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Moleskine sketchbook ink drawings

I recently purchased my first Moleskine sketchbook, so that all my doodles could be in one place (instead of a million ripped out notebook pages) and I’d have a small enough sketchbook to keep with me at all times for those unexpected artistic moments. Anyways, just thought I’d share with you some of my first ink drawings in the book. Warning: they aren’t perfect; despite my perfectionist nature, I sometimes like to just go for it with the ink – no pencils, no erasing. The one on the left is of my messy desk. The middle one is of a small vase with flowers at one of our favorite restaurants, Tender Greens. The far right one is of Carl, the owner of Exotic Gardens. It’s from a photo I took for a story I wrote that’s soon to be up on sandiego.com. (You can see more of my art/doodles here.)

**Oh, and you know that will.i.am. song “I Got It From My Mama”? Well, I got it from MY mama - and she just put up some of her watercolors for sale on imagekind.com, check it out!**

Simplicity_ThumbtackPressLately, I’ve been dying to get my hands on some art for my room. Right now most of what’s up in my room and in the apartment are original paintings my roomie and I have done ourselves. While I think it’s great that we have our own stuff up, I’d love to diversify a bit.

There are some great sites for scoring everything from Polish movie posters to abstract art prints on a tight budget – Thumbtack Press, Polish Poster, The Small Stakes, 20 x 200 - and all of the pieces I’m including in this post are less than $60.

Check out the prints/posters I’ve been oogling, after the jump! Read the rest of this entry »

From left, Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, Marchesa Luisa Casati, Joanna Hiffernan and Evelyn Nesbit

From left, Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, Marchesa Luisa Casati, Joanna Hiffernan and Evelyn Nesbit

I am particularly fascinated with women that don’t fit into the standard mold of femininity, that push the envelope a little, or at times, a lot. Historically, it seems these are the most sought after muses for everything from film, to art, to fashion, to books – and it’s no wonder, their intriguing lives have a way of drawing you in, inspiring you to capture just a modicum of their “je ne sais quoi.” I’ve been wanting to write about a few of these misbehaving dames for a while now, and I can’t put it off any longer.

After the jump, tales of murder, love triangles, lesbian affairs, rule-breaking fashion and provacative paintings. 

Read the rest of this entry »

PismoRedChairI’m off to Pismo again next weekend, and I can’t wait! Of course I love to see my family, but as I mentioned before, I also love spending time in the beach house.

Everything about it is eclectic – the art on the walls, the furniture, the details – a mix of vintage, international and beachy pieces. One of my favorite spots is a corner with a comfy burgandy chair that’s perfect for reading and looking out at the beach. Over the last year, I created two paintings of this spot, a watercolor piece I did in the house, and an acrylic piece I did in an art class using the polaroid on the right.

My paintings, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Van Gogh's Room at Arles

I’m pulling inspiration for my new bedroom’s furniture, style, colors, decor and organization from a variety of sources, but I felt like first sharing some of the paintings that I’m looking at to answer the question, how do I want the space to make me feel? What type of environment do I hope to create? The elements of a painting - color, texture, spacing, technique, light - come together to evoke certain emotions in a similar way as the elements in a room set the mood.

After the jump, the art that captures what I’m looking for in my new small space. Read the rest of this entry »

Penny Peacock Print - tuesdaymourning.etsy.com

Penny Peacock Print - tuesdaymourning.etsy.com

Thanks Jessie for highlighting this awesome artist on your blog today!

Tuesdaymourning, real name Merrilee, has the most beautiful, delicate paintings and drawings on Etsy, but if you check her other sites out – here and here – you can see all her beautiful paintings, illustrations, portraits and inspirations.

This mixed media print to the left is just gorgeous. I could spend a lot of time just staring at her work. I love looking at all the pencil marks and brush strokes up close and then zooming out to see how they all work together. Inspires me to pull out my sketchbook!

Pinata Carnival - Fernanda Cohen

Pinata Carnival - Fernanda Cohen

I just felt like sharing with you a couple of my favorite illustrators who inspire me in my own art: Fernanda Cohen and Jessica Doyle. Read the rest of this entry »

Olka Osadzinska

Olka Osadzinska

I can’t pronounce her name…but Olka (nickname for Aleksandra) Osadzinska rocks my world with her vivid, no-holds bar graphic art. I first saw the young polish artist’s illustrations on Gawker Artists and was blown away. Check out her blog (which isn’t in English) or her Web site to see more of her work.

Side Note: Gosh, I wish I was as cool as the girls she creates (or her for that matter).

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Photo Credits

All images that appear on the site are copyright their respective owners and sharpinsandiego claims no credit for them unless otherwise noted. If you own the rights to any of the images and do not wish them to appear on the site, please contact Ms. Sharp and they will be removed.

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