Don Juan's

Though the photo doesn't do it justice, this is just one of many masterpieces painted on the walls of the locally famous restaurant, Don Juan's, in Lexington, NC.  All of the murals here were painted by local artist Chip Holton.  It takes a lot of skill to impress my taste, but Chip has yet to disappoint!  This mural in particular actually strongly reminds me of one of my own paintings that I did for a friend.
This is a great idea to open up a space.  I love the look of it!  There are several of these cut outs along the wall inside the restaurant.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

These are some pictures I took earlier tonight heading from Salisbury to High Point.  It was around nine o'clock when I took the first one and the third one was taken less than ten minutes later.  Too bad I didn't get a lightning shot... it was pretty intense.  Luckily, the storm seemed to stay just beyond where I was going!

My Weenie Has a First Name, It's O-S-C-A-R...

This is my little mini weenie, Oscar.  He's not too bright, but hey, you can't have it all.  At least he's softer than his brother, that's right, Mayer.

Yes, It Is a Staircase

There's not much special about this staircase, but I thought I would share it nonetheless.  At the time, I was searching for images to draw using 1 pt. perspective, but I deemed this one to be too tedious for the time constraint.  Still, it does show nice uses of brick and stonework, though I wouldn't necessarily have paired them quite like this.  Also, I am fond of the big red tree in the distance!

Old St. Peter's

I'm not too fond of this, and I was even less fond of the project, but I still enjoy the simplicity and clean lines of this pic!

It's Like Wonderfulness in your Mouth!

This is perhaps the best drink ever!!!  I was one of the first to notice it's arrival in our studio drink machine, and I could not get enough of it!  Until, at $2 a pop, it quickly became out of my budget!  It's everything you could expect from the description "sparkling lemon juice", but in a good way!  A great way!!!  If you've never had one, jump on the opportunity if you ever see one!

A Few of My Favorite Things

These pictures were drawn as one, but were done on separate papers. But, together, they give a brief insight to some of the important and/or meaningful things in my life. The most important of these being my best friend and life partner, Jaleel Rae'mond Cheek. I love you baby!

Foot Fetish

It seems that no matter what time of year it is, it is increasingly more difficult to find people who wear shoes and not Rainbows.

In Case You Ever Need to Know the Dimensions of a Lead Holder

This was a quick drafting assignment I did in my sketchbook... Turns out that  it's really hard to use drafting tools with spiral bounding in the way.

Dr. Count Frankenstomache

As a junior, it seemed like lunch would never come!  So, to joke about our starvation, my friend and I invented this guy, launching a whole comic series about how hungry we were! 

Neal's Dead Fish

I've always loved the idea of drawing fish, but I've never been good at it.  So, when I found these two baggied fish lying on my friend's desk, I snatched them up just long enough to draw them.  They had very exquisite forms, and since they were dead, I didn't have to worry about confusing them or waiting on them to stay still!  I also decided to draw them as how they might look if they were still alive!  Moral of the story...Don't buy fish from Walmart!

Story Bored

This is a story board I did summarizing a fable...but I can't even remember what it was called!  Oh well, I still enjoy my illustrations and hope you do too!

IHOP Big Steak Omelette

Talk about a glorious dinner!  [Actually, after weeks of eating in the Caf, anything would be glorious.]  Me and my friends discovered that, every week, the IHOP near UNCG hosts a College Night, where EVERYTHING ON THE MENU IS HALF OFF!!!!  Here's the menu where I found this tasty meal.

Poor Giovanni

This sad image looks like only a father could love it.  But, my boyfriend's Jeep, Giovanni, was not this pathetic looking!  This is supposed to be the glove compartment flanked by two ac vents as seen from the passenger seat.  Not my best...

Musical Studios

This was a collaborative drawing...and I don't even know who I worked with!  After I started this drawing of my desk, other students found their way to it and finished it (as was the assignment!).  Is it bad that I am surprised that it turned out this nicely?

You Mean It's 10:38 and You're Not in Studio?

No, my clock isn't floating.  It's actually sitting on a Food Lion brand Root Beer Soda box that was propped between my headboard and the wall.  Needless to say, college dorms aren't always planned very well...

Who Opened My Cookies?!

Ahh, the few times that I actually had a stash of food in my dorm were nice, but few and far between!  You don't realize until you go to college that, yeah, you might have brownie mix, but do you also have eggs, milk and vegetable oil to make it with?  And then, do you have a pan to bake it in???

A Mix of New, Old and Nature

This was the stunning view of Greensboro from my studio window.  Not shown is downtown Greensboro, but I never tired of watching the shadows of clouds covering and uncovering the tops of the churches, trees and skyscrapers I could see from here!

Ha! Take That!

Though I can't take credit for the overall design of this drawing, I feel like I did a very appealing job of rendering it and of adding my own style to it.  Over all, I just want it to be proof that yes, I CAN TOO DRAFT!

Falling for Fallingwater

I was in awe when I was lucky enough to tour Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater.  This is a view of the front of the house.  When I was standing there, there was just a huge sense of unity between the building and nature.  The rhododendron was everywhere and I felt like it was as an important piece of the puzzle as the house itself!

Pitching Tents

I don't know why, but I've always loved pitching tents.  There's just something about their simple yet sturdy construction that appeals to me!

Lights...Mirror...Action!

These are some details that were in the studio room of the Lexington Civic Center.  One is a mirror, and the top two are views of the same glass wall sconce.  I had time to draw these while Jaleel was busy teaching choreography for the Lexington Youth Theatre production of High School Musical 2.  The mirror is much bigger than it looks here and the sconces were much smaller!

Who Wouldn't Want to Live with This?

When asked to draw my bedroom (or in this case, dorm room) in its current state from memory, I already knew it would be a synch. How long could it take to make a bunch of scribbles across the page?!

Pure and Simple

Just passing the time while my Brita pitcher fills up.  I got this great item for Christmas from my sister.  My siblings seem to be the only ones who buy practical stuff!  My brother surprised me with a copy of the awesome book Vanishing Point by Jason Cheeseman-Meyer.

Cartwheel in 3...2..1

Here is a collage I did during a runway show in class! Everyone had designed wearable artifacts inspired by stories we all read.  I created a tape and plastic wrap vest seen here...

Class Exercise

These are two views of the crit. room during a drawing exercise for class.  It was fun to draw so many people at the same time, especially in a class room setting.  I think it's funny to see how differently people position themselves while drawing!

Studio 322

At yet another dance rehearsal with Jaleel, I decided to try out my new grey-scale markers. Jaleel is on the left, then Jennifer and Chamika, his two partners in the dance Mama Meets Mary.  At the moment, they are stretching while watching a video to inspire some of their movements in the dance.

Third Floor, EUC

These are some of the thumbnails I drew when I was exploring the EUC on the third floor. This was the first time that I actually realized the use of thumbnail sketches and view-finders!

Elliot University Center

View of balcony in the eating area.
View of the atrium from my window seat in the eating area upstairs. 

This is a view of an outside corner of the building from the lounge area on the top floor.

You're Getting on Mi-Nerv-as!

The goddess of wisdom, Minerva also serves as an iconic symbol of UNCG.  Though I feel more could be done in the way of celebrating this beautiful statue, there is no denying our Spartan pride!

There are Fish in the Bathtub!

This was drawn during lunch on the campus of UVA.  I fell in love with the house-turned-restaurant!  There were purple walls, great artwork, amazing food and yes, a bathtub in the bathroom with several coy fish swimming around in it! 

But, I have to say... there was NO sweet tea to be found...

Jump Baby!

These are some pics I drew of my boyfriend practicing leaps for a dance.  These legs don't do him justice though! Yum! [Ignore the class notes! ha!]

Dance Baby!

This drawing was inspired by the dance Mama Meets Mary choreographed by Marcus White.  For months, my Jaleel rehearsed for this performance and the first time I saw it I couldn't help but cry!  And the same for the second time I saw it... and the third!

Who Said that Blind Men Can't See?

Here are a couple of blind contours I did in class.  I've loved this style ever since I first learned it in the ninth grade!  It's the best way to get away with drawing in class while keeping the illusion of paying attention to the teacher!

You Betta Dance!

In February, one of my friends was performing in a dance at the Museum of History for a program celebrating black history.  These are some sketches I took during the performance, with the last two being pictures that I developed from two of the skethes.

Ready, and...GO!

For this exercise we had to hurry!  These are gesture drawings of some of my class mates.

This set was done with a time limit of 60 seconds per drawing.  I really like how these turned out, and with many of them you can actually recognize the models!

And these were done with a limit of 30 seconds each.  The last one was fun because it included two people instead of one.

Taking Notes

Here are a few of my classmates during one of our lectures.  Take time to check out Miss UNCG!