hello-magpie

Hey friends! I know it's been awhile - figured I should update my journal & let you know about some new(ish) art-related adventures.

Like a lot of other folks, I've mostly migrated over to Tumblr for more frequent art posting - I'll still post finished pieces up on my DA gallery when I remember, but if you like what I do and you want to see a little more (like sketches and other extra bits) you're welcome to follow me over there - magpiestudio.tumblr.com !

I've also opened up a Redbubble shop at www.redbubble.com/people/hello… where you can find some of my newer illustration work on cool things like stickers, t-shirts, bags, phone cases, etc. Check it out & feel free to let me know if there's other stuff you'd like to see up there. 

Life stuff: still living in the Boston area, still teaching & making art with teens (in different, sometimes out-of-school settings), working on a long-term comic project with my partner , learning & loving Manga Studio 5, mostly making monsters and daydreaming about demons (like I do). Hope y'all are well!

So I haven't written a journal entry since Filbert got my first DD, and haven't been very active on DA much either, but now I need to say a big thank you again to for suggesting The May Queen, and much love and thanks to everyone who commented and added it to favorites and groups! It's an old piece but one I'm still fond of, and I'm honored that it struck a chord with so many other people.

To new followers and old friends, a quick update on where I am in art & life: I'm not making much of my own work at the moment because I'm super busy being a first-year full-time art teacher! It's a crazy, all-consuming job, but I get to work with over 200 inspiring young artists, and hopefully once summer comes around I'll have time and energy again to work on my own projects.

I also want to give a shout out & thanks to the person who donated her beautiful hair to the May Queen assemblage: if you like my gallery, you will probably love the work of my partner, , who is currently making lots of new and beautiful things and has opened commissions!

Thanks again, hope to be back with more art in a little while!

My first Daily Deviation---what a lovely surprise to wake up to this morning! Thank you so much to for the feature, and to everyone who flooded my inbox with comments and favorites! I wish I could respond to everybody, but I just wanted to let y'all know here how much I appreciate all the support.

I'm very behind in photographing my work right now, but I have some new critters that will be appearing in the next few weeks so keep your eyes peeled.

Until then, take care and thank you all again!

My gifted 3-month subscription ran out a little while ago...and then somebody just gifted me another one! Anonymously both times, so I don't know if it was the same person or two different people, but whoever you are, thank you for being such a kind soul!

I will take this "thank you!" journal opportunity to let y'all know what I'm up to and why my gallery has been stagnant again (sorry!). I just got done moving to the lovely Boston area (with my lovely partner and our lovely rats) and still have yet to set up my studio space (oh my god I'm gonna actually have a studio space) so most of what I've been doing has been small stuff in my sketchbook. Buuuut...you can expect new and bigger things from me soonish because I'm GOING BACK TO SCHOOL! I got accepted into Lesley University's Teacher of Visual Arts grad program, and in addition to learning about teaching I'll be taking visual art studios at the Art Institute of Boston. So I'm taking the first steps towards getting licensed to teach art to high school students, AND I get to keep learning new media (ceramics and printmaking, you thought I'd forgotten about you, but here I come). So excited.

Soooo...hopefully there will be more new stuff in my gallery come first semester, and if I can kick my own butt into gear I'll try to make some things worth showing this summer too. In any case I've spotted a meme or two that I think I want to do (when did I turn into such a meme nerd?), or you'll get more fanart, ha.

In other news that you totally don't care about at all, my new apartment has an antique claw-foot tub and I took a bubble bath and it was the best. The end.

A little update on me, and then some recommendations!

I am currently:
an artist mentor at an incredible non-profit after-school art studio for high schoolers, New Urban Arts
applying to graduate school for art education
keeping  a regular sketchbook for the first time in years
panicking about moving
holding it together

Things you can expect in my gallery in the next few weeks:
some more sketchbook pages
a few more finished pieces to flesh out my grad school portfolio
my half of an art trade with
hopefully, a long overdue piece inspired by the Collector for the awesomely patient

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Looking for more art?

, my other/better half, who is currently open for commissions! She does incredibly beautiful work and if you're here because you like what you see on this page, you should go check hers out...I stole it all.

, my totally awesome sister, who's finishing up her senior year of high school and currently uploading gorgeous mixed-media works from her AP concentration artists' book.