U is for Union Street Bridge

When I was thinking of doing the letter U, Union Street was obvious.  I took some pictures of the street signs, and there were some restaurants/cafes that had Union in their names, but then I walked across the Union Street Bridge and knew I had to draw it!  This bridge is the northern most of 5 bridges that cross the Gowanus Canal.  It's a "double leaf Scherzer rolling lift bascule" bridge, which means that both sides can lift up in order for boats to pass through.  Look at this cute Wikipedia animation to see how the bridge works.  The Union Street Bridge opened to traffic in 1905.  According to NYC Dot, it cost over $85,000 to build!

PS:  DO NOT jump off any bridge over the Gowanus Canal:  even though those bridges are low and close to the water, the canal is very polluted, as you'd be able to tell from the smell.

N is for Nite Market!

Of course!  I based this drawing on a picture I took from the last Gowanus Nite Market.  The Market launched last month and will continue on every second Saturday in the winter months.  New to the vendor list this month is Nomad (another N!), which is a soon to be launched mobile retail boutique to be based in the Tri-State area. Nomad will be a carefully curated fashion truck offering handcrafted goods and showcasing local designers.  Also new is Carnelia (it has N in the middle!), who makes jewelry from recycled materials and found objects.  Danamade is new too, specializing in cool & cute rings made from recycled objects too (I want ALL of them!!).

Check out these and more amazing vendors, a DJ, and live painting:  NYC artist Marthalicia Martarita brings the stage to life as she transforms blank canvases into incredible works of art. Artists Shanieka Marson, George Stratakis, Emmanuel Toribio, and others will also be showcasing their paintings.

Hope to see you this Saturday January 12, 7p - midnight at GNM, located at Film Biz Recycling: 540 President Street, Brooklyn, New York 11215

A is for... A lot of businesses that start with A!

This time I did a collage of lots of different businesses in Gowanus that begin with A.  We have Anthony's On 4th Pizzeria, Alba Auto Repair, A&A Brake, and ABC Collision.  All except A&A are on 4th Ave and are all independently owned services.  Anthony's is a pretty new place that opened just last year.  The owners (one of whom is named Anthony, as you guessed) wanted to share with everyone the Italian food they were raised on.

I also realized that all the other places in my picture are car repair shops.  If you have a car in Brooklyn and need work done, check these out.  A&A has been family owned for 4 generations - since 1944!  Alba has been kicking for more than 35 years, and ABC for more than 20.  Way to go, local Brooklyn businesses!

And check out this awesome article that the Park Slope Stoop wrote about my letters project!

W is for Water Towers!

W is for Water Tower(s)!  I thought it would be easy to find water towers, because they're supposedly EVERYWHERE in Brooklyn, right?  Usually towns and cities have one huge water tower for drinking water and/or fire protection in case of a power outage, but Brooklyn has smaller individual water towers on top of many buildings.  Even the Gowanus Nite Market's last postcard had an image of a water tower.  Sometimes when I'm walking down the street in Brooklyn I just come across them and don't think anything of it.  But when I went on a hunt to take pictures of water towers, I had a heck of a time finding any!  Maybe because it was night?  But I eventually found this one that can be seen when you're on the Union Street Bridge in Gowanus, looking south.

O for Old Stone House

The O in GOWANUS is for the Old Stone House in my series of drawings for the next Gowanus Nite Market.  I found this on Google Maps, just looking for something that began with an "O," and took pictures later.  According to it's website, it's a "reconstructed 1699 Dutch farmhouse that was central to the Battle of Brooklyn.  The Old Stone House is a museum and community resource that explores the American Revolution, colonial life and Brooklyn."

The Battle of Brooklyn took place in August 1776 and was the first and largest battle in the Revolutionary War.  Basically, tons of British were based in the house and fired upon the Americans, led by Colonel William Smallwood. The Americans regained the house twice, but ultimately were defeated by the British with severe casualties.  General Washington admired his soldiers' bravery and fierce fighting that day.

The Old Stone House is in Park Slope in the middle of the Washington Park & JJ Byrne Playground at 4th Ave. and 3rd St. in Brooklyn, so it's technically on the edge of Gowanus, but it's so historic and cool that I wanted to share this bit of history with everyone.  If you want to visit and learn more about the Battle of Brooklyn, it's open Saturdays and Sundays from 11AM-4PM.

G for Gowanus!

I'm back to drawing for the Gowanus Nite Market again!  The next market is next Saturday January 12!  This week I'm trying a new theme:  GOWANUS has 7 letters, and I'll post a new letter each day that has a picture that starts with that letter.  I went around Gowanus taking pictures one night to find lots of things that began with all the letters.  Super cold, but super fun like a scavenger hunt!  The first letter is G for the G train.  The G has its quirks:  it's a few car lengths shorter than the other trains, it's the only train that is only in Brooklyn & Queens and doesn't go to Manhattan, and I've heard some refer to it as the "Ghost Train."  According to Wikipedia, the G's original name was the GG and started service in 1933.  Today, most people hate the G train because it's royally messed up on the weekends due to construction and is super slow at night.  However, most times I've taken the G during the day it's been fine.  Whatever your feelings are about the G train, it's a part of Gowanus and part of your life in Brooklyn.

Comics for the Dysautonomia Foundation

First off, Happy New Year!  Mindy indy is back to blogging after a break for the holidays.  I've been making a lot of custom comics lately!  This one is for the Familial Dysautonomia Foundation.  Familial Dysautonomia (FD) is a rare genetic neurological condition that affects the sensory and autonomic nervous systems, causing severe gastrointestinal, cardiac, pulmonary, orthopedic, renal and ophthalmologic problems.  The Dysautonomia Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity that supports medical treatment, research, public awareness and social services for the benefit of people afflicted with FD. The Foundation has established the world's only two FD treatment centers and is the largest single source of funding for research and treatment specifically for the benefit of people with FD.

The FD Foundation contacted me after meeting me at the Toys on the Hudson convention.  They wanted a comic to brighten up their Facebook Page.  The comic is educational for people not familiar with the condition, and is also something that families and people with FD can relate to.  I did 3 comics so far for them, and they'll want me to do more if it gets good responses on Facebook, so please "share" and "like" the comic on their page!  Thanks a bunch!

Gowanus Nite Market Recap

Finally I get around to writing my blog!  This past week I not only had to get stuff ready for the Gowanus Nite Market, but also do a rush custom comic for a client (more on that next week!).  Here's the recap of all the excitement at GNM.

Each vendor had a unique set up, and luckily I was able to get a good table (not a coffee table) to draw on.  You can see I had all the original drawings that I posted all last week behind me on that board.  No originals sold, but people were interested in prints, so that's coming next month!

I made Christmas cards out of that deer drawing I did.  Those didn't sell, but the people who worked at Film Biz were interested!  Now, onto stuff that DID sell - practically my entire profit was made just from custom sketches!

Did another funny Deadpool sketch for a couple I met at New York Comic Con!

This time I displayed an example of how well I capture people in portraits.  People responded well to it!

Portraits of pets included too.

This one wins most bizarre sketch.  A guy wanted him & his girlfriend riding a sperm whale out of hell with a unicorn.  They liked the extra added touch of the demons chasing them :)

Props to these people for holding their poses so long!

This wins funniest sketch.  A girl wanted a drawing of a tiny monkey riding backwards on a tiny pig, drawn like a family crest.

She loved it SO much that I'm doing more for her whole family!

This guy has always loved Waldo :)

I also held the fortune cookie hunt!  I hid 15 cookies around the venue and gave a free Misfortune Cookie mini comic to those who brought the cookie back to my table.

I hid them in plain sight because there are so many props and stuff in the area!

So many people were bringing me cookies in the first hour, I wondered if I didn't hide them well enough :P  But the hunt was a success!

Had a super fun time at the Gowanus Nite Market, and hope to see you next month:  Saturday January 12.  GNM: the 2nd Saturday of the month!

Gowanus Nite Market TONIGHT!

Gowanus Nite Market is tonight!  I've been preparing so much for this all week, and I think it'll be a success.  DIRECTIONS:  Take the D, N, R, B, Q, 2, 3, 4, or 5 to the Atlantic Avenue/Barclays Center stop in Brooklyn, then transfer one stop on the R to Union Street.  Then walk south one block to President Street, turn right, and walk a minute to Film Biz Recycling 540 President Street  Brooklyn, NY 11215.  Starts at 7pm tonight until midnight!

I'm putting on a fortune cookie hunt!  One of the many fun activities going on at GNM tonight.  I'm going to hide 15 fortune cookies throughout Film Biz Recycling, and whoever finds one and brings it to my table gets a free mini comic.  This is a great way to get people to explore all the cool stuff at Film Biz and a fun promo for me too :)

GNM tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the Gowanus Nite Market!  Here's the last drawing in the series.  I love buildings that have old mural signs on them that are pretty worn.  I saw this old Brooklyn Tile building on 4th Avenue & Degraw Street in Brooklyn.  I don't think they make tiles anymore (people might live there, but all the windows are bricked up, so I'm not sure), but it's a neat little part of Brooklyn history.

I'll post about directions tomorrow, and I also have a special surprise up my sleeve :)

Playing with the GNM Logo

Today I played with the Gowanus Nite Market logo - originally a water tower that looked like it was built from trees.  I love adding many colors to objects that would in real life be one or two colors.  Instead of the tree branches just bring brown, they have yellow, peach, and indigo added.  I also drew large tree roots to fill the background.  The towers are growing from the roots!

Only 2 more nights until GNM!  Excited!

Btw, today I saw a dog walker with like 10 dogs, which is totally illegal.

4th Ave & Union

4th Avenue and Union Street - that's the intersection near where the Gowanus Nite Market will be in Brooklyn!  I wanted to draw some of the surrounding area, and luckily it was warmer this week so I wasn't cold standing outside for like an hour.  I stood on a narrow island on 4th Ave in between rushing cars, so I wouldn't be disturbed by pedestrians and so I could get the best view down the street.  I started the drawing around 4pm and it got too dark to see soon after, but it worked in my favor because I ended with a picture of all the bright city lights.  Of special note:  the Brooklyn Lyceum (where I exhibited at King Con) is drawn in this picture!

Night Theme

I explored another nook of Film Biz Recycling and discovered this awesome old soda pop machine prop (made from "light weight materials!").  Next to it was a big "Emergency" sign, which isn't something you see every day (unless if you work in a hospital?).  I like how Film Biz has a great mix of random props and stuff that is so practical that I'd never think of them as props, like that washing machine.  I also inverted the colors of this drawing in Photoshop so it has a more night time feel, in theme with the Gowanus Nite Market :)

GNM Event Stuff

I drew this after a suggestion from Raphael, coordinator of the Gowanus Nite Market, that I should try a drawing that captures the space of the venue, Film Biz Recycling.  There's so much stuff in that warehouse, it was pretty hard to choose just one section, and one where I didn't have to draw a gazillion objects.  The furniture section had large objects, but the drawing looked like a furniture store, so I threw in the blow-up shamoo and gigantic teddy bear (both real props there) to show the quirkiness of the space.

I've been promoting the heck out of GNM!  Here's the official facebook event page, facebook business page, and twitter is @gowanusNITEmark  Please spread the word!

Cool stuff at Film Biz

Drawing 2 of cool stuff I saw at Film Biz Recycling, in preparation for this Saturday's Gowanus Nite Market!  Right when you walk into Film Biz, you see 5 of these beautiful silver mannequins, right next to a GIGANTIC disco ball!  The biggest one I'd ever seen, like 4 feet tall!  I loved the shininess of both the mannequins and the disco ball, so I couldn't resist drawing them :)  Disco balls have a special place in my heart, because I love dancing (I even dressed in a disco ball theme this year for Halloween).  I used a silver paint marker to really give the drawing shiny life.  The blue-to-gold color scheme in the picture is solely from the lighting in my apartment when I took the picture!

Here's a funny thing I saw at Film Biz:  the "fireplace face" from that AT&T commercial!  The commercial itself is pretty freakin' weird, but that prop is totally recognizable!  This prop would have normally just been thrown out, but someday it will have a new life, perhaps on a "Legends of the Hidden Temple" spoof?  See other random cool stuff like this Saturday December 8th at the Gowanus Nite Market!

Gowanus Nite Market

Super exciting news!  My next appearance will be at the Gowanus Nite Market next Saturday December 8!  I'm also the new Social Media Marketer for the Market!  This show is very unique because it'll be held in a place called Film Biz Recycling:  a warehouse chock full of awesome props used in the film industry.  I'm doing lots of drawings in my sketch style for the show, and will be posting one each day this week up until Saturday, where I'll be selling them at my booth.  This flyer has all the details:

I was even mentioned in an article about the Gowanus Nite Market on Brokelyn!!  This is super huge because Brokelyn is THE site to check out where all the cool events in Brooklyn will be!  Yaaaaaaay!

So I'll be posting about the Gowanus Nite Market with more details all this week :)  Please come, because it'll be super fun!

The Daily Misfortune 105

Toys on the Hudson Recap!

Had to take some time to recover after another 3 day show (technically a 2 1/2 day show).  The pic above is of the Westin Hotel in Newport NJ, where Toys on the Hudson was held.  It was a new thing for me to exhibit in a toy show.

The show was divided into many rooms of the hotel, with all the comic books and artists in one big room.  The Jersey Journal covered the show, and you can see more pics of the toys on their site.  It was a good show for me, despite low crowds.  I was given an extra table too!

I did another lecture about "Getting Started Exhibiting Your Comic Art at Conventions."

And of course I did a lot more sketches!  One guy that sold Transformers toys wanted me to draw any kind of "mecha" (robot) I wanted.  Check out the unicorn mecha in rockin' boots!  Have you EVER seen a giant robot in high heels?  I don't think so!

I sketched this Optimus Prime in keeping with the toy theme of the show.  Transformers was of course popular....

As was Godzilla!  I tried something new with this sketch and made a misfortune to go with it:

This guy wanted a portrait.  The spittin' image!

This girl wanted a My Little Pony.  I asked "old school or new school?" (because there's a new version that looks different from the 80s version), and she chose old school!

Yeah rockin' Firefly Pony!

The same guy that had me do the story book pictures at Super Heroes for Hospice came back for 2 more drawings!  Yay repeat customers!  These are like concept sketches for this children's book he's writing for his grand kids (rather than the finished art that would be in a book).

This one turned out extra awesome.  It's the "Rock King" and the guy described him as being made of smooth, speckled rock.  GO, Prismacolor Brush-tip markers!!

Overall, it was great meeting lots of nice people and seeing familiar faces.  Spiro from Super Heroes for Hospice (the last con I did) was at a booth right across from me, and my friend Emilio was at the table right next to me.  I also talked a lot with R. Allen Leider who gave me lots of helpful advice.  Thanks everyone for being part of the show, both exhibitors and fans!

 

Toys on the Hudson starts today!

Toys on the Hudson starts today at 5pm!  I'll be in the Liberty Grand Ballroom.  See you there!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful for many things this year, mostly for being so lucky that Hurricane Sandy didn't do much damage to my area, and glad that even though there was lots of structural devastation elsewhere, many people's lives were saved because of precautions New York City and New Jersey took.  Other things I'm thankful for:

friends and family (of course!)

having heat and electricity

being alive!

that I'm still in my 20s

and lots more!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!