I had to wait until after Christmas to share this one with you guys, as it was a specially commissioned gift from one sister to another. Presenting: Brittany and Bradams: zombie fighting duo!! Yes, we all survived 2012 and the end of the world [AKA the most obnoxious day on Facebook]. We did it! See you all in 2013.
love,
Stasia
Warning – Image heavy, NSFW and fart humor…
Ta-Da!! Here’s the first bike helmet I’ve ever painted, thanks to Ian Nguyen, who trustingly volunteered his for this fun experiment!
Working is always easier when it begins with a great idea: Ian wanted his helmet to have two things: an old-fashioned tattooed lady, and a Kappa (See the Wiki link here). Kappa are creatures existing in Japanese folklore: mischievous water sprites resembling turtles, with the notable exception of having a special reservoir on their heads to hold water – to keep them alive when they venture far from their aquatic home – that, when spilled can hurt or even kill them! They also seem to love cucumbers:
Kappas have been used as a warning to children: “don’t go in too deep, or the kappa will get you!” Their activity ranges from mild to deadly: drownings have been blamed on them, as well as flatulence (you know how gassy turtles can get). Speaking of, here’s a rather interesting drawing I found: “Kappa Control Method,” ukiyo-e print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1881.
In the first few sketches the kappa started out pretty scary, by the end gradually metamorphizing into a much more cuddly, round, sweet version.
The final sketch
After cleaning the helmet well with soap and water, the first step after sketching was to transfer the design. I’m sure there must have been easier ways, (transfer paper, prick and pounce) but being impatient I just freehanded it with a white charcoal pencil.
About one hour in – starting with the lightest colors and blocking in large areas:
I used 1 shot Detailing paint - nasty, toxic stuff - but it dries solid, without the need for a topcoat! Awesome! I owe Greg Colligan {another crazy talented painter/tattoo artist) big time for letting me borrow his – the little cans cost about $9-$14 apiece and I didn’t even look at the prices for the big ones! Here are all the colors I used:
Definitely paint outdoors if you can. 
After about three coats:
All Finished!! I painted her obi-ties to wrap around the helmet to try and break up some of the black space and tie the whole design together.
Of course I had to paint those teeny fingers and toes of hers!!
Yay!! On another note, this morning Ian introduced me to Fuji Bakery,1502 145th Pl SE in Bellevue. Soooooo good!! Do go.
I just got the chance to work with a wonderful girl in Singapore on a series of portraits of her and her two beloved kitties, Mr. Chow and Ms. Tata! The first is your traditional family portrait:
Next, yoga-time!!
And finally, hard at work as an investment writer in her flat, overlooking the Marina Bay Sands, while the kitties lounge.
Too much fun!
A while back I created this super-fun blog header Justyn from Dunia Duara, so imagine my excitement at being asked to create individual page headers for the online contributions of her four kids! Soooooo awesome.
This one’s for the eldest, artist, sumi-e student, writer, bibliophile and origami enthusiast!
For the second eldest, musician, budding authoress, fan of sci-fi and fantasy literature – her family calls her “little bird.”
The boy of the group, solitary like my brother (strong, surviving three sisters!) – explorer, adventurer, wildlife biology buff and lego architect!
And last but not least, the baby – constantly dancing, fond of baby animals, flying, cooking, Paris, gelato, and have I mentioned – dancing?
This project was lots of fun because – now that I think about it – the kids remind me so much of my siblings, growing up. Two older girls, a boy and a baby girl, homeschooled, travelers, basically of the artsy-bookish-nerdy type.
I, of course, eldest, basically an antisocial hermit holed up in my room with books and colored pencils, Lara, supersmart bibliovore, long hair, guitar in hand, Shuki – the origami master in this case, animal trivia EXPERT, and Milli the baby, bubbly, happy, French-ish. Weird! And so much fun.
A little while back I got to create a super-cute set of tea cups for a wedding gift. Their weekend ritual is to hang out in bed, drink tea, and spend time with each other and their puppy!
