Street fashion at it's finest

I have to admit, I kind of have a little thing for fashion, especially street fashion. I used to get Shojo Beat magazine as a kid and every once in a while they would do a feature on Japanese street fashion. Before the days of fashion blogs and trend trackers, these articles were the best part of the magazine. I instantly fell in love with the incredibly unique fashions of the Shibuya and Harajuku districts.

A lot of what I absorbed from those photos informed how I dress even to this day. The whimsical mixing and matching of patterns, textures, silhouettes, and materials is addictive. With a few exceptions of the more strict subcultures, a lot of the fashion I like comes with the "I wear what I want" vibe. Crazy random pieces come together to make a cohesive look. As Dee said to me once, "The don't give a fuck attitude is an accessory all it's own."

the original photo page

XO – Clare

Let's go, Red!

Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy make such a great team. They are Gotham's villainous odd couple. Between Harley's wacky antics and blunders and Ivy's idiosyncratic distaste for those less than photosynthetically inclined of Gotham, they are an adorable comedic goldmine.

This piece is for the Batman 75th Anniversary event at Carol and John's Comics TOMORROW! You can buy the original 11"x14" ink drawing for $65 or an 8.5"x11" print for $10. There is a limited number so get 'em while they're hot! A portion of the proceeds will go to Preston's H.O.P.E. The event will run from 10-10 with prizes and gifts for the more spirited attendee's (read - if you have a costume, wear it and get some cool stuff.)

My job is to make people want to gamble.

When I get home from work, I make all the cool art you guys have seen so far on this blog. During the day, I design attention grabbing art for games played at bingo halls, bars, and charitable gaming events. While I can't show you the full art for confidentiality reasons, I can show you parts. My designs are always very character driven as I try to create a narrative for every game.

XO – Clare

What kind of pickle were you in high school? Click to take the quiz!

Sorry, no quiz here. Just some personified varieties of pickles. I have been very entertained by all of the quizzes flying around social media lately. What high school stereotype are you? (Bet you I get the arty kid!) Which Mesopotamian deity are you? What kind of British Isles cheese are you?  How many goats are you worth? (The goat quiz is real) I can't wait for the day someone does a "what kind of pickle are you" quiz!

XO – Clare

Everything is Rosie

Who doesn't love Rosie from the Saturday morning cartoons of yore? The adorable and funny cyber maid of the future from The Jetsons is a classic robot darling.

XO - Clare

If there's a steady paycheck...

"Do you believe in UFOs, astral projections, mental telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full trance mediums, the Loch Ness monster and the theory of Atlantis?"

"Ah, if there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say."

Who doesn't love Winston Zeddemore? When we first decided to do a Rule 63 (gender-bender) theme for the week, I had some trouble coming up with a subject. There are just so many great characters to choose from. Tim mentioned that I do something Ghostbusters themed, and so Winnie Zeddemore was born. I wanted her to be a bold and sexy Ghostbuster with a 70's Pam Grier kind of vibe.

XO - Clare

I'm Clare! Illustrator, Geek, Tatted Up Jack of All Trades

Hi there! My name is Clare. I'm an artist from Cleveland, Ohio. By day, I design and illustrate bingo cards and games. By night, I freelance as an illustrator, artist and blogger with a zillion hobbies like making crazy pies and getting tattoos to name a few. It's a hectic lifestyle with very little time to take it easy, but it is what it is. Busy is fun!

Art for a bingo game I made

I work in vectors all day and sometimes for my freelance as well, but I have been getting back into traditional media lately. I've developed a fondness for markers and really want to hone my skills. A full set of Copic markers would amazing and wonderful, wouldn't it?

Done in Faber-Castell Pitt markers

My work usually ends up having a very cute feel to it. In college, my heart was set on being a children's book illustrator. A year working as a children's product designer made me reevaluate my goals. That is not to say I did not enjoy my creations, but I felt like I wanted my work to be something different. I always had a soft spot for cute art that had a second angle be it sexy, scary, or trippy. Chris Sanders, Junko Mizuno, 64 Colors and so many others inspired my ever still evolving "cute with an twist" style.

In the last few months, my art world has positively exploded as compared to before. While I don't have time to play video games anymore, (I miss Minecraft so bad) I spend my time at Drink and Draw, Dr. Sketchy (both Cleveland and Akron,) and any other art event I can work my way into. I'm loving every minute. I have found a great support group in my friends here and in the community.

Tonight I will be drawing in the Great Lakes Brewing Tasting Room for Comic Book Heritage Night, and tomorrow and Sunday I will be at Cleveland Concoction hawking my stickers and prints and doing sketches. I hope to see you this weekend!

You can find me here too:

My website
DeviantART
Instagram
Twitter
Tumblr
The Darling Apartment
Pinterest

XO - Clare

I'm just a cute little elephant.

Tree Trunks is my absolute favorite Adventure Time character. The first episode I saw was about her, and I fell in love. It doesn't get much cuter than Tree Trunks in the land of Ooo. She's a tiny elephant who likes to bake apple pies! Come on! She is the character I would imagine myself as in the Adventure Time universe.

-Clare

Algebraic Sneak Peek

Here is the beginning of my Adventure Time scribble for this weeks challenge. More work incoming!

Say No to Drugs! Say Yes to Pizza!

A quick little colored pencil sketch from this morning. I really wish I had more time for this one. This week kind of got away from me. Oh well, enjoy some Mikey enjoying some pizza!

-Clare

Bubble Babe Wonder Woman

With Free Comic Book Day coming up, I am in full merchandise mode. I printed stickers and have been drawing up a storm on Artist Trading Cards to sell at my table. Wonder Woman will be available for sale at Free Comic Book Day at Carol and John's Comics today and tomorrow. Prints are available upon request.

Bacon Challenge - Adventure Time Bacon Princess

This Saturday is International Bacon Day. Dee and I are celebrating with bacon art! I have been on a huge Adventure Time kick lately, and I especially love the weird princesses. Hot Dog Princess? Embryo Princess? It's hilarious! Now, I know there is Breakfast Princess with a bacon crown, but I wanted a dedicated Bacon Princess. Here she is!

XO - Clare

Kitty Frog Kaiju Thing

*pant pant pant* I have been so busy these last few weeks! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post my part of our second challenge. My kitty-kaiju creation is terrifying according to my boyfriend, Tyler. It's another one of those drawings I start with the intent to be cute, and it turns creepy. It's a weird phenomenon that I'm sure will happen again over the course of this blog.