Staci\'s a quirky bird

So, Parrish and I have started a new side project, a Marvelous Mustache Merchandise site called Mustache Attack! We’re having way too much fun with it, even developing our own products, like this:

We’re also doing coupon giveaways if you send us a picture of you Mustache Attacking someone! Here’s how:

We’ve been waiting for years to open this store, and we’ve finally done it! Word. Go find yourself something awesome!

If you’re on Pinterest, you’ll get it for sure.

Sometimes you have to crack some skulls when you run your own business. And that’s ok. It’s hard as a woman to be tough sometimes, but boy is it rewarding when you can. Gain face. Bust balls. It’s ok.

Drew this this morning, pretty productive for a Saturday at 8am I’d say. What can I say, I was inspired. If you need some inspiration, watch the video to the right – or go listen to some Sleigh Bells (the band, not the Christmas song) and put your asskicking boots on. Take over the world, one set of nads at a time.

So I finally got my Amazon books and holy cow – I’m totally inspired again.

I cracked these bad boys open and started sketching immediately. Already I’ve learned so much about proportion and how to draw the body from them. I can’t believe I haven’t done this sooner. No, I’m way too headstrong (aka Boneheaded) for that – I’ve got the the “screw-the-manual” attitude that tends to make things way harder for me than they have to be.

As I was sketching, my sketches were all distorted because I was laying the book down flat on the table to draw. So I decided – I needed a drafting table. And then I made it so.

Have I SERIOUSLY never thought to get one of these before? REALLY?! Game changer. Drawing is not only much easier, but more comfortable. I can set my books up (my favorite of the new set is the one here – I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to learn to draw the female form) and sketch next to them. It’s got a ruler. And trays for my goodies. And it was only 60 bucks with my 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby. WINNING. duh.

painted shoeboxes (on left) spunky junky via pinterest, my art on right

I saw this idea to paint shoebox lids in chevrons on Pinterest and thought – I should paint some canvases for that big dead space over my soaker tub! That space has been feeling so blank and boring, especially because I’ve been spending a lot of time in that bathtub reading. So I got a couple of canvases for 13 bucks at Hobby Lobby and some acrylic paint to match our bedroom and went to work.

First step was that I actually drew out the chevrons with a pencil and rulr so that I could hand paint them. If you wanted to do this to make perfect lines, you’d want to tape it off with painter tape.

It took a couple of coats to cover the canvas, then I went back through and painted the white over the center, just to brighten it up. I then whitewashed it (just took some white acrylic paint and watered it down). Super easy, super cheap, and super cute.

It’s something that I think about all of the time. Is creativity a finite resource? Sometimes I feel like it’s all gone. Sometimes I have so many ideas, I can’t keep them straight. So how do you stay inspired?

relax.

That’s I think one of the simultaneously difficult and easy things you can do. You’ve got to take time for yourself and unplug your brain. Go for a walk. Take a nap. Or a bubble bath. Watch the tube. Just unplug your noodle.

do something that inspires you.

Right now, I pinterest. I’ve been at it a week and I’m feeling like a brand new person. Inspiration is all over the place, and I can organize and save it for reference. Priceless. Or, walk around a craft store. Walk through the yarns and the fabrics. Look at some of the crafting books if you’re into that sort of thing. Inspiration, even if it’s not related to the medium that you want to work in, sparks something that gets you moving again.

See art.

Everywhere you look, everything you do, look for art. Yesterday I was washing my hands and admired my sink full of colorful coffee cups that were dirty. From the top, they looked so pretty, the colors all complimented each other so well with the combination of the circles…I should have taken a picture. See? See art.

bide your time.

If you’re feeling down about your creative juices, just wait – tomorrow you’ll probably feel a little better. And if you don’t, you could try something like I listed above and I bet you’ll be back in action in no time. Just know, creativity isn’t finite. You don’t just run out of it. It’s always there inside of you, you just have to pet it every once in a while when it’s sleepy to get it moving again.

So I’ve been slammed all summer with work. Taking too much on as usual. All of June/July was spent moving everyone off our server. All of August was spent redesigning our site. Now, we’re into our busy season – the OMG-I-have-to-be-live-by-xmas season. So, the next few months around here are going to be bananas to say the least. And now that I’m finished complaining, here are the goods.

I’ve posted a few new pieces of art in the doodles on the right, here they are in full size:

We were driving home and I saw this utility pipe cap sticking out of the ground. It was bright yellow and had big twist handles on the front and I immediately loved it. Came home and sketched it out.

This one I did a while ago while watching Doc Hollywood (don’t laugh). As he’s walking down main street, he asks someone how they are and they said, Well I couldn’t be happier if I was twins. I spent the rest of the movie drawing.

Inspiration is the hardest part of art I’ve found. The idea has to come from somewhere, the rest is just practice. Another really difficult thing – drawing mirror images. Notice how light my pencil marks are, I’m totally gunshy to get in there and commit to the design for fear I’ll want to change something. Graphics are so much easier, I don’t ever really have to commit to anything. Does that make me an art-commitment-aphob? I’m working on that.

I have more to share that I made, but it’ll have to wait. They’re gifts and the recipients might be watching! Must.keep.on.dl. This is very hard for me you understand.

Enjoy your holiday weekend (if you’re in the US), meet you back here next week for the post-holiday hangover once again.