Women's medium, 5 Men's medium, ... {and one for me} and they are pretty smashing, I think.

There are also a number of screen prints on regular paper as well, which you shouldn't be in danger of getting salsa on or whathaveyou. Unless you go eating salsa over your art prints, which I can't judge you for that.

On the RolliFlex edition now!

Lately I've been listening to an old album by Eisley. I've been trying to track down the tune "Winter Song" by Eisley for a whopping 4 YEARS! Not available on iTunes or even YouTube, I finally found the Marvelous Things EP from an Amazong dealer. Satisfied.

after 5 SEASONS I will FINALLY be caught up with 'The Office' like the rest of the country!

Alice + Q-Pot

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:21:00 +0000

ALICE

This was a fun demo painting I did for my Teen Intensive workshop I taught at the museum this summer. I posted earlier how we went up to the balcony to splatter paint, then create an image over the prepared surface.

It's a great exercise, it gets the kids to stop feeling like every canvas has to become their greatest masterpiece and lets them experiment.

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Q-POT

If Andy decides to pop the question,
I'm sending him an engagement ring hint ....

(subliminalhamburgerringmessage)

For my birthday this June, my good friends Aiko and Yuriko sent me a package with little gifts inside, and the 2008/2009 Q-Pot catalog. Below this post is a set of scans from that catalog. Be warned! It's ridiculousness!

When I have $100 to spend I don't really think "... why not spend it on a super tiny, life like sculpture of an eclair with diamonds on it? .... for my cell phone?"

But it's fun to look! Ah Japanese girls, I may never fully undertand you.

Here are some highlights of the catalog, including but not limited to: macarons, ghosts, cookies, chocolates, chou cremes, gold teeth and girls with Troll-style hair cuts.

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(Click MORE for the rest of the images)

OH SNAP!

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:01:00 +0000

Hey friends,

Just finished getting a set of prints made of these, and hopefully my acetate sheets will get here so I can start silk screening!

OH SNAP! {RolliFlex Edition}

................. CAHOON HOLLOW Wellfleet, MA .......................

Since I left my camera in my bag, hanging on the chair of a Dunkin' Donuts, I took photos of our trip with a little disposable camera. I forgot how much I love the terrible development quality of one-hour photomats!

you can in what seems like the middle of the ocean, on this shallow sand bar

★ Cahoon Hollow is a lovely beach kind of on the upper-arm of Cape Cod. We went two separate days, and each one was lovely. Even at peak hours, the beach wasn't completely full, just a bunch of kids with surf boards and couples tanning. Remote and peaceful, it's completely worth the $15 entry fee.

Once you visit Cape Cod's free beaches, you'll know why it's worth it to pay to park. {i.e: screaming kids and big Albanian guys in tankinis.} Why they don't pay the $15? I don't know, but I hope they don't.

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I know this has nothing to do with illustration, but I was thinking of doing some mini city guides. I've lived in New York City and Boston for a few years, and know Dublin, No. Ireland and Cape Cod pretty well, .... I don't know, maybe that's just getting me sidetracked. I have clients to think of!

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PS. THE ETSY THING

I forgot! I lowered the price of the Owlie shoes from $35 to $20 + added an art print of Dr. Grood.

I ♥ Halftone + lots of other news

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:56:00 +0000

I've been really motivated lately to create a line of illustrated t-shirts. It would be great to have some more time and really explore my love of silkscreening! Andy and I have been working on adding to our printmaking materials in the apartment/studio.

Here are some soon to be available tees ...

STRAWBERRY DEER

OH SNAP! {Holga edition}
{RolliFlex edition coming soon}

NES LOVE

THE AFTER PARTY {incomplete}

In other news ...

♥ I have some custom sneakers available on Etsy. I am new to Etsy, and am not sure how long I'll continue with it - but if you are interested in me making you a fancy-schancy pair of custom kicks, I'd be more than happy to oblige.

♥ Andy has a book deal! I am very happy for him - he's going to be producing a fantastic How-To book for comic artists + graphic novelists! (Some of my comic art + thumbnails from steam-punk epic Pirates of Mars will be included - I am humbled ...)

♥ HUGE pat on the back to Alex! It's been a banner year for our buddy Alex B - his fab cartoon "Baman + Piderman" is a favorite of Kevin + Olivia from Attack of the Show and has been featured on the program! (Kevin even had a CAKE made with Piderman...) AND he nabbed himself a super cool chick

.... ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ ....

Congrats on your engagement Alex & Lindsay!

.... ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ . ✩ ....

Visited the new Japanese markets that opened to replace Kotobukiya - but none of them have magazines... I am very sad.

Product Reviews // Color Pens

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:59:00 +0000

Hey friends,

Over the past year I've gotten a lot of questions about recommended art supplies - so I thought I'd put them all together and do a little review.

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BRUSH + FINE TIP PENS
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copic refillable pen

• Copic - refillable brush pens // price: $$$ / quality: A / grade: B

Copic markers are notoriously expensive - about $40 for a set of only 12 color markers. The selection of Copics is fantastic - it's like multiple exploding spectrums! These markers are usually dual-tipped, fat on one side, thin on the other.

These markers are typically part of a traditional manga artists stable. They are delicate enough not to ruin thin ink lines and sturdy enough to cover large areas. I like the refillable aspect to it, but the refill costs really stack up.

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prismacolor brush pen

• Prismacolor // price: $ / quality: B+ / grade: A-

Prismacolor brush pens are pretty good for the money. They are cheap, have a slim feel in my hand, and have a crisp tip. The ink gets only about %80 black, however, so to be economical, you should fill in large black areas with a Sharpie. Tip doesn't fray too quickly.

Also available in some muted colors and gray tones.

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micron brush pens

• Micron // price: $$ / quality: B+ / grade: C

Microns aren't my first choice anymore for brush pens. I find with these, the tip frays faster than most and the ink resists on many surfaces.

Even the felt tips are so delicate, just a little bit of pressure can fold or break them. Available in a good selection of fun, bright colors, though.

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le pens by marvy

• Le Pens by Marvy // price: $ / quality: A+ / grade: A+

These are fantastic - highly recommended. The colors are extremely saturated, the tip is sturdy with a delicate line and the slim body allows you to fit twice as many in a standard pencil case. The colors lay over each other very well.

Relatively inexpensive (about $1.35 ea) and last quite a long time. You guys get a STAR ★

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signo by mitsubishi

• Signo // price: $ / quality: D / grade: C-

These pens are fun only since whatever goo is inside basically glows like the sun. The ink quality is poor and the line is inconsistent. Not for artistic purposes.

And YES, Signo is made by the car company, Mitsubishi

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prismacolor

• Prismacolor // price: $$ / quality: A / grade: A-

Prismacolor fine-tipped pens are very heavy - the ink goes right through the paper for me. If you are working on Bristol board though, or another thick card stock, these are great. Dark, rich ink tone. My set comes with purple, burnt sienna, orange, and black.

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And finally... thinking of the beach

Belle Journée Cape Cod

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:47:00 +0000

sketches from the trip

apparently, I have a habit of sketching my feet on trips

❶ Incognito // So about 20 minutes into our much anticipated trip and I leave my bag at a Dunkin' Donuts. My cell phone, camera, and wallet were inside... and you know what? I left it there! It was fantastic to be invisible

❷ Morning ocean mist // ... actually brought me to tears. We got to Cahoon Hollow in Wellfleet, MA early enough to watch the Atlantic mist bellow and waft over the high sand dunes as families began pitching colorful umbrellas. One of my favorite places on Earth.

❸ Thai food houses // Cape Cod has a myriad of tiny, unassuming houses that are actually phenomenal Thai restaurants. We recommend Krua Thai in Buzzard's Bay + get the curry puffs

❹ New England shore life // We took relaxing, scenic drives through Dennis, Falmouth and Yarmouth Port, taking in the weather-beaten siding and white-washed, colonial windows. Oh - and Cape Cod has enough violent shark imagery to make any attack survivor have horrible nightmares.

❺ Learning Things // I. Love. Educational TV. Before going to sleep at the hotel, Andy and I watched episodes of Planet Earth and Out of Egypt with Kara Cooney. (exotic locales + ancient death rituals = terrifically fascinating)

❻ Chlorine + free bagels // The hotel was great - we got a sweet deal at $50 per night for 4 nights from PriceLine.com (thank you, William Shatner) If I don't swim at least every day, it doesn't feel like summer.

❼ Sweet Tomatoes // Pizza Sarah : bacon, caramelized onions, goat cheese + fresh basil tomatoes on Neopolitain dough. Highly recommended.

❽ Inglourious Basterds // Friend's of ours know how Andy and I are huge film buffs, and whether you enjoy Tarantino's homage-style or not, you can't deny how much fun his movies are. We liked it essentially, though some of the story telling is unfocused.

Some people said it wasn't historically accurate - of course it is!
The baseball-bat-wielding homicidal maniac is a Red Sox fan (har har)

❾ Our trip happened to coincide with two things // President Obama's vacation to Martha's Vineyard (across the water) and Sen. Ted Kennedy's death (across the street). We were able to avoid being questioned by any news stations; either as a silly commercial to recommend places for Sasha Obama to get some soft serve, or what we thought of Teddy's passing.

❿ Weathermen // Don't believe them. Consistently contraty to their predictions the entire week, the weather was gorgeous.

♥ two ¢50 birdie clips from Red Fish Blue Fish, Hyannis MA
♥ kitch tray gift from the lovely Alison from her trip to Paris

Caution

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:37:00 +0000

CAUTION // acrylic on canvas // SOLD

I've been asked
Q: Is this was a kind of nonchalant, space-age Eve, passive about her imminent breaking of God's pact in the Garden of Eden?
A: Sure.

Thanks a bunch to Orange Alert for interviewing me this week, and NotCot.org for picking it up!

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Andy and I went to a great market in a warehouse last week. We found lots of a

mazing stuff including Pee Wee's bike, vintage robots, a HUGE Elvis light up marquee, a giant Converse shoe, and literally a horse-drawn carriage without the horse. It was weird.

We're finally off on our vacation tomorrow morning! ☼We'll actually still be working on a few client projects while at the beach, but that's fine with us - hello Cape Cod!

................more photos below .................
Yeah! Overturn Prop 8!

Heart Assasin Print + le moustache

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:34:00 +0000

'Heart Assasin' // 11" x 14" // $20

archival print on heavy stock paper
free shipping in the Continental US
AK, HI + international // shipping $5

Hey friends! Just added a new image to the gaggle of available prints.

The last of my summer classes at the museum wrapped up last week. While I love teaching teen painting classes, it's really nice to have more time to devote to studio work.

★ I'm currently working on a book cover and 41 black & white illustrations for the interior, as well as wrapping up some pages for an educational set of comics for Q2A Media in India. (India outsourced to US! Ironic, eh?)

I got together with some friends from the Museum for some Sunday night bowling. We bought stick-on moustaches from the gachapon machine. I was hoping for the giant blond handle-bar one, something Hulk Hogan-ish, but wound up with a skinny black one, more Rico Suave-ish
(Michelle has the best photo of us wearing them... will have to track that one down and blog it)

Le moustache as a uni-brow. It's multi-functional...

Brought the Michael Jackson doll for some photo-ops

Fabulously underdressed

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:37:00 +0000

my art space

before the opening

photo shoots make me self conscious

Gwen looking lovely as usual

Last weekend was the Paint Pens + Purses "Pet Monsters" show in Boston. I was happy to be asked, especially for such a guerilla-style event with so many interesting people. The Fourth Wall Project is an old gas station bought by the Bodega - an underground Bape-like retailer in Boston famous for their anti-marketing campaigns and custom sneakers.

I was fabulously under dressed for the party, which turned out to be strobe lights, LCD Soundsystem and lots of beautiful people. I'm also not used to photo shoots (see above) so I'll spare you the group photos - which I'm certain I screwed up.

- Lately life has been terrifically hectic - in a good way. After teaching classes all day, Andy and I go back to the studio to work for 8 hours, then go out to a diner for coffee, work, and go to bed, usually repeating the process into the weekend. -

There was one point when we left the party to set up at a Starbucks' and WORK! Yes, WORK on more client illustrations!

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WEIRD FACT // I've NEVER had Starbuck's coffee - I've only had one drink there in my entire life: an iced chai with soy milk.

Prints for sale

veronica@undercoverfish.com (Veronica) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 19:05:00 +0000

I recently had many prints made of these pieces. The new printing place I started using has excellent ink quality - hopefully the photos do it justice. The paper stock is thick with some nice tooth to it.

These prints will be offered over at RoboPicto.com but I wanted to throw this out to my blog friends before hand!

special promotion : FREE SHIPPING parcel post
click for larger image

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Sweet Boots

paper stock sample

Working on lots of new projects at night, after teaching all morning - I love being busy, but I also can't wait for our Cape Cod vacation at the end of the month!