Thursday, January 30, 2014

Drawrrring and Fundrrraising

Next week we are drawing the amazing Dottie Lux at Dr Sketchy's SF. Dottie is a favorite model and the owner/head fancy clown at Red Hots Burlesque.

We will be drawing her new costume, Edward Scissor Fans.





You can get tickets now!  http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/567465

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Also, on Valentine's Day, Mom's Tattoo on Haight Street is doing a very special fundraiser.

All day they are doing $25 heart tattoos, and ALL profits go to AIDS/LifeCycle.

Last year, my friend Dave Groeschel's shop donated $1200 to help folks who need care and dignity to stay alive.

If this isn't for you, please tell your friends! Or just donate $25 right now :)
http://www.tofighthiv.org/goto/AliceStribling2014

Please contact me with any questions. Thank you!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Two weeks in, I'm hungry

Everything has started back up again. While it is an exciting reminder that my life is rich and full and interesting, I am tired.

Training for AIDS/LifeCycle, Apparel Arts class and Dr Sketchy's all began again about two weeks ago.

It has been wonderful to get outside again on the bike and the routes are relatively flat...for now. I'm riding with Joseph's Sunday Cat two group until Team Unpopular starts up with training. Last week, some of my team mates joined up with the group and we had a nice time catching up. I now know that the year will be like this: I see a group of folks for about six months, we do a special type of socializing that makes the miles and hills go by, then that fades out in the fall and winter months. And that is ok. Right now it's like this.

During fall and winter I had more time to myself to work on projects. Right now I have about 3 projects in need of some attention, and this is distressing me. I have two skirts that I'm drafting/sewing for pay and trade. And one Ad for trade. I'm grateful for all of these projects, just juggling a bit at the moment.

I wish that I could say training was always awesome. I am right now grumpy and tired from Sunday-Tuesday commitments. I have not committed to any randonneuring this year, I just can't add anything more to my plate. I also want to be there for family and friends.

I am attempting to eat real food for training, still focusing on little to no sugar and taking fruit and likely a homemade 'Nutella' sandwich with me in the near future. I started craving sugar really badly after my first training ride, I felt depressed about not having it.

In Apparel Arts, I'm really trying to stick to the schedule that Suzy gave out to the students at the end of last year. I've drafted all of the dart manipulation exercises, about 8 fronts and 3 backs. I cut out 3 fronts and backs in class on Monday and sewed them up last night. I feel like if I can do homework one night during the week, then I should be ok.

I am excited about Spring. I would like to make a midi skirt, a flow-y dress, and a jumpsuit one day. I did decide on a low buy/no buy until I save for my travel commitments. It's going ok, one day at a time. Right now, I'm digging out my spring color cardigans, and corals and pink makeup...trying to use what I already have instead of buying new things. I'm ready and California is experiencing some warm weather so it's easy to play.

On Tuesday, we had the second Dr Sketchy's of the year with Vivian De Milo. We had 10 or so volunteers, so set up and break down were a breeze. Our model is very gifted, V has impeccable taste and style. V also posed for us as a girl and a boy, which I love. I've been reading more about gender and what a mixed up fluid thing it can be. How one self identifies, who one wants to be partnered with, feeling like one is in the wrong body. It's nice to celebrate it with drawing.

I'm playing with watercolors, I found this blog: http://www.lizsteel.com/2013/04/my-basic-palette.html

Which lead me to this resource: http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/water.html

And then I started geeking and pinning watercolor palettes: http://www.pinterest.com/alicestribling/art-illustration/

Aaaaaand I did make a new palette purchase from Daniel Smith. :) I also purchased a test paint set from them and now I have a list of colors that I want, see below. It's the first time I've really customized my watercolors for what I like, and not just what comes in the preset palette. It's very exciting! I like lots of bright colors, and my day job is in the print industry, so of course I like CMYK and BRIGHTS.




I'll sign off with some eye candy. Don't forget that I'm offering drawings for AIDS/LifeCycle donations. $300 gets you a drawing. Monthly donations are encouraged!!

http://www.tofighthiv.org/goto/AliceStribling2014


Monday, January 06, 2014

Outside is free

It was nice to be in San Francisco for the holidays. I quite enjoyed being at home, watching movies, doing projects and going outside.

I did a bunch of homework for Apparel Arts, I fitted my moulage on the last day of class, then added ease to make the sloper and traced this onto oak tag over the holidays.
I have a lot of momentum around pattern drafting right now, I've also been dreaming of what working in fashion might look like. Textile design (watercolor?), textile printing (I already know printing!), who knows, I'm just researching the industry and dreaming.

I also plotted out my schedule at Apparel Arts and looked at when I might finish. I'm in it until at least 2016. It's slightly overwhelming but gives me good reason to back off on some other commitments so that I can move through the course at the recommended pace.

My friend and I went on a little city ride during the holidays. She showed me some nice spots that I didn't know about, places shrouded in Industry that yield some sweet bay scenes.

B and I spent some time at the beach on New Year's Day.
Then we went down the coast to Big Sur yesterday and enjoyed some interesting fog.
I also enjoyed posing for Pamela Palma for her calendar of SF women who bike.