3-27-2013: Jen's Fantastic Voyage

Here's a lil' thing I wrote up back in November, after Fall quarter, but somehow forgot to post. Figured it deserves some internet space. The course was "Constructive Human Anatomy," and was taught by Paul Hudson. I highly recommend studying with him if you get the chance! A brilliant mind and incredibly talented.


"Okay, so, less about cleaning out blood clots, and more about exploring human musculoskeletal physiology, but fantastic nonetheless!

I had an incredible course at SCAD this past quarter. It left me more intelligent about the human body, but also changed the way I observe and interpret the world we inhabit. I also got to dig back into some clay! It was exciting to remember how happy and comfortable I am working with my hands.

We began by looking at the head, torso and pelvis into basic shapes. We made these out of clay, and drew them from life until we were well acquainted with them. Then, both with conte and clay, we cut away and added volumes until our eggs, soupcans and teacups actually started resembling something you might see on a human form.

At the same time, we were learning the names and shapes of the major bones and processes in the body, and conceptualizing a pose, shooting reference, and building an armature for our own personal muscle study in both clay and conte. By midterm, we had base head, torso, pelvis and scapula shapes on our ecroges, and had drawn them from 6 different angles.

After midterm, we started on musculature. In class, we worked with partners to place muscles on a neutral-posed skeleton. At home, we added the same muscles to our ecroges. We covered the neck, back, chest, stomach and upper arms in class, but we taught ourselves and each other about the forearms, buttocks, and legs at home. I think that was my favorite part of the course. It was a good reminder that learning is not just for the classroom, but a continuous, invigorating and powerful process - and one that can be shared with your peers!

I'm very proud of what I was able to accomplish in the ten weeks of this class, but it's definitely just the beginning. I'm definitely going to keep refining my ecroge, but I've also got a bunch of projects floating around my mind! Very exciting times!

Thanks, as always, for reading. Love you guys!

Best,

Jen"

7-14-12: Home for Summer

The door of my room creaked as I walked past it today, and for a quick, exciting, gut-wrenching moment, I thought it was Tiger's scratchy little meow. Not consciously, just in my heart and stomach, I knew it was him. I was instantly transformed into to high school Jen, and the world around me seemed utterly weird - why was I in Mommy and Daddy's room? What had happened to it? The colors were all wrong, and the furniture was weird, and whose clothes were on the floor? Where was Tiger? And who was this little dog at my heel? Where was I going again, what was I doing? Oh, homework, right... For college... For grad school... That's my parent's beagle, Savannah, down there, and I'm going to the bathroom after having started a load of laundry. Graciously back to reality, relieved, but achingly conscious of a little scratchy-voiced, stripey-fuzz-butt-shaped vacancy in my life. I love you, Tiger. Thank you for the vivid reminder.

3-16-12: Little Women

I've been reading Little Women for the first time - loving it. I'm almost done, and a little sad - it's one of those books that has become a good friend.

A quick warm up sketch, very stiff, and a shamefully lazy gradient background - but fun. My beloved Jo.

 

<3

2-29-12: Old School

I've been reading Soulless by Gail Carriger, a Christmas gift from a friend. She goes into such detail in regards to the fashion of the time, it's hard not to get excited about bustles and bonnets. Here's a little research sketch:

<3 as always,

Jen

1-19-12: Music and Pups

I have a pretty strong love of music, especially that which digs right down and wraps its words around your heart. Music that's so good it almost hurts.... Music that, well, music that makes me do this.

I also love my parent's beagle, Savannah. We got Savannah when she was 3 years old - she came with her name. That was a while ago - long before I even knew there was an art school in Savannah, let alone that I'd live there one day! Talk about serendipity.

8-15-11: Small Update

Hey, guys! Just a quick update!

I'm still alive, still in GA, still working towards completion of my MFA in Animation.

Nate Swinehart's Raindance is in clean-up, ink and paint right now! I'm still helping out a bit, and I'm excited to say it's looking absolutely fantastic! Can't wait to see this baby finished!

I'm also thrilled to say that Alex Curtis' Hephaestus is looking swank-tastic as well! It's in the animation stages (I'm working on a shot!), and whoo boy, are things coming together!

I'm so proud to say that I've known these two gents. There are two large groups of passionate, talented, and creatively energetic people behind these projects, and it has been a pleasure and an honor to have been a part of it. Though I'm sad to see their time here at SCAD come to a close, it will be so exciting to see their careers advance from here! Thank you for a wonderful first year at SCAD, you two - you will be missed!

And now, because I owe you guys some art, here you go! Some quick sketches I've been doing over the quarter to keep my head on my shoulders.

Sketch of some friends who keep me happy. From right to left, top to bottom:

Lauren Duda, (myself), Nate Swinehart

Tyler J. Kupferer, Lauren Brown, Ben Anderson

Emily Sampson, Kevin Block, and Sam Fawaz. 

Nate's wise words to a stressed Jen.

And I'm off! Kicked out of Monty for the night!

All the Best,

Jen

Merry Eggno- er, I mean...

I couldn't sleep, so I made you all a present, with Santa's Seal of Approval... Or maybe Santa's Weasel of Approval?

Love, and a Very Happy New Year,

Jen

Nude Jersey?

Some might call it a bad idea to post this kind of stuff on the internet, right here next to my professional work and professional name, but this is a social issue of some importance to me. Please take it as a testament to how seriously I feel about the issue that I AM discussing it here.

taken from this ABC article - please read it.

I sincerely hope this goes through! I don't go to Asbury Park often, but if they pass this, it would become my main beach. Asbury Park is already full of great food, exciting music and neat art shops, it's a great place to visit - adding a topless beach to the mix would be fantastic! And it's right down the highway from me. Wonderful!

I think, if this goes through, it'll be a great omen for more mature and natural times to come. The human body is not lewd or suggestive or scary. It is beautiful! Our bodies are gifts that should be cherished and embraced, not hidden away for fear of offense or embarrassment. They should not be shielded from children! Nudity and sex are not synonymous!

Also, men already parade around with bare chests! Why is that acceptable while the female chest is scandalous? This is an issue that has confused me for a long time. Why does my chest have to be covered when his doesn't? Why do we dress our baby girls up in little bikini tops when there is nothing there to hide? In covering a baby girl's nipples, we suggest that there is something sexual there!! We turn our 2 year olds into sexual objects! Why not let them be innocent in their youth?

Why not let us be innocent in our age?

I will be pushing for this. Please, feel free to enter a discussion with me here. I wish more people would be comfortable with public nudity, and I fail to understand why it is such a large problem.

MUCH to update!!

SO! Excellent news abounds!

First off - I've graduated from Montclair State University with a BFA in Animation/Illustration! Hooray!

I've found temporary summer work - that might prove to be a lucrative long term investment. I'm life guarding again! It entails oodles of fresh air and requires me to stay in shape. Also, I hear there are lots of beaches and pools down at Savannah that might need guards... Which leads me to my next bit of excellent news!

I got into the Animation MFA at SCAD! They gave me a bit of money, too - huzzah! Now begins the housing/roommate/scholarship/grant/work study search. I'm so excited!!

FINALLY - the bit of news I'm MOST excited about - oh, no no, it's too good. I'll have to make a new post for it!

But here are some sculpture tidbit's I've been playing with. My uncle and aunt, Jim and Tay, gifted me with some taxidermy eyes that Jim used to sculpt with. What great inspiration! Also, my beagle, Savannah, is adorable. Just a quick gesture.

Amusement of the Day

My sister, texting from campus: "I'm starving."
Me: "Eat a freshman. =)"
Sis: "Mmm, yes. They're so tender. Gotta get em before Spring finals, though, they get tougher going into sophomore year."
(later)
Sis: "There is a couple behind me who obviously hooked up over their mutual love for kicking the chair in front of them. I'm going to eat them."

In other news - more art is on the way. Scanner-computer-internet situation is a little complicated, but will hopefully be rectified soon with the purchase of a new computer! Looking at Apple's latest generation of Mac Pro desktops. I'm fluent with both Macs and PCs, but definitely prefer the former - even though they do cost an arm and a leg. Macs just function more smoothly, in my experience.

I'm working on a traditional animation lip-synch test. Hopefully it'll turn into some solid stuff with my neglected characters. Also - lip-synch animation means making funny faces in a mirror all day. I'm loving it.

Finally - a trip to the dentist yielded me a commission. She'd like a humorous piece to hang in her lobby that both adults and children can relate to. Interested in Norman Rockwell-ish content, but not style. Other than that, it's open. Should be a fun one. I'll post sketches soon.

Best!
Jen

Feelings

You know what's a great feeling? Diving into water. What a rush. Plummeting head first to what your body tells you is certain doom, only to be caught at the last second in a cradle of cool weightlessness. Then time stands still for an endless moment between you and your next breath, and you jump out of the water to do it all again.

Coming of Age

My life is changing.

Generations are shifting roles. I am no longer the baby at large family reunions. There are no large family reunions. The baby at our next large family reunion will likely be mine.

It is overwhelming.