Pissed Off Pinups

New Blog

2009-12-06T17:18:00.000-08:00

This project is currently on hold.

To see what I'm up to now, check out:
http://stephoodle.blogspot.com/

APE is here! [cross-posted to my general sketchblog]

2008-10-31T20:07:00.000-07:00

And in all my earnest preparation and other busy things, I neglected updating my blogs! Shame on me!

I'm here in San Francisco, though, staying in a really cool hostel. Would definitely recommend it to friends.

I'm just working on getting everything ready for tomorrow! I've got three mini prints (4"x6", the farting girl, superhero girl, and the farting unicorn [which I forgot to post the final version of! I'll have to do that when I get home... he is my favorite]) and a mini poster (about 12"x10.5" of the Devil Girl drawing from the Pissed Off Pinups title bar). Plus I have a portfolio of sketches for people to look through, and some fun little business cards that have my info at the bottom and a blank thought bubble at the top that I can draw different little things in... so every card will be different).

It should be a really fun time!

So if you're in San Francisco, head down to the Concourse (620 7th Street) this weekend and check it out! It's only 10 bucks for one day and 15 for both. And there's a lot of other cool people going, like Rachel and Mikey of Poseur Ink, Meredith Gran of Octopus Pie, and Jennie Breeden of The Devil's Panties, among others. Yay!

It's been over a month, but what a busy month!

2008-10-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

I've been getting stuff done for APE! Yay! Sadly, I had to ditch the calendar idea for now (I'll probably put one together for 2010, so there will be more than a month to buy it before it starts), BUT I am going to have a whole bunch of mini prints!

Here's a sneak prreview of one! More to come!
This sketch below will probably turn into a print too.I'll also have a few non-pinup prints as well... You can see a preview sketch of one of them on my main sketchblog.

The more I get done, the more I will post! It's now less than a month to APE!

A brief update:

2008-08-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

I apologize for my absence; I've had a lot of life stuff going on, and have been focused on that. I do have some news, though. I got confirmation that I will indeed have a table at the Alternative Press Expo.

Funny story: the original email I received told me I was on a waiting list... which made me really bummed, but I was going to go anyway. I figured I could help out some of the other people I know are going to be there.

Twenty minutes later, I received another email that basically said, "Oops, we sent you the wrong message, this is the correct one! Sorry!" The correct message being that I had a table. Made me laugh.

I got the paper I'm using for the calendar drawings from Dick Blick today... It's a bit rippled, sadly, but it should still work just fine for my purposes. I also found it amusing that they mailed my soft-lead pencil sharpener separately in a box about a thousand times to big. Silly shipping people.

More progress!

2008-08-19T21:09:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite sketches for the calendar thus far: an angry super hero chick and a parody of this Gil Elvgren painting:Except that in my version, the bear's alive and they're brawling. I might also make the bear a grizzly.

I'm starting on the final drawings this weekend. YEAH!

No sketches for now, but more thoughts on the calendar.

2008-08-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

I've got a couple more layout sketches done. (Yay!) I'm probably going to start on the final drawings in about a week.

For the last couple of days I've been looking around at printers and prices as well as putting some thought into what scale I'd like this to be. I'm also thinking about postcard prints and buttons.

Just two and a half more months until APE! I'm both excited and stressed out about how fast that time is going to go by.

A couple of sketches and some calendar news.

2008-08-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

I worked on some preliminary sketches for the calendar this weekend, and it looks like I have three solid ones so far. As it turns out, my previously posted idea for the theme wasn't working out so well (I'm going to make that the theme for the 2010 calendar so I have more time to spend on it), so I decided to just go with what came to me. I'm pretty happy with the direction it's going. I've also decided to do the illustrations in colored pencil on colored paper, like the devil girl sketch on the title banner at the top of the page.

I didn't want to post any previews of the calendar art yet, though, so here's a quick sketch of the devil girl and an angry chick's head:

Experimenting with facial expressions...

2008-08-07T21:43:00.000-07:00

Now drawing tonight, but I have an update on the forthcoming calendar...

2008-08-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

I've finally worked out a theme! This makes me happy.

A pinup photo shoot gone wrong. I'm thinking of going with either grayscale (like B&W photos) or sepia toned with a hint of color, and they'll look as if they've been pinned on walls and such.

This will be fun!

Little bunny Fifi...

2008-08-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

This didn't turn out exactly how I expected, but I do really like how her feet came out... and I threw in some flat color just for fun.

On the weekend... [cross-posted to my general sketchblog]

2008-08-03T23:18:00.001-07:00

I took a little bit of a break this weekend to chill out after Comic Con and being sick pretty much all last week (this nasty cold is almost gone...yay). I do have a couple of drawings to post, but I want to take some time and color them. So they'll go up tomorrow night.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Sweaters are awesome... even in July.

2008-07-31T21:40:00.000-07:00

I was experimenting with the textures I could get with my inking pen here. It's not exactly what I pictured, but I think it works. This weekend I'm really going to buckle down and finalize the basic ideas for the calendar. I also think I'm going to do some life drawing practice. I think it will help me think of more creative poses.

Anachronism, schmanacronism.

2008-07-30T22:37:00.001-07:00

Now, I know it would have been impossible for a cavewoman to have a pet dinosaur, as they did not exist at the same time. But cavewomen didn't look like that either, so I've taken some liberties. At any rate, I like it.

Sick girls can still be sexy.

2008-07-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

The headcold that I've been developing for a while decided to explode right after ComicCon, prompting me to draw this gal:

In other news, I reserved my room for APE today. Woohoo!

A couple of sketches

2008-07-28T18:34:00.001-07:00

I drew these chicks a while ago, exploring the idea of angry punk and emo gals:

This one is from last night. Sure, she may be in her golden years now, but back in her day I bet she was quite the sex pot. Really.

In other news, I've gone over ideas for drawings for the calendar, and can't quite decide how theme-y I want to go with it. I do like the idea of a chick kicking a leprechaun into the air, though.

Comic Con 2008, among other things...

2008-07-25T22:20:00.000-07:00

I've once again let other life stuff get in the way of pursuing my artistic goals... What's up with me not updating since December, anyway?

I'm going to be at the Alternative Press Expo, come hell or high water. And I'm planning on having a Pissed Off Pinups 2009 Calendar with me.

I've already got a few sketches done, but will have to wait until after the Convention is over to post them. It's been pretty exhausting so far... there are just SO MANY people this year! But I've gotten to see a lot of old friends, make some new ones, and meet a couple of people I've admired for a long time... all of which are evidence of a good Con.

See you again in a few days!

I have not kept my promise, and I apologize.

2007-12-19T13:29:00.000-08:00

I sort of let life get in the way of things for a bit. Here are a couple of sketches for the meantime!

She's a bit fed up with all the skinny models in the magazines.

A Parisian dog-walker.

Missed Friday

2007-09-30T00:19:00.000-07:00

In the course of moving the office and preparing for the beginning of a leadership course I started today, I forgot about the Friday update!

There's not much to tell though. Moving kind of wore me out this week (but I still made it to yoga somehow). Until next friday, unless I decide to post some stuff earlier to make up for missing Friday. For now, I sleep.

Not much to post tonight.

2007-09-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

But! I did come to a realization the other day, which resulted in some better roughs.

All/most of the drawings I've done since the devil chick haven't really fit into the overall look I was going for. And I have been sort of worrying for a while that the book was going to look like some mish-mashed hodge-podge of varying styles that just didn't go together, and would make it look like it was done by a variety of artists rather than one.

So I sat down and thought and sketched, keeping in mind what my strengths were, and what strong-points I have that really make up my design aesthetic. And now I believe I have a firmer grasp on what I really want this project to be. So yay for that. I've got some work planned for this weekend, and I'll at least update next Friday to let you all know how it develops.

In completely unrelated news, I got a haircut today. It almost looks like a modern take on Barbra Streisand as Fanny Bryce in Funny Girl, towards the end when she has shorter hair. It's really cool.

Just a sketch for today...

2007-09-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

I didn't get a chance to finish coloring the Dorothy/Scarecrow drawing, so here's a sketch I'm still hammering out: Alice and the Queen of Hearts duking it out.

I wanted to make the sketch emulate a classic playing card, the way that the illustration turns in on itself and flows.

I've been pretty busy this week, since I started up yoga again. I'm taking a class almost every day and I feel great. It's just what I needed. I'm going to work hard to finish a couple of pieces this weekend.

See you next week!

Work in progress sneak peek

2007-09-08T21:38:00.001-07:00

This is a small peek at part of an unfinished piece I'm in the middle of coloring:

(I've still got to finish a bit more shading and such, as well as the background... but I'm pretty happy with how it's going.)

I'm a little frustrated with myself about how little I update this blog. And I've decided that instead of just posting here and there and saying I'll post again "in a few days" (which usually turns into a week or more), I'm going to set a regular update schedule. I am going to make an update every Friday, regardless of whether or not I've got a finished piece to show you. If I don't, I'll have another sneak peek like this one, or I'll just write about what I'm doing and how things are going with the project. And it's in my palm, so I won't forget!

So I'll see you Friday!

Productive weekend!

2007-08-26T22:48:00.001-07:00

I got a lot of drawing done this weekend and ended up with five relatively tight sketches; two of those got inked and are ready for digital coloring. One of the others I'd like to do in colored pencil.

Here's one of the inked drawings:

Really, it was an excuse to draw those ballet boots.

I'll update a little later this week with a color version and perhaps the other piece I inked (I would have posted it tonight, but I really want to get that one colored before I post it).

Another sketch and "ouch!"

2007-08-20T21:52:00.000-07:00

This is a small peek at a frazzled librarian and a faulty card catalogue.

I'm hoping to have a finished piece or two up this weekend. If not, more sketches, at least, or maybe I'll post images of the same piece as it progresses...

I clocked my head on the garage door a little bit ago. I misjudged my timing walking inside as the door was opening, and walked right into it. Thankfully my head was down and I hit the blunt bottom rather than an edge, but OW. I started delirously laughing, as I am wont to do in situations in which I hurt myself as a result of doing something dumb, and my roommate kept asking me if I was okay... I was laughing so hard tears were streaming down my face. And THEN it began to hurt. I should probably take some ibuprofin before bed... I do not look forward to how this will feel in the morning. Currently, my brain feels dented! Isn't that fun!

Gasp!

2007-08-19T23:48:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a week and a half since I last posted. Oops. I had planned on updating this weekend, but I got sort of tangled up in cleaning my room. I'll be making a real update tomorrow after work. Just wanted to let everyone know I'm still alive.

More sketches!

2007-08-09T20:34:00.001-07:00

I've got two more rough sketches for you:

A parody of the Uncle Sam poster; I left the guy on the right in the scan because he looked goofy and cool.

Sunburns suck. Aloe makes 'em bearable. Sort of.

I'm itching to finish more pieces; I'm hoping to get a couple done this weekend. I finally found some really awesome inking markers that are like mini versions of the markettes I used when I drew caricatures, so I can get some really nice line width variation.

In other interesting news, a shirt I designed for Chris Daily (the Nerdgasm! shirt) was on Attack of the Show! the other day. That's pretty rad. Here's how you can view a video clip of it:

1. Go here: http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/videos/index.html
2. Click on the link for DVD Duesday 08/07/07
3. Watch that segment after a dumb ad for Stride gum

It's really trippy to see something I stared at for so long on my computer screen on someone's chest on tv. It was already weird just seeing someone wear one at Con.

A brief update, plus: Who am I, anyway?

2007-08-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

I've gotten a bunch of sketching done this weekend; I'll be posting some of them sometime in the next few days. I'm wondering how may pieces I should put in the book... I'm thinking at least 24 or so, but I'm not sure.

So... who am I? My name is Stephanie Burrows. Like most artists, I began drawing as soon as I could hold a crayon and decided never to stop. I honestly couldn't imagine life without drawing. I also loved drawing cartoons from an early age, too. My dream job when I was in elementary school was to be a character designer with Disney.

I started drawing comics (and taking cartoons more seriously) during the first months of 2001, the latter half of my first year of college. I worked on a couple of webcomics and made a lot of friends in that community. My first real experiences in print were with a couple of group projects produced by my friends at Young American Comics; you can find me in Unseen On TV and The Big Ol' Book of Bizmar. I also designed the website for Punch An' Pie, which is drawn by Chris Daily and written by Aeire, both of whom are my crazy roommates.

I also worked as a caricature artist at the San Diego Zoo from April of 2006 through June of 2007. It was a fun job, and my drawing skills shot through the roof. Now I have an 8 to 5 job with a company that handles tenant screening and criminal background checks for property managers. I'm working on new graphics for their various websites. I've gotten to play around in flash again for one of them, and it's been a blast. I'd forgotten how fun that program is. I might even come up with some extra Pissed Off Pinups material later.

I'd always liked pinup art, mainly vintage and vintage inspired as well as those in a quirky cartoony style. Last year at Comic Con, I ran across Chris Sanders's table, and bought his sketchbook. I was completely taken with how he drew women. Then Chris (Daily) showed me the Dean Yeagle/Morsels (Scott Tolleson, Kristen McCabe, Gary Ham) booth. I think it was at this point that I began drawing pinups while I was still at the convention. I had never even thought about drawing pinups before, and it turned out to be a hell of a lot of fun!

So that's me. Well, more of a shortened version of events leading up to this project. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email at steph.burrows (at) gmail (dot) com.

As promised: The origin story and preliminary sketches

2007-07-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

I was having a very bad day. No details are needed, really, other than the fact that I was very much in an emotional pit. Earlier in the day, though, I had been quite chipper, and was discussing things I could do for Comic Con this year with one of my roommates who also happens to be my coworker. The previous year's Con left me inspired to draw pinups, so I was thinking of different sorts of ideas for that. And then something rained on my parade. While I was sulking in the car on the way home, the aformentioned roommate tried to cheer me up, and suggested I channel my upset into drawing... Why didn't I draw some angry pinup girls? she asked. She even coined "Pissed Off Pinups". At that point a bell rang or a lightbulb went on or something. Suddenly, I didn't feel quite so bad. And what was going to be a couple of prints I might have tried to sell on a friend's table turned into a much larger project, which is going to be the book. And who was that roommate? Aeire, writer of Punch an' Pie, and arist, among other things. Thanks, Aeire.

And the first five links to the right (Chris Sanders, Dean Yeagle, Kristen McCabe, Scott Tolleson, And Gary Ham) are some of the people who inpired me to start drawing pinups at Con '06. The last (GirlsDrawinGirls) is a group whose table I ran across this year, and their stuff was great.

And here are a few of the very first rough sketches:

I do not endorse the kicking of pidgeons, for that is a very mean thing to do. I do, however, endorse the kicking of cartoon pidgeons.

That's the original devil girl sketch. I was going to put a halo and a harp in the flames, but I thought it would have been a bit much in the end. As for biting the head off of a teddy bear, I've yet to get that pose right... but rest assured I will, and it will involve a men's button down pajama shirt. Perhaps with stripes.

Comic Con 2007: So it begins...

2007-07-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

Comic Con is now over this year. I must say it may have been the best year ever for me, and this is my sixth. I handed out a bunch of postcards advertising Pissed Off Pinups (with the illustration of the angry devil girl above), and I got a lot of really positive feedback from everyone! Thank you, to all of the cool new people I met (and my old friends, too). I'm more excited than ever to work my ass off and get this book out for APE. And I filled out a form to get a small press booth at Comic Con next year too. Yay!

For now though, I need some sleep, because it's back to the daily grind tomorrow. But check back often; I plan to update at least once or twice a week with my progress. I promise my next update will include a couple of the first rough sketches I did for this project, as well as the origin story.

Generic Introductory Post Title

2007-07-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Pissed Off Pinups blog! This blog will follow it's journey from rough conception to it's release at the 2008 Alternative Press Expo, including sneak peaks at some of the art and my experiences with my first big venture in self-publishing. I'm really happy to be working on this project. It's been (and will continue to be) a lot of fun. I can only hope it amuses others just as much as it does me.

Posts in the not-to-distant future will include:
- A bit about who I am and where I come from
- How Pissed Off Pinups came to be, and why drawing angry girls is fun
- A couple of really rough preliminary sketches