Operation F-204

hello blog, remember me? a long time ago i used to write in you. well, here's what's new:

i moved

I MOVED.

I SIGNED A LEASE WITH ADAM AND NOW I AM LIVING VERY MUCH IN AN APARTMENT.

i'm tired. oh god i'm tired. i bought a shower curtain with pockets for photos.

tomorrow i fly to virginia.

goodnight!

Been A Long Time

Hello again, faithful readers! Sorry it's been awhile, there has been lots of goings on. But I do have pictures, so hopefully you'll manage to keep it in your pants.

First and foremost, my birthday was a little over two weeks ago and it was lovely with lovely people and lovely places and lovely amounts of lovely lovely booze. I'm not going to go on about it because I have a picture that I think sums it up pretty sufficiently.

Yeah. Also, a little over a week ago, Adam and I went up to Santa Barbara and had a stupid fun time doing all sorts of things, namely going to see THE BEASTIE BOYS. Oh my goodness, let me tell you. This concert was like a goddamned religious experience. The Santa Barbara Bowl is gorgeous. As we were waiting for the show to begin, we just sat there and chilled while watching the sunset over a spectacular ocean view. Oh, and did I mention that our seats were awesome? (See previous sentence). Now, I never considered myself a Beastie Boys fan, mostly because I hadn't really heard any of their stuff, except for their more mainstream songs, but still I had no idea that was them. Well, Adam showed me the light since he's a little bit obsessed with them and now I too find myself embracing their work with a big fuzzy hug that says, "hello, i'm so glad we've met". The show was spectacular, definitely one of the best I've ever seen.

You know how they say your taste buds change every seven years, and even though you used to hate tomatoes for a great portion of your life, suddenly you find yourself loving them? Well that didn't exactly happen to me but I wonder if the same theory applies to your musical tastebuds. Ear... buds? Auditory canal buds? Whatever. The point is that record scratching now seems to have the same effect on me that a violin or a guitar does. It just makes me melt. I never used to be too into hip hop type stuff but maybe I was a closet fan all along.

Before this amazing show we went to the zoo. We went to the zoo because the Santa Barbara zoo is the only zoo I know of that has a Red Panda, which everyone should know is my goddamned favorite animal that ever existed (Sorry badger, you got booted to a very fond second place). Even though the thing was asleep up in the corner it was still completely amazing. We also saw penguins, gorillas, bald eagles with one eye, snow leopards, giant freaky birds and lemurs. I have pictures but I am so lazy that I'm not going to put them up. Instead I have these.

I mean honestly, what else do you need. Look at Adam's goddamn face. He pulled that one out and every time I tried to take the shot I started laughing hysterically. So it was me, laughing like a lunatic, while people walked by and Adam kept that face on the whole time. I tip my bonnet to him. Jesus. Just look at him.

Lastly we stayed in a hotel that quite literally had a full-wall mirror next to the bed. Now, this was particularly hilarious because just that morning I suggested Adam get the same thing for his bedroom, which he quickly shot down as both cheesy and trashy. I guess I agreed with him and we moved on. Then we walk into this hotel room and BAM GIANT MIRROR. I applaud you, Best Western of Santa Barbara!

Oh, and then I was going on about disco balls and what happened? Beastie Boys had a giant disco ball for one of their numbers. Brilliant.

I now leave you with the much anticipated first two pages of my completely crappily drawn comic that Adam and I are working on just for kicks. The idea is that we're a couple who stumbles upon a magic forest and then we have adventures. Keep in mind that the "forest" shown on page two is actually outside Adam's apartment door. Dialogue is inspired from real conversation, and almost all the characters to follow in the comic were inspired by the apartment complex, the noises we hear in it, cats, statues, monsters, and everything else we encounter on a daily basis. Enjoy!


That's all for now!

Movies & OCD

I think I might be a wee bit obsessive compulsive. Shut up, people who know me in real life. Stop laughing.

No seriously. I just sat down and made a chart of all my expenses date by date over the next four months and calculated out everything tentatively. Not only that, but this is the third time I've made one of these charts. It's strangely soothing. Yeah, I'm totally normal.

Anyway. MOVIES I WANT TO SEE:

Darjeeling Limited: I love Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman. Nuff said.

Golden Compass: This looks ridiculous and awesome all at once. Looks like it has a little bit of Pan's Labyrinth darkness to it... very cool.

10,000 BC: Ummmm good God. Cavemen and giant mammoths? Yes please.

The Ten: A movie made by the guys who brought you The State, and openly advertised as such. Looks hilarious.

Superbad: I cannot express how excited I am for this one. Looks absolutely hysterical.

Hairspray: Who still likes musicals? No one? Damnit. I guess I'm seeing this alone.

Horton Hears A Who: More like Horton Hears a HOLY CRAP. Unless you're some sort of filthy fishmonger there is no way your childhood isn't squealing over Dr. Seuss characters in glorious 3D fuzzy wonder. Go to Moviefone to see the trailer!

Also, screw you, Chevron!

Holy Hell: ART!

I just had a chance to scan a bunch of work I've done lately (though none colored as of yet... stay tuned) and now I'm going to share it with you and you, and... okay, you over there too.

This first set of wrinkly drawings I did while bored at work. You can still see the menu printed on the backside of the paper.


From this ridiculous comic that I'm working on with Adam. It started out as an inside joke and now it's this... thing. Anyway, long story short, Adam's tattoo summons up a giant bird-dragon named Wilbur Curtis.
Some big-eared pig thing? I dunno.
Two more characters from the comic; Floyd (left) and Buttons (right).
Wilbur Curtis.
Character design for a seeeecret project I've been developing.
Ditto.

Cleanups!

More elf action, because you know how much I like that sort of thing.

Lately

iPhone changed my life. This is literally the coolest device anybody could ever hope for, and don't even get me started on the effect it has on you if you're any sort of a nerd. If you haven't seen one in person yet you will die when you see what it does. Screw what everyone says about battery life. Screw waiting until the next generation. This thing is worth every penny because I find so many occasions every day in which it is just extremely useful. My favorite example so far: I went to a wedding this past weekend in San Diego. I get into a cab to go to the restaurant where the wedding is being held, but the cabbie has no idea where it is. I whip out my iPhone and get directions right there in the back of the cab. I know, you don't even have to tell me how amazing it was because I was there.

Ratatouille: Please sir, I want some more. I've seen this movie three times and I need to see it again and again.

Transformers: Shut all your goddamn mouths, it was great.

Side note: Can we stop it already with laws on nudity? I overheard some news tonight about some town where if someone sees you naked in your bedroom window after you just got out of the shower you can be arrested. Honestly, America, it's time to stop putting these ridiculous laws that makes everyone think they need to be ashamed and terrified of their own bodies. I really don't understand the people who think these laws are a good idea to begin with. Do they just weep out of disgust every time they need to step into the shower? And come on, let's be honest with ourselves. Everyone loves being naked. Don't try to tell me you don't.

Note to self: Erin, you can't spend any money at Comic Con this year, mainly because you don't have any money.

Being a Nerd is Amazing

Frederator Studios announced that they're going to be making a Neverhood movie.

Um.

















::Post terminated due to massive happy brain explosion::

CRISIS

oh god oh god victoria's secret.com you have too many cute dresses on sale HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE DAMN YOU.

HELLO WORLD, I AM A WOMAN.

Damn You, Network Television

Once again Lonely Island rocks me a new one. Don't even watch that and try to tell me that isn't making you salivate for more. Somebody pick up this show, dammit.

Thank you Lonely Island

Is it wrong that I quite literally think this is the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life. No one seems to be agreeing with me on it so far and I'm upset.

Adam Levine, why are you so tragic? Hell's teeth man, you are gorgeous and all you sing about are chicks totally screwing you over. Cheers on the new album, I wasn't too into it at first but now I have five songs of yours simultaneously stuck in my head. The one about you shooting a man because you caught him with your woman in your bed is a little hick, though. It's alright. I still think you're great.

Uh okay yes my life rocks like you wouldn't believe. It is spilling over with utter amazingness and I find myself surrounded by the some of most wonderful people I've ever known, one of which in particular who is just fantastic. Everything is perfect and then some because I now own a shirt with Jessica Rabbit plastered all over the front of it.

I am off to meet with the aforementioned people/person for an evening of quoting Will Ferrell's rendition of Harry Carey and PS3. More to come.

I Am Complete

I got a frickin' digital camera about fifteen minutes ago. I've never had a camera before.

GIT READY FER SUM PITCHERS.

ELF Art

I just scanned a bunch of unfinished drawings I've done recently and realized that ALL of them are of elves. Now, before you start accusing me of being one of "those people" who draw elves all the time, let me tell you something. My name is Erin Leigh Fusco. ELF. Now shut up. I'll draw as many elves as I damn well please.
Every year around May or so I get this hankering to draw some Zelda fanart.I've been drawing these two a lot lately.My short-lived Burning Crusade character.

More Britishosity

Two more things out of the UK that are impossibly delightful in ways I cannot accurately describe: Snuff Box and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. You can see them all on YouTube, six episodes to each series. Snuff Box is pure wonderment and Darkplace is like something so utterly fantastic that my brain can't really handle it anymore. Both feature Matt Berry who is AWESOME.

Also, coming out of Glasgow (I think) is the Fratellis, who rule big-time. I'm way into their album.

Also again, Hot Fuzz! Jesus! Amazing movie and equally amazing soundtrack.

God, I think I should get paid for how much shit I plug on this blog. It seems to be all I do these days.

Also again also, you ever have a really good time with someone? And I don't just mean like, a good time. I mean a really good time. Where you kind of just think back to it, and go, "Damn... that was a hell of a good time."

Oh, and Also

Does anyone want to hold hands and jump up and down and giggle like little girls over how insanely awesome Transformers looks? Because that's what I want to do every time I see anything for this movie.

Just One More Good Thing To Come Out of the UK

MIKA: Life in Cartoon Motion. Um, okay, this album is blowing my mind. This guy is like Freddie Mercury's reincarnated acid-tripping love baby. His music is so fun!

EDIT: Okay, this album isn't as exciting as I thought it was at first, but it's still pretty decent.

Yay

I had an awesome night.

Grrrowl

Oh, blog! Hello! I'm sorry I've been neglecting you so much lately, I'll try to post more often. I promise.

Weeow! You know what's cool? Nike+ iPod kit thingy. I got it, it rules and now I'm managing to go for these 4.5 mile power walks all the time. If someone out there in cyberland has one, I totally want to challenge you to a race! Let's do it, baby!

I had the most British day of my life last Tuesday! It was drizzling and I ate some fish and chips and then got in my Mini and then it was British Invasion night on American Idol. Awesome? You bet your argyle socks it was.

I'm still stupid busy with so much crap but God, it's fun.

Time to sleep, work in the morning, I think it's supposed to rain, too. Life is good.

A BIG LIST OF RECENT HAPPENINGS.

• Happy Feet winning best animated picture: There is a God, and he loves me dearly.

• Alan Arkin winning best supporting actor: Yes.

• British comedy "The Mighty Boosh": successfully makes me wish I was British even more, and I didn't know that was possible. Also, I need to find British people and make friends with them.

• Dreamworks Studios: Bitchin'. It looks Steven Spielberg made love to a magic forest and had a gigantic studio for a baby.

• All the original Nicktoons creators: Officially insane. Jim Jinkins continues to make children's shows geared for the mentally ill sector of the mentally handicapped. Klasky Csupo has stooped to a surprising new low by being involved with "Milch" (the worst thing I've ever seen), and, well... John K. was always insane, so that's nothing new.

• She She She's A Bombshell: Wonderful.

• Sean McBride's Tony Cartoons: Joy.

• Planet Unicorn: Hilarious. I don't care what you say. Heyyy.

• The George Washington Video: Can't get it out of my head. Can't look at a dollar without laughing.

• Chowder: Cartoon Network's next show that is going to rock my face into another dimension. Created by C. H. Greenblatt, one of many personal heroes. I think I saw him in Burbank once, and I was a little tipsy and I screamed. So hooray for that.

• Exhaustion: In abudance.

• Veronica Corningstone: Who I want to be.

• Beer: You're killing me.

• Disneyland: You and your beer are killing me.

• Apologies: To Disneyland. You know I love you, baby.

• Rockin' Space Mountain: ROCKS.

• Obvious: I'm running out of things to write, though I know there's so much more I want to discuss.

• Apologies Again: To anyone and everyone who has called me, tried to hang out with me, or get anything from me in the past month. I've been stupid busy. Thank you for understanding.

Sigh

Things have been really... well, different lately. I find myself on an emotional rollercoaster with high highs and low lows. If you know me, you know I definitely prefer something more along the lines of Space Mountain's track, not California Screamin'.

Above all else, my grandfather passed away last week. He was an amazing, honest man who lead a difficult life in many ways but always stayed loyal to his family. I'm sad he's gone, but I'm a little more sad that I never got to know him better. This is the first death in my family that I've experienced (except for my Dad's dad, who died when I was very young) and it's just so surreal. Death is one of those confounding subjects that I never seem to stop thinking about and to be confronted by it head-on is difficult.

That's why I want to thank my friends who really gave a damn when it happened. You guys called me, made sure I was okay, and would have done anything for me if I needed it. That's sappy as all hell but I know it's true, and you guys rule. Thank you.

You know, I'm someone who doesn't take much stock in horoscopes and sign compatibilities and all that crap, but sometimes it's so dead-on that it spooks me out. Really. I always think "Oh hey, it's all coincidence" but then I read some big five-paragraph thing and everything except for two meager sentences is right on the money. I don't know if it makes me feel better or worse. Or just dumb.

God, this post is so depressing it's embarrassing. I'm really sorry, most of the time thing blog is great for my goofy nonsense but every now and then it's the only place I feel like I can really just ramble, if only to myself. Oh my God, I sound like such an emo. Jesus, someone slap me.


Well, either way I made this turnaround, and it and Demetri Martin are the only things that make me happy in my life. Okay, and American Idol and Burning Crusade. Wait, not Burning Crusade. Burning Crusade is stealing my life from me.

A special thanks to Mollie. Mollie, thank you for keeping me sane in these insane times. I'd like to think I'm helping you stay sane too. Let's just go to Disneyland and get fat on Monty Cristos and sing pirate songs be bitches and forget everything. Urgh.

¡El Fauno!

OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD

APPLE ANNOUNCED THEIR PHONE AND IT IS FOR CINGULAR. I'D LIKE TO PERSONALLY THANK JESUS.

...

THANK YOU, JESUS.

Art School is a Big Fat Scam

Anyone who knows me for more than, oh, five minutes will probably learn my stance on art school. What was once simply "art school may be for a lot of people and that's swell, but I don't think it's for me" is now a raging nazi-feminist-esque crusade against the whole idea of "art school". Here's why:

1.) Art school costs money. And not just a paltry sum, we're talking tens of thousands (if not breaking the hundred-thousand mark) of dollars. Now you must be saying to yourself, "Erin, what do you have against paying money for a good college education?" Oh, I have nothing against that. If you're becoming a doctor, a teacher, an archaeologist, or even a writer, fantastic! You should pay for that education and be very proud of your degree(s). However, none of this applies to art. BECAUSE...

2.) A degree in art is virtually worthless. I say "virtually" because having a degree will certainly never hurt you on your resumé or in any sort of professional situation. But here's the thing; you don't need one. In any sort of art job, the degree is just some extraeneous sprinkles on what is (and I only hope) the delicious, buttery-frosted decadent five-layer cake that is your portfolio. When you go for an art job, the only thing the employer wants to see is your work. "Can you draw that cartoon monkey on model? Great, you're hired! Oh, and you have a degree from the Art Institute. That's cool too." Honestly, no one gives two shits in a handbasket about your education. If you can get the work done and make it right, that's all that matters. Not only that, but instead of focusing so much on complete two/four-year education for the sake of doing it, what is much more valuable to yourself and your potential debt is your ability to research what you really need to know for your particular professional goals and go from there. Which brings me to my next point...

3) Art school is not the only way to "learn art". Once you figure out the necessities of what you need to know for your particular vocation, you must find out where you can hone your skills. In most cases, community colleges can offer a much cheaper (and in many cases, a greater education. I know because this is happening to me right now) alternative to hoity-toity art schools. One time, and I shit you not, I looked through a catalogue for a community college in my area and this is what I found: A life drawing course taught by the same teacher that was teaching at the art college I used to go to. Same course, same teacher, one difference; $1,000. (This takes us back to Point 1.) Let me tell something to you. I am taking two courses in Flash this semester at a community college. In just one three hour session, I learned more valuable knowledge of a vastly important program than I had learned in a whole semester at bonafide art school. Also, the whole campus smelled like delicious chicken nuggets for some reason, and that was pretty great. Everything I've said so far builds to another point...

4) Art school bullshits you. Yes, it does. Why? Because art school wants your money. I'd hate to say this, but there are many people who aren't gaining enough from art school to enter into the professional world. Classes can enhance your abilities, but you need to have the talent and the ability to push yourself as well. Art school will not tell you this (particularly the school I went to). They will keep patting you on the back and tell you you're doing a great job so that you'll stick around to get your degree. They tell you that the degree is the way to go, the way to get a job. Not true, buster. Refer to Point 2. Also, they will make you take a bunch of bullshit classes that won't help you at ALL as an artist. Example: VISUAL THINKING. I got signed up for a class once that was called visual thinking. Now, here's what the curriculum was; draw a faucet. Now, draw a zebra with some lines around it to show "dimensionality". Next, paint a bunch of animal eyeballs. PEOPLE, THIS IS NOT DEVELOPING YOU AS AN ARTIST. I dropped this class because it was a bunch of bullhockey and when it came time to sign up for my next semester, my teacher demanded that the only way to move forward in the program and get my degree was to take this class. Great. So to get my fancy "degree" I need to waste six hours a week of my life when I could be doing something more valuable, such as life drawing. (By the way, life drawing is an absolute necessity. There is a saying that if you can master the human form, you can draw anything. Well guess what, it's totally true. Take a thousand life drawing courses until you have some really nice nudes, then don't stop. Keep taking more courses. Life drawing is fantastic and you should learn to love it) They will make you take class after class that won't mean anything, but hey! Each class is $1,000? Well, guess who gets that fat money cake. I'm an animator, and I had to take a painting class. I hate painting. So here I was, painting still life after still life, grumbling to my teacher that the whole thing was a waste of my time since this was something I'd literally never be doing again. What was even worse was the fact that the teacher herself was an absolutely terrible painter. Believe me, it's hard to try to learn from someone whose work you don't respect at all. At one point she pulled my aside and told me I'd fail if ditched class one more time (and I was ditching... a lot). Also, a friend of mine who was an illustrator and could have used that painting class was forced to take animation. I ended up doing almost all his assignments because it was something that actually helped me practice what I wanted to do. But still, he had to pay a grand for something that was of no use to him. I confronted my painting teacher about this and she said to me, "Erin, we're expanding your horizons. That's what being an artist is all about." Yeah, that's beautiful and all, except if I want to expand my horizons I'll do it on my own and not have to pay someone who is teaching me while probably having acid flashbacks every few hours. Jesus.

So there you have it. I'm sure I could go on for hours but it's probably best that I wrap this thing up. If you want to go to art school to essentially get yourself $60,000+ in the hole for the next decade or so, be my guest. Or maybe I'm just full of crap and I don't know what I'm talking about, but I don't think I am. Seriously, there are alternatives. Look into community college, get the opinions of professionals in the field you want to be in, and let your passion drive you to what you want.

Now I'd like to take a moment to apologize to my friends who are in art school currently. This isn't supposed to be a slam on you or make you depressed, though Mollie, it will probably make you depressed. Like I said, I might be full of crap, but art school was definitely not for me and this is just how I see it.

Art school is a scam.

The Life of an "Artiste"

Being an artist is not as glamorous as one would think. This is mostly because myself and many of my peers never sleep. Visit an art school sometime, you'll see what I mean. While I may not be exactly sure why some of my artistically-inclined peers don't sleep (some things are better left to the unknown), a major problem I have is that once I start a drawing, I can't stop. I say to myself, "Yeah! Wow! Look at this sketch, it's gorgeous! I can feel the passion flowing through my veins! God, life is great!" and then look up and go, "Oh Jesus, is that the sun?" I had such a dilemma tonight. Even now as my body aches for the comforting softness of my bed (God, I'm making it worse), I'm sitting here writing in my blog. I have other motives, friends. I will show you what keeps me up at this hour. Behold!


But that's not all. I spent a good portion of the evening coloring this:


Now, this whole thing started out harmless but apparently there's a Pan's Labyrinth sketchbook contest that will be judged by del Toro himself, and with a little over a month to scrounge together some fan art I really want to enter this thing. So there you have it.

Also, Venture Bros is GO for SEASON 3!!!! I am a happy little bunny, even though it currently feels like there is a vengeful imp poking holes in my stomach with a pitchfork. Time to sleep!