08.24.14 Even More Sock Monkeys!

Hey there!
This week was pretty crazy, which is a perfect way to end a crazy month!  I've been packing for a move and so I've been finding little art gems to share with you. First of all, I found a few more of my Sock Monkey Tarot cards that I love!  When some people read cards they like to say that no card is all good or all bad, but when you start researching their meanings and making illustrations of them, I don't know, some cards are pretty tough! These are the cards with the darker meanings, in the Major Arcana:

#12 The Hanged Monkey

 The Hanged Monkey card represents a time in life in which you are required to make a sacrifice of some kind--hopefully, for the greater good.  This is the card whose image was so clear in my mind that it spurred me to begin this project.  FYI.

#13 Death

 The meaning of the Death card is actually about change, not death.  But new beginnings are usually begun from something else's end, so there is a deep sense of loss with this card that is likened to death, hence its name.  

#16 The Tower

The Tower is one of the worst cards to pull!  It's meaning is exactly what it looks like--all your foundations crumbling, things around you falling away.  Though it usually is tempered with the idea of something new coming on the horizon, this card is not happy at all.  It is about being in the midst of destruction.  (notice that the blocks spell out Beckaroo!)  It's so fun, challenging and rewarding to work on a project with such clearly defined narratives and such a huge breadth of subject. Which is why I keep working on it, in my spare time.

  I think building up  a body of work is a lot like making a mountain.  It takes FOREVER, first of all, and most of it is made of up all the same old crap around you, nothing special--however! within the mountain, like gemstones and fossils, there are things that, over time, prove to be more valuable and worth preserving than the crap surrounding it. Haha Anytime I can use a geology metaphor I'm happy! (:  Here are a few little gems I found--this is the very first sock monkey themed project I did:
 Once upon a time I went to coffee shops and house parties and drew the people around me but I replaced them with sock monkeys.  These are just a few and all at The SpyHouse, in  Minneapolis...in like 2005!
  I wanted them to have a photographic feel, so I kept them smaller and tried to compose them as I would a photo.  But they are graphite on paper:

SpyHouse Monkeys, 2

Jordan Monkey

SpyHouse Monkeys, 3

Graphic Designer Monkey

I love these!  I totally forgot about them and when they fell out of a portfolio in my closet I was pleasantly surprised. Sock Monkeys improve everything, I swear!  :)
  Well, back to working, packing and avoiding craziness--with only mild success....Thanks for the visit! More to come...
Now, I'm off!
Love, Beckarooo!

08.19.14 Sock Monkeys!

Hey There,
This week is all about sock monkey art!  I have always loved sock monkeys--and I have found that you can replace any character with a sock monkey and it will always make the story better!  I used to do a lot of sock monkey themed work and my favorite illustration project, which is still on-going, is a deck of sock monkey themed tarot cards.  I'm only sharing a handful because I made about 20 of these, mostly of the Major Arcana.  Tarot cards are a really project because each card has a traditional design but you can add your own twist to it, based on your theme.  Along with having fun with symbols, this was mostly a color exercise for me. FYI, I used all sewing supplies to replace the traditional symbols:  Wands=Needles, Swords=Scissors, Pentacles=Buttons, Cups=Mugs of Coffee.  ...mugs full of coffee are essential sewing tools, you know.  
  These are all hand-painted, these were the last things I did before I switched to digital painting.  These are all acrylic and ink on board--here is a small sampling:

#11 Justice

"#8 Strength"

 

#19 The Sun

#18 The Moon

#5 The Heirophant

#15 The Devil

  I have many more of these so I may post some more, one at a time--they were really fun to make and I still love how they look.  Of course, I want to re-do them now, so I'm working on the sketches for the rest of the deck.  Forthcoming project!  Moving right along.... 

  ....Another thing I loved doing with sock monkeys was comics of Greek Tragedies--they are so much funnier with sock monkeys!  I will show you my favorite part from my sock monkey "Hero and Leander":

Leander's Death

That one was in crayon and it's been deteriorating over time, so here is a cleaner and easier to read version:

Leander's Death, Inks  

And, of course once Hero sees that Leander has drowned, she flings herself from her tower--there is no other way to consider!!!!

Hero's Death

So tragic! But not really because they are sock monkeys. This is another project that is on the back burner, so to speak.  I still have other plans for it but right now I'm working on Joseph so it will just have to wait. That's what a back burner is for, after all!
  Thanks for checking out my sock monkey retrospective!  It's been such a long time since I looked at these, it's like saying hi to old friends! I hope you enjoyed it, too. (:
  More to come!
Love, Beckaroooo!!!