Illustration Friday- Homage

Here we have a Chickenpants drawn in the Kochalka style. Why?
Because the third artist that popped into my head was James Kochalka. (Warhol? No screenprinting stuff. Picasso? Nah...Kochalka? Yes!)I admire his drawing style and tiny paintings, sure. But there's something about his daily American Elf comics that really strikes a chord in me. It no doubt has something to do with the voyeuristic pleasure one gets from going through another person's sketchbooks, or getting to see such a personal glimpse of how they live their lives. He lives in a wonderfully unconventional way. It's great to see snippets of other artist's lives- the good, the bad, the odd... Makes me feel less strange.
So although I don't think his drawing style really influences me, his drawings absolutely do. They make me want to draw every day. They nudge me closer to making my own little comics.
So, thank you, Mr. Kochalka!

Twit Report

• 19:20 I just scared the groom at a wedding by telling him I knew people who would hurt him if he hurt the bride. His reaction: priceless!

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Twit Report

• 10:12 Deadlines! Two 3-4' tall plush sitting on my drawing desk without heads. Forms from the state looming. Help! I am so NOT gtd!
• 13:59 I would make such an awesome flapper. I wonder how hard it is to marcel one's hair?
• 15:56 Just saw a brand new Jag with an Australian Shepard co-pilot. Only in Cool.

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Yes, we're doing this now. Random bleeps from my day! It might be fun! So, here's the link to me on twitter: http://twitter.com/absolutelysmall
I'm sorry. Also: enjoy.

• 09:36 Hateful. Nightmare. Faux fur!!! aaaaaarrrrggggghhhhh!!!
• 14:30 What's that terrible noise coming from the stereo? It's the rewinding of the tape deck. Almost a modern haiku, that.

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Au revoir, mon Chickenpants

Guess what!

Pete Chickenpants is tagging along to France with some very awesome friends of ours!

He'll see Paris! He'll see France! He'll show them all his Chickenpants!
He'll be back in a few weeks, hopefully with many, many photos of his travels.

Is spring getting to you, too? Also, a new Chickenpants.

It is so spring. Time to clean and spruce and act domesticated! Dan's taken a few days off work to take care of some things around the house, like painting the trim so the porch doesn't fall apart. Which means that I, too, have wound up taking a few days off to help out. And plant more plants. And there may have been a very successful trip to our favorite used bookstore in there somewhere. (Blankets for only $15! Eeeeee!!!!) Photos soon!


Anyway, here's the only Chickenpants from the recent shop update. (Don't worry, more are on the way!) Let me introduce Mikhail!

There's something...different about Mikhail, don't you think? I mean, he's a super nice guy and everything, but...
I think it's his eyes. They just don't seem...chicken. You know, I think Mikhail is actually a *robot*!


He's the only Chickenpants with safety eyes. I felt like trying something new...and I think the results are a bit creepy, but in a nice way. What do you think?

Flexing my teeny tiny Photoshop wings

I have a fresh batch of cuties, a batch of deadlines, and a desire to procrastinate. Know what's a great way to solve these issues? Play with Photoshop!
So, as mentioned in the big picture above, update at the Absolutely Small Shop! New Creatures! More Chickenpants Limited prints! In fact, ALL the Chickenpants Limited prints left from January and February will be listed today. So from this day on, what you see is all that is left for mixer-tastic January and fabulous Febuary. In the universe. Ever.
So, there you have it. Come visit the new cuties, and make my day!

Tagged!

FIRST OFF: The Suburose blog is having a contest. The prize is none other than a Chickenpants Limited print! Hop on over and leave a comment to enter. Also: Chickenpants! The Etsy Forum thread.

NOW, on to the actual post!

I've been tagged twice in the past week or so. (I'm looking at YOU, Whimsy Patch and UglyPrettyThings! Which means I had better post some weird and random facts, right?
7 Facts about me:
1. I struggle with words putting into sentence doing a fair amount. But! I am also inspired by words and turns of phrase. And, I used to consider becoming a writer (before the language issues hit, obvy). WEIRD and RANDOM!
2. I have an involuntary reflex where I will shout "PUG!" whenever I see a pug, wherever I am. Followed generally by "PUG! PU PU PU PUG PUG PUG PUG! THERE! NOW! CUTE!" I can't imagine why....

3. I like to organize. I like to conquer chaos. I'll often leave perfectly easy to deal with things for a long time so they get more cluttered and then it's A PROJECT. It's one of my dreams to someday get to clear out a house filled to the brim with weird junk.
4. I love morning glories. I want to cover my house with them.

5. I can't decide on a hair color. I jump back and forth from dark to blond to red to back to dark to blond all the time. My hair has been every color from fire engine red to purpley black at some point.
6. When I was a teenager, I used to be a big time Star Wars nerd. No, really: I co-wrote a TRILOGY and everything. (This was long before the new trilogy came out.) I'm pretty much better now, but sometimes I still have outbreaks.

7. I like to read biographies of movie stars/moguls, artists and literati from the turn of the century- 1950's. Especially if they a.) have some sort of interesting clot of nearly crippling eccentricities or b.) are totally/almost totally forgotten. But, I have no interest in the modern movie people.
So, that's enough random weirdness from me for one day. I hereby pass the torch to:
1. Made in Mississippi
2. Blaze Danielle
3.Fluffy Flowers
4.Moogan Creations
5.M. Patrizio
6.Tommy Kane
7.Knit Sonya

The Rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by posting their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Why are we looking at an empty inbox?

GTD- BRB. Mah emty inbox- let me show you it.

Because they're lovely. I've never noticed how fantastic an empty tray is. It helps if you know that this was stuffed about a foot tall with random papers, I guess. In other words- hooray!

Plush me!

A little interview with me is up on Plush You! You can check it out at
http://plushyouinterviews.blogspot.com/2008/03/claire-chambers-interview.html
And, to be nifty, I made this Chickenpants Adventure movie for it, too:

(Not that the movie has anything to do with Plush You. But, it does have a pug in a chicken hat.)

Chickenpants Limited for March 2008 Debut!

It's that time again!
This month's Chickenpants Limited print is called "Spring is in the Air".
(In this part of the country, it really is: in the form of pollen!)

Now for the cut & paste:
Chickenpants Limited prints are released every month in
editions of only 30.
They're printed on high quality photographic paper. It has a little white border to assist in framing.
They measure 5 x 7 inches (12.7 cm x 17.8 cm). Each one is signed and numbered by the artist (me!).
*resume human writing*
I hope you enjoy it, and that it'll be spring for you soon, too!

Quiet- we're filming!

Chickenpants to the rescue!

Topanga is a muse!

Pug Sketch
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

And not just for me, it turns out!
The very lovely Gina of Rose Thistle Artworks made this wonderful sketch. Here's the original photo:

Pretty amazing, huh?
Thanks Gina!
p.s.: you can check out her shop here...in addition to drawings, she makes some amazing woolitures!

Mentionables

Absolutely Small has been mentioned in a couple of very nifty blogs as of late!
The Chickenpants were given a lovely writeup on the Crafty Bastards blog.
Monday, my Etsy Profile was mentioned on the Etsy Profiles blog.
Last week the shop was mentioned on the Shop 66 blog, too. Shop 66 has some really awesome vintage goodies, by the way! Vintage Japanese appliques, pose dolls, cute figurines...good stuff!
Thank you everyone for the lovely write-ups!

I'll leave you with these photos of my latest creature: Poco.


I'll be back later this week with March's Chickenpants Limited print.
Happy Wednesday, everyone!

The Second Chickenpants Movie is Live!

Introducing the second Chickenpants Adventure-
"While The Bachelor's Away, The Chickenpants Will Play"

Enjoy! Link to it! Embed it elsewhere! Give it hearts and comments!
And here is the actual site address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqkOGKZ8ot8
Thank you for watching!