hang it on the fridge

Katniss, Sailor Stars, and Sketchbook Project!

2011-09-21T16:16:00.001-04:00

Life update! I got a new job! I quit my old job! I have more time to make art! YAY!! :DAnyway, I'm gearing up for Another Anime Con in October, finishing up some commissions (see below!), and doing a little painting just for me as well (see above!) I recently finished reading The Hunger Games Trilogy, and the painting above is a tribute to the main character, Katniss. It was a great story! You should go read it now.

Other big news is the Sailor Moon manga is being re-released in the states! Super exciting. I went to the midnight release party earlier this month with a bunch of other crazy moonies. We are all very pleased to see Sailor Moon back in stores :)Other than that, I am working on my Sketchbook Project for 2012. My theme this year is "Heroes and Villians". Here are some pages from that:

Now I need to get back to work! Thanks for taking a look!

website

2011-07-11T15:28:00.003-04:00

for the last week, instead of soaking up some much needed vitamin D, I have been sitting in my cave- uh... studio- basking in the cold harsh glow of my computer monitor working on redesigning my website. Not being a web designer, this has been a lot more difficult and time consuming than I'd like it to be. Also, the internet if full of fun distracting things that I would much rather spend my time on. But, I am finally getting somewhere.

I'm trying to simplify, because my current site is all over the place. I'm also cutting out the "Illustration" part of my website- despite the fact that that is what I got my degree in... I would rather focus on my comic work- not only on my website, but in my real life as well. I've been spending too much time not doing anything, so it's time to get back to business. And I think this will be a good start!

So, wish me luck on completing this undertaking in a timely manner! I hope you guys will like it when I am finally finished!

Anime Boston Recap

2011-05-02T15:33:00.010-04:00

So Anime Boston is over. I had such a blast! Shared my table with the lovely and talented Kori Michele. I always forget how awesome conventions are until I get to do them again. AB is HUGE and awesome! I spent just about as much money as I made, but I'm perfectly ok with that!

Another down side to the convention is that I now want to spend all my time playing Final Fantasy VIII. I blame these lovely folks for that:

Now that the rush to get ready for that is over and I have a little time before I get to scramble to get ready for Portcon Maine, (and I have recovered from my crazy 25th birthday party bus adventure) I have my down time to get back to the studio- I have a lot of work to do, and now that spring is in the air, I am feeling the motivation to get it done!

Convention Season

2011-03-08T16:04:00.002-05:00

I'm not gonna lie. I am not prepared for convention season AT ALL. Last night I finally got some time in the studio and banged out the piece above. Isn't it AWESOME! haha... I'm actually really happy with it and very surprised it turned out so well, considering I haven't really been doing any art lately. But it lit a spark and now I'm in art-making mode. It feels really good to be drawing and painting again. I think I was a little worn out after I finished the sketchbook project, so this was a great way to get back into my watercolor work again. I still need to get cracking on my comics, but let's take these things one step at a time, shall we?

SO. Conventions.
I haven't heard back from Conbust yet... They haven't cashed my check, so I'm assuming I didn't get in. I did wait until the last minute to send in my application and $$$.

But I was taken off the waitlist and given an actual table for Anime Boston! I am very excited about that. That'll be April 22-24

I also still need to apply for MECAF May 21 & 22 Perhaps after work tonight I will finally get around to that. I am such a procrastinator....

Then I have PortCon to look forward to June 23-26 with Kori Michele! I am so excited for conventions! It feels like forever since I've been to one lol. This also means I'm going to have to start making some serious cash to pay for my expenses. But let's hope it all pays off in the end. I know it will!

2:15

2011-01-20T14:44:00.003-05:00

New 2:15 strip! Check it out!!!

gallery

2011-01-12T11:59:00.004-05:00

For those who don't know, I've closed down my gallery. It was a tough decision, but economically the business did not generate enough income to pay all of the monthly expenses- let alone, make a profit. I don't regret opening the space. It was fun, educational, and I am glad that I was given the opportunity to open it, run it, and meet all of the talented artists that we were able to showcase.

I'm looking forward to being able to completely focus on my own art. The business added a lot of extra stress that interfered with my own personal work. SO, the first thing I need to complete personally is my Sketchbook Project! I need to mail it by SATURDAY! So I'm taking this snow day to plow through the final pages!

2:15

2010-12-18T14:55:00.003-05:00

New 2:15 comic is up. Since my RSS for the comic is down, I figure I'll update this blog when a new strip is up so you don't have to keep checking the site- for those who are interested.

Enjoy!

Happy Holidays :)

2010-12-16T15:06:00.003-05:00

Quick Christmas card I whipped up for all my final fantasy nerd friends. Hope you all have a happy holiday! I'll be back after the madness to make this blog awesome with more sketches, artwork, news, and less ramblings. ENJOY!

the end of 2010

2010-12-08T14:34:00.005-05:00

So, this year is coming to an end. Honestly, I am glad. 2010 was a terrible year. It started off pretty cool, but on a whole, it's a year I am more than ready to put behind me. I've got a lot of huge changes happening in January that I won't get into here just yet- only to say that I am putting a chapter of my life behind me. So enough of that talk. On to the art.

I've been kind of stalling on finishing the last few things to be done with Chapter 1 of Ravenstar. I'm pushing myself to get it all done this month. It'll be satisfying to have that one project finally complete. I'm also pushing to finish up the Sketchbook Project. It needs to be postmarked by Jan. 15th, so I've got some work to do! Unfortunately, I'm really really liking how this is coming out. I'm gonna be a little torn sending it away forever. But I'm sure the Brooklyn Art Library will take good care of it. And it is exciting that (hopefully) a lot of people will get to see my work.

I'm going to take this new year as a time to re-evaluate where I am and where I want to be heading. It feels like a good time to set some new goals, find things that will work for me, and reinvest in myself and my art. I'm excited for 2011.

Moving, Halloween, and Art

2010-10-30T12:38:00.005-04:00

So October is coming to a close. This next week is going to be quite busy! This morning I moved a lot of my big furniture into my new apartment. I didn't set anything up yet, since I need to clean it first and I also needed to be at the gallery today, but the big stuff is all taken care of. That's a load off my shoulders. I took Monday off of work to finish the rest of it up. It'll be nice to have my own place again- even if it is with a couple of roommates!

Tonight I'm going into Salem for a Halloween party. Halloween is my favorite holiday EVER. I love dressing up in costumes and hanging out with other people dressed like fools. Perhaps that's why I like anime conventions so much as well! I'm gonna be a Sexy Speed Racer. Not slutty, just sexy. I've got my helmet, my red knee socks, and yellow driving gloves. I can't wait!

Also, on Monday I'm hanging "The Art of Comics" show at Cinema Salem. It's a joint show between me and Sarah Searle, focussing on our comic work and process. I'm putting up original work from my three comic projects. Five strips from Apt. C-3, five from 2:15 and a few original pages from Ravenstar. The opening is going to be Sat. Nov. 6th. If you happen to be around Salem, MA anytime you should totally stop by and check it out! It'll be up the whole month of November.

Other than that, I'm still plugging away at my Sketchbook Project sketchbook. All the pieces here are from that book. I'm doing cut paper and ink drawings, with the theme "Jackets, Blankets, & Sheets" So far it's coming out pretty cool. I'm gonna be sad to ship it away, but I suppose the Brooklyn Art Library will take good care of it. If anyone else is interested in participating, they've extended the sign up deadline to November 15th!

FAILED 24 Hour Comic

2010-10-07T13:51:00.004-04:00

So, I failed at making a 24 hour comic. Instead, I made 7 inked comic strips. I was pretty bummed early on because the comic shop I was going to do it at cancelled the event. I ended up just working in my studio alone, which is NO FUN AT ALL :(

But I'm pretty happy with what I made off with. Writing 24 punch lines would have been pretty much impossible anyway. I had a hard enough time with these seven. I knew it was time to quit when I drew Alex's hand backwards in the last strip. Better to cut my losses and take what I could get.

Eventually I will finish these up properly and post them on my website. I miss doing this comic!

24 Hour Comics Day

2010-09-28T14:29:00.002-04:00

it's this Saturday! I'm actually going to be doing my 24 hour comic in Lowell this year @ Larry's Comics "the 5th Largest, 11th Nicest Comic Shop in New England". I've actually never been there, because the last time I was in Lowell was like, 5th grade to visit the mills on a school field trip. My first year not participating up in Maine :( I will miss you crazy Portland comicers!

I think I'm going to do a similar thing that I tried a few years back but left early and never actually made any progress on. Instead of trying to create a whole new 24 page short comic, I'm just going to do 24 comic strips. I'm not sure if I'll be making 24 Apt C-3 strips, 24 2:15 strips, or 12&12 of each. We'll see... It'll be a good chance for me to take a break from my Ravenstar project and get a good chunk of my webcomic strips under my belt. Maybe it'll be the push I need to really get back in the groove with those.

In addition to being 24 Hour Comics Day, October 2nd also marks the 1 year anniversary of the opening of Jay Shay Gallery! We made it without going bankrupt! I still can't believe it's been a whole year since I opened up! How the time flies...

In other news- I'm moving to Ipswich in November with two of my friends from high school... who both now happen to be teachers. I am looking forward to apartment living again! Just hope I can afford it- AH!

Which reminds me, I still have my art up for sale: HERE
and am still always taking commissions: HERE

So toss a few bucks my way will ya?!

FOR SALE

2010-09-09T15:59:00.006-04:00

I've decided to sell over 15 of my fan-art pieces that have been just sitting around in my studio. I would love to see them go to homes where they will be displayed somewhere other than my ugly portfolio file folder thing. If you're interested in any of these pieces, just send me an email!

js@jayshay.com

I accept paypal, personal check & money orders! Shipping is included in all prices.

also, sorry for all the deviantart links- I didn't feel like reuploading all the images to blogger, because I'm lazy! Click on any image to see a larger version.

Penelo Pin Up $15

Penelo Pin Up by *jsheaisaninja on deviant ART

Penelo is 9x12 and created with Watercolor, Ink, and Colored Pencil. She as a little ink scribble in the top left hand corner (not shown) And yes, I know her colors are wrong.

Clockwork Alchemist$25

Clockwork Alchemist by *jsheaisaninja on deviant ART

Ed & WInry (with kitty) from Fullmetal Alchemist, Steampunked. They are also 9x12, though the actual "live area" of the painting is 9x10. Watercolor & Ink

Quickening Triptych $12

Quickening Triptych by *jsheaisaninja on deviant ART

Featuring Penelo, Fran, and Ashe from FFXII preforming their Quickenings, each is a seperate 2.5x3.5 ACEO. Sold together as a set.

Sexy Mercury Pin Up $15

Sexy Mercury by *jsheaisaninja on deviant ART

Sailor Mercury is SO sexy. 9x12. Watercolor & Ink

Repairs $30

Repairs by *jsheaisaninja on deviant ART

After what was most likely an epic battle, Makoto repair's Chibiusa's damaged Sailor Scout uniform. 9x12, live area of painting is 8.5x9.5 Watercolor & Ink

Tsubasa $10

Tsubasa Switch by *jsheaisaninja on deviant ART

Sakura & Syaoran of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. 4x5.5 Watercolor & Ink

Dead Fantasy $10

Fantasy Switch by *jsheaisaninja on deviant ART

Rinoa, Tifa, and Yuna of FFVIII, FFVII, & FFX, together from Dead Fantasy. 4x5.5 Watercolor & ink

Wonderland $10

Wonderland Switch by *jsheaisaninja on deviant ART

Alice & The White Rabbit- my take on the characters of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. 4x5.5 Watercolor & ink

Do you dance, Mr. Leonhart? $40

Do you dance, Mr. Leonhart? by *jsheaisaninja on deviant ART

I have mixed feelings about selling this one, because Pride & Prejudice and Final Fantasy VIII are 2 of my brother's favorite things! If you want this one, you best love them both as much as he does, lol! 9x12, live area is 9x9.5 Watercolor & Ink

Nana Chibis $10

Nana Chibis by *jsheaisaninja on deviant ART

Nana and Hachi of Nana. 4x5.5 Watercolor & Ink

Pretty Soldier $30

Pretty Soldier by *jsheaisaninja on deviant ART

Sailor Moon, lookin' badass! 9x12 Watercolor & Ink

I'm Awake $7

I'm Awake by *jsheaisaninja on deviant ART

I LOVE THIS ONE! I will cry if/when someone buys it! She is SO cool. Tamara Adama from SyFy's Caprica. 2.5x3.5 ACEO Watercolor & Ink

The Earthbender $50

The Earthbender by *jsheaisaninja on deviant ART

The only reason this one is so much more than the others is because I LOVE IT SO MUCH and the only way I'm letting it go is for a good price. Seriously, I might change my mind in a minute and not sell her! WAH SHE IS BEAUTIFUL! 12x9, live area 11x8.25 Watercolor & Ink

Zutara $40

Zuko & Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender, 9x12 Watercolor & Ink

Target's a Target $5

Target's a Target. by *jsheaisaninja on deviant ART

Hope & Lighting of FFXIII. 2.5x3.5 ACEO Watercolor & Ink

Ishida Wedding $30

Ishida Wedding by *jsheaisaninja on deviant ART

DIGIMON My most recent piece. 9x5.5, Live area is 8x4.25 Watercolor & Ink

So there you have 'em! Feel free to spread the word about this sale too! Thanks a lot

Checking In

2010-09-04T13:11:00.006-04:00

So these last few weeks have been very strange for me. We had a death in the family that put most of my work on hold for the most part, but I'm starting to get back on track now.

Previously, I signed up to be part of Ohayocon's Artist Alley, which is a non-fanart alley (which seems weird to me, being an anime convention and all) So I've taken the opportunity to design my characters as adorable little chibis :) Not sure what I'll do with them yet... magnets? Stickers? keychains? any ideas? who knows... but look how cute!

I've also thumbnailed through Chapter Five! How accomplished! Right now I'm finishing up the watercolor panels that I had to re-do for chapter one, and it will be complete! That will feel good to have it finally fully finished.

On another note, I recently had a little breakdown (as all artists do) on the direction (or lack there of) that I am going as an artist- and a person in general really. But I've taken this as an opportunity to change things in my life. I'm currently looking into a new waitressing job at a more upscale establishment which will provide me with more money in less hours, opening up more time to dedicate to my art. Right now I feel like all I do is work at the restaurant, come home, and sleep. I also got offered to room with a few friends of mine, but considering my financial and home situations, I've decided now is not the best time. Perhaps next spring I'll finally get out on my own again. That will be nice.

In other news, I have also been wasting my time drawing fanart. So it goes...

Let's Get Motivated!

2010-08-18T14:31:00.006-04:00

Recently I've come to the realization that I am in no way nearly as productive as I could be. I don't want to say I've been in a rut, because I have been creating art... It's just that I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere. I've been at a standstill with one project in particular, my graphic novel "Ravenstar". It's weird, because I'm really excited about this, but I feel like I've been dragging my feet with it.

Over the last week I've talked with some people about this problem (face to face and via the internet) and one of the conclusions I've come to to keep me going is to start posting everything somewhere where I can be held accountable to keep showing more work and also to receive feedback. Therefore, I'm going to start using this blog in that fashion.

What'dya say guys? Will you keep me motivated and on task?

This is an illustration I literally JUST finished. Hot off the presses! I'm using it as a cover image for the first chapter of "Ravenstar" (text to be added later) I cannot tell you how long it took me to get from start to finish with this piece. I never ever want another work to take as long as this one did. It's time to start MOVING and getting stuff done. The wheels of progress are in motion!

Chapter One is pretty much complete, for the most part. I do have to go back and re-do the first four pages, because I altered the story after I had already finished those pages, and now they don't really make any sense with the story line. So that is my project for the week! I will check in next week and let you all know how it's going. Hopefully everything will be done by then and I'll have some awesome stuff to show you all!

Until then, please continue to kick my ass into staying on top of things!

Oh hey!

2010-05-12T12:04:00.005-04:00

It's been a while since I blogged here! Anyway- last month I attended Anime Boston- my first real convention selling my stuff. It was SO much fun. I did a ton of fanart for it, which was both fun and distracting. I've had a hard time getting back into the swing of my original art as a result, but I'm getting there. One thing all this fanart has done is helped my practice with my watercolors. It's also gotten me a few commissions, which helps out with the purchasing of more art supplies :D

Now I'm gearing up for the Maine Comics Arts Festival May 23rd. I wanted to have the first chapter of Ravenstar ready, but I don't want to rush it and be disappointed with the result. I'm still pushing to have it done in time, but the print turn around window is closing rapidly! I may just have a little preview book available instead. It's looking good so far, so I want to keep that quality!

I've also been working on some new pieces to put in my gallery. That's kind of on the back burner right now until I get all this comic business out of the way! But I have been cranking out a few good pieces.

So yea, That's what I've been up to lately. If you're in or around Portland on the 23rd definitely come stop by MECAF and say hi!

Be Mine!

2010-02-16T10:49:00.010-05:00

So, for Valentines Day, my friend Anita commissioned me to make a short comic about how she and her boyfriend met. She came up with the concept, so I take no credit there! It was really a lot of fun to do and I'm glad she liked it! I make my cameo appearance on page 5 ;)

Now that that's done, I get to draw Zombies - with perfect hair!

this and that

2009-12-03T12:23:00.004-05:00

Digital Color! I'm learning! Those of you more skilled in the digital realm, what do you think? I'm pretty impressed with how it came out, so I'm happy :)

I know I've been doing a lot of fan art as opposed to original work lately, but it's fun and keeps me entertained so I'm not going to stop. I just need to work faster to have more time to do everything!

On that note, I did finally get my airship for my comic more or less figured out. I showed it to my Dad who went to school as Mass Maritime Academy and thus knows way more about ships than I do. He had some good input that helped out a lot, such as:

"What is that?"
"The Kitchen."
"The what?"
"The Kitchen."
"The WHAT?"
"....the galley?"
"There you go."

Still needs some tweaking, but this is the basic final version... I think, haha

Ravenstar Chapter 1

2009-10-31T13:00:00.004-04:00

These are the thumbnails for the first chapter of the new comic story I'm working on- "Ravenstar". It's a fantasy comic about sky pirates and witches. I really just wanted an excuse to draw goggles on a bunch of characters, and viola! I've started sketching and inking the first few pages (page 10 still doesn't exist, I have no idea how to lay it out... details, details...)

I want to have this first chapter done and printed and ready for the Maine Comics Arts Festival in May. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to have it done, just have to stick to my schedule. I also have all of chapter two thumbnailed, and half of chapter three. Thumbnailing is probably my favorite part of the comic making process. I need to stop doing that and actually get into the process of making the finished product.

I also commissioned a deviantArt artist, deathofrats to do a small watercolor of one of my characters- Princess. She made her look so much prettier than when I draw her, lol! I am very happy with it! You should all check out her work, amazing stuff!

Appa loves Catbus!

2009-10-20T15:30:00.001-04:00

Sadie's birthday was yesterday. I made this for her! If you haven't seen "My Neighbor Totoro" or "Avatar: The Last Airbender".... WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?

brushing up

2009-10-06T17:04:00.004-04:00

I've recently ditched my dip pen and started to work more with my brush for linework. Partly because I was going through a ton of pen nibs, and partly because the pen was starting to feel really restricting. I was finding I kept getting the same lines over and over. There was no excitement or movement.

Now that I'm using my brush, I'm getting into a lot of accidents, and that's awesome! This piece for example has so much more life in it than if I had inked it with my pen. I've been using the brush on sketches, finished work, and even my comics. I can't wait to keep going with it!

2 new Portraits

2009-09-21T17:13:00.003-04:00

Self Portrait & Portrait of Kori.
Digital work.

The Witches

2009-09-01T17:09:00.005-04:00

finished watercolor piece. I'm really happy with how it came out. Of course now I can spot at least five things wrong with it, but whatever. I like it.

These are all five of my "weather witches" for my comic project I'm working on right now. Perhaps I will be using this as a cover/title page illustration. It brings me back to those days I used to draw Sailor Moon pictures with everyone squished in, lol. I dig how the hairstyles came out the most. The center sister is my least favorite.

love

2009-08-11T12:46:00.005-04:00

first piece I completed start to finish in the new studio. YAY!

some pirates

2009-07-25T23:58:00.006-04:00

these are a few character sheets of some pirates. I've been working on this story in my head for a while, and I'm now finally getting somewhere solid with it. It's kind of an action/adventure/romance/fantasy. Kind of expanding on the little four page short I did for the recently deceased AniMECA project. I'm pretty excited about the whole idea- and the characters are just so much fun to draw!

Fullmetal

2009-05-14T14:42:00.002-04:00

sooo... I read the entire Fullmetal Alchemist manga (as much as is published) and watched the entire anime, movie, and started the new series all in the last two weeks.

I am obsessed.

more final fantasy

2009-05-06T23:02:00.003-04:00

what can I say? I love this game.

Zen, complete

2009-04-20T12:59:00.002-04:00

these are the six finished illustrations I did for my friends mock ad campaign from Zen MP3 players. I think they came out pretty nice, and they're all pretty funny too. He had some great ideas and I had a lot of fun executing them for him.

Braid

2009-04-14T14:53:00.004-04:00

I've been wanting to use this paper for a while now!

#6

2009-04-01T14:22:00.003-04:00

Some BSG art. I'm super bummed about the show being over- it was so good!

Zen

2009-03-18T14:12:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine is putting together an advertising portfolio and hired me on to do some Illustrations for an ad campaign he'd like to put together for Zen MP3 players. They're all a little goofy, which is what I like about them. This is one of the simplest ones- Turtles on Flying Carpets. Still not sure about the composition just yet- might go back in and tweek some things.

Also, I'm going to be at the New England Webcomics Weekend out in Western Mass this Saturday as a "Cartoonist in Attendance". I'm pretty excited about it, some of my favorite webcomic artists are going to be there- perfect opportunity to schmooze it up. They're also going to be having some pretty awesome panels that I can't wait to sit in on. I also wanna see if I can buy me some original artwork- we'll see how the prices look when I get there! I'm excited!

apt c3 #26

2009-03-04T11:53:00.004-05:00

new work ethic: comic a day. I need to reach at least 40 by the end of the month, so's I can send out round two of comic madness to the papes.

FFXII

2009-02-24T20:45:00.002-05:00

So my brother came home last week with a pulled muscle in his back and told me to play videogames for him while he spent all day on the couch. So I rediscovered Final Fantasy 12, my second favorite in the FF family (after 8, of course) So this is Penelo, my favorite of the female characters. I might be her for Portcon... (but I have a feeling I'll be Miwako instead, because pink hair is the shit!)

Also, I have to get up @ 3am tomorrow to head out to Ohio for Tori's wedding. My list of things to pack:

I'm PUMPED!!!

AniMeca

2009-02-20T11:41:00.005-05:00

Behold! my 4 page comic from the AniMeca book. Yay!

Orange

2009-02-14T14:01:00.001-05:00

I promise to start doing portraits other than myself.
Promise.

animeca pg 2

2009-02-11T22:39:00.003-05:00

Airships! Pirates! "Kidnapped" Princesses! Page 2 of my 4 pager for the AniMeca book project!

Still trying to get the "captain!" right. My tablet handwriting still needs work!

#25

2009-01-31T12:13:00.000-05:00

Get her in the air!

2009-01-28T22:19:00.002-05:00

some sketches for my 4 pager for the animeca book project. as always, the hard part is designing a cool airship.

those goggles will be forever appearing in all of my work.

#24

2009-01-27T14:08:00.001-05:00

2009-01-23T12:35:00.002-05:00

Fruits2

2009-01-14T13:44:00.002-05:00

My mum's got my Fruits painting hanging in our living room, and her friend really likes it. So my mum commissioned me to make another one- in reds like the first one. I kind of miss painting this way w/ acrylics.

just having some fun...

2009-01-10T20:08:00.002-05:00

another self portrait... because i'm always around.
i'm not a graphic designer for a reason.

AniMECA fanart

2009-01-04T11:41:00.001-05:00

So this is my fanart for Kori's AniMECA book project. I'm probably going to scrap the digital (which isn't finished) and try it ink washed. I think that'll look better (and more like what I do, normally)

#23

2008-12-28T16:17:00.004-05:00

Strip 22

2008-12-27T14:15:00.002-05:00

Let it Snow.

2008-12-21T13:45:00.003-05:00

Looks like we'll be having a White Christmas after all! The other night during the storm, I really wanted a pizza, but we couldn't get out of our street. So my family and I dressed up like idiots (see above) and hiked downtown. It was the most delicious pizza I've ever had in my life.

Hope everyone's enjoying the snow- and doesn't have to drive in it like I did this morning!

It's back!

2008-12-02T16:41:00.002-05:00

I haven't done one of these in like... a month! Strip #21. I've got five more in the works simultaneously!

Cheshire Swap

2008-12-01T11:04:00.002-05:00

SO I'm finally getting around to doing this painting of my Cheshire Cat for Audrey. It's taken me long enough to get going on it! We're doing an art swap. In return, I get THIS! I'm excited. Audrey's been saving it for me for like, 6 months now, so I figured I'd better get my ass in gear.

technology

2008-11-18T19:49:00.002-05:00

It's hard to get your art on to your computer without a scanner. It's hard to get stuff off of your computer without a printer. The perfect solution: a printer/scanner.

I have two. They are both half broken. And the HP is BRAND NEW! kind of... I've had it for like, 5 months, but just hooked it up. HP is now strictly for printing, and Epson won't print no matter how much ink I feed him, so he's strictly scanning.

And as you can see, my tablet drawing needs some work.

2:15 is GO

2008-11-12T08:33:00.001-05:00

Got it up and running! It's hanging out on my portfolio site right not until I have the money to get it it's own domain. But whatever. Check it out:

Two Fifteen

Plaid

2008-11-06T19:11:00.000-05:00

IF- Vacant

2008-11-05T20:10:00.000-05:00

I figured this topic deserved a self portrait. This is what I look like most of the time. Oh that vacant stare...

2:15

2008-11-04T15:25:00.002-05:00

So I'm putting together some stuff to start a web comic along with my Apt C3 strips. It's called "Two Fifteen". This will probably turn out to be the banner image for the website once I put it all together.

Postal Matter: Postcard Portraits

2008-10-27T16:53:00.005-04:00

So. Since the response we got from Postal Matter was close to nothing, I'm thinking of taking another approach to it. I like the idea behind this project too much to just abandon it. So I'm taking a lest costly and hopefully more effective road now. This time I'm going to be creating individual postcards- each with a different portrait on them, and sending them out one at a time to random addresses. They will each be an invitation to create a similar postcard and mail it back. I think this will work better than the envelope packages we had put together before, although we won't be able to include the cool stickers we made up. Ah well.... Anyone want some? I've got plenty to go around. I'm excited to get started. I'll be posting the portraits as I go, most likely on the Postcard Portraits Blog but a few exceptional ones may find their way over here. Keep your eyes open- you may find one in your mailbox soon :D

Then & Now

2008-10-26T18:22:00.003-04:00

So this meme was posted on Drawn! a while ago and I forgot about it until Tori did it recently. You draw yourself as a teenager and you now. I was pretty unique back in the day. How about you guys?

Ready to go!

2008-10-23T17:38:00.003-04:00

All my packages are ready to ship out! From Portland to Seattle to Dallas! 22 papers are soon to receive the greatest comic strip ever made!!(by me) I am so excited. I gocco printed the above image onto all the envelopes :D
Wish me luck!

fur

2008-10-08T12:56:00.002-04:00

I tried a different method of working on this one, and I really liked it. It was a lot more enjoyable than the way I usually do my digital cut paper pieces. I think I'm going to keep trying to work this way- there are still a few kinks to work out of the process, but all in all it worked well!

#20

2008-10-07T16:54:00.001-04:00

#19

2008-10-04T14:11:00.001-04:00

#18, and TopGun goodies.

2008-10-02T15:32:00.002-04:00

Oh, TopGun... For your entertainment

#17

2008-10-01T13:36:00.001-04:00

HAPPY OCTOBER :)

#16

2008-09-29T16:13:00.002-04:00

I'M BROKE.

character sheets done!

2008-09-22T13:24:00.004-04:00

Finished my character sheets! Alex's looks a little weird to me, but whatever. I'm writing up my cover letter and then this baby's off to publications. I hope they like it...

morgan

2008-09-17T20:07:00.001-04:00

I draw my dog a lot.

character sheet

2008-09-17T12:09:00.002-04:00

working on new character sheets- the old ones are terrible. Just finished this one, working on Alex now.

#15

2008-09-12T14:43:00.001-04:00

I think this is the first one I've done start to finish in one day. I'm impressed.

Strip #14

2008-09-11T13:44:00.006-04:00

I really like the way this one turned out. Edward especially. When I finish these and then pull out the old ones to compare I can't believe the difference. It's incredible how much better these are! And I only did the old ones less then a year ago.

OH, and btw, I redid my site. Check it out! www.jayshay.com

Strip #13

2008-09-09T21:03:00.001-04:00

two more and I get to start putting a package together to send out to papers!

dessert

2008-09-07T18:34:00.002-04:00

3 strips

2008-09-06T17:20:00.004-04:00

new art on the way. i just needed to dig up all my patterned paper. it got lost in the move!

color images!

2008-08-29T15:36:00.005-04:00

Here are two color character sketches of Alex and Jordan. I'm gonna finish up Edward and Nick and then update the website. Which, btw, now has all the new strips on it instead of those old ones! YAY

#9

2008-08-22T12:26:00.002-04:00

This is where I stop this and do some promo art!

#8

2008-08-19T15:28:00.003-04:00

A friendly reminder to always save your work as you go. This strip took forever because I basically had to do it twice. Learn from others mistakes.
I think soon I'm going to start posting Illustration other then Apt C3, so keep checking back.

#7

2008-08-14T13:34:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I did a strip! That's what happens when you take mini vacations. Anyway, it'll probably be a while before I get another one done. I'm moving back home this weekend, so it'll take a while to unpack and set up my studio space again. I'll try to get it all done in record time, because I really love this stuff!! So I'll be back soon- promise.

#6

2008-08-03T16:36:00.001-04:00

I love drawing Alex.

strip #5

2008-08-01T16:55:00.001-04:00

on a roll? i hope so!

strip #4!

2008-07-31T22:13:00.004-04:00

a trip to mcswiggen's!

strip #3

2008-07-25T15:13:00.002-04:00

trying to keep it up!

apt. c3

2008-07-24T19:27:00.003-04:00

YES. finally getting back to my comic strip. Here are the first two. It's so much better now that I have my own copy of photoshop and a tablet. How did I ever get by before?
Also using a different format than before. Ditched the square layout for this classic strip layout. I like it so much more. The compositions are so much easier to make work and it makes the stories flow so much better.
Can't wait to start working on #3!

freefalling

2008-07-09T12:38:00.002-04:00

Just though you should know on August 20th, 2008 I may plummet to my death. Here's hoping the shoot opens.

I still can't believe I'm actually gonna get to cross off "Go Skydiving" on my list of things to do before I die. Right after "Get a Tattoo" and "Graduate College". I'm so accomplished!

coke always disappoints.

2008-07-08T18:28:00.001-04:00

I've been working on this image for over a week now. I don't know. I'm thinking of scraping it and starting all over again. Just not satisfied.

maria

2008-06-19T23:19:00.003-04:00

I'm working on getting some more digital cut paper pieces together to make a print portfolio to shop around. This is one of my new works. I'm still not sure about the color of the line work around the face. Every time I look at it it's rubbing off on me. We'll see... I can always keep playing around with it.

p.s. I based this illustration off a guess add in one of my vogue magazines. I don't know the models name, but she looks like a maria to me.

IF- Punchline

2008-06-18T16:44:00.001-04:00

This comic is dedicated to Evan Moskowitz, who first told me this classic joke.

morgan

2008-06-17T10:23:00.003-04:00

Every time I go home, I alway leave with a plethora of sketches of my dog. She's just too adorable not to draw. I can't wait until I have my own puppy. I will draw it forever.

IF- Forgotten

2008-06-10T17:07:00.001-04:00

IF- Baby

2008-06-03T15:30:00.005-04:00

"Baby"
for IllustrationFriday.com

iMac

2008-05-25T11:42:00.001-04:00

I bough a new iMac yesterday! I'm so excited I can't wait to hook it up... but I'll have to until I get back to Maine. It's so gorgeous, I'm gonna make so much art on it. YAY!

Mail Art for YOU!

2008-05-06T09:44:00.002-04:00

Sadie Nash and I have successfully launched our mail art site and project. We each sent out 50 invitations to participate to randomly selected addresses all over the U.S. We're pretty excited about the whole thing, and can't wait to see what starts coming back to us! Please come check it out and feel free to participate as well- and spread the word!

Postal Matter

illustration friday

2008-05-01T16:35:00.002-04:00

"Wrinkles"
for IllustrationFriday.com

2008-01-18T20:20:00.000-05:00

my life is awesome. so is LOST