Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Fading Out

I took Tom to the airport yesterday morning. It was a sad event, and I do wish that I had some pictures, but I had class right after the trip to Midway, so I planned against photography for that day. He made it home safe, so that's what matters.
I'll be home in three weeks!! I'm really looking forward to it. I miss Seattle and Tacoma and FedWay so badly.

However, I have lots of fun photos from our recent trip to the Museum of Science and Industry! Some of them are weirdly beautiful (and maybe kind of gross to some of you).



Luckily for me, they had a mini Seattle!! Tom was being nitpicky about the accuracy, but when you step back, the skyline looks pretty similar. 





These absolutely adorable baby chicks!! Obviously we watched some while they were hatching. Too cute!! It was fun to watch them find one another and be curious about the 'new world' they were encountering. ...And then the fluffy ones!! yeee~






The craziest exhibit was these amazing displays of the human body. All the displays were well-preserved real human specimens. All of the examples in these pictures are. So intense. This kind of thing is so oddly beautiful, I just love it. All these photos need some well-deserved editing, but I'll get there later.

Overall, such a fun trip. I haven't seen the whole place, so maybe I'll go back for photoshoots some day. :)

How was your Thanksgiving break??

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Black Fridays + New Addition

Did I dare to go black friday shopping? In downtown Chicago, of all places?
I did, and it wasn't so bad!!
Thanks to Tom, I got a pretty decent haul as well. :> I treated myself to a few things from Sephora, but Tom was kind enough to buy me Forever 21 clothes and even a new figure!!!




(I know my photography skills aren't up to par, but bear with me as I learn!! haha)

Jean Grey from X-Men! 
People say that they don't like her face, but I think it's just beautiful!! Kotobukiya's bishoujo line is really hit or miss; especially in the faces. I dragged Tom into buying for me... mainly on a whim as Kotobukiya is releasing Storm (and in the sketches she looks FABULOUS) in March and they will look amazing together. I'm a sucker for the white/silver hair and dark skin combo. Let's hope Storm's face is just as nice as Jean Grey's or Black Cat's. 

I haven't found any prominent mistakes on her yet. I guess the main negative was getting her out of that box!! It was almost stressful. She's completely bolted down everywhere, so it's just a solid statue, really. I was paranoid that I was about to break something while I was unwrapping her from the abundant plastic.
I seem to have really good luck when it comes to the quality of figures. Thank you, figure gods.  

Other Black Friday goodies~


A cute dress with scallop collar!! (The last size medium!) I wore it out today, and not only is it adorable... but also super comfy!! Just got to be careful when wearing it since it's cream-colored, and because I don't particularly trust the quality of Forever 21 clothes. (Pull tie not included!)


This one is hard to see, but it's a cute see-through cape with hearts. I've been looking for something like this, so I'm so glad they were still around when I went on Friday. Finally in my closet!! Rebuilding my style is getting easier as I'm figuring out what looks good on my body, but what also looks cute and caters to my personality and mental preferences.


Sephora goodies!! Tokidoki eyeshadow on sale, and it's amazing!! Darker, longer-lasting colors than what I normally use. Rebuilding your closet also means reworking some aspects of your make-up, I think.
Adorable pink-lemonade nail polish! It's so thin I need to apply 3 coats, but the color is just darling.
And clinique cover-up! It's my favorite brand of cover-up, but I haven't had it in a while! Getting back to using it as it works wonders on my skin as long as I take medication and wash my face every morning and night.


The dress in it's glory. (I'm also wearing the Sephora nail polish...) I'm sitting with Tom's cousin Valerie in this photo. We've been spending lots of time with his relatives lately as a lot of them live in/near Chicago. We went to the Museum of Science and Industry today, but that is just too much to talk about just yet. :) I've got another post on all that coming your way soon!!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Commissions


 I need support!! Help me out by commissioning a piece or a portrait for you or for someone you like!! 

Commission info!! I take paypal to mezzycommish@gmail.com or well-concealed cash (at your own risk).
Let me know if you want the piece mailed to you! Otherwise I'll just scan and email it to you. :o  
Let me know if you prefer anime style, my "original" style, or more realistic. 

Make sure you have a reference available!!




Traditional Cutesies



Chibi Sketch: $3
Colored Chibi: $5




Bust Sketch: $8
Color Bust: $10



Full body Sketch: $13
Colored Full body: $18


Watercolor Portraits

Flat colors: $15
Full color: $25







Leave a comment with some way for me to contact you, or send me an email at esther.ro.ii@gmail.com if you are interested, and we'll talk!! :)


Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Bluebird

My hair is blue! (Manic Panic After Midnight Blue to be exact) I decided to take a nice, long break from dying it and just dye it as dark blue as I could and let my roots grow in, dying over it all the time instead of bleaching. @_@ Growing out your hair is hard!! And I desperately need a haircut, but I have to wait until I get back to Washington... yeep!

Tom and I went back to the Art Institute today to finish up our museum adventure. In case anyone was curious, this is what I wore.

Shirt: Forever 21
Skirt: Meijer
Tights: Consignment store
Shoes: N/A
Pull-tie: Consignment store
And there's Tom, derping in the back. Good times.



Here's my blue hair and asymmetrical bangs, cut on my own!! Unfortunately, Tom is the last person you want to ask to help take pictures of you, so I'm photographing myself MySpace style here. :P Yaaay. 
I did my make-up a little different as well! And I'm playing around with effects for the photos. So many new things!

So, apparently, there's a lot more people that read this blog than I actually think. :P
Please leave a comment if you've stopped by! If you've got a google account, it should be real easy to leave your thoughts down below!!

xoxo

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Saturday, November 19, 2011

Tom

I know I mentioned Tom being here without actually making a post about Tom being here!!
Well, long story short, Tom is visiting Chicago! We're going to his relatives' in Indiana for Thanksgiving. :) It's sure to be a blast.

We've already had a lot of fun since he touched down on the 11th. Shopping, dinners, stuffing our faces, THE MOTHER MOTHER CONCERT, watching lots of foreign movies and anime.... We're basically the coolest kids in existence as proved by this amazing Photobooth footage.







We are very cool. 

Monday, November 14, 2011

Mother Mother Mother Mother Mother

This lovely evening, I was fortunate enough to go see one of my favorite bands with my dearest Tom. I was even so lucky as to hand deliver some fan art for the band. After some minor technical difficulties, I handed Jasmin my little envelope filled with cut-outs of the members (kind of meant to be like paper dolls... -shrug-). She was so very sweet even though it was hard to communicate. :'D I do hope that everyone enjoyed them. I put some contact information in, so maybe I'll get a response, but even if I don't I'm elated to know that they actually have some of my original art. x) It is infused with my love!! 
(Ta-daaah)


Tonight's attire!! I call it Indie-Lolita. haha :) 
(photo by Tom)




...directly after delivering my gift. :)


They were absolutely fantastic live! They sounded wonderful. It was definitely a surreal experience. I'm so happy that Tom is here and able to take me on awesome outings like tonight. He insists that I mention that he is wearing a Mother Mother shirt he bought at the concert. 

Tom, my friend Cassie, and I all went out to eat at a diner afterwards. Once we put down our payment, Tom, looking out the window says, "Wait a minute, is that Mother Mother? Oh wait, I think it's just Ryan." 
Immediately we debated whether to run out there and say hello, but by the time we ran onto the street, Ryan (and whomever he was with), turned into the hotel where they are apparently staying. With a shrug, we decided to head home and be a little less creepy. :) 

Overall, a fantastic night, and I definitely recommend seeing Mother Mother live if you have the chance. :) Truly amazing!! Thanks to Tom for taking me out and being a totally great all-around person, and thank you Cassie for joining us and being wonderful!! Of course thanks to Mother Mother for coming to Chicago!! 

xoxoxo 

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Style Revamp 1

I've started to take on the massive task of revamping my closet! Yesterday afternoon I went through all my clothes and took out anything that I didn't wear, or anything that (I had to admit to myself) didn't fit me very well.. I'm going to try and sell about a fourth of my clothes to Buffalo Exchange some time this week.

My new idea is that even if I have a small closet (as long as it is of clothing that I love), I can be confident and happy with my style... and in turn, my self-esteem. I guess it sounds a little shallow, but as they say; 'if you look good, you feel good.' 

When I'm done with this new journey, I might post a little step-by-step guide for kicks. ;) 

Here's what I'll be expecting in the mail in a week's time. 


 

Since I kind of roped Zoe into it, she decided to buy something for herself as well.


Good times. :) Hopefully I'll be able to sell a lot of my clothing when I go to Buffalo Exchange. :o If I have anything left over, maybe I'll make a post about it. O~O;; 

xoxo


Sunday, November 6, 2011

Painting Afternoon

Took a break from reading homework to paint!! I was feeling inspired by certain artists and this gorgeous blog, so I thought I'd finish up some doodles I made last week.




I almost always paint with water colors. I just love how graceful and natural they look. I've only recently started experimenting with my very own fountain pens, and I love those too! Trying to find a style is hard for me, but I think I'm getting there! Like I said, I've come across a lot of really inspiring artists. And of course, being at art school helps boost my motivation to keep improving!!

I took this chance to practice on the faces of some of my favorite bloggers! Today, I finished painting my friend Amanda, and Kaylah from The Dainty Squid! I wanted to make one warm color and one cold color portrait. (I'm also working on a tiny wedding present for Elizabeth of Delightfully Tacky. Nothing major, just showing my appreciation.)

If people love this style enough, I'll be open for commissioned portraits. Let me know what you think!!

Beginning:

I need to get used to coloring people with bright colors. (I wanted to give Kaylah crazy blue skin. haha) It looks funny to me, so I don't think I can pull it off just yet. More reason to practice!! 

Complete!


Well, not quite. There are a couple of tiny details I need to go over first. I also hope to scan them and make separate pieces out of them. I'm considering framing them and sending them off to their respective inspirations. :)


All cleaned up! Elizabeth's piece is not complete yet. I ran out of sunlight at 5 (can you believe it?)

So, let me know what you think. Should I open up this style for commissions? Help me get the word out. :)

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Edited Hair + Style Thoughts

I say edited because I've hardly changed it at all. Just added a couple streaks of green. My favorite color! I can't really say that it's my favorite for hair color (yet), but I love how it looks right now!



Only webcam photos for now. I do need to touch up some spots towards my scalp that got missed. I think I'll fill them in with the tiniest bit of blue. That might be cute. <3

On another note, I've been thinking a lot about my personal style recently. I don't really know what to call it, and I'd like to have a definite set of clothes in my closet, because really I'm just all over the place. I've been really into punk, pin-up, and nu-goth recently, but I don't think I'll ever get over my need to be princess-y and cute, either. Victorian Goth-Loli would be my ideal style-set, I think, but I don't have the funds to harbor that lifestyle right now. :'(

I've been really in-tune to figuring out peoples' styles, what's thrifted, and what is expensive... etc. I'm doing a lot of observing and studying. I find a lot of things that cater to my personal preferences on tumblr...







((Kerli will always be one of my huge inspirations. haha))

Skirts, sunglasses, and colored hair will always be in my style, no matter what anyone says. That's for sure. Just more recently, I've developed an interest in leather boots, gloves, and studded jackets.  Not sure why, but I've kind of always been a closet goth. 

What's your style like? Who are your inspirations?

:)