The Big Book of Cats is a weekly illustration project. In 1998, I was 11 years old and decided to make a 200 page encyclopedia of anthropomorphic cat girls. I’ve made a vow to honor this horrific piece of literature and redraw every cat girl and post a new drawing along with the original for the internet’s amusement. Want to know more? Read my official introduction here and check out all the drawings so far here!

You’re welcome and I’m so so sorry.

- – -

Today, I regretfully introduce you to Cyndy. I already had a Cindy, so I guess I just loved the name sooo much, I had to get creative with spelling this time. Sheesh. No offense to any Cyndys out there. Just sympathy.

I’m pretty sure Cyndy’s face is another endearing blatant plagiarism attempt, but I don’t remember the source. Copying the styles of cartoons or illustrations I liked was my way of learning when I was a kid, but it’s pretty amusing to look back on.

Cyndy has this sort of sporty, tomboy thing goin’ on, but then you notice the socks and Mary Janes… so weird. Based on some of my recent cat girls, I was clearly very inspired by the idea of shorts paired with unconventional footwear. I dig it.

Drawing-wise, I tried to experiment with combining some linework with my new favorite Photoshop brush* and the lineless technique I always use. I like the look! I’ll probably mess around some more like this. :)

*The brush is from Kyle T Webster’s Ultimate Photoshop Brush Pack 1, by the way! Brush pen setting. I really recommend it! The response to pressure sensitivity on my tablet is great. 

I thought it might be nice to pop in today and talk a little bit about life lately. I realize that I don’t often get super personal on my blog and that’s not really my intention, I’m just usually more interested in sharing artwork, photos, and style related things than writing.

I know I’ve talked about how busy I’ve been lately. May is a crazy month for me! My madness will end a bit after this weekend and I’m going to try hard to get back on the blogging bandwagon. I’ve been skipping outfit photos due to weather and now I’m sunburned from Spring Fling on Saturday and to be real, my face looks like hamburger meat. Not ready to impose that level of Photoshop to try and correct that mess.

I’ve made the decision to skip my weekly cat girl today. I really hate doing that because one of my goals for that project to keep me accountable to a weekly deadline and force me to finish some drawings–also, I know you guys love seeing them and consistency is important! But what is the lesser evil? Rushing to get one done just to get it done or skipping a week because I don’t feel like I can give it the attention it deserves? I usually make that call on a case-by-case basis, but this week I definitely didn’t want to squeeze one in and make it crappy. I’m proud of this project and I don’t want to half-ass it.

I’ve been so tired lately. I think it’s a combination of stress, allergies, medication, and unhealthy habits… I don’t even have that draining of a day job, but by the time I get home at the end of the day, I just want to sleep. That makes me feel really guilty because I know if I want to seriously improve my illustration work, I should be working very hard every day. That’s just what you have to do.

Tomorrow night, some friends and I are leaving for Acen in Chicago! Guys, I am so psyched. Acen has been our yearly tradition since we were little mega nerdy teenagers, but we still keep going! Haha, I can’t even remember the last new anime I watched–besides the necessary Miyazaki movies–but the whole weekend is such a gigantic indulgence in nerd culture. I live for the artist alley, Japanese fashion guests, arcades, awesome and terrible costumes, and the raves–yes, RAVES. Hahaha, it’s all so hilarious and so so much fun. We always bring tons of junk food and drink too much and just act silly and have the best time. I’m very excited to leave my life for a few days come back ready to move forward!

I’m thankful for the shortlist of freelance work I have waiting for me next week, but it’s definitely contributing to my stress at this point. I feel bad putting them on hold, but I just haven’t had the time to give them my necessary attention. I’m going to try and get pumped up for it and tackle it like a champ! Wish me luck! xo

Eeep, I feel like I just posted an Etsy update on the blog not too long ago, but this one is too big not to share!

I had a blast at Spring Fling on Saturday and was able to gather enough energy yesterday to take photos of my lovely leftovers and post some on Etsy. You can check out all the cute girls and junk food brooches here!

I was only able to get a few pouches done in time for Saturday and I sold most of them(!!!), but I have two available for now! I’m going to work on trying to get a few more up in the next week or two.

And yes, I finally added conversation heart rings! I have lots of these pre-made, but don’t want to overwhelm my storefront just yet, so I’ll be adding more eventually, switching some out, etc etc. If you guys have any custom orders you’d like for a specific saying/color, just message me on Etsy and I’d be happy to make one for you! :) xo

Here’s some sneak peeks at what I’ve been working on for the past few weeks for the Spring Fling! All these goodies plus my usual offering of prints, postcards, and small paintings will be for sale at my booth, so come visit! I’m so so excited for this one. It’s going to be beautiful weather and so much fun! :)

My favorite items are my hand-painted brooches! The collection of cute babes just make me really happy when I look at them! :) It will be hard to part with them, to be honest. And I swear my Etsy will be updated ASAP after this show–after the last one, I revisited some of my materials because I wasn’t satisfied with the quality, so I’m sure you’ll forgive me for not listing those.

I also decided to experiment with Spoonflower fabrics and make little zippered pouches/glasses cases with the artwork from my glasses print! I’m totally charmed by them and I’m really excited to try designing more custom fabric projects! Scarves, bags, hair bows… so many possibilities!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone! Even if you’re not lucky enough to attend the Spring Fling. ;) xo

The Big Book of Cats is a weekly illustration project. In 1998, I was 11 years old and decided to make a 200 page encyclopedia of anthropomorphic cat girls. I’ve made a vow to honor this horrific piece of literature and redraw every cat girl and post a new drawing along with the original for the internet’s amusement. Want to know more? Read my official introduction here and check out all the drawings so far here!

You’re welcome and I’m so so sorry.

- – -

Maggs appears to be having a sort of identity crisis. Maybe I’m being too judgmental and her fashion is just too cutting edge for me to ~get. I’m usually a fan of rocking overalls, but I just don’t even know what’s going on here. Also, notice how I decided later on that she needed more boobage and added it with blue pen? Class act.

I wanted the new Maggs to look more like someone whose photo you’d see in FRUiTS rather than People of Walmart, but let’s be real, there’s a pretty big overlap there. And I love each and every one of them!

On Saturday, I finally made the jaunt across the river to downtown Belleville, Illinois, to visit My Vintage Addiction! The lovely little shop was celebrating its first birthday and Hannah (who you may remember, I recently designed a logo for) was having a trunk show for her jewelry line. Both fabulous reasons for my much needed visit!

As you can see, the store is very cute and showcases a great mix of vintage goods and handmade clothing and accessories. We played dress up for a bit in that adorable new dressing room(!!!), but I didn’t get very lucky with dresses that day. I walked away with some jewelry and vintage horse print scarf. And a cookie. I was a happy girl and look forward to my next trip for a more thorough day of thrift/vintage hunting. :)

I’m gearing up for a very busy two weeks. This week I’ll be working hard to finish some last minute goodies for the Spring Fling on May 11, then rushing to get more work done before some friends and I head up to Chicago for a few days on the 16th! All exciting, fun things that are worth a bit of rushing around for. xo

Feeling inspired by floral crowns and the general feeling of spring in the air lately… I have a lot of miscellaneous work to do for some commissions and goodies for my next craft show–which is only a week away now! Eeeep. If you’re a St. Louis local, make sure to check out the Spring Fling! It’s going to be the most fun day. How many shows can boast not only tons of cute vintage, delicious food, live music, and a super cute location, but also a Super Nintendo game lounge?! Um, yeah. It’s going to be rad as hell.

May is a busy busy month for me! I’m trying to keep up and stay productive. Wish me luck. xo

The Big Book of Cats is a weekly illustration project. In 1998, I was 11 years old and decided to make a 200 page encyclopedia of anthropomorphic cat girls. I’ve made a vow to honor this horrific piece of literature and redraw every cat girl and post a new drawing along with the original for the internet’s amusement. Want to know more? Read my official introduction here and check out all the drawings so far here!

You’re welcome and I’m so so sorry.

- – -

Linny’s bio page says she hales from Florida, so I’m going to assume she works at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. Just giving her the benefit of the doubt here.

Did some more experimenting this week. I might hate it. I can’t decide. :/

I always feel a little uncomfortable drawing the super sexy cat ladies… On one hand, I love drawing super sexy ladies, but on the other, I’m really walking the line with this whole anthropomorphic thing. Haha, does the furry potential creep you out?

Cat Shirt c/o The Mountain | Cardigan: Old Navy | Peplum Skirt: F21 | Tights, Flats: Target | Jewelry: Betsey Johnson

When I said my friends showered me in Betsey Johnson jewelry for my birthday, I wasn’t kidding! Here’s just a sample with the adorable matching ring, bracelet, and necklace! The winged heart with a crown motif reminds me of Sailor Moon and we all know I can’t say no to Sailor Moon accessories! Hearts in my eyes over this stuff!

I was contacted by The Mountain to see if I wanted to review one of their printed animal t-shirts in honor of Earth Day and I responded with a resounding “YES”! I’ve seen their awesome collection of shirts before and they’re just perfect. They don’t just have the quintessential cat faces, but tons of different dog breeds, birds, monkeys, and even cows! SO GOOD!

The shirts are thick and comfy, look really pretty up close, and run a little large for their size, which I think is great–very flexible for different sizes/shapes/genders! I definitely recommend checking them out!

Man, this post is really stupidly timed. Not only is not Friday, but my birthday was yesterday! Haha, I’ve had it in the works for days, but I’ve been laying low to fight off a nasty sinus infection, so c’est la vie. I’m feeling better now and was able to have a perfect little low-key gathering of friends last night with board games and pizza. Just what I wanted! :)

The following items are ones I’ve asked friends and family for specifically, things I’ve been considering buying for myself as a birthday present, aaaand a couple dream items.

1. Blue Rosette Dress by Caitlin Shearer  | This one has actually become very bittersweet. This dress was what Andrew was going to get me for my birthday, but I didn’t realize until the last minute that I misread the listing and didn’t realize the sizes were AUS! It doesn’t actually come in my size! I’m completely heart broken, but I’ve contacted Caitlin and we’ll see if I can beg her to make something, ANYTHING in my size because I’ve been dying for one of her pieces for ages. :(

2. Doc Martens | I’ve wanted a pair of Doc Marten boots for years–probably a decade of thrift store hunting at this point. They’ve proven to be such a great fashion staple. They’ll last forever, go with almost any outfit, and are pretty much timeless at this point. I need to just commit and finally buy a pair!

3. Catherine Street Pipa Bag by Kate Spade | Haha, this is my dream item, but I recently saw this bag in person and I just melted. LOVE. In the past few years, I’ve made a resolution to cut back and only buy high quality bags once every year or two. I used to buy cheap purses every few months from Target or the mall, but they end up dying painful, ugly deaths. Who knows, maybe I’ll go nuts and indulge in this baby for my 2013 bag.

4. Ida Heels by B.A.I.T. Footwear | Another pair of shoes I’ve been wanting for ages. So cute and they’re available in the dreamiest ice cream colors!

5. Betsey Johnson Alligator Ring | I specifically told all my friends that I wanted to start collecting Betsy Johnson jewelry and they did not disappoint! I didn’t get my alligator ring–I foolishy walked away from it in Nordstrom Rack months ago and have regretted it ever since–but I got lots of other glittery goodies that I can’t wait to share with you guys!

6. Dress Form | I want a dress form to make my sewing habit easier! I always try to work without patterns or modify them to fit me and it’s so annoying to keep taking it on and off as I work. I always sit there sewing in my underwear! Haha.

7. Hime Gyaru Nails by Aya’s Kawaii Mono Ya San | I looove Japanese nail art. I want to start a collection of fake nail sets, too!