My Gift To Give

Today has been a pretty okay day!

My mom got my little bro and me up early to run some errands today. First the oil change, then to the fabric store to get some scraps for a quilt I'm making for a class this quarter (By the way... SO EXCITED!), and then my mom got a drug test! AH!!! I'm not kidding, though. She had to do it as part of the interview process for a job she wants, so it's cool. She's not addicted to anything. Except poppy seed muffins... uh-oh!

I wish I had Elaine's hair... :(

After getting home I finally finished this scratchboard kitty I'd been working one for about a month! Jeez, I know. It's not that I was having a really bad time with it... maybe it's just not the style for me? I made this kitty following a pattern. Actually, it's a little kit that is sold at Michael's stores. Pretty cheap, and it's always nice to try something new. Now that the cat is done, I'm going to ship it off to Mexico City. My cousin Gabriella loves cats, so I was thinking of her while scratching it out. (I'll probably do another, better one to make it up to her!) The one thing I will improve on the next time are my values. Especially in the body area!

Me-OUCH!

 I've also been decorating this little accordion book I got in a trash pile at my school. It's super cute, and it's handmade! Who would want to throw it away? I've decided that when I'm done, I'm going to give it to my Aunt Carmen. She's Gabriella's mom.

Their trash is MY treasure!

Ah, sounds so French!

I've drawn little vignettes and pasted some pressed flowers and leaves on each page. I also wrote a few things for her to keep her spirit up. She's been having a rough time with cancer, and I wanted her to feel loved. The book is mostly nonsensical and a little weird, but I hope she'll like it. Here are some pages from the book:

I got these clippings from a book in German, I think.

Ferdinand Lassalle in a Warhol kind of style. Green and purple suit him, I think.

It's kind of a bad habit of mine to give away the stuff I make all the time. Guess I need to take some good photos for my records and for this blog! It's decided then! My next big purchase shall be....

A DIGITAL CAMERA! <(*-*<)

My Precious!

It feels nice to be home after a not so long but tiring day. Last night was one of the worst sleeps I've ever had in my life. It wasn't even the storm! It's this dumb pain in my back that's been getting me lately... Darn my lower back!

Well today I stopped by a store that I've come to love in Atlanta called Sam Flax to get a sketchbook after my class today. I actually needed it FOR the class but was able to make due with an older one, so I'll have to move the sketches I did in class over to the new one. I decided to change it up and get a book with a horizontal orientation. It's not too big, but it'll do.

The new book! I think I'll name it Harry.

Harry's first words.

Our teacher, his name is Theo, told us that the concept work we do in the sketchbook will be a big part of our grade for the class. This at first made me nervous, but then I started to really think about it. Sometimes I don't feel like I sketch or doodle as much anymore, and this is a great chance to get back in the habit and also let loose. It's not just a class sketchbook but like an artist journal. I've already put a little doodle on the first page! It's the inaugural doodle!

Oh, no! There goes Tokyo! Oh, oh, Blob-ZILLA!

I always get super excited about a new sketchbook, but this one feels different. Maybe I'll post some pages up for people to see like the sketchbook project? -And since I've decided to doodle more often for fun, I have another little drawing to show. It's called "Starlight". I found this funky Japanese paper at Sam Flax for $1 and decided to get it.

By the way, I do like Muse and listen to their music a lot!

I wonder what tomorrow has in store?? <(*-*<)

Quest for Myself!

I am sitting at the dining table, scared out of my wits because a storm is a'brewin'. I'm sure the neighbor's outside dogs are more on edge than I am...

Well, I've been working on some homework for my first Monday class. It's called The Business of Illustration. Our first assignment is to create at least 10 thumbnails for our own personal logo which will go on our promotional material such as business cards and stationary! Jay, our teacher, said that we didn't have to feel constricted by the word logo. More than anything, he wanted a simple and readable image that represents us.

 Well, I thought this would be a cake walk, but it seems I don't know myself that well. I even wrote a list about ME. It's entitled Jessica: Who the hell is she, and what the hell is she all about?! I've got words on their like childish, carefree, and pudgy... After that, I decided to move on to the sketching step. For the first filled page, I took inspiration from my initials which are JAR! From there, I thought about how people catch fireflies in jars during the summer. Since I will most likely be a free lance artist, it made sense to have the firefly represent me and my ideas, what I can bring to the table for a client artistically. The jar and the act of being caught is like being hired. Hmm... It makes more sense in my head...

I even drew a funny little firefly with dinky little legs! She's even got long lashes like me!

I thought the lil' fireflies looked like mini Navis! Less annoying, though.

Jay also showed us some student examples where people put little self portraits. My mom thought it might be cute if I drew myself in the style of some characters I did recently for a comic strip, but all the characters are animals...

"What animal do you think I am, mom?" I ask her in Spanish.

"A bunny because you are so cute and fluffy!" she laughs, giving me a hug. I sigh... pudgy AND fluffy?

I admit that's not what I look like, but it's pretty close! <(*-*<)

If This Nation Ever Needed Heroes, That Time Is Now!

I want to start with something a little older because it is a piece that I am particularly proud of. It's called   Take Action.

The inspiration actually came from a friend who had been catching up on her comics. She had been reading through Marvel's Civil War storyline and thought it would be a marvelous (haha!) idea to do a poster about the "Superhuman Registration Act".

For those not caught up in the Marvel Universe, I'll do my best to explain. Because of different tragic and also destructive incidents involving superheroes (The Hulk, New Warriors), a new rule was put forth by the United States stating that all people with powers must reveal themselves to the government, register their information, and be trained in order to use their abilities in a responsible manner. This caused a rift to grow in the mutant community. The Pro- Registration side, led by Tony Stark, believed it a responsible and also necessary step forward. The Anti- Registration side, led by Captain America, felt that their right to keep their secret identity and in turn keep families or friends safe should not be compromised. After a heated debate with my friend Bethany, we decided it would be more exciting to take the "Anti" stance.

I made the poster messy with little structure to capture the tension I'm sure was felt by the different characters throughout this story arch but also the nation at large. I also wanted it to have a young and rebellious feel so I chose the grunge type font, sort of like graffiti, and also the colors green, purple, and blue. Something bright to pop against the black. Those colors also happen to be my favorite candy flavors (sour apple, blue raspberry, and grape)! For the rally aspect, I wanted images of iconic heroes that could speak to the audience my poster was supposed to engage. I felt each character's personality would be receptive to this idea and also stand behind it. The quote at the top is from Captain America. It seemed a poignant addition since Bethany told me that Captain American was assassinated at the end of the story arch. The quote reads, "This nation was founded on one principal above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe in, no matter the odds or the consequences."


I ended up getting a B on the assignment. Not too shabby. <(*-*<)

New year, new blog!

So, it isn't technically the new year, but I did just start a new quarter in school, so it feels that way!

Anyways, my name is Jessica A Ruiz, and I'm starting this blog as a place to share my projects and artistic endeavors with as many people as possible. I love what I do and hope to make a living as an artist someday. Though I'm not too familiar with the blog scene, I thought it would be a good way to put myself out there.


Well, I guess that's it for now, so I'll wish myself luck! <(*-*<)