Ready, Set, *Achoo!* Uh, Draw?

Raven
©2013
Medium: Ink
Size: 7x10 inches

So on Tuesday I asked my Facebook page to write the name of any animal, and the for the first three suggestions I would do an ink drawing for the next day. The reaction happened immediately and I got "Platypus," "Raven," and "Slow Loris." (you get what you ask for) 

I was really excited to start so I did quite a bit of sketching on the three subjects. I got called away for a few hours to help with a short film (details coming soon in another blog). When I came back I continued sketching and hoped to finish at least one that night. However, apparently my body hates me and refuses to work with my plans. I felt a slight tickle in my throat and got a bit woozy. 

WTH! I just got through with Endocarditis, really?!?! A COLD!?!? Anyways, I drank some Emergen-C, downed some Nyquil and went straight to bed. 

The next morning I woke up with the feeling of gravel in my throat and my head was fuzzy and heavy... So I went back to sleep and did very little the rest of the day. 

Anyhow! Due to this set back, I'm a day late in posting the drawings, please forgive me! I've been going at a snail's pace with the drawings. I even have to sketch out some pencil lines first (which I *hate* doing) before I can put ink to paper. I got a couple Raven drawings done, which I posted above and one below. However, I'm just going to post the sketches of the platypus and slow loris since my head remains fuzzy and refuses to see reference photos properly.

Raven 2
©2013
Medium: Ink
Size: ~5x7 inches

Slow Loris Sketch- WIP

 I had quite a few more problems with the Slow Loris than the other two. I'm not sure if other artists find it tricky as well or if I'm just suffering from my cold. Anyway, the sketch above was my "I'm going to figure out this animal if it kills me!" I even drew the T-cross guidance lines on the face. I probably spent way too long on this sketch, but at least it was informative of what the slow loris' face actually looks like and how I can improve. *shrug*

It's now my personal mission in life to draw this darn animal! After it's done, I'll either draw a million of them or never draw them again...?

Platypus sketches (on the same page)

The platypus isn't nearly as difficult for me as the slow loris was. I just have to figure out what kind of environment I want it in, the pose, etc. 

When I sketch/draw new animals I usually google diagrams of them so I can see where they're body parts are and what certain parts are used for (this was especially helpful when I was drawing out the giant squid a while back). Anyways, I learned about the platypus that they have little earholes almost directly next to their eyes! So the long extension of the platypus eye you see I drew in the picture is not a representation of girly platypus eyelashes, it's the ear!

I hate breaking promises, so I hope this satisfies some of you. And either way, I'll work my hardest to deliver the other two by tomorrow!

Ok, now back to the drawing board. (literally)

All above drawings/ sketches are copyrighted ©2013 to Claire Nobles 

Ink Drawings Are Coming! and I've Become a Bobblehead

Egret
Medium: Ink
Size: 7x10 inches

I'm doing ink drawings again! These are fun and easy drawings for my brain to "Zen out" with during my morning coffee. Most of these drawings have a very "sketchy" feel to them, while some will have a more polished look. I'm having fun creating different animals and species that I haven't yet done. More to come-- and I should post the for sale hopefully later this week. Let me know if you see one you'd like to own so I can reserve it for you. These are originals and I don't plan to make prints of any of them, so once they're gone, they're gone. Most of these drawings will be priced around $15-$30. All the drawings in this post are copyrighted to me, Claire Nobles ©2013. No reproductions of any kind.

Birds of Prey
Medium: Ink
Size: 7x10 inches

Flight
Medium: Ink
Size: ~7x10 inches

 As you can probably tell, I was working on birds for a few hours that day. I wanted to experiment with different styles, brush strokes, shading, etc. It was quite fun!

Flying
Medium: Ink
Size: ~5x7 inches

Flight 2
Medium: Ink
Size: ~7x10 inches

As usual, my title-skills have not improved or become original whatsoever...

Sea Horse
Medium: Ink
Size: ~7x10

Then I had to draw sea horses for some reason... I like drawing sea horses!

Sea Horse 2
(Sold)

I would have done more inks, but I had a Jeff Mangum Concert to go to. (It was amazing.) I'm not usually one who shares stuff about music, but since I was listening to his albums during the creation of all of the above drawings, I owe him a little shout-out.

 Jeff Mangum sounds like a cross between Kurt Cobain and a psychopathic folk singer who is having a bad dream while on painkillers (in a good way). Tim described him to me as a guy who is so passionate about his music, that it's physically painful for him to play it. It was evident to me during his first number. He's kind of awesome. Probably an R rating for his lyrics though (to keep in mind)!

This pose started out as an accident... but then I just went with it.  You know you love it.

After the concert, we went to a restaurant called "The Crepe Place" - guess what they served there? Oh yeah, crepes! Genius restaurant name, and great food.

Last night I got two watercolor commissions, plus I still have a few ink commissions to do, so I shall be busy-busy-busy! Hoping to post the above drawings for sale on my Etsy sometime this week! Stay tuned!

Strutting Extra Hard This Year

I'm a fighter (fighter with a PICC line)

Go Red Strut! - Tuesday, February 12, 2013 in San Francisco, CA

The gorgeous room

I nearly forgot to post pictures from Go Red Strut! This is an event to raise awareness for Heart Health Month (February) and the hope is to help  and prevent heart attacks, stroke, heart disease, and good health. To see last year's pictures and blog, -Click here-

Two more survivors! These lovely ladies also had heart surgeries when they were young. They were also Strutters! 

I participated in this event to spread awareness of the AHA which funds the research that has kept me alive! As many of you know, I was born with severe heart defects. My defects include ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect, pulmonary stenosis and transposition of the greater arteries. I’ve had five surgeries, at ages 2 months, one and a half years, 4 years, 7 years, and 15 years old. Two of them were open heart, the major repair being at age four. I try to be stay active, and eat right, and I lead a pretty normal life aside from having several surgery scars. Even though I'm as careful with my health as can be, I got released from the hospital a mere 12 days before the event for having Endocarditis, an infection of the heart valves. Thanks to research, they were able to send me home with a PICC line which is like a hardcore IV that went into my bicep, snaked up my shoulder and was a direct line for sending antibiotics to my heart. 12 days out of the hospital I was still moving incredibly slow but I couldn't miss the awesome chance to raise Heart Health Awareness and to wear a pretty dress! With what happened to me early this year, it goes to show that even when one is so careful, they are still at risk.

Runway!- I searched for hours for those red shoes the day before! 

Go Red Strut was so much fun! I spent almost two full days preparing and it took everything out of me. I was still pushing my antibiotics an hour before the event start! 

Twirling!

My besties, Mary and Tim kept me laughing and smiling. There is some video footage somewhere (taken by the AHA) of Mary and I dancing to music in our heads... Hope it never turns up! And did I mention there was a photo booth. =)

Not sure how Tim got the weirdest accessories.... But he sure got into the part!

Mary is channeling her "I am woman. Hear me Roar!"

Not sure what happened here....

Btw, I think I neglected to mention that: I GOT MY PICC LINE OUT!!! It's been two weeks and after about a week and a half of rest and reentering life, I finally feel much better. And I'm running again. Huzzah!

Possibly have some Ink Drawings coming out for sale later this week, stay tuned!

Claire's Parallel Movie Universe Continues...

Random Question:
Wouldn't it have been a completely different movie-viewing experience altogether if Zero Dark Thirty starred Tom Cruise instead of Jessica Chastain?????

"Don't worry America, I killed Bin Laden myself with a blow torch, a few hundred explosions and four car chases."

That is all....

To see another of Claire's Parallel Movie Universe "Episodes" Click here.

Missing Out on My Friend's Awesomeness but Not on Girl Scout Cookies

Boy, have I been missing out on some super cool art! Since I have been away from the art world and media for a little while, I haven't seen some of my artist friend, Crystal Moore's new art in a while! And now she has an abundance of it! My friend Crystal Moore is a super rad fantasy artist. She paints mainly in watercolors and inks. Just thought I'd share some of her newer, older, and experimental-gone-all-the-way-right works! Check out her website and Like her on Facebook!

Crystal's work is lovely. With glowing figures and colorful pallets her art shows a bright inner light that few other artists can replicate. What I love most about Crystal's work is the fact that every time she does something out of her comfort zone or when she just doodles mindlessly, she produces extraordinary things. Of course, I usually get a "behind the scenes" dose of whatever she is working on. I love hearing about her experiences. She is one of the hardest working artists I know. She is constantly experimenting and improving her craft. Make sure to give her some love and check out her art below!

The following artwork in this entry is by Crystal Moore. As with my artwork, there are to be no unauthorized reproductions, ©Copyright 2013 Crystal Moore, www.Enigmatic-Arts.com. 

Zentangle Raven by Crystal Moore
www.Enigmatic-Arts.com 

A super rad mermaid by Crystal Moore 

I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw this-- one of my favorite pieces by her!

Just wanted to share some of Crystal's awesomeness! Please check out her website and facebook, tell her I sent you. She is a really nice person and actually responds to your comments and love!

***

In other news, this is the first year that Girl Scouts have hunted me! I got stalked at a grocery store where I gave them all my money, then Mr. Timothy Schmimothy brought me two more boxes while I was sick, then my own personal Girl Scout, Rebecca facebooked me and threatened me (so I'm getting two more boxes).

Gotta say, it has been refreshing not having to hunt down Girl Scouts this year! Thanks guys for force-feeding me Girl Scout Cookies!

Cross Your Fingers!

Even Endocarditis didn't stop me from strutting!
A preview from Go Red Strut (blog coming soon!)
The white band on my arm is my PICC line (an IV that delivers meds directly to my heart). 

Today is the first day I am off my meds! I do realize that I sound like a psychopath who is no longer taking much needed medication for behavioral disorders, but that's not actually what I mean...

After a six week antibiotic treatment and a few scary hospital stays for Endocarditis (infection of the heart valve) I finally got word from my Infectious Disease doctor (oh yeah, I got one of those) that my body seems to be regulating and the infection is fully clearing up on schedule!!!

I have to wait for a few more days and get a few tests of how my body is doing off the antibiotics to make sure the endocarditis is GONE and never coming back! Otherwise, if the infection comes back, I will probably get another six week treatment and possibly more hospital stays... Ugh! 

As long as my body is reacting well without antibiotics, hopefully this week I can get my PICC line out! The PICC line is an IV that snakes in through a vein in my my left bicep, through my shoulder and into my heart. I can't use my left arm for very much.  So cross your fingers that my body stays infection-free and that I can get the OK this week to get the line out and above all, start living normally again! (I'm gonna do so many push ups!)

I was severely sleep deprived due to my meds, so with my newfound energy I am going to draw a lot of comics!! Most of these comics are going to be inside jokes with my friends and cannot be seen by anyone but that friend (for the sake of my friends' embarrassment). However, I shall try to sneak a few in here when I can to keep you all entertained!

(Go Red Strut Blog and Pictures coming soon!!)

The Oscars, Another Hospital Visit, and Miss Coriander

The Academy Awards are over and this year is the first time ever that I have seen every movie nominated for Best Picture. This year there were a ridiculous NINE nominations instead of the usual and sensible five. It would have been easier in the past for me to see five than nine, but this year I have a film-major-man-friend on my side named Tim.

Even a week-long trip to the hospital and over a month of unknowingly having Endocarditis couldn't stop us from seeing all these films (it did slow us down though).

Last Thursday night I ran into some doubt that would even be able to watch the Oscars because I landed back in the hospital! Lucky for me it was only an allergic reaction to the medications I've been injecting for three weeks through the PICC line in my arm... No biggie. The doctors gave me a new intravenous medication, a million medical tests and I was out of the hospital in a mere 19 hours. (yayyyy!)

Anyways, I quite enjoyed the Oscars this year. Of course Billy Crystal will probably remain my favorite Oscar host, but Seth MacFarlane had enough musical references to keep me completely satisfied (especially the Sound of Music Joke).

Argo deservedly won for best picture. It was racked with so many suspenseful-edge-of-your-seat-and-squeeze-the-heck-out-of-the-hand-of-whoever-is-sitting-next-to-you moments that I think Tim's hand got permanently crippled. (I'm an intense movie viewer. It can be dangerous to sit next to me during a film.)

Argo's basic plot is about a CIA agent (Ben Affleck) trying to help six American Diplomats escape from Iran by posing as a Canadian film crew. The plot is suppose to be ridiculous... It's part of what made the plan in the movie and in real life actually work. 

What is outstanding about this movie is how it was directed. There have been a lot of comments and outrage about Ben Affleck getting snubbed for the Oscars, and I agree. 

I know most people hate Ben Affleck for plenty of valid reasons (Pearl Harbor, Gigli). But I think it's time we gave him a chance and the respect that he deserves for directing a great film. No one could have directed the movie quite with the style and brilliance that he did. 

Don't believe me?

Then just imagine watching the same movie: directed by Woody Allen.

"The Iranians will totally buy that I'm a Canadian film producer."

I believe strongly the movie would have been just as brilliant, but probably more of a comedy than a suspenseful based-on-real-events-drama.

While I'm a huge Woody Allen fan, I know many of you aren't. So be nice to Ben Affleck.

In other news, I'm still alive... I'm just moving rather slow. So many friends, family and strangers have sent their well-wishes. I couldn't be more grateful for all of you. Thank you!!

Also, just a special little shout-out to Coriander Shea Detwiler: Last night the fairies brought me a present full of healing love and well-wishes from Miss Coriander who is not only an amazingly talented artist, but also is my Big Faery Sister. Anyways, Cori is super fantastic in every way and is one of the kindest souls I know. Please click her name to view her website, Like her Facebook and buy a ton of her extraordinary artwork!

Thanks and may the fairies stay far away from your coffee today! (it's one of those Thursdays that feels like a Monday)

Out of the Hospital and Taking it Easy: Heart Awareness Month

Day 5 in the Hospital with flowers from my family

Some of you may have seen my facebook recently which declared taking a break due to medical reasons. I would love to write a detailed blog entry about what that specifically means, but my energy is extraordinarily low. I lost a lot of weight while in the hospital and am extremely weak. (possibly coz hospital food is wretched) I'll have to summarize now and write more later.

Basically, I just got out of a week long hospital stay on Thursday, the 31st of January. I wrote in an earlier blog that I had the flu-- well, apparently it WAS NOT THE FLU!

My doctors (I had at least 6 of them including Cardiology and Infectious Disease doctors) finally tracked that I had Endocarditis, which in short, is an infection in the lining and valves of my heart. While this is generally bad news for most people, it's even worse news for me due to my heart conditions which have led me to a few open-heart surgeries... LUCKILY, I did not have to have another open-heart surgery this time around! The doctors administered around the clock antibiotics and by Tuesday I was finally showing signs of improving.

I was sent home with a PICC line, which is basically like a hardcore IV. The PICC is inserted in my left arm and there is a plastic wire that snakes up my arm, through my shoulder, and into my heart. Because of the PICC, I personally inject antibiotics intravenously four times a day for 2.5 hours at a time. Don't worry, I only have to do this for 6 whole weeks...

My planner right now is filled with injection times, pill times, and doctor visits. My job is now my health.

On the plus side, this couldn't have come at a better time, as February is Heart Health Awareness Month!!! (trying to find a silver lining somehow!) Usually I sell products on my website and donate a dollar from every product to the American Heart Association. This year, I do not have energy to fill orders. But please spread the word and try to focus on good Heart Health-- it is SO important for everyone. If you would like to donate to the American Heart Association, they are the reason why I get to be alive today. They are an amazing organization and the donations help fund research! Their website is www.heart.org Their site has a multitude of information on Healthy Living and if you are inspired to donate, the button is in the upper right corner.

I hope at some point to write a more detailed blog about my hospital stay and experiences. For now, I thought I'd give a general update to my family, friends, fans and caring people. So many of you sent me so many sweet texts, phone calls, comments on facebook, positive messages, hospital visits and prayers. I am so happy to know I have so many True-Blue friends and the best family I could ask for! I couldn't be more grateful to you all. Thank you for your kindness, support and prayers during this wild trip in my life.

Go forth and be Heart-Healthy!

2012: A Year of Art and Cat Shenanigans in Pictures

Jaz and I wish you a Happy New Year!

2013 already?! Jeez! Sorry this New Year's Blog is late-- I started it around Early January and then realized that I had the flu for three weeks... Still have the flu, hope this blog make sense. 

Well, I had a pretty good 2012-- I took a lot of what wasn't working out of my life and made way for bigger, better and brighter things. This year at SFSU was extremely productive-- I have tons of new art from my classes which I'm very proud of. I have posted some of my favorites below.

Cranes- unfinished oil painting on canvas board from Painting Class

Still life - 18x24 Oil on Canvas Board

Unfinished Cloth Study (Classwork) Charcoal Drawing 

2x3 foot Abstraction Assignment - Oil on Stretched Canvas

"Recreation of Master Painting" Assignment 18x24 inches - Oil on Canvas Board
This painting was recreated from a bad photocopy of a GORGEOUS  Peter Paul Rubens painting titled "The Elevation of the Cross"

As you can see, I got a lot of time to practice in very different mediums and styles. I can't wait for this upcoming semester! Hope to have slightly more time for the blog during this new semester...

Every year I resolve to spend more time exercising and getting healthy and every year I do a little bit more. 2012 blew every other year out of the water because I started running. With lots of patience and determination, I ran 130 miles just last year!!! I create these goals mostly for my heart health (being born with heart defects, I have had three open-heart surgeries). As usual this year starting late January/early February, I'll be donating $1 from every product sold (from my art websites) to the American Heart Association. If not for the AHA, I would not be here writing this blog! So the healthy exercise goals are a must. This year, I'm signing up for 5k and 10k races so I don't fall behind.

***

Jasper resolved to be more obnoxious last year but instead he became more of a sweetheart and more annoying at the same time. He was forced into some play-dates in order to make some new friends. This is how I learned that cats can be the most stubborn of creatures. Below he is meeting my friend's cats, Panda and Denny (who are nearly twice his size).

From left to right: Jasper, Panda, Denny

 Above, Jasper is being a jerk and hoarding the other cats' food bowl. Denny is not happy about this and Panda is trying to mediate. 

Jasper and Panda like to give each other kisses

That is all for now. Sorry this blog is a half-effort. I *do* still have the flu, so I'm going to go to sleep and hope I get better in time for the new semester. *Ah-choo!*