Bic Ballpoint Pen Sketches Pt. X

The next plan on my agenda is to wrap up some more stories born of illustrations I compiled between 2009 and 2010. I intend to keep writing and showing new work in galleries, as well as taking on a tattoo apprenticeship. My goal is that by the end of 2012, I can once again be financially independent enough to live on my own. Whether or not I decide to stay in San Diego is still a mystery to me- I’ve had inclinations to move up to LA or even San Francisco for a period of time, maybe even tool around the east coast or other countries, if they let me in... It might even be interesting to write a vaguely detailed story documenting the decisions and actions I've taken to willingly place myself in this predicament- then pray that my awkward bumblings will potentially translate into enlightening efforts and inspire those of us that are less inclined to blindly dive into our passionate interests.

To read the play or purchase your own copy

please visit katherinebrannock.com

Thanks!

Bic Ballpoint Pen Sketches Pt. IX

Recently, I've heard more and more voices ask me how I manage to persist in the brutally demanding career of a DIY artist, given the circumstances of our current economy. Once again, I wish I had a good, rational answer to explain a tangible formula of sorts with a step-by-step plan of action. But the truth of the matter is that I'm figuring out new ways of maintaining this artistic path with the advent of each coming day. I’ve sacrificed a number of relationships due to the demanding and often erratic schedule, as well as making the decision to move home with my family and build financially from scratch. I can’t really say if there’s a right or wrong way to go about any artistic or independent path, everyone has their own lessons to learn. I think it just boils down to what you’re willing to give up in order to gain some semblance of emotional, psychological, or physical freedom in the wake of a society that has so many predisposed expectations of you. The interesting thing about sacrificing though, is the occasional realization that you never really needed to hold onto certain things to begin with...

To read the play or purchase your own copy

please visit katherinebrannock.com

Thanks!

Bic Ballpoint Pen Sketches Pt. VIII

In terms of my longevity, I was at a point in my life where financial freedom, a healthy life-style and a consistent stream of new work to show weren't exactly lining up in the way I had originally imagined. A number of serendipitous factors had opened some very fortunate doorways for my self and my work, but I quickly learned that every new turn came with a set of unforeseen obstacles- either bent on destruction or unparalleled development in the wake of this chaotic field we all choose to participate upon throughout various points in our lives.

To read the play or purchase your own copy

please visit katherinebrannock.com

Thanks!

Bic Ballpoint Pen Sketches Pt. VII

To my surprise, I could have never anticipated such an overwhelmingly positive welcome from the crowd I once migrated amongst between the aisles. People began inquiring about the work, its process, its meaning. How long does it take you to finish a piece? (A fair amount of time.) Why are you using only a ballpoint pen? (It was available at the moment.) Are you on any illegal or prescription drugs while you're drawing? (Absolutely not.) What are your plans for the future concerning your artwork? (To keep going.) I had responses for most of these questions, but some answers were not as straightforward as others...

To read the play or purchase your own copy

please visit katherinebrannock.com

Thanks!

Bic Ballpoint Pen Sketches Pt. VI

My first Comic Con experience as an exhibitor was packed with many mixed emotions, ranging from lightheaded giddiness to crippling anxiety. I was so afraid that my work wasn’t good enough to show at such a prestigious, world recognized event- but if the artwork had taught me anything, it was that “there is no such thing as a mistake” so long as you choose to follow through with your decisions once you’ve made them. All I could do was bring what I had to the table- a couple of sketchbooks filled with drawings and the play I had finished in February. 

To read the play or purchase your own copy

please visit katherinebrannock.com

Thanks!

Wondercon 2012 : Aritst's Alley Booth # 213 : Sneak Peek

Wondercon, March 16th-18th, is fast approaching and the past few days have been a bit of a hurricane as I frantically attempt to prepare everything for this weekend's event at the Anaheim Convention Center. This will be my first solo convention and I'm a little nervous, but the excitement definitely outweighs the anxiety at the thought of showing alone at table #213 down Artist's Alley way. I'm planning on selling original artwork, handmade zines, poster prints and giclée prints- so please make it a point to stop by and say hello.

This week's blog post features some of the original art studies for sale at my table for Wondercon. You have the option of either buying them as is or commissioning the finished piece, but I will also take commissions for any real or imagined subject matter not shown in today's images.

Wondercon opens this weekend 

at the Anaheim Convention Center: 

Friday, March 16th from 12PM to 7PM

Saturday, March 17th from 10AM to 7PM

Sunday, March 18th from 11AM to 5PM

Thanks for checking in, maybe we'll meet for the first time

at booth #213 on the floor of the convention center.

Take care until then...

Bic Ballpoint Pen Sketches Pt. V

A few months after my show at the Tin Can Alehouse, I was invited by Randall Christopher to share a table at San Diego’s Comic Convention International. Since the age of ten I had religiously attended the Comic Con as a spectator with my father, and now I was given the chance to finally play a part in the convention experience as an exhibitor. It was childhood dream that had finally come true and a part of me still can’t believe that I get to participate in something so spectacular. I’m grateful for every moment I spend in that convention center and I hope that in the years to come we can sustain a substantial presence of independent artists and publishers. Those were the pioneers of San Diego’s Comic Con International they remain the heart and soul of graphic novels/comic literature.

To read the play or purchase your own copy

please visit katherinebrannock.com

Thanks!

Bic Ballpoint Pen Sketches Pt. IV

In 2010 I was introduced to Kelsey, manager of the Tin Can Ale House, who offered me the opportunity to show in the bar Valentine's Day weekend. This turned out to be the debut show for the illustrations featured in my first play, SKETCH. It turned out to be an incredible evening with amazing bands (hand picked by Kelsey), and a packed crowd excited about good music and artwork. I ran into a lot of old friends as well as making some new ones along the way. I was also lucky enough to have a very talented friend of mine, Ian Cuevas, photograph the evening.

To read the play or purchase your own copy

please visit katherinebrannock.com

Thanks!

Bic Ballpoint Pen Sketches Pt. III

As I continued to explore the limits of ballpoint pen, a bit of an internal dialogue seemed to bubble up in the process of executing more complex images in my sketchbook. After some careful editing, I found that I had written a short, three-act play featuring a stream of consciousness conversation between two characters in one very confused mind.

To read the play or purchase your own copy

please visit katherinebrannock.com

Thanks!

Bic Ballpoint Pen Sketches Pt. II

Over time, I became more confident with sketching an image from start to finish with ballpoint pen. The more I worked directly with ink, the more I realized there was "no such thing" as a mistake. When it came to expressing an idea on a page, I found that my most successful pieces were the illustrations I had originally deemed as failures.

To read the play or purchase your own copy

please visit katherinebrannock.com

Thanks!

Sketches I

 The "Works of Wisdom" show for Thumbprint Gallery is coming up January 14, 2012 and I have a number of sketches that could potentially fit the bill for its abstract theme, but many of these ideas demand at least a few weeks to complete. 

I've been waiting for an excuse to finish the drawings featured in this post, but (as much as I love the initial sketches) it feels as though they require a larger format or even a different medium with which to express their visual dialogue.

I don't think I could adequately execute these pieces in time for the Thumbprint show, but maybe there's a chance these spirits will end up manifesting their presence in another arena down the road.

I can be rather fickle when I comes to choosing a piece for a show, but if I change my mind, you'll be the first to know. Thanks for checking in with me and maybe we'll meet for the first time at Thumbprint's opening some works of wisdom.

Take care until then...

111 Minna : Harum Scarum : Works in Progress II

Almost all of my artistic efforts during the month of December have been devoted to accomplishing a cohesive body of work for the Harum Scarum show at 111 Minna Gallery- set to open February 2, 2012. This year was filled with some unexpected turns, and I find myself once again living at home with my family. Their love and support has given me the strength to move forward as well as the ability to focus my self and my energy towards the development of this new series.
 

In the time it takes to create this art, I hope to capture a small glint of the emotional range which has consumed the better part of my thoughts as I process the culmination of my experiences over 2010 and 2011. I'm grateful for this time and the luxury to entertain such whims and in a perfect world I suppose we would all have some such means to understand the why's and how's of the way things unfold in our lives.

Overall, I'm proud of the decisions I've made and thankful for the people who have come in and out of my life. Their influences will continue unfolding in ways which may or may not make sense at the present moment or in my immediate future- but, at the very least, as this new work nears its completion I will personally savor the irony of this show's theme and its uncanny title which perfectly defines the last two years of my life.

 

Thanks, once again, for checking in and maybe we'll meet for the first time at this show's opening night.

Take care until then...