It's Time for the November Meetup!


12 year old strong girl via howtobearetronaut


I don't believe that October is over. Yikes...it must be time to crack the whip again. I decided that this month is going to be all about art. I know that sounds silly because all of my time should be about art, but it seems like days go by without me actually doing anything art like. I need to work on that.

Last month I was very happy to get my Etsy shop up. I added 4 new pieces am a slowly figuring out how the Etsy world works. You can check out my shop here.

I also sold my first piece on Etsy...Thank you, Paul!

Here is my November Plan:
  
  1. Get 10 more pieces done for Ladies & Gents series.
  2. Add these prints to Etsy
  3. Rework website...add banner and a link page.
  4. Rework blog...add handwritten bits & buttons, add more illustration.
  5. Start Nursery series... A Victorian inspired children's series. I would love at least 10 pieces done this month...if possible.
  6. Work on large illustrations for website/portfolio.
  7. Buy extra supplies for Holidays.
  8. Get business cards done. I would love to include one with each purchase.
  9. Research charities to get involved with. Does anyone know of any websites or organizations that connect artists to doing good things?
  10. Create a holiday card for family & friends.
  11. Research and experiment making necklaces/lockets with my artwork. Find suppliers.
  12. Start getting my Christmas shopping done(I don't want to panic this year)
  13. Remember to exercise!
  14. Get a better work schedule at the shop.
  15. Find time to help Ashley at Glob Paints.
  16. Research holiday fairs. Am I ready? or should I wait?
  17. Get involved with the SFEtsy.
  18. Remember to draw daily!

So that's my month. WooHoo! Hopefully I will get a lot done. I am looking forward to the holiday season. This is the first year I have anything to sell. I better get drawing. I hope you all have a successful and inspiring November!

I almost forgot. Since I am now on Etsy, do any of you have a shop you would like to share? I would love to see them. Just leave a link to your shop in the comments. Thank you!


What is the Meetup thing, you ask? It is a group of creatives that encourage each other each month to make and complete their goals. Join us...it is an amazing to watch the progress of others and yourself...
Contact Liz for more info here.




Haunted Buster Keaton

Here is a cute little video of the incredible Buster Keaton with some lovely haunted house bits, add to this, the bonus soundtrack by one of my favorite spooky bands, Dead Man's Bones...Enjoy!

New Illustration - Into the Woods

 As many of you may know, I have a deep passion for all things dark. Illustrating fairy tales is a great way to get some of this "Grimm" creativity unleashed. I just love painting a world of darkness. I like strong heroines that will usually survive the harshness that come their way. This is the case with my new illustration, "Into the Woods". The young girl is set out on her own as a punishment and she must face her deepest fears...and all the creepy harmful beings in the woods. Will she survive? Well, I'm creating her as a fighter...but only the next illustration will tell.

"Into the Woods" by Debra Styer is 6x8, painted with Watercolor and Gouache.

A closer look....

What is your favorite Fairy Tale? Do you like your stories spooky or sweet?
Oh yeah...a print of this lovely illustration is available in my shop!

whole lotta shaking going on...

It's late and I can't concentrate because we had two different strong earthquakes today in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was very nerve racking and felt very strong. My whole house shook. There is no damage that I've heard of yet, but even that little bit of fear gets to you. Man, I need a drink. Oh...did I mention our local bay area crazy person, Harold Camping, has predicted tomorrow as the day the world ends...

So why all this shaking going on? Who knows it must be...





Ok...I know that I can just ring this up as another weird day in earthquake country. I hope I get some sleep tonight.

How do you calm your nerves? Anyone have any secrets?

Haunted Places

I thought I share this amazing haunted house I walked by the other day in Alameda, CA. I love when people have such passion for these things. It really made my day. My friend told that the folks behind this amazingness are set designers and, man you really can see that they do this for a living. Great job!

Here is a peek at their transformed house...


Donner Hotel "All You Can Eat Buffet" ha..ha..
Mister Bones
DOA Corral
So fun...I must make it there when it is dark out.

The Black Cat and The White Mouse.

I just wanted to share my newest illustration of a black cat vs a white mouse. It was really rewarding to paint. I love trying to get the expressions of my subjects just right and the mouth on the kitty was a fun challenge.

I hope you like it...


 Merrrroooowwww....Look into his eyes...
The print of this illustration is 5 x 7 inches and was created with Watercolor and Gouache.

And he is available in my Etsy shop too.

Creepy Vintage Halloween Masks are here!

It is that time of year again. The time to look back at all the scary covered faces of yesteryear. I love these things. The more handmade the better. There is just something so right about all the awkwardness of these costumes. They feel real. They feel genuine. They feel good.

I did include some pretty ones too. I always attempt a really pretty mask/costume every year but they seem to end up being more of a wabi sabi finish. But that is OK right? It is just Halloween. So get out there, make what you can and have tons of fun.

Little wicked Witch via tissueclouds


Clara Bow and a scary clown mask via Carbonated
Love the laughing girl via izismile.com
Ok so this not a vintage one but isn't this Owl mask from Martha Stewart perfect?
Love this Bird make via Costumerism
Creepy kids via Shorpy




Which animal is this? via thanatosdotnet
Black or white circa 1911 via shorpy
Amazing Victorian Mask/Hat via VintageGal
Classic Skeleton...done extra creepy style...via Carbonated
What will you be this year?

Raise Your Hand for...The Girl Effect


Writing about The Girl Effect really makes me appreciate my freedom. As a middle class, educated, white woman from a nice small town I had all the advantages in my life. I went to a good public school, took art classes, was in show choir and chorus. I left home and moved to the big city to go to art school. I learned, I laughed and I tried my hand at love. The world was open to me and I could choose to be anyone I wanted (well, at least to a certain degree).

When I look around at the world I know some girls just are not as lucky as I am. They don't get the freedom to enjoy their lives as others do. They are forced into the role of mother and wife as soon as their body allows it.  Some of these girls are as young as 12 when they are married off to men they didn't choose. And I wonder how can they be happy?

So what makes these girls different from you and me? Not much, except the place and the circumstances in which they were born. Do they not want something more from their lives? Well, of course they do. But society and tradition has told their parents girls aren't worth educating. They have too much work to do to waste on anything as silly as education for girls. This need to change.

  Allowing these girls to become educated young women before they are mothers would make a huge difference in the world and the town they live in.  Imagine a world were woman were strong and they could take care of themselves and each other. They wouldn't be stuck in their lives as they are now. They could work outside the home and have careers. They could have the seemingly simple freedom to live the normal dramatic teenage life without the worrying if their children are safe at every moment.

These girls not only need a change, they need a revolution. The Revolution is not only for the girls themselves but the whole world. People need to know that these injustices are still going on. We bloggers are trying to change that, we are trying to get the word out about the reality of the others' lives. We need to show some humanity and some humility in pointing out how others live and trying to do something about it. And we have to do it with respect to all those involved with the changes or it won't work! Most importantly, we must remember to ask these girls themselves, "What do you want?" "How can we help YOU?", because it might be different from what we imagine.


So what can you? First you can learn the truth about the struggles of these girls. Talk about it, write about it. Give some money if you can.

What am I doing? I created this illustration. I am listing it in my Etsy shop and 25% of the proceeds will go directly to The Girl Effect. It may be a little thing but to me, if everyone does just one thing...it will add up. And we can make a difference.

Raising Hands by bluehour studio
 So what will you do?

To get a my Raising Hands (for The Girl Effect) Print click here.


This post is part of a week long Girl Effect Blogging Campaign.  It was started by the wonderful Tara Sophia Mohr after she learned about The Girl Effect last year. She simply asked other bloggers to spread the word.  Check out what other bloggers have written about the girl effect here. If you are moved. Write something in your blog and keep the movement going.

It's time for the October Meetup!



Trying to keep some balance...via How To Be A Retronaut
I don't believe that it is October already...Where the hell did the time go? Yikes...Well, it has been a crazy couple of months...but I did manage to complete a few things...

  1. I'm on Etsy! It has only been a couple of weeks but I'm am so happy to get this going. I still have a few weeks  to make but I am excited with the possibilities. Here is my shop!
  2. I'm got on Illustration Mundo! Ok I'm a nerd...but I am happy to be official part of this amazing illustration site. Here's me.
  3. I started my own Tumblr site. It has been so fun just to play around with the things that inspire me. It is called, Little Penny Dreadful and I hope you like it.
So what's up for October?
  1. Get more of my art on my Etsy site. I would like to get 2 new pieces a week done. I've never done a holiday season before so I am a bit nervous, but I am part of the "Holiday Bootcamp" and am learning a lot.
  2. Blog 3 or more times a week. I need to keep a good schedule going and I would love to add more artwork to my blog.
  3.  Keep adding more work to the portfolio page on my website.
  4. I need to start thinking about the Big Picture and start introducing myself to magazines and websites.
  5. Make a Halloween costume for Virginia City...I'm thinking of being a silent film star...
  6. Illustration Friday...2x a month.
  7. Keep working on my Ladies & Gents series. Create a few more portraits...write their stories.
  8. Keep fighting off my procrastinating by making better daily schedules and sticking to them.
  9. Keep a solid schedule at New Bohemia Signs (10 to 15 hours a week)and practice my lettering every week.
  10. Keep up with my homework, meditation and exercise for my Integral class.
  11. Find balance...Is this is possible?
  12. Research possible new income streams...
So busy, busy, busy...I think it will be a good month. I'm looking forward to the big challenge is ahead. But I think I am ready for it.

I hope you all have a great month ahead, full of accomplishments and goals made. October seems like the make it or break it month for the holiday season...so let's all kick a bit of ass this month.


What is the Meetup thing, you ask? It is a group of creatives that encourage each other each month to make and complete their goals. Join us...it is an amazing to watch the progress of others and yourself...
Contact Liz for more info here.



Spooky Victorian Spirit Photography...

I can't think of a better way to start off my Halloween Season than having a showcase of Victorian Spirit photography. I love these things. Generally, I think most of these photographs are pretty hilarious but there are a few are downright creepy...

I suppose the awful truth about these photographs is the fact there was so much death surrounding the lives of the Victorians. In some way, maybe these photographers helped the subjects cope with the loss of their loved ones. With the invention of this new technology and a little bit of trickery, the photographers were able to create things never seen before. Perhaps these photographers could now capture something that only existed in one's own mind. Maybe that is why I am so attracted to them.

Get ready for some spookiness...

Man Reading with Female Spirit Behind by Phillip Bros...via photographymuseum

Spirit photo by William Hope via moolf
"Woman with Two Boys"...and a ghost by Willian Hope via GuardianUK


Spirit and Medium by Frederick Hudson
A Medium and the Emission by Albert Von Schrenck-Notzing

"The Ghost of Bernadette Soubirous", by Anonymous via...dieselpunks
"11", by Reeves, 1872
Seance by John Beattie via Dark in the dark
Mrs. French of Boston with her Spirit Son, by William Mumler circa 1868 via Photography Museum
Eugene Thiebault, "Publicity Photograph: Henri Robin and a Specter" 1863
If you are interested, here is a wonderful post I found from the blog,  "The Haunted Museum".  It will give you a really  good history of Victorian Spirit Photography and some more wonderful photographs, as well. Enjoy!

Have  spooky evening, Everyone...

Falling into Fall

I love fall it is my favorite time of year. I love gearing up towards Halloween and getting ready to share in some spookiness. I love seeing the colors of the leaves change. I will admit, I do miss seeing the wonderful yellows, oranges and reds now that I live on the west coast. It is here but it is not quite as vibrant. But still, there is that wonderful crispness in the air that I love. I feel more alive with it. And for some reason, it seems to propel me to do a lot work. Which is a very good thing, and I have been in the dream mode of creating all sorts of new art lately. Now to just get it down on paper.

Here are some lovely paintings & photographs that get me into a creative Autumn mood:

Alphonse Mucha, Fruit


Can't you smell the crispness of the air here? Autochrome via George Eastman House

Amy Hughes by Charles Lutwidge Dodge(Aka Lewis Caroll)
Another wonderful one by Alphonse Mucha, "Autumn" from the Four Seasons

Autumn Gold by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880



"I Wait" by Julia Margaret Cameron
Autumn by Giuseppe Arcimboldo



I'm quite excited about these season of changes.  It will be a very busy one full of work, mini-trips (Virginia City & Tahoe) and fun. San Francisco's summer seems to happen in the fall.  I better get into my Halloween mode soon too. What will I be this year? I better get planning...

What are you getting excited for in the next few months?

Hope you enjoy the fall!

Happy Monday!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I sure did. It is going to be a very busy week for me. I am trying to get my Etsy shop open for business. Here's to loads of productivity!

I did allow myself a bit of a break though, where I found this lovely and creepily wonderful animation I found by Rodrigo Blaas. Hope you enjoy it.



Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo.