Sarah Marino

Doodley Self Portrait

2011-11-06T01:15:00.003-05:00

Just a quick self portrait. Gearing up for CTN in a few weeks! I've never been to California (or west of Texas, for that matter), so I'm so excited for this trip! It'll be so great to see friends from college too :)

Larkstorm

2011-10-28T07:52:00.005-05:00

It has been too long since I last updated on my blog. I could give an array of excuses. The truth is, graduating from college and the resulting years after has been one of the most difficult experiences of my life. I and so many others graduated in a time when jobs were sparse, hopes were low and the drive to keep going was quickly hindered by the constant rejection after rejection that we have all faced.

It hasn't been easy, and at times downright terrifying. But I do firmly believe that if you somehow keep going, surround yourself with people that want you to succeed and above all believe that you simply can, that anything is possible.

I was contacted by Kathleen Ortiz to work on a possible freelance opportunity last month. I was thrilled at even the consideration and was quickly thrown into one of the best experiences of my life. I was introduced to Dawn Rae Miller and her wonderful world of LARKSTORM, and given the opportunity to do what I could to make her beautiful story shine.

It was most certainly a test in faith, for they took a chance on picking me. While I might have a decent portfolio, I don't have a wealth of experience like so many others. I am humbled by their trust, and forever grateful for their friendship. I know this is just the beginning for me on my quest to make it in this world as an artist, and I am so honored and truly excited to share with you my first book cover for the upcoming YA novel LARKSTORM by the brilliant Dawn Rae Miller.

Quick Sketchy's update

2011-02-15T15:23:00.004-06:00

Quick update. Caught a really bad cold at the beginning of the month, had an even worse cold front move in that resulted in hours without power, and then a week later my iMac decided it wanted to fail. I don't really have anything backed up (long story), so it's currently at a data recovery shop. Hopefully I won't lose most of my work from the past year, but you live and you learn.

I have my windows open today: 76° and sunny. I'll take it. Things are looking up for the rest of this month (but they really couldn't have gotten much worse). Hopefully I'll have some more work to show soon once I get my iMac back. Hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine's Day!

Ringmaster

2011-01-22T20:30:00.003-06:00

Here's a character design I came up with, partially inspired by reading Water for Elephants recently for the book club Erin and I started with some friends. I had an image of a sleazy old circus ringmaster pop into my head and had to draw him. His teeth are disgusting and I love it!

I've dubbed him Big Louie Curbludgeon, mostly because my friend loved how curmudgeonly and sordid he looked and I wanted to be subtle. But not really, because I can't imagine Big Louie being subtle at all.

Can't wait to explore more of this seamy circus world.

Exploring with some brush and ink

2011-01-20T16:23:00.003-06:00

At the weekly figure drawing we have going on, we started experimenting with some sumi ink. It was a lot of fun getting used to using a brush and ink again. These are all around 5-7 minute sketches that were started in a diluted ink and water combo, with the final drawing opaque. Should have more coming over the next couple of weeks!

A new year for more Dr. Sketchy's

2011-01-12T15:28:00.002-06:00

Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday and new years! Last week, we had an awesome model at Dr. Sketchy's, so here's some of the drawings from that. Enjoy!

And then there was more figure drawing

2010-11-09T15:13:00.003-06:00

I really can't get enough of figure drawing. It's one of my favorite things to do and I'm so thankful to have some great opportunities around Dallas (shout out to Dallas Dr. Sketchy's!)

Should be some good news to report in the future hopefully soon. In the meantime, everyone enjoy the cooler weather and the prospect of good food, friends and family in these coming Holiday weeks. Oh and the upcoming release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 as well as TRON: Legacy (but really, I just want Daft Punk's soundtrack)!

More figure drawing!

2010-09-28T10:59:00.002-05:00

One can never have enough figure drawing, am I right? There will be more this weekend at Dallas Dr. Sketchy's so keep your eyes open for another post soon. Hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather and their Pumpkin Spice Lattes~

Dr. Sketchy's

2010-08-01T19:28:00.004-05:00

Just got back from a Dr. Sketchy's session. For those of you that don't know, it's an organized figure drawing club where burlesque models pose in costumes for a couple hours in a local bar. A lot of cities have a Dr. Sketchy's so google it to try to find one in your area! I highly recommend it!

The top I did at today's session and the one below was from a couple of weeks ago. Both are 20 minute studies.

Working on portfolio updates and renovations. I'm looking forward to cooler air coming up in the next couple months; this Texas heat is unreal.

Nothing beats figure drawing

2010-06-01T11:14:00.004-05:00

Over the past month or so, I've been doing weekly figure drawing Tuesday mornings. It's been a really great exercise for me and I've finally gotten back in the groove of working the figure. I most certainly have the Illustration Academy to thank for what I know about drawing the figure and how I approach my process for art making in general. Good luck to all the new students this year!

College to real life is quite the transition.

2010-05-04T03:04:00.005-05:00

No one really prepares you for what is coming when you graduate. There's a lot of uncertainty. A ton of "Holy crap, what am I going to do NOW." It was one of the most challenging experiences of my entire life. It's amazing to me that in school we feel on top of the world and like anything is possible and in the real world, you have to start all over again. They don't teach overcoming this reality in art school but we all have to figure it out one way or another.

I've been working with Reel FX quite a bit on a couple different projects (which I posted earlier) and can now post part of the work I've done with them given that some of it is now live.

I worked on an online game for kids based on the candy Baby Bottle Pops. I did environments, concepts, user interfaces, and more. The game is now live which you can see at BabyBottlePop.com. Much of the artwork and environments were done by Shane Richardson, Erin McGuire, and myself. It was an interesting and challenging job to work on and definitely an experience that required a lot of collaboration and revisions.

I have some more work to post soon. I wish all the upcoming graduates good luck and congratulations!

Starting fresh

2010-02-11T15:53:00.007-06:00

Just a preview of a fun little piece I'm working on. Getting back into the groove of things, figuring out 1, 2, 5, and 10 year goals. Wishing I had a dog to keep me company and warm on days like today. I had a bit of a mid-life crisis at the ripe age of 22, but I suppose that's normal for many people post-graduation. I've done some work with Reel FX on various projects and am working on restructuring my portfolio with new work and a somewhat clearer direction. I've grown accustomed to living in Texas now, though the snow here is unreal.

And that was just this morning! They're anticipating up to a foot of snow in Dallas. Texans are so funny, they have no idea what to do in times of snowfall. It makes me nostalgic for my childhood days in upstate New York.

I updated my website with a new layout and some severe yet necessary editing. Bring on the new decade!

www.sarahmarino.com

Moving to Dallas

2009-09-26T18:45:00.003-05:00

So I feel pretty terrible for not updating but I promise things will pick up soon!

I'm officially moving to Dallas in a week and will have the studio space I crave along with amazing friends and talented artists to inspire me. I think this change of pace can only bring good things and I'm looking forward to the weeks, months, and maybe even years to come.

See you soon with new art <3

Gibson Girl for DAS

2009-07-27T19:58:00.004-05:00

This Gibson fashionista likes to be unkempt. It suits her.

I posted this on DAS already but it's one of the first post-Ringling pieces/sketches I've actually really liked.

NYC livin'

2009-06-16T14:19:00.005-05:00

Just checking in to report that I'm currently in NYC interning for Richard Solomon Artist Representatives. It's been a whirlwind of stuff happening the past couple of weeks and art making is minimal. I've been sketching and hopefully can have some new pieces up soon as I've finally settled down in my apartment.

Totally scared of the life I'm beginning but it's extremely exciting just the same!

Senior Thesis

2009-05-05T00:56:00.007-05:00

My senior thesis: Literary Influence.

I chose to do book covers of novels that have inspired and influenced me and my work throughout my life. I hope you enjoy these pieces as much as I have enjoyed creating them. My BFA is four days away - congratulations all seniors and good luck in all of your future endeavors. Here's to the next chapter~

Artist's Books

2009-04-15T20:36:00.004-05:00

Wow, so it has been far too long. I've been focusing on thesis and my portfolio so much that I've been neglecting everything else. This is the homestretch though so in a week and a half, I'll be posting the fruits of my labors :)

In the meantime, here are two of my large projects from Artist's Books last semester!

Hallmark Workshop

2009-02-27T16:13:00.003-06:00

Hallmark Workshop post.

What a great experience. I am still trying to absorb everything I learned from the workshop and wish it wasn't over so soon. But I feel pretty happy with how this card turned out (it's a tri-fold, so it opens up to reveal the landscape).

Now back to thesis... Sigh.

Man, Pet, Machine

2009-02-02T02:15:00.003-06:00

The infamous Man, Pet, and Machine assignment. I decided to use a more passive approach to the pet part and incorporate it into her attire. The gears took forever but I am happy with the overall result!

"When the Clock Strikes Twelve"

More to come though I won't be uploading thesis till it's complete.

End of the semester

2009-01-04T22:17:00.003-06:00

For the last assignment of the semester, we had to do a book cover of our choice. I chose the young adult novel "The Luxe" as I figured it was a subject matter I had not yet attempted (as in teenage girl books)! Needless to say, I feel like it is one of my most successful images of the semester and I am really pleased with the overall feel of the painting as well as the typography. It basically solidified my happiness with doing books and portraits for my thesis.

Speaking of thesis, I might as well let the cat out of the bag. I will be doing book covers of "classic/popular" literature as well as illustrations of the authors. So far the list of the books is as follows:

- A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

And other possible but depending on time possibilities:

- Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

So as you can see, I have quite a bit of reading/drawing/conceptualizing ahead of me. Not to mention one final fact about this project. That I will fully design the dust jackets for the covers (including the typography) and rebind paperback editions of the books to have the dust jackets wrapped around at my thesis. It's going to be a lot of hard work but damnit, I am determined.

And here's a grouchy typewriter lady for giggles. Hope everyone had an amazing holiday. One semester to go!

The Black Cat

2008-12-07T15:14:00.004-06:00

For Halloween we had an open assignment so I decided to read some good old fashioned Edgar Allen Poe. I bought an entire collection of his work and got to reading. After perusing his short stories, I finally picked The Black Cat, one of his darkest and most sadistic stories, rivaling that of the Tell Tale Heart. So here is the result. He really likes hiding people in walls.

Self Portrait

2008-12-05T19:13:00.002-06:00

The obligatory senior self portrait. I wanted something unobtrusive but that represented my style and personal aesthetic.

Sketchbook

2008-12-05T18:58:00.006-06:00

Some scans from the old and now new sketchbook.

Illustration Academy pt 2

2008-10-05T02:48:00.007-05:00

Figured I should post some of the stuff I did during Academy this past summer. Here we go.

Back in school

2008-09-30T05:05:00.004-05:00

The beginning of the last school year.

Back in the swing of things with less than a year left to go. The first assignment was to deal with anything political, so I chose the subject of gay marriage and went from there. The piece deals with the beauty of a union (marriage or not) and the hurtful and slanderous things people will say about and to others. We should not be afraid of what's different and see the beauty within any bond, regardless of gender. Hopefully I captured that in this piece.

This piece was in response to a chapter in one of David Sedaris' books. Titled appropriately "The Smoking Section," Sedaris travels to Japan to try to finish his dirty habit off for good. He is an outsider, struggling to understand their language, and prefers to visit a local Western cafe to enjoy some shotokeku. I hope I captured the solidarity and gloom of his experience, albeit the positive nature of the stay there.

Illustration Academy

2008-06-05T23:05:00.005-05:00

I'm already almost done with the first week of Academy and it's just been an incredible journey and learning experience already. Here are a couple of figure drawings from last night's session.

A new journey

2008-03-19T01:32:00.003-05:00

So I decided to start a whole new blog. Well, it's not completely new, really. This location has been in existence now for quite some time, documenting the past three years I've spent studying at Ringling. I've grown so much and the direction of my art and interests have changed so much that I felt it was necessary to start anew. A self-cleansing process, so to speak. I have come to terms now more than ever with my strengths and weaknesses as an artist and though I still am unsure of my desired career path, I'm determined to succeed in whatever I pursue. Hopefully I'll find out a little bit more about myself through this process and can find my strongest passions within myself.