Granny Stitch Headband

This is a cute blue and grey headband I made to keep my locs out of my face this summer. I plan on making lots of these because I don't like the way ponytails look with my locs being this short right now.

Here is the link to the PDF version of the pattern. Please let me know if I made any mistakes or if you have any questions. Happy Hooking :)

Granny Stitch Headband Pattern

An artist to-morrow and an artist yesterday - but never and artist to-day

When I introduce myself, I say I am a teacher. I list painting and drawing as a hobby. But I never tell people I am an artist. Quite the contrary, I will deny any title that labels as me as such. But why? After all when I was in High School I toyed with the idea of being a painter by night and a teacher by day. I did go to art school, I spent a month painting in Paris, I have a studio in my apartment. So why do I furiously deny anyone who dare say I am an artist? I think being an artists is like being in love, either you are or you are not. It is a state of being. I don't "feel" like an artist, and I have not achieved anything as an artist...yet... Instead, I feel like a talented, creative, individual, on the cusp of what could be a great teaching career. Maybe tomorrow I might feel differently, maybe tomorrow I will be an artist. But certainly not today....

Braids

This is a sketch that is part of a series of drawings I have been mulling over secretly in the dead of night in a sketchbook I keep beneath my pillow. I don't know if it will ever come to fruition, or if this means I am slowly moving out of my current state of art alienation. I have not produced any of my own work in over a year for a lot of complicated reasons which I am still dealing with. But I wanted to share my drawing, maybe as a way for me to show that somewhere in side of me there is an artist biding her time...

Fog

And the sound of the rain
Against my windowpane
Is slowly, is slowly drivin' me insane, boy.
- Mary J. Blige,  I'm Going Down

Crisp

There is nothing...

...quite like falling in love in Brooklyn...

Nooo!!!

Fall

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: John S
Flash: Off
Film: Kodot Verichrome

Good Morning

Childhood Relic

The Legitimacy of Painting

She said children love to paint because it brings legitimacy to their work. Painting connects them to that long artistic tradition with the likes of Picasso, van Gogh and Matisse. Is that why I have such a hard time letting go of oils as a medium? I was after all taught that great artists paint in oils. You cannot call yourself a painter if you do not paint in oils. Even the artists I most admire, call themselves illustrators, not artists or painters. Is it because they feel the same way? That because they use watercolor or ball point pen that they are not worthy of the term artist? And why do I continue to struggle with oils, knowing I could much better results in the other mediums I have learned and love?

It is always possible to start over...

The best thing about life is that it is always possible to start over. It may not always be a fresh page, but it is a new start none the less. This is my new start, and it's a start that is built on top of my mistakes. But learning from your mistakes creates a strong foundation to grow on. And so it begins...

Ok. I lied.

I am a bad blogger. Fine. I'm sure your bad at some stuff too. But Hey!!! Look!!!! I come with hair updates!!!!

I am about 3 weeks into my locing progress, and I have some nice (albeit dirty) new growth.


root shot, 2/4

I've already washed and twisted my hair once, and I will do so again this weekend after my ski trip. I'm hoping the chlorinated water from the indoor pool will promote spontaneous locing and I will have beautiful long locs by the time I get back *le sigh*. So here is some visual goodness:

This is the last set of TST I will ever put in, Jan 17, 2009

Root Shot:


First Washing, 1/26



root shot:

Big decisions for '09: Locs

After experiencing some serious loc envy of my dad, girls on the train, and Lauryn Hill, after toying with the idea for a few months, I have decided to loc my hair. Last night I put in my last set of two strand twists. As much as I love my twist-outs i cant take the combing and re-twisting any more. And i have seen people who got their locs into BEAUTIFUL spiral curls, so I'm not giving up much.

While researching locs, I learned that I am a product junky. Right now I have 2 different bottles of shampoo both half filled, and 3 bottles of conditioner, and several different types of twist gels. I decided that I am gona give up as many products as I can in favor of all natural and or homemade products. My first test:
A Honey Olive Oil twist gel.
2 tbsp Aloe Vera gel
1 tbsp of Olive Oil
1 tsp of honey.
1 vitamin E capsule
next time add: a few drops of maybe lavender EO
Pros: Holds like white on rice.
Cons: I don't like the smell, but a little bit of essential oil should fix that next time. It also got sticky after a while and I had to keep a wet towel handy to wipe my hands on so I didn't gunk up my hair.
Verdict: I will keep using it, it held really well and my hair feels really nice.

I will keep you guys posted on how things are going, and as soon as I get back home form Ganny's house, I will upload some pics.

Lifesavers...

don't actually save lives. In fact, the increase your risk of death by dentist by 56% per package eaten. Gummie Bears on the other hand are quite handy in tight situations.

the big red balloon

Moe just came back from the circus, and look what he's brought back!!!




Best Friends by Dana Allexis Miller is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Going back the way you came to find out when and where you lost your way

I was looking back through my old sketch books trying to find out when and where art stopped being fun, when painting became a painful chore instead of the joy of expression. I know it happen somewhere during sophomore year, and I am determined to go back to where I was freshman year and pick up there. I'm tired of catering to the needs and tastes of my fellow classmates to live up to some kind of imaginary and arbitrary artistic standard. This idea of going back to painting they way I used to, without trying to give it some kind of meaning or purpose in the art world, fills me with a sense of excitement I've missed over the last two years.

Because pigs CAN fly in my opinion...

Pigs fly in my world, but they are bad fliers and always wind up getting stuck on spits and half naked natives build fires underneath them and roast them and share the porky goodness with the world...

Illustration Friday: Pretend

Playing pretend makes friendships stronger. Little Moe and Teddy will be best friends forever!!!




Best Friends by Dana Allexis Miller is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

I can't draw. Honestly, I can't...

I really should draw more, but every time I pick up a moleskine and a pen, I get scared. I used to draw all the time, but now I'm lucky if I can scratch out doodle. Even my etsy shop is suffering from my inability to draw. Its like 3.5 years of at school has rendered me incapable of making art. Ironic aint it?