oh no!

i'm trapped. i'm having my entire hvac (thats jargon for heating, venilation, and air conditioning) unit revamped because I live in two different climates. Arctic downstairs, tropical upstairs. So i've had an exorbitant amount of time to be on the computer. I spent most of my day doing work yesterday. My friend Lisa asked me to do an illustration for her boyfriend that lives in the Netherlands. (talk about long distance). here is what I came up with:
Lisa hearts Koen
(copyright Courtney Reagor 2006)
So today I've decided to dedicate my time to the drawing of fish for something my dad has in store. But first, I need to get rid of the tape worm Calhoun the dog has. So unappetizing.
Also, to my dismay I found out my favorite publication is being discontinued.
Their departure is certainly premature but understood. You can read it here:
RIP The Drama
I plan to hoard all past issues. So! If you have any that you are getting rid of, send em over.
Farewell friends... or no one, whoever is in this abyss.

::sigh::

this is a power post; i've got t-minus 21 minutes until i have to stand around for the rest of my day and mid evening pining for customers to come in and do an extreme amount of xmas shopping. all fantasy really considering no one with money is in this town. everyone is vacationing somewhere nice. before i bitch too much i have to say the weather is extradinary at the moment. chilly tshirt weather.
if you haven't already seen this magazine i urge you to purchase it... its more of an edition than an issue, beautiful innards
i'm currently at a loss. i need to get so many projects started but i feel so drained by the time i get home all i want to do is curl up in a ball and hibernate. this rut has begun and hopefully the end is near. i'm having a hard time seeing the bigger picture, and every day the idea of becoming a baker seems more appealing. the idea of making cupcakes, muffins, pies, and cakes for people to consume makes me want to burst with excitement. my contemporary inspirations are:
Stranger than Fiction
Amy Sedaris
and my sister...
i have to go now, but i REALLY wish i could stay home and just DO. if you are free right now, indulge in the ability to do whatever you wish.
times up...
i'll leave you with this silly drawing from my sketchbook...that means nothing:

goldmine

i don't know if it's just me, and i don't mean to give a way a secret girl-gem, but i am addicted to magazines. i just bought the most recent issue of Jalouse...

its a french fashion mag... and i don't know a lick of french. the clothes and the photos are really what get me... and another secret i probably shouldn't tell (but lets be real, the only one that really reads this is my mom, Hi Mama)... I use a lot of fashion spreads as reference for my sketches. I just like to use certain faces as a general idea. But I've started to get nervous lately because I think there is something really important about creating your own reference. Using someone elses image is fine, as long as it morphs into something else completely.
I never really TRY to make anything look photorealistic, obviously... every person i draw sort of looks like they are missing a gene or something. For a while I held off the magazine binge because i realized that most of the models looked vapid and exuded no personality. I figured I'd find a new inspiration, and that's when I found my parents old stack of yearbooks... or GOLDMINE, rather... There is something authentically unique and more personal for me looking through those than a $9 magazine. My next step to get off the magazines is to buy a library card. we could all benefit from this...
I am currently reading a great Dave Eggers book called You Shall Know Our Velocity

Ok, here is so not so new but most recent sketchbook stuff...


My friend Lisa asked me to do an illustration for her boyfriend for the holidays, he lives aross the globe, so soon I'll be international. One step at a time...
Also, I started a little series of these 3x5 watercolor postcards... I fell into a zen like place with the brush... More to come...

Tis the season

wow, i can't believe i've neglected this for so long... the past month has been pretty packed with new things. my day job has begun to interfere with my energy I would rather devote to drawing. I come home from folding and greeting "Hi, let me know if I can help you find anything"... and all I want to do is zone out. I did however get to take some time off for thanksgiving. i rode up to Chicago with my mom and dad. In an eerie yet pleasant way, I experienced a jacket-less holiday. Usually its a biting cold where I dread leaving the saftey of my warm abode. Thanksgiving was obvious, filling of the gullit... We went to my aunt's place in the city:

me in the background, my mom, and grandmother



the newly weds

anyway, i have quite a few things to scan and post... I have the day off tomorrow so hopefully I will get back on track... Hope all your holidays have been festive...
Later...